Chapter 803: The Golden List Appears, Xiao Lang is Obsessed

Vaguely and unexpectedly, Xu Xiaoshou never imagined that through Xiao Wanfeng, he could rope in another young girl.

The Yu family was a major clan, one of the prominent families in Zhongcheng District. They had experts in Zhan Dao skills, and whether they had Tai Xu masters was unknown, but their foundations ran deep. After entering the city, Xu Xiaoshou had heard rumors about them.

Yu Chuchu was also a top disciple of the Dongling Guild leader.

The Wangcheng Liandan Master Association headquarters had connections with many Tai Xu forces. By bringing in this liandan apprentice, Tian Shang First Tower had just lost Mr. Si Ren but gained a major boost. Now, who would dare to mess with Tian Shang First Tower? Anyone who tried anything reckless would face Yu Chuchu as a shield first! Enemies would have to think twice about whether they could afford to offend the Yu family and the Dongling Guild leader.

As for the possibility of losing the bet...

Xu Xiaoshou hadn't even considered that question. Although he wasn't very familiar with orthodox liandan techniques, his "culinary mastery" skill was at the throne level. In this competition, even without using the "boiling soup liandan method," it would be a breeze for him—he didn't see any real challenge.

The little girl was just too innocent and naive, wasn't she? How amusing. No wonder so many people in the world enjoyed roping in young girls... He chuckled to himself.

On one side, Yu Chuchu had pulled Xiao Wanfeng to a corner far from Xu Xiaoshou and seemed to be launching an intense brainwashing campaign, preparing for her future resignation and job switch. Though she kept her voice low, Xu Xiaoshou had his "perception" ability, so he heard every word clearly—things like "I'm better than him," "the Yu family has a bright future," "the liandan master association headquarters is incredibly impressive"...

He heard it all crystal clear! Tsk tsk!

Xu Xiaoshou shook his head and chuckled. This poaching attempt had gone completely off the rails. If Xiao Wanfeng cared about such things, he probably wouldn't have come to work at Tian Shang First Tower in the first place. As a successor to a Half-Saint, that title alone crushed these empty promises a hundred times over, didn't it?

Ignoring the occasional pleading glances from Xiao Wanfeng, Xu Xiaoshou felt it was worth letting the young man sacrifice a bit of his charm to secure such a big ally. Go for it, Wanfeng! He encouraged him silently in his mind, then turned his attention back to the competition.

Two quarters of an hour were almost up. Some participants in the arena had already succeeded in forming their dans. There was no doubt that the Ke Xuan Dan assigned for this assessment was extremely difficult to refine. But the Dong Tianjie was full of talents. The young liandan masters from the Five Domains weren't just talk—they lived up to their reputations.

The first to succeed wasn't the six-pin liandan master Zhu Yan, but an obscure eight-pin liandan master. Qiu Jiangzhi, who looked to be in his twenties, had a refined appearance and an otherworldly demeanor. But clearly, his eight-pin liandan master badge didn't match his true status.

"So, he's another one like me, planning to play the pig to eat the tiger..." Xu Xiaoshou noted this young man mentally. The fact that he had formed his dan before a six-pin master meant his skills were not to be underestimated.

Two quarters of an hour passed in a flash. The first round of assessments ended, and staff collected the dans for the judges to score. After the first group left the stage, they were all confined to a special spirit array—the "Forbidden Zone"—to prevent any leaks. Though they couldn't contact the outside world, it didn't stop these contestants from craning their necks, waiting for the judges' results and final comments.

The second group entered, received their dan formulas and materials, and began another wave of furrowed brows and frustration. How interesting! Xu Xiaoshou was genuinely curious about what that dan formula looked like. The way this large group of people changed expressions was downright astonishing.

He roughly calculated: Out of the first five hundred participants refining the Ke Xuan Dan, over four hundred had their furnaces explode. Among the rest who succeeded, excluding waste dans, only about thirty would likely get a valid score.

During the second group's refining interval, a spirit array on the judges' side activated, displaying a magnificent golden leaderboard. Here it comes! The audience seats erupted in excitement. The waiting liandan masters also stretched their necks to look. This was an elimination round, so the judges wouldn't go through individual critiques to save time, but scores would be posted immediately after the dans were formed. This "golden leaderboard" appeared as soon as the judges finalized their scores. Anyone with objections could appeal to the judges. As long as you, a young upstart, thought you had the eloquence to outdebate those eighteen fair and impartial old foxes.

"Look, the scoring leaderboard is up, just like every year."

"First stage—wow, only thirty-six people made the list?"

"Heavens, out of five hundred people, only thirty-six have scores? Is this Ke Xuan Dan that insane? Is it really that hard?"

The leaderboard listed the top hundred spots. Yet only thirty-six names appeared, with the rest just showing numbers and blanks.

"Number one, Qiu Jiangzhi, 92 points."

Almost instantly, everyone's eyes locked on the top spot. But that unfamiliar name left the tens of thousands in the audience silent.

"Qiu Jiangzhi—who is that?"

That was the question on everyone's mind. Yu Chuchu, who had dragged Xiao Wanfeng back, was now staring at the top name, Qiu Jiangzhi, in a daze.

"Qiu Jiangzhi?"

"The top spot isn't Zhu Yan?"

"A six-pin like Zhu Yan didn't take first? How is that possible?"

The young girl's big eyes widened, almost popping out.

Xu Xiaoshou leaned in closer with a smirk, implying something as he said: "In this world, talents are everywhere. Not everyone cares about the vanity of liandan master badges, just like me."

He puffed out his chest self-assuredly.

Yu Chuchu shot him an annoyed glare. "Stop trying to make yourself look good. Just wait until I take Xiao Wanfeng!"

After that snide remark, the girl, like most people, turned her gaze to the first group of contestants in the Forbidden Zone.

In the Forbidden Zone, Zhu Yan stared at the leaderboard in disbelief.

"I'm not first?"

He gazed at the top name, "Qiu Jiangzhi," completely stunned. The Ke Xuan Dan was tough, but once Zhu Yan truly understood the formula and steadied his mind, he didn't find it that hard to refine. It was all basics! The only issue was the final step of condensing the dan—he made a small mistake, got tangled in conflicting medicinal properties, and it took extra effort.

Even so, the quality of his dan wasn't bad. Using the liandan world's standards of "lower, middle, upper, and supreme" quality, he believed that on his first try with this new formula, even if it didn't reach "upper," it could at least hit "middle."

Keep in mind, this was his first time with a new formula. Reaching "middle" quality was already impressive. Most people either ended up with waste dans or "lower" quality so poor that you'd hesitate to use them. But "middle" meant the dan was close to perfect—at least non-toxic. Pills have three parts poison, after all. "Lower" quality was still in that toxic phase. "Middle" meant it had surpassed that, safe and harmless. As for "upper" and "supreme," those came with familiarity and practice—non-toxic, with extraordinarily effective properties.

Zhu Yan, as a six-pin liandan master, achieving "middle" quality on his first Ke Xuan Dan refinement, figured anyone surpassing him must have hit "upper."

"Did this Qiu Jiangzhi refine an 'upper' quality dan on his first try with Ke Xuan Dan?" The young Zhu Yan was lost in thought. The liandan competition truly had talents galore—it wasn't just hype!

The leaderboard was revealed. The Forbidden Zone contestants exploded into chatter. They all turned to search for the top-ranked person.

In the crowd, Qiu Jiangzhi, with his eight-pin liandan master badge, stepped forward slightly, holding his head high with confidence. His demeanor was already exceptional, and among the curious onlookers, his poise made him stand out like a crane among chickens, immediately recognizable.

"Eight-pin?"

"That's impossible!"

"This has to be a six-pin master in disguise—a wolf in sheep's clothing."

"What a big shot..."

"Brother Qiu, you're more than just eight-pin, right?" someone greeted him.

Qiu Jiangzhi surveyed the crowd, basking in the joy of being in the spotlight. After years of seclusion, wasn't this the moment he sought—to shine in front of others?

"Merely eight-pin, nothing worth mentioning," he said, pointing to his badge on his chest and denying the rumors of being six-pin.

"Heh, Brother Qiu, you're joking. If you're eight-pin, then us seven-pins might as well go feed the pigs."

"Your eight-pin must be outdated, right?"

Qiu Jiangzhi lifted his chin even higher. "Not long ago—just five years."

A chorus of gasps rippled through the crowd.

Qiu Jiangzhi's smile grew wider. People exchanged incredulous looks. The liandan master badge was a mark of honor. Once your skills advanced, no one could resist the temptation to get certified immediately. Yet Qiu Jiangzhi had held back for five years? That kind of restraint was stronger than any ascetic practice!

"Five years, from eight-pin to six-pin..."

Zhu Yan eyed the youth who was drawing all the attention and gritted his teeth in annoyance. He hadn't lost by much. If he'd handled that final condensation step better, his score wouldn't have been lower than Qiu Jiangzhi's. And in his view, going from eight-pin to six-pin in five years was decent talent, but nothing extraordinary. He himself was only sixteen and already a six-pin master. His entire liandan journey had taken just five years. Qiu Jiangzhi, judging by his appearance, was already in his twenties. His aptitude was good, but not on Zhu Yan's level of genius.

But reality was reality. A competition wouldn't delay for your youth or lack of preparation.

"Losing is losing. I'll win it back next time—there are two more rounds!" Zhu Yan clenched his fists.

"Don't just stare at first place. Look further down—you'll find something surprising!"

The audience could hear the exchanges in the Forbidden Zone. Once the top spot was identified, the crowd saw it was just an ordinary-looking young man, not some stunning beauty, so they quickly moved on. Then someone shouted, pointing at the leaderboard as if spotting an anomaly.

Xu Xiaoshou, who had been watching the one playing pig to eat the tiger, saw the attention shift and didn't linger. If he were from a major power, he'd actually prefer someone like Zhu Yan. Talents like that were what the elders in the viewing stands really wanted. As for showboating... If not for the passive points up for grabs, even Xu Xiaoshou would look down on it!

"Is there an issue with the leaderboard?"

He had only glanced at the top spot earlier and now turned back at the audience's call. Yu Chuchu looked over too, pointing at the names and reading them out softly.

"Number one, Qiu Jiangzhi, 92 points."

"Number two, Zhu Yan, 86 points."

"Number three, Zhang Erde, 62 points."

"Number four, Zhao Zishe, 59 points..."

Whoa! She quickly noticed something off.

"From third place, the scores drop by over twenty points, with the highest at just 62?"

"From fourth, they're all below passing?"

"Heavens..."

Yu Chuchu’s mouth formed an 'O' shape, and she clutched her head in shock. How hard was this Ke Xuan Dan? Even for those thirty-plus below, if they succeeded, their dans were definitely "lower" quality, and whether they were even usable was questionable...

This is something! Xu Xiaoshou got excited. He wasn't afraid of challenges; he just didn't want them to be too easy. This Ke Xuan Dan was clearly tougher than anyone expected. Though first-time refining often led to furnace explosions, and succeeding was already tough, these were all genius-level players. Out of the first five hundred, only three passed? That was extreme!

Beside him, the little girl was starting to worry.

Xu Xiaoshou's mind wasn't limited, and he quickly thought of something, laughing as he said: "Scared already? Overwhelmed so soon? Let me guess—this has something to do with the registration order, right? After all, heroes always make their grand entrance last, just like me."

Yu Chuchu instinctively wanted to retort and glared at him fiercely. But halfway through, she realized Xu Xiaoshou had a point. The Five Domains' geniuses, the top talents of Dong Tianjie—they all arrived in the later days, and though registration was today, those heavyweights probably rushed straight here from afar. It was influenced by the order...

But! That didn't stop Yu Chuchu from wanting to shut him down: "What do you know? Registration is all today—it's got nothing to do with order!"

Xu Xiaoshou chuckled and turned to Xiao Wanfeng: "Wanfeng, women are unfathomable. Like when I try to guide someone with sarcasm, afraid to hurt their pride, but in the end... heh, they just don't get it and don't appreciate it."

Xiao Wanfeng: ...

He kept his eyes down, nose straight, looking like he knew nothing and was just a kid.

Yu Chuchu's face flushed hot, as if she'd eaten a pound of chili peppers. This guy was unbearable! Why did he have to talk like that? Couldn't that thin veil of sarcasm last a bit longer and give her a way out? She hadn't even processed it yet! How did he just rip it apart like that!

Despicable...

"Received a curse, passive points, 1."

Time flew by. One group went up, another came down. The leaderboard updated in real time.

The Five Domains were full of capable people. Qiu Jiangzhi's top spot only held for one round before someone knocked him off from below. The highest score jumped from "92" to "94," then "95." But it seemed stuck at "95" as the peak. After four rounds, no one exceeded 95.

"Won't the judges give full marks?" Xu Xiaoshou asked curiously. This round was nearly over, and he was about to go on stage.

Yu Chuchu snorted. Having been pestered in the back area, she was getting familiar with Xu Xiaoshou, and her tone had unconsciously turned sarcastic too.

"Full marks? You're dreaming!"

"First-time refining, even for a liandan master, hitting 'upper' quality is good enough. Full marks mean 'supreme'—think you can do it?"

"Oh, wait, don't interrupt—you probably can."

"You're the pig-eating-tiger type, a 'ten-pin liandan master' after all."

Yu Chuchu covered her mouth, her big eyes blinking innocently, tilting her head with a forced look of admiration.

Behind her, Xiao Wanfeng looked up. The young sword wielder was naive and found Chu Chu at that moment quite clever and... enchanting.

Xu Xiaoshou was used to beauties. The most stunning for him was Yu Zhiwen after her veil fell, so he wasn't tempted by this under-developed girl. He just sneered.

"Full marks? They'll be here soon."

"Heh."

"Heh."

"Heh!"

"Heh."

Despicable... After losing several exchanges in a row, Yu Chuchu was getting anxious. Why did Xu Xiaoshou's "heh" sound so much more irritating? She thought she'd imitated it perfectly...

"Xiao Wanfeng, just wait for your sister!" Yu Chuchu ignored Xu Xiaoshou and turned to the young sword wielder.

"Okay." Xiao Wanfeng was still spacing out, his mind blank.

Xu Xiaoshou patted his shoulder: "Wanfeng, snap out of it. Once I catch this little demon, I'll make her guard the gates with you at Tian Shang First Tower at night."

"Ah!" Xiao Wanfeng jumped, waving his hands frantically: "No, no, I wasn't thinking about girls..."

Xu Xiaoshou: ???

Yu Chuchu's face turned bright red, like it might bleed: "Xu... dandy, you... shut... up!"

"Received a request, passive points, 1."