Welching on the Bet

Outside the Alchemy Hall, deathly silence reigned. Every cultivator stared fixedly at the black-robed cultivator slowly emerging.

Many craned their necks, eager to confirm whether the black-robed cultivator before them had successfully refined the pills.

By now, Xu Yan had calmed himself, and his stern face betrayed nothing unusual. He walked slowly out of the hall, each step tugging at the nerves of the gathered cultivators.

Seeing how composed the black-robed cultivator looked, Wu Hua felt a surge of irritation.

An ominous suspicion had already formed in his mind. If he lost this bet, the consequences would be more than he could bear.

Gu Xiao was the most excited person present. The moment Xu Yan emerged from the Alchemy Hall, he hurried forward.

After bowing to Xu Yan, Gu Xiao asked, his face full of anticipation, "M-may I ask, Master Lin, these pills..."

Gu Xiao was so nervous that he had begun to stammer. Whether this batch of pills had been successfully refined would determine his only son's fate.

At his words, Xu Yan nodded and flicked a finger, sending the jade bottle containing the pills flying toward Gu Xiao.

The elderly man in fine robes witnessed this, and his aged face instantly darkened to the extreme!

The silence shattered the moment Xu Yan tossed out the jade bottle!

"To think he actually managed to refine that batch of pills!" a rogue cultivator exclaimed, his face filled with amazement.

"I said it all along! An alchemist who dared stand up to Wu Hua and accept this task was bound to be extraordinary! Master Lin is mighty!" Other rogue cultivators seized the opportunity to flatter Xu Yan.

"Heh, now we're in for a good show. Wu Hua repays even the slightest grievance. He'll definitely hold a grudge against this alchemist!" Quite a few other rogue cultivators gloated from the sidelines.

Xu Yan paid no attention whatsoever to their reactions.

He glanced at the ashen-faced elderly man in fine robes, then strode up to the two blue-robed Foundation Establishment cultivators. Bowing before everyone, he said respectfully, "Seniors, I, Lin Yan, have now refined the Seven-Absolute Demon-Quelling Pills in accordance with the wager. Please bear witness to this."

The two blue-robed Foundation Establishment cultivators studied the stern rogue cultivator before them.

They had already looked up Xu Yan's identity records. They had never expected someone who had only recently joined the alliance to deal Wu Hua such a heavy blow, and their opinion of this rogue cultivator rose considerably.

Once again, the Green-Robed Cultivator who had spoken earlier stepped forward.

He slowly approached the elderly man in fine robes and said evenly, "Wu Hua, Lin Yan has now refined the Seven-Absolute Demon-Quelling Pills in accordance with the wager. What do you have to say?"

Questioned by a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator of the alliance, the elderly man in fine robes dared not put on airs. He hurriedly bowed and cupped his fists. "Senior, I must inspect the pills myself to confirm whether they were successfully refined."

"Naturally." The Green-Robed Cultivator nodded. Wu Hua's request was reasonable.

Gu Xiao, who had watched the entire exchange, carefully brought the jade bottle to the elderly man in fine robes after the Green-Robed Cultivator nodded.

The elderly man extended a slightly trembling, withered hand from his sleeve and slowly took the jade bottle.

With a soft click, he slowly opened the stopper.

Three plump, perfectly round, pale green pills lay quietly inside the jade bottle.

After sweeping his Divine Sense over them, the elderly man's expression turned visibly ugly.

The jade bottle did indeed contain Seven-Absolute Demon-Quelling Pills, exactly as described in the recipe. Moreover, they had been refined with exceptional skill, without even the slightest trace of pill toxins.

Seeing his expression, the gathered rogue cultivators already knew the answer.

Just then, the Green-Robed Cultivator spoke to the elderly man again. "Well, Wu Hua? If Lin Yan has successfully refined them, hand over your stake."

At the blue-robed Foundation Establishment cultivator's words, Wu Hua visibly trembled.

He quickly recovered, however. A ruthless gleam flashed through his aged eyes as he bowed to the Green-Robed Cultivator and replied, "Senior, I cannot confirm whether the pills in this bottle are Seven-Absolute Demon-Quelling Pills. Although they are only first-tier low-grade pills, very few alchemists in the cultivation world refine them, as seven-absolute grass contains a deadly poison."

Wu Hua's words momentarily stunned the blue-robed Foundation Establishment cultivator. This man actually dared lie to his face! Were it not for the alliance's prestige, he could have extinguished this old fellow at the fifth level of Qi Refining with a flick of his finger.

Xu Yan had now seen just how shameless the elderly man in fine robes could be. Noticing that the Green-Robed Cultivator seemed about to lose his temper, he secretly rejoiced. Nothing could be better than having him slap this old fellow dead on the spot.

But things did not go as he wished. The blue-robed Foundation Establishment cultivator gave a cold laugh and said icily, "Oh? Then what would it take for you to confirm that this batch consists of Seven-Absolute Demon-Quelling Pills?"

Seeing that the blue-robed Foundation Establishment cultivator before him was on the verge of erupting, the elderly man felt sweat soak his back. He had risked offending this Foundation Establishment cultivator solely because he could not bear to see decades of painstaking effort turned into another man's wedding robes.

Upon hearing the Green-Robed Cultivator's question, he immediately replied respectfully, "Senior, Gu Xiao posted this task for the sake of his only son, Gu Feng. Unless Gu Feng takes these pills and recovers, there is no way to prove that they are Seven-Absolute Demon-Quelling Pills."

The elderly man had barely finished speaking when, before Xu Yan could respond, the crowd of rogue cultivators watching the spectacle began mocking him without restraint. They all felt that he was utterly shameless.

"Hah! This Wu Hua really has no shame. I refuse to believe that an alchemist like him can't recognize Seven-Absolute Demon-Quelling Pills!"

"We don't even know what poison afflicted Gu Feng. And half a month has already passed—who knows what will happen when he takes these pills? This man is clearly trying to welch on the bet."

"Wu Hua has thrown away every last scrap of face this time. I doubt he'll be able to keep his footing in the Rogue Cultivator Alliance after this."

Wu Hua paid no heed to the rogue cultivators' criticism. He was making one final, desperate struggle, risking the wrath of the alliance's Foundation Establishment cultivators to keep his spirit beast. At worst, he could simply leave Ascendant City afterward.

After hearing the elderly man's words, Xu Yan knew that unless Gu Feng came to test the pills, it would be difficult to make Wu Hua truly concede defeat today. Since the man already dared offend a Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Rogue Cultivator Alliance, he certainly would not take Xu Yan seriously.

With that thought, Xu Yan cupped his fists toward the Green-Robed Cultivator and said, "Senior, let us do as Wu Hua suggests and have Gu Feng come to test the pills."

His words visibly surprised the blue-robed Foundation Establishment cultivator, who then said slowly, "Are you certain? If you disagree, we can invite an elder from the Alchemy Hall to verify them. The elders there are all alchemists of the second tier or above. If they confirm these are Seven-Absolute Demon-Quelling Pills, this man will have to accept it whether he likes it or not!"

"Thank you for your kindness, Senior. I want Wu Hua to concede defeat wholeheartedly!"

Xu Yan was confident. He believed the Seven-Absolute Demon-Quelling Pills could eradicate the deadly poison in Gu Feng's body. Besides, he still had the Green Pearl as his trump card. Even if the pills failed, he could secretly use the Green Pearl to devour Gu Feng's poison while feeding him the pills.