Volume 1, Chapter 130: A Thorough Victory

Tim finished his meditation and looked at the pills before him with great satisfaction. Although they had not yet been put through the testing machine, their color and scent alone were enough to confirm that these were high-quality pills.

Furthermore, there were three of them—this was arguably his best performance yet.

Tim lifted his head, feeling proud, only to find that everyone in the audience was looking not at him, but at the testing machine.

He whipped his head around. Sure enough, Chi Xingwan was no longer standing beside him, and her alchemy furnace had already been opened; she had clearly finished.

She was faster than him.

Tim gritted his teeth, though he wasn't particularly panicked. He was entirely confident in the quality of the pills he had refined. He picked up his pills, tilted his chin slightly, and walked over to stand next to Chi Xingwan.

"As expected of a Super-Grade A Spirit Master, your alchemy speed is top-tier. I just wonder how the quality of your pills holds up."

No sooner had he spoken than the testing machine began to wail frantically.

"This... this is the sound that only occurs for top-tier supreme pills!" a disciple from the Chinquan Temple shouted in excitement.

Indeed, the testing instrument soon displayed the results. The spirit master from the Kingdom of Lan, who was acting as the referee, announced excitedly: "Consultant Chi of the Huaguo Spirit Master Association has produced five pills, all of which are top-tier supreme quality!"

"Impossible!" Tim blurted out, his voice loud enough for everyone present to hear.

Chu Fangfei retorted angrily, "The machine has already detected them; on what basis do you call it impossible? Are you a sore loser?"

Tim’s face turned as dark as ink. "Producing five top-tier supreme Earth-Heart Fire Pills in a single batch, and you aren't even a specialized alchemist—do you really think that’s possible?"

The crowd fell silent for a moment. This result was indeed mind-boggling; even the most renowned alchemists could not guarantee such high yield and quality.

Chi Xingwan replied, "It seems your country of Mi lacks alchemists of this caliber, so you’ve never seen it before. But really, couldn't you have kept that to yourself? Spouting such things in public only embarrasses your own country."

Chu Fangfei took the lead in mocking him. "Exactly. Just because your country lacks such alchemists doesn't mean our Huaguo doesn't. We have plenty of them here. Isn't that right, Brother from Chinquan Temple?"

The senior disciple from Chinquan Temple offered an awkward smile. He was sorry, but he hadn't seen this before either; even the head of his own temple didn't have this level of skill.

Fortunately, everyone’s attention was fixed on Tim.

"Your pills are finished, aren't they? Bring them over for testing; don't waste any more time," Chi Xingwan said.

Tim suddenly felt as if the pills in his hand were incredibly heavy. He gripped them tightly, refusing to hand them over, knowing that once they were tested, his defeat would be announced to everyone.

Seeing his hesitation, Chi Xingwan asked, "Don't tell me you didn't manage to form any pills? If that’s the case, there’s nothing to test."

"Nonsense! How could I have failed to form pills!" Tim explained anxiously, subconsciously opening his palm.

It was too late by the time he realized his mistake. Everyone saw the three pills in his palm.

He had already lost.

Chi Xingwan had produced five pills, all of them top-tier supreme. He had only produced three, and even if they were also supreme quality, he had already lost in terms of quantity and speed.

Although the outcome was set, the spirit master from the Kingdom of Lan still placed Tim’s pills into the testing machine. The results showed that all three were high-quality, which would have been an astonishing result under other circumstances, but with Chi Xingwan’s stellar performance as a benchmark, Tim appeared incredibly lackluster by comparison.

"It’s unfair! This is completely unfair! You are clearly a professional alchemist!" Tim could not accept his failure.

"All talk and no proof. Do you have any evidence?" Chi Xingwan asked.

Tim opened his mouth, but nothing came out. His country, Mi, had thoroughly investigated Chi Xingwan and confirmed that she was not a specialized alchemist. In fact, she had never publicly practiced alchemy before, nor had she ever sold pills. It was precisely because he knew this that he had been brazen enough to agree to a duel with her.

Yet now, he had suffered a crushing defeat and had no graceful way to back down.

Chi Xingwan clearly had no intention of offering him a way out, and the spirit master from the Kingdom of Lan stood in the corner, content to watch the drama unfold. Tim was at a loss; as a noble, he had never suffered such humiliation in the country of Mi.

"Consultant Chi, our child is a bit mischievous. Please, be forgiving," Mr. Smith said, stepping out from the crowd.

The moment Tim saw Mr. Smith, the color drained from his face until he was as pale as a sheet. Like a quail, he walked cautiously behind Mr. Smith.

Chi Xingwan would not give Tim face, but she had to give Mr. Smith some. She smiled and said, "It was just a friendly exchange."

Mr. Smith said politely, "Since the contest is over, I will take our child home."

"Please do," Chi Xingwan replied.

The surrounding crowd immediately cleared a path. Mr. Smith glanced at Tim and walked away, and Tim followed closely behind him.

The farce had finally come to an end. Chi Xingwan stepped down and returned to Chu Fangfei’s side.

"It’s about time; I’m heading out."

Chu Fangfei wanted to leave as well. She wasn't in a particular rush, but she was overflowing with excitement and wanted to return to her sect immediately to share what had happened here.

Chi Xingwan left the Eternal Night Street, but the buzz within the street had only just begun. The news of her duel with Tim spread like wildfire throughout the entire area. Almost overnight, every spirit master knew that the Super-Grade A Spirit Master of Huaguo, Chi Xingwan, possessed superb alchemy skills.

The next day, Chi Xingwan received a call from the Dean of the Taoist Research Department.

"Consultant Chi, I only asked you to teach theoretical knowledge before, and I was wrong—terribly wrong. Would you mind opening a practical alchemy course?"

Chi Xingwan paused for a few seconds. "I don't have a problem with that, but if there’s an addition, there must be a subtraction. You'll have to reduce some of my previous classes."

"That goes without saying! Since you’ve agreed, I’ll go ahead and announce the news." The Dean’s smile was unmistakable, even through the phone.

Chi Xingwan didn't understand why the word "announce" was necessary, but a few days later, she realized how naive she had been.

The Dean had actually announced the news on the High Tower and through the spirit master module of the "Spirit-Spirit-Demon" app, and was openly accepting registrations. In an instant, the news that Chi Xingwan was opening a practical alchemy course spread throughout the entire Huaguo mysterious world.

The hype even overshadowed the Spirit Master Exchange Conference. Chu Fangfei shared interesting tidbits with Chi Xingwan every day. For example, the head of the Chinquan Temple had decided to close the temple so that all their disciples could go to Yanjing University to attend her classes. This frightened the Chinquan Temple’s customers so much that they scrambled to hoard supplies, causing the prices of spiritual plants on the market to soar.

In the end, Xu Hengyang had to step in and move the teaching location to Eternal Night Street, which finally dissuaded the Chinquan Temple from closing its doors.

Chi Xingwan just smiled when she saw these reports, but she wasn't smiling for long.

Xu Hengyang found her and delivered some grim news.

"Xingwan, those people from the country of Mi say they are very interested in our mission system and want to try taking on tasks in our High Tower. They also specifically requested that you accompany them."