Chapter 164: New Neighbors

Although the Alchemists walking out of the Pill Tower could not discern the cultivation levels of Long Aoyu and the others, they could sense their extraordinariness from the powerful aura they faintly exuded.

But so what?

Private fights are forbidden in the South City District; surely they wouldn't dare to make a move here, would they?

Moreover, they were not even in the same lane as the other party.

They were Pill Dao Specialty Cultivators, and barring any accidents, they would not participate in the battles of ordinary examinees until the assessment ended.

There was absolutely no need to fear them.

Therefore, their mocking voices were as loud as could be, and as biting as could be.

Without the slightest restraint.

Hearing the incessant jeers, Long Aoyu and the others were stunned, then couldn't help but send voice transmissions to Dan Lingzi.

"Daoist Friend Dan Lingzi, what is going on?"

"Daoist Friend Dan, did something go wrong with the Pill Tower assessment?"

"Daoist Friend Dan..."

Under the barrage of inquiries via voice transmission, Dan Lingzi could only shake his head with a bitter smile and transmit the truth to everyone.

"I have failed to live up to everyone's high expectations and did not reach the top."

Hearing Dan Lingzi's words, everyone was dumbfounded, "Daoist Friend Dan Lingzi only got second place?"

Dan Lingzi's face flushed, and under the gaze of Long Aoyu and the others, he hesitated for a moment before saying hesitantly, "Third."

Upon hearing this, everyone's faces darkened.

Now they finally understood why they were being mocked by the Shenfeng Pill Cultivators.

They had made arrogant, unrestrained threats beforehand.

As it turned out, they didn't just fail to get first place; they didn't even get second.

It would be strange if they weren't mocked.

Seeing that people were still continuously walking out of the Pill Tower.

The surrounding mockery grew ever louder.

Long Aoyu and the others felt it was becoming unbearable.

With red faces, they left as if fleeing.

They didn't stop until they were completely away from the Pill Tower and in an empty alley.

"Daoist Friend Dan, what exactly is going on?"

"Could it be that the assessment content in the Pill Tower of this Shenfeng City is different from that in Shenhuo City? How did you only manage third place?"

Long Aoyu looked at Dan Lingzi, frowning.

Previously, they had swept through the top ten of the Shenfeng Ranking, which was considered a good start.

They had originally planned to use a first-place finish in the Pill Tower to push their reputation even higher and make a name for themselves in one fell swoop.

Now look at this.

They hadn't made a name for themselves; instead, they had become a laughingstock.

Sensing the dissatisfaction in Long Aoyu's tone, Dan Lingzi felt a bit aggrieved.

Who could have guessed that there would be two Heaven Grade big shots in this Shenfeng City?

The Red Flame War Zone had a total of nine great cities; besides Shenhuo City, there were eight other cities to choose from.

In a situation of choosing one out of eight.

Long Aoyu just had to bring them to this Shenfeng City.

If they had chosen any other city at random, the situation would likely have been much better than coming to Shenfeng City, right?

Back in Shenhuo City, he was still able to rank second in the Pill Tower.

Now, having followed Long Aoyu, enduring hardships and traveling thousands of miles to this Shenfeng City.

He had instead ended up in third place!!!

He was also very aggrieved, okay?

Dan Lingzi had bitterness he couldn't voice; after a moment of silence, he shook his head with a bitter smile, "Daoist Friends, you do not know."

"The overall level of Pill Dao Specialty Cultivators in this Shenfeng City might not be high, but the two strongest ones are simply too monstrous."

"One is Heavenly Grade Medium, and the other is Heavenly Grade High."

"How could I possibly win against that?"

"What, two Heaven Grade!!!"

Hearing Dan Lingzi's bitter voice, everyone, including Long Aoyu, was shocked.

Although they were not Pill Dao Specialty Cultivators, they had some understanding of the Pill Tower's grading system.

Pill Tower grades are divided into four levels: Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, and Yellow, and each level is further divided into three tiers: Upper, Medium, and Lower.

Yellow Grade and Mysterious Grade are relatively common; once one reaches Earth Grade, one belongs to the top-tier Pill Dao Prodigy level.

As for Heaven Grade, looking across the entire Assessment Secret Realm, they are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

Just like in Shenhuo City, those with Earth Grade ratings could be counted on one's fingers.

Even Yun Xin, the number one Pill Dao practitioner in Shenhuo City, only managed to barely reach Heaven Grade Lower Tier with the help of Ye Lingyun and external objects.

No wonder Dan Lingzi only got third place.

At this moment, the blame they felt toward Dan Lingzi instantly dissipated.

Replaced by a sense of sympathy.

Traveling thousands of miles away from Shenhuo City, only to receive the treatment of a first-place finisher in the Pill Tower.

I never expected that after suffering so much, upon arriving at this Shenfeng City, not only did I fail to secure first place, but I even lost the second-place spot.

Noticing the expressions of the crowd, Dan Lingzi felt like crying.

There was one more thing he had not told the others.

That was that the person ranked fourth in the Pill Tower had the same rating as him, also at Earth Grade Superior.

It was only because he had performed slightly better in the second round of the assessment and had a higher hidden score that he was ranked ahead of the other person.

But the gap between the two was extremely small.

Her third-place spot was not stable and could be surpassed at any time.

If she were to really fall to fourth place, that would truly be miserable.

Seeing Dan Lingzi's expression becoming increasingly ugly, Long Aoyu sighed and comforted him, "Daoist Friend Dan, the assessment has not ended yet. Who can say for sure what will happen in the future? Perhaps one day, Daoist Friend might also be rated as Heavenly Grade Superior."

Upon hearing this, Dan Lingzi shook his head.

How could Heavenly Grade Superior be something an ordinary person could reach?

If one day his rating could stabilize at Heaven Grade Lower Tier, that would already be a blessing.

Seeing that Dan Lingzi's mood remained somewhat low, Long Aoyu shook his head and did not continue to comfort him, but instead changed the subject, revealing a look of curiosity.

"What are the names of the first and second-ranked Pill Dao practitioners in this Shenfeng City?"

"Wang Jianqiang and Yang Wanxin," said Dan Lingzi.

"Wang Jianqiang and Yang Wanxin, is it?"

Long Aoyu nodded; he was somewhat impatient to meet such Pill Dao Prodigies.

At this moment, a voice came from behind, "Daoist Friend Long, where are we going next?"

Long Aoyu pondered for a moment, "Fellow Daoists have traveled all the way from Shenhuo City with me, exhausted from the journey, and afterwards, we braved the Heaven-Reaching Tower and went through the Pill Tower assessment."

"I presume everyone is already very tired."

"Let us first return to our residences to rest for a period of time."

Speaking of this, a look of anticipation appeared on Long Aoyu's face.

After finishing the Heaven-Reaching Tower, they had already obtained the keys to their residences and possessed the qualifications to reside within Shenfeng City.

The residence he had obtained was precisely of the highest specification.

When he was in Shenhuo City, he was suppressed by Ye Lingyun and had no opportunity to live in such a top-tier residence.

Now, he had finally achieved his wish.

I wonder, just how abundant will the resources be in this highest-grade residence?

The residence assigned to Long Aoyu was right next to Wang Jianqiang's.

The place where Mo Wuming lived.

Half a day ago.

The moment Long Aoyu ascended to first place on the Shenfeng Ranking, the key on Mo Wuming's person suddenly vanished, and he was immediately Repelled from the residence.

A flash of light appeared at his waist, and a new Jade Pendant appeared.

That was the residence key belonging to the second place on the Shenfeng Ranking.

The same scene also played out for Tu Youyou and other Cultivators whose Shenfeng Ranking positions had been replaced.