"Wait—wait!” Lu Nan''s voice cut sharply across the arena as he stepped forward and bowed toward the referee. "I clearly heard him say surrender. Shouldn''t you be announcing that I''ve already won?"
The referee turned, his gaze settling on Alex. "Did you just say you surrender?"
Alex inclined his head. "Yes. I did." He paused. "But that was before he insulted my parents. Now... I have no intention of surrendering.”
Lu Nan''s expression twisted. "A man''s word, once spoken, should never be taken back!" he shouted.
"And a man," Alex replied coldly, lifting his chin, "never lets anyone insult his parents and walk away."
A faint, dangerous smile touched his lips.
"When you lose... believe me, I''ll take your tongue."
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
"Referee!" Lu Nan barked, his patience snapping. "You must dere my victory!"
The referee raised a hand, leaving no room for argument. "The match will proceed. Jun Jiu has withdrawn his surrender and is willing to continue. Therefore you will fight."
He paused, then added, "Since this is an alchemy duel, have you both decided what pill you will refine?"
Lu Nan''s jaw tightened.
What should have been an effortless win had slipped through his fingers. Now he was forced to actuallypete—and worse, against this stubborn fool.
Still... it didn''t matter.
Jun Jiu couldn''t even refine proper pills, let alone an elixir.
"I''ll exin the rules,” Lu Nan said, regaining hisposure. "The Medicine Pavilion will provide a selection of herbs. We are free to choose our own ingredients and refine an elixir that enhances cultivation. The one with the highest concentration of inner force... wins."
At his signal, the staff of the Medicine Pavilion stepped forward. Tables were swiftly arranged,den with spirit herbs, rare fruits, and exotic flowers that released faint, shimmering auras.
The scent alone was intoxicating.
Lu Nan didn''t hesitate.
He had prepared for this long ago.
With practiced confidence, he selected his ingredients, moving with precision. One by one, he dropped them into his cauldron, lit the fire beneath it, and began channeling his inner force into the vessel. mes roared to life as his energy fused with the herbs, the air around him pulsing with heat and power.
On the other side-
Alex didn''t move.
Not at first.
He walked slowly along the tables, his gaze sweeping over every herb, every fruit, every flower. He crouched to inspect the firewood, testing its dryness, its burn quality details most would overlook.
Minutes passed.
Ten... maybe more.
To the crowd, it looked like hesitation.
Indecision.
But inside Alex''s mind, Gaia was already running countless simtions—virtual trials of refinement,binations forming and copsing, recalcting again and again until only the most optimal path remained.
Finally-
He stopped.
And began selecting his ingredients.
A quiet shift rippled through the crowd as people noticed something strange.
Alex reached for a cauldron.
Not one of the polished, high-grade ones-
But a cheap, ordinary cauldron. The kind beginners used.
A moment of stunned silence.
Thenughter broke out.
Lu Nan''s supporters scoffed openly.
"Is he serious?"
"He''s using that kind of cauldron?"
"Does he even know what he''s doing? That''s the standard one for first-time learners!"
Mockery spread like wildfire.
But Alex didn''t even nce at them.
He simply set the crude cauldron down before him... and began.
Alex had gotten that cauldron from a desperate gambler back when he was still nothing more than a servant-someone who had wagered his belongings on a fight and lost everything.
He didn''t even know what grade it was.
Didn''t care.
To him, if it could hold heat and cook-it was enough.
But the moment he set it down,ughter erupted.
Across from him, Lu Nan''s cauldron gleamed like a work of art jade-green, etched with fine golden lines that shimmered under the light. It radiated prestige, power, wealth. Even the mes licking its surface seemed to bend in reverence, making it look almost divine.
Alex''s, on the other hand...
Was battered.
Used.
The base was ckened with soot, scarred by countless burns, like it had lived a hundred lifetimes already.
The contrast was almost embarrassing.
And the crowd didn''t hold back.
"Look at that thing-"
"Did he pick it out of a trash heap?”
"That''s not even worthparing to Senior Lu Nan''s!"
Mockery spread, sharp and relentless.
Lu Nan didn''t even bother hiding his smirk.
But Alex?
He didn''t react.
Didn''t argue.
Didn''t defend himself.
He simply... continued.
Calm. Focused. Unshaken.
Alchemy wasn''t a quick craft. Everyone knew that. Refining a proper pill could take hours-sometimes even days. It required patience, control, and absolute precision. So when after four hours passed-
Bang.
Alex suddenly mmed his cauldron, the sound cracking through the arena like thunder.
Every head snapped toward him.
From within the cauldron, five pills shot into the air, gleaming faintly as they spun. Without hesitation, Alex caught them smoothly and sealed them inside a porcin bottle, locking it tight to prevent even the slightest leakage of energy.
Silence fell.
"I''m done," Alex said simply.
Then-
Laughter exploded again.
"What a joke," Lu Nan scoffed without even looking up from his work, his hands still moving steadily as he refined his pill. "I''ve studied alchemy for decades. I''ve never seen abination like that."
He sneered.
"You just grabbed random herbs and cooked them together because you don''t want
to admit you can''t refine a real pill."
Alex stepped closer.
Slow. Measured.
"I know every herb you picked," he said quietly.
"And I know exactly what you''re trying to make."
Alex''s gaze locked onto him, sharp as a de.
"An elixir that adds ten years of cultivation to whoever consumes it. Am I right?"
Lu Nan straightened, pride shing across his face. "If you already know that much,"
he said coldly, "then you should also know to admit defeat."
Alexughed.
Not loudly—but with something dangerous underneath.
"Admit defeat... to you?"
He stepped closer still, until the distance between them vanished.
"I don''t have time to wait another four hours for you,” Alex continued, voice low, almost mocking, "just for yourèlix that only adds ten years of cultivation."
And then-
Smack.
The sound echoed, sharp and brutal.
Alex''s hand struck Lu Nan''s face with such force that his head snapped to the side.
Lu Nan''s focus shattered the moment the pnded.
His grip loosened.
The cauldron—once under perfect control-shuddered violently.
Then-
Boom.
It exploded.
Fragments burst outward as the unstable energy inside copsed The half-formed pill disintegrated instantly, turning into nothing but useless residue that scattered across the ground. ''
Ruined.
Completely ruined.
The referee''s eyes widened.
The entire arena fell into dead, suffocating silence.
No one had expected that.
No one.
And yet-
Alex stood there, calm as ever... like nothing had just happened.
Lu Nan staggered, still reeling from the blow. Pain exploded through his jaw-sharp, blinding. He tasted blood. When his tongue brushed against his teeth-
Four were already gone.
His mouth filled with iron.
"HOW DARE YOU!"
Elder Ang shot to his feet, fury erupting from him like a storm. "This is a pill
refinement duel! How dare you use your hands—”
“After I cut his tongue for ndering my parents,” Alex said tly, cutting him off,
"then we can talk about rules."
Before anyone could react-
Smack.
Alex struck Lu Nan again, this time from the opposite side.
The crack echoed even louder.
Six more teeth shattered.
Lu Nan''s body twisted with the force, blood spraying as he copsed to his knees,
barely conscious.
“You dare!” Elder Ang roared, his aura surging violently. He leapt from his seat,
sword already drawn, killing intent zing in his eyes.
"I''ll kill you!"
He shot toward the arena like a bolt of lightning.
But just as he reached Alex-
Something changed.
No one saw how.
No one understood when.
Elder Ang''s body suddenly froze mid-motion.
Then-
He dropped to his knees.
Both hands lifted... offering his sword forward.
To Alex.
The entire arena went dead silent.
Alex didn''t hesitate.
He took the sword.
Turned.
And walked toward Lu Nan.
"No—don''t you dare—!” Elder Ang yelled.
Alex didn''t even nce at them.
"Oh, so he can nder my parents,” Alex said calmly, his voice carrying across the
arena, “and I''m supposed to let him go?”
His eyes were cold.
"Then he should learn... that his tonguees with consequences."
The de shed.
Clean.
Precise.
A single smooth motion-
And Lu Nan''s scream was cut short as his tongue was severed, blood pouring from
his mouth.
"You will die for this!” Elder Ang roared, his face twisted with rage—but his body
remained locked in ce, still kneeling, unable to move.
Alexughed softly.
Then walked over to him.
“The disciple is this pathetic..." Alex said, tilting his head slightly. “No wonder the
elder failed to teach him properly."
Smack.
The sound rang out again—this time even louder.
Alex''s hand struck Elder Ang''s face.
The entire crowd recoiled.
No one breathed.
No one spoke.
“How dare—” Elder Ang began, humiliation burning through him—
Smack.
Another p.
Sharper.
Harder.
Alex leaned closer, his voice low, almost amused.
"Say one more word... and you''ll get another."
Elder Ang''s face flushed deep red, rage and shame choking him silent.
Never-
In his entire life-
Had he been humiliated like this.
“Jun Jiu.....” Li Qingxue stepped forward, her voice cutting through the tension.
Alex didn''t even look at her.
He simply tossed the porcin bottle toward her.
It arced cleanly through the air.
She caught it instinctively.
And just like that-
Alex turned his back on the arena... and walked away.
Leaving behind silence.
Shock.
And a memory no one there would ever forget.
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