That’s right, this Tier One Fifth Grade Meridian Opening Pill was refined by none other than Wang Jiang.
The emergence of the first Tier One Fifth Grade elixir immediately caused quite a stir.
“It’s Young Master Wang, Mother!
It’s a fifth-grade elixir refined by Young Master Wang!”
“It really is Young Master Wang, and it’s a high-quality fifth-grade Meridian Opening Pill at that.
To think that Young Master Wang possesses such incredible Alchemy Dao talent at such a young age.”
“Does that mean the spot for Xingyue City’s Divine Pill Pavilion belongs to Young Master Wang now?”
“Hahaha, the Ye family is saved!
With Young Master Wang’s protection, the Ye family is saved!”
The members of the Ye family were overjoyed, and even many cultivators of Xingyue City were incredibly thrilled.
“A Tier One Fifth Grade elixir—he finally managed to save Xingyue City’s face.”
“He did more than just save our face.
That’s a Tier One Fifth Grade Alchemy Master!
And such a young Fifth Grade Alchemy Master at that.
Even if you look at the entire Eastern Domain, he is definitely among the absolute best.”
Listening to the endless stream of flattery from the crowd below, Wang Jiang smiled with even greater pride.
He slowly swept his gaze over the crowd.
Of the sixteen competitors from Xingyue City, fifteen had successfully reached the Solidification Pill stage.
However, fourteen of them hung their heads in dejection; the best among them had only managed to refine a Tier One Fourth Grade elixir.
He muttered to himself, unable to hide his excitement, “The spot in the Divine Pill Pavilion is undoubtedly mine.”
He could already vividly picture the dreamy future where he gained both fame and fortune while winning the beauty’s heart.
Before the Alchemy Stele.
Seeing this, the Workshop Master of Miaodan Square had his eyes light up with immense excitement.
“Pavilion Master Bai, your Divine Pill Pavilion already took Xingyue City’s number one Alchemy Dao genius last year.
Today, this youth must belong to my Miaodan Square.
Even if we have to pay an unprecedented price, my Miaodan Square will definitely fight for him.”
“Heh, if you want him, just take him with your own abilities.
My Divine Pill Pavilion isn’t lacking this one person,” Bai Wufeng replied indifferently.
After speaking, he looked at Jiang Hao with eyes full of expectation and offered a faint smile.
This scene fell into the eyes of Wang Jiang, who was standing quite close to Jiang Hao, causing his heart to tremble violently.
He thought excitedly, “The Pavilion Master of the Divine Pill Pavilion smiled at me!
Haha, hahaha, this spot is mine!”
Wang Jiang was overcome with joy, and even the dozen or so Xingyue City Alchemy Masters beside him offered their congratulations.
“Brother Wang, congratulations!
The title of Xingyue City’s number one Alchemy Master is truly well-deserved.”
“Brother Jiang, don’t forget us after you join the Divine Pill Pavilion!”
Listening to the congratulations of over a dozen people, Wang Jiang felt slightly light-headed from pride and couldn’t help but look toward Jiang Hao.
After all these years, he could finally hold his head high and truly surpass the other party.
Thinking of this, Wang Jiang fell into a momentary daze.
He gloated internally, “Jiang, I told you I’d show you what a true Alchemy Master is.
After today, I’ll be far above the masses, while you’ll just be an ant beneath my feet.”
Time continued to slip away, and the grand competition carried on.
Following Wang Jiang, many more Tier One Fifth Grade elixirs were born, and even a Tier One Seventh Grade Opening Pill appeared.
Until a certain moment.
RUMBLE—!
A massive commotion rippled through the entire crowd.
“A Ninth-grade Elixir?
The Lesser Restoration Pill?”
After eight hours, the first Ninth-grade Elixir was finally born on the competition grounds.
“A Ninth-grade Elixir!
It’s invaluable, hard to find even with a thousand pieces of gold.”
Countless cultivators were thrilled, and even Gai He and the others had eyes filled with shock.
It had to be known that this was two grades higher than the Tier One Seventh Grade Creation Pill that Jiang Hao had once refined.
It practically touched the absolute ceiling of what a Tier One Alchemy Master could achieve.
However, right after that, the soaring and interlocking phantoms of nine Divine Dragons completely ignited the entire arena.
“Heavens, a Tier Two Elixir!
It’s actually the Tier Two Elixir, the Nine Dragon Pill!”
“And it’s a Tier Two Grade One Unity Pill, the absolute best among Tier Two Grade One elixirs!”
With the birth of the first Tier Two Elixir, waves of shock swept through all of Xingyue City.
“A Tier Two Alchemy Master…
I’m afraid he’s the only competitor to advance to Tier Two this year.”
“I heard long ago that there was a Tier Two Pill Master competing this year.
To think it was actually true!”
“A Tier Two Alchemy Master!
This man looks to be only in his early thirties, yet he’s already reached such a level.”
“This year’s competition champion is undoubtedly this great master.”
Countless Xingyue City cultivators felt a mix of envy and jealousy.
Compared to the other Earth Realms, Xingyue City ultimately paled in comparison.
Ever since that world-shocking Alchemy Dao genius from two hundred years ago, Xingyue City had never produced another decent Alchemy Dao talent.
However, having a Tier One Fifth Grade Alchemy Master was still quite good.
Besides, Wang Jiang was much younger than this Tier Two Alchemy Master.
The advent of a Tier Two Elixir visibly moved even Bai Wufeng.
Yet, that Tier Two Pill Master slowly raised his head to look at the still-motionless Alchemy Stele, his eyes incredibly dim.
“Even with such attainments in the Alchemy Dao, is it still not enough to awaken you?” he muttered to himself, helplessly closing his eyes.
Clearly, he had come specifically for the Alchemy Mark.
Unfortunately, he had failed to awaken this Royal Clan Alchemy Stele and force it to bestow a mark.
Countless cultivators naturally noticed this as well and couldn’t help but sigh in continuous lamentation.
“A thirty-year-old Tier Two Alchemy Master isn’t enough to awaken the Alchemy Stele?”
“Are we going to miss out on the Alchemy Mark again this year?”
“It’s been two hundred years.
Ever since that peerless Alchemy Dao genius, no one in the Eastern Domain has obtained an Alchemy Mark for over two centuries.
I’m afraid it won’t descend this year either.”
At this moment, it wasn’t just the cultivators of Xingyue City who felt regret; even the spectators who had traveled across endless rivers and mountains sighed softly.
Ever since the fall of that peerless Alchemy Dao genius back then, the Eastern Domain had been without a reigning Pill King.
Although nearly half of the thousands of Alchemy Masters had already finished their pills by now, hundreds of Pill Masters were still bitterly holding out at their pill furnaces.
For a time, many people’s gazes fell upon these struggling participants.
“Has that piece of trash still not reached the Solidification Pill stage?”
Subconsciously, many Xingyue City cultivators cast their gazes toward Jiang Hao.
Right now, of the sixteen competing Pill Masters from Xingyue City, fifteen had successfully reached the Solidification Pill stage.
Only that trash, Jiang Hao, was left, still constantly controlling his flames and dropping in spirit medicines.
“Heh, what kind of elixir can a broken medicine jar refine?
No matter how many spirit medicines he throws in, he’s just refining a jar of garbage,” Wang Jiang sneered, his eyes brimming with disdain.
From below the stage, Ye Xiaotian mocked even more harshly, “Don’t tell me this guy is going to refine another batch of Fusion Pills?”
As soon as these words were spoken, a roar of laughter erupted from the crowd.
At this moment, even those in the Tang family’s viewing stands could no longer stay calm.
“Did we place too much hope in this kid?
Why hasn’t there been any activity for so long?”
“Even a thirty-year-old Tier Two Pill Master failed to awaken the Alchemy Stele.
Do you really believe he can obtain the mark?”
“Forget it, forget it.
Let’s think of another way.
Even if we exhaust the entire foundation of the Tang family, we must find a Nine Revolutions Life Extension Pill for the old Patriarch.”
Having spoken, the experts of the Tang family all sighed helplessly.
Clearly, they no longer harbored any hope.
After all, even a thirty-year-old Tier Two Pill Master had failed.
What right did that good-for-nothing youth have to succeed?
On the Qi family’s viewing platform, cold sneers rang out in unison.
“He thinks he can use the Alchemy Dao to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Celestial Yang?
What a joke.”
“It’s nothing but a mere speck of starlight trying to outshine the bright moon.
No, that’s wrong—this kid isn’t even worthy of being called starlight.”
The members of the Qi family all shook their heads, completely dismissing him.
However, just when everyone was writing off that figure, the winds and clouds above Xingyue City abruptly surged.
Dark clouds gathered as rolling storm fronts coalesced like a tidal wave.
The entire firmament quietly yet drastically transformed.
This change instantly caught the attention of Gai He, Gu Qingyan, Bai Wufeng, the Workshop Master of Miaodan Square, and several top Pill Masters from the other Earth Realms.
They all jerked their heads up, their bodies trembling as if struck by lightning.
Realizing what this meant, Bai Wufeng’s eyes filled with absolute horror as he exclaimed, “It’s here!”