Invincible Soul Emperor-Chapter 219: Refining a Seventh-Grade Spirit Pill

Among the participants from the Qingyun Sect, aside from the two Pavilion Masters, there was only Ye Qingchen as a fourth-grade Alchemist, while the other three were all third-grade Alchemists. Furthermore, he was merely a substitute, and it was uncertain whether he would even get a chance to compete.

"The Qingyun Sect arrogantly claims to be the top sect, yet they send only these people to participate in the mixed competition. Zhang Dingqiang, have you all simply given up?"

Seeing the Qingyun Sect’s lineup, Xiong Bin of the Heavenly Profound Sect naturally wouldn’t miss the opportunity to mock them, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Xiong Bin, save your tricks. Last time, the Heavenly Profound Sect used such despicable methods to affect my state of mind. Otherwise, your sect would have already lost!"

Despite Vice Pavilion Master Liu’s sharp exchange with Xiong Bin, there wasn’t a hint of anger in his voice. It seemed that in the past few days, he had been reflecting continuously and had significantly improved his mental fortitude.

"A win is a win, a loss is a loss. Old Liu, can’t you accept defeat?" Xiong Hai also spoke in a sarcastic tone, attempting to rattle Vice Pavilion Master Liu’s composure once again.

Behind Xiong Hai, Cheng Zhibin saw Ye Qingchen standing in the substitutes’ area and couldn’t resist taunting him. "Ye Qingchen, you got lucky last time. And now? Aren’t you still stuck on the bench like a good little substitute?"

Seeing the Heavenly Profound Sect attempting the same old tricks, Pavilion Master Zhang spoke up for a change, a rare retort from him. "Strength isn’t judged by appearances alone! I’d advise you not to speak so definitively. You’ll only suffer greater humiliation when the results prove you wrong."

Hearing Pavilion Master Zhang’s words, Xiong Bin laughed coldly. "Zhang Dingqiang, do you really think the Heavenly Profound Sect will lose? I’ll make you a promise right here, right now. If you can defeat us, we will kowtow to you three times on the spot!"

"Make them kowtow! I’ve been fed up with those people from the Heavenly Profound Sect for a long time! We’ll take that bet!"

Before Pavilion Master Zhang could respond, Li Zongrui, who was sitting below the stage, could no longer remain seated. He jumped up and shouted at Xiong Bin, only to receive a sharp rap on the head from Elder Wuji.

But a word spoken is like water spilled. Already certain of victory, Xiong Bin naturally wouldn’t let this opportunity slide. He turned to Pavilion Master Zhang and said, "Zhang Dingqiang, your young sect master has spoken. You might as well get ready to kowtow to us!"

Pavilion Master Zhang simply smiled noncommittally and ignored him. After hurling a few more threats, Xiong Bin led the members of the Heavenly Profound Sect back to their seats.

Ye Qingchen shook his head with a wry smile. This Li Zongrui is a classic pig-headed teammate! Can’t he see that the Heavenly Profound Sect was deliberately trying to pick a fight? Now that he’s accepted the bet, it will only create more pressure for the Qingyun Sect’s participants and serve no other purpose.

"Grandfather, why is Ye Qingchen so powerful, yet he was assigned to be a substitute?" Qin Yue wasn’t concerned about the bet; in her heart, she was certain Ye Qingchen would win. But seeing him on the substitutes’ bench annoyed her, so she turned to Qin Zhantian.

Qin Zhantian smiled faintly and said, "In a high-level competition like this, you can’t show your full strength from the start. That would give away your strategy and put your opponents on guard. You must always hold something back, and Young friend Ye is undoubtedly the Qingyun Sect’s trump card!"

Hearing Qin Zhantian’s explanation, Qin Yue felt a bit more settled. After all, heroes always make their entrance last!

"His Majesty the Emperor has arrived!"

Following the piercing announcement, the venue fell silent. Surrounded by a host of experts, Emperor Cai Wentao made his entrance, walking with the stride of a dragon and the gait of a tiger. Then, under the watchful gaze of the entire crowd, he walked toward the stage.

The alchemists on the stage all bowed to the Emperor. Cai Wentao waved his hand and said, "You are all outstanding figures in the Alchemy Dao. There is no need to adhere to these mundane formalities."

Cai Wentao then walked to the central judge’s seat on the stage, sat down slowly, and announced, "This final battle of the alchemy competition shall be personally presided over by Us. Now, We will announce the rules!"

His words instantly caused an uproar. Nobody had expected His Majesty the Emperor to personally oversee this competition, which showed just how much importance the royal family placed on this event.

The alchemists on the stage rubbed their hands in eager anticipation. With the Emperor himself presiding, an exceptional performance would surely leave a good impression on him. That would be a huge boon for their future careers.

Cai Wentao surveyed everyone present before continuing, "For this mixed competition, your task is to refine the seventh-grade Spirit Pill: the Heavenly Origin True Soul Pill! The final rankings will be determined by the quality of the refined pills!"

Cai Wentao’s declaration once again sent a shockwave through the crowd.

To those present, a seventh-grade Spirit Pill was the stuff of legends. Although everyone understood that the mixed competition’s purpose was to test the comprehensive abilities and teamwork of the top ten sects, the highest-ranking participant was only a sixth-grade Pill King. Even with others assisting, refining a seventh-grade Spirit Pill was an immense challenge, let alone one as notoriously difficult as the Heavenly Origin True Soul Pill.

Ye Qingchen had already suspected as much. With each of the ten great sects fielding two Pill Kings, a competition to refine a sixth-grade Spirit Pill would be far too dull. What did surprise him, however, was that the royal family was truly willing to provide so many precious ingredients for this competition.

After all, the ingredients for a seventh-grade Spirit Pill were all priceless heavenly treasures. Ten complete sets of ingredients for the Heavenly Origin True Soul Pill was no small fortune. Moreover, given the great difficulty of refining the Heavenly Origin True Soul Pill, the royal family would suffer a significant loss if no one succeeded.

However, these were not Ye Qingchen’s concerns. After only a brief moment of stunned silence from the crowd, Cai Wentao declared the competition officially open. The ingredients for the Heavenly Origin True Soul Pill had already been distributed to each sect’s participants.

As a substitute, Ye Qingchen had the time to observe the other sects.

BOOM!

Unexpectedly, less than twenty minutes after the competition began, one sect’s attempt ended in failure when their Alchemy Furnace exploded, disqualifying them from the competition. Its members could only shake their heads in disappointment as they departed.

"The Heavenly Origin True Soul Pill certainly lives up to its reputation," Ye Qingchen mused. "The slightest mistake results in an exploding furnace." He had just used his Dual Pupil Martial Soul to see what happened. The two Pill King experts from that failed sect had only a minuscule discrepancy in their control over the furnace’s heat. That tiny error was enough to cause the properties of the medicinal ingredients to clash, triggering the explosion.

Done with his observation, Ye Qingchen stopped paying attention to the other teams and focused all his energy on the Qingyun Sect’s Alchemy Furnace.