Chapter 333: Day Three of Imperial Competition [3] [Bonus - ]
A thick, blinding bolt of purple lightning tore through the black sky, plunging straight down like a divine lance toward her unsealed cauldron, determined to incinerate the arrogant pill attempting to defy the supreme laws of Heaven!
"Not on my watch!" Yilan spat softly, her voice dripping with absolute pride and defiance.
Instead of shrinking back, she stepped boldly into the tempest and slammed both palms firmly against the base of her furnace.
Her Spiritual Flame erupted wildly upward, weaving into a roaring, spinning protective lotus shield directly over the cauldron’s opening!
BOOM—!
The purple lightning struck the azure lotus with deafening force.
Shockwaves of violent energy rippled across the enchanted defensive arrays of the arena, shattering the solid stone floor beneath Yilan’s feet into fine, flying dust.
Yilan let out a soft, stifled groan, a thin trickle of crimson blood leaking from the corner of her lips as she bore the raw brunt of Heaven’s wrath to protect her creation.
The cloud thundered again, its subsequent strikes descending with even fiercer, more relentless fury as Shen Yu calmly watched from above.
Yet, strangely enough, no matter how terrifyingly the thunder roared, the lightning’s destructive bite never actually inflicted a deep, lasting injury upon Yilan.
It was as if the tribulation was putting on a grand, violent show, yet deliberately holding back its fatal edge under his steady gaze.
Shen Yu’s smile broadened as he raised his eyes to the churning sky.
Just as an even thicker, more menacing bolt was gathering its strength to strike—
ROAR—!
The clouds let out one final, earsplitting rumble... and then, without warning, rapidly dissolved into thin air, scattering as if embarrassed to be caught.
Shen Yu chuckled softly to himself, his golden eyes filled with dark amusement.
’Tsundere.’
When the lingering smoke finally cleared, the heavy storm had completely vanished, leaving the colossal Imperial Grand Arena in dead, suffocating silence.
Yilan stood straight amidst the ruined platform, her dark blue robes fluttering softly in the quiet breeze.
She raised the back of her hand, casually wiping the thin trace of blood from her lower lip before extending a delicate, jade-like arm.
With a gentle, elegant wave of her sleeve, the heavy lid of her cauldron flew off.
SWISH!
A single, pearl-like pill floated upward into the air.
It didn’t possess full Pill Clouds, as her current Golden Core cultivation had ultimately lacked the raw spatial energy required to fully cross the barrier into a true Tier-4 pill.
A translucent, pristine pill rose smoothly into the open air, floating above the steaming rim of the furnace.
It did not possess the billowy, mist-like Pill Clouds of a fully realized Tier-4 creation, her Golden Core cultivation had ultimately lacked the vast spiritual energy needed to break through that final, absolute barrier.
However, etched deeply across its smooth, pearlescent surface were three thick, jagged purple lightning marks that glowed with a mesmerizing, rhythmic pulse.
The pill radiated a dense, suffocating aura, a terrifying, half-step Nascent Soul energy that caused the air surrounding her platform to warp and hum with raw, unbridled power!
The primary imperial evaluator practically tumbled down the stairs from the central balcony in his haste.
His knees shook violently, and his pale hands trembled so hard he could barely hold the Pill-Testing Quartz as he approached the hovering sphere.
The moment the testing stone touched the aura of the pill, it let out an intense, ear-splitting hum, bursting into a blinding pillar of golden light that shot straight into the sky!
"A-A... Pseudo Tier-4 Soul-Cleansing Void Pill!" the evaluator gasped, his voice cracking violently through the grand amplification array as he stared at the glowing numbers in sheer, unadulterated shock.
"She withstood the Heavenly Tribulation... she bore the wrath of Heaven and successfully preserved the pill! Final Purity... Ninety-five point three percent!"
Overwhelmed by the sheer impossibility of the achievement, the evaluator’s knees gave out completely.
He fell to his knees directly before her platform, bowing his head deep into the stone in absolute, unquestioning reverence toward a true master of the craft.
"The Champion of the Imperial Pill Competition... is Matriarch Tang Yilan!"
ROOOOOAAAAAARRRR!
The instant the declaration echoed across the grounds, the entire city erupted into an earth-shattering, heaven-shaking roar!
Hundreds of thousands of spectators leaped to their feet, screaming her name at the top of their lungs until their voices turned hoarse.
Cultivators in the grandstands bowed frantically toward her platform, while visiting patriarchs stared in stunned, awe-struck silence, realizing they had just witnessed history being written before their very eyes.
High up in the elite VIP balcony, Shen Yu stood up slowly.
A dark, impossibly handsome smile touched his lips, his striking golden eyes locking onto her with unreserved pride and possessive warmth.
Down below, amidst the thunderous applause and the deafening cheers of the crowd, Yilan slowly raised her head.
She brushed a strand of disheveled dark hair behind her ear, her gaze cutting through the chaos to catch his proud, glowing eyes high above.
At that single, intimate glance across the roaring arena, her heart fluttered wildly, soaring with absolute, overwhelming fulfillment.
Just as Yilan’s triumph reached its peak, a deafening wave of thunderous shouts erupted from the adjacent arena grounds where the Imperial Weapon Refining Competition was concluding.
The sheer noise of the crowd overflowed into the alchemy amphitheater, followed immediately by the booming, array-amplified voice of the imperial judge:
"The Champion of the Imperial Weapon Refining Competition... is the rogue cultivator, Lu Chen!"
Hearing the declaration, Shen Yu’s lips curled into a calculating, handsome smile.
Throughout the three days of trials, he had kept sharp tabs on the standout talents in the forging arena.
Lu Chen’s background was clean, he was a rogue cultivator with no ties to any major noble houses or ancient blacksmithing clans.
That meant the moment he stepped off that stage, every powerful faction and top merchant guild in the southern territory would swarm him like bloodthirsty vultures, offering lavish positions and absurd riches just to recruit him to their ranks.
After all, claiming the official Imperial Champion title meant unlocking massive imperial business permits, tax exemptions, and exclusive resource quotas from the court, benefits that could instantly catapult a business into a regional titan.
Shen Yu’s golden eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the chaotic commotion in the neighboring arena.
’A talent like that wandering free...’ he thought, a dark, ambitious glint flashing in his gaze.
’I need to meet him.’