C147 Flame Tree and Silver Flower Don't Night(2)
"Woo Zhengyang, are you okay?" Zhengyang asked with some concern. Ouyang Zhenshan's urgency was clearly suspicious.
Liang Ruoxuan nodded, her expression firm but showing signs of fatigue.
The challenge was to refine the same type of herb, with the highest purity winning. Ruoxuan's impressive performance earlier had made the Ma family nervous, and they refrained from further provocation.
Both sides presented their prepared herbs. After Ouyang Zhenshan confirmed they were identical, the refining began.
After a while, both parties extinguished their flames and retrieved a transparent pill from their cauldrons. These pills were merely condensed spirit liquid and, despite the refining, only retained the herb's properties, serving solely to determine the winner.
Seeing the pills side by side, Ruoxuan couldn't help but smile, and Zhengyang breathed a sigh of relief. Ruoxuan's pill was noticeably clearer than the Ma family's alchemist's, proving her superior refining technique.
With two consecutive wins, a third round was unnecessary. Even though Ruoxuan was exhausted, it was worth it.
"How is this possible?" Ma Tengyue, who had been silent after being defeated twice, couldn't contain his surprise at the clarity of the pills.
Nowadays, they can confirm that Liang Ruoxuan's fire poison has indeed been cured. Otherwise, even if Liang Ruoxuan managed to win the first round with her dazzling display, the fire poison would have backfired, making it impossible for her to persist until now, let alone complete the potion refinement!
Not only Ma Tengyue, but everyone from the Ma family changed their expressions after comparing the two potions, except for the Alchemist, who shook his head with a wry smile.
When the potion was presented to Ouyang Zhenshan, he remained silent for a long time before finally announcing the result, which surprised everyone.
The Ma family won!
"Ouyang Zhenshan, this is outrageous!" Yu Jun exploded with anger upon hearing the result. Many in the audience began to murmur their doubts.
"Commander Yu Jun, you shouldn't speak carelessly. My judgment is naturally fair," Ouyang Zhenshan replied calmly.
"Fair? The transparency of the two potions is obvious. Clearly, my niece Ruoxuan's is superior. Where is your fairness in this?" Yu Jun's question drew everyone's attention to Ouyang Zhenshan, waiting to see how he would respond. After all, he was the vice principal of the Heavenly Martial Academy, and such an unfair judgment could greatly impact the academy's reputation.
Ouyang Zhenshan smiled slightly and said, "Who told you that potion refinement is judged by transparency?"
Liang Ruoxuan, usually so composed, couldn't help but feel her anger rising. She questioned, "So, Principal Ouyang Zhenshan, if this alchemy competition isn't about purification, then what's it about?"
"When I set these rules, perhaps I wasn't clear. This competition measures the value of the medicine after refinement!" Ouyang Zhenshan explained, holding both pills in his hands. "Look, your spirit liquid pill is almost gone, which means its total value has significantly decreased. Meanwhile, Alchemist Wang's pill, though not highly purified, retains much of the herb's value, minimizing waste!"
His words caused a stir among the crowd. No one expected Ouyang Zhenshan to twist the definition of refinement to cover up his bias. Everyone knew that the essence of refining was about purification; it didn't need further explanation. Yet, Ouyang Zhenshan offered a different interpretation.
The main issue was that his argument didn't hold water. If Liang Ruoxuan could purify the herbs to such a degree, she could certainly match Alchemist Wang's level. It was a paradox!
"Exactly, exactly, refining is about this! Who cares about transparency?" Ma Tengyue chimed in, only to be shoved aside by Ma Tenglong.
Ma Tenglong's expression was grim. Although Ouyang Zhenshan declared the Ma family the winners, true justice was clear to everyone. The Ma family had orchestrated the marriage contract and the Pill King Competition to gain the Pill King Pavilion's reputation legitimately. Now, even with a victory, the pavilion's reputation was tarnished.
But with things as they are, the Ma family had no other options. Liang Ruoxuan had already won one round, and if she won this one too, the Pill King Pavilion would belong to the Liang family. The Ma family wouldn't have any chance to turn things around.
"Ugh..."
Overwhelmed with emotion, Liang Ruoxuan coughed up blood. She had poured her heart and soul into this, hoping to reclaim the Pill King Pavilion through her own efforts. And she had done it—beyond anyone's expectations. Even before the third round began, she had already secured a decisive victory.
But she never imagined that Ouyang Zhenshan and the Ma family would collude to such an extent. Ouyang Zhenshan, disregarding his reputation, twisted the rules in broad daylight to favor the Ma family. If he could do that, there was no telling what tricks might be pulled in the third round. Once full of fighting spirit, Liang Ruoxuan suddenly found herself in darkness, unable to see even a glimmer of hope for victory.
