The Extreme Alchemist of the Mighty Cauldron

Meng Chaoyang indeed took the lead over Zhang Tianmiao in progress.

When the white smoke rose, many disciples of the Pill Sect were silently excited, at least in terms of progress, Meng Chaoyang seemed to be ahead.

On the side of Ten-thousand Medicine Sect, although some disciples also appeared quite nervous, a lot more were confident in Zhang Tianmiao.

Meng Chaoyang always maintained a stern face, but when he saw that the pill was about to be refined, he began to look somewhat relieved. Comparing to Zhang Tianmiao, the latter was not at the final phase yet and couldn’t possibly catch up with him.

“I must win this competition!”, Meng Chaoyang said to himself while also extinguishing the flame under the Pill Furnace.

When Meng Chaoyang slowly lifted the furnace cover, everyone held their breaths and strained their necks to get a closer look at the pill that Meng had refined.

Meng Chaoyang retrieved a light green pill from the furnace. The pill was round and full, seemingly perfect.

However, upon receiving the pill, Meng Chaoyang’s brow subtly knitted.

The elder of the Pill Sect came forward, glanced at the pill, nodded to Meng Chaoyang, and then placed the pill in a jade bottle.

On the other side, Zhang Tianmiao also accelerated, and completed his pill refinement almost half an incense stick’s burn time after Meng Chaoyang.

An elder of the Ten -thousand Medicine Sect placed Zhang Tianmiao’s pill in the jade bottle along with the elder from the Pill Sect, and placed both pills on the stone platform.

The judging was still conducted by Gu Daofeng and an elder with the family name Gong.

When the two pills appeared in front of them, whether it was Gu Daofeng or Elder Gong, their expressions subtly shifted.

“Hmm, not bad, not bad, these two Break Calamity Pills have both reached a medium-grade quality,” Elder Gong nodded and said.

Gu Daofeng replied, “Though the grade is the same, Meng Chaoyang managed to refine his pill earlier; therefore, Meng Chaoyang wins this round.”

Elder Gong chuckled and shook his head, saying, “Calm down Gu. It’s not so simple to decide on which of these two Break Calamity Pills is superior.” Gu Daofeng slightly furrowed his brow upon hearing this.

Elder Gong continued, “These two Break Calamity Pills are of the same quality, and therefore it’s only fair to say they are both comparable, do you agree Gu?”

Gu Daofeng nodded, agreeing that it was indeed difficult to discern which of the two was of superior quality. It was fair to call it a draw.

Elder Gong, holding the two pills, continued, “In terms of time, Meng

Chaoyang from your sect is unquestionably superior.”

Just as Gu Daofeng was about to speak, Elder Gong abruptly interrupted, “However, if you look carefully, the Pill Sect disciple’s pill seems to be somewhat inferior in presentation.”

Without showing any emotion, Gu Daofeng replied, “I don’t see a difference in the presentations of the two Break Calamity Pills.”

Elder Gong made an “oh” sound and cast a meaningful glance at Gu Daofeng, who appeared to be perfectly calm.

In reality, with Gu Daofeng’s keen observation, he noticed a slightly noticeable difference in the presentations of the two pills moment he saw them.

This slight difference was reflected in the aroma and color of the pills. Although it was hard to notice it, both Gu Daofeng and Elder Gong, experienced alchemists as they were, spotted it instantly.

Under normal circumstances, such a negligible difference wouldn’t matter much, but now, in the midst of this competition within the field of alchemy, any small difference could be a deciding factor.

Gu Daofeng intended to gloss over this minor discrepancy, but Elder Gong was clearly not going to let him get away with it.

Elder Gong, seeing Gu Daofeng feign ignorance, casually responded, “Old Gu, you and I both know very well that the quality of these two pills is equivalent, but the appearance of Young Zhang’s pill is just slightly better. Surely you, Old Gu, understand this more clearly than me.”

In response, Gu Daofeng calmly said, “Appearance is secondary; quality is the key. The two pills have equivalent quality and are thus equal, but Meng

Chaoyang took less time to refine his pill, so he should be declared the winner.

This round should be a win for the Pill Sect.”

Elder Gong chuckled, shaking his head at Gu Daofeng.

“Old Gu, you’re not being fair. Since we have differing opinions, why don’t we meet in the middle and call it a draw?”, Elder Gong suggested with a smile.

At this suggestion, Gu Daofeng was somewhat surprised. It was unusual for this old fellow to willingly compromise.

However, Gu Daofeng agreed to Elder Gong’s proposal. After all, if he made a firm judgment that Meng Chaoyang had won, it would seem somewhat forced because the presentation of the pill was an important factor and that too should be within the scope of consideration to decide the winner.

Consider two identical-quality pills: One is round and radiant as a pearl, and the other is pockmarked and dull in appearance. It’s quite obvious that any rational person would pick the good-looking pill.

Although Meng Chaoyang took the lead in refining the pills, the difference in aesthetics couldn’t be overlooked.

With these two factors offsetting each other, it could indeed be said that Meng Chaoyang and Zhang Tianmiao had tied.

Of course, the Ten-thousand Medicine Sect was okay with the result, but for the Pill Sect, it wasn’t the best outcome.

From Gu Daofeng’s perspective, Meng Chaoyang should win this round, so that if Fang Lin lost in the final round, even though the Pill Sect would suffer ridicule and reputation damage from the Ten-thousand Medicine Sect, it

would give him a better chance of restraining Fang Lin.

But now, the result of this crucial second round is a tie, which makes the outcome of the final round all the more sensitive.

Even if the result of the third round is another tie, the Pill Sect would still technically lose.

If the Pill Sect wanted to make a comeback, there was only one possible outcome: Fang Lin had to win. In that case, the Pill Sect would not have lost, and the three-game competition against the Ten-thousand Medicine Sect would be declared a draw.

Gu Daofeng felt a tug between his hopes and fears. He wished for Fang Lin to turn the tide, but he did not want to see Fang Lin win.

Seeing that Gu Daofeng remained silent, Elder Gong knew that he had conceded. He then stood up and loudly announced to the crowd, “The second round was a draw.”

Upon hearing this, both disciples and elders from both sides were all stunned, then expressions of realisation gradually spread on their faces.

“How could it be a draw? How can it be a draw?”

“It’s impossible. Elder Meng didn’t win?”

“This is too strange. With Elder Zhang’s skills, he shouldn’t lose.”

Whether it was from the Pill Sect’s side or the Ten-thousand Medicine Sect’s side, everyone seemed to be lost in confusion.

But after Elder Gong announced the result, he did not provide any further explanations, and simply returned to his seat.

On the Pill Platform, Meng Chaoyang had an ugly expression on his face with his fists clenched.

A draw was a result he did not anticipate and could not accept..