Before long, every seat around the martial arena was filled.
Most of the teachers and students who had failed to secure seats crowded around the entire grounds, ring upon ring, until not even water could trickle through!
On the platform, the two contestants in the pill duel each sat at one end.
Before each of them stood the most ordinary of "practice cauldrons," along with equal quantities of pill fire tinder, mystic crystals, medicinal ingredients, and other supplies.
Lin Taoshu glared viciously at the youth nearby, every inch of him radiating menace and killing intent!
Bu Wuchen, by contrast, looked as calm as a gentle breeze beneath light clouds, his hands resting casually on the rim of his pill cauldron, betraying neither joy nor anger.
"Silence!"
Dean Zhou Wan'en infused his voice with mystic power and roared like a savage tiger or an enraged lion, making every teacher and student shudder.
The formerly clamorous martial arena instantly fell silent.
Only then did the lean, short dean continue, "The pill to be made in this duel will be the most common kind: the Qi Recovery Pill."
"Within the allotted time, whichever side produces Qi Recovery Pills of higher quality and in greater quantities will win!"
"If the quality and quantity of the pills are evenly matched, the side that took less time will win."
"I hereby declare this pill duel officially begun!"
His words had barely fallen when Lin Taoshu gave Bu Wuchen a sinister grin. "Heh heh, once you lose this pill duel, have your status stripped away, and get expelled from the academy..."
"I swear I'll make you unable to live or die!!"
In response, Bu Wuchen merely slipped his little finger into his ear and slowly scratched twice;
then he held it to his lips and blew gently...
To Lin Taoshu, that gesture was profoundly insulting!
"Hmph, let's see how much longer you can keep acting so arrogant!"
With that, he lit his fire and began refining pills;
his movements flowed like drifting clouds and running water, steady and swift!
"Hm?"
"The supplementary material Old Lin put into his cauldron was actually just mystic crystals from low-tier mystic beasts?"
Mystic crystals were the energy cores of mystic beasts;
their function and importance were comparable to the dantian mystic palaces of human cultivators.
Mystic beasts devoured human cultivators to nourish themselves;
human cultivators hunted mystic beasts to obtain resources. So it had been since ancient times.
The energy within mystic beast crystals played a vital role in many fields, including refining mystic pills, inscribing mystic talismans, and laying out mystic formations.
Take pill refining, for instance;
often, experienced pill masters could accurately judge the quality of a completed batch simply from the grade and quantity of mystic crystals used.
The old man who called the universally revered "Pill Hall master" "Old Lin" was clearly one of them.
His name was Li Quhe, and he was a Pill Hall Attendant of the Li Lineage, one of Blood Dragon City's three great Lineages.
Like Lin Taoshu, he was also one of the three "pill Dao masters" specially hired by the academy's Pill Hall.
"And judging by the amount of pill fire Old Lin is using, he clearly doesn't intend to refine upper-grade mystic pills."
"Could he be planning to make his first batch into mortal rank middle grade Qi Recovery Pills?"
"Mm, very likely!"
The one who picked up the conversation was another elderly man.
He was Sun Jinwang, the third "master" in the academy's Pill Hall besides Lin Taoshu and Li Quhe.
"Old Lin may be arrogant and domineering in everyday life, but when he actually gets to work, he's as cautious as ever!"
Sun Jinwang said with an air of composure, "Old Lin must be planning to refine two batches within the allotted time."
"First, he'll produce a batch of mortal rank middle grade pills as a safety net;"
"Given his mortal realm ninth layer pill Dao techniques, his success rate at refining middle-grade pills is extremely high, and once they're formed, their quality will be among the very best."
"With that batch of middle-grade Qi Recovery Pills as a safety net, he can use the remaining time to refine mortal rank upper grade Qi Recovery Pills without holding back!"
"If he's lucky, both attempts will produce pills of considerable quality;"
"Even if his touch is a little off today and he fails to produce the mortal rank upper grade Qi Recovery Pills, he'll have that first batch of middle-grade pills to fall back on. He most likely won't lose!"
Li Quhe nodded. "Exactly."
"This time, Old Lin is like a lion using its full strength even to hunt a rabbit!"
"By comparison..."
"The so-called 'Master Bu' that Song Hechuan spoke of is still leisurely selecting the ingredients to put into his cauldron!"
"I really don't understand what he's thinking."
Bu Wuchen did indeed look languid and lackadaisical on the platform.
Dean Zhou, who had always disliked laziness in students, immediately felt a spark of anger. What on earth is this brat doing?
Zhou Wan'en knew full well that although Lin Taoshu's character left much to be desired, his pill-refining skills were genuine.
Across all of Blood Dragon City, Lin Taoshu's pill cultivation ranked highest apart from the dean's.
Otherwise, Dean Zhou would never have chosen Lin Taoshu as the Pill Hall's chief master on the principle that "the capable should hold the position."
Yet Bu Wuchen was acting so nonchalantly against such a formidable opponent?!
At one point, Dean Zhou simply could not bear to watch any longer. He frowned and gave a cold snort;
then he said to Xia Nuoyi, seated beside him, "Miss Xia, are you sure that brat will be all right?"
"The more I watch him, the more he looks like some wandering swindler putting on a mysterious act!"
In truth, Xia Nuoyi found it strange as well.
Inwardly, she could only grumble at the youth for fooling around, without even worrying that his boat might capsize in a gutter;
outwardly, however, she nodded confidently. "Don't worry, Dean Zhou."
Zhou Wan'en knitted his aged brows. "But looking at the state he's in... how am I supposed to feel reassured?"
"Uh, perhaps he's doing it on purpose?"
Xia Nuoyi offered casually.
"On purpose?"
The doubt in Dean Zhou's eyes deepened further.
"Mm, yes."
The girl in green silk smiled bitterly to herself. Had she known, she would never have boarded that little brat's pirate ship.
Her expression remained unchanged. "I think he must be 'going easy' on Lin Taoshu."
"After all, the brat is usually a good student who respects his teachers and elders. Haha, hahaha..."
Xia Nuoyi could well imagine just how awkward her laughter was.
She found it strange herself. Normally, she would never make excuses for anyone else.
Yet for some reason, when Bu Wuchen was involved, this "demoness," usually peerlessly beautiful as well as cold and domineering, would unconsciously want to defend him.
By now, Zhou Wan'en was already cursing inwardly-
Going easy? Are you sure?!
Is that fifteen- or sixteen-year-old youth really qualified to go easy on a mortal realm ninth layer pill master?
Still, perhaps out of consideration for the girl in green silk, Dean Zhou ultimately refrained from voicing those questions aloud in public.
Around the platform, the sea of spectators had also taken in Bu Wuchen's "slack and passive" attitude, and an uproar immediately erupted-
"Has that fellow surnamed Bu just given up?"
"Yeah, this guy has definitely forfeited!"
"He's either a madman or an idiot."
"Exactly. Challenging the Pill Hall's chief master to a pill duel-is that something anyone with a brain would do?!"