Chapter 805: Borrow a Furnace? Borrow Fire?

The judges were startled. No one understood the reason behind Shi Ti's sudden drastic reaction.

Shi Ti, usually an amiable person, wasn't known for a hot temper like President Lu Chenghui. If it had been President Lu who had slammed the table, it would have been understandable. But what was wrong with Shi Ti?

Dong Ling glanced over curiously. The other presidents also looked at Shi Ti.

Inside the arena, Xu Xiaoshou also looked surprised, his gaze drifting towards the judges' panel.

"Esteemed presidents, it's like this..."

Waving his hand, Xu Xiaoshou explained under everyone's watchful eyes, "It's a bit stifling inside the spiritual array. I'm someone who dislikes confinement; I feel like this array will trap my soul. I'd like to request its removal. I promise it won't affect anyone else's alchemy!"

The crowd outside erupted. Few people had any expectations for this tenth-grade alchemist to begin with. Now, seeing Young Master Xu still putting on airs after entering the arena, they began to curse and grumble.

"What the heck!"

"Does he really think this is his Xu family from Taixiang, Northern Region? Trapping his soul? Why doesn't he just leave the arena? The world is vast, is there nowhere else he can go?"

"Exactly! I hate this kind of person the most. A half-saint's successor... infuriating. If it were me, I'd be even more arrogant, darn it, darn it..."

"Hmm? Something's off about you!"

"Heh heh, it's just a shame I don't have such a background, what a pity."

"Scorned, Passive Points: 8456.""Attracted Attention, Passive Points: 9999."

Just by leaving the spiritual array, he had already drawn a wave of attention, and his information bar was popping up frantically. Xu Xiaoshou was thrilled. He had always fantasized about shouting "I am a Grandmaster" hysterically while being the center of attention. Back then, he was still in the Xiantian realm and thought he might be beaten to death for it.

Now, it seemed his dream had come true again...

What a relief!

Dong Ling glared from the judges' panel and snapped, "Go back! During alchemy, you are not allowed to leave the spiritual array without permission, or it will be considered a forfeiture!"

"Oh."

Xu Xiaoshou's face fell. After a moment of hesitation, during which he milked another wave of passive points, he reluctantly returned inside the spiritual array.

Xiao Wanfeng felt deeply emotional. How dare Young Master Xu be so lawless? Wasn't he afraid of being killed by glares or drowned in spit?

Staff members distributed the pill recipes and medicinal ingredients. At this point, the competition officially began, entering the timed phase.

Xu Xiaoshou looked around, observing the alchemists beside him fully engrossed, then seeing their faces turn glum, which he found somewhat amusing. He hadn't even looked at the jade slip recipe yet but had already thought of a critical problem.

"My alchemy cauldron belongs to Elder Sang. Shi Ti might recognize it immediately, and that young girl Hua Yi is watching me. Wouldn't using this cauldron expose my identity?"

Consequently, under the confused gazes of everyone, the fellow hesitated and shifted his feet, but seemingly remembering the new rule set specifically for him, he didn't dare to leave the spiritual array.

"What is he doing?" someone outside the arena exclaimed in surprise. They had noticed that the unruly participant, instead of starting alchemy, was now studying the array patterns on the ground!

"What does he intend to do..." Shi Ti was alarmed. Young Master Xu hadn't even started alchemy, yet Shi Ti already saw many traces of Xu Xiaoshou in him.

"Studying the spiritual array?" Lu Chenghui's composure was also shattered by this scene. He had never seen such a disruptive alchemist. If this were in their Sky Cloud City, he wouldn't even be issued an alchemist badge. Who knew which eccentric branch president in the Northern Region had issued him this alchemist badge? There had to be something fishy going on!

Seeing him look at the spiritual array... Dong Ling was also bewildered. She wanted to call out and stop Young Master Xu, but she feared it would affect the other competitors. Even though sounds from outside couldn't penetrate the spiritual array after the timer started, the visual distraction could still affect others.

Everyone in the arena, who should have been focused on the alchemists, was instead dumbfounded by Young Master Xu, who was busy scrutinizing the array patterns.

"Is he really here to perform alchemy?"

Before their confusion could deepen, they watched as the spiritual array surrounding Young Master Xu suddenly, with a whoosh, deactivated under his tinkering!

The entire crowd erupted. Dong Ling shot up, her eyebrows twitching wildly, vaguely realizing something.

I told you not to leave the array, so you just turned it off?

No! That's not the point! The main thing is, how could you turn off this spiritual array?

Dong Ling, utterly baffled, met Young Master Xu's smiling gaze, then her eyes dropped to the array token on the judges' table.

The array token is indeed with me... How could he turn it off?

Inside the arena, Xu Xiaoshou deactivated the spiritual array, and his information bar started flashing wildly. His "Textile Mastery" didn't grant strong abilities in constructing new spiritual arrays, as that required thought and creation. However, his ability to imitate and decipher spiritual arrays was absolutely world-class.

Having just deactivated the spiritual array, Xu Xiaoshou hesitated, then symbolically raised his hand with an expression that asked, "May I speak?"

Dong Ling suppressed her anger. "Speak!"

"Um..." Xu Xiaoshou said, facing the barrage of curses, "Don't you provide alchemy cauldrons? I thought you did, so I didn't bring mine."

The old presidents on the judges' panel's jaws dropped. The audience outside was also stunned.

Didn't bring a cauldron? You, an alchemist, came to participate in a competition without bringing an alchemy cauldron... Are you just here to mess around?

Facing the fiery stares of the crowd, Xu Xiaoshou felt it necessary to explain further: "It's like this: I believe this should be a fair competition. Naturally, using the Saint Cauldron bestowed by my clan would be biased."

"But upon arriving here, I didn't expect everyone to use their own..."

"That's very unfair then!"

"My Saint Cauldron provides too high a bonus to alchemy success rates, which would be extremely unfair to others. That's why I didn't bring it, nor do I wish to use it. Therefore, I'd trouble the presidents to lend me a more ordinary alchemy cauldron to use."

The people outside suddenly fell silent. The scene was utterly silent. Young Master Xu's explanation... Why did it reek so strongly of "Versailles" (humblebragging)?

Good heavens, you're a tenth-grade alchemist, and you're concerned about fairness to others? Shouldn't you be racking your brains to exploit every possible advantage in areas like cauldrons and flames?

Everyone on the judges' panel was also momentarily silenced by Young Master Xu's few words.

"What he says isn't entirely unreasonable..."

"However, an alchemy cauldron is inherently a part of an alchemist. Some are accustomed to their own cauldrons and find it difficult to adapt to others."

"Such situations haven't arisen before, but Young Master Xu's point is understandable, isn't it?"

"Understandable..."

Lu Chenghui, seeing this group of old foxes speaking platitudes due to Xu Xiaoshou's status, couldn't hold back his frustration any longer. "Understand what?! This guy is clearly here to cause trouble! How did he deactivate the spiritual array? Does he have a hidden connection here? Has the Alchemists' Association headquarters been infiltrated by outsiders?"

Dong Ling massaged her temples, not replying. She found the whole situation too ridiculous to dwell on for now. But upon closer thought, despite Young Master Xu's "humblebrag," there was indeed some truth to his words.

"The most pressing matter is to stabilize the conference; other details can be addressed later."

Shi Ti suppressed Lu Chenghui's anger and said, "I'll lend him an alchemy cauldron. Let's set this matter aside for now; the competition is paramount."

Dong Ling nodded. Lu Chenghui sat down in exasperation. The other judges also breathed a sigh of relief. They were all old and lacked the youthful impulsiveness. When it came to a half-saint's successor, it was better to avoid trouble than seek it, and resolving major issues into minor ones, and minor ones completely, was ideal.

From the judges' panel, Shi Ti instructed a staff member to deliver a ring. While waiting, Xu Xiaoshou happily turned his head and, like an old official, waved to the entire crowd watching him.

How enthusiastic they were! Everyone was so enthusiastic!

"Attracted Attention, Passive Points: 9999.""Scorned, Passive Points: 4852.""Passive Points: 154120."

In just a short while, his passive points had already exceeded one hundred thousand and were now approaching the two hundred thousand mark. Xu Xiaoshou loved competitions too much. In such a crowded venue, every glance of goodwill was a part of his growing strength.

For my power, all of you present deserve immense credit! Xu Xiaoshou thought to himself.

The staff member delivered the ring. From it, Xu Xiaoshou took out an ancient alchemy cauldron. Whether intentional or not, the cauldron provided by President Shi Ti was a size larger than ordinary cauldrons, though not as exaggerated as those of the Jinxu lineage. The cauldron was of superior quality, roughly sixth-grade, which was considered the mainstream quality among the alchemists present.

"How considerate, President Shi Ti. It seems your pleasant past with old man Sang wasn't in vain..." Xu Xiaoshou thought to himself.

At this moment, Dong Ling, on the judges' panel, suppressed her anger, took the array token, and with a swipe, re-enclosed Young Master Xu in the barrier. Xu Xiaoshou, still savoring the feeling of Shi Ti's benevolence, noticed his information bar had stopped popping up. With a thought, he deactivated the spiritual array again.

Dong Ling: ???

She was stunned for a full three breaths. With a press of the array token, the spiritual array reopened. Xu Xiaoshou, with a thought, deactivated the spiritual array again.

It reopened... It deactivated again...

"Are you going to compete or not!" Dong Ling slammed her hand on the judges' table and stood up.

Xu Xiaoshou jumped in surprise. "Uh... I haven't even said thank you yet!" He then looked at Shi Ti. "Many thanks to this president for the alchemy cauldron; it has resolved my urgent need. I'm immensely grateful."

Dong Ling's eyebrows twitched wildly. Shi Ti's mouth twitched. Waving his hand and stroking his beard, he said, "Hurry up and start alchemy, don't cause any more trouble!"

Xu Xiaoshou chuckled. With just that back-and-forth, several tens of thousands of passive points were gained. What a lucrative endeavor. How could he not cause trouble?

The spiritual array was forcefully activated again. This time, Xu Xiaoshou didn't openly defy Dong Ling. He subtly used his spiritual perception to alter the array patterns, allowing external sounds to penetrate without damaging the original functions of the spiritual array.

"Young Master Xu is so annoying!"

"What exactly is he here for? People have already started alchemy, and he hasn't even glanced at the recipe."

"I suspect he's just here to make a spectacle of himself!"

A wave of discussions reached his ears, followed by a flurry of activity in his information bar.

"Suspected, Passive Points: 1524.""Scorned, Passive Points: 2334.""Attracted Attention, Passive Points: 9999."

Heh heh... Xu Xiaoshou chuckled mischievously to himself. Among all the alchemists present, no one could detect his tampering with the spiritual array, not even President Dong Ling, who held the array token. The Sovereign-level "Textile Mastery" was simply too powerful. Xu Xiaoshou couldn't help but marvel, as this skill involved the level of Dao patterns and heavenly secret arts. He mused that his minor alterations would likely only be noticed by the old masters present at an actual spiritual array competition.

As for now... Xu Xiaoshou's spiritual perception probed Rao Yaoyao. Not even Rao Yaoyao had stirred an inch, let alone anyone else.

"Alchemy."

Picking up the jade slip and scanning it, the recipe for the Thirst-Quenching Profound Pill instantly appeared. Afterward, Xu Xiaoshou put down the jade slip and quietly turned to survey the scene.

Like the previous batches of participants, even after he had finished his antics and decided to start alchemy, most people in the arena were still in a bewildered state. Some had started alchemy, but the majority still wore troubled expressions, unable to grasp the true meaning of the recipe.

Xu Xiaoshou pondered the Thirst-Quenching Profound Pill's recipe, his face full of peculiar amusement.

"That's it?"

He had originally thought that a recipe challenging enough for a sixth-grade alchemy grandmaster would at least pose some difficulty for him. Unexpectedly, upon seeing the recipe, not only did he not find anything wrong, but he instantly deduced over a dozen improvement plans. Limited by the spiritual herbs, there wasn't much he could improve. But he genuinely didn't understand how this recipe could stump most people for so long!

"I'm too strong..."

He glanced back at Yu Chuchu on the other side. Xu Xiaoshou noticed that the girl hadn't even begun refining yet, still looking utterly dejected.

"I warned you!" Xu Xiaoshou sighed. It took him a while to realize what this incredibly superficial recipe was actually testing:

Fundamentals!Hidden medicinal properties!Conflicting medicinal properties!

Basically, these three points. However, because his foundational knowledge was too solid, Xu Xiaoshou didn't even notice the unusual aspects of the recipe at first. It wasn't until he realized that he and the other alchemists present were simply not on the same starting line...

"Is this an alchemy competition that only focuses on results?" Xu Xiaoshou decided not to follow the recipe as written. His understanding and skill wouldn't allow him to waste precious spiritual herbs on such a crude recipe. Based on his deductions, to produce a top-grade, perfect-score pill by following the steps of this recipe, there was no method other than sheer proficiency. This recipe clearly looked like something hastily put together by a temporary worker, completely different from the refined recipes found on the market.

To put it less subtly... It was very poor quality!

So, he set up the alchemy cauldron. With a thought, Xu Xiaoshou was about to compress his flame seed, but he suddenly stopped.

"That was close..." The Incinerating White Flame was also a dead giveaway! But if he had to borrow even a flame...

Xu Xiaoshou looked up at the judges' panel. As expected, not a single one of the eighteen judges was paying attention to anyone else; they were all watching him!

"Would I be beaten to death? Borrowing a flame..."

Xu Xiaoshou dismissed the idea of milking another wave of passive points. With a thought, he conjured a flame out of thin air.

"Whoosh!" A jet-black, ink-like flame immediately appeared.

"Young Master Xu's flame!" Someone from the outer crowd pointed, and everyone immediately turned their gaze. With not many people on the field having started alchemy yet, the half-saint's successor, a tenth-grade alchemist, had started his flame for alchemy. This was enough to attract everyone's attention.

"This flame, why does it look somewhat unreal?"

"Yes, it's a very strange flame. I don't mean strange in a magical sense, but rather... an odd feeling?"

"I've seen the spiritual flames of thousands of talented alchemists, each with their own unique abilities, but I've truly never seen a flame like Young Master Xu's. It feels like ink, as if it were drawn."

"What a fake flame!" Someone uttered something absurd. Yet, this absurd notion of a "fake flame" felt remarkably apt. Indeed, Young Master Xu's flame was too artificial, like something a water-attribute spiritual refiner had painstakingly squeezed out using a spiritual skill. It was as out of place as could be.

"Suspected, Passive Points: 5941.""Anticipated, Passive Points: 1234."