Chapter 460 - 459: Miscalculated
"Ou Tianlin, get out here!!"
A low roar, like muffled thunder, echoed into the grand hall, causing Ou Tianlin, who was in the middle of Alchemy, to briefly lose focus. The energy in his Pill Furnace immediately went berserk and exploded!
Ou Tianlin’s figure shot back. At the same time, he slammed his True Essence into the palace walls, activating the Grand Array to block the rampaging energy. Although he was unharmed, he felt incredibly frustrated.
"Damn it, who was that?!"
Ou Tianlin stormed out of the grand hall with a furious shout. Suddenly, his gaze froze. There, high in the sky, a white-robed young man stood proudly. The wild wind made his robes flutter, his expression was as cold as ice, and his gaze was as sharp as a blade.
"Qin Ya!"
"It is." Qin Ya glanced dispassionately at the grand hall behind Ou Tianlin, just in time to see the chaotic energy within the Pill Furnace. "Was Elder Ou in the middle of Alchemy?"
"Hmph."
Ou Tianlin snorted coldly. Looking at the indifferent Qin Ya, a mocking smile touched the corner of his lips. "I heard Elder Qin recently obtained a spot for the Void Mausoleum. Today is the challenge match. How do you have the time to come here?"
Then, as if a thought just occurred to him, he added, "It seems you must have lost."
"Well, we are both Alchemists. Fighting isn’t our forte. It’s fine if Elder Qin lost; it couldn’t be helped. You have to understand that..."
"You refined this."
Qin Ya suddenly produced a vial of Elixirs—the very same Ninth-Grade Elixirs he’d gotten from Feng Ba—and tossed it in front of Ou Tianlin, his voice flat.
Interrupted mid-gloat, Ou Tianlin showed a flash of displeasure. He picked up the vial of Elixirs and smiled faintly. ’Looks like Feng Ba did a good job. This Qin Ya must have been worn down by the successive attacks from multiple people and had his spot stolen in the end. That’s why he’s like this. But how did he know I was behind it?’
’Oh, right. He must have found Feng Ba after he lost and forced the answer out of him. Feng Ba’s strength isn’t bad, but he was already defeated by Qin Ya once. It’s normal that he can’t beat him. Still, to think he’d rat me out... He really doesn’t know what’s good for him. Hmph, in a couple of days, I’ll have to take those Elixirs back from him.’
His mind raced, but Ou Tianlin merely smiled faintly. "Elder Qin, I did indeed refine these Elixirs. But for you to come here so aggressively..."
"Wasted Pills!!"
Ou Tianlin hadn’t finished speaking when those two words—"Wasted Pills"—struck him like a bolt of lightning from a clear sky. His face instantly turned ashen, and a vicious glint appeared in his eyes, like a starving beast ready to devour someone whole!
For an Alchemist, insulting the Elixirs they refined was an unforgivable offense, akin to a mortal feud. One could only imagine Ou Tianlin’s mood at this moment. He ripped out a roar, "Qin Ya, what is the meaning of this!"
"I truly feel sorry for those Disciples you incited. To think they’d oppose me for a few vials of Wasted Pills," Qin Ya said, adding fuel to the fire.
"Bastard, shut your mouth!"
Ou Tianlin could bear it no longer. Rolling up his sleeves, he shot into the air using his Sky-Controlling ability. With his True Essence surging, he thrust out a palm strike. But if he couldn’t even withstand a single move from Qin Ya a year ago, how could he possibly harm the Qin Ya of today, who was on a completely different level?
Qin Ya’s figure flashed. He reached out one hand and tore the Palm Qi apart. His hand then irresistibly clamped onto Ou Tianlin’s neck, and he lifted him up like a chick. "Shut my mouth?" he said dispassionately. "Why should I? What I said is the truth. These are, indeed, Wasted Pills!!"
"You... damn you."
Ou Tianlin’s True Essence surged as he tried to break free. But immediately, a wave of True Essence tens, even hundreds of times more powerful than his own, washed over him, completely suppressing him. ’Damn it,’ he thought, ’this guy’s True Essence... it’s... it’s terrifying!!’
At that moment, several figures rapidly approached.
The newcomers were none other than Xu Zhenhong, Muo Xiu, and a few other Elders.
When they learned that Qin Ya had gone to find Ou Tianlin, they feared something might happen and had followed him. Now, they were greeted by the sight of Qin Ya holding Ou Tianlin by the neck.
"Sigh, this kid really is short-tempered."
Xu Zhenhong shook his head as he spoke, but he didn’t move to intervene. Instead, he watched with a cold gaze. As the Law Enforcement Elder, he was already quite displeased with Ou Tianlin for scheming against Qin Ya. Not taking action himself was already giving him face. In fact, seeing this scene brought him a bit of satisfaction.
’Heh, he sure gets things done quickly and cleanly.’
However, Muo Xiu, who was also an Alchemy Elder, wasn’t as gleeful as Xu Zhenhong. With her gentle temperament, her expression changed slightly, and she rushed forward. "Elder Qin," she said hurriedly, "Elder Ou was indeed in the wrong here, but let’s resolve this slowly. Please, put Elder Ou down."
Qin Ya glanced at Muo Xiu. Over the past year, she had often visited the Thirty-Six Peaks to discuss Elixirs with him, so they had something of a friendship. Hearing her words, he dropped Ou Tianlin. However, he had no intention of letting Ou Tianlin off so easily.
"Cough, cough."
Ou Tianlin coughed twice and glared venomously at Qin Ya. But when he saw the other man slowly raise a hand, his vicious gaze was instantly replaced by terror. Like a startled bird, he zipped more than a hundred feet away in the blink of an eye, his face full of wariness.
It was clear he had been thoroughly spooked by Qin Ya.
"Hmph. You have the guts to scheme, but not the guts to face the consequences?"
Qin Ya said coldly, his eyes filled with contempt and disdain. This immediately infuriated Ou Tianlin. But then, he remembered the massive gap in their strength and instantly deflated, able only to curse Qin Ya endlessly in his heart.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he sneered, "Qin Ya, so what if I schemed against you? You were the one who wasn’t capable enough to keep your spot. Are you trying to blame it all on me?"
"I’m telling you, not a chance."
"And another thing, this isn’t over between us for you insulting my Elixirs."
After he finished speaking, he realized everyone was looking at him strangely. Even Qin Ya showed no trace of the shame and anger he had expected.
At this moment, a sliver of unease rose in his heart.
"Sigh." Just then, Muo Xiu sighed and stepped forward. "Elder Ou, you went too far this time. As a fellow Alchemist and an Elder of Kunyun Palace, how could you plot against Elder Qin like that? If not for Elder Qin’s extraordinary strength and unimaginable combat prowess, his spot really might have been stolen."
’If not for... extraordinary strength...’
Ou Tianlin’s composure shattered in an instant. ’So Qin Ya kept his spot? Damn it... How... how is that possible? How could my plan have failed!’
"Impossible! With so many people, how could you possibly have kept your spot?"
"Could it be... Did the Palace Master intervene?"
At this, Xu Zhenhong snorted coldly. "The competition for the spots is based entirely on the Disciples’ own strength. Why would the Palace Master intervene? You can only blame yourself for miscalculating!"
Yes, he had miscalculated...
He had miscalculated the monstrous combat power of Qin Ya.
But Ou Tianlin couldn’t really be blamed. After all, under that kind of assault, any Martial Artist in Kunyun Palace below the King realm would have buckled. Of course, he never would have imagined that a terrifying monster like Qin Ya, who completely defied common sense, even existed.