bet

Upon hearing this, Su Yuejin frowned slightly.

Chen Yuan then finally looked him in the eye. His gaze was calm as he spoke indifferently, his voice not loud, yet it clearly reached the ears of everyone present:

"When Fellow Daoist Lin was condensing the pill just now, you were half a beat slow in adding the Spirit-Nourishing Flower, causing its medicinal power to fail to fully activate; then, when collecting the pill, your force was too strong, dispersing two wisps of pill Qi that were about to form. If you had paid a little attention to these two points, you could have produced five pills, with at least one being Medium Grade."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire audience was shocked!

All the Disciples who heard were stunned, and even Su Yuejin once again showed a look of surprise.

The problems Chen Yuan pointed out were extremely specific and did not seem fake.

Lin Yang's expression instantly became incredibly ugly, because what Chen Yuan said was precisely the subtle flaw he had vaguely sensed but couldn't grasp while practicing Alchemy just now!

Being exposed in public, especially in front of Su Yuejin, made him feel he had lost all face, filled with both shame and anger.

"You... you are talking nonsense!"

Lin Yang was exasperated and pointed at Chen Yuan, "You speak so convincingly, as if you saw it with your own eyes! Since Your Excellency is so brilliant, do you dare to have an Alchemy competition with me in public? It would allow everyone to see if you are just all talk!"

The surrounding Disciples also began to jeer, their gazes focused on Chen Yuan, filled with doubt and the excitement of watching a show.

Upon hearing the challenge initiated by Lin Yang, Su Yuejin's willow eyebrows immediately knitted together, and displeasure welled up in her heart.

If Young Master Yuan were a true Sixth-Rank Alchemist, Lin Yang's actions would be tantamount to bringing humiliation upon himself, and would also be an offense to an honored guest.

Even if Young Master Yuan were not a Sixth-Rank Alchemist, given his ability to easily point out that Lin Yang could produce three pills and waste seventy percent of the ingredients, his strength would not be weak.

She was just about to speak to refuse on Chen Yuan's behalf, to maintain his peace.

However, as if Chen Yuan knew what she was about to do, he reached out and gently stopped her.

Then, he looked at Lin Yang indifferently with those deep, calm eyes.

This indifferent posture further infuriated Lin Yang.

"What? Does Fellow Daoist Yuan not dare?"

Seeing Chen Yuan's silence, Lin Yang thought he was showing fear, and his tone became more aggressive, carrying undisguised sarcasm, "Or is it that Your Excellency only knows how to talk on paper, and when it comes to the real deal, your true colors are revealed?"

The jeering from the surroundings grew louder, and many Disciples had the mentality of watching the fun, wanting to see if this mysterious man who was looked upon differently by the Young Miss truly had ability or was just a straw bag who liked to pretend.

At this moment, Chen Yuan finally spoke slowly, his voice still indifferent, "A competition? Very well."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Lin Yang's slightly raised chin, a faint arc curling at the corner of his mouth as he continued, "However, a competition alone is too boring. Since Fellow Daoist Lin has such elegant interest, why don't we add some stakes, how about that?"

Lin Yang was in the heat of anger and was certain that he could never lose to a straw bag who relied on his background. Upon hearing this, he sneered without thinking, "A bet? What do you want to bet? Spirit Stones? Magic Treasures? Name your price!"

Chen Yuan, however, shook his head. His gaze crossed over Lin Yang and landed on Su Yuejin, who was standing beside him with a slightly taut, pretty face due to worry and dissatisfaction.

Under everyone's gaze, Chen Yuan turned to Su Yuejin, his eyes instantly becoming focused and gentle.

He bowed slightly, his tone soft yet clearly reaching everyone's ears, "Miss Su," he gazed at Su Yuejin's cheeks, which instantly flushed with a rosy hue, and said word by word, "If it is not too presumptuous, I would like to bet with Fellow Daoist Lin for... the qualification to pursue you in the future."

He paused slightly, giving Su Yuejin time to digest these astonishing words, and also letting the entire scene fall into a deathly silence.

"If I win," Chen Yuan's voice carried an unquestionable tone, "I hope Fellow Daoist Lin can admit that I have the right to openly and properly pursue Miss Su, and he must no longer obstruct or pester her in any form."

He then looked at Lin Yang, whose face had instantly turned ashen, and his tone returned to its previous indifference, "Conversely, if Fellow Daoist Lin wins, I will immediately leave the Pill God Sect and guarantee that I will never set foot in the Southern Continent again, and will never appear before Miss Su again. Fellow Daoist Lin, do you dare to accept this bet?"

As soon as these words were spoken, one could hear a pin drop in the entire Hundred Refinements Plaza!

Everyone was shaken by this earth-shattering bet!

The two were competing actually just to obtain an opportunity to pursue Su Yuejin.

Many young female Disciples looked at Chen Yuan with hearts in their eyes.

So gentlemanly, so handsome!

Chen Yuan chuckled inwardly; although it was a bet, it could indirectly express his feelings and increase Su Yuejin's favorability.

Su Yuejin was completely stunned. She felt as if her heart had been tightly gripped by an invisible hand, then suddenly released, and it began to beat wildly.

She looked up at Chen Yuan's handsome face so close at hand, looking at the focused and affectionate gaze in his eyes, her cheeks burning, and her mind went blank.

Young Master Yuan... he... what is he trying to do?

Is he expressing his feelings to me?

He... does he like me? Is that why he used this method, wanting a chance to pursue me properly?

Countless thoughts surged into her heart like a tide; shyness, surprise, panic, and a hint of indescribable sweetness instantly engulfed her.

She subconsciously lowered her head, not daring to look at Chen Yuan anymore, but the slightly curled corners of her mouth and her reddened earlobes betrayed the palpitations in her heart.

It was just that unreasonable; Su Yuejin already had a favorable impression of Chen Yuan, so upon learning of Chen Yuan's expressed feelings, she would naturally be extremely shy.

If it had been Lin Yang who proposed the bet, Su Yuejin would definitely have wanted to slash Lin Yang; who does he think he is? Does he deserve to use me as a bet?

As for Lin Yang, after a brief shock, his face was already so gloomy that water could drip from it.

He stared fixedly at Chen Yuan, his eyes almost spitting fire!

This bastard actually dared to use Junior Sister Yuejin as a bet!

This was simply a great insult to him, and also to Junior Sister Yuejin!

He was ten thousand times unwilling to use Su Yuejin as a bet; this in itself was a form of desecration.

But... looking at Chen Yuan's annoying appearance of having victory in his grasp, and looking at Su Yuejin's reaction that clearly carried shy joy, an extreme jealousy and rage clouded his mind.

How could I lose! I absolutely cannot lose to this guy who is all show and no substance!

Lin Yang screamed wildly in his heart.

As long as I win, I can make him get lost forever, and I can let Junior Sister Yuejin see clearly who is truly the person worth relying on!

Intense self-confidence and jealousy/hatred toward Chen Yuan eventually overwhelmed his reason.

"Fine! I will bet with you!" Lin Yang squeezed the words out from between his teeth, almost grinding them, his voice somewhat distorted by anger, "Just as you said! If you win, I, Lin Yang, will never pester Junior Sister again! If you lose, get out of the Pill God Sect immediately and disappear forever!"

The bet was thus established!

The atmosphere of the entire Hundred Refinements Plaza was instantly ignited to its peak, and everyone was holding their breath.