"Hey old senior, I have already refined the Jadeflame Immortal Orchid, so do I need to finish refining the Jade Spirit Pill?"
Despite knowing that she had smacked Guiyuan Zhen in the face, she continued to show no mercy. She deliberately ridiculed Guiyuan Zhen by emphasizing the words 'old senior.’
Guiyuan Zhen's expression turned pale. He froze in his spot like a sculpture, having no way to pose a rebuttal.
It was like a scholar having prepared an embroidered piece of literature, hoping to compete with a rival in the field. Yet he suddenly realized his rival was an eminent scholar who had tomes of classic literature in his cabinets. All of a sudden, his embroidered literature was nothing but scrap paper in the eyes of his rival.
Guiyuan Zhen felt the sting of instant defeat. The recipe he was proud of was as ordinary as any other in the eyes of the Nine Cauldron Alchemical Sect.
"What bullies! This isn't a display of alchemical skill. It was all about the flame being better than ours. What sort of heritage is that? How dare she label us as nouveau riche? They are the ones that are nouveau riche!"
Zhang Xiaotian was infuriated. It was supposed to be a discussion of technique, but it ended up being the Nine Cauldron Alchemical Sect showcasing the foundations the sect enjoyed. It made Guiyuan Zhen, and all the doctors and alchemists present, feel their faces tingle with pain. It felt like they had been literally slapped in the face.
Although the red-dressed girl had asked Guiyuan Zhen the question, her arrogant gaze swept over everyone's faces.
She obviously knew that Guiyuan Zhen had only taken center stage to represent the doctors and alchemists of Myriad City. Many of them were not convinced of the Nine Cauldron Alchemical Sect.
"Oh? You say that this isn't an alchemical skill?" The red-dressed girl suddenly looked at Zhang Xiaotian. His angry grumbles had been caught by the red-dressed girl amid the noisy crowd.
"Then, what alchemical skills do you have? Feel free to demonstrate them. I can compete with you without using the Extreme Frost-ice Flame. If you can do something that I can't, I am willing to admit defeat!" The red-dressed girl said as she looked at Zhang Xiaotian.
Zhang Xiaotian momentarily fell silent. Seeing the many gazes trained on him, his face gradually flushed red.
Although he had spoken in a fit of anger, he didn’t have the confidence to compete with the Nine Cauldron Alchemical Sect's genius in a competition of pure skill, barring any foundational advantages.
Seeing Zhang Xiaotian shrink back, the red-dressed girl gave a contemptuous smile. The smile seemed to stab at Zhang Xiaotian.
"People without true ability are only sitting here to make up the numbers. To think they, in their mediocrity, have the nerve to be envious of geniuses." The red-dressed girl said as she looked up into the sky.
"Enough, Yue'er. Sit down!" Skyfire Sacred Hands spoke. They came from the Nine Cauldron Alchemical Sect after all. They naturally needed to conduct themselves like a large and respectable sect.
It was enough to let these people know how formidable they were. Skyfire Sacred Hands had no interest in figuratively slapping the faces of these ordinary doctors and alchemists.
"Hmph!" The red-dressed girl gave an insufferably arrogant glance at Zhang Xiaotian and Guiyuan Zhen before withdrawing her cauldron and returning to her seat.
The color of Zhang Xiaotian's face oscillated between red and white. His entire body trembled with rage.
After a while, he shook his head wryly. "Whatever. I'm inferior."
In fact, there were many people who shared in Zhang Xiaotian’s humiliation. The last words the red-dressed girl said were not only directed at Zhang Xiaotian.
But in the end, they had no superior alchemical skills they could use to prove themselves. That was what humiliated them the most.
At that moment, Pavilion Lord Si broke the ice. "Since everyone is already so eager to try, why don't I bring out the infected disciples of my Myriad Immortal Pavilion now, and let all the doctors diagnose them?"
Since it was a medical diagnosis, there was naturally no need for a particular order. Everyone could diagnose the symptoms, and from there see who could come up with a cure.
The Myriad Immortal Pavilion had prepared rewards for the Grand Alchemical-cum-Medical Meet. The doctors and alchemists present all knew about them, but Pavilion Lord Si repeated them again.
"Whosoever finds the cure to this plague will be allowed to choose any one of the many treasures my Myriad Immortal Pavilion has prepared."
Boxes were taken out carefully by more than ten beautiful female attendants. They carried them over and stood behind Pavilion Lord Si in a line.
As Pavilion Lord Si mentioned the various treasures, a female attendant would open the corresponding box, revealing the spiritual treasures that effused rich spiritual energies.
And when Pavilion Lord Si mentioned 'Soul Returning Root', Yi Yun's pupils constricted.
Soul Returning Root!
The Soul Returning Root was added by the Myriad Immortal Pavilion into the mix as bait. And Yi Yun had come here precisely for the Soul Returning Root.
Upon seeing the Soul Returning Root in the box, Yi Yun felt his heart burn. The Soul Returning Root was even better than the one Ru'er's father had obtained. It was of even better quality.
After mentioning the Soul Returning Root, Pavilion Lord Si momentarily paused.
He naturally knew the uses of the Soul Returning Root. In fact, before the plague became full-blown, they had already begun searching for it. However, it was unrealistic to use the Soul Returning Root to attract Yi Yun to such a busy event. In the grand scheme of things, it was purely a reward.
As Pavilion Lord Si's voice faded, more than ten Myriad Immortal Pavilion geniuses stood on the stage. One of them was Si Shaoyu.
The moment Si Shaoyu reached the stage, he cast a fervent look at Skyfire Sacred Hands and his disciples.
Back when the Nine Cauldron Alchemical Sect first arrived, he expressed his hopes for Skyfire Sacred Hands to diagnose him. Yet, he had been rejected. He had anxiously waited for the day the Grand Alchemical-cum-Medical Meet began.
Upon seeing the Myriad Immortal Pavilion geniuses appear, a few disciples from the large sects could not help but break out into a discussion. The Myriad Immortal Pavilion was truly eager. However, since they were the ones hosting the meet, it was only normal that their geniuses were the first to be treated.
As for the geniuses from the other sects, they had to pay the price when their time came. They would need to convince the doctor that had found the cure to treat them.
After the recent display, many people from these factions turned their attention to the Nine Cauldron Alchemical Sect. They placed their hopes on Skyfire Sacred Hands.
"Everyone, please begin," said Pavilion Lord Si.
Zhang Xiaotian widened his eyes as he stared at the infected youths on the stage. In fact, he had long been attempting to find a cure, but to no avail.
However, after feeling stifled from the turn of events, he refused to give up hope and went onstage to take a look. After using his Yuan Qi to probe a body, he returned dejectedly. He shook his head and said, "Sigh, I can only tell that they have been enervated of their Yuan Qi and that they have weak bodies. I can't even guess the cause of the illness."
The other doctors and alchemists had also made prior attempts. They had completely given up. They came only to witness the grand meet. In the end, it was the alchemists and doctors from other territories that went up to take a look. Some of them shook their heads helplessly while others pondered with furrowed brows.
The cause of the plague could only be detected by the patriarchs of these factions. It was difficult for these doctors and alchemists to even find the cause.
Upon seeing this play out, many factions were somewhat disappointed. Although they held little hopes for these doctors and alchemists, they had wished for a sliver of luck. Now, from the looks of it, the plague was too odd. If the cause of the illness could not be found, how were they to treat it?