Chapter 808: Gold List Nomination, Perfect Pill

"Phew, it's finally over..."

Within the spirit array on the arena, Yu Chuchu concluded her alchemy session. Unexpectedly, after secretly learning Xu Shao's alchemy techniques, her entire alchemy process had been… surprisingly smooth!

In the final step of congealing the pill, Yu Chuchu actually encountered a minor setback. There was a conflicting medicinal effect that she couldn't perfectly resolve, and she wasn't even sure of the underlying principle. However, gritting her teeth, she mimicked Xu Shao's "black chicken" approach to timing the placement of spiritual herbs, and the problem miraculously resolved itself.

"I don't know the principle, but I know the answer, so this won't prevent me from submitting a more perfect answer sheet..." Yu Chuchu thought to herself, feeling a bit ashamed. She felt that this time, she had performed beyond her usual level. However, this extraordinary performance ultimately stemmed from observing most of Xu Shao's alchemy process.

In fact, she wasn't the only one. Many others who began their alchemy later also experienced a sudden enlightenment after observing the entire "black chicken" alchemy process demonstrated by Xu Shao. They didn't need to understand too many complex underlying principles. Whenever they encountered a problem they couldn't solve, they simply mimicked the "black chicken's" method of adding ingredients, carefully timing the spiritual herbs before tossing them into the cauldron... It would likely succeed! The small chance of failure only occurred if they misremembered the timing.

After finishing their alchemy, everyone lowered their heads, somewhat afraid to look elsewhere. They all thought they had gotten a small advantage, and their hearts were filled with a reluctant gratitude towards Xu Shao. It was as if their master had given them the answers directly. However, as they were all young talents, deep down, they were unwilling to admit that Xu Shao possessed alchemy skills comparable to their own respective masters.

"Let's go to the confinement zone."

The alchemy time for the final group of contestants had ended. Everyone exited the spirit array and walked towards the confinement zone. To their surprise, inside the confinement zone, a large group of clean and tidy alchemists were sitting on the messy ground, surrounding a central figure. Standing out in the center, towering over the others, was none other than their benevolent master... no, it was Xu Shao!

Xu Shao was seen gesturing wildly, his eyebrows dancing, as he continuously spoke, his saliva flying. Anyone unaware of the situation would have thought he was lecturing, instructing, or guiding the future of alchemy. Yet, that group of talented young alchemists from the Five Regions, each with an eager expression and eyes shining with admiration, leaned forward with open mouths, unconsciously absorbing the knowledge sprayed along with his saliva.

"This?"

Yu Chuchu's thoughts paused. Was this truly a lecture? She lifted her foot, only stepping inside once she confirmed it was indeed the confinement zone and not a classroom. Upon entering, the noisy sounds from outside did not cease. Yu Chuchu immediately felt something was amiss. Was there something wrong with the spirit array of this confinement zone? However, she observed her surroundings: the guards, clearly laymen in alchemy, were also leaning on their swords, standing upright, and while not abandoning their posts, their minds were entirely absorbed in Xu Shao's explanation.

"What's going on?"

The entire confinement zone was permeated with an atmosphere of academic pursuit. The alchemists who entered, whether joyful or disheartened, were all, without exception, influenced by an inexplicable aura as soon as they set foot in the area. Even without full awareness, they began to receive knowledge and then adopted expressions of astonishment. Then they sat down, as if on a pilgrimage...

"How strange."

Yu Chuchu struggled to resist the influence of that inexplicable aura. She wasn't just an alchemist. As the eldest daughter of the Yu family, her spiritual cultivation was equally potent. With her Xiantian Juji Realm cultivation, Yu Chuchu stood at the top of the food chain among this crowd of elementary-level cultivators. But it was useless! Once she relaxed her mind and heard the content of Xu Shao's explanation, Yu Chuchu unconsciously gave up her resistance, immersing herself in the collective "pilgrimage" atmosphere.

"Aura?"

From the void, Rao Yaoyao merely glanced at the confinement zone before retracting her gaze. Curiously, she sensed a unique aura on Xu Shao, who possessed Xiantian cultivation, an aura capable of influencing others' emotions. Generally, few would wield such an aura unless they had reached the King Throne or Dao Severing realms. However, there were still many special circumstances in this world where people could unconsciously emanate an aura. For instance, a learned great scholar in the mortal world explaining academics, or a master craftsman specialized in a particular skill explaining their craft... Such individuals could unwittingly captivate others. Because their explanations approached the true meaning of the "Dao," they had the effect of opening listeners' minds. In the terms of the spiritual cultivation world, it was "enlightenment."

But... "Is this young man's alchemy truly that advanced? To be able to lecture so many geniuses from the Five Regions?" Rao Yaoyao was somewhat curious. What puzzled her most was that even some of the King Throne realm guards were affected, unconsciously listening in. However, this influence was negligible. The confinement zone was indeed boring, so it was understandable for the guards to be distracted. Should danger arise, King Throne experts would immediately become alert, breaking free from this mental restraint, which couldn't even be called "hallucinatory." It was harmless. Thus, Rao Yaoyao didn't pay it much more attention.

Inside the arena.

"The first round of eliminations is over!"

With this announcement from President Dong Ling at the judges' stand, the golden score list was refreshed once more. Countless eyes fixated on it, and to their surprise, yet also as expected...

"1. Xu Deyan, 100 points."

Xu Shao, at the top of the list! A perfect score! The audience instantly erupted.

"A perfect score, really?"

"I told you the glow from Xu Shao's completed pill wasn't fake; it must be an exceptional-grade pill or higher!"

"But even if it's exceptional, does a Thirsty Profound Pill truly emit a glow after congealing?"

"Confusing, yet fascinating..."

Amidst endless questions, everyone's gaze turned back to Xu Shao.

Xu Xiaoshou secretly adjusted the spirit array patterns in the confinement zone, then offered a few comforting words to the "students" before walking out of the array, basking in their reverent gazes.

"Attracting attention, passive points, 9999.""Receiving admiration, passive points, 9999."

This single refresh of the golden score list alone brought tens of thousands of passive points.

The alchemists who had poured out of the confinement zone looked at the top of the golden list and simultaneously realized something. "Exceptional-grade pill!" The geniuses from the Five Regions now had complicated expressions. It had to be said that "Teacher Xu's" lecture in the confinement zone was truly enlightening. They believed that if given another round of Thirsty Profound Pill refinement, everyone present could guarantee their scores would rise by more than one grade. However, this didn't mean they weren't resentful of the perfect score or unconvinced by Xu Shao!

"How could someone achieve an exceptional-grade pill on their very first attempt at alchemy..." Zhu Yan's expression was extremely complex. He respected Xu Shao's strength, but he couldn't comprehend Xu Shao's score. He was only a tenth-grade alchemist, after all... Thinking of the tenth-grade badge, Zhu Yan suddenly felt ashamed. The results of pill refinement in the Alchemy Competition could be counted towards alchemist rank assessments. In other words, since Xu Shao's perfect score appeared, he was no longer "Xu Tenth-Grade." At the very least, he had to be a seventh-grade alchemist!

"From tenth-grade, he jumped directly to seventh-grade..." This feat, which many struggled to achieve for over a decade, this guy accomplished in one fell swoop!

"He's just one step away from me..." Zhu Yan looked at the figure waving at the surging crowd, feeling that he needed to work harder. The difference between sixth and seventh grade seemed significant. But for Xu Shao, it seemed that such a leap wasn't impossible?

"What grade is he, anyway?"

"2. Yu Chuchu, 97 points."

When Miss Yu emerged and saw the golden score list, her expression was a mix of emotions. She was ranked second. Among the last group of contestants, apart from her and Xu Shao, no one else had surpassed the previous top score of 95 points. Yet, Yu Chuchu knew perfectly well how she had achieved this second place.

"Ah!"

Hesitating for a moment, she approached Xu Shao, gently touched his elbow to draw his attention away from the audience, then blushed, fidgeting as she struggled to speak. Xu Xiaoshou looked back at her and chuckled. "Are you going to thank me? There's no need. Before the competition, I merely deduced the assessment psychology of the eighteen presidents. You just happened to overhear it by chance, so no thanks are necessary."

At his words, Yu Chuchu's face flushed even deeper. She felt like someone had leaked the answers to her, and that she should be grateful, which made her even more embarrassed. Just as the young girl decided that she absolutely had to say "thank you," Xu Shao spoke again.

"Remember the bet, alright? If you lost, you're supposed to come to Heaven's First Tower to keep our Xiaowanfeng company and serve as an alchemy apprentice. Don't forget!"

Yu Chuchu's words caught in her throat, feeling as uncomfortable as if she had a fish bone stuck there. A young girl's pride, after all, couldn't allow her to lose face in such a situation.

"You just wait!"

With that, Yu Chuchu angrily flicked her sleeve, threw down the challenge, and pulled Xiao Wanfeng aside to continue her "brainwashing" efforts. Xu Xiaoshou watched the two whispering figures, shaking his head with a sigh. "Youth is truly wonderful; no worries..."

At the judges' stand.

President Dong Ling and the others did not individually comment on the painstaking efforts of the many alchemists. Elimination rounds were inherently a process of sifting through the sand for gold. There wasn't enough time at the venue for them to provide commentary. However, Xu Shao's perfect score truly had to be brought up for discussion. Facing the audience's eager inquiries, Dong Ling could only reveal Xu Shao's completed work and offer an extremely positive evaluation.

"Perfect hue...""Perfect efficacy...""Perfect quality..."

Xu Xiaoshou barely paid attention to the comments. The only words that truly registered were the repeated mentions of "perfect." He could sense that the old figures on the judges' stand, who had initially held reservations about his conduct, were no longer hostile after seeing his completed Thirsty Profound Pill. Not only that, but their gazes were now like those fixed on a treasure. Xu Xiaoshou seriously suspected that if it weren't for the setting, these old folks would have pounced on him, asking how he managed to create such an exceptional-grade pill and the pill's radiant glow.

"A bit scary..."

He avoided their greedy gazes, turning to continue waving and interacting with his "little vaults."

"How can there be such a person?"

The commotion in the arena was becoming uncontrollable. From the judges' stand, Dong Ling watched Xu Shao mingling with the audience, and her thoughts drifted back to their first meeting. He had clearly seemed like a frivolous dandy. Yet, he possessed strength that completely contradicted his demeanor, whether in spiritual cultivation or alchemy...

"Contradiction!"

All Dong Ling saw in Xu Shao was "contradiction." At one point, she was even momentarily dazed; a woman's sixth sense told her that the persona Xu Shao presented might not be real, that all his "dandy" behavior was merely an act. But for what purpose? Dong Ling didn't know. She then dismissed such an absurd thought.

Looking at the arena, Dong Ling pressed her hand down, and the entire venue fell silent. She announced loudly:

"The first round of eliminations is over! Now, congratulations to the top hundred contestants on the golden score list; you have all advanced to the second qualifying round. After three rounds of competition, scores will be cumulative, with a maximum total of three hundred points. Therefore, little ones who didn't perform well in the first round, there's no need to be disheartened. As long as you continue to work hard in the next two rounds, you still have a chance at the top spot."

As soon as these words were spoken, the remaining hundred contestants on the arena had their fighting spirit rekindled, their morale soaring. Almost simultaneously, Xu Xiaoshou felt waves of fervent, 'chuunibyou' gazes directed at him, as if they all wanted to use him as a stepping stone to claim glory at the pinnacle.

"Challenged, passive points, 99."

Xu Xiaoshou smiled as he looked at the information bar. Alchemists truly are adorable! These naive youngsters, after receiving a shot of motivation, immediately think they can do it? He pondered for a moment, then, facing the many gazes, he also spoke loudly: "Go for it, you can do it! As long as you remember the true essence of the lecture I just gave, you will surely achieve even greater breakthroughs in alchemy!" As he spoke, Xu Xiaoshou pumped his fist, cheering everyone on.

Upon hearing this, everyone's faces collectively darkened.

"Damn it..."

"This guy clearly doesn't take anyone seriously, does he?"

"And 'the true essence of the lecture'..."

"Does he really consider himself a teacher?"

"Cursed, passive points, 59.""Glared at, passive points, 33."

Dong Ling's mouth twitched involuntarily. To prevent Xu Shao from continuing his arrogant remarks, she resumed her announcement:

"The rules for the second qualifying round are quite simple. The eighteen presidents have prepared a 'partial pill formula' for everyone. You must deduce what kind of pill it is yourselves. Your task is to complete the 'partial pill formula.' You may then request any spiritual herbs you need from the staff, with three opportunities per person. Within one hour, you must restore the pill formula and complete the alchemy. The criteria for judging will be: the higher the pill's grade and quality, and the less time taken, the higher your score will be!"

Upon her conclusion, the audience erupted in a clamor. Even as laymen, they knew that alchemy was a tricky business, let alone with a partial pill formula. Even selecting one wrong spiritual herb or timing its placement incorrectly could lead to vastly different results than expected. This second qualifying round's assessment required completing alchemy on top of restoring a partial pill formula?

"Is one hour enough?" Everyone doubted.

"By the way, the rules for the qualifying rounds in previous alchemy competitions weren't this daunting! The old presidents this time are determined to truly test the hundred genius alchemists from various regions here!"

"It's over for my Xu Shao..."

"He's only a tenth-grade alchemist; how could he possibly restore a pill formula? That's something even alchemy grandmasters struggle with!"