Chapter 563: Chapter 563: Victory Is Certain!

Three days later.

The Dragon Island Pill Tower Headquarters was bustling with excitement. Today was the day the results of the first competition would be announced, and a large crowd had gathered to watch. They were all discussing eagerly, speculating on who the final victor would be.

Soon, the members of the Nine Nether Alchemy Alliance arrived. They wore black alchemy robes embroidered with flickering black flames that resembled the eerie Netherworld Fire. Their appearance caused an uproar in the crowd.

"Look! It’s the people from the Nine Nether Alchemy Alliance!"

"Is that Master Qingyou at the front? I heard he concocted the Yellow Dragon Pill in just three days!"

"How incredible!"

Amidst continuous gasps of admiration, the members of the Nine Nether Alchemy Alliance walked into the Pill Tower. They looked completely relaxed. Having created the Yellow Dragon Pill in a mere three days—an incredibly short time—they were certain victory was theirs.

「On the other side.」

The members of the Tianyang Alchemy Alliance arrived as well, led by Fairy Wan Er. Elder Li walked beside her, followed by a few other Alchemy Masters. Though their group was small, they all wore confident smiles. They were sure they would win this time because their pill was a Two-Claw Yellow Dragon Pill.

"The people from the Tianyang Alchemy Alliance are here, too," the onlookers exclaimed.

"I wonder what grade their Yellow Dragon Pill is?"

"Do you even have to ask? It’s got to be a One-Claw Yellow Dragon Pill."

"I heard that even refining that is incredibly difficult. They’re probably going to lose this time."

Up ahead, the members of the Nine Nether Alchemy Alliance heard the commotion, stopped, and turned around. Soon, the two parties came face to face. The alchemists from the Nine Nether Alchemy Alliance looked down on their rivals with condescension.

Master Qingyou sneered, "Your Tianyang Alchemy Alliance is quite something. To think you could get Situ Hang from the Fire Dragon Sect to help you."

"That must have cost a fortune."

"You really spared no expense!"

Fairy Wan Er frowned upon hearing this. "Who told you we invited Situ Hang? We did not."

"Alright, stop pretending," Master Qingyou scoffed. "We all know that the Tianyang Alchemy Alliance could never produce a Yellow Dragon Pill on your own. You must have hired help. This pill was made by Situ Hang, wasn’t it?"

Wan Er replied coldly, "I’ll say it again: we have no connection to Situ Hang, nor did we ask for his assistance."

With that, she led her people into the Pill Tower.

Watching them walk away, Master Qingyou snorted. "Still trying to act tough. But it’s useless. Situ Hang can’t save you. The victory in this competition will belong to our Nine Nether Alchemy Alliance!"

「Pill Tower, First Floor.」

In the great hall, Tower Master Ouyang stood waiting, accompanied by several Alchemy Masters from the Pill Tower. Among them was a young man in his twenties holding a folding fan, carrying himself with a suave and composed air. He was none other than the Young Tower Master, the son of Tower Master Ouyang.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Tower Master Ouyang nodded. "Now that all parties are present, bring out the Yellow Dragon Pills you have concocted. I will begin the evaluation. The one with the higher grade will be the winner of the first round."

Hearing this, Master Qingyou from the Nine Nether Alchemy Alliance immediately stepped forward. He placed a Yellow Dragon Pill on the table and declared, "We, the Nine Nether Alchemy Alliance, concocted the Yellow Dragon Pill in three days."

Tower Master Ouyang picked up the pill and examined it carefully before nodding slightly. It was, indeed, a One-Claw Yellow Dragon Pill. He passed it to the other Pill Tower elders for their inspection, and they too nodded in confirmation.

Finally, Tower Master Ouyang announced, "The Nine Nether Alchemy Alliance’s result: a One-Claw Yellow Dragon Pill, completed in three days."

When the announcement was made, the members of the Nine Nether Alchemy Alliance roared with laughter. Victory is ours! The winner of this first round is undoubtedly us!

A triumphant smirk spread across the Young Tower Master’s face as he glanced at Fairy Wan Er with a cold sneer. The Tianyang Alchemy Alliance is doomed to fail. Everything is going according to plan.

Tower Master Ouyang then turned to the Tianyang Alchemy Alliance. "It’s your turn. Present your pill!"

All eyes turned toward them.

Master Qingyou added a scornful taunt, "Is there any need to continue? I suggest the Tianyang Alchemy Alliance just admit defeat. You can’t win anyway."

Fairy Wan Er stepped forward. "And who says we’re going to lose?"

Her words stunned everyone. The Tianyang Alchemy Alliance seems very confident.

But Master Qingyou simply laughed out loud. "Win? With what? When the pill grade is the same, the faster time wins. We took three days, while you took six. How do you expect to compete with us?"

Indeed, the crowd began to murmur in agreement. The result was obvious; the Tianyang Alchemy Alliance was fated to lose unless they had some unknown trump card.

"No way. I think the Tianyang Alchemy Alliance is just putting on a brave face."

"But in the end, they’re still going to be defeated."

"Acting tough won’t save them."

Hearing these discussions, Wan Er snorted coldly. "Who said the grade was the same? The pill we concocted is a Two-Claw Yellow Dragon Pill!"

With that, she took out the pill and slapped it down on the table.

The entire hall fell into a shocked silence. Tower Master Ouyang was stunned. Master Qingyou was stunned. The Young Tower Master was stunned. The members of the Nine Nether Alchemy Alliance were stunned. Everyone was stunned!

A Two-Claw Yellow Dragon Pill! They had actually produced a Two-Claw Yellow Dragon Pill! It was unbelievable.

Master Qingyou’s face turned ashen. The Nine Nether Alchemy Alliance roared in fury. "How is that possible? How could you possibly refine a Two-Claw Yellow Dragon Pill?"

The Young Tower Master lost all of his previous composure. The veins on the hand gripping his fan bulged violently.

The Pill Tower elders, equally astonished, picked up the pill to examine it. On its surface, two distinct dragon claw patterns had formed. It was undeniably a Two-Claw Yellow Dragon Pill.

Tower Master Ouyang also inspected it carefully before declaring, "The Tianyang Alchemy Alliance’s final result: a Two-Claw Yellow Dragon Pill, completed in six days. Now, I will announce the result of the first round. The winner is... the Tianyang Alchemy Alliance!"

"We won! We won!" The people from the Tianyang Alchemy Alliance cheered with excitement.

Fairy Wan Er let out a long sigh of relief. That’s wonderful. We finally won. It hadn’t been easy at all. They had been on the verge of despair, but now, they had won. This was all thanks to Lin Xuan; he had helped them turn the tide against all odds.

When the news spread outside, the crowd of spectators was utterly shocked.

"What? The Tianyang Alchemy Alliance actually won? That’s unbelievable!"

"They actually managed to refine a Two-Claw Yellow Dragon Pill!"

"That’s completely heaven-defying!"

"I never imagined the Tianyang Alchemy Alliance could make such a comeback!"

Everyone was deeply stunned. They all had to eat their words. Previously, every single one of them had thought the Tianyang Alchemy Alliance was bound to lose, but unexpectedly, they had emerged victorious.

I wonder who refined this Two-Claw Yellow Dragon Pill? Who is the incredible figure backing the Tianyang Alchemy Alliance?

The crowd was overcome with curiosity.

Someone said, "The second competition is in five days. It will involve live alchemy, so we can go watch."

"That’s right, we have to go see it for ourselves! I have to find out which master is behind the Tianyang Alchemy Alliance!"

「On the other side.」

The members of the Nine Nether Alchemy Alliance departed with gloomy faces. The mood on the way back was heavy. They had actually lost. Even now, they found it hard to believe. They had held an absolute advantage, yet they were defeated. The blow was immense.

Seeing their dejection, Master Qingyou said coldly, "Don’t worry too much. They only produced a Two-Claw Yellow Dragon Pill this time because of pure luck. It must have been Situ Hang whose luck was just off the charts, allowing him to luckily refine it. However, his good fortune can’t be that heaven-defying forever."

"In the second round, he has to refine the Worry-free Pill. He can’t possibly succeed. He is doomed to fail in the second competition!"

"Once we win the second round, it will be a tie, and a third round will be held. We have the Young Tower Master secretly helping us, so we’ll have the upper hand in the third round as well. In the end, we will still be the ones who win!"

The members of the Nine Nether Alchemy Alliance regained their confidence. "That’s right! We have the absolute advantage. Unless the Tianyang Alchemy Alliance has a fourth-grade intermediate Alchemy Master, they might be able to beat us. Otherwise, what do they have to win with?"