"Ah, it's Senior Brother Lin!"
Everyone turned to look at the newcomer, and someone couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
Seeing Zhang Ergou's confused gaze, Xiao Qingyu whispered an explanation, "This is Lin Yichen from the Mission Hall. He's currently ranked first among the outer disciples."
"So it's Senior Brother Lin, a pleasure to meet you." Zhang Ergou eagerly rubbed his hands together, reaching out to shake Lin Yichen's hand.
His materialistic demeanor made Little Fatty Xiong Bao and Zilin, standing beside him, feel somewhat embarrassed.
Xiao Qingyu hadn't expected Zhang Ergou to react so strongly. He hadn't acted this way when they first met.
Was it because he wasn't the first?
Xiao Qingyu suddenly began to doubt himself!
Lin Yichen also hadn't anticipated Zhang Ergou's enthusiasm. In his momentary lapse, Zhang Ergou had already grabbed his hand and shaken it vigorously.
The disciples watching the commotion outside widened their mouths.
"If Senior Brother Lin serves as the arbiter, we naturally have no objections." Seeing Lu Yan and the others nod, Wei Chen also spoke up.
"I have no objections either," Zhang Ergou said loudly.
"But before that, shouldn't we first finalize the stakes?" Just as Lin Yichen was about to pick up the jade bottle from Zhang Ergou and pour out the pills, Zhang Ergou spoke.
Hearing this, Lin Yichen's eyes sharpened, and he nodded silently.
He stopped what he was doing.
"That stands to reason," Wei Chen said. "Zhang Ergou, if you lose, you are forbidden from participating in tomorrow's Outer Sect Competition and will automatically forfeit. How about that?"
The scene instantly fell silent.
Everyone knew how crucial tomorrow's Outer Sect Competition was for the opportunity to enter the Inner Sect.
They were all surprised by Wei Chen's ruthlessness and turned their gazes to Zhang Ergou, waiting to see how he would respond.
Upon hearing Wei Chen's words, Zhang Ergou sneered inwardly. It seemed these fellows were afraid of him entering the Inner Sect.
Their relationships were already irreconcilable. If Zhang Ergou entered the Inner Sect, his cultivation would surely advance by leaps and bounds, and it was uncertain whether they could still defeat him in a fight.
If they could keep Zhang Ergou in the Outer Sect, his progress over the next three years would definitely be slower than if he cultivated in the Inner Sect.
Once Lu Yan and the others entered the Inner Sect, dealing with Zhang Ergou would be a simple matter.
Indeed, these people were calculating their moves precisely.
However, this was all based on their assumption that Zhang Ergou couldn't refine pills.
"Of course, I agree!" Zhang Ergou readily agreed, causing a stir among the onlookers.
"However, since you've proposed the stakes, Wei Chen, I also need to state mine." Zhang Ergou pondered feasible options and finally decided on the most substantial.
"If you lose, you will give me one hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones. Do you dare to agree?" Zhang Ergou challenged Wei Chen with a look.
Wei Chen looked troubled. The total spirit stones he possessed were less than ten thousand. He had barely managed to accumulate some after being extorted by Zhang Ergou last time.
He hadn't expected Zhang Ergou to be so greedy.
Lu Yan and the others, seeing Wei Chen's hesitation, subtly nodded.
One hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones were not a problem for them.
"Alright, I agree! However, Zhang Ergou, you better not go back on your word." With the support of Lu Yan and the others, Wei Chen straightened his back.
"What, you don't trust Senior Brother Lin's integrity?" Zhang Ergou asked with a mischievous smile.
"Hmm?" Wei Chen instantly felt a chill spread through his body. He looked up and saw Lin Yichen staring at him with a cold expression.
Startled, Wei Chen immediately cowered, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
"Hmph! Lu Yan, if the disciples of your Xiayang Peak don't know how to speak, then don't let them run around!" Lin Yichen coldly snorted at Lu Yan.
"Senior Brother Lin, please forgive him. Wei Chen was rude," Lu Yan quickly apologized.
Clearly, Lin Yichen held a significant position in everyone's minds.
"Alright, since we've all made ourselves clear," Zhang Ergou cleared his throat, "next, I'll have to trouble Senior Brother Lin to take a Qi Recovery Pill refined by your junior brother and feel its effects."
"Mm!" Lin Yichen replied calmly.
Saying this, he took the jade bottle from Zhang Ergou and poured out a pill.
"The appearance of this pill is ordinary. It's indeed not refined by Elder Qiao," Lin Yichen stated after taking out the pill, examining it without consuming it immediately.
This was to clarify to everyone that Zhang Ergou wasn't deceiving them with a pill refined by Qiao Yanyun.
In the Misty Sect, the only known alchemist at present was Qiao Yanyun. Since Lin Yichen had ruled out the possibility of the pill being hers, it naturally meant that this pill was refined by Zhang Ergou.
After examining the pill and finding no visible issues, Lin Yichen swallowed the Qi Recovery Pill in one gulp.
The pill dissolved instantly upon entering his mouth, and a surge of potent spiritual energy flowed into Lin Yichen's body, bringing him a sense of comfort as all his pores relaxed.
He looked at Zhang Ergou with surprise, not expecting a pill with an ordinary appearance to be so effective.
The surrounding crowd watched Lin Yichen with bated breath, waiting for him to speak.
Their expressions varied.
Wei Chen and the others, seeing Lin Yichen remain silent, assumed it had no effect and a triumphant smile began to show on their faces.
Zilin and Little Fatty Xiong Bao, though aware of Zhang Ergou's abilities, had never seen him produce Qi Recovery Pills before, so they were unsure of their efficacy and showed a hint of anxiety.
Xiao Qingyu and Wang Teng stood behind Zhang Ergou. They didn't know him very well but stood by him purely because they found him likable.
The only ones who remained relatively calm were Zhang Ergou and Lin Yueru.
Lin Yueru had personally witnessed Zhang Ergou refine several batches of Qi Recovery Pills that day and naturally knew these pills were genuine.
Just as everyone was growing anxious, Lin Yichen finally spoke.
"Although the Qi Recovery Pill refined by Junior Brother Ergou has an ordinary appearance, its efficacy is surprisingly good. To put it this way, a cultivator in the middle stage of Foundation Establishment, when exhausted, can recover more than half of their spiritual energy by taking one of Junior Brother Ergou's Qi Recovery Pills, even if they can't recover it completely." Lin Yichen truthfully described his experience.
*Buzz!*
Wei Chen's vision went black. He had never imagined that the pills Zhang Ergou had presented were genuine.
Upon hearing Lin Yichen's evaluation, a commotion erupted among the disciples. If the top ten prodigies hadn't been present, they would have rushed forward to buy them.
"Wei Chen, what do you say? Senior Brother Lin is the arbiter. You won't go back on your word, will you?" At this point, Zhang Ergou wasn't in a hurry to sell pills.
It was now a seller's market. When to sell and at what price was entirely up to him.
The most important thing now was to retrieve the one hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones from Wei Chen and the others.
Seeing Zhang Ergou approach him first, Wei Chen's face changed drastically...