Chapter 381: A Terrifying Opponent

Tong Fangshuo stared at the two pills before him, speechless for a long time.

"Head of the Tong family, I wonder if I, Yang Xiu, have been talking nonsense?" Yang Xiu asked sarcastically.

Tong Fangshuo said awkwardly, "It was I who was overly suspicious. I hope Elder Yang will forgive me."

"Hmph!" Yang Xiu snorted coldly and said no more.

On the other side, the Xiao family also breathed a long sigh of relief. This first battle had indeed been thrilling.

If Ye Yuan hadn't stepped in at the critical moment to point out the mistakes of the seven elders, Xiao Ruyan would have already lost.

The problem was that the Xiao family simply could not afford to lose the first two matches. If they lost even one, there would be no need to continue the Pill Assembly.

"Ruyan, well done!"

"Ruyan, you are truly a good daughter of the Xiao family!"

"..."

For a moment, a flood of praise from the Xiao family washed over her.

But Xiao Ruyan was very calm; she did not have much fondness for the elders of her clan.

"Ji Qing, thank you!" Xiao Ruyan came before Ye Yuan and thanked him solemnly.

Ye Yuan laughed heartily and said, "It was Miss Ruyan's own skill. What does it have to do with me? Alright, take a rest now. The next match is about to begin."

Xiao Ruyan nodded slightly and returned to her seat.

Many in the Xiao family had unpleasant expressions; being ignored by Xiao Ruyan made them very unhappy.

And this displeasure was also directed at Ye Yuan.

Just then, Yang Xiu said, "Alright, now for the second match: Xiao Ruyan of the Xiao family versus Tong Wenshou of the Tong family."

Xiao Rufeng stood up, and Xiao Changfeng instructed, "Stay calm. Win this match and prevent Tong Wenhui from taking the field, and we win!"

Xiao Rufeng nodded and entered the arena.

On the other side, Tong Fangshuo also called Tong Wenshou over and urged, "Wenshou, teach Xiao Rufeng a good lesson and let everyone see how much you've improved!"

"Yes, Patriarch!"

Watching Tong Wenshou's retreating figure, Tong Fangshuo sneered, "Xiao Changfeng, do you think this lineup can catch me off guard? In the face of absolute strength, you are nothing but a joke!"

...

The second battle developed in a way that surprised everyone!

Xiao Rufeng was the number one genius of the Xiao family. Even if he was not at his peak, his strength and experience should have surpassed Tong Wenshou.

But from the start, Tong Wenshou was overwhelmingly powerful, shocking everyone.

In the first round of combination pills, Tong Wenshou identified all the herbs and wrote three more correct answers than Xiao Rufeng!

Everyone was dumbfounded!

The Xiao family was completely panicked; even Xiao Changfeng's face was grim.

Tong Wenshou's strength exceeded everyone's expectations.

"A dark horse, this is definitely a dark horse!"

"Xiao Changfeng thought he had it all figured out, but he never imagined Tong Wenshou would be this strong!"

"Even if Xiao Rufeng's alchemy state isn't at its peak, his fundamentals are still there, yet he was completely crushed by Tong Wenshou!"

"Now this is getting interesting! I wonder if Xiao Rufeng can turn it around. If not, the Xiao family is finished."

Whispers arose in the hall; Tong Wenshou's performance had amazed everyone.

What should have been a one-sided situation had taken a dramatic turn.

Xiao Rufeng was also stunned, a deep sense of frustration washing over him.

He had already been completely outshone by Tong Wenchang, the number one genius of the Tong family. If he couldn't even beat the second-ranked Tong Wenshou, then wouldn't he, the Xiao family's top genius, become a joke in the royal city?

Xiao Rufeng gritted his teeth and thought, "I have to turn it around later! I can't lose! If I lose, the Xiao family is finished! I absolutely cannot lose!"

Sure enough, Xiao Rufeng finally won the second round.

However, his advantage in the second round was minimal; he only listed one more herb than Tong Wenshou.

This result, instead of inspiring admiration, only confirmed Tong Wenshou's strength!

"This is the last round. It's clear that Tong Wenshou has a very solid foundation. I wonder how he'll perform in actual alchemy."

"It seems that over the years, Tong Wenshou has been overshadowed by Tong Wenchang! The second genius of the Tong family has such strength; it's only natural that he beat the Xiao family twice in a row."

"I think Tong Wenhui's alchemy skills must be decent, at least not much worse than Xiao Rufeng at his peak. And now, Xiao Rufeng hasn't fully recovered, so the outcome is really uncertain."

If one match could be attributed to luck, after two matches, no one doubted Tong Wenshou's strength anymore.

This man, living in the shadow of the genius Tong Wenchang, was terrifyingly powerful!

"Hahaha, those fools in the Xiao family thought they could beat us like this? How laughable. Before I broke through, Wenshou's strength was never much worse than mine. They naively thought a sickly guy could beat Wenchang? Too naive!" Tong Wenchang laughed loudly.

"Heh, Brother Wenshou has accumulated steadily and finally let the royal city see his brilliance!" Tong Wenhui, unaffected by his loss, chatted cheerfully with Tong Wenchang.

"Hehe, but I didn't expect Xiao Changfeng to arrange for that kid to face me. It really excites me!" Tong Wenchang stared maliciously at Ye Yuan in the distance.

He had felt insulted at the gate earlier, and this time he planned to vent thoroughly, completely crushing Ye Yuan's confidence.

As he spoke, he hooked his finger, and the dazed Du Cheng behind him brought tea to his side.

Tong Wenchang took the tea, took a satisfying sip, then pointed to his knees and said, "You piece of trash from the Boundless Sect, hurry up and rub my hands and feet, loosen up my muscles."

Du Cheng's soul was controlled, so he had to obey Tong Wenchang, squatting down to loosen his muscles.

"Sigh... you pig, why are you using so much force! Trying to die?"

With that, Tong Wenchang kicked Du Cheng in the chest, sending him flying far away.

Du Cheng was kicked and spat out a mouthful of blood, but he still struggled to his feet, returned to Tong Wenchang's side, and continued to loosen his muscles.

This time, Tong Wenchang looked pleased, moaning, "This force is more like it, heh."

"Hmm? Ye Yuan, what's wrong?" Since returning, Xiao Ruyan's attention had been on Ye Yuan.

Suddenly, she felt Ye Yuan's aura slightly disturbed and found it very strange.

Ye Yuan's expression remained normal; he turned to Xiao Ruyan and smiled, "Nothing, I just got a little excited thinking about the final battle."

Tong Wenchang had no idea what a terrifying opponent he had provoked...