Inside Jiang Yifan's refining furnace, that glimmer of light suddenly burgeoned, instantly drawing the gaze of the entire audience.
At the judges' table, several elders leaned forward in unison.
"It has only been a little over two hours..." Elder Tan's brow was knit almost into a knot. "Surely he isn't seeking quick success at the cost of quality?"
Elder Mingdeng narrowed his eyes, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the armrest. "The Dao of refining abhors haste above all else. At such a speed, the quality is likely..."
Chang Yan cleared his throat. "Let us wait until he brings it out before we say more."
The brilliance inside the furnace gradually condensed, finally transforming into a perfectly round pearl that hovered within the flames.
The body of the pearl was a blend of blue and white, with mist swirling inside and faint glimmers of starlight flickering within.
"A spirit pearl?" Elder Ji mused. "Offensive magic tools are mostly blades and swords, defensive ones are usually shields or armor, and auxiliary ones are things like mirrors and disks. These spirit pearls are typically used as one-time consumables... This..."
"Could it be a container for storing spiritual energy?" Hua Xiangrong speculated. "But that kind of magic tool is of little value, not to mention he has to compete with it in the end. To bring this out at the competition..."
The disciples on stage were naturally unaware of the elders' conversation, but that didn't stop their whispers.
"That's it?" A young cultivator in purple robes curled his lip, pointing a disdainful finger toward the field. "He has the nerve to bring out a broken pearl for the competition?"
A fellow disciple beside him hurriedly tugged at his sleeve. "Keep your voice down!" he whispered. "Look at his remaining materials. He has enough to refine at least three more magic tools..."
"So what?" the purple-robed cultivator snapped, brushing his companion's hand away. "The competition is about quality, not quantity!"
A female cultivator next to him covered her mouth and chuckled. "True enough. They all said Jiang Yifan of the Five Elements Dao Sect was a master at refining, but seeing him today..."
"He's nothing special," another male cultivator chimed in, rubbing the jade pendant at his waist. "He doesn't even have a proper artifact shape. It's like a child playing house."
Their discussion naturally drifted into the ears of Li Nanzhu and the others.
Li Nanzhu's gaze swept over the gossiping disciples, the corners of her lips turning up imperceptibly.
The emblems of the Qingxia Sect embroidered on their collars glinted with a cheap luster in the sunlight—they were just a small sect that couldn't even be considered third-rate.
In contrast, the disciples of great sects like the Wuji Sect and the Beast Taming Sect remained silent.
Even Cang Dongqing and her group, who usually didn't get along with the Five Elements Dao Sect, kept their mouths shut now, focusing intently on the situation in the arena.
Duan Xianxing, on the other hand, was stomping his feet in anger nearby. "What do you people know! What Fourth Senior Brother made is definitely..."
"No need to argue with them," Mu Wenyan said, pressing a hand onto his shoulder. "Focus on watching..."
Before he could finish, the voices of those disciples drifted over again.
"Do you think..." a round-faced cultivator whispered, pulling his companion closer. "He's really from the Northern Territory Jiang family? Could he be an impostor?"
"Looks like it to me!" the companion agreed with a nod. "Why would a true direct descendant of the Jiang family run off to join such a small sect?"
The sounds of whispering continued to float over. "If we're talking about refining, you have to look at the senior brothers and sisters of the Water Moon Sect."
"Exactly! The Five Elements Dao Sect has long since declined. How could they possibly compare?"
Mu Wenyan's eyes suddenly grew cold, his fingertips turning slightly white from the pressure of his grip.
Feng Qingping stared wordlessly at the gossiping disciples, the aura around her suddenly becoming sharp.
Li Nanzhu, however, gently tugged on her sleeve, then approached them with a beaming smile while holding Suisui.
"Fellow Daoists," her voice was crisp, her face wearing an innocent and harmless smile. "Who do you think will win this time?"
The disciples were in the heat of their discussion and answered without looking back. "The Water Moon Sect, of course! They have eight people!"
"Exactly, exactly," the round-faced cultivator said with excitement. "Especially Senior Brother Chu Chenzhou, he's..."
He suddenly stopped, snapping his head around to look at Li Nanzhu.
When he saw Suisui in her arms, he immediately recognized her identity, and his face turned deathly pale.
"Fi... Five Elements Dao Sect..." his companion stammered, cold sweat instantly soaking his back.
Suisui tilted its head in Li Nanzhu's arms, its soul fire flickering curiously. The few minor cultivators' legs began to tremble at the sight of the eerie little skeleton.
"Go on, why have you stopped?" Li Nanzhu's smile grew even more radiant. "I think Senior Brother Chu is very formidable too."
The round-faced cultivator's Adam's apple bobbed as cold sweat slid down his cheeks. He stole a glance at Feng Qingping and Zhu Yinxi standing behind Li Nanzhu, his legs feeling weak.
"Senior... Senior Brother Jiang's spirit pearl looks... looks extraordinary at first glance!" he stammered, his tone completely changing.
The purple-robed cultivator hurriedly chimed in. "Yes, yes! That spiritual light contained within—it must be high-grade!"
Li Nanzhu blinked, her face full of innocence. "Oh? Didn't you just say..."
"A misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding!" The round-faced cultivator waved his hands frantically. "We were short-sighted. How could we possibly see through Senior Brother Jiang's brilliant techniques?"
Inside, they were wailing with regret.
If they had known, they would have stayed far away from the people of the Five Elements Dao Sect!
They had assumed that disciples of great sects would maintain their dignity and not bother with a few idle words from them, but how could the people of the Five Elements Dao Sect be so entirely different from other great sect disciples?
The purple-robed cultivator stole a glance behind him, only to find the elder leading their own sect pretending not to see what was happening, even deliberately turning his head away.
His heart went cold—it was clear the sect would not offend the other party for the sake of a few disciples.
Li Nanzhu continued to smile innocently. "Don't be nervous." Suisui tilted its head in her arms, its soul fire flickering. "I was just asking out of curiosity."
But in the eyes of the Qingxia Sect disciples, that smile was more terrifying than any threat.
"Since you think so highly of the Water Moon Sect..." Li Nanzhu's eyes suddenly lit up. "Why don't we make a bet?"
"Bet... bet on what?" the round-faced cultivator asked, his voice shaking uncontrollably.
"We'll bet on who takes first place." Li Nanzhu tilted her head with an innocent expression. "The loser pays a hundred mid-grade spirit stones. How about it?"
"A hundred?!" The purple-robed cultivator nearly bit his tongue. That was equivalent to nearly two years of cultivation resources for them!
The disciples looked at each other, the cold sweat on their foreheads increasing.
They were now caught on the horns of a dilemma—if they didn't bet, they were admitting they were just talking nonsense earlier, but if they did, they feared losing everything...
"This junior sister must be joking..." the round-faced cultivator stammered. "How could we dare to bet with you..."
"What?" Li Nanzhu's face suddenly turned stern. "Didn't you speak with such conviction just now? And now you don't dare?" She gave a cold huff. "Could it be that you're just poor sports?"
The cultivators' faces turned pale as they stammered, "W-we aren't..."
"However..." Li Nanzhu's tone shifted, and the corners of her lips curled into a meaningful smile. "Betting on the individual first place is indeed a bit too difficult for you."
Rate on N.U.
