That useless idiot!
But no matter how furious he was, he still had to maintain his image.
Mu Zixu forced down his anger and said as calmly as he could, "With the same set of ingredients, you really can refine two Burst Break Pills. But you'd need incredibly deep mastery, something at the level of a grandmaster."
He had to be the one to say this, otherwise he'd lose even more face. If someone else explained it, his reputation would collapse completely.
A wave of noise rippled through the crowd.
"Did I hear that wrong? What did Mu Xiānjūn just say?"
"Our Wuji Sect only has four grandmasters who can refine pills… and two of them have been in seclusion for ages. Song Wanníng just ascended not long ago…"
"Exactly, there's no way Song Wanníng already has grandmaster-level mastery!"
The disciples stared at Song Wanníng with completely different expressions.
Did Song Wanníng really cheat?
Her cultivation wasn't high enough to support grandmaster-level skill, so there was only one possibility. She must've cheated.
Feng San's thought process was exactly the same. His first reaction wasn't that Song Wanníng was insanely talented. Instead, he thought his master had just confirmed that she'd cheated.
He immediately got excited and jabbed a finger at her. "I knew it, you really did cheat! I can't believe you're this shameless. Losing is losing, but cheating? Really?
If I were you, I'd be too embarrassed to even breathe!"
He snorted twice, his eyes full of superiority.
"After everything Martial Uncle Dao Qing's done for you, after all the expectations he placed on you, this is how you repay him?"
Situ Yue finally snapped out of her shock, and a flash of delight lit up her eyes.
Song Wanníng actually dared to cheat. She must've gone insane.
Let's see how the elders protect her now.
Song Wanníng faced the circle of suspicious stares. Her lips lifted slightly in a cold, mocking smile.
"Martial Uncle Mu, it seems your disciple's brain isn't working too well."
She tapped Feng San's head lightly. "Or were you implying that I cheated?"
If a grandmaster couldn't even make this basic judgment, that'd be the real joke. She knew Mu Zixu wouldn't spout nonsense, not with Dao Qing standing right beside him. He wasn't someone he could fool.
Mu Zixu's expression darkened again. Song Wanníng really was relentless.
What, she wanted him to publicly admit she was impressive?
He scoffed silently.
Mu Zixu swallowed his irritation and explained to the crowd, "What I meant is that Song Wanníng's pill refinement is already close to grandmaster level. She didn't cheat."
Who'd dare cheat in front of so many powerful figures? Did Song Wanníng want to die? Or did they all look like corpses to her?
Only someone as stupid as Feng San would think that.
What should've been a simple sigh of admiration had now turned into a demonstration of his disciple's ridiculous incompetence.
Mu Zixu's explanation instantly silenced the entire square. Even the sect master and elders were filled with shock and fear.
Song Wanníng had only ascended about a year ago, and she was already close to grandmaster level?
Was this a joke?
At that moment, the sect master and elders suddenly realized their worldview was still too narrow. So geniuses like this really existed?
No, they had to protect Song Wanníng no matter what. Not a single thing could be allowed to happen to her.
Dao Qing wore a grin so broad it looked like a blooming flower.
This was his disciple. Shocking enough for them?
Hahaha.
If it weren't for the occasion, he would've laughed out loud.
The disciples below gradually recovered from their shock. Their eyes blazed with disbelief, awe, and then fanatic admiration. They stared at Song Wanníng like they wanted to see through her entirely.
Feng San's expression froze completely, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"How… how could this be…"
His master would never lie to protect Song Wanníng.
So the pill really was refined by her?
How was that possible…
Ouyang Lin and Wu Wang were stunned as well.
With this one move, Song Wanníng had basically secured the championship already.
Close to grandmaster level. What kind of concept was that?
It meant she was nearly equal to their master.
What were they even competing for now?
Their minds went blank except for four words. Close to grandmaster.
"Junior Sister, you're incredible!"
"For real. I always thought I had pretty decent talent, but now I finally understand what Master meant when he said there's always someone stronger."
Several senior brothers surrounded Song Wanníng, eyes full of joy.
Her strength made them proud as well.
Lan Yue was smiling brightly, genuinely happy for her.
Song Wanníng's expression stayed calm, but she was pleased on the inside.
Mostly because Mu Zixu's humiliated expression felt incredibly satisfying. But she was very aware that she still wasn't truly at grandmaster level. She only had the help of the Blood Lotus and the Bodhi Tree Spirit.
"Sect master, are we still continuing the competition?"
The elder in charge asked helplessly.
Song Wanníng already felt like the champion.
"Of course we're continuing!"
The sect master slapped his thigh, eyes full of excitement. He wanted to see what else Song Wanníng could do.
"That's right, we have to continue!"
"Go Junior Sister Song! We believe in you!"
The disciples cheered, their eyes full of respect.
Song Wanníng smiled at them, which triggered another burst of excited laughter.
Everyone knew one thing. You couldn't afford to offend a pill master. You had to win them over.
Song Wanníng was already this impressive. She'd definitely be refining high grade pills in the future. Building good relations now would make it easier to buy her pills later.
Everyone's thoughts were spinning quickly.
The elder then announced the eliminated disciples.
Because the Burst Break Pill was too difficult, more than twenty were eliminated. Only ten remained in total. Almost all of them were from the two strongest branches. No one found this surprising. These few were the most gifted of the new generation.
"For the third round, you may refine any pill you choose. Bring your own herbs. There's no requirement on grade. We'll choose the top three to enter the finals."
The elder explained the rules briefly, then immediately stood near Song Wanníng's platform to watch. He'd just witnessed the birth of a genius. His heart was still racing.
The third round began quickly.
Song Wanníng stayed unhurried, taking out her herbs one by one and setting them neatly in front of her. She planned to challenge herself this round. She'd already established her reputation, so there was no need to keep holding back.
She might even gain something new if she pushed herself.
She started preparing according to the pill formula.
Feng San still hadn't recovered. He kept glancing at what Song Wanníng was doing and what pill she'd choose next, which only made him panic and mess up repeatedly.
Wu Wang noticed and quickly sent him a sound transmission, but Feng San had clearly taken a huge mental blow. His whole state was a mess.