Chapter 40: Cowhide Sugar Plum Southern Sky

  The other two participants in the Golden Peak Mountain Alchemy Competition were both disciples of Jiang Changlao, a 9th-grade alchemist. One was named Wen Lingtian and the other was named Bai Chen. Both were Xuanfu cultivators who were not very old, under 200 years old, and had been dealing with elixirs for many years, so they both carried a scent of elixir on their bodies.

  Perhaps it was because of their young age that they could refine 7th or 8th grade elixirs, and in the Piaomiao Sect, they were highly respected on a daily basis. The two of them carried an air of superiority in their demeanor and speech. Of course, this was only towards other disciples. Towards Wu Shifu, as well as Qin Luoyi and Jian Yuyan, their attitudes were extremely good.

  There is still half a month before the competition on Golden Summit Mountain, and there is ample time. Also, because crossing the void consumes too much crystal stone, Wu Shifu didn't cross the void, but instead used the divine rainbow to take Qin Luoyi and Jian Yuyan with him. Wen Lingtian and Bai Chen have already become Xuanfu disciples, so they can drive the divine rainbow themselves.

  Watching them leave the Xuan Mi Sect, Liu Qingcheng's enchanting figure emerged from the cave, standing on Xuanyang Peak with a cold smile at the corner of her lips and thick killing intent in her eyes.

  "Master Liu, something's gone terribly wrong! Master Xiao has been caught by Master Duanmu. He found out that it was Master Xiao who wrote the note, which led to Master Qin being pushed off the Lion and Tiger Cliff. Now they're taking Master Xiao to the Law Enforcement Hall, where he'll be punished for five days at the Lion and Tiger Gorge! Master Liu, please save him!" Yu Qingyan rushed up to the peak of Xu Ri, panting and flustered.

  "What? Xiao Tian was caught?" Liu Qingcheng's expression changed, her eyes sternly staring at Yu Qingyan: "Did he say anything he shouldn't have said?"

  "No." Yu Qingyan's face turned pale as she was intimidated by her abnormally cold expression, and she quickly shook her head: "Shao Shixiong didn't say anything, he took all the blame on himself alone."

  Liu Qingcheng put down her heart, blinked, and the cold, sharp light in her eyes returned to its usual seductive state. She walked forward, patted Yu Qingyan's shoulder, and signaled her not to worry: "You go tell him, as long as he doesn't say anything he shouldn't, I'll think of a way to save his life."

  Yu Qingyan was overjoyed, a weight lifted off her mind, and she hastily said: "Thank you, Master Liu." Before coming, what she had been most worried about was that Master Liu would wash his hands of the matter, which would have spelled disaster for Xiao Shixiong.

  Liu Qingcheng seemed to know what she was thinking, hooked her lips, and smiled meaningfully on her absolutely beautiful face: "You do things for me, I naturally won't abandon you. From now on, as long as you follow my words, there will always be benefits for you."

  "I'll do everything as instructed by Master Shu." Yu Qingyan hastily expressed her attitude, with a respectful and eager-to-please expression.

  Liu Qingcheng is the legitimate disciple of the Liu family, one of the seven superpowers on the Xuantian Continent. The Liu family's influence is vast, and Liu Qingcheng has an extremely high innate talent for cultivation. In the family, she is highly valued, and following her is equivalent to following the Liu family, which is something that many high-ranking cultivators cannot even hope for.

  This is also the reason why she and Xiao Shixiong disregarded the danger, listened to her instructions, and framed Qin Shishu. Unfortunately, Qin Liu Yi was lucky and fell into the Lion Tiger Cliff for two days without dying.

  For more than a year, she followed Liu Shifu and did things for him. She and Xiao Shixiong both gained a lot of benefits, and their cultivation made significant progress.

  "The disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall said... that Xiao Shifu was punished to go down to the Lion and Tiger Cliff for five days, and if he still had a life to come back up, he would no longer be a disciple of the Xuan Mi Sect. The Xuan Mi Sect has already expelled him from the sect." Yu Qingyan then told another piece of news she had just overheard.

  This time, Shao Shixiong framed his fellow disciple, and the crime he committed was very serious. Being expelled from the sect is a foregone conclusion. She's now worried that even if Liu Shishu saves Shao Shixiong from the Lion Tiger Gorge, Duanmu Shishu and Qin Shishu won't let him off. By then, he'll no longer be a disciple of the Piaomiao Sect, and having offended Qin Shishu to death, with their current cultivation level, they can easily kill him with just a flick of their finger.

  "Expel him from the sect?" Liu Qingcheng smiled with unparalleled charm: "This is just right, our Liu family happens to be recruiting a batch of disciples this year. You go tell him that as long as he doesn't say anything he shouldn't, I'll personally escort him to the Liu family and make him a core disciple."

  Yu Qingyan was overjoyed and thanked Xiao Tian again on his behalf.

  The Liu family, as one of the seven super families on the Xuantian Continent, has a vast and profound influence, and is not inferior to the Xiao Sect.

  They had no background, and their innate talents were not particularly outstanding. Originally, they wanted to join the Liu family, but it was extremely difficult. Wanting to enter the Liu family as a core disciple was even more difficult. Xiao Shixiong arrived at the Liu family and had Liu Shishu's care. As long as they could smoothly exit from the Lion Tiger Gorge, it would be a blessing in disguise.

  "Qin Luoyi... Hehe, what's the use of being able to refine pills? What's the use of cultivating the power of the stars with the 'Supreme Scripture' in just half a month? You actually want to participate in the Alchemist Convention? I'll make sure you won't return!" Liu Qingcheng slightly raised her chin, gazing in the direction where Qin Luoyi had disappeared, smiling like a spring breeze, but with an icy glint flashing at the bottom of her eyes.

  Dare to flirt with her senior brother, and steal her spotlight, Qin Luoyi... must die!

  Yu Qingyan blinked, and a cold light flashed in the bottom of her eyes. Because of Jian Yuyan's affairs, they had offended Qin Shu, and Liu Shu was determined to kill him, so she naturally welcomed it.

  Jīndǐng Shān is located at the northernmost part of Penglai Continent, separated from Xiāo Miào Zōng by hundreds of millions of miles. Wū Shī Shū, as a purple mansion cultivator, has an extremely fast speed, but even so, it took him nearly a month to arrive near Jīndǐng Shān.

  Jin Ding Mountain is not a single mountain, but a continuous mountain range, with each peak reaching heights of two to three thousand meters. The ancient trees are lush and the spiritual energy is strong, making it a blessed place for cultivation.

  As there is still half a month to go, the Alchemy Masters' Conference will be held soon. Many cultivators have arrived near the Golden Summit Mountain range, and many places have set up temporary tents.

  The competition was held on the main peak of Jindingshan, which is three thousand meters high. Although it's not the highest among the mountain ranges, its spiritual energy is the most concentrated. The top of the mountain is very flat and wide, and the Alchemist Association has built a large temple there, with red walls and yellow tiles, looking very majestic.

  The best plots of land closest to the main peak are all occupied by the powerful sects on Penglai Fairy Island, while those with slightly weaker strength automatically set up their camps far away and occupy places they shouldn't, only to be driven out by others when the time comes, losing both face and dignity.

  The Piaoyou Sect, as the first major sect of the Penglai Fairy Island, had a transcendent status. Master Wu rode on the divine rainbow and headed straight for the place closest to the main peak. Soon, he found a flat area with excellent terrain and stopped there, setting up camp and planting the Piaoyou Sect's flag in a conspicuous location.

  Not far from them, there were also several camps set up. Qin Luo Yi's gaze swept across and soon found the camp of Dong Tian Fu Di.

  The strength of Dongtian Fudi is not much different from that of Piaoyou Zong, so it's natural to set up camp in such a close place. In addition to Dongtian Fudi, there are also Tianyi Gate, Zhaimeng Palace, Jiuyou Temple, and Yaochi Xianjing nearby, several powerful sects.

  When they were setting up camp, several powerful old men walked out of the cave with a strong aura, each with a glint in their eyes, and smiled as they approached Wu Shifu to exchange pleasantries. As they chatted, their deep gaze casually swept over Qin Luoyi and his group.

  These people are the elders of several major sects, escorting their disciples to participate in the Alchemy Master Competition. The Ice Domain opens only once every hundred years, and the things inside make all the major sects very eager. They all hope that their own disciples can win the top three places and enter the Ice Domain.

  Bai Chen and Wen Lingtian were Jiang's proud disciples, they had already made a name for themselves on the Penglai Fairy Island, several elders knew them, only Jian Yuyan and Qin Luoyi felt unfamiliar.

  Knowing that Jian Yu Yan is Wu Shan's newly accepted disciple, and Qin Luo Yi is the newly accepted closed-door disciple of Gu Zhang Men of Piaoyou Sect, they all flashed with strange light in their eyes after participating in this Alchemy Master Conference, and asked Wu Shifu sideways, what level alchemy master is Qin Luo Yi.

  Wu Shifu just smiled and didn't say anything, changing the subject with other words.

  Half a month's time passed in the blink of an eye, and soon it was the day of the grand tournament. The summit of Golden Top Mountain became crowded with people. Apart from the empty space in the middle where many alchemy furnaces were placed, a high platform was set up in the direction of the great hall, while everywhere else was packed to the brim with people, numbering tens of thousands.

  The alchemists who can participate in the grand competition must be sixth-grade alchemists. In Penglai Fairy Island, there are not many alchemists who can refine elixirs above grade six and are under 200 years old. What's more, apart from these two conditions, there is another restrictive condition: a family or a sect can send no more than three disciples to participate in the competition. In Penglai Fairy Island with hundreds of millions of regions, only a few hundred people meet the requirements.

  Among the onlookers were friends, fellow disciples and seniors of the participating alchemists, as well as many other alchemists who hadn't reached the sixth rank to participate in the competition. They took this opportunity to broaden their horizons, and if they were lucky, they might even gain some insight and improve their alchemy skills.

  Of course, there were also some ordinary monks who just came to watch the excitement and wanted to know what the winner could bring out from the Ice Domain this time.

  The host of this conference is the elder of the Penglai Xian Island Alchemy Association, the tenth-level alchemy master Zuo Gu. Master Zuo Gu has not practiced alchemy for many years, and it is said that his alchemy skills have become even more advanced, and he may even be able to refine eleven-tier elixirs, earning the respect of all cultivators and alchemists under heaven.

  Apart from him, two other elders of the Alchemy Association came, one with the surname Sima and the other with the surname Lu. Their alchemy level was not as high as that of Zuo Gu's, but they were also extremely high and could refine 9th-grade top-quality elixirs.

  Besides the three of them, there were Wu Shan from Piaomiao Sect, Hou Kun from Tianyi Sect, Shan Hong from Yaochi Xianjing, Xia Zhongli from Dongtian Fudi, and Yan Gui from Zhaiyue Pavilion. They were all powerful elders of several major sects on Penglai Island, and with them presiding together as judges, it was both a demonstration of fairness and a precaution against anyone taking advantage of the situation to cause trouble.

  Bang!

  As a clear and long bell rings, all participants enter the field one after another, finding their own cauldron marked with their name. The positions of all participants are randomly drawn and there is no fixed rule.

  Qin Luoyi's alchemy furnace was in the front, very close to the judges' table where Zuo Gu and others were seated. Wen Lingtian and Bai Chen were some distance away from her, at the back, next to each alchemy furnace, there were some alchemy materials, and a piece of paper, on which was written the name of the pill that needed to be refined.

  Today is the first day of the competition, and all the contestants' refined elixirs are sixth-grade elixirs. Qin Luo Yi's eyes glanced at the paper and saw that she needed to refine the sixth-grade Thousand Purple Elixir.

  Her bright red lips curled up with a faint smile, she only took one glance and then shifted her gaze away. The sixth-grade elixir was almost a certainty for her, with a 100% chance of success.

  If it weren't for the fact that this competition is a knockout round by round, she would have wanted to give up on the previous matches and directly participate in the final.

  A moment later, everyone stood in their respective positions. Master Lugu got up from his chair, his dark and profound eyes scanning downwards, his calm voice echoing in the ears of every person present.

  "The rules of the competition are the same as before, each person only has one chance. You need to follow the requirements on the paper and refine the elixir. If you can't succeed in refining the elixir within the specified time or if you refine a defective elixir, then the jade mirror above the alchemy furnace will light up with a yellow light, and the person will be eliminated."

  "Are you all clear?"

  Zuo Gu Master smiled and looked down at all the participating alchemists.

  "Yes!"

  Below the square, hundreds of voices, like muffled thunder, rumbled incessantly.

  "Alright then, let's begin the first round of assessment!"

  As soon as he finished speaking, hundreds of flames suddenly appeared on the huge square, and the magnificent scene made people's blood boil with excitement.

  Among the alchemists who came to participate in the competition this time, female alchemists were extremely rare. Including Qin Luoyi, there were only about fifteen people, and the rest were all male.

  Among hundreds of people, Qin Luoyi stood in the front, her moon-white dress making her particularly eye-catching. Her face was exquisite and beautiful, with skin as white as jade, phoenix-like eyes shining brightly, a nose like rosy clouds, and lips like cherry blossoms, looking as lovely as a heavenly maiden descending to earth.

  That fitted and exquisite moon-white dress, even more outlined her perfect figure to be very charming. The eyes of many male cultivators watching from the outside fell on her body, with a flash of astonishment in their eyes. Some were whispering to each other, asking about her name and sect.

  Upon learning that she was the one who had been admitted as a disciple by Guan Men, the leader of the Penglai Fairy Island, during this period, her eyes widened in surprise and curiosity.

  Jian Yuyan, dressed in a dark-colored robe with a brocade gown, stood elegantly with his hands behind his back amidst the crowd, gazing at Qin Luoyi with warm and gentle eyes that shone with a steady and reserved brilliance that could captivate one's soul.

  By his side, stood a young man dressed in blue brocade, with starry eyes and sword-like brows, thick eyebrows and slightly raised thin lips, a smile on his jade-like face, with a hint of evil charm on his handsome face, exuding an air of a carefree and dissolute young master.

  The two of them simply stood there casually, but the extraordinary aura that emanated from their entire bodies attracted the attention of many cultivators. The female cultivators' gazes were especially filled with a hint of admiration and adoration.

  However, both of their gazes fell on Qin Luoyi's body in the field, and they seemed to be oblivious to the loving glances cast upon themselves by others, not even giving them a glance.

  "Six-grade elixir, Qin Shimei shouldn't have any problems, right?" The man in blue murmured to himself. He was Yan Gui's son, Yan Nan Tian, the master of Yueyue Pavilion. Since the first day he arrived at Jintian Mountain and saw Qin Luoyi, he was amazed by her beauty and didn't hide his infatuation with her, sticking to her side like a piece of sticky candy every day.

  Qin Luo Yi and Jian Yu Yan both come from the Holy Dragon Continent, and are also master siblings. In order to win the beauty's heart, he even took the initiative to get along with Jian Yu Yan.

  Jian Yu Yan listened to his muttering, slightly furrowed her brow, and a flash of dark light flickered in her eyes. She didn't speak, but after being with Yan Nan Tian for half a month, now whenever she heard him talk, she had an overwhelming urge to slap him hard.

  Jian Yu Yan didn't speak, and Yan Nan Tian also didn't think much of it. He pointed to a young man in green clothes not far from Qin Luo and smiled: "This Tong Chang Le of the Jiuyou Temple is really something. At just over 60 years old, he was already able to refine eighth-grade elixirs, which was already ten years ago. There are rumors that he can now even refine ninth-grade elixirs, but in order to win at the Alchemy Master Conference, he has been keeping it a secret all along. He has a great chance of winning first place at this Alchemy Master Conference."

  Jian Yu Yan pursed her thin lips, following the direction of his finger, and glanced faintly at the person he was talking about, Tang Changshan. He was of medium build, with an unremarkable appearance, but perhaps due to being able to refine eighth-grade elixirs at a young age, he had an air of arrogance that was hard to conceal.

  He glanced at her and then shifted his gaze back to Qin Luo Yi. Can a 60-year-old who can refine an eighth-grade elixir win the championship?

  How is it possible!

  Even if he really can refine the 9th grade elixir as rumored, it's impossible for him to surpass Yī Er. As early as over a year ago on the Sacred Dragon Continent, Yī Er was already able to refine 11th grade elixirs.

  Today's alchemy master conference champion, must be her.

  Yan Nan Tian looked at him with a disbelieving gaze, and his heart stirred. He thoughtfully glanced at Qin Luo Yi, then continued to point in another direction, where there was a slender, delicate-looking young man: "That is Mu Rong Jue of the Dong Tian Fu Di, who is rumored to possibly be able to refine ninth-grade elixirs."

  When she heard the three words "Dongtian Fudi", Jian Yuyan looked over.

  Qin Luoyi had once told him about the grudges between him and Dongtian Fudi. He made a point to ask around, and found out that Xiao Tian's master was Lin Qiusheng, an elder of Dongtian Fudi. That old man had already cultivated the Purple Mansion, and held a very high position within Dongtian Fudi. He had taken in three disciples, one of whom was Xiao Tian, another was Gao Feng, and the third was called Murong Jue. Since he was from Dongtian Fudi and was also called Murong Jue, he should be Lin Qiusheng's eldest disciple.

  "These two are definitely going to make it into the Ice Domain. When the Ice Domain opens, only three people can enter, and they've already secured two spots. The competition for the third spot is going to be fierce... Ah, you might as well tell me, how many levels of dan medicine can Qin Shi Mei refine? It'll give me some peace of mind."

  Jian Yu Yan let out a cold snort, somewhat impatiently saying: "How many levels of elixirs can be refined, you'll know if you just look. Those two will definitely enter the Ice Domain? You're speaking too early now."

  Yan Nan Tian rolled his eyes and sneered, "Don't underestimate these two people. I said they can enter the Ice Domain, it's not without reason. Otherwise, let's make a bet?"

  As soon as he mentions gambling, his eyes light up.

  Jian Yu Yan ignored him.

  Yan Nan Tian rubbed his nose and smiled slyly, "Ah, I'd better think carefully, in case Qin Shi Mei is disappointed and can't successfully refine the sixth-grade elixir, she'll definitely need my comfort."

  At first, he got along well with Jian Yuyan in order to pursue the beauty. He was originally a very clever person, but after contacting him several times, he found out that Jian Yuyan had an obvious crush on Qin Luoyi, but didn't know why. Qin Luoyi surprisingly didn't notice it, and Jian Yuyan also saw himself jumping out, but managed to hold back from confessing, which made him curious and fortunate not to reveal the truth. Otherwise, if Qin Luoyi knew about it, she might suddenly develop feelings for Jian Yuyan one day, and where would that leave him?

  Jian Yu Yan's perfect thin lips pursed even tighter, the black eyes flashing with firelight, just about to speak, "Dong!" A long and distant bell rang out, the first round of competition had ended.

  In an instant, he no longer paid attention to Yan Nan Tian, and his gaze fell back onto the scene.

  Among hundreds of alchemists, fifty had failed to refine their elixirs, and ten were too slow and hadn't even finished refining theirs yet. These sixty people were all eliminated.

  Qin Luoyi passed through the checkpoint without any suspense, and Wen Lingtian and Bai Chen also passed through smoothly. After leaving the scene, Yan Nantian rushed up quickly, laughing loudly: "Sister Qin, you're too amazing, actually able to refine a sixth-grade elixir."

  Qin Luo Yi looked at him with a smile that wasn't quite a smile and teased, "If I couldn't refine the sixth-grade elixir, what's the point of coming to this alchemy master competition? Isn't it just embarrassing?"

  Yan Nan Tian suddenly suppressed the evil energy on his body, and said in a very proper tone: "To celebrate your successful passing of the first test, I'll treat you to a drink at Yue Lai Lou this noon." Yue Lai Lou was the largest wine house on Jintou Mountain.

  Qin Yi waved her hand quickly and smiled: "Forget it, forget it, let's have two more cups. This afternoon is the big competition, if I get drunk, I won't be able to participate, you'll be responsible for that?"

  Yan Nan Tian's eyes lit up, and he chuckled as he leaned in closer: "As long as you're willing, I'll naturally take responsibility." His eyes locked onto hers, sparking with electricity, his handsome yet mischievous face filled with a gentle affection.

  This is complete gibberish.

  Qin's skin broke out in goosebumps, he turned around and ignored him, treating him like an invisible person, and walked away laughing with Jian Yuyan. Yan Nan's face fell, feeling a bit disheartened, but it only lasted for a moment. He quickly followed after them again, grinning from ear to ear like a sticky piece of caramel that couldn't be shaken off.

  The master of Yueyue Pavilion standing on the high platform raised an eyebrow and gazed at their distant figures, seemingly lost in thought.

  He has a natural talent for cultivation, but he's always been a free spirit. However, this is the first time he's pursued a woman with such abandon. For half a month now, he's spent limited time by himself, and whenever he has spare time, he goes to find Qin Luoyi.

  Qin Luo Yi... an eighteen-year-old martial saint peak cultivator, with a pretty good innate talent, and also the closed-door disciple of Ge Zhang Men, who can refine sixth-grade elixirs.

  Although the sixth-grade elixir is not rare, it's precious because of her young age, and she has actually refined it. It seems that as long as she is given enough spiritual plants to refine and sufficient time to grow, her future achievements will be remarkable.

  A hint of a clever smile played on his thin lips. In his heart, he secretly decided that if his son really liked it, letting him form a dual cultivation with the disciple of the Piaoyou Sect's leader would be an extremely good thing.

  In the afternoon match, seven-tiered elixir was refined. Nearly a hundred people were eliminated in one game, and Qin Luoyi won easily again. Bai Chen also successfully refined the elixir, while Wen Lingtian's refinement was extremely dangerous, almost becoming a waste pill. Fortunately, he handled it properly in the end and passed the level.

  The master of Yueyue Pavilion's gaze towards Qin Luoyi became exceptionally scorching, and his idea of forming an alliance with the Xiao Sect through marriage became even more resolute.

  Yan Nan Tian was also very happy, and couldn't resist his persistence. In the evening, Qin Luo Yi and Jian Yu Yan had to go to Yue Lai Lou for a small celebration, but before they left, they called up Wen Ling Tian and Bai Chen.

  Wen Lingtian and Bai Chen, if they said that Qin Luoyi was good before, it was just because she was the sect leader's disciple and looked stunningly beautiful. Now, however, they truly admired her.

  They were over a hundred years older than her, and could refine seventh-grade elixirs, which was also something that happened in the last century. Unexpectedly, she was only in her teens, yet she could actually refine seventh-grade elixirs, and the ones she refined were even better than theirs, they were top-quality seventh-grade elixirs!

  Digression

  The number of people going to the ice domain was previously set incorrectly and has been revised. Only three people can enter.