Legend! Aldas's Fame Was Made in One Battle

A voice rang out in Chen Rui's mind: "Preparing to activate the Super System. Activation will be complete in twelve hours."

More delay? What kind of service was this?

The apprentice's excitement instantly fizzled. He'd been hoping to make a grand spectacle of ascending through tribulation in front of everyone, but there was a delay after all. Still, he'd already waited this long, so another little while wouldn't hurt. The most urgent thing was to deal with this scumbag—no, demon scum—first.

"This 'potion' doesn't taste very good. It's fishy and bitter. I suggest you add more vinegar next time, along with some ginger slices to get rid of the fishy taste." Chen Rui said this matter-of-factly to the stunned Sandru.

Decades of hard work and dedication, and an oath to create the deadliest poison even if it meant giving up his status as a master—was it all about to vanish into thin air? Sandru began to tremble. Compared to this failure, being insulted by an apprentice suddenly seemed unimportant.

Although Aldas hadn't even begun to strike back, Sandru understood that he had already lost.

Masters Zola and Kamp understood this too. Aldas had easily neutralized even Sandru's strongest poison. And since antidotes were much harder to make than poisons, Sandru would have no chance against the Dark Elf master's terrifying counterattack. He might not even survive.

The Empire's greatest genius potion-maker, a true master in every sense, a darling of fortune surrounded by glory—had actually lost in this backwater little town! And to an obscure Dark Elf, no less!

If they'd known that Sandru had actually lost to that hopelessly clumsy rookie apprentice, they might have had a breakdown.

"It seems this contest isn't over yet! Master Aldas said earlier that he could kill you with a fart!"

Those loud words silenced the entire arena. That was right. Aldas had accepted all of Sandru's challenges. Now it was time to strike back!

But could a fart really kill Sandru, the Empire's legendary genius? For a moment, all eyes turned toward them.

The human apprentice solemnly carried a collection bottle over to Aldas. The Dark Elf's face twisted. So Chen Rui really had meant it when he'd said "a fart"—he was actually going to do it!

He was a famous figure in Darkmoon City, a master of potion-making. Did he really have to do this in front of everyone...

The human apprentice looked determined and gave him an encouraging nod.

Aldas felt an urge to leap up and strangle the fellow unconscious. But he was playing the part of a badly wounded victim. Just as the Dark Elf was about to faint on purpose, he recalled the human's promise to kill Sandru. After a fierce inner struggle, he finally turned around as if bravely going to his death.

Chen Rui carefully placed the collection bottle behind the Dark Elf master's rear, turned his face away, and pinched his nose with his other hand in a defensive pose. The already silent arena fell utterly quiet. Every eye was fixed on a certain part of a certain master's body.

Sometimes, the more nervous you were, the harder it was to succeed. The minutes ticked by under everyone's strange scrutiny. Even Chen Rui, the one who'd started this, was beginning to feel stiff.

The Dark Elf master worked at it for a long time. His face turned dark purple, beads of sweat appearing on his brow, until he finally forced out a muffled sound, his expression one of grief and outrage.

Everyone had heard the long-awaited sound. Though they'd known what was coming, the demons' expressions still turned strange when it finally happened. The little girl grabbed Athena's hand and struggled to hold back her laughter, her face red with the effort.

As the two referee masters stared in shock, the human apprentice pinched his nose and frowned. He quickly capped the collection bottle, then solemnly returned to the table and chose several reagents, mixing them together. He was so focused that he almost seemed to have inherited some of Sandru's essence. Suddenly, there was a bang. Fortunately, the glass bottle only cracked; it didn't shatter.

Chen Rui thought, That was close! There was no way he could keep up the act. Carefully, he poured the potion into another bottle, then made a disgusted "ptooey" and spat into it. He mixed in a few more potions, poured everything into the collection bottle containing the gas Aldas had released through years of cultivation, and shook it all together. Done.

Whether it was because of the potion or the master-grade gas, the finished concoction was incredibly potent. Zola and Kamp caught a nauseating stench, and even the guards nearest the arena all frowned.

Pinching his nose, Chen Rui held up the potion bottle and waved it at Sandru, his voice sounding odd. "Do you dare drink it?"

Sandru was an expert in potion-making. He could tell that after all that bluster, Chen Rui had only prepared a very ordinary stinking potion, perhaps with a few extra ingredients to double the odor. It had little toxicity and wouldn't kill anyone, even without an antidote. It was simply so foul-smelling that it was usually used to drive away certain magical beasts.

But Aldas had farted into it first, and then the human apprentice had spat into it. It was an enormous humiliation.

Chen Rui sealed the bottle's mouth with his thumb and said, "This potion was specially concocted from the poison gas Master Aldas has cultivated for years. To create this gas, the master went three years without bathing, five years without changing his underwear, ten years without changing his socks, and ate specially prepared Lala Potatoes every day... That's how we got this bottle of Ten-Mile Fragrance! Its poison is so potent that even a Dragon couldn't resist it. If you don't dare drink it, get down on your knees and bow to the master ninety-nine times. Cry 'I was wrong' with every bow, and we'll spare your life in this fight to the death. How about it?"

Sandru obviously couldn't accept those terms. If he did, he'd never be able to show his face in the profession again.

Alice had already been struggling to hold in her laughter at the potion's name and the method of cultivating the poison gas. When she heard it could stink a Dragon to death, she finally burst out laughing and threw herself into Athena's arms, tears streaming down her face. Athena laughed too, and the two of them dissolved into giggles. Their laughter spread to most of the crowd, who had been holding it in for a long time. The entire arena rang with laughter.

Aldas felt like dying. In a way, Chen Rui seemed even more despicable than Sandru. Unable to move because he was pretending to be injured, he could only close his eyes and automatically cover his ears, like an ostrich burying its head in the sand.

But to the people from the Imperial Capital, the laughter sounded more like mockery of Sandru for not daring to accept the challenge.

"Masters, please bear witness." Chen Rui deliberately walked toward Zola and Kamp with the potion bottle. When the two masters saw the bottle's stopper about to come loose, they hurriedly nodded. They didn't dare take a deep breath. After all, Aldas's strength was clear to see. Even if this was only a bluff, it couldn't be taken lightly.

As Sandru faced the "Ten-Mile Fragrance" Chen Rui handed him, his body trembled slightly. He ground his teeth so hard they nearly bled. I'll make them pay double for today's humiliation!

Aldas! Human apprentice! I, Sandru, will make you regret ever being born!

Sandru cast a venomous glance at Aldas, who had his eyes closed as if resting. Out of caution, he first drank several antidotes, then snatched the bottle and held his breath as he gulped it down, forcing himself to endure the nausea.

What a tough guy! Chen Rui watched Sandru drink the foul potion with admiration. He could take a beating and bend without breaking—a truly ruthless character.

Unfortunately, in the face of Ten-Mile Fragrance's formidable power, even surviving wouldn't leave him with anything to live for.

Sandru struggled to swallow the potion, suppressing the urge to vomit. He was about to speak through gritted teeth when his mouth opened—and his expression suddenly changed. His body turned strangely insubstantial. A single note had barely left his throat when it shattered his fragile body into wisps of green smoke, which vanished into the air.

The Fallen Angel Empire's greatest genius potion-maker disappeared into thin air, done in by a potion concocted from a bottle of "fart."

Potion-makers were in constant contact with potions, so they naturally had a high resistance to their effects. Just how terrifying was the potion's poison to turn a master potion-maker to ash in an instant?

It happened so suddenly that even Aldas, who had just opened his eyes, was startled. Shea looked slightly surprised, then turned her gaze to Chen Rui. The people from the Imperial Capital could hardly believe their eyes. The shocked murmurs of Zola and Kamp were quickly drowned out by the deafening cheers of the arena crowd.

Master Aldas showed no excessive elation. He remained mysterious and reserved, his eyes closed as the crowd carried him back to the laboratory to recuperate under their awestruck gazes.

The challenge was over. Master Aldas of Darkmoon City had won without question. He had not only claimed the vast fortune wagered on the match, but his legendary battle—slaying a genius potion-maker with a single fart—would be recorded in history and passed down for generations.

The Potion-Makers' Alliance wasn't exclusive to the Fallen Angel Empire. It was an association of potion-makers from across the Demon Realm. Since Sandru had died in a fair contest, even the Regent, Heiyao, couldn't punish Aldas or Darkmoon City.

The people from the Imperial Capital were all as dispirited as frostbitten eggplants. Even the arrogant Shelter had gone quiet. Out of courtesy, Eldest Princess Shea still held a banquet, though this so-called welcoming banquet was clearly also a farewell.

Master Aldas didn't attend the banquet. To the two masters from the Imperial Capital, that made him seem even more mysterious. The Dark Elf master's poisons were terrifying, and his reserved manner was just as fearsome. Perhaps that was why the genius who'd thought victory was assured had met his end in Darkmoon City.

In truth, after winning that day, Aldas had decided to keep out of sight and avoid appearing in public for a while. The reason was simple: it was too humiliating. The feeling of being watched by so many people was one he'd never forget.

As one of the heroes behind the victory, apprentice Chen Rui appeared at the banquet. No one dared ignore him now. Even if the human had merely been a puppet manipulated during the contest, he represented that unfathomable master—a super-master whose release of gas could shake all of Darkmoon!

Chen Rui hadn't been interested in the banquet to begin with. And since there was hardly anyone he knew, he went out onto the balcony alone, hoping the boring proceedings would end soon.

"Chen Rui." Athena walked over, with Alice beside her.

Athena wore a red dress with a pattern that hugged her figure. It gave her a stunning look, utterly different from her usual swordswoman's outfit. Alice, meanwhile, wore a blue-and-white princess dress with a big bow on the front, putting her adorableness on full display and attracting plenty of attention.

Alice frowned. "Chen Rui, your clothes are so ugly. You're supposed to wear formal clothes to a banquet."

"I don't have any formal clothes. Besides, I didn't go back to the laboratory, so my apprentice uniform is good enough." Chen Rui looked down at himself, then asked, "Or does the little princess like wearing formal clothes?"

"I don't like them at all. They make it hard to move." Alice impatiently twisted her tight skirt, then gave him a mysterious smile. "You did a great job today, especially with that Ten-Mile Fragrance. There's just one thing I don't understand. Is the master's fart really that powerful?"

Chen Rui said mysteriously, "I told you, the master eats specially prepared Lala Potatoes every day. That's how he makes it so potent. Sandru was actually stunk to death. Little princess, want to try it?"

"Really?" The little girl replied just as mysteriously, "Then I'll go ask the master for some of those Lala Potatoes and make you eat them. If you can't produce a stink that powerful, you'll have lied to the princess."

Chen Rui shook his head repeatedly, thinking, As expected, I can't compete with this little schemer. At the mention of the potion that could stink a Dragon to death, Athena couldn't help laughing either.

In the distance, Allen saw Chen Rui and Athena chatting and laughing, and his expression darkened further as he drank cup after cup in silence. Beside him, Joseph was smiling as he talked with Shelter.