Chapter 2548: Please Begin Your Performance!

Everything was ready, and a pill contest with no suspense officially began.

In truth, everyone, including Lu Yun and Tang Yu, had little confidence in Ye Yuan.

This boast was too big!

If it were just refining a single Heaven Pill to prove the Tang family's innocence, they might have had some confidence.

But the opponent was the National Preceptor, the foremost figure in Donglin's alchemy!

The difficulty was too great!

Yet, the moment the soul contract was signed, Tang Yu and his father nearly shed tears.

They knew that Ye Yuan was doing this to vent their anger.

He had even staked his own life!

Of course, Ye Yuan could have fled, but he didn't.

He was going all out against the National Preceptor just to seek justice for the Tang family!

How could they not be moved?

As distance tests a horse's strength, time reveals a person's heart!

Wasn't this exactly that?

"Kid, you say you're a Heaven Pill Master, so what kind of Heaven Pill do you want to compete on?" Lin Lan sneered.

"I only know how to refine the Foundation Establishment Heaven Pill," Ye Yuan said calmly.

He said it so matter-of-factly, so confidently.

Everyone was stunned, then burst into laughter again.

Lin Lan had thought, seeing Ye Yuan's unruffled demeanor, that he truly had some extraordinary skill.

After all that fuss, it turned out he could only refine the Foundation Establishment Heaven Pill!

The Foundation Establishment Heaven Pill was the most basic Heaven Pill, with the lowest difficulty.

For a second-grade Heaven Pill Master like Lin Lan, refining it was child's play.

Moreover, his quality was several times better than that of a first-grade Heaven Pill Master!

Wasn't Ye Yuan just asking for a beating by competing with him in Foundation Establishment Heaven Pills?

"It's over! This time, it's really over!" Tang Yu's eyes showed despair.

The Second Prince gritted his teeth and said in a low voice, "Master Yun, is this the person you bet on? How can he win now? Even if he can really refine a Heaven Pill, how can he compare to the National Preceptor?"

Lu Yun was also stunned, speechless.

He too began to doubt whether he had bet wrong.

As for the others, they were roaring with laughter.

"Haha... this is killing me! I didn't waste my time coming today; this kid's comic timing is perfect!"

"He was so cocky just now; I thought he was going to refine some incredible Heaven Pill. After all that, he wants to compete with the National Preceptor in Foundation Establishment Heaven Pills!"

"Tsk, tsk, that's truly impressive! This is the first time I've heard of someone daring to compete with the National Preceptor in Foundation Establishment Heaven Pills! Doesn't he know that the National Preceptor's Foundation Establishment Heaven Pill is the best in Donglin?"

...

Ye Yuan's earlier calm demeanor was now seen by everyone as forced bravado.

Now, his true colors were revealed!

Lin Lan chuckled, "Heh, Foundation Establishment Heaven Pill, that really scared me. Fine, let's compete on Foundation Establishment Heaven Pill. Master Ye, please go easy on me later!"

Laughter erupted all around; everyone was amused by the National Preceptor's humor.

Ye Yuan was unfazed and said calmly, "Then, National Preceptor, please begin your performance!"

Lin Lan smiled, "Alright, once I finish refining, let's see how you can keep up the act!"

As Lin Lan approached the furnace, everyone fell silent.

With such a major event at the Tang family, many Heaven Pill Masters had come upon hearing the news.

Seeing Lin Lan make his move, they all held their breath.

Lin Lan had not shown his skills in public for a long time.

Watching the National Preceptor refine pills, even if it was just the Foundation Establishment Heaven Pill, was a great learning opportunity for them.

As he approached the furnace, Lin Lan's aura changed; a master's temperament rose naturally.

Feeling this aura, everyone was filled with awe and respect.

How could someone who became the National Preceptor be ordinary?

Lin Lan raised his palm, and a dark red Dao Fire emerged.

Second-grade Dao Fire!

Red Lotus Wood Heaven Dao Fire!

Compared to first-grade Dao Fire, this Red Lotus Wood Heaven Dao Fire was noticeably purer and caused much less harm to the Heaven Pill Master.

Lin Lan waved his hand, and a Dragon Bone Herb came into his palm.

Dragon Bone Herb was one of the heavenly herbs for the Foundation Establishment Heaven Pill.

The Dragon Bone Herb gradually turned into a paste, crystal clear and flawless!

Gasps of admiration rose one after another!

"Tsk, tsk, the National Preceptor is truly the National Preceptor, so powerful! This extraction technique is at its peak!"

"I heard the National Preceptor's affinity has reached a terrifying forty-eight points! Extracting an entry-level heavenly herb like Dragon Bone Herb is a piece of cake!"

"Haha, I'm looking forward to seeing how a one-point Heaven Pill Master extracts these heavenly herbs!"

...

When an expert makes a move, you know if they have it or not.

From the start, Lin Lan was on a completely different level from a Heaven Pill Master like Gu Mao.

Both in control and skill, they were not in the same league!

Tang Yu and the others had never seen a second-grade Heaven Pill Master in action before.

Seeing this, they were even more despairing.

The National Preceptor was still the National Preceptor!

Too strong!

They no longer cared about their own injuries; they only hoped Lin Lan would make some mistake during the refining.

Otherwise, Ye Yuan had no chance of winning!

However, as time passed, Lin Lan made no mistakes at all.

Not only that, but Lin Lan seemed to have gotten serious, and he was even hitting his stride.

Lin Lan's performance was like bullets, shattering the hearts of Tang Yu and his father.

After who knows how long, Lin Lan withdrew his Dao Fire, pushed with his palm, and a pill landed on the table.

At a glance, its quality was extremely high!

"Heh, it's been years since I last refined a Foundation Establishment Heaven Pill, so I'm a bit rusty. But I gradually found my rhythm later. Someone, bring the Cloud Mountain Stone Mother!" Lin Lan said with a smile.

In fact, he had been serious from the start.

Ye Yuan's repeated provocations had made him extremely displeased, so he naturally wouldn't slack off.

This time, he had gone all out!

As for being rusty, it was true that he hadn't refined a Foundation Establishment Heaven Pill in years, but that didn't affect his skill!

It was like a math PhD who hadn't done elementary school problems in years.

Would he be rusty if he went back to do them now?

Obviously not!

Of course, he wouldn't say that out loud.

Soon, someone brought up a white stone.

This stone was called Cloud Mountain Stone Mother, specially used to assess the quality of Heaven Pills.

The Cloud Mountain Stone Mother was most sensitive to pill quality; Heaven-rank experts had inscribed restrictions on it, and once it reacted, it would emit light pillars.

The more segments the light pillar had, the higher the quality.

The quality of Heaven Pills was divided into nine grades, with first grade being the weakest and ninth grade the strongest!

The Foundation Establishment Heaven Pill Ye Yuan had refined earlier was not even graded.

Lin Lan waved his hand, and the Foundation Establishment Heaven Pill hovered above the Cloud Mountain Stone Mother.

Suddenly, light shone.

A light pillar rose from the Foundation Establishment Heaven Pill.

Then a second, a third.

It stopped when the fifth pillar was about halfway complete.

"The National Preceptor's Foundation Establishment Heaven Pill: fifth grade, upper!"

Lin Lan nodded slightly, indicating satisfaction.

But the whole venue was already in an uproar!

"Fifth grade upper! Just a little short of sixth grade!"

"The National Preceptor is the National Preceptor; he's nothing like those nobodies!"

"Hey, the National Preceptor competing in pill refining with that ascender is beneath his dignity!"

...