harleyscars 572. The matter of cover
572. The matter of cover
"Stop it, all of you!"
The soul fluctuations surging from Xuan Kongzi's body condensed into a semi-transparent giant hand, its five fingers outstretched, grasping the entire turbulent space into its palm. Lei Jingxiao's lightning was now completely controlled by this giant hand, rendered immobile! At the same time, Xuan Leizi unleashed an extremely powerful yet completely controlled battle aura, a subtly powerful aura that successfully interrupted Ling Zhuo, who was still gathering his power. This exquisite control drew the attention of the surrounding Dou Zun experts.
Heavenly-rank combat skills are extremely powerful, but for Ling Zhuo, Lei Jingxiao has not yet reached a point where he can use them with ease, and it still takes some time before they can be released.
Then, Xuan Yi and Xuan Lei Zi, who were standing next to Xuan Kong Zi, exchanged a glance and made their move at the same time, guiding all the powerful lightning released by Lei Jing Xiao into the sky. A turmoil that was close to a natural disaster was thus eliminated by the three giants of the Pill Tower.
The audience saw that Ling Zhuo and Lei Jingxiao had been separated to stone platforms a thousand meters apart, with faint spatial ripples still remaining around them, clearly indicating that they were not allowed to continue fighting so recklessly.
Then everyone realized that the most conspicuous stone platform had actually shattered under Xuan Kongzi's control. Originally, the highest stone platform was a reserved feature of the Pill Tower, since the process of refining medicine was quite lengthy, and the competition for the highest stone platform was intended to be a small highlight.
Unexpectedly, the competition this year was indeed fierce, even excessively so, leading to the emergence of two Heavenly Rank combat techniques.
"The Alchemy Gathering has always been a place where the outcome is determined by alchemy skills, not a place for your private duels!" Xuan Kongzi said in a deep voice.
The audience, while still feeling lingering fear, also felt a little regretful. What they would have preferred to see was the three giants of the Pill Tower protecting them while witnessing the clash of two Heavenly Rank battle techniques – that would have made their trip truly worthwhile.
Xuan Kongzi's order had some effect; both Lei Jingxiao and Ling Zhuo stopped fighting and showed no intention of continuing.
Just when Xuan Kongzi thought the conflict was finally over and the competition could officially begin, Wei Jiangyuan chuckled maliciously, cupped his hands around his mouth, and shouted, "President Xuan Kongzi, I have a suggestion regarding the terrible situation that just happened!"
When Xuan Kongzi glanced over and saw that it was Wei Jiangyuan, his heart did not relax but instead tightened again. This guy was no pushover either.
"Speaking of which..."
Wei Jiangyuan grinned broadly: "These two blatantly disregarded the rules of the Pill Gathering, and even nearly caused casualties among so many alchemists present. The situation is extremely serious. In my opinion—"
"Why not just disqualify them both and kick them out of the competition!"
As soon as Wei Jiangyuan finished speaking, the audience erupted in chaos. Some laughed, some jeered, and even Yao Qingyu couldn't help but facepalm. If the Spirit Clan's genius competition, which had been built up for so long, were to be withdrawn before it even started, the Pill Gathering would be a huge spectacle. So, there were quite a few people responding immediately.
"You bastard surnamed Wei, you're really too insidious!" Lei Jingxiao, who was standing to the side, could no longer suppress his anger and started cursing before Ling Zhuo could.
It's no wonder Lei Jingxiao was so agitated; after all, people like Wei Jiangyuan, who openly stirred up trouble and then kicked him when he was down, were simply too much for him to tolerate.
Xuan Kongzi's eye twitched slightly as his gaze swept over the rubble of the central stone platform, crushed to dust by the power of space. He knew perfectly well that Wei Jiangyuan was using this as an excuse—this slippery brat had clearly been jumping around in the battle just moments before, yet now he was acting like a model alchemist strictly adhering to the rules. And to even make a suggestion—that was obviously just adding fuel to the fire!
But when he caught sight of the hundreds of thousands of eyes craning their necks in the audience, he could only cough lightly and say in a deep voice, "The Alchemy Gathering has always judged heroes by their alchemy skills. These two contestants are young and impetuous and did not intend to harm anyone, so I will make an exception and let them off the hook. This will not be a repeat of this!"
Xuan Kongzi was in a difficult position. He wished he could just make Ling Zhuo withdraw from the competition. However, Ling He, a powerful Dou Sheng from the Ling Clan, was undoubtedly watching the competition from around the arena. If Ling Zhuo were to be ejected immediately, who knew what kind of trouble would ensue?
"President Xuan Kongzi truly has a keen eye for right and wrong, I admire him!" Wei Jiangyuan also changed his expression and praised him, as if he wasn't the one who had just started the commotion.
To prevent any unforeseen complications from further delay, Xuan Kongzi solemnly announced, "The time has come. Everyone, begin refining the pills immediately!"
The sound, like a resounding bell, carried far and wide, clearly heard by everyone present. Wei Jiangyuan also put away his carefree smile and began preparing for the preparatory work. However, he still glanced in the direction of Xiao Yan and said in a voice only he could hear, "Old Xiao, this commotion should be loud enough, right?"
When Xuan Kongzi returned to the stage, even though he was the head of the three giants of the Pill Tower and had cultivated his inner strength for many years, he was still quite angry.
Xuan Yi smiled and remarked, "These young people really have big hearts."
Saint Mingshui chuckled inwardly, not at all surprised by Wei Jiangyuan's actions. He stood firmly on the side of the three giants of the Pill Tower without hesitation: "The three of you, my senior brother has always been like this. Even my master often has no way to deal with him. If you want to blame him, please don't worry about me being here."
Xuan Kongzi wouldn't really bother with a junior like Wei Jiangyuan; he was just a little fed up with Wei Jiangyuan's relentless and unpredictable nature. At this moment, Xuan Kongzi looked at Xiao Yan and felt a sudden, inexplicable surge of emotion. Look at him, he's practically a role model!
Xuan Kongzi also praised without any apparent reason, saying, "Yao Chen is truly blessed; all the disciples he's taken on are so easy to manage..."
……
In the midst of the commotion, Lei Jingxiao and Ling Zhuo's Heavenly Rank combat skills, and Wei Jiangyuan's unreasonable suggestion, all attracted a great deal of attention. However, no one noticed that Cao Ying, one of Ling Zhuo's subordinates, suddenly had a jade slip appear in her palm.
Cao Ying was also bewildered when she first saw the jade slip, but after looking around, she spotted Yao Qingyu not far away. When the latter met her gaze, there was a hint of something in her eyes. Clearly, the jade slip was deliberately sent to her by Yao Qingyu.
Upon closer inspection, Cao Ying realized that the jade slip was the one she had deliberately left for Xiao Yan, only its contents had been altered.
After clarifying the situation, Cao Ying's expression became extremely complicated, while Xiao Yan simply gazed at Cao Ying from afar, seemingly waiting for her opinion or decision.
Just as the conflict was completely over, Xiao Yan looked at Cao Ying one last time. Cao Ying's foxy face finally made up its mind, and she nodded firmly at Xiao Yan.