My Brother's the Protagonist? Good Thing I Awakened My System!

Chapter 162  Winner Of Alchemist Competition

After that, Feng Chen once again dedicated his time to cultivation.

The lack of any clues about his parents only fueled his desire to grow stronger. He knew that if he could reach the Spirit Severing Realm, he would gain the ability to tear through space and travel vast distances. Even if his parents were in another country or an entirely different continent, reaching them wouldn't be impossible.

Of course, he didn't completely neglect his duties as the Clan Leader. Occasionally, he would emerge from his secluded training to oversee the Feng Clan's affairs. To his relief, Elder Wei and the other elders proved to be highly competent, ensuring that the clan's expansion continued smoothly without any significant issues.

In addition, Feng Chen would sometimes spend time training the younger generation of the Feng Clan. Seeing their progress and enthusiasm gave him a sense of pride and hope for the future of the clan.

During this period, two more Grand Elders broke through to the Three Elements Divine Realm, bringing the total to three excluding Feng Chen who is in the Nascent Soul Realm. Such an achievement called for a grand celebration within the clan.

With the growing number of Three Elements Divine Realm experts, it became evident to all that Feng Clan's influence had solidified Feng Clan's position as the number one power in the Eastern Region.

The news of the Lan Clan ceasing its pursuit of the Feng Clan also spread like wildfire. This was no small matter, considering the Lan Clan's reputation for ruthlessly eradicating their enemies. However, when word got out that the Feng Clan now had four Three Elements Divine Realm experts—equaling the number in the Lan Clan—everyone understood the reason for the change. The Feng Clan was no longer seen as weaker; they were on equal footing with the mighty Lan Clan.

Many began to suspect that perhaps the Lan Clan already knew about Feng Clan's power due to which they had stopped their order to hunt down Feng Yun.

Amidst these developments, Elder Wei reminded Feng Chen about the reward from the royal family for saving the Fifth Princess, Wang Zhiqing. Feng Chen had nearly forgotten about it amidst his rigorous cultivation.

The reward was generous, befitting a princess of the empire: 100,000 gold coins and a mansion in the capital spanning an estimated 50,000 square meters. While the gold coins were negligible to someone of Feng Chen's wealth, the mansion and the vast land it occupied piqued his interest. Such prime real estate in the capital was a rarity, almost impossible to obtain even with immense wealth.

Realizing its potential, Feng Chen instructed Elder Wei to send someone to the capital to inspect the mansion and land. If it proved satisfactory, they were to assign staff to maintain it. After all, the Feng Clan would need a place to stay during their upcoming visit to the capital for the Dragon and Phoenix Ranking tournament, which would last for several weeks.

If the place wasn't good, Feng Chen didn't mind crashing into the Lan Clan.

A few months passed, and the day of the Alchemist Competition finally arrived.

Surprisingly, one of the Feng Clan's alchemists, Feng Lingzhi, had managed to advance to Third Grade just in time for the event. At only 26 years old, Feng Lingzhi was considered a prodigy. He had shown a calm demeanor and unwavering diligence in his studies of alchemy from a young age.

Previously, his progress had been slow, as the clan lacked advanced resources and recipes beyond basic Rank 1 pills. However, when Feng Yun became an alchemist, he changed everything. With the recipes and resources Feng Yun provided, coupled with the clan's increased investment in alchemical materials, Feng Lingzhi had unlocked his full potential. He quickly surpassed his elders and became the best alchemist in the Feng Clan—excluding Feng Yun, who was currently absent.

Although outright victory seemed unlikely, Feng Lingzhi had a realistic chance of securing a place in the Top 10. Feng Chen approved of his participation, assigning two elders to accompany him for protection.

"Do your best," Feng Chen told Feng Lingzhi. "Regardless of the outcome, your efforts will bring honor to the clan."

Feng Lingzhi bowed deeply. "I won't let you down, Clan Leader."

With that, Feng Lingzhi and his escorts departed for the competition.

After seeing Feng Lingzhi off, Feng Chen returned to his cultivation. Over the past six months, his progress has been remarkable. While he hadn't yet broken through to the Peak of Nascent Soul Realm, he felt that the breakthrough was close at hand.

Sitting cross-legged in meditation, he mused aloud, "The peak of the Nascent Soul Realm… Shouldn't that make me the strongest in the Azure Sky Empire?"

He didn't know who the person was but he knew that there should be someone who was higher than Top Nascent Soul Realm.

It was a logical assumption.

After all, he had been rewarded for being the strongest in Misty Vale City. Yet, no similar acknowledgment had come at him when he entered the Top Nascent Soul Realm. He was certain that when he became the strongest in the Azure Sky Empire, the System would award him just like it previously did.

This led him to believe there might still be another cultivator at the peak of the Nascent Soul Realm—or perhaps even a hidden expert in the Spirit Severing Realm.

As he pondered this, Elder Wei arrived outside his chamber.

"Elder Wei, what's the matter?" Feng Chen asked.

"Nephew, the Alchemist Competition is over, and we've received the results!" Elder Wei's excitement was palpable.

"It seems Feng Lingzhi did well," Feng Chen remarked, noticing the elder's elated expression. "What rank did he achieve?"

"Hehe… Seventh place! Feng Lingzhi secured seventh place! We have an alchemical genius in our clan," Elder Wei announced proudly.

Feng Chen nodded, a smile spreading across his face. "That's excellent news. Make sure he's properly rewarded when he returns."

While pleased with Feng Lingzhi's performance, Feng Chen's thoughts turned to Feng Yun. Had he participated in the competition? Seeing no mention of him from Elder Wei, Feng Chen suspected either Feng Yun hadn't participated or had done so under a different identity.

"So, who was the winner?" Feng Chen asked.

Elder Wei's expression turned thoughtful. "The winner was someone named Yun Feng. His skills were unparalleled, but his identity remains a mystery. He wore a mask throughout the competition, so nobody knows who the person really is."

"Yun Feng?" Feng Chen's eyes narrowed. The name was suspiciously familiar—it was Feng Yun's name reversed. A smirk tugged at his lips. ( Only the protagonist would think that reversing his name and wearing a mask would fool everyone. )

Feng Chen thought though looking at Elder Wei's unsuspected voice, it could be said that the name indeed hid his real identity well.

While there was a slim chance Yun Feng was someone else, the odds were low. The coincidence was too great to be ignored.

"But it seemed like his age was around 18 years old after checking his bones. This is a surprise as I have never thought that there would be such a genius. If only he was from our clan."

Elder Wei said.

Of course, he knew that getting 7th place was already good but looking at the winner, he couldn't help but compare.

18 Years Old Fourth Grade Alchemist!

Feng Chen chuckled when he heard Elder Wei's words.

( It is indeed Feng Yun! )

"Maybe he is!"

Feng Chen said.

"Huh?"

Elder Wei couldn't understand what Feng Chen meant but thought that perhaps Feng Chen was planning to recruit Yun Feng.

"Nephew, Our elders had tried but it didn't seem like we could recruit Yun Feng. Heck, I heard that he even declined the Imperial Family and Mystic Flame Sect's invitation."

Elder Wei said.

Feng Chen could only shake his head as he didn't think he should explain anymore. Feng Yun was trying to hide his identity so he wouldn't destroy his plan.

Elder Wei continued, his tone shifting slightly as he spoke, "Nephew, there's something else worth mentioning. An incident occurred during the Alchemist Competition." Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Oh? What happened?" Feng Chen asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Well, it seems an evil cultivator managed to infiltrate the competition by disguising himself as an alchemist," Elder Wei said gravely. "Apparently, Yun Feng prevented his plan by winning and also uncovered his identity during the final rounds."