Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 64 - Ranking

Xiao Mingyi’s heart sank when he saw the mocking look on Liu Wuxie’s face.

“Alright, the first round has come to an end. All of you can rest for now, and the rankings will be announced in an hour,” Deacon Hua said as he gave all the papers to the three judges for grading. As for the formulas, they were placed separately.

Everyone was shocked by Liu Wuxie’s actions, regardless of whether his formulas were correct or not. Gu Yongshuang and another woman stood behind Zuo Hong, looking at Liu Wuxie.

Zuo Hong couldn’t believe that Liu Wuxie had managed to configure four formulas in just a few minutes. He asked, “Brother Liu, did you really configure four formulas?”

“It doesn’t matter if they’re correct or not because no points will be deducted either way, even if I made a mistake,” Liu Wuxie replied nonchalantly, spreading his hands apart. His response amused Gu Yongshuang and the other woman, who chuckled.

Zuo Hong’s face sank when he heard that, but he soon smiled because what Liu Wuxie said was right. So did it really matter if the formulas were true?

“Let me introduce you,” Zuo Hong said. “This is Gu Yongshuang, the representative from Camp City.” The woman from Camp City cupped her fists together in Liu Wuxie’s direction as a greeting, and Liu Wuxie returned the gesture.

“This is Yan Ruyu from Wu City. Don’t look down on her because she’s not much older than you,” Zuo Hong continued. Yan Ruyu was the representative from Wu City and had placed fifth in last year’s competition. She was only twenty years old, which was quite young for a female alchemist. Yan Ruyu and Liu Wuxie simply nodded to each other in greeting.

Yan Ruyu, who was like a curious child, approached Liu Wuxie and asked him innocently, tilting her head to the side, “Were you really garbage in the past?”

“Ahem...” Zuo Hong coughed because Yan Ruyu didn’t treat herself as an outsider to ask such a sharp question in their first meeting.

As the only two female alchemists, Gu Yongshuang and Yan Ruyu were naturally the center of attention. Their words drew jealous and hateful gazes from those around them, especially towards Yan Ruyu. This was because Yan Ruyu was a direct descendant of the Yan Clan in the Imperial Capital.

Many people admired her and wanted to get close to her. Although Yan Ruyu wore a smile most of the time, she was an iceberg that distanced herself from anyone who tried to get close to her. So it was rare for anyone to see such a playful side to her.

Liu Wuxie cleverly responded to Yan Ruyu’s question by saying, “Lady Yan, are you also interested in gossip?” His answer neither confirmed nor denied that he had been considered garbage in the past and effectively brushed aside Yan Ruyu’s question. The two ladies rolled their eyes at his response and changed the subject, chatting about other matters.

As they talked, the identification papers were being reviewed, and the formulas were left for later. “Everyone, please be quiet for a moment. I will now post the last ten rankings!” The twenty-sixth to thirty-fifth rankings were revealed first. The list was already prepared and was posted on a wooden board for everyone present to look at.

All the alchemists quickly approached the wooden board to check their results. Wen Song was nervous because Harvest City was ranked thirty-fourth last year and might be ranked at the bottom this year. He immediately dashed over to the board as soon as the rankings were revealed.

“Brother Liu, let us go take a look too.” Zuo Hong said, stepping forward with Yan Ruyu and Gu Yongshuang following behind him. But Liu Wuxie wasn’t in a hurry and remained standing ten-odd meters away from the wooden board. He was able to see the rankings clearly using his Ghost Eye, even from a distance.

Wen Song was shocked and collapsed on the ground, screaming, “That’s impossible!” Harvest City had only scored 26 points in this round and was ranked thirty-fifth. But no one paid him any attention as they were all busy searching for their own names on the list.

“This is weird...where is Azure Billow City ranked this year?” Everyone was confused because Azure Billow City had been struggling at the bottom for several years, but this year they were nowhere to be found in the rankings from twenty-sixth to thirty-fifth.

Some big shots came over from the observation area and fell into deep thought as they looked at the list. The thirty-five pavilion masters also came over to look at the list, with some feeling happy and others feeling disappointed.

“Harvest City is ranked last? It looks like the competition this year is interesting,” Ke Wen commented, stroking his beard. The rankings hadn’t changed much, with most cities either moving up or down by one place.

“I’m surprised Plum City dropped to the thirty-fourth ranking, which is beyond my expectation. Xue Chou’s performance this year is a little disappointing.” Mo Shidao said, frowning. Plum City had been ranked thirty-second last year, but they had fallen by two places this year, which was quite unusual.

But one person was excited that Azure Billow City wasn’t on the list, as this meant that they had made it into the top twenty-five rankings this year.

“Look, Boundless City fell to the thirty-third ranking. They fell by three rankings this year,” someone exclaimed. Everyone paid special attention to Boundless City because of the bet between Xiao Mingyi and Liu Wuxie. After all, whoever lost the bet had to kneel and kowtow.

Yun Lan almost fell over because of this outcome. Boundless City had obtained the lowest ranking in history. Ever since he became Boundless City’s pavilion master, they had never achieved such a low ranking before, and this was too embarrassing.

The Eastern Capital took over Boundless City’s previous position, placing thirtieth, which surprised many people. The rankings from twenty-sixth to twenty-ninth remained the same as last year. The most significant changes usually occurred among the top five, and no one wanted to be ranked at the bottom.

“He must be cheating! Why didn’t Azure Billow City appear on the list?!” Wen Song crawled up from the ground with his hair disheveled. He wore a sinister expression because being ranked at the bottom meant the status of their branch would plummet along with the sales of pills.

Everyone looked at Wen Song as if he were an idiot for questioning the integrity of the three judges. Such behavior would only make things more difficult for Harvest City in the future.

“What audacity!” Deacon Hua roared coldly, interrupting Wen Song. How could an alchemist behave like a scoundrel in the market?

Nangong Qi, the pavilion master of Harvest City, stepped forward with a smile and said, “Deacon Hua, please calm down. Wen Song may have been wrong about questioning the judges, but there’s something weird about this situation. We should investigate this matter thoroughly to prevent any accusations of cheating in the competition.”

Nangong Qi quickly pulled Wen Song back, as he was worried that Wen Song might do something irrational in his current state.

“You’re doubting us!” Sang Yan’s face darkened, and he released a powerful aura in the Marrow Cleansing Realm, enveloping the entire venue. Everyone trembled under his aura, not daring to say a word.

“I dare not!” Nangong Qi cowered, drawing sympathetic looks from those around him. No one had ever doubted the judges in the history of the competition, and Nangong Qi was the first to do so.

There was also a discussion taking place in the observation area. This year’s competition might have seemed ordinary on the surface, but there were undercurrents of tension as no one knew the exact rankings until the very end.

Yun Lan, the pavilion master of Harvest City, tried to console Nangong Qi by saying, “Pavilion Master Nangong, you don’t have to be discouraged. Identifying the herbs is only the first step; we still have the overall score. So we still have a chance.” The two were in the same boat, as both of their rankings had dropped.

Plum City’s pavilion master, Heng Zheng, came over and said, “Pavilion Master Yun is right. We still stand a chance, and I believe we can catch up tomorrow and narrow the gap.”

The three of them allied because Liu Wuxie had ridiculed their disciples. As pavilion masters and masters, they couldn’t just let it go.

A sarcastic voice suddenly spoke up in the venue, saying, “Xiao Mingyi, shouldn’t you fulfill your promise now?” At this moment, everyone recalled the bet between Liu Wuxie and Xiao Mingyi: the loser would have to kneel and kowtow to the winner.

Xiao Mingyi trembled as if he had been electrocuted. He turned to look at his master, Yun Lan, for help. If he kneeled to Liu Wuxie in front of everyone, he would never be able to hold his head up again in the future.

“Brat, don’t take it too far. It’s still too early to talk about who won. Perhaps you only have zero points, and you’re not on the list,” Yun Lan barked at Liu Wuxie, releasing his aura to crush down on him and teach him a lesson.

Bi Gongyu stepped forward and confronted Yun Lan, releasing his aura and causing the tables and chairs around them to explode. He challenged Yun Lan, asking, “Yun Lan, do you think there’s no one in Azure Billow City?” It was a rare sight to see two pavilion masters confronting each other in public like this.

“You think I’m afraid of you?” Yun Lan retorted, standing his ground. Nangong Qi and Heng Zheng stepped forward to stand behind Yun Lan, showing their support.

The face-off between both sides compressed the surrounding air as their aura clashed, turning the fragmented tables and chairs to dust. A huge vortex also appeared in the air, draining the nearby spiritual energy as the aura they gave off increased.

“That’s enough!” Master Mao roared, releasing an even more powerful aura that forced Bi Gongyu and Yun Lan to step back. He was visibly angry, his chest heaving as he demanded, “Both of you are pavilion masters. So what are you two trying to do by fighting in front of so many people?!”

The Treasure Pill Pavilion was thoroughly embarrassed today, becoming a laughingstock in public, and this was all because of one person: Liu Wuxie.

The venue fell into a brief silence as Deacon Hua received the second list from the three judges. This time, the list included those ranked from sixteen to twenty-five. The ten rankings were clear with a glance. This time, not only was Yun Lan taken aback, but even Bi Gongyu had a look of shock on his face.

“This is strange...Azure Billow City hasn’t appeared yet. Can it be that he’s in the top fifteen?” The entire venue fell into a brief silence before an uproar exploded. The rankings between sixteen to twenty-five didn’t change much and were the same as last year.

“Come to think of it, do you think Azure Billow City will be the dark horse of this competition and make it into the top ten?” The observation area was buzzing with excitement. Initially, they thought the identification round would be dull and test their patience, but it turned out to be thrilling.

“Most likely. After all, that boy even knew the nurturing method of the Seven Spirit Grass, not to mention he could improve the Energy Condensing Pill’s quality. He’s not simple because that doesn’t seem like a random guess by luck, but real capability.”

Everyone was curious about Azure Billow City’s rankings, with few paying attention to the top five.

The following list consisted of those ranked from six to fifteen, causing everyone to hold their breath in anticipation, especially the cities that had ranked fifth and sixth last year. Since their rankings were so close, there was a possibility that they might switch places.

As the list was displayed on the wooden board, a chorus of gasps could be heard from the crowd. Even Bi Gongyu stumbled when he saw the rankings.

“Holy shit! Wu City is ranked sixth, and Ning City is ranked seventh?!” Last year, Wu City was ranked fifth, while Ning City was ranked sixth. But they had both dropped one place this year.

“H-Has anyone seen Azure Billow City’s ranking yet?” an alchemist screamed, pointing at the list.

Du Mingze narrowed his eyes; since Azure Billow City wasn’t on this list, it meant Liu Wuxie made it into the top five this year. As he realized this, the murderous intent in his eyes intensified.

Qin Letian and Ji Yang turned to look at Liu Wuxie with a conflicted gaze.

Compared to them, beads of sweat rolled down Xiao Mingyi’s forehead with his body trembling. But no one paid attention to him because they were all focused on the wooden board.