The sect master and the other elders frowned slightly as they watched.
But the arguments between the two of them? They'd long since gotten used to it.
At other times, they carried the air of grandmasters, calm and poised like true immortals.
But once they faced each other, they were no different from stubborn kids who had to win every argument.
Truly a pair of hopeless rivals.
Still, when Song Wanníng suddenly stopped, they were a little disappointed.
As expected, they'd hoped for too much.
On the other high platforms, Feng San and the others spotted it too and immediately revealed smug smiles.
He had said it earlier. Song Wanníng only knew how to refine Soul Stabilizing Pill, which was the only reason she managed to produce top-quality pills.
Well, wasn't this a slap in the face now?
Serves her right for pretending to be some big shot.
Feng San finally felt pleased. As long as he beat Song Wanníng, his master wouldn't punish them.
…
Just when everyone was lamenting, Song Wanníng suddenly stood up.
"Eh, is she giving up and stepping down?"
"What else could it be? Sitting there is embarrassing. Might as well get off the stage."
The disciples whispered among themselves, convinced she was about to leave, but instead, she walked straight toward the ingredients.
"What's she trying to do?"
"Don't tell me she hasn't given up. Well, even struggling a bit looks better than admitting defeat."
Song Wanníng ignored every comment, fully confident as she began preparing the herbs. This was a crucial chance. She didn't just want Mu Zixu to suffer a blow, she needed the sect to recognize her own value.
This had nothing to do with Mo Yang Xiānzūn, Dao Qing, or Feng Jiuxiao. They needed to realize her importance as a person. Only then would her future days in the sect be free enough. Only then would Mu Zixu's movements be restricted. Otherwise, anyone could come after her.
She took a quiet breath. Her hands moved faster than her thoughts as she began processing the ingredients with practiced speed.
Halfway through, Feng San glanced at her and froze when he saw how smoothly she was working. His heart jolted.
He lost focus for a moment and almost blew up his furnace. Luckily, he reacted fast enough to avoid an accident. He didn't dare look again. No matter what Song Wanníng was doing, he needed to focus on himself. Otherwise, everything he'd done so far would be pointless.
On the high platform, Mu Zixu saw Feng San's reaction and cursed him in his heart. Among his disciples, Feng San was the most hot-headed. Even Ouyang Lin was steadier.
But Feng San's talent in alchemy was good, which was why people kept praising him. That praise made him arrogant. If he hadn't met Lan Yue and the others, he'd probably still be running wild.
Yet today, a single Song Wanníng almost threw him off balance. Truly useless.
Mu Zixu could only keep comforting himself. "This is my own disciple, my own disciple…"
…
Once she finished preparation, Song Wanníng carefully heated the cauldron. Only when the temperature was perfectly even did she add the ingredients one by one. She melted them slowly, added spirit liquid with caution, then guided her Primordial Soul toward the cauldron. Bit by bit, she pressed and shaped the mixture, drawing out impurities and dissolving them away.
Her Primordial Soul carried the aura of the Blood Lotus and Bodhi Tree, an overwhelming force toward all plants. Because of that, the liquid herbs behaved perfectly, merging without a single trace of resistance. This was something she'd perfected after countless experiments, a method that drastically increased purity and improved pill quality.
Meanwhile, Lan Yue and the others were also refining seriously. With Song Wanníng present, the senior brothers had snapped back to normal and weren't affected by Situ Yue at all.
Since everyone already knew their abilities, the crowd's attention was fixed entirely on the newcomer, Song Wanníng.
"Huh, judging by her posture, she doesn't look clueless at all."
"Yeah, I bet she'll produce an Burst Break Pill."
"Seriously? What if she's just throwing stuff together so losing won't look too ugly?"
"…"
Voices overlapped nonstop. Song Wanníng became the center of the entire arena.
Dao Qing watched the scene with deep satisfaction. His disciple was always like this. No matter where she stood, she became the brightest one. Watching Song Wanníng refine so seriously, he could already imagine a future alchemy grandmaster rising before his eyes.
Mu Zixu, however, was grinding his teeth. He muttered sharply, "Some people shouldn't celebrate too early. Anyone can poke ingredients around. What matters is real skill."
But Song Wanníng's preparation steps were flawless. She clearly knew the formula. Whether she could fully remove the impurities would depend on her ability.
"Hmph. No matter how talented Wanníng is, she's just a recently ascended cultivator. She still has a long way to go. At least she's better than some people who haven't improved at all."
Dao Qing shot back coldly. He refused to lose even a verbal exchange.
The two locked eyes, sparks and lightning practically flying.
Feng Jiuxiao saw them and couldn't hold back an eye roll.
Mu Zixu was petty and narrow-minded. After all these years, he hadn't changed at all. If he weren't good at alchemy, a man like him would probably struggle to even ascend to the Immortal Realm.
She looked at Song Wanníng and finally relaxed. Wanníng was a pleasure to look at. Mu Zixu, that old thing, was an eyesore.
…
"Phew…"
The final flames went out.
Feng San and the others all finished one after another. They'd successfully refined Burst Break Pills without any mistakes.
Wu Wang wiped the sweat from his face and exhaled in relief.
Feng San looked relaxed too, finally letting go of his anxiety.
Ouyang Lin had succeeded as well, his face flushed with excitement. His foundation was weaker, so mistakes were easier for him.
Lan Yue and the others also succeeded. Even Situ Yue barely managed to finish, and her pale face showed a trace of joy.
Their first reaction was the same. They all looked toward Song Wanníng. Some with concern, some with disdain.
"Hmph, I knew she was faking it." Feng San stared at Song Wanníng mockingly, feeling she was just acting pretentious.
Wu Wang glared at him. He turned away with a huff.
But before he could finish his next insult, Song Wanníng's cauldron flame extinguished.
She drew back her Primordial Soul, her expression a little pale. Immortal power could always be replenished, but the Primordial Soul was constantly draining.
This Burst Break Pill had far too many impurities. Clearing them had taken huge effort.
"Heh, can't pretend anymore, right?"
Feng San sneered again, looking her up and down with pure disdain.
Song Wanníng started much later than them. How could she finish at the same time?
She was obviously putting on a show.
And look at them. They were all exhausted. Yet Song Wanníng looked calm and effortless?
Impossible.
===
I've also got a little "toy" to share, basically a YouTube song downloader. It's a simple .bat file, so you just copy and paste the link and it'll automatically download and convert the video you want. I'll include the installation steps too, since the .bat file needs another program to run properly.
Remember to read all the instructions before running any .bat or .sh files. There are seven tabs in total. Two of them cover installation for Windows and Mac, along with how to set up the script. The first tab is the final checklist of things you need to change before using it. Tabs four and five are the Windows scripts, and tabs six and seven are the Mac scripts.
You can find it in my Google Drive or Terabox under the "My – Mine" folder, inside "Youtube Audio." Both cloud links are on my Carrd: https://rikhi.carrd.co