Chương 120: Chapter 119: The Judgement

Xiao Zhan is the oldest Shixiong of Jiang Zhen Hao. Yang was about to respond when he felt it. A prickling sensation at the back of his neck. Yang did not move or look around immediately. He let his eyes stay on the stage for another few seconds while his awareness expanded outward. Someone in this arena was watching him. He turned, looked up, and his gaze immediately met someone familiar. Senior Brother Xiao Zhan.

Sitting amongst a group of elders in the upper tier, looking directly at Yang with the same unreadable expression he had worn at the banquet. Yang suppressed his immediate instinct to look away. His gaze had already met the senior's. Turning away now would be both disrespectful and noticeably strange. No matter how unsettled he felt. He gave a slight bow of his head in greeting.

Senior Brother Lin Yi, who had been leaning close to explain the alchemy, turned to follow Yang's gesture and gave his own nod toward the upper tier. Yang looked back at the stage. His relaxed posture was gone. He could feel the stiffness in his shoulders and had to make a conscious effort to let it out, aware that drawing even more attention to himself was exactly what he did not need right now. More attention, when it appeared he already had entirely too much of it. The stare at the back of his neck did not stop.

Yang leaned slightly toward Senior Brother Lin Yi and was about to speak when he felt Senior Brother Lin Yi's hand press down firmly on his leg. Yang went still. A beat passed. Then he leaned closer and said, as casually as he could manage, "Senior Brother, which of the disciples is doing best? And which ones look to be losing?" Their eyes met for a moment. Then Senior Brother Lin Yi turned back to the stage and began pointing.

"Those ones," he said, indicating several disciples who were standing to the side of their stations, cauldrons giving out strange smoke and one that even looked like it exploded.

"They have already lost their chance. Their pills failed." He moved to a second group.

"Those ones are close to failing as well." Then he gestured toward two more.

"These two are doing well. But they will not be able to complete their pills in time. They spent too long in preparation. If they had managed the timing they would have been good contenders." Yang looked at the two Senior Brother Lin Yi had pointed to last. They looked frustrated. He continued watching the stage and did his best not to think about the sensation still present at the back of his neck. Eventually a bell rang through the arena.

"Please step away from your benches," Elder Fan Yi announced.

"Those of you who have failed to produce a pill, please leave the stage." A number of disciples walked off, including the one Senior Brother Lin Yi had identified before, the one who had chosen the wrong ingredient for his pill. The two who had not finished their pills were still standing at their stations. Yang could not hear what the elder said to them directly but Senior Brother Lin Yi leaned over.

"They have been given permission to complete their pills. But they are already eliminated." Five elders came onto the stage and began moving between the remaining stations. The distance made detail difficult to see but the elders were using sound amplification techniques so the judgements carried into the stands. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Yang listened as they went through each station in turn. An iron skin pill. Several qi recovery pills.

Marrow cleansing, bone forging, flesh regeneration, vitality recovery. Most of the disciples had gone for similar pills. The judges made their assessments aloud: which ingredient had not been potent enough, which step had been performed incorrectly, what grade the completed pill had reached. Most were high grade, a couple middle grade.

"An iron skin pill," one judge said to a disciple.

"Interesting choice but a well made one." Yang's attention caught on that. An iron skin pill. Like the iron skin talisman he had made and sold dozens of, but in pill form. Senior Brother Song Yi had mentioned in his first class that for every talisman there was a technique that performed the same function. Perhaps the same was true for pills. He made a note to look into it. When the judges reached the station with the black smoke cauldron, the whole group paused before the elder spoke.

"Middle grade Shadow Step Pill. Well made. The steps were followed precisely. One ingredient was less potent than optimal, likely the laum berries or the powdered horn."

"Interesting choice," Senior Brother Lin Yi said under his breath.

"Indeed," Senior Brother Liu Te said.

"But it likely worked in his favour."

"For those of us who do not practice alchemy," Senior Sister Xing Fei's irritated voice came from the other side, "would you mind explaining what you mean?"

"It is a rare and difficult pill," Senior Brother Liu Te said.

"For that junior to choose it and manage to complete it will count heavily in his favour. He will likely place in the top three for this event despite having only managed a middle grade. The rarity and difficulty of the recipe carries significant weight in the judging."

"Oh, that indeed sounds interesting," Senior Sister Shen Yue said, taking a closer look at the disciple. Senior Brother Xu Kai let out a short sound.

"More like useless."

"It did what it was supposed to," Senior Brother Lin Yi said patiently. Then he turned to explain to Senior Sister Xing Fei.

"The Shadow Step Pill enhances speed and agility, particularly effective in dark environments. It is rare because it is almost always easier and cheaper to make a talisman or learn a technique that performs the same function. No one in their right mind spends a fortune on ingredients and hours of refining when a better result can be achieved another way. But it is technically demanding, and producing even a middle grade version demonstrates mastery of multiple alchemy skills.

The elder was clear at the start, they are testing refining ability, not the usefulness or application of the pill." The judges completed their rounds and withdrew to deliberate. It took only a few minutes before Elder Fan Yi spoke again.

"All disciples who participated performed admirably. The sect encourages you to continue developing your craft. All participants who completed pills will receive ranking points. Consult the ranking lists for your individual scores."

"As for the top three of this event." The arena quieted.

"Third place: Disciple Wu Lei, for the high grade Iron Skin Pill."

"Second place: Disciple He Lian, for the perfect grade Qi Gathering Pill."

"First place: Disciple Xiang Yan, for the middle grade Shadow Step Pill." The second and third ranked were women. The first ranked was the disciple with the black smoke cauldron. Whispers broke out through the stands. Senior Brother Lin Yi and Senior Brother Liu Te were already talking.

"He won the gamble," Senior Brother Lin Yi said.

"First ranked with a middle grade pill. That is impressive," Senior Brother Liu Te said. Then he looked toward the second placed disciple.

"Junior Sister He Lian chose the easiest recipe. Managing a perfect grade is admirable but choosing the easiest pill earns her no additional points from difficulty."

"At her realm it is still rare to perfect a qi gathering pill," Senior Brother Lin Yi said.

"It shows her fundamentals are solid." Yang, knowing nothing about alchemy, could follow the context of it from the announcement and the discussion around him. The winner had taken the greater risk and made it pay. A middle grade of a difficult pill ranked above a high grade or even perfect grade of a common one. The second place disciple had executed perfectly but chosen the safest path. The winners were called forward and Yang found himself sitting forward to watch.

The third place winner received three hundred mid grade spirit stones, ten hours in the cultivation chambers, and a high grade cauldron. Dark green, old-looking. The recipient examined it with an expression of delight. The second place winner received five hundred mid grade spirit stones, twenty hours in the cultivation chambers, and a small vial of something the elder called Spirit Liquid Essence.

Yang did not know what it was but the expression on Senior Brother Lin Yi's face and Senior Brother Liu Te's face told him it was something good. The first place winner received one thousand mid grade spirit stones, fifty hours in the cultivation chambers, and a purple flame the elder announced as a Heavenly Profound Purple Lotus Flame. This produced a different reaction entirely. Senior Brother Lin Yi and Senior Brother Liu Te both went very still for a moment and then began talking at once.

Around the stands the noise increased sharply. Yang could not tell whether this was common or extraordinary himself but the expressions of others suggested extraordinary. As the event ended and the elders and winners left the stage, the audience began to rise. The formalised quiet of competition broke apart into movement and conversation, people greeting friends, discussing what they had just seen, arranging where to go next. The seniors stood and Senior Sister Xing Fei turned to Yang.

"Junior Brother, come to lunch with us." Before he could answer Senior Brother Lin Yi said, "I will be dropping Junior Brother Yang off, Xing Fei. You all go ahead."

"Lin Yi, if you do not want to come you do not have to. Any of us can take Junior Brother Yang back to his residence after lunch," Senior Sister Xing Fei argued.

"Xing Fei." Senior Brother Xu Kai's voice was quiet and final.

"Leave it." Senior Sister Xing Fei looked at the three of them for a moment, then turned deliberately back to Senior Sister Shen Yue and Senior Brother Liu Te on the other side, who seemed to have had found reasons to look elsewhere. Yang bowed to take his leave and said his farewells. The seniors returned them warmly. He followed Senior Brother Lin Yi through the crowd and out to the edge of the peak. Senior Brother Lin Yi summoned his sword and they both climbed on as he launched it without warning.

Yang almost lost his footing and Senior Brother Lin Yi had to grab his shoulder to steady hims. They flew back through the busy sky, swords and boats and a few beasts all moving in the various directions of home, the arena behind them growing smaller. Neither of them spoke during the flight. When they finally reached Yang's cave residence Senior Brother Lin Yi landed and got off the sword alongside him. Yang turned. Senior Brother Lin Yi looked at him intently.

"I think it is time you and I talked alone, Junior Brother Yang."