Chapter 50: Farce

"Given that Li Zi You has already conceded in the first round of the competition for the young patriarch, we will now proceed directly to the second round: the Four Arts of Immortality."

"The Four Arts are Alchemy, Formation, Talisman, and Weapon Refining. All four will be performed simultaneously, and the final result will be determined by the total value of each side."

"Do you have any questions?"

Li Zi You and Li Zi Mu both shook their heads.

"Very well. Now, may the competitors take the stage."

Li Zi Mu smiled slightly, gesturing for his assistants to come forward. Four people then ascended the stage.

Seeing the lineup, the crowd below gasped in amazement.

"Dan Chenzi from the Alchemy Hall, the eldest son actually invited him."

"Look at that person, Su Pei, the senior disciple of the Divine Talisman Pavilion. It is said that his skills in talismans are exceptionally high, and he is a leader among the younger generation of the Divine Talisman Pavilion."

"Hong Huai from the Weapon Refining Hall is also here. It seems the eldest son is determined to win this position of young patriarch."

"Gan Yuan from the Qi Men. This person is proficient in the Mist Illusion Array, which is quite formidable."

...

The people standing behind Li Zi You showed expressions of concern upon seeing such a lineup, their courage waning before the competition had even begun.

"I once competed with Dan Chenzi two years ago. His strength is immense; I'm afraid I'm no match for him."

"This is bad. Senior Brother Hong Huai taught me my weapon refining skills."

Li Zi You's face turned ashen, cursing inwardly.

"I've provided you all with the best food and drink, and now at a crucial moment, you let me down."

At this point, however, it was too late to change participants. Moreover, he had no replacements and could only offer words of comfort.

"Do your best. If you win, I will reward you generously."

At that moment, the young formation master he had invited spoke loudly:

"Why be afraid? We haven't even started fighting, so there's no reason to be timid. As for Qi Men, I would like to test it today."

With that, he fixed a fiery gaze on the Qi Men disciple, his eyes filled with battle intent.

Upon hearing this, Li Zi You's expression improved somewhat. Lu An could not help but glance at the young man, admiring his remarkable demeanor.

The young man, named Yuan Zong, was just an ordinary rogue cultivator who had gained some reputation solely through his inherited formation techniques and had caught Li Zi You's eye.

The competitors took their places on the stage and prepared to start as soon as the competition began.

Soundproof barriers rose, separating the participants to prevent interference. Although the sound was isolated, visibility remained clear, allowing everyone to see the progress of others.

Lu An did not rush to draw talismans but instead watched the others with interest.

Su Pei noticed this and sneered:

"Feigning mystery."

He then ignored Lu An and focused on drawing his talisman.

He was preparing a second-level Thunder Talisman, and even with his skill, there was a significant chance of failure. He had received news that Lu An could already draw a perfect first-level talisman. Under pressure, Su Pei had chosen this talisman to suppress Lu An.

He gathered his focus, and as he began to draw, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, followed by a gurgling sound. His expression changed, and he hurriedly locked the door behind him, saying to the head of the Li family:

"Sir, I have an urgent need. I will return to compete once I've taken care of it."

Without waiting for a response, he dashed out, running towards the restroom.

While there was no explicit rule against using the restroom during the competition, such an important event as the young patriarch contest made this situation appear rather farcical.

The audience below was stunned, then burst into laughter.

"This person is the senior disciple of the Divine Talisman Pavilion? How ridiculous."

"Seeing is believing. Li Zi Mu invited him? This is laughable."

...

Listening to the crowd's comments, Li Zi Mu's face turned black with anger.

"This Su Pei is really trying to embarrass me on purpose."

The Pavilion Master and the Great Elder of the Divine Talisman Pavilion also had dark expressions. Although they were not on the same side, Su Pei was still a disciple of the Divine Talisman Pavilion, and his actions were a severe embarrassment.

Only Xiao Qian among those present smirked with a glint of amusement in her eyes.

"Hmph, daring to insult me. If it weren't for so many eyes here, I would have had you torn to pieces and fed to the dogs. Such a light punishment is not enough."

She was Ye Xiao Qian, the renowned silver-ranked assassin of the Lingxiao Pavilion. Her purpose for being there was naturally related to Lu An and the position of the Saint Child.

Her concealment technique was exquisite, as even the two Core Formation cultivators present failed to detect any flaw.

Soon, Su Pei returned to the stage, looking somewhat relieved. However, he felt awkward under the odd looks from the crowd.

He took a deep breath to calm himself, then resumed drawing.

But to his dismay, his abdomen pained again, feeling a sensation of eruption. He found himself running back and forth to the restroom dozens of times, each time feeling sharp pain in his abdomen when channeling his true qi.

The audience could no longer control their laughter, unable to close their mouths.

By the time all other competitors had finished their tasks, Su Pei had yet to complete even a single talisman, continuously running between the stage and the restroom.

The farce during the young patriarch contest was an embarrassment for the head of the Li family. He glared at Li Zi Mu and, suppressing his anger, announced:

"The competition is over!"

Upon hearing this, Li Zi Mu shuddered, knowing his chances of winning were slim.

He glared angrily at Su Pei, blaming him for his current predicament.

But Su Pei was too preoccupied to notice him; for some reason, even when not using true qi, his abdomen remained extremely painful. He could only stay in the restroom and not leave.

The final competition of the Four Arts of Immortality ended in this farcical manner.

The result was naturally Li Zi You's victory. It's worth mentioning that the two participants from the Alchemy Hall and Weapon Refining Hall performed impressively, winning with ease.

However, Yuan Zong's victory over the Qi Men disciple thrilled him greatly.

If only the three categories were compared, Li Zi Mu's side would have had a higher value. But due to the absence of one person, Lu An casually drew a high-quality first-level talisman and claimed victory.

The second-level Ningxin Talisman, which he had prepared, was not even used.

He was naturally pleased with the outcome, as drawing a second-level talisman in public would indeed have been too ostentatious.

The subsequent elder voting also came with no surprises, but it was unexpected that Li Zi You was elected with a unanimous vote.

This was unprecedented in the Li family. It's worth noting that Li Zimu had some loyal elders and stewards supporting him. However, during this vote, those elders and stewards seemed to feel embarrassed, and none of them supported him. After the competition, the county governor left early, citing a meeting with Gu Chuanfei to discuss cultivation experiences. Elder Zhang of the Talisman Hall also called upon the master of the Divine Talisman Pavilion to jointly study the path of talismans.

Li Zi You, having gained the position of the young clan leader, was naturally overjoyed. He celebrated with the others until late into the night before everyone dispersed. However, as Lu An was about to leave, Li Zi You stopped him.

"Brother Lu, the position of young clan leader today is all thanks to your help. I am deeply grateful and will never forget your kindness. If you ever need anything in the future, just let me know, and I, Li Zi You, will not refuse."

Lu An shook his head and said, "I didn't contribute much this time. It's not necessary for Brother Li to say this."

Li Zi You glanced around to ensure no one was nearby before whispering, "Brother Lu, there's no need to hide it. If it weren't for your methods, how could Su Pei end up like that?"

Lu An was surprised; it seemed Li Zi You misunderstood him. He had not taken any action against Su Pei, and he was puzzled. He wanted to explain but didn't know where to start, so he remained silent. Seeing this, Li Zi You didn't bring up the matter again. Instead, he mysteriously said, "Brother Lu, as for the reward I promised you, I will have someone deliver it tomorrow. But before that, take a look at this."

He led Lu An to a study room and pulled out two scrolls from somewhere, handing them to Lu An. Lu An took them and, upon opening, exclaimed, "The Ding family's Soul Visualization Chart!"