Immortal Road.

"My ten Grade 7 spirit stones!"

Jin Chi Lao Dao gritted his teeth in hatred. Even if Lin Shan made it into the top three, or even just third place, it would still be considered a win for him. With odds of 1 to 9, he would make a fortune.

As it turns out, the bookmaker was a complete scoundrel; from the very beginning, he never intended to pay them back!

Without further ado, Qiu Yibai and the others have already decided on the first and second place. The bookmaker isn't stupid either; they won't wait until the end to make a losing deal. Why would they run away with the money sooner?

Lin Shan was somewhat disheartened. After the awards ceremony, he walked off the stage alone and found that all six True Immortals had also left. Sure enough, none of them favored him!

He was a genius who could identify immortal artifacts in the Purple Mansion Realm while only at the Void Transformation stage, and he was so neglected that he was momentarily stunned and at a loss for words.

Not only did the immortals not take it seriously, but even the spectators in the surrounding stands, having witnessed the show and finding no more entertainment, naturally left one after another.

In the end, only Lin Shan and Jin Chi Lao Dao, two unfortunate brothers, remained.

The two looked at each other in silence, and could only walk out of the square side by side.

Along the way, looking at the various competition venues around us, there were sect martial arts competitions, aristocratic family competitions, alchemy tournaments, weapon forging tournaments, farming competitions, and so on.
Everywhere was packed with people, the atmosphere was vibrant, and the scene inside was magnificent and grand, all in the midst of intense preparations.

The six True Immortals who previously presided over the treasure appraisal conference have now come to the alchemy conference to oversee things!
So you left in such a hurry just now to rush to the next event?
The audience probably thought so too, so no one paid any attention to Lin Shan. Besides, he was only third place. What was so great about being able to appraise treasures? They might as well go to other venues to watch some fun.

"I had won a seventh-grade spirit stone, but I bet it all on you, and the bookmaker ran off with the money."

Jin Chi, the old Taoist priest, felt extremely guilty and apologized to Lin Shan. However, the latter was looking at the arena next to him and asked him a question.

"Look, isn't that the person on the stage who's opening the betting market the bookmaker you were talking about?"

Ok?
When the old Taoist priest Jinchi looked up, he was so angry that his nose almost twisted out of shape!

Well, you little brat, after fooling the treasure appraisal conference, you're now trying to fool the alchemy competition. Do you think this old Taoist is easy to bully?
"Let's go, let's settle the score with him."

The two stormed into the alchemy arena, only to be stopped by the guards inside.

"Wait a minute, do you have an appointment?"

Do I need to make a reservation to watch a game?
Lin Shan discovered that these large-scale competitions were indeed too crowded, and even reservations had been introduced to limit the number of participants. Wouldn't that mean he wouldn't be able to get in?
Just as they were pacing anxiously, a woman's voice rang out behind them.

"Come with me."

Turning around, I saw a woman in a golden dress with long, bright white hair—it was Wenlingzi, whom he had just pushed down to fourth place!
The woman glanced at him, seemingly without holding a grudge. She casually took out a jade token and waved it, intending to lead them inside. The guards at the door were meticulous and reached out to check it.

"My lady, I need to verify your card."

Wenlingzi arched her eyebrows, gently shielded her chest with her hand, and softly rebuked.

"You clueless idiot! My master is sitting right here in the stands. How dare you check my cards?"

The guards were meticulous, as if they didn't recognize this senior sister of the Brocade Immortal Sect, simply standing guard and emphasizing their duty.

Having no other choice, Wenlingzi didn't want to make a big fuss, so she could only throw the jade pendant over.

"There's nothing wrong with the cards."

After passing through smoothly, Lin Shan and the old Taoist Jinchi followed obediently behind, not daring to utter a sound the whole time. After all, they had sneaked in and were afraid of causing any trouble.

As he walked up to the audience seats, he passed the betting odds and saw the same bookmaker from before, now frantically making money, constantly opening bets to harvest the韭菜 (a metaphor for retail investors), surrounded by layers upon layers of spectators. Finally, he couldn't resist stepping forward and pushing through the crowd.

"You liar, how dare you set up a stall here?"

The two started arguing at the slightest provocation. Wen Lingzi, who was in front, stopped when she heard the noise, turned around, and covered her mouth in surprise.

Before the bookmaker could even react, he was beaten to a pulp!
Jin Chi Lao Dao was furious. He had finally guessed correctly and made money, but then you ran away at the close of trading. How was he supposed to compensate for his losses?
"I'll let you run, I'll let you run!"

"Oh no, no no no, let's talk this out."

The dealer recognized him and secretly begged and pleaded with him, but Lin Shan had to pull him away with all his might to stop.

"Where's my money?!"

Faced with the aggressive creditor, the dealer was on the verge of tears. "You should have said you wanted your money earlier. What's with the attack on me first?"

"Did I say I wouldn't pay? Didn't we explain this beforehand that we had limited time after the treasure appraisal event, and we'd settle the accounts slowly at the alchemy event? Ask the people around you."

Jinchi Daoist turned his head and looked around, only to find that half of them were familiar faces. They were all gamblers from the last competition who had come back to compete in this one!
"Alright, hurry up and settle the money with him. We still need to place our bets."

The dealer didn't renege on his debt and paid the ten spirit stones to the old Taoist Jinchi, who finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Thinking about how impulsive he had been, he could only smile awkwardly and walk away.

The bookmaker ignored him; making money was the priority. He opened the betting pool and took bets one after another, and the people in the room were like madmen.

"I'm betting on Dan Qiuzi, he'll definitely be number one!"

"I'm betting on the saltpeter master; he's the real favorite to win the championship."

"Hmph, what do you know? When it comes to alchemy, who can compare to Master Jiajing?"

"The odds for this guy from Xiongshan are really high, I'll bet on him to make it into the top ten and see what happens."

and many more!

Lin Shan stopped abruptly, wondering if he had misheard.

Xiongshan?

Did this idiot ascend to heaven?

Or is it that there are people with the same name in the immortal realm?

He quickly turned back, found the path marked by the dealer, and saw the name "Master Xiongshan," which happened to be number sixty-two among the seventh-rank supreme alchemy masters of the Dongxu group.

Turning to look at the competition arena, many alchemists were already in place. At number sixty-two, there was a short, sleazy old man who was looking around and observing his opponent.

Xing Shuzi?
Lin Shan's eyes widened, and he immediately recognized this troublesome bastard.

Back then, he turned the tables on Elder Chuyun and Elder Huang, then left without saying goodbye and was never heard from again.

Now look what's happened! They came all the way to Yunzhou to attend the grand event, and they even stole their own pseudonym!

Xing Shuzi and he had the same idea. Since they were both star cultivators and their systems were very similar, they could just change their identities to swindle and deceive. If they messed up, they could just walk away.

"Fellow Daoist Xing, what's wrong?"

The old Taoist priest Jinchi tugged at his sleeve, indicating that Wenlingzi was still waiting in front.

Lin Shan glanced back at the betting odds and noticed that 'Master Xiongshan' had very high odds, 4 to 1 to make it into the top ten, indicating that he wasn't favored by outsiders. After thinking about it, he figured this guy could only refine trash like the Chaoling She Pill, and probably wouldn't even make it into the top ten, so he didn't place a bet.

"What were you doing just now?"

Wenlingzi waited for a while, but she wasn't angry. She just asked a casual question and then led them to the VIP table to sit down.

Lin Shan and Jin Chi Daoist dared not act recklessly, because the True Immortal Jinxiu Ancestor was not far away. Under the watchful eyes of an immortal, they consciously kept their tails between their legs.

Looking at the crowd below the stage, many alchemists in robes walked back and forth, busily setting up the venue.

The female cultivator in front of them began to introduce herself.

"The organizer of the Alchemy Conference is the Pill Pavilion, a legitimate and recognized super-powerful force in the Immortal Realm. It gathers countless alchemists, possesses the most comprehensive and complete alchemy heritage to date, and has enormous wealth. It is a key target for the Heavenly Court to win over and guard against."

The Yunzhou Grand Gathering is sponsored by numerous forces, including official institutions, private organizations, religious sects, and merchant families. If ranked by scale, the Treasure Appraisal Conference and the Alchemy Conference are the most popular competitions.

Speaking of what had just happened, Wenlingzi glanced at Lin Shan.

"Unfortunately, you've come to the wrong place. Yunzhou is a place where old forces are stubbornly entrenched, and the atmosphere of recruiting new talent and making progress has long been lost. It's not your fault that you have a wealth of talent but are not being given important positions; it's just that everyone here can only manage their own little plot of land."

At this point, I even gave him a special explanation.

Yunzhou is located in a remote area and is severely xenophobic. The authority of the Heavenly Court does not extend to this place, so it is only natural that not many resources are allocated to it, making it impossible for it to connect with the mainstream of the Immortal Realm.

For example, there is only one spot for the Immortal Item Appraiser, which will definitely be given to Qiu Yibai, the disciple of Immortal Yuanjian, as the saying goes, "being near the water tower, one gets the moon first."

No matter how talented others are, they will not receive the corresponding attention, and without sufficient resources, powerful forces will not bother to cultivate more talents.

For example, the Brocade Immortal Sect, even its own genius Wenlingzi couldn't get the Immortal Grade Appraiser qualification, so why bother to start anew and recruit Lin Shan?

Therefore, the fact that he wasn't pursued for interfering and causing trouble at the appraisal conference was already a sign of leniency from the various True Immortals; they simply couldn't be bothered to take it seriously.

Wenlingzi also made it very clear that he came to the wrong place. The environment in Yunzhou cannot tolerate wild geniuses. You need a background to make it in the world. If you don't have a background, you can only play by yourself.

"Why would a fairy tell me these things? I'm afraid it won't do you any good."

Lin Shan asked curiously after hearing this.

"Of course, this fairy has high hopes for your appraisal skills, and it would be a real pity to let them go to waste, so I wanted to give you a hand."

"Pull me up? We're not related, why would you want to pull me up?"

No one has nothing better to do than help others. Lin Shan guessed that someone must have something on him that led them to approach him.

Wenlingzi was a straightforward person; she didn't beat around the bush and laid it all out with him directly.

"Your appraisal skills are no less than mine. Although I don't know what methods you use, that's not important to me. I'm about to set off for the Eastern Immortal Realm to take a ship to the Immortal Realm under the Heavenly Court's jurisdiction in search of opportunities. Would you be willing to travel with me?"

It turns out that they saw Lin Shan as a talented but unappreciated person, so they wanted to find a travel companion on the road to travel together.

The old Taoist priest Jinchi listened from the side and felt very envious.

A beautiful woman invited him, and she was also a disciple of an immortal. She was so proactive; if it were him, he would have already accepted!

Why can't I have such a good opportunity?

But Lin Shan felt something was off. The other party was the senior sister of the Jinxiu Immortal Sect. If she wanted to travel, why didn't she find a well-known and talented person from the sect? Instead, she came to him, a rogue cultivator with unknown background. Was this right?

Instead of looking for yourself, you might as well look for Lie Yunrou from Yibaolou!

That woman was also a talented person who had not been recognized, and her background seemed much more reliable than his own. Her judgment skills were on the surface to be about the same, and her cultivation was far superior to his own. Why should he go to such lengths instead of seeking something closer to him?

Wenlingzi smiled helplessly and explained the reason.

"Lie Yunrou and I have always been rivals, competing with each other for hundreds of years. Neither of us can gain the upper hand. This time, I am determined to leave because I want to surpass her. Fellow Daoist Xing, please don't tell anyone."

Lin Shan nodded in understanding, but still politely declined.

First of all, the opponent's cultivation level is at the peak of the Void Realm, while I am only at the early stage of the Void Realm. I have been restricted too much on this journey and dare not show any temper. The difference in safety level is too great.

Secondly, I heard that he had to go through the Eastern Immortal Realm to cross the customs, which is the home ground of the Penglai Immortal Sect. He must be tired of living to actively go there!

Finally, having just arrived in Yunzhou, I was preparing to rest and improve my strength. How could I have time to continue wandering around?

After her earnest persuasion failed, Wenlingzi gave up and, just as the event was about to end, the alchemy competition officially began.

Boom boom boom boom boom~~
Rows of alchemy furnaces roared with fire, and many alchemists began to use their special skills!
The Dan Pavilion's assessment is simple and brutal: it allows for free expression without any restrictions on themes!

As for how to judge and rank them, it is up to the alchemists of Dan Pavilion to determine, and there is no shady dealing involved.

Compared to treasure appraisal competitions, alchemy is much more subjective!
If you're skilled, you're skilled. By using your abilities to refine pills of better quality, rarer quality, more potent effects, and with a higher yield, you can gain the unanimous recognition of all the judges and the audience.

While listening to Wenlingzi's explanation of the favorites to win the championship, Lin Shan focused his attention on number sixty-two, who was Xing Shuzi.

This old fellow immediately started a fierce fire, using the unique starfire that a star cultivator possesses. His alchemy furnace was an extremely rare Xuan Tian spiritual treasure, instantly making him stand out among all the alchemists.

Unexpectedly, this person actually possesses a Xuan Tian spiritual treasure alchemy furnace!

Lin Shan was quite surprised. Indeed, one cannot judge a book by its cover. He had initially thought the man was poor, but it turned out he had been mistaken.

The other party kept throwing in one ingredient after another, and then skillfully manipulated the flames, refining the medicinal herbs through the furnace, displaying the demeanor of a supreme master.

Many people on the stage also started to notice and asked the people next to them who this was.

Lin Shan noticed that a familiar figure seemed to flash by the stands. Could it be...?
Lord Ji Xuan!
He suddenly opened his eyes wide and secretly glanced over, discovering that Ji Xuanjun was currently watching the battle from the crowd, and seemed a little nervous.

This person had been secretly plotted against by Xing Shuzi using Chao Ling She Dan long ago, and had become the other party's potential servant.

Now that they've both arrived in Yunzhou, it's like a pillow being handed to someone who's been sleeping.

Don't forget, Xing Shuzi still owes Lin Shan the final payment!
In this way, we can wait and find opportunities to get it back after their competition ends.

Just then, a loud explosion suddenly rang out on the field.

One person's alchemy furnace exploded, and a torrent of fragments rushed towards those nearby, causing minor injuries to many people!

The scene was a complete mess, which then triggered a chain reaction, causing more people to be affected and the furnace to explode, thus ruining everything.

However, some people have unwavering resolve and a steadfast mind, and they continue refining pills without uttering a sound.

Finally, after an hour, someone successfully refined the elixir! (End of Chapter)