The Wager Begins

Hearing that, Cao Yan's lingering worries vanished, replaced by a wide grin. A confident smile bloomed across his face. "Don't worry, Eldest Brother, Second Brother!" The three stepped out of the private room and walked toward the auction hall. On the table behind them rested a spirit talisman shimmering with spiritual light, where a wisp of faint blue flame flickered and vanished in an instant. From the highest private box in the auction house, Qianqiusui looked down with calm eyes. Swirling blue smoke veiled most of her face. Her soft voice drifted gently into the air. "Just which sect's genius disciples are they, really?" "A faint thread of vitality... a wager... It seems that fellow set a trap long ago, just waiting for Wang Heyang to step right into it!" "Remarkable..." As her words trailed off, she gave a self-deprecating shake of her head and murmured softly, "Since when did I start taking an interest in a few youngsters?" Even as she said this, the blind youth's face surfaced in her mind. Although the talent Cao Yan displayed had astonished her, she could not shake the feeling that the blind youth was truly terrifying. *** Up on the stage, Wang Heyang idly twirled the folding fan in his hand, though traces of bruises had yet to fade from his face. "Heh. Don't tell me those fellows realized they couldn't win and ran away?" His voice was dripping with mockery, as if everything were entirely within his grasp. He had absolute confidence in his alchemy skills. Part of this confidence stemmed from the fact that refining a cauldron of Essence Augmentation Pills took even the elders of his pavilion well over a shichen. In terms of time, the Sixth Elder would arrive right around the moment he finished. As for the wager? Deep down, he never believed he could lose to a nobody. Wang Heyang currently wore a lavish white robe, the chest embroidered with three glittering stars. This symbolized his noble status as a rank-three alchemist, an emblem of exceptional privilege and influence. The seats below were already packed with onlookers, who immediately chimed in with flattery upon hearing his words. "Hahaha! Those rats must be terrified of Young Master Wang. Who knows where they've scurried off to by now!" The speaker was a man with sharp ears and monkey-like cheeks, his face plastered with sycophancy. A rank-three alchemist commanded respect from almost anyone; which Core Formation cultivator wouldn't want to make friends with a few alchemists? Before the man's voice could even fade, praises erupted in succession. "Hahaha! If they can beat Young Master Wang, I'll do a handstand and eat shit today!" Wang Heyang reveled in the compliments. He thoroughly enjoyed every convenience and privilege his status afforded him. Suddenly! A chilled voice drifted in from the side. "Oh? A handstand and eat shit? Then I'll be sure to remember you." The cold murderous intent in that voice was unleashed almost without restraint. A chill ran through the crowd, and many instantly realized this newcomer was not someone to cross. At once, numerous onlookers clamped their mouths shut. No one wanted to invite lethal disaster upon themselves for no good reason—that would be utter catastrophe. Three black-robed figures slowly appeared on the high stage. Li Guanqi said softly, "Go on. Relax." "Even if you lose, it's just a cauldron. Don't overthink it." "Besides, with your Eldest Brother's strength, do you really doubt I'll step into the Nascent Soul realm within three years?" Cao Yan, who had looked brimming with confidence just a moment ago, instantly pulled a long face. "Boss, reaching Nascent Soul in three years... that's pretty tough." Li Guanqi snapped in annoyance, "Hurry up and get up there, and win this for me!" Cao Yan grinned. Without another word, he strode boldly onto the platform. Two ordinary rank-three cauldrons were already set before them. The cauldrons gleamed with a deep bronze patina, clearly well-used, yet their quality barely scraped into the grade of spirit tools. Two storage bags rested beside the cauldrons, each containing only a single set of ingredients for the Essence Augmentation Pill. This meant both competitors had only one chance; a single mistake meant defeat! Wang Heyang had not expected only one set of materials to be provided—he had assumed there would be three. Rising to his feet, Wang Heyang chuckled. "Heh, one set is fine by me. It will reflect true skill rather than blind luck." Cao Yan did not even bother looking at him. Turning toward the third-floor box, he asked softly, "May we begin?" Qianqiusui's voice slowly resonated through the hall: "You may begin at any time. The time limit is three shichen. I will judge the victor solely by the quality of the pills." Beneath his black hood, Cao Yan smiled faintly. He lifted his hem and sat before the cauldron, gently reaching out to stroke its surface with both hands. Seeing this, Wang Heyang scoffed, "Hmph, putting on airs. Feeling the cauldron like that—what could you possibly sense?" With that, he sat before his own cauldron and flicked his hand, sending a burst of crimson flame surging inside! *Boom!!* Flames abruptly roared to life within the cauldron, quickly turning its interior blazing red. This step was known as cauldron warming, designed to maintain an even temperature throughout the vessel to facilitate the extraction of medicinal herbs. Cao Yan, however, had his eyes lightly closed, entirely absorbed as he sensed every detail of the cauldron before him. On the other side, Wang Heyang had already slapped open his lid and tossed two spirit herbs into the cauldron, beginning to extract their medicinal essences. Watching this, the crowd below began to sneer. "Good grief, is he planning to just sit there stroking the cauldron the whole time?" "If you ask me, he's just putting on a brave face to save himself the embarrassment!" "Hahahaha, isn't that the truth? What could you possibly find out by feeling it like that? Young Master Wang has already started extracting!" "Don't tell me he's trying to drag out the time?" Off to the side, Ye Feng grew anxious and asked, "Boss, what is Big Head doing?" Li Guanqi shrugged and replied plainly, "I don't know either. Just trust him." Finally, just as Wang Heyang tossed in his third spirit herb, Cao Yan moved! Before everyone's shocked eyes, a ball of faint blue flame surged into the cauldron like a roaring fire dragon! In an instant, the cauldron's temperature spiked drastically, causing the heat in the surrounding ten-zhang radius to climb along with it. This terrifying flame power completely overwhelmed Wang Heyang's on a fundamental level! The sudden surge jolted Wang Heyang's focus, nearly causing him to lose control and ruin the spirit herbs inside his own cauldron. *Clang!* The lid of Cao Yan's cauldron flipped open, and with a sweep of his hand, he tossed five spirit herbs into the cauldron all at once. Below, an elderly rank-three alchemist's face changed drastically. He cursed under his breath, "Is he mad?! Tossing in five spirit herbs at the same time!" A burly man beside him asked in confusion, "Hm? You can't toss in that many at once? I saw Wang Heyang put in two together, didn't he?" The old man replied solemnly, "Wang Heyang put in two because he can split his focus to control two threads of flame power, extracting the herbs' essences simultaneously. That is one of the reasons why disciples of Yundan Pavilion are all so formidable in alchemy." When the burly man realized what that meant, he gasped, "Then... then tossing in five at once, doesn't that mean..." The gray-haired elder stared intently at Cao Yan on the stage and said in a grave voice, "Indeed! Either he intends to give up and destroy the herbs, or he can control five distinct flames simultaneously!" Following the old man's explanation, the surrounding cultivators finally understood what was happening.