Chapter 377: The Feng Clan's Conspiracy

378. Chapter 377: The Feng Clan's Conspiracy

"I also give one hundred points; if this level still cannot earn a full score, then I suppose no one will ever achieve a full score," Qin Shang laughed loudly.

As his voice fell, the remaining Judges finally came to their senses and began scoring one after another.

When all the Judges had finished scoring, after removing the ten highest scores and then removing Feng Tiancheng's lowest score, Long Xuan's final score was one hundred points.

In truth, quite a few people had not given a full score; Long Xuan's final score should have been somewhere in the nineties.

But this world had no concept of decimal points, so the final result was rounded to an integer; he rarely achieved a perfect score of one hundred points, leaving everyone clicking their tongues in astonishment.

One hundred points was a terrifyingly high score, causing all the contestants who had come down and the onlookers at the entrance to stare in dumbfounded silence, while the scene became deathly quiet.

Feng Tiancheng clenched his fists; he had lowered his dignity to give an extremely low score, only to find it discarded in the end, achieving absolutely nothing.

"Hahaha... One hundred points! Feng Tiancheng, I have won; hand over that Fourth Grade Pill Formula!"

Long Xiaoyao laughed loudly and extended his hand toward Feng Tiancheng.

Feng Tiancheng's face turned dark; under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he naturally had no way to renege on his debt, so he could only reluctantly take a Fourth Grade Pill Formula out of his Storage Ring and slap it onto the table.

"This is the Bone-Strengthening Pill Formula; I guarantee you do not possess it."

"I lost this round; do you dare to bet with me again in the next round? The stake will be one Grade One Strange Gu; do you dare to accept?" Feng Tiancheng asked Long Xiaoyao with a gloomy expression.

"Hmph! Why wouldn't I dare? Seeing my clan produce a dark horse, you still dare to bet with me; I truly do not know where your confidence comes from."

Long Xiaoyao showed a look of disdain and immediately agreed to the wager.

However, when he smiled and searched again for that dark horse, there was no longer any sign of the dark horse to be found.

Long Xuan had already left; since his assessment was over and his score had been released, there was naturally no need for him to remain here.

But before he had walked far, he sensed a fragrant breeze approaching rapidly.

"Hey! Fellow clansman! Your Alchemy Technique is quite good, but I have never heard of anyone like you; may I ask which branch of the Long Clan you hail from?"

Long Yuyao ran over, walked shoulder to shoulder with him, and asked while turning her head to the side.

Long Xuan turned to look at her and decisively refused: "No."

Long Yuyao's smile froze, and she slightly furrowed her brows; in all these years, he was the first person to treat her with such disdain, so she leaned close to Long Xuan's ear and whispered softly: "You must have used Heavenly Fire just now, right?"

"I understand very well the difficulty of refining Water Spirit Ganoderma; without employing the power of Heavenly Fire, it is nearly impossible to refine Water Spirit Ganoderma to Tenfold Purity."

"The only reason you could defeat me is that you took advantage of having Heavenly Fire; if you did not have Heavenly Fire, who would emerge victorious between us would still be unknown," Long Yuyao said competitively.

Long Xuan was not surprised that she could guess he had used Heavenly Fire; ever since he decided to pay any price to win the Alchemy Competition championship, he had prepared himself for the possibility of exposing his Heavenly Fire.

Heavenly Fire would likely be used in the Finals anyway, so it mattered little if someone guessed it now.

He was not afraid of anyone knowing he possessed Heavenly Fire; in any case, this face was fake, and if necessary, he could use a Hundred Li Talisman to teleport away instantly and simply change his alias.

"Think whatever you like; I have matters to attend to, so I will take my leave first."

As soon as Long Xuan finished speaking, he created Five Clones, which scattered in different directions.

Long Yuyao was stunned and stopped in her tracks; unsure which of them was the original body, she naturally did not know which one to pursue.

"Hmph! A trivial trick; do you think you can shake me off with just a few Clones?"

Long Yuyao sneered coldly, an eye splitting open in the center of her forehead as she began to employ the power of the Evil Dragon Emperor Eye to identify the original body.

However, after staring carefully for a long time, she simply could not find any difference among the six of them; watching them walk farther and farther away, she stamped her foot in anxiety and cursed loudly: "Long Xuan! I will remember this!"

After speaking, she walked back helplessly.

Upon returning to the Inn, the first thing Long Xuan did was order his Clones to collect the materials listed in the Heavenly Gold formula at the fastest possible speed.

The First Round Elimination Match would last at least ten days; he did not need to appear on stage during these ten days, so he decided not to waste this time and planned to concoct the Heavenly Gold within these ten days.

Additionally, he would use Heavenly Gold as material to refine a Third Grade Alchemy Furnace.

The Alchemy Furnace is of paramount importance during Alchemy; a good Alchemy Furnace can increase the success rate of Alchemy and the quality of the Spirit Pills.

Since he intended to go all out in this Alchemy Competition, he naturally could not be careless regarding the Alchemy Furnace.

He wanted to see just how powerful a Spirit Tool refined from an alloy that had never appeared in this world would be.

One day passed quickly; a large number of contestants and Judges walked out of the examination hall, and that tall building fell silent once again.

As expected, the news that a dark horse named Long Xuan had received a score of one hundred points instantly swept through the entire City; everyone on every street and alley was excitedly discussing the matter, and Long Xuan had become famous, wildly so.

The name Long Xuan became known to every Alchemist overnight.

At this moment, in a hidden Secret Chamber, Feng Tiancheng worriedly took out a mirror, and before long, an old figure wearing a phoenix robe appeared within the mirror.

Although this figure was withered and thin, he did not lack majesty; one glance was enough to know he must be a person of high status.

"Tiancheng, what matter do you have with me?" The old man in the phoenix robe within the mirror looked somewhat weary, but upon seeing the person opposite him in the mirror, he forcibly rallied his spirits.

"Imperial Brother, something unexpected has occurred here; a dark horse suddenly emerged from the Long Clan side with terrifyingly extraordinary Alchemy talent, actually managing to refine Water Spirit Ganoderma to Tenfold Purity, and finally achieving an ultra-high score of one hundred points in the First Round."

"In my observation, this youth's Alchemy Technique is likely far superior to that Long Yuyao, and Feng Shuang probably would not be his match either."

"The existence of this youth poses too great a threat to our Tribe; if our Tribe does not devise a way to break this deadlock, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Feng Tiancheng looked at the old man in the phoenix robe within the mirror and spoke with burning anxiety.

The old man in the phoenix robe also revealed a slight hint of solemnity, but it vanished almost immediately.

"I have also heard rumors of this matter, but I heard he is merely a Third Grade Alchemist; in that case, he is not worth worrying about."

"Hmph! Our Feng Alliance wagered Clan Luck against the Long Clan Alliance, which frightened out many hidden genius Alchemists from both clans."

"Genius Alchemists who are unwilling to have their Fate controlled by others will personally come to participate in this Alchemy Competition, so the appearance of some dark horses is quite normal."

"If the Long Clan can produce a monstrous dark horse, how could our Feng Clan not have a dark horse of our own?" The old man in the phoenix robe within the mirror suddenly revealed a sinister smile.

Hearing this, Feng Tiancheng seemed to realize something; he suddenly raised his head, his eyes bright as he looked at the mirror and said:

"Imperial Brother says that as long as the opponent is a Third Grade Alchemist, there is no need to worry; could it be that our Tribe still hides a Fourth Grade Alchemist dark horse?"

"Impossible, absolutely impossible," Feng Tiancheng frowned and quickly shook his head, saying: "The requirement for contestants in the Alchemy Competition is to be under fifty years of age."

"In ancient times, becoming a Fourth Grade Alchemist before the age of fifty was possible, but in this current era, becoming a Fourth Grade Alchemist is absolutely impossible," Feng Tiancheng said with a firm tone.

The prerequisite for becoming a Fourth Grade Alchemist is to first become a Gu King; in this era of thin Spiritual Power, becoming a Gu King before the age of fifty is already extremely difficult, let alone having to divide one's attention to study alchemy knowledge as vast as the sea, and furthermore needing to set aside massive amounts of time for practice.

How could one possibly divide their attention to do so many things within a limited timeframe?

This is not even the most critical point; the most critical thing is that becoming an Alchemist requires at least the Fire and Wood attributes, and cultivation aptitude with multiple attributes can never be top-tier.

The constraint of cultivation aptitude makes it fundamentally impossible for Alchemists in this current era to become Fourth Grade Alchemists before the age of fifty.

Hearing this, the old man in the phoenix robe shook his head, smiling as he said, "Do not speak so absolutely; there has never been anything absolute in this world."

"Everything has exceptions, and anything is possible."

"Duan Tianwu was able to become a Fourth Grade Alchemist before the age of fifty back then; how can you dare to affirm that this world will not produce another like him?"

The old man in the phoenix robe revealed a mysterious smile and added:

"As it happens, two hundred years after Duan Tianwu, our Feng Clan also produced an alchemy prodigy who became a Fourth Grade Alchemist before the age of fifty; however, this heavenly pride hailed from the Eastern Earth Feng Clan, so few people know of his superb Alchemy Technique."

"Hehe." The old man in the phoenix robe stroked his beard and laughed: "Why did the National Preceptor propose wagering half of our Clan Luck against the Long Clan? This is a trap the National Preceptor set for the Long Clan; if I did not have absolute certainty, how would I dare to gamble with our Clan Luck?"

"Although Feng Jiutian is not under the control of our Feng Alliance, his lineage belongs to the Feng Alliance, and this wager is sufficient to affect him."

"Therefore, this wager between the Dragon and Phoenix Clans will surely flush him out; he would never feel at ease letting others dictate his Destiny."

"No matter how strong that dark horse of the Long Clan is, how could it possibly surpass our dark horse? The Long Clan is destined to lose this time."

The old man in the phoenix robe's gaze turned sharp, revealing a fierce expression.

"Feng Jiutian? What a peculiar name." Feng Tiancheng murmured softly, lost in thought, when suddenly his pupils constricted as he finally realized who this person was.

Feng Jiutian was a heaven-defying genius of the Eastern Earth Feng Clan who made his name at a young age; because he collected three Heavenly Fires, he earned the title of Fen Tian Old Ancestor.

The terror of Fen Tian Old Ancestor was in no way inferior to that of Duan Tianwu from years past, and many claimed he would become the next Duan Tianwu two hundred years later.

In the end, these words proved true; when Feng Jiutian's combat power reached its Peak, he slaughtered his entire clansmen, thereby completely turning to the Evil Path.

The reason was that the Eastern Earth Feng Clan had sealed a Complete Version Evil Phoenix True Eye passed down from the Ancient Era.

The Complete Version Evil Phoenix True Eye could replicate every method under heaven without limitation; any family's unique secret technique could be easily stolen and learned under the gaze of this eye.

Such a terrifying ability would inevitably cause panic among all clans, and the Eastern Earth Feng Clan would likely be besieged by multiple forces as a result, leading to their destruction.

In this current era, the Complete Version Evil Phoenix True Eye is an eye that invites disaster; to avoid calamity, the ancestral rule of the Eastern Earth Feng Clan states that unless the family faces a life-or-death Crisis, this Evil Phoenix True Eye must absolutely not be used.

Feng Jiutian, however, was a selfish individual; desiring to obtain that Complete Version Evil Phoenix True Eye, after repeatedly requesting it from the Family Elders to no avail, he flew into a rage, annihilated his own family, and stole away the Complete Version Evil Phoenix True Eye.

With the Complete Version Evil Phoenix True Eye, his combat power soared, and from then on he embarked on a path of invincibility.

Feng Jiutian was not one to remain idle; determined to learn every inheritance under heaven, after obtaining the Complete Version Evil Phoenix True Eye, he challenged experts from all sides, collecting ten thousand methods across the entire world, and unknowingly offended numerous terrifying forces.

He was quickly besieged by forces from all over the world, suffering no fewer than a hundred assassination attempts, yet he still lives well to this day, which shows the strength of his power.

Upon hearing that the Feng Clan intended to utilize this person, Feng Tiancheng's face immediately changed drastically, and he hurriedly said, "Has the National Preceptor gone mad? To dare use even this person?"

"In order to steal and learn every inheritance under heaven, Fen Tian Old Ancestor has already offended every force in the entire Gu World and is currently being hunted down by all major powers under heaven."

"He is the person the Gu Emperor of Gu Emperor City explicitly ordered to be killed; currently, he hangs in the tenth position on the Gu World Wanted List, with a bounty reaching four hundred billion!"

"The Great Demon Cultivators who can rank in the top ten of the Gu World Wanted List have all been besieged multiple times by various forces yet remain undying; they can almost be called the ten strongest individuals of the Evil Path."

"How could a Great Demon Cultivator with such heaven-piercing combat power be someone we can utilize? The National Preceptor is playing with fire! If things go wrong, it could drag our Feng Clan into an abyss of eternal damnation!"

Feng Tiancheng revealed a terrified expression, hastily standing up, while at this moment his sweat flowed incessantly.

At this point, he finally understood why this person could become a Fourth Grade Alchemist before the age of fifty; with an eye capable of replicating ten thousand methods, he could simply replicate the Alchemy Technique to learn it.

Not to mention fifty years, it would take him less than three years to become a Fourth Grade Alchemist; it is just that exaggerated.

It is true that this person participating in the Alchemy Competition could sweep away all competitors, but the Heavenly Phoenix Empire would also easily suffer Backlash; in his view, getting involved with this Great Demon on the Wanted List was absolutely not a good thing, and once the Gu Emperor City was offended, the consequences would be unimaginable.

However, at this moment, the old man in the phoenix robe showed not a trace of panic; snorting coldly, he said, "What is there to fear? Did we invite Fen Tian Old Ancestor?"

"We did not invite him; he came on his own!"

"If he hides his Identity to win the championship at the Alchemy Competition, what can we possibly do about it?"

"We are also unaware parties; if Fen Tian Old Ancestor exposes his Identity at the Alchemy Competition, we will instead organize manpower to besiege him, and I will even have several Feng Clan Gu Kings die at Fen Tian Old Ancestor's hands."

"Rest assured, we are innocent!"

The corner of the old man in the phoenix robe's mouth curled into an extremely sinister smile. (End of Chapter)