137: Take first place again!

"Time's up!"

As the hourglass ran out, the Presiding Elder's voice, carrying a barely perceptible tremor, shattered the silence of the entire venue.

The light barrier dissipated.

The remaining dozens of Alchemists, regardless of success or failure, all let out a long sigh of relief, feeling utterly drained.

But almost everyone's gaze still uncontrollably drifted toward Lu Yu and the four Medicinal Pills floating before him.

Any one of those four Medicinal Pills, if taken out separately, could have secured first place in the second round!

Only then did Lu Yu relax, his body swaying slightly as he almost lost his balance.

With his tightly wound mind suddenly relaxing, an overwhelming wave of exhaustion surged over him.

I shouldn't show off by forming pills in the Void Realm anymore—it's quite draining.

With a thought, the Pure Lotus Heavenly Clear Fire swept the four Medicinal Pills back into his hands, and he quickly sealed them in a prepared cold jade vial.

After finishing this, he finally felt a bit recovered and looked up to survey his surroundings.

Wow, these stares... they're really synchronized.

He rubbed his nose, said nothing more, and turned to leisurely walk back toward the Heavenly Evolution Immortal Sect area.

His steps were a bit unsteady, but his back remained ramrod straight.

Wherever he passed, the crowd automatically parted to make way.

Those gazes held reverence, admiration, jealousy, and disbelief—a complex mix of emotions.

Back in his own territory, Li Miaoer was the first to rush up. This time, however, she didn't crash into his arms but instead supported his arm. Her cat-like eyes held a trace of worry but were mostly filled with excitement: "Junior Martial Brother! Are you okay? You were so cool just now, truly worthy of being my Junior Martial Brother!"

"I'm fine, just a bit tired."

Lu Yu tugged at the corner of his mouth, trying to smile, but it ended up looking worse than a grimace.

Liu Yunshu quickly handed over a cup of warm spiritual tea she had prepared earlier, saying softly, "Lu Yu, sit down and rest quickly."

Looking at Lu Yu's pale face, she felt a bit helpless. It shouldn't have been so draining, but he had to show off.

She shook her head helplessly—her man, she'd just spoil him!

Even Yan Lingluo, for once, didn't cross her arms but instead sized Lu Yu up a few times, pursing her lips: "Showing off."

But her tone wasn't as cold as before.

Lu Yu took the tea and gulped it down. A cool sensation slid from his throat to his abdomen, then spread to his limbs and bones, instantly refreshing his spirit.

He let out a long exhale of turbid Qi, finally feeling like his soul had returned to his body.

Lu Yu smiled and turned his gaze toward the center of the square.

The Elders had already begun nervously collecting Medicinal Pills, inspecting their grades, and evaluating the overall results.

The process was much slower than the first round, as it involved assessing the rationality of the Pill Formula derivations.

Lin Xiaoyou had already put away her leisure book at some point and was standing quietly to the side. The Medicinal Pill she had refined had also been submitted—it was in a seemingly ordinary jade vial.

Seeing Lu Yu look over, she blinked and silently mouthed: "Impressive."

Lu Yu was speechless.

The wait for the results felt exceptionally long.

The square buzzed with discussions, with the core topic being Lu Yu's five-patterned pill.

Many had already started inquiring about Lu Yu's background and when the Heavenly Evolution Immortal Sect had produced such an Alchemy Prodigy.

Xiao Yan stood in the Pill Tower area with a gloomy expression. Several Pill Tower disciples beside him wanted to offer comfort but didn't know how to start.

Yan Linger, meanwhile, closed her eyes to meditate, as if everything outside had nothing to do with her. Only her slightly trembling eyelashes betrayed her inner turmoil.

It took a full incense stick's worth of time before the results were finally compiled.

Yan Mo stood up again, holding a jade scroll that shimmered with flowing light.

He scanned the entire venue, his gaze lingering on Lu Yu for a moment before he spoke loudly:

"The second round, 'Formulate Formula and Refine Pill,' has concluded!"

"After joint evaluation by all Elders, the top ten rankings are now announced!"

Everyone's hearts were instantly lifted again.

"Tenth place: Qing Xuan, Azure Luan Clan, refined 'Shadow Stride Pill,' fourth-grade pure quality, derivation completeness eighty-seven percent."

"Ninth place: Lin Zheng, Pill Tower, refined 'Ice Heart Meridian Protection Pill,' fourth-grade pure quality, derivation completeness ninety-one percent."

"Eighth place..."

The rankings were announced one by one, and those whose names were called reacted with either joy or worry.

But among the top ten, the names Lu Yu, Xiao Yan, Yan Linger, and Lin Xiaoyou had yet to appear.

"Fourth place: Ghost Hand, Heavenly Fiend Hall."

Yan Mo paused here before continuing.

"Refined 'Soul-Corroding Poisonous Miasma Pill,' fourth-grade perfect quality, containing a trace of pill pattern embryo, derivation completeness ninety-five percent! Due to the pill's yin-poisonous nature, which harms the natural order, though its completion is high, it is ranked fourth."

Ghost Hand? Fourth? And only perfect quality with a trace of pill pattern embryo?

The crowd stirred.

The Prodigy from the Demonic Domain, Ghost Hand, only ranked fourth? Then the top three... Yan Mo didn't keep them in suspense, his voice suddenly rising with barely suppressed excitement:

"Third place: Yan Linger, Fentian Sacred Valley!"

"Refined 'Blazing Sun Soaring Pill,' fourth-grade one-patterned pill! Derivation completeness ninety-eight percent!"

Though expected, hearing it firsthand still drew sighs of admiration.

A one-patterned fourth-grade pill with ninety-eight percent derivation completeness—this result was enough to stand above peers.

Yan Linger remained calm, giving a slight bow.

"Second place: Xiao Yan, Pill Tower!"

"Refined 'Purple Soul Barrier-Breaking Pill,' fourth-grade one-patterned pill! Derivation completeness ninety-nine percent!"

Xiao Yan clenched his fists, but his expression was far from pleased.

Second place... second place again!

Though he had surpassed Yan Linger, he was still overshadowed by someone else!

Everyone held their breath, their gazes uniformly turning toward the pale-faced young man in green robes.

Yan Mo's voice, trembling with excitement, echoed throughout the venue:

"First place: Lu Yu, Heavenly Evolution Immortal Sect!"

"Refined pill 'Dragon Blood Bodhi Barrier-Breaking Pill,' fifth-grade five-patterned pill! Derivation completeness... one hundred percent, Perfection!"

"The Pill Formula conception is exceptionally ingenious, using yang to guide yang, refining dragon blood with fire, using bodhi as a guide to protect the Origin!"

"Refining technique: Void Realm pill formation, using Immortal Fire as the furnace, with meticulous control, resulting in a five-patterned pill with pure and vast medicinal power, possessing extraordinary efficacy for breaking through the Nascent Soul to Soul Transformation barrier! Comprehensive evaluation: deserving to be the champion of this second round!"

Boom!

Despite being mentally prepared, hearing "five-patterned pill," "one hundred percent Perfection," and "Void Realm pill formation" officially announced together still struck like thunder in everyone's ears!

Champion! Lu Yu!

With an absolutely overwhelming performance, he seized first place in the second round!

Forcing the two Prodigies who had refined one-patterned pills firmly beneath him!

"Goodness... a five-patterned pill, what's there even to compete about?"

Someone murmured.

"The Heavenly Evolution Immortal Sect truly lives up to being the number one Sect in the Human Domain, with talents abound..."

"Did you see Xiao Yan and Saintess Yan's expressions? Tsk tsk..."

But just then, Yan Mo suddenly spoke again, capturing everyone's attention.

"Wait!"