Meng Qiuran opened his mouth, looked at Lai Li’an’s expression of utter certainty, and ultimately swallowed the question that had risen to his lips.
He figured the other party disliked such grand occasions; the fact that they hadn’t been contacted earlier was the best proof.
He sighed.
Then he solemnly cupped his hands toward Lai Li’an and quickly followed the few elders ahead.
Before leaving, he turned back to add, “Senior, the judges’ seat is at the highest point north of the plaza, under the crimson silk canopy. Your seat is the third from the right in the very center. This junior has arranged everything. Senior, just go directly there!”
Lai Li’an watched those few soar into the air, then stood there for a moment, confirming that no one else was around before letting out a long breath.
He adjusted his lapels and walked quickly toward the venue.
Fortunately, the Alchemy Grand Assembly’s plaza was not too far from Vermilion Tower.
He quickened his pace, circled around several halls and pavilions, and climbed steps for about a quarter of an hour before finally seeing the massive archway.
Behind it lay a scene he had never witnessed before.
The entire plaza was built along the mountain’s contour, spreading out like a giant fan toward the horizon.
The outermost edge of the fan consisted of stands suspended halfway up the mountain, tier upon tier extending upward, each filled with cultivators from all over the Cangwu Realm—over 10,000 people.
The center of the fan was a flat area large enough to accommodate several thousand people.
At the high point due north of the plaza, a separate crimson silk canopy had been set up—the judges’ seat.
Above the entire plaza floated several enormous luminous mirrors, rotating slowly, projecting a clear image of every corner of the venue.
When Lai Li’an entered the judges’ seat through the side door, the opening ceremony had just ended.
Taking advantage of the fact that all cultivators’ attention was still focused on the young alchemists about to enter the central plaza, he silently took his seat.
From this angle, the entire plaza was in full view.
He suddenly somewhat understood why those big shots always liked sitting up high—this feeling of having the whole world underfoot was indeed addictive.
After that, the other judges entered one after another.
Yin Zheng sat down to Lai Li’an’s left, gave him a slight nod as a greeting, then turned his gaze back to the arena.
Then several elderly alchemists took their seats, most of them gray-haired elders, each with an extraordinary bearing.
Sun Zhanglao was also among them.
His identity was not that of an alchemist but as a representative of the Enforcement Hall, attending to supervise.
The last person to take a seat made Lai Li’an’s gaze involuntarily pause for a moment.
She was a tall woman, wearing a dark cyan fitted long dress.
Her face was sixty to seventy percent similar to Ruan Se’s—equally exquisite features and a pair of amber eyes.
Moreover, she wore no face veil, her long hair casually tied at the back with a jade hairpin.
Yet her temperament was completely different from Ruan Se’s.
Ruan Se’s aloofness was like a secluded mountain spring, while this woman’s coldness was like blazing furnace fire.
[System Panel: Ruan Qin, Late Core Formation, Extreme Fire Spirit Root.]
Surnamed Ruan, and looking so much like Ruan Se, with names one being Qin and the other Se, Lai Li’an was completely certain they were sisters.
After everyone had taken their seats, Pei Changjing spoke first.
Leaning back in his chair, he said lazily, “I took a glance during the opening ceremony just now. These juniors this year are indeed more interesting than previous years. Just the number of Golden Core stage alchemists—several have come. In previous years, even one would have been good.”
Yin Zheng nodded slightly.
“The alchemy skills of various families are indeed steadily improving. This time, that child Meng Qiuran has also worked very hard.”
Others chimed in, and the few of them chatted back and forth.
Pei Changjing suddenly turned his head to look at Lai Li’an, a hint of playfulness in his drowsy eyes.
“Daoist Friend Lai, I was rather presumptuous earlier. I hope you’ll forgive me. However, old Pei is truly curious. Since you were able to make that boy Meng Qiuran completely convinced, may I ask which school you studied under? The Dao Alchemy grandmasters of the Cangwu Realm—old Pei has met most of them, but you seem quite unfamiliar.”
Lai Li’an picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and said flatly, “Venerable Self has no sect or school, just a rogue cultivator.”
Pei Changjing raised an eyebrow, did not press further, but the interest in his eyes was clearly stronger.
Yin Zheng also turned his head to look at Lai Li’an, a hint of scrutiny in his gaze.
Ruan Qin, however, had not participated in the small talk from start to finish, her eyes fixed on the platform at the center of the plaza.
With a long resonant chime echoing across the plaza, the first round of the Alchemy Grand Assembly officially began.
The luminous mirrors floating above simultaneously turned toward the very center of the plaza, projecting the enormous platform clearly before the eyes of the 10,000 people.
Looking down from the judges’ seat, Lai Li’an saw that the platform had somehow been covered with spiritual herbs—not just dozens of varieties, but tens of thousands of herbs haphazardly mixed together, piled into low mounds.
The color, shape, and aura of each herb were masked by the scents of other herbs.
Herbs of similar colors were deliberately mixed.
What’s more, some herbs had been specifically rubbed with spiritual power after being picked, disturbing their surface texture and scent.
“All contestants—”
The presiding elder’s voice spread across the venue through the spiritual amplification array.
“The first round of this Alchemy Grand Assembly is Myriad Forms Knowledge. Each contestant has received their own test jade slip, which specifies twenty herbs. All specified herbs are mixed on the herb platform before you. Contestants must find all specified herbs before the hourglass runs out, mark them with spiritual power, and hand them to the appraisal alchemist for verification. Those who fail to complete the task when the hourglass runs out will be eliminated.”
“During the competition, it is forbidden to use any magic artifacts or spirit pets to assist identification. It is forbidden to use violent means to snatch or damage other contestants’ herbs. Violators will be immediately disqualified.”
As the signal sounded, nearly a thousand young alchemists on the plaza surged toward the enormous herb platform.
Some charged ahead and burrowed deep into the herb mounds, others stood still with closed eyes sensing, and still others had already gotten down on the ground, picking through one by one.
The scene quickly evolved from initial order into a silent melee.
No one spoke, but everyone’s movements were urgent.
The luminous mirrors projected this scene into the air, and the stands began to buzz with murmurs.
Lai Li’an’s gaze searched through the crowd and quickly found Ruan Se.
She did not scramble like the others.
Instead, she walked slowly along the edge of the herb platform, her right hand’s fingers slightly spread, a strand of spiritual power hanging from her fingertips like a gossamer thread, gently brushing over the surface of each pile of herbs.
Every time Ruan Se passed a herb mound, a few herbs would be gently lifted by her spiritual power and fall into the storage tray in her left hand.
A Wood Spiritual Root’s perception of spiritual herbs was naturally far more acute than other spiritual roots.
Within a short time, Ruan Se’s storage tray had already gathered all twenty herbs.
When she immediately handed the tray to the appraisal alchemist, the fastest among the remaining contestants had only found about a dozen herbs.
After the appraisal alchemist verified it, he announced loudly, “Ruan Se—all twenty correct! First place in the first round!”
A wave of exclamations arose from the stands.
On the judges’ seat, several elderly men began whispering among themselves.
“Daoist Friend Ruan, your younger sister’s performance is truly dazzling,” said a white-bearded, gray-haired elder with a chuckle, turning sideways and bowing to Ruan Qin across several seats.
“Although this Myriad Forms Knowledge is only the first round, she was composed from start to finish, identifying herbs as easily as taking something from her pocket. To use a Wood Spiritual Root to such a level is truly rare.”
A nearby judge also chimed in, “Indeed, this assembly has only just begun, and your younger sister has already stolen the lead. It seems she has a good chance of winning this year.”
Ruan Qin turned her head slightly and replied politely, “You two flatter her. Herb identification is just basic skill. The subsequent competitions are the real test. If she can maintain her composure, that will count as improvement.”
After speaking, she turned her gaze back to the arena without another word.
The two judges, feeling snubbed, gave awkward smiles and turned to Yin Zheng to compliment Meng Qiuran’s performance.
Yin Zheng was much more easygoing than Ruan Qin.
He smiled and said that the child Qiuran had indeed put in hard work.
After chatting for a few sentences, the judges’ topic turned back to the arena.
Before long, Meng Qiuran also completed his herb identification, taking second place.
Then the other contestants submitted their results one after another.
The names of the top ten were projected in turn by the luminous mirrors in midair.
Shao Jiao’s name was not among them.
Lai Li’an sat in his chair, slowly taking a sip of tea.
Ruan Se said that being in the top three was no problem.
Now it seemed she wasn’t bragging.
Meng Qiuran was steady and methodical; his herb identification speed was only second to Ruan Se, with very solid basic skills.
Both of their strengths were as expected.
As for that Shao Jiao, he wasn’t in the top ten.
He probably wasn’t very good at this aspect.
He placed his teacup back on the table and turned his gaze back to the arena.
The first round was just an appetizer; the real contest was still to come.