Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 73 - Life-and-Death Match

The ground in the world in Liu Wuxie’s dantian gave off dense earth element energy, but it was still in the awakening stage.

Bi Gongyu returned late at night after distributing the fourteen Golden Spirit Pills. The pavilion masters who didn’t get it stayed outside the courtyard, refusing to leave. Thus, Liu Wuxie had no choice but to refine another cauldron before he managed to send them away.

In the First Courtyard, more than ten people gritted their teeth in frustration, some even showing signs of despair on their faces. “Pavilion Master Shangguan, you must stand up for us!” cried Yun Lan.

Mo Shidao was seated next to Shangguan Cai, while Nangong Qi and others were seated below them. Du Mingze, Xiao Mingyi, and others sat with their heads bowed in shame, having lost all their dignity that day.

“You guys are too impatient!” Shangguan Cai said after taking a sip of the tea.

“Pavilion Master Shangguan, stop beating around the bush. Since that kid isn’t tactful and snatched the first spot from Young Master Ji Yang, we must kill him no matter what.” Nangong Qi gritted his teeth, looking like he wanted to swallow Liu Wuxie alive.

They couldn’t act forcefully since most pavilion masters were on Azure Billow City’s side. If they killed Liu Wuxie in public, the three judges would not allow it, let alone the other pavilion masters. They had to come up with a clever plan.

“Tomorrow is the day of his death!” Mo Shidao said. Du Mingze was his prized student, but today he had been humiliated by being forced to kneel. This naturally made Mo Shidao feel embarrassed. In the future, he would be a laughingstock wherever he went.

Nangong Qi and Yun Lan’s eyes lit up. Shangguan Cai and Mo Shidao already had a countermeasure to kill Liu Wuxie the next day.

“That boy is strange. Not only did he receive a perfect score for the first round, but he also managed to refine a heaven-defying pill like the Golden Spirit Pill, complete with pill runes. I’m afraid our odds of winning tomorrow won’t be high.” Everyone frowned. After experiencing two consecutive defeats, they knew they had to exercise caution or risk facing a disastrous outcome tomorrow.

“Don’t worry about it. I have already planned for tomorrow’s round, and I’ll need their cooperation if I want to kill that boy,” said Shangguan Cai with a cruel smile on his lips, gesturing towards Du Mingze, Xiao Mingyi, and Wen Song. In front of others, Shangguan Cai always maintained an ordinary image, and no one would expect him to be such a ruthless person.

After hearing what Shangguan Cai said, Yun Lan and others stood up. After all, each competition segment was strictly controlled, and no one knew any insider information. So the ten pills’ information couldn’t be leaked in advance.

“Pavilion Master Shangguan, is what you’re saying true?” If Shangguan Cai had received the ten pills' information, they could prepare their answers and catch Liu Wuxie off guard.

“You guys don’t believe me?” Shangguan Cai showed a hint of displeasure. He had long formed a relationship with the headquarters to ensure that Ji Yang could receive first place and a fourth-grade pill in this competition. But Liu Wuxie appeared out of nowhere and disrupted his plans.

As long as Ji Yang could obtain the fourth-grade pill, he would be able to make a breakthrough and become the youngest four-star alchemist and Marrow Cleansing Realm expert. This would elevate the status of his master, Shangguan Cai, and increase the likelihood of him becoming the chief alchemist at the headquarters. However, all of these plans were disrupted by Liu Wuxie.

“We naturally believe in Pavilion Master Shangguan. Tell us what we must do, and we’ll cooperate fully.” Yun Lan patted his chest and gave his assurance. He knew that only Shangguan Cai had a close relationship with the headquarters. As low-ranking branches, they weren’t particularly welcomed by the headquarters.

Their discussion was conducted through voice transmission to prevent their plans from being leaked.

The next morning, Liu Wuxie’s dantian showed signs of overflowing after an entire night of cultivation. This was a good sign because it meant that Liu Wuxie’s cultivation was infinitely close to the fourth level of the Xiantian Realm. He could use the fourth-grade pill to make a breakthrough in one swoop if he obtained it.

As Liu Wuxie emerged from the courtyard, he was greeted by many people with a cheerful “Good morning, Young Master Liu!” His reception today was vastly different from yesterday. Liu Wuxie calmly returned their greetings, giving the impression that the events of the previous day had not affected him in the slightest. In fact, he had little interest in a low-level alchemy competition like this one. His sole reason for participating was to obtain the fourth-grade pill.

The group made their way up the stone stairs and hurried to the venue where the final round of the competition would be held. After the competition concluded, they would return to Azure Billow City.

“Brother Liu, wait for me!” called Zuo Hong as he caught up and walked alongside Liu Wuxie. The Golden Spirit Pills that Liu Wuxie had refined the previous day had left everyone in shock, and Zuo Hong still found it hard to believe.

“Is there something you need, Brother Zuo?” asked Liu Wuxie, knowing that Zuo Hong wouldn’t have stopped him without a reason.

“I saw Yun Lan’s group talking for a long time in the First Courtyard, and they’re probably coming up with a method to deal with you. You must be careful.” Zuo Hong pulled Liu Wuxie to the side and ensured that no one was around before sharing what he had discovered the previous day.

This made Liu Wuxie frown because those people had not yet learned their lesson. He cupped his fists together. “Thank you, Brother Zuo, for letting me know.”

“You’re welcome. Your talent is far beyond my reach, and all tricks are nothing before absolute strength,” said Zuo Hong, not forgetting to flatter Liu Wuxie. He had researched the Golden Spirit Pill the previous night and had greatly benefited from it, significantly improving his skills as an alchemist.

When they finished speaking, the venue was already packed with people. The audience had arrived two hours early, as this year’s competition was particularly exciting, and news of the Golden Spirit Pill had spread throughout Zen City.

As everyone took their seats, the three judges exchanged a glance before taking out ten sealed porcelain bottles. The contents of the bottles were unknown to them.

“Today is the final round of the competition. We have ten types of pills that were not refined by our Treasure Pill Pavilion but by alchemists from other dynasties. We will test you on these pills. All participants must identify the ingredients and effects of these pills,” announced one of the judges.

Participants would be scored based on the accuracy of their identification of the ingredients and the effects of the pills.

The last round began as Deacon Hua pointed to the ten porcelain bottles. Ten tables were placed in the venue with a porcelain bottle on each table.

“Like the previous years, forty participants will line up according to last year’s rankings. You can only use your eyes and sense of smell to perceive the ingredients of each pill, and everyone is limited to seven minutes.”

Ji Yang was ranked first, and Liu Wuxie was ranked last. Thus, it would take some time before it was his turn. But strangely enough, Ji Yang didn’t head to the first table as though he was waiting for something.

Suddenly, Yun Lan walked out with a life-and-death waiver.

“Liu Wuxie, I want to sign the life-and-death waiver with you on today’s round. Whoever loses will have to die!” Xiao Mingyi said, gritting his teeth. He wanted to use the last round of this competition to conduct a life-and-death match. This sudden change caught everyone by surprise, including the three judges.

“Outrageous! You guys are fooling around!” Sang Yan roared. The previous day’s bet was a laughingstock, and what would others think of the competition if it progressed into a life-and-death match today? A place for them to fight?

“Senior Sang Yan, I believe there is no rule against conducting a life-and-death match in the competition,” argued Yun Lan. “This life-and-death waiver has been approved by Zen City’s City Lord, whose signature is on it. Unless that brat refuses to accept the bet, the waiver is already in effect.” Yun Lan had come out today with the intention of killing Liu Wuxie to vent his anger.

“Yun Lan must’ve gone insane!” The other pavilion masters discussed among themselves, but no one intervened this time. It wasn’t because they didn’t want to defend Liu Wuxie, but it was because Yun Lan had come prepared with the life-and-death waiver. If Liu Wuxie refused the bet, the life-and-death waiver would be invalidated. But Liu Wuxie’s reputation would be greatly affected in the future, and everyone would call him a coward.

“Yun Lan, you’ve gone too far! Why should we sign the life-and-death waiver?!” protested Bi Gongyu on behalf of Liu Wuxie. After all, Liu Wuxie could obtain first place if he performed well in this round.

“It looks like you guys are afraid. Well, I can give up on the life-and-death match if he goes down on his knees and kowtows,” Yun Lan sneered.

An uproar burst out from the observation area. They thought that they had seen everything in this competition, but they never expected a life-and-death match to take place in the competition.

The Kuang Clan was furious when they saw this scene. After all, Kuang He was in seclusion because of the great benefits from the Golden Spirit Pill he had taken yesterday, and his cultivation was rising rapidly.

“Master Mao, say something. This is an alchemy competition, and someone is deliberately trying to disrupt it. I suggest having him removed!” Bi Gongyu turned to Master Mao for support. He was determined to protect Liu Wuxie, as he owed him a great debt. Thanks to the Golden Spirit Pills refined by Liu Wuxie, Bi Gongyu had made many friends among the pavilion masters, allowing Azure Billow City to quickly catch up with Serene Tomb City.

“Master Mao, what should we do?” Sang Yan also felt a headache. They were all pavilion masters from various cities, and they were prideful. So who could accept their disciples going down on their knees twice in a row?

“There are no rules that forbid a life-and-death match in the competition, and the decision rests with the parties involved. The life-and-death match wouldn’t take effect if they were unwilling to participate.” Master Mao expressed his opinion, which favored Yun Lan’s side. This instantly made everyone wear a weird expression. After all, shouldn’t Liu Wuxie be protected as a genius in alchemy?

Only Liu Wuxie wore a smile as he glanced at Shangguan Cai, who remained calm and composed. He knew all this had something to do with Shangguan Cai, including the change in Master Mao’s attitude.

“Brat, you hear that? No one says a life-and-death match isn’t allowed in the competition. If you don’t dare, it’s still not too late to go down on your knees.” Yun Lan wore a sinister smile.

Nangong Qi, Heng Zheng, and others also smiled because they were finally getting revenge for the humiliation they suffered for the past two days.

“A life-and-death match?” Liu Wuxie smacked his lips together and held onto his chin. He wore a harmless smile, but there was murderous intent flashing in the depth of his eyes. Since these people were courting death, he would naturally fulfill their wishes. He said, “I don’t mind taking on the bet, but I have one condition.”