Everyone from the Pill Tower stared at the thunderclouds overhead, their hearts sinking. They could hardly be blamed for losing their composure. Ling Zhuo's performance had been too dazzling. No matter how much the Spirit Clan had manipulated events beforehand, Ling Zhuo had genuinely refined that pill himself. They could not deny him the Pill Convention championship.
Whatever the Spirit Clan had planned next, there was no stopping it now.
"To wager the future of a Spirit Clan prodigy like this—hasn't your clan's plan gone too far?" Xuan Kongzi asked Ling He.
Ling He knew this was Xuan Kongzi's last attempt to change things. She did not want Ling Zhuo to exhaust himself at the Pill Convention and jeopardize his future, but with Ling Haonan overseeing matters, she would not presume to interfere. She met Xuan Kongzi's unwilling gaze and said evenly, "The Pill Tower need not concern itself with the Spirit Clan's affairs."
Venerable Mingshui gritted his teeth. "Senior Ling He, aren't you afraid the Spirit Clan will ruin its reputation by offending so many Alchemists at once?"
"Heh. There's no need to fish for answers. What has my clan done?" Ling He's expression remained calm. "Besides, people only care who wins in the end. Given enough time, few will remember what happened along the way."
At that, the Pill Tower members finally understood the Spirit Clan's position. If Ling Zhuo won the championship so decisively, the clan could use his victory and its own standing to drown out much of the criticism.
Once Ling Zhuo's pill emerged, the defenses prepared in advance held off the Five-Colored Pill Lightning. The dark-gold pill instantly became the focus of the entire venue.
Ling Yu gave Yi Xu a look. Taking the hint, he flew forward and called out, "Yi Xu of