Hearing Huchen Wandong's somewhat anxious voice, the Huchen Ancestor's expression remained unchanged. He merely gave a soft "en" and then stood up from his seat. In the next instant, he appeared beside Huchen Jianghai. Standing there, he simply pointed a finger, and a stream of spiritual power entered Huchen Jianghai's body from his fingertip. The next moment, a look of surprise appeared on his face.
After his spiritual power had circulated through Huchen Jianghai's body, he produced two medicinal pills from somewhere and, with a flick of his finger, sent them into Huchen Jianghai's mouth.
"He's fine now. After taking the pills, the poisons in his body have been cleared. As for his internal injuries, I have already sorted them out with my spiritual power. He'll be fine after a period of recuperation. The reason he hasn't woken up is due to the aftereffects of using Sacrificing Oneself to Feed the Tiger. He has lost ten years of his lifespan and needs to recover properly."
Having said this, he turned to look at Huchen Wuding. "This boy is not bad, not bad at all!" By now, Huchen Wuding had been fed a medicinal pill by Zhuo Lingfeng. His injuries were mainly from being hit by the aftershock of the spiritual power and the massive consumption of his own spiritual power and divine sense. So, after taking the pill, although still weak, he had regained consciousness.
The Huchen Ancestor's two consecutive "not bad" remarks left everyone a little confused. In terms of the outcome, both were injured. However, for Huchen Wuding to achieve such a result at the ninth level of Qi Condensation against a peak early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator without using any magical treasures was indeed quite impressive.
But how could they know the joy in the Huchen Ancestor's heart? From Huchen Jianghai's poisoned state, he had analyzed that although Huchen Jianghai hadn't been hit by all dozen or so pills, he had been afflicted by six different potent poisons. Four of them were unique refining methods recorded in the Ghostly Poison Scroll, but their potency and toxicity were far greater than the same pills refined by the family. This was the mark of a pure practitioner of the Ghostly Poison Scroll.
The other two types were ones he had never seen before. But with his cultivation, he could tell at a glance that they were created by combining two or three different pills. This method sounded simple, but any poison cultivator knew that even the formula for an ordinary pill on the market, including poison pills, had to go through countless experiments, sometimes even ten or a hundred years of continuous exploration, to finally form a true pill formula. The ingredients and dosages had strict requirements. The slightest excess or deficiency would either lead to failure in refining or, even if successful, the effect would be minimal, or even completely different from the original. To reassemble several existing pill formulas into a new one was unimaginably difficult. It required not only a solid knowledge of pharmacology but also a talent for it. This talent was a kind of intuition, an indescribable sensory perception of herbs.
Such a person was rarer than one in ten thousand. The Huchen family was currently in dire need of such a prodigy. And Huchen Wuding not only possessed this intuition for pills but was also the only other person besides the Huchen Ancestor to walk the path of pure Ghostly Poison Scroll cultivation. Because of this, the Huchen Ancestor judged that Huchen Wuding's foundational cultivation of the Ghostly Poison Scroll had reached a meticulous level, which allowed him to achieve the feat of combining pills at the Qi Condensation stage. Both of these aspects were exactly what the Huchen family needed most.
Hearing the Huchen Ancestor say "not bad" twice, Ye Luoyan, who was holding Huchen Jianghai, couldn't help but feel anxious. This was a clear sign that he intended to choose that boy as the successor. "Ancestor, that boy didn't use poison or spiritual power in this assessment. How can this count?"
"How ridiculous. It was only stated that the use of spiritual artifacts and magical treasures was not allowed. Are medicinal pills considered spirit treasures? In that case, isn't there a problem with using the evil art of Sacrificing Oneself to Feed the Tiger?" Zhuo Lingfeng sneered from the side.
Everyone in the plaza was watching, and the conversation between the two was heard clearly by all. Under the gazes of the crowd, Ye Luoyan was both ashamed and angry, but she had no reason to refute. Her hatred for Zhuo Lingfeng was already monstrous. How could she let her son fail after suffering such a heavy loss? Just as she was about to speak again, Huchen Wandong, who was standing in front, unwilling to let his wife argue like a shrew in public, and also wanting Huchen Wuding to win, spoke first. "Ancestor, we have a result now. Can you announce it?"
Huchen Wandong's action made Ye Luoyan even more furious, but since he was asking for the Huchen Ancestor's opinion, she had no choice but to bite her tongue, wishing she could go up and slap him a few times.
The Huchen Ancestor smiled faintly. "Judging by the final result of the match, Tingchun brought both of them out at the same time. This round should be a tie for first place."
As soon as he said this, the entire plaza erupted in an uproar, but everyone just stared at each other, not daring to raise any objections. Huchen Wandong was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but ask, "Ancestor, are there going to be two successors? This goes against the ancestral teachings." At this moment, apart from the three invited ancestors, only Huchen Wandong, as the family head, dared to ask.
On the side, Ye Luoyan's expression first brightened, then changed again. This would mean someone would have to share the family's power with Huchen Jianghai. Zhuo Lingfeng, however, frowned. Comparing the results, Huchen Wuding was clearly much better off. His opponent had fainted immediately after being poisoned, and even a Golden Core expert was at a loss for a moment, unable to wake Huchen Jianghai up. This spoke volumes.
The Huchen Ancestor stood with his hands behind his back, looking up at the sky. After a long while, he slowly shook his head. "There will still be only one successor. It's just that the two of them will have to compete in one more match."
Hearing the Huchen Ancestor's words, everyone present finally understood and nodded. Huchen Wandong couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. He didn't want the First or Fourth Branch to win. And now, he was even more wary of the Fourth Branch's methods of hiding their strength and using various tricks to seize the successor position. He wasn't worried about his own position as Patriarch; for a successor to take over, it would have to be when he proposed to step down. But as the Patriarch, he had to consider the future prosperity and decline of the family. If he had to choose among his sons, he would choose Huchen Wuding, who had no background, so that no one would be pulling the strings from behind.
"Ancestor, with their injuries, especially Jianghai's use of a secret technique, they probably won't be able to use any spiritual power for nearly a month. Does this mean the assessment will be held on another day?" Huchen Wandong said. By saying this in public, he was also subtly pointing out that Huchen Jianghai had already lost a step in the competition.
Ye Luoyan also understood the hidden meaning, and a tide of annoyance washed over her. 'They are both your sons, yet you speak up for that bastard. Huchen Wandong, even a vicious tiger does not eat its cubs.' Her dissatisfaction grew, and just as she was about to make a sarcastic remark, the Huchen Ancestor spoke again in a faint voice.
"No need. The assessment is today. Next, I will personally set up an assessment. Let the Third and Fourth Branches each choose another person. Or Huchen Jianghai and Huchen Wuding can participate themselves. But it is limited to Foundation Establishment or Qi Condensation cultivators. The winner will be the successor." After speaking, his gaze swept over Ye Luoyan and Zhuo Lingfeng, finally lingering on Zhuo Lingfeng for a moment. Zhuo Lingfeng's body trembled almost imperceptibly.
As soon as the Huchen Ancestor's words fell, everyone in the plaza, including the other three family ancestors, wore expressions of astonishment. No one could have predicted this outcome. In this way, according to the previous poison cultivation assessment method, the Fourth Branch, Ye Luoyan's lineage, had a great chance of winning. This was a clear sign of favoritism towards the Fourth Branch. This sudden turn of events made Ye Luoyan's heart leap with joy.
"Ancestor, you can't! Wuding and Jianghai definitely can't participate in the assessment today. And Wuding's side are not poison cultivators. How can they pass the assessment set up by you..." Huchen Wandong said anxiously.
But before he could finish, the Huchen Ancestor's face darkened. "Having someone to support you is also a manifestation of strength. Otherwise, you might as well just admit defeat. Hmph!" After speaking, he snorted heavily.
The Huchen Ancestor's unannounced move was not only incomprehensible to the disciples in the plaza, but even the three family ancestors above were baffled. In fact, they also felt that Huchen Wuding had a slight edge. The Ye Family Ancestor was even more puzzled. 'Could it be that this old ghost really wants to give my Ye family a hand? But why? Is it because only my Ye family poses the least threat to his Huchen family, and at the same time can support the Huchen family with cultivation resources...' The Ye Family Ancestor couldn't help but speculate.
His thoughts were roughly the same as those of the Xie and Chi family ancestors. They couldn't help but sigh in their hearts. 'This old fellow is ultimately afraid of a tiger sleeping beside his pillow, so he found a helper who poses no threat, is obedient, and can provide cultivation resources.'
Huchen Huiqing stood behind Chi Dongli, her small mouth pouted, muttering in a low, dissatisfied voice, "Mother, the Ancestor is clearly being biased..." Before she could finish, she was silenced by a stern look from Chi Dongli. However, she also sighed in her heart. 'In the end, family interests have triumphed over everything.'
"Then I admit defeat. We will not participate in this round!" At this moment, a clear and deeply weary voice rang out. Everyone stopped their discussions and looked towards the source of the voice.
Huchen Wuding, supported by Zhuo Lingfeng, slowly stood up. He first looked at Li Yan on the viewing platform with an apologetic expression, then calmly looked at the Huchen Ancestor.
"Oh? You're giving up just like that?" The Huchen Ancestor's face actually wore a faint smile, but a cold glint flashed in the depths of his eyes.
"Yes, Ancestor. We have no one who can fight," Huchen Wuding said with a surprisingly calm expression, showing no anger or dissatisfaction.
At that moment, Zhuo Lingfeng, who had been silent all this time, suddenly bowed to the Huchen Ancestor. "Senior, the young master has just regained consciousness and is still dazed. Please allow him a moment to recover. Give me half an incense stick of time." After speaking, he took Huchen Wuding and, without paying any attention to anyone else, flew directly towards the viewing platform.
The Huchen Ancestor watched the two fly away, then nodded slightly. He walked towards the viewing platform without another word. For a moment, the entire plaza was silent, no one knowing what to do.
As the Huchen Ancestor walked back, Ye Luoyan picked up Huchen Jianghai, glared fiercely at Huchen Wandong, and then quickly walked towards the back. She still had to arrange who would participate in the upcoming assessment. Although she didn't know if Huchen Wuding would ultimately participate, she had to choose the best qualified cultivator to win this final round.
With Huchen Wuding's return to the viewing platform, many gazes began to converge there, and gradually, the sound of low discussions began to rise and fall.
As soon as he returned to the platform and set down the puzzled Huchen Wuding, Zhuo Lingfeng, without any regard for others, waved his hand, and a light shield immediately formed around them. Besides Huchen Wuding, it also surprisingly enveloped Li Yan. This way, the surrounding people could no longer see the three of them, let alone hear what they were saying.
Zhuo Lingfeng knew that his cultivation was nothing here. If those Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators wanted to eavesdrop, this sound- and divine sense-proof light shield would be useless. But he deliberately did it in front of everyone. With several Nascent Soul cultivators present, he figured the Huchen Ancestor would not, and would not deign to, eavesdrop on a junior's conversation. And the Golden Core cultivators would not dare to eavesdrop in front of a Nascent Soul ancestor.
At this moment, a hint of sorrow appeared in Zhuo Lingfeng's eyes. He had something to say to Huchen Wuding. Only he knew why the Huchen Ancestor was doing this.