"Th-three-grade Exotic Fire!?"
"He-Heavenly Thunder Wood?"
"Ye Xuan of the Violet Firmament Sect?"
"When did he get here?"
"How is this possible?"
After standing dazed for quite a while, everyone finally cried out in alarm.
A third-grade Exotic Fire was enough to reign supreme across the Barren Continent, two grades higher than Ji Fengliu's Wind Erosion Flame!
Yet such a terrifying Exotic Fire had actually appeared inside Ye Xuan of the Violet Firmament Sect!?
Not only that, but the material Ye Xuan had prepared was Heavenly Thunder Wood. If he successfully refined it, he would absolutely crush Ji Fengliu!
For a moment, cold sweat poured down everyone's backs.
Fortunately, they had not finalized the rankings ahead of time.
Otherwise, they would have overturned the cart at the last moment!
"Hmph. From now on, none of you are allowed to leave the Artificer Guild!"
"This news must be sealed tight!"
The burly guildmaster snorted coldly, then grinned smugly. "Old ghost Bai Mu, you never saw this coming, did you? My Artificer Guild is rising from this very day. Let's see if you still refuse to yield!"
"Guildmaster, Guildmaster Bai Mu has barged in!" Before his laughter had even faded, a voice rang out from outside the door.
"Bai Mu!?"
"Stop him!"
The Artificer Guild's guildmaster frowned, thinking, Is that old monster a cat? How does he have such a keen nose!?
"Hmph, Mo Feng, do you think you can stop me?"
But by then, Bai Mu had already stormed in.
"Damn it, what do you mean by this?"
"You think my Artificer Guild is your backyard? You barge in whenever you please!"
Mo Feng flew into a rage, while discreetly shutting down the formation screen.
"Hehe, stop trying to hide it. I knew long ago that Ye Xuan possessed a third-grade Exotic Fire!"
Bai Mu sneered as he sealed the room's door. "I came here for the man!"
"What? You already knew!?"
Mo Feng was stunned. His eyes, as round as bronze bells, darted about before he said, "So what if you knew?"
"Hmph. Ye Xuan came to my Pill Society first, so he is naturally a disciple of my Pill Society!"
"Your old man will wait right here today. Don't even think about stealing him!"
"What did you say? He went to the Pill Society?" Mo Feng was startled. Raising his brows, he said, "How could I believe that? He's an artificer—what would he want at your Pill Society?"
"You aren't deliberately causing trouble, are you?"
"Bullshit. He refined a Spirit Grade Pill in one hour and has already been secretly designated the champion of the pill competition!" Bai Mu scoffed.
"One hour—a Spirit Grade Pill?"
"He—he knows pill refinement too?"
Mo Feng was completely shocked.
If that was the case, didn't it mean that Ye Xuan of the Violet Firmament Sect excelled at both artifact and pill refinement!?
He hurriedly activated the formation screen again.
At that moment, inside the artifact room where Ye Xuan was, the Heavenly Thunder Wood had already melted into a pool of liquid. Within the great cauldron, Ye Xuan had shaped the fire into a hammer and had begun hammering the sword embryo!
Mo Feng and Bai Mu exchanged a glance, their expressions gradually turning solemn to the extreme.
This young man's talent was so terrifying that it could no longer be judged by common sense.
Bai Mu went even further, sweeping his wide white sleeve and scattering pill powder that knocked everyone else in the room unconscious.
"Old Mo, this young man is extraordinary. Neither the Pill Society nor the Artificer Guild can swallow him alone!"
"Let's join forces, then make the Heavenly Profound Pill Society and the Artificer Guild famous throughout the Imperial Capital of the Central Region. How about it!?" Bai Mu drew a deep breath and spoke in a low voice.
"It's a deal!"
Mo Feng nodded. Then the two of them rushed out of the room and waited outside Ye Xuan's door.
Before Ye Xuan came out, no one was allowed to disturb him!
An hour later, inside the artifact room, Ye Xuan withdrew the fire pen formed from lightning flames from the sword's body.
Buzz!
In an instant, streaks of artifact patterns flashed with lightning as they flowed and shimmered across the sword.
The entire sword trembled without pause, its domineering edge seeming ready to slice open the void!
"Hehe, not bad!"
Ye Xuan put away the Exotic Fire and gripped the ancient sword hilt with one hand. The power of the Nine Thunder Tribulation Heaven surged into it, immediately suppressing the restless aura within.
Although he still could not activate the power of the ancient sword hilt, this sword was already enough to satisfy Ye Xuan.
He picked up the longsword and was about to push open the door.
"Hahaha!"
"Hehehe!"
What left Ye Xuan stunned was that two people were actually standing outside this time!
One was dressed in black and the other in white, and both were grinning foolishly at him.
"Guildmaster Bai?" Ye Xuan frowned.
"Guildmaster Bai? I am Mo Feng, the guildmaster of the Artificer Guild. Could you let me take a look at your sword?" Mo Feng blocked Bai Mu and rubbed his hands anxiously.
Ye Xuan nodded and handed over the sword.
Mo Feng took it, but immediately froze on the spot.
Bai Mu watched him for a long while before finally asking, "Does it even need looking?"
"No, naturally not!"
Only then did Mo Feng come back to his senses as if awakening from a dream. His entire body trembled with excitement, and he kept stroking the sword's body. "I have spent my whole life refining artifacts, yet I have never seen such a wondrous Heavenly Tier sword!"
"This sword is enough to rival an ordinary King Artifact. It can be called the number-one sword of the Heavenly Tier!"
"Extreme Thunder Sword—what a good name!"
Seeing the words Extreme Thunder on the sword's body, Mo Feng praised it without reservation.
"Hmph, as if you needed to tell me. Even I could see that!"
Bai Mu had long since grown impatient. He quickly looked at Ye Xuan and said, "Ye Xuan, you went to the pill competition first, so you have to join the Pill Society first!"
"You also have to join our Artificer Guild. This sword sheath was something I obtained from a secret realm years ago. It can increase the sword's power by thirty percent when it is drawn. I'm giving it to you!"
Mo Feng spoke as well. With a flip of his hand, he produced a dark, ancient sword sheath and handed it to Ye Xuan.
"Hehe, this pill furnace was passed down to me by my master back then. It's a Spirit Grade item, and I'm giving it to you as well!" Unwilling to be outdone, Bai Mu produced a dark-black, ancient furnace and stuffed it into Ye Xuan's arms without another word.
"This..."
Ye Xuan was stunned as well. These two guildmasters were a little too enthusiastic.
"Is it enough just to join the Artificer Guild and the Pill Society?" Ye Xuan asked.
"Naturally!"
"Absolutely~"
Bai Mu and Mo Feng almost simultaneously pulled a jade token from their robes.
"You only need to record your name!"
Ye Xuan: "..."
At the same time, before the Pill Society.
The bell announcing the end of the pill competition rang.
Ling Tian, standing beside Xiao Chengfeng, looked at Lin Churan and sneered. "Churan, you really are crazy. You actually bet your entire fortune on Ye Xuan!"
"How pitiful. Your Lin Household is about to fall to rock bottom once more!"
"Instead of worrying about me, you should worry about yourself. You're the banker—aren't you afraid of losing your entire family fortune?" Lin Churan sneered.
"Hahahaha, this young master won't lose!" Ling Tian threw his head back and laughed wildly.
He had already bribed a Pill Society elder long ago and learned that Liu Yunxi possessed a second-grade Exotic Fire!
Although he had been unable to contact that elder afterward, he still firmly believed that Liu Yunxi would become the dark horse and seize the pill competition championship!
Thus, he had not hesitated to pour in the Pill Society's entire fortune and become the banker himself.
Today, he was going to make a killing!
Lin Churan shook her head and no longer wasted her breath.
"The rankings are out!"
At that moment, Xiao Chengfeng cried out, and everyone's eyes turned toward the Pill Society.
The cultivators of the Lin Tian Sword Sect and the Azure Mist Sect were all excited. They both believed that their own Saintess could win the championship!
The prodigies from the various sects who had participated in the pill competition also emerged from the Pill Society one after another.
The first to come out was Wen Yuyan, who had been regarded as the undisputed choice for pill competition champion.
But when she looked up at the grand rankings behind her, she could not help frowning.
At that moment, her name was actually ranked third!
Not only had she failed to win the championship, but she had not even taken second place?
At that moment, everyone waiting for the results before the Pill Society was left gaping in stunned silence.
The rankings were utterly different from what they had expected!
Had Wen Yuyan, publicly acknowledged as the foremost pill-refinement prodigy, actually lost the pill competition?
And as for the dark horse in second place, so be it—but the champion was actually someone whose name was unfamiliar to many people!
At that moment, Liu Yunxi, radiant with pride, also walked out of the Pill Society.
When she saw the dejected Wen Yuyan and the various sect cultivators frozen in place, she felt immensely pleased with herself!
Her victory in the championship was indeed enough to shock the entire venue!
And this was precisely the reaction she had wanted.
"Who leads the pill arts of the Barren Continent? None other than me, Liu Yunxi. I shall be the true phoenix!"
Liu Yunxi stood with her hands behind her back, chin held high, her cold and arrogant voice echoing across the Pill Society's square.
Hmm!?
But at that moment, she discovered that everyone was looking at her as if she were a fool.
Even the cultivators of the Azure Mist Sect were included.
This reaction wasn't right!
Shouldn't they be marveling at her!?
"Liu Yunxi, you really are crazy. Why don't you turn around and see who's at the top of the rankings!?" Lin Churan sneered with a shake of her head, her tone filled with contempt.
The rankings!?
Other than her, who would dare compete with Wen Yuyan for first place!?
Liu Yunxi was puzzled. Then she turned around and looked at the glittering rankings above her head.
But in the next moment, her pupils contracted violently, and her body trembled!
"No, this is impossible!"
At that moment, the name Ye Xuan of the Violet Firmament Sect was shining at the very top of the rankings!
It was so dazzling!
Ye Xuan was actually the champion of the pill competition!?
Before you continue