Zhen Hu glanced sideways and saw Chen Xia and Zhang Bailu talking. He raised his eyebrows slightly but did not say anything.
At present, Triumphant Mountain had not sent anyone to have a discussion with Starry Sky Pill Sect, and Qin Guan was nowhere to be seen either. During the previous two Great Sects Conferences, Qin Guan had been a dazzling existence who circulated among many sects.
But this time Qin Guan was not seen at all. Perhaps he was scared by Chen Xia and did not dare to show his face.
It was understandable too. It was time to teach this bully a lesson. With his strength at the Boundary Crossing Realm, he acted as if he was at the Fifth Layer of the Heaven Mending Realm.
He had clearly never been beaten before.
"I heard your honored sect has an elder who is extremely skilled at pill refining?"
A voice rang out nearby. It was another supreme elder from another sect who asked Zhen Hu.
Zhen Hu smiled and waved his hand. "Just average, his skill level at refining medicinal pills."
He did not boast too much.
But this supreme elder smiled and said, "From what I know, it's not just medicinal pills. It seems he can even refine half a supreme grade pill."
"Maybe he got lucky." Zhen Hu laughed it off and casually found an excuse.
The supreme elder shook his head. "There is no such thing as luck in pill refining. It is real and concrete accumulation. If someone could really refine a supreme grade pill by luck, I would let him ride on my back as a horse."
Fortunately Chen Xia did not hear this, otherwise he would have taken it literally.
He would never decline more dogs to ride on.
Zhen Hu just smiled without replying.
The supreme elder then turned to look at Chen Xia with a meaningful smile.
"It's this master, right?"
"Yes." Zhen Hu nodded and also smiled. "It's someone our Starry Sky Pill Sect managed to unearth with great difficulty."
"Then you really struck gold." The supreme elder laughed and then fell silent for a while before continuing, "I heard that this master has a very unruly personality. He even made Qin Guan kneel and took Qin Guan's Soul Lamp."
"Masters always have some pride of their own, it's normal." Zhen Hu laughed it off.
"But Qin Guan is a cultivator of Triumphant Mountain. You know that too. Qin Guan is Triumphant Mountain's only successor. Don't you think your actions are a bit..."
The supreme elder did not finish his words, but Zhen Hu knew what he meant and laughed.
"A pill refining master who can refine half a supreme grade pill, I believe Triumphant Mountain should also know what to prioritize. Besides, nothing really happened to Qin Guan, he just got taught a lesson."
Zhen Hu replied with an easy and relaxed expression, seeming not to take the matter to heart at all.
"That lesson was no small matter. His Soul Lamp was taken away too. Some people on Triumphant Mountain's side are quite angry about it." The supreme elder said slowly.
The smile disappeared from Zhen Hu's face as his eyes narrowed slightly. "Did Triumphant Mountain send you?"
"It was the idea of some people there to ask your Starry Sky Pill Sect to return Qin Guan's Soul Lamp first. We will talk about subsequent matters slowly later." The supreme elder replied.
"I can't make that decision. You'll have to ask him." Zhen Hu glanced at Chen Xia and moved his eyes to signal.
"You can't handle matters concerning your own sect's supreme elder?" The supreme elder asked in puzzlement.
"Some people look for an eave to seek shelter, while others just stop by an eave briefly to rest their feet. Do you understand the difference?"
Zhen Hu asked back with a light laugh.
The supreme elder's expression was blank. "Then I can only convey your original words to those people at Triumphant Mountain."
"Please." Zhen Hu nodded.
Not far away, Chen Xia had stopped talking to Zhang Bailu. He stood up swaying and walked slowly towards Zhen Hu.
The supreme elder quickly left.
Chen Xia came over, watched his departing back, and lightly raised his brows to ask Zhen Hu, "When will the pill refining start?"
"Soon." Zhen Hu replied.
The magic treasure showcase section was just an opening act. It would not last long. Even if one saw a desirable magic treasure, one could find out more about it later.
The Pill Refining Competition and the pairing fights were the main events of the Great Sects Conference that could better display a sect's heritage.
The reason the Pill Refining Competition was held before the pairing fights was that the pills refined in the competition could be directly used in the pairing fights.
If a cultivator was injured, the prepared pills could be used immediately.
It maximized practicality.
And when Zhen Hu said soon, it really was soon.
With three supreme pill masters from major sects presiding, the arena was the 50-mile central venue. Pill refining masters from each sect had a half-mile range for pill refining.
The minimum requirement to qualify for the Pill Refining Competition was to successfully refine a high-grade spiritual pill. So not every sect was eligible to participate, only sects with high-grade spiritual pill masters could join.
In the past, Zhen Hu would personally take the stage, but this time it was different. Zhen Hu looked at Chen Xia and introduced,
"The Pill Refining Competition is quite casual actually. One pill refining master represents one sect. If you think you can do it, just go down directly and start refining. The presiding pill masters will then evaluate and score.
There are four levels of scoring: pass, excellent, perfect, and unparalleled. My medium-grade pill last time scored a perfect evaluation. A supreme grade pill should be rated as unparalleled, not to mention we're refining a whole supreme grade pill this time."
Chen Xia nodded to show his understanding. He watched as more and more pill refining masters went down to the central venue, set up pill furnaces, and started refining pills.
The scene was magnificent. All kinds of pill fragrances permeated the air. Different pill furnaces shook and even manifested pill visions.
This method of gathering pill refining masters together to refine pills extremely tested pill masters' experience and ability.
Because pills could influence each other. Pill qi would get entangled and mildly affect the medicinal efficacy. Changes in medicinal efficacy would greatly increase the difficulty of pill concoction.
Especially for spiritual pills, any influence from medicinal pills would definitely lead to waste pills.
In other words, the higher the grade of your refined pill, the greater the suppression on the surroundings, and the more eye-catching you would be.
This was also why the Pill Refining Competition gathered pill masters together to refine pills.
To encourage all pill masters to refine the highest grade pills possible.
Currently, only some spiritual pill masters had entered the venue, refining the high-grade spiritual pills they had prepared for a long time. Pill fragrances filled the air. Although there was some mutual influence, it was not major since they were all high-grade spiritual pills.
The observing cultivators treated it as a lively spectacle and chatted leisurely. Suddenly, a voice rang out.
"The first medicinal pill master has entered the venue!"
Everyone quickly looked over. They saw a blue-robed elder landing in the middle of the venue. He looked at the surrounding spiritual pill masters with disdain and said arrogantly,
"I'm too lazy to watch your cat-like skills. Let me start out strong first."
With a raise of his hand, his storage magic treasure shone with light. A pure blue furnace fell heavily to the ground, with azure pill fire burning inside it.
"A thousand-year pill fire that has never been extinguished. Today I will demonstrate true pill refining skills during pill refining!"