Truth Unearthed

Wa Ke had served as the head of the Chu Yun Imperial Family's covert division for twenty years. As a Six-star Dou Huang, he held considerable status among the upper ranks of the Chu Yun Empire.

His purpose in coming to the Jia Ma Empire's Alchemist Competition was to help the vice president of the Chu Yun Empire's Alchemist Guild win this year's championship, allowing him to carry that honor into the race for the guild president's position, which had been vacant for five years.

Ordinarily, there was no need for him to come personally. But the situation in the Chu Yun Empire had become unpredictable. The Poison Sect, which had risen to prominence not long ago, had expanded severalfold in only two years and swallowed many interests that had originally belonged to the Chu Yun Imperial Family. His personal involvement this time was meant to bring the Alchemist Guild into the same camp as the imperial family. That would make it easier to contend against these newly risen sects and factions.

With the vice president's strength, entering the Alchemist Competition through a flawless disguise and competing against these immature geniuses should have been as easy as chopping melons and vegetables.

But Wa Ke had operated within the Shadow Department for so long that he valued certainty above all else. He always prepared several contingencies for everything. Thus, before the Alchemist Competition began, he had already made arrangements in many places.

So, as he watched the stunned and terrified expressions of several geniuses whose cauldrons had exploded, a mocking smile spread across his face.

Explode! Let them all explode! Heh heh heh!

Faced with such a chaotic scene, he even felt the urge to stand up, spread his arms toward the crowd, and applaud.

However, as a Dou Emperor, he had his own composure. He suppressed that overwhelming urge to show off and continued observing the arena.

Yet just as he believed his tampering had gone completely unnoticed, a pleasant voice rang out across the entire plaza. "President Fa Ma, I would like to request that the competition be suspended. There is a problem with the first round!"

Everyone followed the sound and saw a Pink-haired Girl standing in the center of the arena. She raised a pale arm, holding an herb and a prescription she had just snatched from Xiao Yan.

"What?!" Hearing Liuli's shout, Fa Ma rose to his feet, unable to remain calm.

Jia Xingtian glanced at Yu Gongtian beside him, then rose and walked to the railing. Looking down at the girl below, he asked, "What problem is there with the first round?"

"Old Jia." The Young Girl gave a slight bow before continuing, "There are problems with both the prescription and the medicinal ingredients. And they were not accidents. Someone did this deliberately, and it was targeted!"

The entire venue erupted into an uproar, bursting into fierce discussion.

Fa Ma recovered from his earlier shock, coughed a few times, and asked with some difficulty, "What do you mean by that?"

If there really had been a problem with this competition, then his responsibility as president of the Alchemist Guild would be immense. Although he was a Dou Emperor and his Alchemy skill ranked among the top three in the empire, so he would not lose his position as president, it would undoubtedly deal a severe blow to his reputation in his later years.

Liuli took a deep breath and slowly said, "The fourth ingredient in the Bone-Growing Pill is called Wind Spirit Bone Eradicating Grass. It is an extremely rare and obscure medicinal herb. Since many Alchemists here lack sufficient experience and do not understand this herb, the first round was particularly difficult.

"But the problem lies precisely with this Wind Spirit Bone Eradicating Grass! After maturing for thirty years, it undergoes a sublimating transformation. Its appearance does not change in the slightest, but its Medicinal Properties change drastically, shifting from cold and mild to hot and violent. The herb used to refine the Bone-Growing Pill should be freshly matured Wind Spirit Bone Eradicating Grass."

Liuli wrapped Xiao Yan's Wind Spirit Bone Eradicating Grass in Dou Qi and struck out with her palm. The herb swiftly flew before Fa Ma. Then she continued, "President Fa Ma can inspect Mister Yan Xiao's herb. This one is Wind Spirit Bone Eradicating Grass that has matured for over thirty years."

Fa Ma caught the herb and held it beneath his nose for a sniff. Several flashes of severity passed through his eyes as he spoke gravely. "It has indeed matured for more than thirty years."

"There may have been an issue with the herbs, but that could also have been a management error—an accident. How can this young lady claim someone did it deliberately?" Mu Chen asked.

"That is true. If only the medicinal ingredients had been problematic, it could indeed have been an accident. But the prescription and the people affected are the real keys!" Liuli raised the prescription and spoke to the crowd.

Then she turned toward the thin man in a Grey Robe seated one place away from her and said with a smile, "Could you lend Liuli your prescription?"

The Grey Robe man froze, then snorted coldly. "Why should I lend you mine?"

Liuli blinked and answered as though it were only natural, "Among the ten central seats, you're the only one nearby whose cauldron didn't explode!"

The Grey Robe man fell silent for a moment before using Dou Qi to send the prescription on his table to Liuli.

Liuli caught it, raised it, and continued, "If these two prescriptions are examined with soul perception, the difference can be found. The prescription held by the person whose cauldron did not explode is marked with mature Wind Spirit Bone Eradicating Grass, while the one held by those whose cauldrons exploded says Wind Spirit Bone Eradicating Grass matured for over thirty years. Tell me, could a printing mistake produce such a difference?"

Everyone fell silent for a moment, then many nodded in agreement.

"What about the targeting?" someone asked again.

Liuli smiled, swept her gaze over the competition grounds, and replied, "Just look around. The vast majority of those affected this time are Alchemists with relatively high strength or considerable fame. Oh, that first Alchemist's cauldron probably did not explode for this reason."

His cauldron explosion had happened in the Original Work. It was simply a plot-mandated death.

The Third-grade Alchemist who had returned to the stands flushed red and glared at Liuli indignantly. Yet he could not say anything, because his cauldron explosion truly had been his own fault. Who told him to have too much fun at Spring Night Pavilion yesterday, leaving him low on energy today?

After listening to Liuli's analysis, Fa Ma remained silent for a long while. Then he turned to look at a middle-aged man in the front rows of the VIP seats, dressed in a fourth-grade Alchemist robe.

When the middle-aged man saw Fa Ma looking at him, fear flashed through his eyes. Still, he forced out a flattering smile.

"Ka Lisi, explain yourself," Fa Ma said coldly. The majesty of a Dou Emperor emerged and bore down on the middle-aged man.

Ka Lisi was a fourth-grade Alchemist and an organizing elder at the Alchemist Guild headquarters. He was also the manager responsible for allocating the medicinal ingredients and prescriptions for this competition.

At first, Ka Lisi wanted to make a few excuses. But upon seeing the murderous look in Fa Ma's eyes, he crumbled. He slumped in his chair, looking utterly despondent.

"Take him away and interrogate him under severe torture!" Jia Xingtian said coldly. The guards around the VIP area obeyed at once, surrounding Ka Lisi and dragging him away.

Fa Ma turned back toward Liuli, and the coldness on his face disappeared. His kindly expression returned as he said with a smile, "We were careless this time. Fortunately, Miss Gongsun discovered the problem in time. Otherwise, if a group of geniuses had been eliminated in such a muddleheaded manner, quite a few people would have found it hard to accept."

Then he waved his sleeve and announced, "In the first round of this Alchemist Competition, aside from the contestants who were previously eliminated and left the venue, everyone else advances. Contestants whose cauldrons exploded because of the medicinal ingredients will receive appropriate compensation from the Alchemist Guild. This round ends here!"

No one in the venue objected. This ruling was the best possible outcome for the moment.

And after this first round, everyone would remember the name Gongsun Liuli, as well as this stunningly beautiful and eloquent young girl.

"Miss Gongsun, you were truly impressive," Xiao Yan said with clasped fists. Liuli had helped him earlier, and her performance just now had left him with a very favorable impression of her.

"Hehe, it was nothing. I was only stating the facts." Liuli chuckled and scratched her cheek somewhat bashfully.

She had gotten carried away just now, delivering a long speech beneath the gazes of tens of thousands without feeling anything was wrong. But once she left the arena, the shame buried deep in her soul surged up again, tinting her cheeks with a faint blush.

"What a pity. I barely got to use this fine Medicine Cauldron," Xiao Yan said regretfully as he stroked the Medicine Cauldron Liuli had given him.

"Mister Yan Xiao can keep using it in the next round!" Liuli said with a light laugh.

"Really?"

"You'll have to pay!"

"Uh, all right."