Although the chief judge was a little depressed, he didn"t stay that way for long. Under grand master Xuan Ming"s stern gaze, he unwillingly took a deep breath and in the end, solemnly declared that Bu Fang was the winner of the round.
Sorceress An Sheng"s furnace had exploded in the middle of her refinement process; that was the reason she lost the compet.i.tion. As for the dishes cooked by Bu Fang, after the judicators had eaten them, they determined that they had the same effects as a two-mark spirit pill. As such, the victor was Bu Fang, without a doubt.
Below the stage, the members of the audience were a little shocked. This result was not something one could imagine.
Sorceress An Sheng… She was one of the top ten genius alchemists from Heavenly Pill City! Who knew she would be defeated in the matches between the top 100.
This was simply… It was simply unimaginable!
The audience got a bit rowdy. They had long since known that Bu Fang"s opponent for the matches between the top 100 was Sorceress An Sheng; as such, they one-sidedly supported Sorceress An Sheng. However, Bu Fang actions during the match were akin to ruthlessly slapping their faces a few times.
He had shown them what it really meant to be a dark horse. He had shown them what it really meant to be the public enemy of the alchemists!
With only a wok and a knife in his grip, he had destroyed many alchemists, forcing his way into the top 50 of the Magical Hand Conference.
A chef had created a miracle, all on his own!
As the audience watched Bu Fang"s receding figure, carrying his giant signboard with him, they found themselves speechless for a few seconds. In the next instant, however, they erupted into cheers. The bright lights flickering in their eyes made evident their incomparable excitement.
Contrary to the excitement-filled atmosphere in Heavenly Mist City"s central plaza…
Those spectating the match all the way in the Heavenly Pill City and Heavenly s.h.i.+ne City were in a daze. They looked at each other in confusion and raised their heads to once again confirm the event that they had seen unfold within the projection array, and their hearts lurched. The winner of that match… was actually the chef.
G.o.ddess An actually lost? She had even lost after putting up a comical performance for this match of the top 100.
Previously, they all mocked Bu Fang, in a variety of ways, but at that moment, they all felt the sides of their faces burn; why did it feel like someone had slapped them?
This chef…
Heavenly Mist City… Cloud Mist Restaurant!
Many people still remembered Bu Fang"s advertis.e.m.e.nt; this was because, after winning his matches, the comedic manner in which Bu Fang advertised made everyone watching to etch the name "Cloud Mist Restaurant" deep into their minds.
This chef actually came from this restaurant? This would be interesting…
Suddenly, they all found themselves looking forward to Bu Fang"s next appearance. They did not know how far this miraculous chef would go in the Magical Hand Conference.
Should he barge his way into the top 10, it would make for a good show to watch.
...
Nangong Wuque"s nostrils flared, and his arms hugged his chest; with a haughty expression on his face, he glanced at the naysaying alchemists beside him; they were at a loss for words, struggling to stay on their feet with their now jelly legs.
"Do you see that? What was that about being a chef? What right do you guys have to look down on a chef? Old Bu was able to destroy Big b.r.e.a.s.t.s An, advancing into the top 50. If you were to compete against Big b.r.e.a.s.t.s An, would you be able to win? Bunch of trash."
The faces of the naysaying alchemists turned red, and identical feelings of rage began to bubble in their hearts.
When they sported Nangong Wuque"s arrogant expression, they gritted their teeth, for they wanted nothing more than to beat this little rascal up.
You aren"t the victor of the match, so why are you showing off?
"Hmph… He was simply lucky. If G.o.ddess An"s furnace didn"t explode, the victor wouldn"t have been so easily determined!" One of the naysaying alchemists glared at Nangong Wuque before turning to look at Bu Fang, who was slowly walking toward them, with his advertis.e.m.e.nt board in tow. The alchemist took a deep breath, and then he decided to leave the place; he was too embarra.s.sed.
As Nangong Wuque watched the alchemist retreat, the corners of his lips curled upward. "You don"t know anything. Can any random person cause Big b.o.o.bs An"s furnace to explode?"
"Aiya, Old Bu, you did well! I knew that you would win! That Sorceress An Sheng, other than slightly bigger b.r.e.a.s.t.s, there is nothing scary about her. Look how accurate my predictions were; I did say you would be the one who would win!" Nangong Wuque said, with a smile so wide that it seemed as though a flower was about to bloom on his face.
Bu Fang, however, only glanced at him expressionlessly. Was this guy shameless?
Who was the person that said being able to partic.i.p.ate in the compet.i.tion was all that mattered? Who was the person that said being able to meet Big b.r.e.a.s.t.s An was already enough?
Bu Fang had no idea how to deal with Nangong Wuque"s shamelessness.
After greeting Bu Fang with his shameless words, Nangong Wuque led Bu Fang to another arena.
"Old Bu, look at how much spiritual encouragement I"ve given you… In the next match, you should cheer for me as well! Watch how I"ll destroy Lin Sanpao!"
Nangong Wuque whipped his hair and laughed.
Nangong Wan, who was in the audience stands, lowered her head and ma.s.saged her temples. Watching Nangong Wuque"s wretched display, especially his smile, had left her feeling really embarra.s.sed.
Bu Fang did not refuse Nangong Wuque because the matches of the top 100 would finish today, and after the compet.i.tion, the compet.i.tors would have to pick their opponent for the compet.i.tion of the top 50.
As such, for the time being, Bu Fang could not yet return to the restaurant to open for business.
Watching Nangong Wuque"s compete… was not too bad.
Nangong Wuque"s match was to be held in the fifth arena. Nangong Wuque himself had donned his loose-fitting alchemist robes and walked forward with a vigorous momentum. In just a few steps, he arrived on the stage.
Standing opposite him was a handsome and spirited young master, who had a white face and looked slightly feminine.
This person was the Lin Family"s young master and Nangong Wuque"s lifelong enemy—Lin Sanpao.
Hehe… Sanpao was a nickname. His real name, however, was Linque, and he was the disciple of one of the three-cloud alchemists in Heavenly Mist City. His alchemy skills were pretty excellent, and he had been enemies with Nangong Wuque for the longest time.
However, against Nangong Wuque, Lin Sanpao had lost more matches than he had won; this was because Nangong Wuque used to have a Heaven and Earth Obsidian Flame.
But on that day, Lin Sanpao was br.i.m.m.i.n.g with confidence. A Nangong Wuque without a Heaven and Earth Obsidian Flame… was nothing but tras.h.!.+
This was Bu Fang"s first time watching a serious match between alchemists. The two alchemists on stage were no ordinary alchemists; they were both gifted, brilliant, and looked cool showing off their alchemy skills on stage.
Flames surged into the sky, and pill energy filled the area. Roars resounded all through the arena as both alchemists competed against each other.
Boom!
The glow of the flames reflected off Lin Sanpao"s soft face. With a dignified expression, he waved his hands, and his alchemic flames surged into the sky, while the flames within his furnace raged. The resounding roars it generated made it seem as though a fire dragon had been born.
When Nangong Wuque glanced at Lin Sanpao, who was completely focused on his refinement, his eyes narrowed, but the corners of his lips curled upwards.
Every time Nangong Wuque looked at this sissy, he would feel uncomfortable. Do you think you will be able to ride atop this big brother"s head because this big brother lost his Heaven and Earth Obsidian Flame? Your manner of thinking is childish and naive…
Nangong Wuque casually flipped his hand, and a piece of medicinal ingredient, which was as black as ink, instantly appeared.
This medicinal ingredient was a black tuber. The body of the black tuber was covered with dense lines, making it resemble a dragon"s beard. It was very mysterious.
Suddenly, Nangong Wuque pulled out a small towel and tied it around his nose and mouth, covering both. His appearance… now seemed a little wretched.
The audience was stunned.
Naturally, Nangong Wuque was not a stranger to them. After all, Nangong Wuque was a genius Alchemist from Heavenly Mist City, and his skill at alchemy was excellent. But right now, what was he trying to do by covering his mouth and nose?
The judge in charge of the fifth arena was a little puzzled. He could not discern the reason behind Nangong Wuque"s actions.
"Huh? Is that Fine Golden Stalk? Why did he take it out? What is he going to do with it?"
"Fine Golden Stalk… Can it be used to refine pills? He took it out just to amuse us, right?"
"What in the world… Isn"t the juice of the Fine Golden Stalk extremely smelly? What is Nangong Wuque trying to do?"
...
Several alchemists had recognized the black tuber in Nangong Wuque"s hand, causing them to express their curiosity audibly.
Bu Fang was slightly stunned; he didn"t recognize the Fine Golden Stalk. However, from the conversations of the surrounding alchemists, the Fine Golden Stalk seemed like something extraordinary.
Nangong Wuque"s eyes narrowed, and a ball of alchemic flames instantly erupted in his hand, and the scorching heat enveloped the Fine Golden Stalk in a few moments.
Buzz…
In only a short amount of time, the Fine Golden Stalk was almost fully liquified by Nangong Wuque"s alchemic flames.
Nangong Wuque threw the almost-fully liquified Fine Golden Stalk into his furnace, and his eyes widened. From afar, a creepy smile could be seen on his face.
Nangong Wan, who was sitting amongst the audience, smacked her forehead. At that moment, she strongly wished to deny the fact that she knew Nangong Wuque.
A barely discernible wave of foul odor began to waft out from the alchemy furnace. The odor wasn"t dense, but it soon began to permeate the surroundings; its smelly odor became perceivable.
Soon, the smelly odor in the air became dense. The odor reminded the audience of Stinky Tofu freshly out of Bu Fang"s wok, and it caused their expressions on the faces of everyone watching to gravely change.
The judge was the first one affected by the odor. When he perceived it, he began to choke, and his face turned black. What in the world was that smell?
Fine Golden Stalk… Did Nangong Wuque smash his head against a wall? How could something like that be made into an elixir?
The odor soon enveloped the entire arena.
Bu Fang was also unable to endure it any longer and frowned. This smell… It greatly resembled the stench of excrement. He considered highly unlikely that Nangong Wuque would actually take out something like that.
Nangong Wuque, who had covered his mouth and nose before taking out the Fine Golden Stalk, looked at Lin Sanpao and began to laugh maniacally, causing his eyes to turn into crescents.
"Oh ho… You"re actually already trying to coagulate the elixir? Indeed, your improvements are huge…"
Nangong Wuque"s eyebrows twitched as he raised his palm. True energy surged out of that palm, and in an instant, the stench surged out with a fierce momentum, blowing toward Lin Sanpao"s bronze platform.
The glow of Lin Sanpao"s furnace illuminated his face, highlighting its feminine and tender nature.
He was completely serious because the match was an opportunity for him to get rid of his past shame. After all, he had been suppressed by Nangong Wuque in the past. Today, however, he finally had the chance to counterattack; how could he not cherish this opportunity?
Time to coagulate the elixir! This one-mark spirit pill would be enough to destroy Nangong Wuque!
When Lin Sanpao thought about how he was able to turn the tables on Nangong Wuque, his heart brimmed with excitement. Just that thought was enough to leave him slightly agitated!
As he focused all his attention on coagulating his elixir, a wave of smelly odor ferociously charged at him. The stench soon reached the fearless Lin Sanpao, catching him completely unaware. The stench began to permeate his side of the stage. A fierce wind carried the stench along with it and instantly drilled into Lin Sanpao"s nostrils.
How smelly was the Fine Golden Stalk?
Who cared about how smelly it was? What they knew was that it was extremely smelly… to the point of being unreasonable. Its stench was comparable to the Stinky Tofu"s stench.
Lin Sanpao directly vomited…
He was a clean freak, and he had always kept himself clean. He loved to be neat and tidy. Before he left this residence, he would always wash thoroughly with warm water, then he would spray some perfume on himself.
He wanted to smell good!
And Nangong Wuque knew that this sissy loved to smell good. As such, Nangong Wuque produced something that would make Lin Sanpao stink!
Suddenly, an urge to cry overwhelmed Lin Sanpao. The stench was really too smelly; it was unbearable!
The instant his concentration wavered, the result of the match was determined. Lin Sanpao"s furnace exploded!
In one of Bu Fang"s previous match, the moment he took out the Stinky Tofu, he was met with the booms of consecutive furnace explosions.
And now, in this round, Nangong Wuque had taken out the Fine Golden Stalk. If Lin Sanpao"s furnace didn"t explode, whose furnace would explode?
Boom!
With a loud blast, Lin Sanpao"s elixir, which was almost finished, turned into ashes. His alchemic flames shot into the sky as the sound of an explosion resounded in the ears of everyone present.
Lin Sanpao was extremely depressed, and his face, which used to be white, had turned black after the explosion. His clothes were now tattered, baring his white, tender skin.
"Hahahaha! Old Bu"s method really is effective!"
Nangong Wuque laughed loudly after glancing at Lin Sanpao, whose furnace had just exploded.
The judge was stunned, and the audience was at a loss for words…
Even the judicators, who were seated at the high stage, had no idea what to say.
"This kid... Who hired his clown? Is he here to provide comedic relief?"
"If his elixir doesn"t meet the standard, kick him out for me! Don"t even think of advancing!"