The Legend of Futian

Ye Futian continued to rest in the courtyard after the top cultivators left. Grandmaster Tianbao was the best and the most renowned alchemy master on Ninth Street. It was alleged that he could make ninth-grade pills of the Great Paths. Ye Futian certainly couldn’t do that.

But that didn’t matter. Since Ye Futian was at a much lower cultivation level than Grandmaster Tianbao, he couldn’t win the challenge. Nevertheless, winning was not his goal anyway. He simply needed to do his best to make pills and take advantage of Grandmaster Tianbao’s fame during the process.

An Alchemy Grandmaster from the outsider challenged the best Alchemy Grandmaster on Ninth Street. Ye Futian was confident that his move had attracted considerable public attention.

“Master,” a voice rang out. Lin Sheng, the owner of the Ninth Inn, walked over.

Ye Futian nodded slightly at Lin Sheng and said, “Please have a seat.”

Lin Sheng sat down right away without feigning politeness. He said to Ye Futian, “Master, why did you issue a challenge to Grandmaster Tianbao? Tianyi Pavilion is their territory. You might get yourself in trouble there. Are you sure that you can walk out unscathed?”

“It’s going to be alright,” Ye Futian replied. “I won’t bring you any trouble.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Lin Sheng explained with a smile, but he still didn’t understand where Ye Futian’s confidence came from. He continued, “Perhaps someone will step up and offer you protection if you can demonstrate superlative alchemy skills. In that case, even the Cabinet Master of the Tianyi Pavilion wouldn’t harm you without thinking twice. I’m heartened by your optimism, and I wish you the best of luck.”

“Thank you,” Ye Futian gave an enigmatic nod. Lin Sheng cracked a smile and said, “Master, I will leave you to it then.”

After that, Lin Sheng stood up and left the courtyard. He was rather excited about what might happen at the Tianyi Pavilion tomorrow. Ye Futian seemed impossible for him to read. Could he really compete with Grandmaster Tianbao in alchemy?

Lin Sheng couldn’t predict the result and had no choice but to wait patiently.

He was not the only one on the edge of his seat. A lot of people were waiting with bated breath as the news circulating in and beyond Ninth Street.

What kind of a place was the Tianyi Pavilion? It was the largest trading center on Ninth Street. On top of that, Grandmaster Tianbao was the best Alchemy Grandmaster on Ninth Street. He made the finest pills for the Tianyi Pavilion. Now, a mysterious outsider killed Grandmaster Tianbao’s disciple and issued him a challenge. How conceited the man must be!

…

The Tianyi Pavilion was extra busy and crowded the next day. Not only the residents near Ninth Street gathered there, but many cultivators from other parts of Giant Gods City also showed up, including people from various prominent and influential families in the city.

Ninth Street was acknowledged by everyone to be the largest commercial hub in Giant Gods City. It was also a place that was frequented the most by people from aristocratic families in the city. Needless to say, the people from the distinguished families were more or less on familiar terms with Grandmaster Tianbao.

Of course, they would come on this day to watch the drama unfold.

There was an elevated stage in the Tianyi Pavilion where auctions were usually held. But it was empty on this day for Grandmaster Tianbao and Ye Futian.

A lot of seats were located under the stage to accommodate auction participants. At this point, the seats were filled with cultivators who came to watch the match. Some people didn’t show up in person but had covered the entire field with divine consciousness to not miss a single detail.

Even so, more cultivators swarmed in to witness the competition with their own eyes.

A voice boomed at this moment, “Cabinet Master, the man just headed out.”

The Cabinet Master of the Tianyi Pavilion immediately walked out of a great hall and strode in the direction of the elevated stage. He was accompanied by several people who all had a stately bearing.

“Have a seat,” the Cabinet Master gestured and said to everyone. All of them were from aristocratic families in Giant Gods City, including a man who enjoyed the same status as the Cabinet Master.

“Where is Grandmaster Tianbao?” someone asked.

“Grandmaster Tianbao is still resting. He will come out soon,” the Cabinet Master replied.

“Alright. I’m surprised that so many people came here today. This is good. Let’s check out ow this clown who doesn’t know his limitations is capable of. He even dares to challenge Grandmaster Tianbao,” an old man chuckled.

“We need to have a drink with Grandmaster Tianbao after he takes care of this clown. I want to ask him to make a pill for me,” another person said. He was here to seek favor with Grandmaster Tianbao. Most of the people came here not only because of curiosity but also to reinforce their relationship with Grandmaster Tianbao and to ask him for pills, which were crucial to the youngsters in their families.

“Sure,” the Cabinet Master of the Tianyi Pavilion said, “The Grandmaster wouldn’t accept this man’s challenge if Lin Sheng didn’t insist on saving him. He is nothing but a fool who overestimated his abilities.”

They couldn’t kill Ye Futian when he was inside the Ninth Inn. It was obvious that they didn’t want to fall out with Lin Sheng after all. Otherwise, a prestigious man like Grandmaster Tianbao wouldn’t care to compete with Ye Futian at all since it was utterly meaningless. However, if Grandmaster Tianbao accepted the challenge, Ye Futian would come to the Tianyi Pavilion voluntarily and have no chance to make off alive.

While chatting casually, they noticed that several people who had courtly manners were mixed with the crowd. An elderly man gazed at the distinctive group, his eyes narrowed.

“They are…” the old man muttered. Right away, the Cabinet Master of the Tianyi Pavilion and his companions looked in that direction as well. A group of young men and women, attended by several people, were standing there. They kept a low profile and seemed unfathomable.

Startled, the Cabinet Master of the Tianyi Pavilion stood up and was about to walk over to them. Coincidentally, one of the young men darted the Cabinet Master a look at the same time. He nodded slightly at the Cabinet Master and transmitted his voice to him, “Keep doing whatever you need to do. Don’t mind us.”

The Cabinet Master of the Tianyi Pavilion paused for a moment and sat back down. He transmitted his voice back to the young man, “Yes, Your Highness. Please let me know if Your Highness needs anything.”

“Okay,” the young man replied and looked away. Several people alongside the Cabinet Master also greeted the young man via voice transmission. They were all surprised to see people from the ancient royal family here. It seemed that the news reached rather far indeed.

That being said, they might have come here simply out of curiosity.

The excited crowd created a din in the Tianyi Pavilion. Far away, many cultivators cleared out a path. Baize Demonic Beast was sauntering down the street, carrying a man wearing a metal mask. The man seemed extremely relaxed; even his eyes were closed under the mask. Everyone felt that this Alchemy Grandmaster was exceptionally arrogant. It was as if he considered everything and everybody beneath his notice, including Grandmaster Tianbao.

“Such an attitude!” Many people were lost for words. The man didn’t take Grandmaster Tianbao seriously at all.

The young people who came from the ancient royal family were intrigued by Ye Futian. They came out to watch the fun after learning about the eccentric Alchemy Grandmaster, who was staying on Ninth Street. He appeared to an interesting man indeed, but his alchemy skills were unclear.

Ye Futian and Baize strolled down the street without hurry. The crowd made way for them spontaneously. Plenty of people were wondering if Ye Futian was feigning nonchalance.

Ye Futian didn’t open his eyes until Baize Demonic Beast stopped. He shot a glance at the people in front of him. The Cabinet Master of the Tianyi Pavilion and the others were all staring at him with a cold and stern face. They didn’t attack him right away only because they accepted his challenge the day before. They were men of high standing who cared about their reputation on Ninth Street and wouldn’t go back on their word.

“Where is him?” Ye Futian asked casually. He scanned the stage and didn’t see Grandmaster Tianbao.

Before his voice faded, a lithe figure flew out of the great hall and landed on the stage with extraordinary grace. It was Grandmaster Tianbao.

Grandmaster Tianbao darted a look at Ye Futian. He never thought that a youngster would be so impudent and audacious. Without mincing words, he said, “You really have the nerve to come. I will take your life for sure after we make the pills.”

“Great arrogance for an old man,” Ye Futian snickered. Baize carried him forward to the stage. He jumped off and walked over to Grandmaster Tianbao.

“I would also like to see what kind of pills you’re capable of making and what makes you think that you can summon me at will,” Ye Futian said contemptuously. Grandmaster Tianbao’s eyes were filled with menace, his long beard flowing in the wind. However, he heard the Cabinet Master talking to him via voice transmission, “Grandmaster, the ancient royal family has sent some people here. You need to take the competition seriously even if you want to kill him.”

“Alright,” Grandmaster Tianbao replied. He darted a disdainful glance at Ye Futian and said, “Let’s begin!”