Divine Wilderness Dragon Emperor

In the stands where the Beiming Sword Sect cultivators were gathered, Beichen Feng and five other geniuses surrounded a young man.

This young man was strikingly handsome, with sharp brows and bright, star-like eyes. He carried himself with an innate air of arrogance.

He was utterly disdainful of Ling Fei.

"Of course. With Senior Brother Xu’s talent, crushing that Ling Fei will be no problem at all," Beichen Feng chimed in with an obsequious smile.

He had clashed with Ling Fei before and knew full well how terrifying he was.

Yet, he didn’t doubt the young man’s words in the slightest.

This man’s name was Xu Zitao, and his identity was shrouded in mystery.

A month ago, hardly anyone in the Beiming Sword Sect had even heard of him.

But when he appeared this month, he defeated Beiming Shang, the most outstanding genius of the Beiming Sword Sect’s current generation.

This feat made Xu Zitao famous throughout the Beiming Sword Sect.

Beichen Feng was also utterly shocked by the appearance of such a genius.

After making some inquiries, he came to understand just how extraordinary Xu Zitao was.

This person was not from the Southern Wilderness, and his origins were a mystery. Even Beichen Feng’s grand-uncle, Beichen Xinghe, had been unable to find out anything about him.

But Beichen Feng knew that this young man’s status was so noble that it undoubtedly surpassed that of any other genius in the Beiming Sword Sect.

He had even heard a rumor that this person had obtained the Beiming Sword Sect’s Kunpeng Blood.

This made Beichen Feng all the more curious about Xu Zitao’s identity.

The Kunpeng Blood, after all, was not passed down lightly. Even Beiming Shang, a genius of the Beiming Clan’s direct lineage, had never managed to obtain it!

Xu Zitao gave Ling Fei a brief glance before looking away. He then followed his sect’s Elders toward the pavilion up ahead.

At this time, the Elders from the various sects were landing on the pavilion one after another.

Ling Fei, Yuan Chong, Lian Shuang, and the others stood beside their Elders.

Nearby, the Elders from the Great Sun Thunder Sound Temple and the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers kept glancing toward Ling Fei.

Because today was the day they would witness Ling Fei’s talent in alchemy.

At that moment, on a high platform up ahead, Vice Sect Leader Jiang of the North Sea Sect took the stage.

This year, his sect was responsible for hosting the competition.

"Heh heh. Today is the day of our Southern Wilderness’s grand competition. As I’m sure you all know, the top ten finalists in the alchemy competition will each receive a Waist Token for entry into the North Spirit Ruins. Likewise, the top twenty finalists in the Martial Arts Tournament will also receive a Waist Token for the North Spirit Ruins. Today, we begin with the alchemy competition."

Vice Sect Leader Jiang announced with a hearty laugh.

"The rules for the alchemy competition are the same as always: you must provide your own ingredients, and you will be judged on the grade and quality of your elixirs."

Sect Leader Jiang scanned the crowd in all directions and then asked, "Does anyone have any objections?"

"We have no objections," the Elders from the various sects replied.

"In that case, I invite the alchemists from each sect to come on stage and inspect the Pill Furnaces," Vice Sect Leader Jiang announced.

On a high platform behind him, rows of Pill Furnaces were already in place.

The Pill Furnace is extremely important in Alchemy; a superior furnace can sometimes affect the final quality of an Elixir.

Since this was a competition, standardized Pill Furnaces were used to ensure fairness.

"Alright!" With that, each sect sent an Alchemist to the stage.

The Pill Furnaces there were arranged by section, with each sect assigned to a specific area.

The alchemists went up to inspect their sect’s designated Pill Furnaces for any flaws or damage.

Grand Alchemist Yuan Chun went to inspect the furnaces himself, showing how much importance he placed on this competition.

’It seems the Lingyun Sect is serious about winning the Alchemy Dao competition this time,’ the Elders from the other sects thought to themselves.

Of course, everyone understood why Grand Alchemist Yuan Chun was being so cautious.

This competition would determine the Lingyun Sect’s fortune in the Southern Wilderness for the foreseeable future; there was absolutely no room for error.

This time, Ling Fei had to take first place. Even second would be a failure.

After all, if someone proved stronger than Ling Fei, why would the Great Sun Thunder Sound Temple, the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers, and the other sects risk their necks for the Lingyun Sect?

Soon, Grand Alchemist Yuan Chun finished his inspection of the Pill Furnaces.

After confirming there were no issues, he gracefully departed.

The representatives from the other sects also left one by one.

"Now, will all contestants from each sect please come to the stage," Vice Sect Leader Jiang said. "For the first round, you will be refining the most common Elixir: the Celestial Essence Pill."

As soon as Vice Sect Leader Jiang finished speaking, the alchemy geniuses from every sect rose to their feet.

Each sect had fifty slots for contestants.

In total, the twenty-one sects fielded one thousand fifty-one people.

Ling Fei’s brow twitched. After a glance at the high platform up ahead, he rose to his feet as well.

"Is it finally starting?" Yuan Chong, standing beside him, seemed a little nervous.

"Just go with the flow," Ling Fei said. "This isn’t our only chance."

Yuan Chong smiled and then followed Ling Fei, flying toward the high platform ahead.

WHOOSH WHOOSH!

One after another, the geniuses flew toward the high platform.

As Ling Fei flew toward the Alchemy Platform ahead, a figure flickered beside him. A man in brocade robes was actually approaching him.

"It’s someone from the Beiming Sword Sect!" Yuan Chong’s brows knitted together. ’What does he want?’

Ling Fei frowned slightly but didn’t react further, simply landing on the high platform.

As Ling Fei touched down, the young man landed right beside him.

The distance between them was a mere seven feet.

"Isn’t that person from the Beiming Sword Sect? What is he doing, heading straight for Ling the Pill Master?" The scene caused an uproar throughout the entire audience.

The women from the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers all looked worried.

"He’s not going to try and assassinate Ling the Pill Master, is he?" The people from the Lingyun Sect were on the edge of their seats.

It wasn’t just the disciples; even the Elders frowned.

In the stands, a sharp glint flashed in Yuan Huaitian’s eyes as a powerful aura began to radiate from him. He looked ready to intervene at a moment’s notice.

"Heh heh, Fellow Daoist Yuan, why so nervous?" On a nearby pavilion, Beiming Huahai offered a sinister smile. "Even if someone from my Beiming Sword Sect were to make a move, they would do so openly. We would never resort to a sneak attack. Besides, our Xu Zitao is a dragon among men. Why would he ever need to ambush this Ling Fei?"

His tone was arrogant, filled with contempt for Ling Fei.

It seemed that in his eyes, Ling Fei wasn’t even worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Xu Zitao.

"Heh heh, a dragon among men? That’s just your opinion, Fellow Daoist Beiming. It’s too early to tell. But my Lingyun Sect’s disciple, Ling Fei, single-handedly killed hundreds of your sect’s Celestial Pill Realm cultivators while he was only at the Small Primordial Pill Realm. Heh, his combat record already speaks for itself."

Yuan Huaitian smiled. His meaning was clear: Ling Fei was the true, undisputed dragon among men.

Whereas Xu Zitao had yet to be tested.

"Heh heh, Fellow Daoist Yuan, don’t think obtaining the Yuan Feng Pill King’s Inheritance makes you so special. This world is much larger than you can possibly imagine." Beiming Huahai chuckled, then ignored Yuan Huaitian, turning his gaze to the Alchemy Platform and watching Xu Zitao.

He had high hopes for this young man.

At that moment on the Alchemy Platform, Xu Zitao landed right beside Ling Fei.

A smirk played on his lips. He shot Ling Fei a sidelong glance and said, "So you’re the one who obtained the Yuan Feng Pill King’s Inheritance?"

His face was a mask of arrogance.

"Who are you?" Ling Fei asked directly, ignoring the question.

Ling Fei had no patience for such arrogance, regardless of the person’s status.

Seeing Ling Fei’s reaction, Xu Zitao remained unbothered. A smirk curved his lips as he laughed. "I’m the one who’s going to crush you in the Alchemy Dao."

Xu Zitao was unbelievably arrogant.

"Crush me in the Alchemy Dao?" Ling Fei’s gaze sharpened, and he couldn’t help but take a second look at Xu Zitao.

This time, Ling Fei’s brows furrowed slightly.

On the surface, Xu Zitao appeared arrogant and flippant, a roguish smirk playing on his lips.

However, upon closer inspection, Ling Fei discovered that Xu Zitao’s aura was unfathomably deep. The feeling was almost similar to Lian Shuang’s.

But within that profound depth, it was as if an Ancient Fierce Beast lay dormant, ready to erupt with astonishing Power at any moment.

’Is his combat strength even greater than Senior Sister Lian Shuang’s?’ For some reason, Ling Fei’s heart skipped a beat as he sensed how terrifying Xu Zitao truly was.

Instantly, his gaze toward Xu Zitao grew more solemn.

It was hard to imagine that someone so arrogant and flippant, who looked for all the world like a spoiled young master, could possess such unfathomable strength.

’To think the Beiming Sword Sect has a character like this.’ Ling Fei’s mind was in turmoil.

"Did you figure something out?" Seeing Ling Fei’s expression suddenly change, the flippant look on Xu Zitao’s face receded slightly. A sharp light glinted in his eyes, as deadly as a blade that could kill without a trace. ’But this is fine too. It’s time he learned what a true genius is.’

"Heh. Aren’t you a little too arrogant? The competition hasn’t even started. How can you be so sure you’ll crush me?"

"If I end up crushing you instead, you’ll be the one left utterly humiliated!"

Even though he could sense the young man’s unfathomable strength, Ling Fei had no intention of backing down. He raised an eyebrow and said with a laugh.

His words, punctuated by a light laugh, carried across the entire venue.

In fact, the moment Xu Zitao had spoken, he had drawn the attention of countless onlookers. Everyone was wondering who this person was that dared to provoke Ling Fei.

"Heh, make me lose face?" Xu Zitao, who had been lost in thought, heard this and let out a loud laugh. "I’m afraid you don’t have what it takes!" He looked as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world. ’In this tiny little Southern Wilderness, someone actually dares to say they’ll make *me* lose face?’

"Whether I have what it takes or not, you’ll find out soon enough," Ling Fei said with a casual shrug.

Xu Zitao was brimming with confidence, but Ling Fei was no simple character himself.

’Trying to defeat me...’

’...well, I’d like to see just what this guy is capable of.’

"You frog in a well. Today, I’ll show you what true alchemy is," Xu Zitao snorted. "Remember the name. It’s Xu Zitao." With that, he strode directly toward the Beiming Sword Sect’s designated alchemy area, but his parting words left the crowd in an uproar.

"That young man from the Beiming Sword Sect is so arrogant! Who on earth is he? Why have we never heard of him before?" Many people were curious.

"He’s provoking Ling the Pill Master!"

"Could it be he really has the ability to back it up?" The cultivators from the various sects were stunned.

"Impossible. Ling the Pill Master created a Flawless Pill just four months after joining the sect! A talent like that only comes around once in a thousand years. Who could possibly compare to him?"

Many people had complete faith in Ling Fei.

This was especially true for the people from the Lingyun Sect.

In their eyes, Ling Fei was a peerless prodigy whose talent in both the Alchemy Dao and Martial Arts allowed him to look down on all his contemporaries.

"A bunch of ignorant fools. Just you wait. Senior Brother Xu is about to show you what a true, peerless genius looks like," the members of the Beiming Sword Sect said with arrogant disdain.

They had absolute confidence in Xu Zitao!

"Junior Brother Ling, that Xu Zitao is unbelievably arrogant!" Yuan Chong said, glancing at the departing man.

At that moment, his eyes flickered. For some unknown reason, his heart began to pound.