Top-tier Unruly Master

At this moment, everyone heard the words of the town lord, and they couldn't help but be taken aback. No one expected that the champion reward of this Great Alchemy Competition would be directly given to Ding Lin. This decision indeed surprised everyone, and it was clear that no one had anticipated that the town lord would make such a choice.

Everyone was an important participant and manager of this session's Great Alchemy Competition, and they all clearly knew what the champion reward was this time. It was immensely generous, the richest in the history of the Great Alchemy Competition, and the reward was a piece of Golden Silk Protective Clothing. This protective clothing was no ordinary item. In the Cultivation World, only cultivators in the Spirit Severing stage could possess such protective clothing.

Even if not a Spirit Severing stage cultivator, it would certainly be a cultivator close to that level. After all, this protective clothing was not an ordinary artifact. It was an extremely rare treasure that couldn't be easily bought even with a lot of Spirit Stones. This protective clothing enhanced ninth level defenses, a feature many cultivators envied greatly.

Therefore, ordinary cultivators had no ability to obtain this protective clothing, let alone the Golden Silk Protective Clothing. This Golden Silk Protective Clothing not only enhanced the defense ability by nine levels but also resisted fire and ice. Considering many cultivators in the Cultivation World excel in Fire or Ice Attribute techniques, these cultivators were not ordinary and were obviously very powerful.

Moreover, since most cultivators were not good at handling these special attribute defenses, those cultivators became even more formidable in the Cultivation World. If, among cultivators of the early Nascent Soul Stage, one was ordinary and the other excelled in Fire Attribute, the one excelling in Fire Attribute would undoubtedly be much stronger.

Even a Nascent Soul Middle Stage cultivator might not be able to compete against the Fire Attribute cultivator of the early Nascent Soul Stage, showing just how significant the difference was. However, if a regular cultivator had the Golden Silk Defensive Clothing, then not only would their defense increase by nine levels, but they could also completely ignore their opponent's Fire Attribute, demonstrating the incredible power of this Golden Silk Protective Clothing.

Not only could this Golden Silk Protective Clothing ignore Fire Attribute powers, but it could also completely ignore Ice Attribute powers. This Golden Silk Protective Clothing was a treasure-like artifact that cultivators would very much desire.

The elders present knew that this Golden Silk Protective Clothing was obtained by the town lord in an Ancient Tomb. It was clear that it was crafted by ancients and that it would be challenging to create such a high-quality protective clothing with today's Cultivation World standards, making it even more precious. However, no one expected that the town lord would offer it as the champion reward for this session of the Great Alchemy Competition.

Hearing this at first made everyone very shocked. Everyone knew how precious this Golden Silk Protective Clothing was, and giving it away freely seemed hard for them to comprehend. They felt the champion reward was somewhat too precious.

This is why this session of the Great Alchemy Competition attracted many famous alchemists, and the average age of the participating alchemists was also much older. It was clear that many alchemists came to compete for this Golden Silk Protective Clothing. Not only ordinary cultivators liked such an item, but alchemists also craved it even more. Generally, alchemists' cultivation wasn't very strong because they spent most of their time researching Alchemy, which took away from their cultivation strength. But this did not include very powerful alchemists like Elder Wang or Master Nanyang.

To reach such levels as those alchemists, one's cultivation was undoubtedly very strong.

So most alchemists were eager to obtain this Golden Silk Protective Clothing, something not just any cultivator could easily get. Even Spirit Severing stage cultivators would be envious at the sight of it, so how could this session's champion reward not be enticing!

But when everyone present heard the town lord's decision, they were extremely shocked. Such a precious treasure was to be given to Ding Lin after just the first round of competition; this was simply incredible. Although Ding Lin's displayed strength already made the alchemy masters present feel ashamed, and there was no doubt about it.

Many elderly alchemists chose silence, even though they felt the town lord's decision was bold. But they understood the town lord's intention, which had a very good reason. Elder Wang remained silent at first, but then he seriously spoke:

"I agree with the town lord's decision. Ding Lin's alchemy strength is undoubtedly exceptional. Clearly, in the end of the Great Alchemy Competition, this champion reward belongs to Ding Lin; we might as well give it to him now, which shows our regard for him. Having such an outstanding alchemist is evidently important to our Dancheng."

Upon hearing Elder Wang, other elderly alchemists began to agree:

"Elder Wang and the town lord have a point. We think this can be done!"

"Indeed, this approach will surely forge a bond with him! The Golden Silk Protective Clothing is no ordinary item. He will definitely feel our goodwill."

"..."

For a moment, the mouths of numerous elder alchemists couldn't help but speak, clearly agreeing with the City Lord and Elder Wang's actions. After all, they also knew that although this Golden Silk Defensive Clothing was precious, its purpose had already been achieved. Ding Lin was the best outcome. Many elder alchemists knew that if the City Lord hadn't taken out this valuable treasure as the champion reward for this Great Alchemy Competition, they might never have known of such a monstrous alchemic genius.

"No! I disagree!"

Suddenly, just as everyone was in agreement, Sun Long stood up excitedly and strongly opposed the crowd. At that moment, everyone was taken aback, not understanding why the Vice City Lord disagreed. Immediately, everyone turned their curious gazes towards him.

At this moment, the City Lord also couldn't help but look at Sun Long. Clearly, most of the elder alchemists agreed with him, so why did the Vice City Lord disagree? With curiosity, the City Lord looked at Sun Long and asked:

"What thoughts does the Vice City Lord have?"

Hearing the City Lord's words, Sun Long was momentarily stunned. He reacted instinctively. He desperately wanted that Golden Silk Defensive Clothing. At this crucial moment before the alchemy competition concluded, with his plan yet to be implemented, how could he agree to the City Lord giving it to Ding Lin? Instantly, Sun Long's mind spun, and he spoke with a seemingly grave expression:

"I believe it's too early to award the competition's champion prize! The first reason is that, despite the other's young age, their alchemy level even makes Elder Wang feel ashamed. This is hard for me to believe, and we need to realize that given their youth, we know nothing about their character. Even if Elder Wang has interacted with them for some time, it's rather brief. Fully understanding someone doesn't happen overnight. Awarding the champion prize now is clearly to win them over. But if they have character issues, our intentions will fail!"

Sun Long spoke eloquently, although these reasons were improvised, he couldn't help but admire himself for making such a logical argument. Seeing the crowd remaining silent, he continued:

"The second reason is, although most elder alchemists currently recognize their alchemy level, I urge everyone not to jump to conclusions quickly. After all, we've just completed the first round of the alchemy competition. Everyone should know that this round's 'Returning Dragon Pill' recipe has always been with Elder Wang, and it's unlikely to have leaked. Yet, this young person refined a supreme quality pill in under half an hour. Though it happened, even as an outsider, I feel something suspicious is at play. What's really happening? I don't know, but I've already sent someone to investigate this alchemist named Ding Lin. If there's indeed deception at hand, awarding the champion prize would be a major loss!"

Finishing his speech, Sun Long finally breathed a sigh of relief. Clearly, he exaggerated the worst-case scenarios to halt the City Lord's decision. If he failed, his previous efforts would be in vain, and the Golden Silk Defensive Clothing would slip through his fingers!

The meeting hall fell into silence after hearing Sun Long's words. Indeed, the situations he described were risky, but several elder alchemists still recognized Ding Fan's alchemy level. Yet Sun Long's concerns seemed reasonable, leaving the elders unsure of what to do.

At this moment, several middle-aged men on Sun Long's side clearly supported him. After he finished, they addressed the crowd:

"The Vice City Lord's words are sensible! While our City Lord Mansion has no shortage of a Golden Silk Defensive Clothing, it's no ordinary item. If there's something fishy, awarding it could result in big losses!"

"Indeed, such matters should proceed as normal. With the alchemy competition going smoothly, and the audience outside full of enthusiasm, we shouldn't take that risk!"

"You're right. Although I'm not an alchemist, I know enough about alchemy to doubt that such a young alchemist could surpass Elder Wang! It's unprecedented!"

"..."

Several middle-aged men spoke earnestly, clearly siding with Sun Long. However, their words seemed thoughtful of the City Lord Mansion, revealing them to be a group of old foxes. Knowing these middle-aged men form the City's backbone, the City Lord had to consider their weighty words carefully.