Competition

At midday, Qin Ran stood by the seashore, watching the waves crash recklessly against the rocks, shattering into countless white droplets before falling back into the sea.

As he gazed, he felt a sense of tragic grandeur—like a cultivator challenging the River of Fate, only to fail and be swallowed by its currents once more.

"Are you leaving for the Hailang Sect competition?"

A voice suddenly sounded behind him.

Qin Ran turned and saw the Holy Maiden, her figure graceful as she approached him.

"Yes, I’ll be departing soon. I’m waiting for Manager Pang," he replied. "You already know about it?"

Today, the Holy Maiden seemed different. Her eyes, usually filled with a mesmerizing depth of affection and mirth, now carried a hint of melancholy, making her appear subdued.

She stepped beside Qin Ran, watching the ebb and flow of the tide, and asked, "How long will you be gone?"

Qin Ran studied her profile. Her face was still veiled by a thin black gauze, obscuring her features except for the faint curve of her delicate brows and the alluring upturn of her peach-blossom eyes.

"At least a month, at most two," he answered.

"Two months?" The Holy Maiden sighed softly. "Well, that’s fine."

"What’s wrong? You don’t seem happy," Qin Ran asked. "Is it about the competition, or is something else troubling you?"

The Holy Maiden stared at the sea, silent for a long moment, before replying, "I came to bid you farewell."

Qin Ran sensed something amiss in her words. On one hand, he was indeed leaving Demon Island for the Hailang Sect, so a farewell was natural. On the other, she was the Holy Maiden of the "Fate" organization—a demonic sect—and he dared not overthink her intentions.

So he merely replied, "No need to be so solemn. I’m just going for a competition. I’ll return soon—it’s hardly a life-or-death parting."

"Hmm..." Perhaps Qin Ran’s reassurance worked, as the Holy Maiden smiled again. Her eyes curved as she tilted her head, gazing at him earnestly. "Take care of yourself."

Those eyes, stripped of their usual coquetry and tenderness, were now as clear as autumn water—pure and innocent, like those of a maiden in the bloom of youth.

But as Qin Ran met her gaze, seeing only that clarity—those unclouded eyes and genuine smile—his heart, forged from Divine Essence Condensation, pounded violently against his chest.

Those eyes, once so full of emotion, now held none—yet their purity struck him deeper than any flirtation ever had.

His throat tightened, and he instinctively averted his gaze, turning back to the sea. "Yeah, you take care too."

"Hehe..." The Holy Maiden giggled, watching his flustered expression from the side. She reached up, fingers brushing the ties of her veil, and asked, "After all these years of knowing you, after all the meals I’ve mooched off you... do you want to see what I look like?"

Five years had passed since they first met, and though they had crossed paths countless times, Qin Ran had never once seen the Holy Maiden’s face.

To say he wasn’t curious would be a lie—he knew she must be stunning. So he turned back to her and replied, "Sure, why not?"

Yet for some reason, he suddenly felt the distance between them shrink—too close, unbearably close. The pressure was overwhelming. He didn’t see her lift the veil; all he saw were those clear, fathomless eyes.

His throat constricted again.

"Ha ha ha!" The Holy Maiden suddenly burst into laughter, stepping back and putting distance between them. "Just teasing you! You’re so gullible!"

Only when she retreated did Qin Ran realize she had stealthily closed the gap earlier.

His heart hammered wildly. He opened his mouth, wanting to ask something—

But then another voice called from behind: "Master Qin, are you ready?"

He turned and saw Pang Xuan’s rotund figure approaching, followed by dozens of "Fate" organization members.

"Ready," Qin Ran replied.

"Your efforts are appreciated," Pang Xuan said with a smile. Noticing the Holy Maiden, he bowed slightly. "Ah, the Holy Maiden is here too? Have you come to see Master Qin off?"

The Holy Maiden had reverted to her usual alluring demeanor. She glanced at Pang Xuan and said playfully, "Indeed! I hope Master Qin secures first place and fulfills the organization’s mission."

"Of course he will!" Pang Xuan declared.

The Holy Maiden’s eyes sparkled as she stole one last glance at Qin Ran—but she said nothing more, turning and walking away.

Watching her silhouette disappear, Pang Xuan chuckled and asked Qin Ran, "What did the Holy Maiden discuss with you?"

Qin Ran shook his head. "We’re not close. We just happened to meet and exchanged a few words."

He then asked Pang Xuan, "How did she know about the competition?"

"She’s the Holy Maiden—of course she knows." Pang Xuan studied Qin Ran briefly but pressed no further. With a sweep of his hand, he announced, "Alright, let’s set off for the Hailang Sect!"

Qin Ran glanced around. "How are we getting there? Flying?"

Pang Xuan laughed heartily, retrieving a miniature ship from his storage belt. With a toss, the model expanded with the wind, transforming into a full-sized vessel that docked by the shore.

"By ship, naturally!" Pang Xuan clapped Qin Ran’s shoulder and leaped aboard.

The ship wasn’t slow—matching the speed of an average second-grade cultivator’s flight—but it still took three days to reach the Hailang Sect.

Unsurprisingly, the Hailang Sect was also situated on an island—one far larger than Demon Island or Dragon Whale Island. A key landmass in the Tianlan Sea Region, it was named Hailang Island after the sect.

If Dragon Whale Island operated under a feudal system and Demon Island thrived on piracy, then Hailang Island was the epitome of a sect-dominated society.

The entire island revolved around the Hailang Sect, with surrounding cities existing in its orbit.

Though both were alchemy sects, Hailang Sect’s territory dwarfed Zhican Valley’s in sheer size. Yet given the differing geographical conditions of the Tianlan Sea Region and Lingnan Region, it was hard to say which sect held the upper hand.

With the alchemy competition underway, Hailang Island was bustling. The sect grounds and surrounding cities teemed with people—alchemists, buyers, sellers, and those with other agendas. The streets were packed shoulder-to-shoulder.

This was likely the primary reason Hailang Island hosted the Alchemy Exchange Conference.

Though Qin Ran’s group hadn’t arrived late, the island’s overcrowding—combined with their large numbers—left no vacancies in the inns. Fortunately, the "Fate" organization had a branch on the island, and they eventually settled in the Yuanlai Teahouse.

That evening, in a private room on the teahouse’s third floor, Pang Xuan and Qin Ran sipped tea while discussing the competition.

Pang Xuan said, "There are six opponents you should watch out for. Three are fifth-grade alchemists from the major islands..."

He elaborated in detail, then handed Qin Ran the compiled intelligence.

He continued, "As for the other three opponents, two are from the Hailang Sect. One is named Dongfang Yu, a genius alchemist nurtured by the sect in recent years. She’s quite renowned, with exceptional innate talent. Though only a fourth-grade alchemist, every pill she refines is guaranteed to be of superior quality. She must have cultivated some unique techniques.

"The other alchemist from the Hailang Sect is Dong Guanhai, a seasoned sixth-grade alchemist. The sect arranged for him to stand guard to prevent outsiders from taking first place and causing them to lose face.

"As for the final opponent… they’re from within our own organization."

"An?" Qin Ran, who had been reviewing the materials, was caught off guard.

"Someone from the organization?" he asked, making sure he hadn’t misheard.

"Indeed, an alchemist from within the organization—but from the Hailang Island branch," Pang Xuan explained. "Though we’re all part of the same organization…"

"Oh…" Qin Ran nodded in understanding. "I get it."

"His name is Bai Tu, also a sixth-grade alchemist. He’s been with the organization for many years, with extremely rich experience in alchemy. He’s the chief alchemist of the Hailang Island branch," Pang Xuan said. "He’s the strongest alchemist our organization has in the Tianlan Sea Region. If nothing unexpected happens, the first place in this competition will likely be contested between Dong Guanhai and Bai Tu."

He stared at Qin Ran, who was still reading the materials, and suddenly grew uncertain. "A sixth-grade alchemist… Can you actually take first place?"

Qin Ran held the documents but shifted his gaze from them to Pang Xuan’s face. Instead of answering, he asked, "I don’t know why you place so much importance on this first place, but I recall you said winning it would earn me a major merit. Is that true?"

Pang Xuan was momentarily stunned before nodding. "Of course it’s true."

Qin Ran pressed further, "Does Demon Island have a teleportation array?"

"It does."

"I mean…" Qin Ran paused. "An ultra-long-distance teleportation array—one that connects domains."

Pang Xuan’s mouth fell open slightly. "What are you planning?"

"I want to leave the Tianhai Region and see other domains," Qin Ran replied. "Can this major merit make that happen?"

"It’s possible—you could be transferred to another branch at the same rank. But…" Pang Xuan hesitated. "Demon Island doesn’t have a cross-domain teleportation array."

"None?" Qin Ran raised an eyebrow.

"The Seven Islands do!" Pang Xuan quickly added. "If you secure first place, I’ll personally send you to the Seven Islands. From there, you can go to another domain."

"A promise is a promise!" Qin Ran locked eyes with Pang Xuan. "I’ll help you win first place, and you’ll send me to the Lingnan Region!"

"The Lingnan Region?"

"The Lingnan Region!"

The alchemy competition hosted by the Hailang Sect was officially called the Alchemy Exchange Competition—emphasis on "exchange," not "competition."

The economic and cultural development brought about by the event far outweighed the competition itself.

Thus, during the month-long exchange, the first twenty-six days were dedicated to interactions—alchemists sharing techniques, trading pills and medicinal ingredients—while the final four days were reserved for the actual competition.

Backed by the "Yuan" organization, Qin Ran managed to reap quite a few benefits during this period.

But pleasant times were always fleeting, and soon, the competition day arrived.

The venue was located at the very center of Hailang Island—a massive plaza built specifically for such events, with a history spanning thousands of years.

Over a thousand participants stood before their own alchemy cauldrons, arranged in such a way that the plaza didn’t feel crowded.

The first day’s challenge was identifying various spiritual herbs and plants.

The Hailang Sect provided each contestant with a bag of mixed medicinal ingredients, requiring them to sort and classify them. They also had to document how each ingredient was processed, its effects, and what pills it could be used to refine.

This was Qin Ran’s forte. Moreover, he had spent the last five years reviewing precisely this. As a result, he flawlessly categorized every item, earning an "A" grade evaluation.

For alchemists, recognizing ingredients was a fundamental skill, so many others also received "A" grades.

But to Qin Ran’s surprise, a female alchemist named Dongfang Yu only received a "B" grade. He wondered if she was the Hailang Sect’s so-called genius alchemist.

If so, things were about to get interesting.

The second day’s test examined the contestants’ control over alchemical water and fire.

Though referred to as "alchemical water and fire," the focus was overwhelmingly on water, given that this was the Tianlan Sea Region, where fire-based alchemy wasn’t as prevalent.

How, then, was their mastery of alchemical water tested?

By having them extract medicinal essence, of course.

Their performance was judged on two criteria: how many types of ingredients they could refine simultaneously and the degree of refinement they achieved.

Qin Ran’s entire body was composed of alchemical water, and he had specifically trained in refining medicinal ingredients. It was safe to say no one surpassed his control over alchemical water.

He secured another "A" grade.

Mastery over alchemical water was still a basic skill, so many others also earned "A" grades.

However…

While many excelled in one or the other, very few achieved "A" grades in both fundamental skills. Out of over a thousand alchemists, fewer than a hundred managed it.

The third day’s challenge was refining a complete pill.

The Hailang Sect provided the formula—effectively assigning a "prompted essay" task.

The pill was called the Netherspring Pill, a fourth-grade elixir.

For Qin Ran, refining a fourth-grade pill wasn’t difficult. But since this was a new formula, he spent considerable time studying it before beginning the refinement process.

By the time he finished, everyone else had long since completed theirs. Thus, his cauldron of supreme-quality fourth-grade pills was produced under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

Another "A" grade for Qin Ran.

"Supreme quality!" someone exclaimed in awe.

But soon, others noticed something even more startling: "Three ‘A’ grades!!!"

Over the three days, many alchemists had earned "A" grades in individual challenges, but only three had achieved "A" grades in all of them.

The other two were veteran sixth-grade alchemists, figures everyone recognized to some extent.

Qin Ran, however, was a young face no one had seen before.

"Who is he?" someone asked.

No one could answer. It was as if Qin Ran had appeared out of thin air.

"The extraordinary water he’s using is anything but ordinary," someone pointed out.

"Its quality is exceptionally high."

"It almost looks like…" Another voice chimed in, recognition dawning. "Divine Essence Condensation!"

"Divine Essence Condensation?!"

The alchemists erupted into murmurs. "The Divine Essence Old Demon’s successor?!"

"He inherited the Divine Essence Old Demon’s legacy?"

"Since when?!"

Whether they had known Qin Ran before or not, at this moment, as they gazed at that cauldron of supreme-quality pills, every one of them remembered this inheritor of the Divine Essence Old Demon.