"There's no need to continue. This round may look like a draw, but in truth, I've lost," Master Kuangyang said, shaking his head. "Fellow Daoist Dongfang's spiritual fire is inferior to my Azure Firmament Heavenly Flame. His technique is skillful, but there are moments of hesitation—it truly is his first time refining this kind of spirit pill. I've refined this Jade-Bone Clear-Mystery Pill twice already, yet I still couldn't win under these circumstances. Fellow Daoist Dongfang's mastery of the pill arts has surpassed mine."
The many great cultivators present were deeply shaken by Master Kuangyang's words; one or two even cried out in surprise. It would have been astonishing enough for a grandmaster of pill arts to appear out of nowhere, but this fellow had actually left the foremost pill cultivator of the Xiang Kingdom feeling inferior. They had all mistakenly thought he was merely a pill-refining master. For someone so skilled at refining pills to have remained unknown in the cultivation world was truly absurd. He had hidden himself deeply indeed; there hadn't even been any particularly remarkable rumors about him all these years.
"Then I thank you for yielding, Master Kuangyang." Lu Xiaotian cupped his hands in salute. An opponent like this truly commanded respect. Judging only by the pills, the round had been a draw. His opponent had indeed enjoyed some advantage thanks to his spiritual fire, while Lu Xiaotian had happened to cultivate the Soul-Splitting Secret Art, giving him a Primordial Spirit far stronger than Master Kuangyang's. Each had their own strengths and weaknesses. Still, the Jade-Bone Clear-Mystery Pill was not as difficult to refine as a Breakthrough Pill, and Lu Xiaotian was quite confident he could produce one if he tried again. So he didn't make too much of a show of refusing Master Kuangyang's