Chapter 780: Framing, Strategy

"Hahaha…"

Seeing his son successfully refine a top-grade Divine Offering Pill, the demon emperor Zhu Zhengyan burst into laughter and said: "See? I told you all along—my son can refine top-grade pills!"

"Impressive!" Jin Gang, the demon emperor, drew a deep breath and remarked: "Xuanlun is gifted beyond measure and works tirelessly—he will surely shine brightly and surpass even our achievements!"

Jin Gang was not flattering—he spoke from the heart.

After all, he placed second in the first round, third in the second round behind Wang Dun and He Pingsheng, and now produced a top-grade pill in the third—effectively making him first.

Truly impressive.

The other demon emperors also began praising him.

Zhu Zhengyan said smugly: "You only know half the story. Wise and exceptionally gifted individuals are as numerous as fish crossing a river, yet those who achieve greatness are few—why is that?"

Everyone turned to Zhu Zhengyan and asked: "Why?"

Zhu Zhengyan replied: "The key lies in cultivation. Without my centuries of meticulous nurturing, how could he have achieved this today?"

"Hehehe…" Zhu Zhengyan chuckled, stroking his beard with a satisfied hand.

Below, Zhu Xuanlun immediately began refining his fourth batch.

The fourth batch wasn't top-grade, but yielded twelve superior-grade pills.

The fifth batch produced two more top-grade pills and ten superior-grade pills.

Whoo…

Everyone was stunned.

Utterly stunned!

"My god… Zhu Xuanlun is incredible… Everyone else's top-grade pills rely on external aids—his are genuinely refined by his own hands!"

"Sssss…"

"First place is secured!"

"Of course!"

"Wait… what about He Pingsheng?"

Only then did everyone turn their gaze to He Pingsheng.

He Pingsheng still had two batches left to refine.

And across the entire square, he was the only one whose pills remained unrefined.

"He Pingsheng… when are you going to finish?" Feng Wanxi snapped: "Everyone's waiting for you—aren't you ashamed?"

"Hurry up and refine!"

"Exactly!" Kong Kong, the demon emperor, said: "He Pingsheng—don't waste time. You're not Zhu Xuanlun—don't try to suddenly attain enlightenment at the last minute!"

He Pingsheng nodded, then pulled out his pill furnace.

Boom…

The furnace opened.

Flames scorched within.

Spiritual liquid was poured in.

Then, one by one, he tossed in the medicinal ingredients.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, two hours later, He Pingsheng's fourth batch was finally complete.

Twelve streaks of light shot into the void.

"This…" Feng Wanxi blinked in surprise: "Twelve… all… superior-grade?"

Not just Feng Wanxi—everyone else was taken aback.

Twelve superior-grade pills—that matched Feng Wanxi's score exactly.

Theoretically, their rankings were identical.

But in case of a tie, the second batch determines the winner.

Feng Wanxi exhaled in relief.

So what if we're tied?

Same quality? Then compare the second batch—I had all superior-grade in the second, and twelve superior-grade in the third.

What do you, He Pingsheng, have to match that?

"Huh…" He Pingsheng drew a deep breath and immediately opened the furnace to begin his final batch.

He now understood the key.

So the quality of the fourth batch had to be far better than the third.

Hopefully, the fifth batch will break through further!

Fifth batch—proceed!

Night had fallen.

Yet not a single person left the square.

Everyone waited for the result of He Pingsheng's final batch.

Shiiii… shiiii…

Twelve golden streaks shot into the void.

Before He Pingsheng could seize the pills floating in the air, someone shouted out.

"My god… top-grade…"

"It's top-grade!"

"One top-grade, eleven superior-grade!"

The crowd erupted again.

Another top-grade!

He Pingsheng looked at the twelve pills in his hand—indeed, one top-grade, eleven superior-grade.

Too bad!

Only one.

He Pingsheng felt that if he had one more chance, he might have refined two top-grade pills!

"Good, good, good—congratulations, He Pingsheng, you've refined a top-grade pill!"

Jin Gang nodded, seeming to exhale in relief: "All results are now in!"

"Now, I declare the winner of this round: Zhu Xuanlun!"

"Second place: He Pingsheng!"

"Third place…"

"Wait!" Before Jin Gang could finish, Feng Wanxi bowed to the demon emperor and said: "Your Majesty, please wait—I have an objection to this competition!"

"Oh?" Jin Gang said. "What's your objection?"

Feng Wanxi smiled and said: "I suspect someone used the 【Nan Ke Immortal Spring】 to enhance pill quality—this is cheating!"

"Therefore, I propose that for fairness, all top-grade pills be inspected to determine whether they contain any celestial herbs or treasures used to boost quality!"

At these words, the crowd erupted into heated debate.

Jin Gang's eyes gleamed.

Countless pill competitions had been held since ancient times.

Almost every one involved cheating with the 【Nan Ke Immortal Spring】.

Yet everyone turned a blind eye.

Why?

Because who hadn't used it?

Though the Nan Ke Immortal Spring originated from Zhu Que's secret realm, it had spread widely—nearly every demon emperor possessed some.

Cheating? Let it be.

After all, using celestial treasures was hardly unjustifiable.

The rules permitted competitors to bring their own spiritual liquid—wasn't the Nan Ke Immortal Spring a kind of spiritual liquid?

But if strictly enforced, it was cheating.

Instantly, all demon emperors turned to Feng Wanxi.

No wonder… no wonder…

No wonder this girl didn't produce a top-grade pill—she'd planned this countermove all along.

Feng Wanxi wore a faint smile.

Yes, this strategy had been decided by her Feng clan from the start.

Because they had heard: He Pingsheng possessed six-grade top-grade pills!

He had helped Crown Prince Tianyu refine a top-grade 【Transformation Pill】, and had given Liu Haoran a top-grade 【Sacred Essence Pill】—these facts could not be hidden.

Easy to verify.

Especially for a clan like the Feng—finding this out was trivial.

So before the competition even began, the Feng clan knew: in pill refining, they could never outmatch He Pingsheng—or even pull far ahead of him.

And He Pingsheng's combat strength was undeniable—he had withstood a single blow from a Mahayana Emperor.

He possessed the blood-red turtle-shell magic treasure.

Who in the fourth round could defeat him?

Thus, the Feng clan predicted: if He Pingsheng continued like this, he would almost certainly secure first place.

If the Heavenly Ladder climbs higher and this fellow secures first place, it will be a clear slap in the face for the Phoenix Clan.

What do we do?

There's no way!

We can only find a way to eliminate He Pingsheng and revoke his competition eligibility.

Now, the opportunity has arrived.

Your Zhu Que Imperial Domain has the most Nanke Immortal Spring—so I'll claim you used the Nanke Immortal Spring. How will you defend yourself?

As for whether you actually used it?

Hahaha… it doesn't matter.

Because it's impossible to verify anyway—I just need other evidence to crush you!