Chapter 381: Conclusion! Princess Yao Yue’s Invitation!


    "So handsome!"


    At this moment, whether in the audience seats or the VIP area, several young girls were casting admiring nces at Liu Ling, their hearts fluttering.


    "With Liu Ling''s performance, there''s no doubt he''ll be the champion of thispetition!"


    Fa Ma stroked his white beard, his face full of admiration as he spoke.


    Behind Liu Ling, Princess Yao Yue stuck out her tongue and curiously asked, "Liu Ling, what have you been up to these past few years? How did you suddenly be so powerful?"


    "Because I''m a genius!"


    Liu Ling shrugged slightly at the princess''s question, then began tidying up the items on the stone tform.


    Upon hearing Liu Ling''s unabashed response, Princess Yao Yue was momentarily at a loss for words, unable to muster any rebuttal. After all, given Liu Ling''s current performance, calling him a genius was certainly justified.


    As the sand in the hourss dwindled, Xiao Yan, Xiao Yi Xian, and Princess Yao Yue also sessfully refined the Windwalking Pill.


    Although many participants realized there was an issue with the pill recipe after being inspired by Liu Ling, the Windwalking Pill was still a Tier 3 pill. Typically, only one out of five Tier 2 alchemists could manage to refine it, and even newly advanced Tier 3 alchemists sometimes failed. Therefore, by the time the hourss ran out, fewer than 40 people had sessfully refined the Windwalking Pill.


    These forty individuals would be the focus of attention in the final round of thepetition, where the ultimate champion and the top ten would be determined.


    After the examination time ended, it was followed by the routine testing.


    As expected, the pill Liu Ling refined once again ranked as the highest quality, just like in the first round.


    This gave Xiao Yan a deep sense of frustration.


    The second-highest quality pill was still produced by the mysterious figure in ck robes in the corner.


    After that came Xiao Yan, Princess Yao Yue, and some other strong Tier 3 alchemists.


    Once the testing waspleted, the sky gradually darkened. A thin crescent moon slowly emerged on the horizon, illuminating the brightly lit imperial capital.


    "Ladies and gentlemen, today''spetition will conclude here. I encourage all participants to rest well tonight. Tomorrow is the final round of the tournament, where the champion will be decided. So, whatever you do, don''t let anything prevent you from attending—missing it would be a lifelong regret!" Fa Ma announced with a heartyugh.


    Hearing Fa Ma dere the end of today''s assessment, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The two rounds had been quite exhausting.


    Liu Ling, having stowed his cauldron into his storage ring, nced up at the ck-robed figure in the corner. He had a persistent feeling that this person had been paying close attention to him.


    As for Xiao Yan, he hurriedly packed up and left the venue.


    Due to the previous conflict with Liu Ling—and ultimately losing badly at Xiao Jin''s hands—Xiao Yan was now deeply wary of Liu Ling and the power behind him.


    After squeezing through the crowd and exiting the venue, Liu Ling suddenly noticed his path was blocked by several figures.


    Princess Yao Yue, apanied by Princess Yao Yue and Ya Fei from the Mittel Family, appeared in his line of sight.


    "Liu Ling, congrattions! You performed so brilliantly. I''m sure you''ll achieve great results in tomorrow''s final round!" Princess Yao Yue smiled warmly at Liu Ling.


    She and Liu Ling didn''t have much interaction and weren''t particrly familiar. However, being born into the royal family and chosen as the heir, she had to consider the interests of the royal family in all matters. Previously, Xiao Yan had performed exceptionally well, so she had tried to win him over. Now that Liu Ling had proven even more outstanding, she was eager to build a good rtionship with him as well.


    "Princess Yao Yue, let’s leave tomorrow’s matters for tomorrow. Although I know I’ll win the championship, I haven''t imed it yet, so it''s best not to speak too soon." Liu Ling''s response to her congrattory words was notably calm.


    However, from Liu Ling’s calm words, Princess Yao Yue could sense his steady confidence, which waspletely different from Xiao Yan’s personality.


    No matter what situation Xiao Yan encountered, he always responded with modesty. Liu Ling, on the other hand, wasn’t concerned with such things and spoke his mind freely.


    “Alright then!”


    Hearing Liu Ling’s words, Princess Yao Yue was momentarily at a loss, her face showing a bit of awkwardness as she forced a smile.


    Seeing this, Ya Fei quickly chimed in, “Liu Ling, Princess Yao Yue has already arranged a banquet tonight to celebrate you and the little princess…”


    “There’s no need. I still have to return to the Yun Sect to see my master tonight.”


    Before Ya Fei could finish, Liu Ling waved his hand, cutting her off. He then turned and headed down a different street.


    Meanwhile, after squeezing his way out of the venue, Xiao Yan was also bombarded with several invitations, including one from Nn Jie of the Nn family and some of his friends in the capital.


    Interestingly, Xiao Yan made the same decision as Liu Ling and chose not to attend any banquets.


    Following the street, Xiao Yan walked toward the inn where he was staying. Along the way, the admiring stares and whispers from those around him gave him a headache. Unable to bear it, he quickened his pace, turned down a few streets, and finally darted into the inn, heading straight for his room.


    Once inside, Xiao Yan closed the door behind him, leaned against it, and let out a long sigh. Rubbing his forehead, he looked slightly tired. Although the two rounds of assessments seemed simple on the surface, the hiddenplexities had taken a toll on his mind. The pressure from thispetition had grown tremendously.


    Liu Ling’s sudden rise and the extraordinary power of the mysterious ck-robed figure had both disyed formidable strength. Most crucially, from Yao Lao, Xiao Yan learned that both of these individuals possessed heavenly mes.


    As Xiao Yan reflected on the details of the tournament, a shadow quietly appeared near the inn where he was staying.


    Yao Lao, who was monitoring the situation from Xiao Yan''s ring, had long been aware of the ck-d figure’s movements but hadn’t mentioned it to Xiao Yan yet.


    “Xiao Yan, stop overthinking. Focus on your training and replenish the Dou Qi you used during the day! Even if you don’t win first ce against those two prodigies, it’s not the end of the world. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself,” Yao Lao’s voice rang out, sensing theplex emotions brewing within Xiao Yan.


    Hearing Yao Lao’sforting words, Xiao Yan regained hisposure and said, “Teacher, I won’t let it get to me. Besides, tomorrow’s match hasn’t even started yet—I might not lose!”


    “Haha, now that’s the stubborn Xiao Yan I know!” Yao Lao stroked his beard with satisfaction.


    (End of the Chapter)


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