Top-tier Unruly Master

It was clear that Hao Chun simply didn't take Xiao Lee's matters seriously, nor was there any need to, as in Hao Chun's eyes, the other party was merely his little follower.

As for Zhou Ruoran, upon hearing the other's words, she didn't say anything more. Since things hadn't become too tense, there was no issue. Zhou Ruoran acted this way to avoid causing trouble for her master. Then, she and Taozi continued watching the competition, as the most important reason for Zhou Ruoran's participation in this Great Alchemy Competition was to see Ding Lin. But now, it was almost time for the tenth group of alchemists to start, and the opponent hadn't appeared yet. Obviously, he would have to appear among this tenth group of alchemists.

At that moment, Zhou Ruoran was a bit nervous, genuinely hoping that the person was Ding Fan. If so, she could smoothly find Ding Fan. Instantly, she pulled Taozi and walked out of the teahouse, arriving at the audience area outside. As it was quite close to the venue of the Great Alchemy Competition, if the person was indeed Ding Fan, she could see more clearly. Moreover, even if she called out to him, he would be able to hear.

Moments later, the tenth group of alchemists had already come out, and naturally, Ding Fan was among them. When Ding Fan appeared, the outside audience immediately erupted with deafening shouts. Clearly, many audiences were eagerly anticipating Ding Fan's arrival, as his performance in the first Great Alchemy Competition was truly remarkable. He refined a supreme quality medicine pill in less than half an hour. Who wouldn't be impressed by such a level of alchemy prowess? Even the head judge in the judge area, Elder Wang, was so excited that he didn't wait for the first round of the competition to end before rushing to Ding Lin and having a long conversation with Ding Fan. This scene was rare in previous editions of the Great Alchemy Competition.

Furthermore, the legendary Alchemy Cauldron preservation method was revealed by him; how can he not be called a genius? In fact, the word "genius" doesn't suffice to describe him, it's simply too extraordinary. The audience was further shocked that before the second round of the competition started, Elder Wang even took the initiative to greet him, which was simply incredible!

Many alchemists are quite familiar with Elder Wang, who evidently isn't the type with an outgoing personality. In fact, his character is very introverted, paired with his authoritative level of alchemy skills. Those able to catch his eye are rare, let alone alchemists. Even if Dancheng's city lord approached Elder Wang, the audience knew Elder Wang might not greet him warmly. But this time, he did so with Ding Lin.

It was clear how exceptional Ding Lin was! Everyone knew Elder Wang wasn't a casual person; that he greeted Ding Lin warmly indicated Ding Lin surely possessed true talent and skill. This was what most shocked everyone. Knowing Elder Wang's alchemy level, how formidable must the other's real talent and skill be!

Needless to say, the person was only in his early twenties with such talent, which absolutely shocked everyone. Thus, many alchemists were eagerly waiting for Ding Lin's performance in the Great Alchemy Competition; it would undoubtedly be worth watching. For cultivators or alchemists, witnessing a race involving a genius alchemist was a remarkable spectacle because such talent was a rarity.

Consequently, when Ding Fan appeared, the audience's reaction was extremely intense, instantly generating a seaquake-like sound. Clearly, many cultivators held great expectations for Ding Fan, hoping he would achieve an even better result in this Great Alchemy Competition.

"Ding Lin! Go Ding Lin!"

"Look, Ding Lin is here! Ah... Ding Lin is here!"

"Ding Lin! Ding Lin!"

"..."

For a while, audiences kept shouting Ding Lin's name loudly. Naturally, the tens of thousands of other spectators were also discussing Ding Fan, as he was undoubtedly the biggest highlight of this edition of the Great Alchemy Competition!

"This time, Ding Lin will certainly achieve better results!"

"That's for sure. If Ding Lin is any one person, even Elder Wang respects him greatly, showing how formidable his alchemy prowess is!"

"Let's not oversimplify what Brother Dalin is capable of, okay? My Brother Dalin isn't just strong in alchemy; he's a top-tier genius in cultivation as well. Brother Dalin, despite being only at Emergence Stage, can defeat a Spirit Severing Elder. Tell me, besides Brother Dalin, who else could do that?"

"That's truly incredible! To think such an all-rounded talent exists in the world, it's simply unbelievable!"

"Brother Dalin, show your skills in the competition, let that cheating young man Zhang Hao see what it means to win through strength!"

"Exactly, Brother Dalin, use your strength to show him that, aside from strength, everything else is just fleeting clouds!"

"Brother Dalin…"

...

Amidst the rising chatter and cheers, it was evident that Ding Fan was the most popular alchemist in this edition of the Great Alchemy Competition. Even compared to Elder Herr's previous popularity, it seemed Ding Lin's was unmatched, which was perfectly normal. Although everyone recognized Elder Herr's alchemical prowess, his age was admittedly too advanced to still be competing in the Great Alchemy Competition, making it rather unnecessary.

After all, Elder Herr's reputation was already established, even if not enormously, but certainly notable in his hometown. Moreover, Elder Herr never lacked cultivation resources and some of his close friends were judges at the competition. A person like Elder Herr should naturally be acting as a judge, but he participated in the competition clearly with the objective of winning the Champion Reward!

Of course, Elder Herr wasn't the only alchemist with such intentions; quite a few elderly alchemists participated in this Great Alchemy Competition, but Elder Herr was the only one of significant repute.

However, Ding Lin was different, as Ding Fan was a young talent rising in the Eight Views, potentially a blossoming figure in the future of the Alchemist Realm. Clearly, his talent was exceptionally powerful; cultivating Ding Lin would elevate him beyond the reach of ordinary alchemists. This was something all spectators understood, as Ding Lin was incredibly young. Should he continue to grow, he could surpass Elder Herr many times over.

When Zhou Ruoran heard the cheers from the surrounding crowd and saw Ding Fan, she felt a shock surge through her heart, to the point that tears began to well in her eyes, knowing it was Ding Fan there.

Zhou Ruoran often dreamed of Ding Fan, and never could she have imagined actually finding Ding Lin at that moment. It was overwhelmingly good news, utterly shocking! Her hands began to tremble with excitement. If Ding Fan wasn't still competing in this Great Alchemy Competition, Zhou Ruoran might have charged forward instantly, finding it unbearable to wait even a second more—afraid that if it were a dream, she never wanted to wake up, more than willing to stay in it forever.

Inwardly, Zhou Ruoran knew how vast the Cultivation World was, and seeing Ding Fan felt so incredibly lucky. Previously, upon hearing stories of the so-called Ding Lin, she had a premonition it was Ding Fan, given his brilliance, making him clearly outstanding in the Cultivation World; her guess had proven correct.

Zhou Ruoran's excitement grew unbearably. She was genuinely happy for Ding Fan, not expecting his exceptional acclaim in the Cultivation World and being renowned, especially in the Donglai Continent. Zhou Ruoran felt that Ding Fan, usually a low-profile individual, had become famous, possibly in pursuit of finding herself and others.

She understood how deeply Ding Fan also missed her, in the same way she longed for him.

Tears flowed freely down Zhou Ruoran's face, triggered by the memories of her days with Ding Fan, making it impossible to stop them.

Beside Zhou Ruoran, Taozi noticed her tears, intrigued, as it was the first time seeing Ranran cry so sorrowfully. Taozi was unsure of the reason and cautiously asked:

"Ranran, what's wrong?"

The surrounding crowd was shocked to see Ding Lin cry so beautifully. No one expected tears to look so captivating, evoking admiration and drawing their gazes.

Many spectators started commenting, utterly surprised they could witness such beauty at the Great Alchemy Competition; it truly made the trip worthwhile!

From within the crowd, He Qianyao was also drawn by the discussions and turned her gaze towards Zhou Ruoran. Her heart skipped a beat—this beauty was astounding!

Though He Qianyao was herself considered a beauty, even she felt a bit humbled in comparison to Zhou Ruoran, amazed by her celestial elegance. Even her tears seemed charming, sparking a twinge of envy in He Qianyao, though her focus soon shifted.

After all, she didn't know Zhou Ruoran, eliminating any reason for jealousy. Although He Qianyao was beautiful, she wasn't vain enough to claim she was the most beautiful, so the fact that someone more stunning existed was insignificant. What truly mattered to He Qianyao now was Ding Fan's appearance.

Clearly, He Qianyao anticipated Ding Fan's results in this Great Alchemy Competition, understanding his alchemical skill well—he casually gifted her a Supreme Quality Medicine Pill. This gesture revealed that Ding Fan treated these pills lightly, which would astound anyone.

He Qianyao felt a thrill of excitement, eager to see Ding Fan in the upcoming Great Alchemy Competition, certain his performance would captivate everyone!