Fantasy, starting with a treasure bowl

"Hey bro, who's this guy?"

Lu Feng also glanced at Zhang Yu, who was approaching menacingly, and muttered to himself.

Although he didn't know much about Zhang Yu's background, he could tell that the other party and Gu Juji were not on good terms and probably had a grudge.

"This person's name is Zhang Yu. He's a member of the Alchemist Guild just like me, but his alchemy skills are superior to mine. He's also one of the four rising stars of the Alchemist Guild..."

In response to Lu Feng's question, Gu Juji replied in a solemn tone.

"The Four Rising Stars?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Feng raised an eyebrow and said, "Brother Ji, could it be that even with your alchemy skills, you're not qualified to be among the top four rising stars?"

If he remembered correctly, Gu Juji was a genuine third-grade alchemist. Even within the Alchemist Guild, he was considered a senior figure and should not be ranked low.

"Uh, please excuse my poor appearance, Fellow Daoist Lu..."

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Gu Juji's face, then he replied in a low voice, "If we're talking about seniority, I could barely be considered one of the four rising stars of the Alchemist Guild, but I'm ranked at the bottom, and my alchemy skills are far inferior to Zhang Yu and the other two..."

"Therefore, whenever the outside world mentions the four rising stars of the Alchemist Guild, they usually only discuss the other three, ignoring me and not including me..."

Gu Juji sounded somewhat disappointed, but he was powerless to change the situation, as the reality was indeed cruel.

"Your Excellency possesses remarkable abilities, truly a dragon among men, yet you associate with someone as incompetent as Gu Niangpao. Aren't you afraid of damaging your reputation and lowering your social standing?"

After giving Lu Feng a similar once-over, Zhang Yu bowed respectfully, his tone much calmer than before, no longer displaying his previous arrogance, "Please forgive my bluntness, but your actions are truly perplexing..."

Although he looked down on Gu Juji, a fellow professional, Zhang Yu did not dare to be disrespectful or negligent towards Lu Feng; on the contrary, he was very polite.

Because Lu Feng's strength was evident to almost everyone present. Even Zhao Baichuan, the son of the prime minister, was no match for him, let alone the other scions of the Dongyun Kingdom's aristocratic families.

Zhang Yu was also extremely adept at judging people by their character, and he certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to offend Lu Feng right now.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, you are mistaken."

"After all, the alchemy competition is not just a contest of words, but a test of true strength."

Faced with Zhang Yu's advice, Lu Feng chuckled and then said in a low voice, "Besides, anything is possible before the outcome is decided, so sometimes it's best not to speak too soon..."

"If we accept your words, do you perhaps believe that Gu Niangpao can defeat me in the pill-tasting competition?"

Seemingly understanding the unspoken meaning in Lu Feng's words, Zhang Yu frowned slightly, and a hint of displeasure appeared on his face.

After all, he was a near-fourth-grade alchemist, while Gu Juji was only a third-grade alchemist. If it were a simple alchemy contest without resorting to underhanded tricks, the latter would have no chance of winning against him!

"I wouldn't dare say we'll definitely win, but I'd say we have an 80% chance. I believe in Brother Kei."

Lu Feng grinned and nodded again, as if he had everything under control.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, this...!"

Hearing Lu Feng's confident assertion, Gu Juji was also somewhat bewildered.

Although he also wanted to defeat his arch-rival Zhang Yu in the alchemy competition and give him a good slap in the face, the difference in their alchemy skills was ultimately undeniable.

Therefore, Gu Juji was naturally dumbfounded when he heard Lu Feng speak up for him and casually mention an 80% chance of winning.

"Keep it up, Brother Ji!"

Lu Feng patted Gu Juji on the shoulder, then turned and left, whispering in his ear, "Although this person's alchemy skills are skillful and exquisite, and his fire control ability is also superb, almost indistinguishable from a true fourth-grade alchemist, he is not invincible..."

"Moreover, this person is extremely impatient. He made many mistakes during the initial stage of pill fusion due to his eagerness to achieve quick results, which led to a significant drop in the quality of the final pills, revealing numerous flaws. This was one of his major failures..."

Lu Feng's voice was like thunder, immediately making Gu Juji's mind sharp and boosting his morale.

"Fellow Daoist Lu is indeed no ordinary person...!"

After all, the other party only observed for a moment, yet he saw through Zhang Yu's alchemy skills at a glance, and even missed the slightest mistake that the other party made in the process of alchemy. He can only be called a monster!

Such a skill of seeing everything at a glance is something that even a lowly butler like Gu Juji might not be able to achieve, let alone Mondo and Zhang Miaoling, who are in charge of the refereeing.

"Why did that kid surnamed Lu run away again?"

"Could it be that he's not interested in the rewards for this pill-refining competition, and therefore doesn't plan to participate...?"

Seeing Lu Feng turn and leave, Mundo, who was in charge of the refereeing, also looked surprised.

Because, after Zhang Miaoling's reminder, he also realized that Lu Feng was deliberately hiding his soul power aura. The latter's soul power was not weak, and he was most likely an alchemist.

"What on earth is this kid up to...!"

"Could it be that he doesn't like Fei'er, and all of this is just Fei'er's unrequited love?"

Compared to Mundo's surprise, Ren Tianxing frowned and looked solemn.

After all, this alchemy competition was also one of his tests for Lu Feng, and it would be meaningless if the latter did not participate.

In addition, Lu Feng's decision to give up participating in the pill-refining competition is enough to prove one thing: that the other party does not like Consort Ren at all, and has no intention of becoming her husband.

This is something Ren Tianxing didn't want to see.

As the saying goes, a married daughter is like water spilled from a bowl.

Not to mention that Consort Ren Xuan was deeply in love with Lu Feng, the two of them even spent a whole day and night in bed together in the underground palace of the Zhongwang Tomb ruins. Now that Lu Feng has turned his back on her and left like a scumbag, Ren Tianxing, as the former's biological father, naturally wouldn't allow it.

"You brat! How dare you take advantage of my concubine and then abandon her! I will not let you off easily!!"

Thinking of this, Ren Tianxing felt a surge of anger, and at the same time, he clenched his fists under his dragon robe, as if he might explode on the spot at any moment.

...

Meanwhile, in the huge square

The alchemy competition is still in full swing.

However, after the first round of competition, almost half of the original thirty-eight contestants were eliminated, and most of the remaining contestants were members of the Alchemist Guild. As for the old rivals Gu Juji and Zhang Yu, they were also among them.

"You sissy, you don't actually think you can beat me, do you?"

Seeing Gu Juji intently cleaning his alchemy furnace and preparing the materials for the next stage of alchemy, Zhang Yu's lips curled into a mocking smile. "Although Lu Feng and you have a close relationship, he is ultimately not an alchemist and cannot offer you any help..."

"As for the upcoming pill-refining competition, I will be refining one of the best fourth-grade pills, the 'Revitalizing Meridian Pill,' which can unblock meridians and even regenerate severed limbs. What makes you think you can beat me?!"

Zhang Yu simply raised his hand and flung the enormous cauldron in his right palm to the ground, his face now filled with arrogance.

"Hey Zhang, don't get too cocky. We'll see about this soon enough!"

Faced with Zhang Yu's provocation, Gu Juji frowned and retorted with a harsh remark.

As the saying goes, rivals are enemies. Even if Lu Feng wasn't watching from the sidelines, he still didn't want to lose to Zhang Yu, especially since the latter was his mortal enemy!