Fantasy, starting with a treasure bowl

Ren Tianxing glanced at Xu Liancheng beside him and, seeing the other man nod silently, loudly announced, "Let's begin!"

"Here you go!"

Han Lao and Chen Jinnan both bowed and withdrew, while Consort Ren Xuan couldn't help but ask, "Father, you wouldn't be planning to marry me off to these guys, would you?"

"This is completely different from what you agreed on before...!"

Ren Xuanfei pointed to the crowd in the square not far away, her tone somewhat worried.

If it were just a simple martial arts contest to choose a husband, she wouldn't be worried at all that Lu Feng would lose. After all, even someone as strong as Zhao Baichuan, who was at the first level of the Spirit Soul Realm, was instantly killed by the former in one move, with almost no chance to fight back.

Among the young masters from various aristocratic families present, only Yun Ting, the young master of the Yun family, could rival Lu Feng.

However, the situation is completely different now that it's a pill-refining competition.

After all, in Ren Xuanfei's impression, Lu Feng didn't understand alchemy at all, and his attainments in alchemy were almost zero. Even a random first-grade alchemist could easily defeat Lu Feng!

"Fei'er, these alchemists are not only young and promising, but they are all outstanding individuals. Do you not find any of them satisfactory?"

Seeing Ren Xuanfei's anxious expression, Ren Tianxing remained unmoved and simply asked a question in return.

Ren Tianxing was well aware of his daughter's ulterior motives, but he had no intention of retracting his decision.

Because this is also one of the tests he is putting on Lu Feng!

"Of course not!"

Seemingly to avoid any misunderstanding, Consort Ren bit her lip lightly and said weakly, "Father, I just thought the martial arts contest for marriage was quite nice at the beginning, but it's a bit strange that it suddenly turned into a pill-refining competition..."

"My dear, as the saying goes, 'If you employ someone, don't doubt them; if you don't trust them, don't employ them.'"

Ren Tianxing glanced at Ren Xuanfei again and said meaningfully, "If you believe someone has the ability to win, then you should have confidence in them instead of worrying and adding unnecessary trouble for yourself."

"this...!"

Upon hearing this, Consort Ren's beautiful eyes flashed with surprise, and at the same time, she was deeply shocked. "Could it be that Father already knows about Lu Feng?"

"impossible....!"

Ren Xuanfei frowned slightly.

Because, apart from Elder Han of Luochuan County, she had never mentioned Lu Feng's background to anyone else.

Given Han Lao's temperament and unwavering loyalty, he would never speak ill of someone behind their back. Logically speaking, Ren Tianxing shouldn't know anything about Lu Feng's affairs.

"Your Majesty, Princess, the alchemy competition has begun."

Just as Ren Xuanfei was lost in thought, Xu Liancheng's voice came from the side, immediately interrupting her thoughts.

"Fei'er, for now, let's just enjoy the performance of these young talents."

Ren Tianxing smiled slightly in return.

Seeing this, Ren Xuanfei didn't say much. She just looked at Lu Feng in the corner of the crowd with a worried expression, while her slender hands under her sleeves clenched tightly.

Meanwhile, outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, in the center of the huge square

A large number of figures stood silently, their expressions solemn. In front of each person was a furnace of varying sizes and shapes, clearly the contestants participating in this alchemy competition.

As for the referees and judges of this alchemy competition, they are naturally Zhang Miaoling and Meng Duo, the two vice presidents of the Alchemist Guild.

Although their alchemy skills were not as good as Xu Liancheng's, and they were only sixth-grade alchemists, they were still far superior to the young alchemists present. Even in the entire Lingnan Four Kingdoms, they were enough to be treated as honored guests by the major sects and forces!

"Miaoling, why did the president suddenly come back?"

Stepping down to Zhang Miaoling's side, Mondo deliberately lowered his voice, a hint of surprise appearing on his face, "I still remember that in order to break through the shackles of an eighth-grade alchemist, the guild leader once went alone to the Pill Alliance in the Central Profound Domain and swore an oath not to return for ten years..."

"But now, less than five years later, the guild leader has returned from the Central Profound Domain. That's really strange..."

"Hehe, Brother Meng, how come you've become so fond of gossip?"

Seeing Mondo's question, Zhang Miaoling glanced at him, then smiled faintly, "Besides, we haven't finished what Brother Xu asked us to do yet, so it's best if we don't chat and get distracted."

"Eh, it's just a competition among a bunch of juniors, it's so boring...!"

Upon hearing this, Mundo merely shrugged, his tone still nonchalant, "However, if the guild leader himself were to refine the pills, that would be quite a sight, but unfortunately, we probably won't be able to see that right now..."

While Mondo and Zhang Miaoling were chatting, the alchemy competition in the square was in full swing.

"Melting Elixir!"

A loud shout suddenly came from the square.

The next moment, a pockmarked young man of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old waved his hand, instantly dispelling the raging flames rising from beneath the furnace. At the same time, a faint fragrance of pills wafted out, clearly indicating that the pills were ready.

Click!

The moment the fragrance of the pills dissipated, the pockmarked youth wasted no time. He gently pushed with his hands, using his inner energy to lift the lid of the cauldron in front of him, and took out three perfectly round, crystal-clear, pale yellow pills.

"Hmm, although it's just a very ordinary Grade Two Xuanhuang Detoxification Pill, the quality of the finished product is 82%, and the impurity rate is less than 10%, which is not bad..."

Seeing the pockmarked youth start the furnace and collect the elixir, Mondo crossed his arms, nodded secretly, and a hint of satisfaction appeared on his dark face.

Although the pockmarked youth opposite him was only a second-grade alchemist with mediocre talent in alchemy, he had a close relationship with Mondo, being a relative of the cousin of the granddaughter of his great-grandfather's son.

Therefore, seeing the pockmarked youth performing well, Mundo is naturally very pleased.

Swish!

Swish!

Swish!

Just as the pockmarked youth finished his pill, the other contestants in the square also opened their furnaces and offered up their own pills. In an instant, the fragrance of pills filled the air, covering most of the square and making the atmosphere of the pill-making competition even more intense.

"Wait, isn't that person...?"

In a corner of the crowd, Lu Feng was also watching the battle of the pill-refining contest when a familiar figure in blue robes caught his eye, causing him to look surprised.

Across the square, in front of a furnace, a tall, handsome young man with fair skin was intently controlling the fire to melt the pills. Every now and then, he would reach out and lift the lid of the furnace to take a look. It was none other than Gu Juji, who had some acquaintance with Lu Feng back then.

"Brother Gay?"

Lu Feng was somewhat surprised.

His attention was entirely focused on Xu Liancheng and the pill-refining competition on the side, so he didn't notice Gu Juji's presence at first.

"That's... Fellow Daoist Lu?!"

Seemingly sensing something, Gu Juji also looked up, and was stunned when he found Lu Feng standing in the corner of the crowd watching him refine pills.