Painting of the Nine Immortals
chapter-668

Out on the field, Dong Fang Yu's expression changed drastically. She found it hard to hide her shock.

She was just planning on deactivating the array to let him enter, yet Ling Xian used his own abilities and walked right in. Why wouldn't she be shocked at this?

Even the immobile elders who were suspending in midair found it hard to remain unfazed at this.

They knew very well that this barrier wasn't an ordinary one. It was personally created by the Grandmaster of Arrays. Those below the master level cannot break it easily. Even masters need some time to lift the array.

Yet Ling Xian merely lifted his sleeve to break the protective layer. How terrifying did his array skills have to be to do that?

Ignoring everything else, this one move of his was enough to prove that his knowledge with arrays surpassed some of the other array masters!

At the very least, normal array masters cannot treat this matter in such a light manner!

This was why when everyone saw Ling Xian enter, the seven elders and Dong Fang Yu all had a change of expression.

Some people were now suspicious over whether or not this ordinary looking young man was the legendary master Xian.

This was why there was a saying that those who are knowledgeable understands what's going on while those on the outside can only watch and chime in for fun.

Dong Fang Yu and the elders knew how powerful that array was, thus understood how great Ling Xian was. However, everyone else there had no idea. Therefore, this scene, to them, turned into a joke.

"Haha, this is laughable. The last place in class is here to participate in the competition?"

"Interesting. The tail of the group dares to enter the barrier. I am honestly starting to respect his stupid courage. Haha."

"This is extremely laughable. I cannot believe there are people so dumb in this world."

"Let us just wait and see how big of a fool he will make of himself."

Everyone began to laugh with much sarcasm and were absolutely ruthless. It was as if laughing at Ling Xian would bring them great joy.

They didn't even realize that Dong Fang Yu was frowning and was now looking at them with pity.

The moment her grandfather began to treat Ling Xian with much respect and scolded her because of him, some guesses formed in her mind. Now that Ling Xian had broken into the barrier so easily, she was now very certain.

All she needed now was one final confirmation.

Ling Xian on the other hand, wasn't even listening to everyone's mocking. Even if he was hearing it, he wouldn't be affected by it.

At the end of the day, facts speak. As long as he acquires the winning title of the competition for the Path of Crafts, who could mock him? Who would dare to mock him?

Therefore, Ling Xian continued to walk casually and after he stepped into the protective barrier, he felt one heated gaze fixating on him.

Xiang Ru Gu.

His woman-like face was full of complexed emotions. There was shock, determination, and bitterness.

Though he wasn't certain that the young man before him was the multi-talented Master Xian, he knew very well that Ling Xian's craftsmanship was extremely profound.

Ten years ago, he had crafted the Eighth Realm Qi Testing Dial. Now that 10 years has passed, what kind of new height did his craftsmanship reach?

Xiang Ru Gu didn't have an answer for that just yet. But he knew that Ling Xian was his biggest rival!

Noticing everyone's defensive stares, Ling Xian revealed an apologetic smile, "I am sorry but I must be the winner of this competition. So sorry is all I can say."

At that, everyone who was crafting shifted their gaze towards him as well. All of them were of disdain.

"Idiot who doesn't realize how weak he is. Xiang Ru Gu is commonly known as the strongest here. How can he just show up and say sorry?"

"Exactly. He's talking as if he could win the competition. Not only is he arrogant, but he is also stupid."

"Hehe, I look forward to the moment he humiliates himself."

Everyone discussed him. Other than contempt in their voices, there was mockery.

Who was Xiang Ru Gu?

He was the most achieved student in the Path of Crafts from the past 10 years. With the top students from the other three paths, they were known as the Great Shang Qing Four. This title wasn't given to him by himself, it was something that was commonly agreed on.

Everyone from the Shang Qing Sect thought the winner of this year's competition would end up being to Xiang Ru Gu. Therefore, nobody was fighting for the winning title, they were competing for the second and third positions.

To them, out of everyone who entered the Sect in the last 10 years, not a single person could compete against him for the winning seat!

This was why everyone reacted so negatively after Ling Xian apologized to Xiang Ru Gu.

Only Xiang Ru Gu didn't react strongly at this. Instead, his expression turned a little heavier. He knew very well just how capable the person before him was. If Ling Xian was planning on winning the competition, then he would most likely get it.

"It seems like you are determined to win the victor's seat."

Xiang Ru Gu softly sighed. A trace of bitterness flashed across his handsome face. Very quickly, however, his expression turned determined. Though he didn't think he had much hope, he didn't want to give up.

"I am sorry."

Ling Xian smiled apologetically. "Let us compete on even ground using our actual skills."

"Okay. Today, I will compete against you." Xiang Ru Gu nodded formally. He then focused all of his attention on crafting the good inside his cauldron.

Before Ling Xian's arrival, the others and Xiang Ru Gu have been crafting for a long time. Therefore, the treasure inside his cauldron only needed one last step to be finished.

"Solidify!"

Xiang Ru Gu shouted. Perhaps Ling Xian's arrival caused him to feel more stressed than ever before, the way he started this final technique surpassed his normal capabilities.

The cauldron before him began to shake violently and emit a dense amount of light. Then, the lid of the cauldron automatically opened up and a meter long sword howled and showed itself.

Whooosh!

The appearance of this violent sword mimicked the birthing of a serpent – eerie, lonely, and cold.

Immediately, everyone gasped one after another with much shock in their voices.

"A craft of the sixth realm! I thought Xiang Ru Gu was of the seventh realm? Did he just have a breakthrough?"

"It is for certain that this good is of the sixth realm. There is no way I would get that wrong. Unbelievable, Xiang Ru Gu broke through to the sixth realm under such circumstances!"

"Haha, this will be fun to watch. Xiang Ru Gu has created a craft of the sixth realm. I want to see how everyone reacts to this!"

Everyone revealed just how shocked they were as they exclaimed Xiang Ru Gu's abrupt breakthrough. They then began to mock Ling Xian, thinking that he will soon humiliate himself.

Since the beginning, they had established that there was no way Ling Xian could beat Xiang Ru Gu. Now that Xiang Ru Gu had a sudden breakthrough and made a treasure of the sixth realm, they confirmed their belief that there was no way Ling Xian could defeat the enemy.

There was not even a trace of hope.

Even Xiang Ru Gu himself looked more confident after making a craft of the sixth realm. His entire face looked refreshed as he looked at Ling Xian. "I sure want to see how much growth you experienced after 10 years."

"You will see it very soon."

Ling Xian softly grinned and took out the materials needed for his craft. Before he could start, however, he heard a stifled rumble near him.

Just then, a ray of light shot out of each and every cauldron and transformed into all sorts of treasures that greeted each other in midair. The light emitted by all converged into a cloud of light that looked absolutely beautiful, like a rainbow.

The Qi that came from each of these treasures were also not ordinary. They were at the very least impressive based on the standard of every competitor there. Out of them, the worst of them was of the eighth realm, and the best was of the seventh realm. However, the color on those was rather dark.

It was obvious that the creator of that craft was still a little rusty.

The result was clear after that.

At this result, not only were the viewers not surprised, even the participants themselves were not surprised. Everyone ignored Ling Xian, who hasn't even started crafting and hurriedly congratulated Xiang Ru Gu.

"I have been ignored?"

Ling Xian chuckled. It was better this way anyways. Now that everyone was done, as long as he could make something better than that sword, the winning seat will be his.

Therefore, he pretended that nothing was happening as he took out all the materials he needed to make a Qi Testing Dial.

It wasn't that he didn't know how to make any other crafts, it was that all he had were materials for the Qi Testing Dial. Plus, the Qi Testing Dial was one of the harder crafts to make. Even if he makes one that was of the sixth realm, it would be enough to surpass that sword.

Seeing that Ling Xian had taken out all the materials needed for a Qi Testing Dial, Xiang Ru Gu's eyelid hopped and his face was full of uncertainty.

Dong Fang Yu reacted the same way, thinking [Qi Testing Dial again?]. They wondered if the result of today will be the same as before – an astonishment for all.

However, contrary to these two, after Ling Xian took out the materials, the audience began to guffaw.

Their words basically described Ling Xian as the biggest dumb@ss they've ever met, and how he was overestimating himself.

However, the moment Ling Xian began to craft, all the mockery stopped.

Everyone was stunned as they watched the craftsman with shock on their faces.

Inside the barrier, Ling Xian's left hand ignited with silver flames. His right hand then turned into a hand seal. He didn't even take out his cauldron as he began to mold all the materials in the air.

His action was fluid and he did not seem like he was struggling at all. This scenery shocked everyone.

All the people who gathered there to watch were people who knew something about craftsmanship. The participants and the elders, of course, had even more knowledge about craftsmanship.

Therefore, they knew very well the difficulty of Ling Xian's action. Normal craftsmen would not be able to do it.

This was the last person of his class?

How was that possible?!

Everyone was absolutely shocked. As they continued watching, their eyes widened and their shock turned into astonishment.

Because within this short time period, a round disc had formed in Ling Xian's hand and it was vibrating with faint light!

Everyone was very aware of what this indicated. Therefore, they were all quivering from astonishment.

Since Ling Xian began to craft until now, only around 15 minutes passed. Yet within this short period of time, he had already finished the Qi Testing Disc. How unbelievable was this?

Everyone was petrified at this sight. They all stared at Ling Xian and stared at the solidified disc in his hand.

After another half an hour, they saw the Qi Testing Disc begin to glow with bright light. All the shock on their faces turned into helpless desperation, and into pure amazement.

Because not only was the disc emitting powerful light, it was also vibrating with the energy of the fifth realm.