Feng Yuqin said indifferently, "As you've said, you're here to challenge me. So there's no need for you to ask about my level."
"Madam Qin is right. So let's pick a place for the contest. We don't want to disrupt the business of the Nightshade Pavilion," Elder Zhao chimed in from the side.
The Grand Elder snorted. "Don't worry. After the contest with me, the Nightshade Pavilion will belong to our Alchemists' Guild. Whether to do business or not will be up to us."
"Don't speak too soon. You might end up with egg on your face," Dongfang Zhi said indifferently.
"What? Lord Dongfang has so much confidence in the mistress of the Nightshade Pavilion?" The Grand Elder didn't believe it. "In terms of alchemy talent, except for Elder Tan of the royal family, I'm the best. Even if Madam Qin is extremely talented, she's only in her teens. I was being generous when I said she was a second - rank alchemist."
Feng Yuqin said, "I don't need anyone's generosity. Since the Grand Elder wants a contest, let's hold it outside the Nightshade Pavilion. The Grand Elder should think about what pill we'll be refining."
"To avoid others accusing me of bullying the young, let's refine the most commonly used Blood - Coagulating Pill," said the Grand Elder. This remark made Yan Xiao and the others roll their eyes.
What a despicable move.
But Feng Yuqin didn't care. She was confident in her alchemy skills. So she looked at Su Bing and said, "Go and prepare the alchemy furnace and the herbs for the Blood - Coagulating Pill."
"Yes, mistress. I'll go prepare right away," Su Bing replied.
Feng Yuqin looked at the Grand Elder. "On your side, have your own people prepare. I don't want you to claim later that we tampered with anything or cheated."
Feng Yuqin wouldn't give him any chance to renege.
Today, she not only wanted the Grand Elder's storage rings but also wanted everyone in the imperial city to know that the Nightshade Pavilion wasn't something anyone could just take a share of.
With this in mind, she looked at Meng Xingyu and said, "I need your help."
Seeing that he finally had something to do, Meng Xingyu immediately ran over cheerfully and said, "Madam Qin, just give your orders. I guarantee I'll handle it perfectly."
"The Grand Elder came to the Nightshade Pavilion to cause trouble today. Could you please invite everyone to be witnesses?" Feng Yuqin's words made the Grand Elder's face turn ugly.
The others had been keeping silent. After all, these were all big - shots.
Whether it was Elder Zhao from the auction house or the lord of Cloudpeak City, they couldn't afford to offend them.
So they just watched silently, not daring to say a word.
But seeing Feng Yuqin being so blunt, they all gasped.
Moreover, they didn't even dare to whisper secretly now.
They couldn't afford to offend the Grand Elder of the Alchemists' Guild, but they also didn't dare to talk about Feng Yuqin.
After all, there were so many people standing behind Feng Yuqin to protect her.
This also made them curious about the origin of the mistress of the Nightshade Pavilion. How could she get the support of so many big - shots?
"Sure thing. I'll go handle it right away," Meng Xingyu said. After all, he was from the imperial city, and with his lively personality, he was very reliable for this task.
It was the opening day of the Nightshade Pavilion, and there were already quite a few people.
But Meng Xingyu arranged for people to spread the news that the Grand Elder had come to cause trouble for the Nightshade Pavilion and proposed an alchemy contest with its mistress.
Once the news spread, more people came.
Even the Crown Prince, Yun Feiyue, showed up.
The West Street was a wealthy area with many shops.
The street was also very wide.
Opposite the Nightshade Pavilion was a teahouse.
So some powerful and wealthy people could enter the teahouse directly, drink tea, and watch the situation below.
Among them were the Crown Prince and some royal relatives.
Some of them had heard that Elder Zhao from the auction house and the lord of Cloudpeak City were on the side of the Nightshade Pavilion.
For many people, this was extremely rare.
After all, these two forces couldn't be underestimated.
While these people were coming, Su Bing and Yun Jie had also set up the contest venue.
The Grand Elder's side had also prepared the alchemy furnace and herbs.
"Let us be the referees," Elder Zhao and Meng Xiucheng stepped forward.
"You can also find two people to be referees. This way, it'll be fairer," Meng Xiucheng said.
"I wonder if I, the Crown Prince, have the honor to be the Grand Elder's witness and referee?" The voice of Crown Prince Yun Feiyue rang out. Everyone looked in the direction of the voice.
Yun Feiyue was standing in front of the window of the teahouse opposite, looking outside.
"I'd be delighted," the Grand Elder immediately said with a smile. "I don't need to invite two more. The Crown Prince is enough."
The Grand Elder had always wanted to replace Elder Tan but had never had the chance.
So he thought today was the opportunity.
If he could defeat the mistress of the Nightshade Pavilion in front of the Crown Prince, he believed the Crown Prince would surely look at him with new respect.
The Crown Prince, Elder Zhao, and Meng Xiucheng took their seats as referees.
There were onlookers all around. Those who had been too afraid to talk before were now so caught up in the spectacle that they forgot their fear and started chatting animatedly.
"I never thought the Crown Prince would show up. If Madam Qin loses, she's going to have a hard time," someone said.
"The people from the Alchemists' Guild have always been overbearing. It's already come to this. Even if Madam Qin joins the Alchemists' Guild in the future, as long as the Grand Elder is around, she'll never have a chance to shine."
"In an alchemy contest, we judge based on quality and quantity. Does Madam Qin have any other opinions?" the Grand Elder asked, looking at Feng Yuqin.
"No. Let's start," Feng Yuqin said indifferently.
The Grand Elder's face darkened at her arrogant attitude.
But he knew this wasn't the time to talk too much. The most important thing was to beat her in the contest.
The contest officially began.
The chatter below grew louder.
Even Yun Ningshuang started chatting with Feng Qing and Xia Yujia beside her. "Who do you think will win?"
"Definitely the Grand Elder," Feng Qing said. "The mistress of the Nightshade Pavilion is too young."
Feng Qing wouldn't admit that she was jealous.
Although Feng Yuqin wasn't in her true appearance, she was still a rather delicate - looking woman.
A woman not much older than herself, Feng Qing would never admit that she was more capable.
"I think so too," Xia Yujia also said. "The Grand Elder is the most skilled alchemist in the Alchemists' Guild. I heard that for so many years, the Grand Elder has devoted all his energy to alchemy and even neglected his cultivation. With such dedication, his alchemy skills must be better than those of a teenage girl."
Feng Yuqin was just too young. So not only Feng Qing and Xia Yujia but also many others thought the same way.
Except for Dongfang Zhi and a few others who had confidence in Feng Yuqin because they had seen the pills she had refined with their own eyes.
Otherwise, given Feng Yuqin's age, they might have had the same thoughts as these people.
After the onlookers decided that Feng Yuqin wouldn't win, they started to wonder about her identity.
"The Nightshade Pavilion is quite a large - scale shop. I saw the pills on display today. There were so many. I wonder which hidden family Qin Yu is from," someone said.
"Maybe her family sent her out for some experience, and she just opened this shop for fun."