Chapter 321: Results

The grand bronze bells of the Abyssal Lotus Pavilion boomed for the second time, shattering the tense silence of the arena .

The translucent silver light barriers automatically dissolved, and the floating crystal ledger screens across the plaza violently flashed to life, calculating the final, absolute scores of Stage 2 .

The thousands of spectators, rogue cultivators, and popular elder-rank masters in the high viewing galleries leaned forward, their eyes widening to the size of saucers as the grand results were publicly declared .

Rank 1: Tony Clark (Perfect Score – 100%). Time Elapsed: 4 minutes, 12 seconds. Evaluation: Absolute Identification Mastery.

Below his name, the scores of the city’s premier geniuses looked completely pathetic. Lady Scarlet had managed a respectable 84% after utilizing her Vermilion Beast Fire to the absolute brink of exhaustion, while Gerald Vance sat further down at a sluggish 71%. Tony had not only achieved back-to-back perfect scores, but he had also systematically decoded all one hundred rare spiritual plants in less than a fraction of the allocated time .

The entire colosseum erupted into a massive, unprecedented wave of frantic commotion and shocked screams . Gerald Vance’s face turned an incredibly beautiful shade of pale, his hands clenching so hard that his long noble nails dug into his palms, drawing drops of blood. “This is a total, absolute farce!” Gerald shrieked in a fit of psychotic rage, his voice echoing fiercely across the plaza .

“First the written text, and now a four-minute identification?! He is an archer! He has never touched a professional cultivation cauldron in his life! The pavilion’s test arrays must be experiencing a catastrophic glitch!”

Before the chaotic crowd could even escalate their angry, jealous murmurs, the space directly behind Tony’s testing station violently rippled with a dense, blazing heat pressure. The high elders of the pavilion stepped forward, their faces tight with serious protocol as they held a magnificent, gold-trimmed parchment scroll bearing a fragrant purple-sandalwood seal.

“Young Master Tony Clark!” the head proctor announced loudly, his voice reinforced by core energy to dominate the noisy plaza. “By the absolute, direct command of our Pavilion Master, Lady Vivienne Vane, you are hereby granted an exclusive, immediate audience inside her private sanctuary. You are to skip the public intermission and follow us to the highest tower right now!”

A sudden, suffocating wave of envy and shock crashed over the young noble masters as they watched Tony casually roll his shoulders, his standard lazy posture perfectly intact. He didn’t show even a single fraction of arrogance or internal distress under their burning glares. He casually tucked his participant token into his dark hunting cloak and followed the grand elders up the floating spiritual stairs, leaving the gossiping crowd behind .

The highest tower of the Abyssal Lotus Pavilion was an absolute haven of royal luxury and deep, ancient alchemical magic. The air inside the private chamber was thick with the sweet aroma of century-old medicinal pills, and the entire floor was carved from pure white spiritual jade. Lady Vivienne Vane stood silently by the massive arched balcony, her breathtakingly beautiful face a mask of cold, eccentric majesty as her long red silk robes brushed against the floor .

When Tony stepped into the room, she turned around slowly, her violet eyes locking onto his unhurried figure with an intense, sharp intensity that made the surrounding air drop by several degrees . Resting on her mahogany desk was the massive stack of extra sheets Tony had filled during the written test, alongside his poetic definition of alchemy.

“You possess an extraordinarily dangerous and arrogant mind, Tony Clark,” Lady Vivienne spoke, her silky voice carrying a trace of cold condescension that failed to hide her profound internal awe.

“I have read your final poem multiple times . You claim that alchemy is not a tool to serve an empire, but an absolute weapon of creation used by a true villain to trample over the celestial laws of heaven. No ordinary outer disciple from the country branches can formulate such a terrifyingly advanced theory. Tell me the absolute truth, junior. Who exactly is your hidden master, and what is your true game inside my pavilion?”

Tony let out a low, amused chuckle, a slow, villainous grin curling the corners of his lips as he casually leaned his shoulder against a white jade pillar, entirely unbothered by her majestic cultivation pressure.

“I already told your elders before, Lady Vivienne, that this lower world is far too small for my game,” Tony said smoothly, his deep baritone voice carrying a chilling, razor-sharp edge of absolute confidence . He looked directly into her beautiful eyes, his tone full of his signature, shameless defiance.

“I do not possess a mortal master, and I certainly did not enter your trial to become a common apprentice who fetches water. I am here because I need your absolute, independent recommendation token to enter the World Alchemy Summit. I gave you a perfect script because a businessman of my caliber always presents his credentials before taking absolute control of the chessboard.”

Lady Vivienne’s breath completely caught in her throat, her mind entering a state of total, chaotic astonishment at his sheer audacity. To a supreme master-grade alchemist who had kicked out wealthy princes and refused imperial favors, Tony’s casual, villainous pride felt completely alien and deeply intoxicating. She realized that trying to intimidate this young man was entirely redundant; he didn’t fear her power because he was already looking past her pavilion toward the highest realms of the universe.

“The World Summit is an absolute battlefield of cosmic gods, Tony,” Vivienne warned him softly, her tone turning incredibly serious. “Even if I grant you my token based on your perfect intellect, your path will be instantly cut short if your physical meridians lack the raw, primal element required to control a divine furnace. Go back to the plaza. The Stage 3 Innate Fire Selection is about to begin. Let me see if your internal flame can match the weight of your arrogant words.”

Tony merely let out a soft, careless laugh, turning on his heel as his dark cloak billowed in the wind. “Just find a comfortable seat near the grand arena glass, my beautiful lady. I am about to turn your final fire test into an absolute, unforgettable catastrophe for the noble clans.”

By the time Tony smoothly walked back down to the central plaza, the early afternoon sun had risen to its absolute peak, and the atmosphere inside the colosseum had reached a boiling point of toxic anticipation. The news of his private invitation had spread like wildfire, but the sheer, deep-seated arrogance of the four supreme powerhouses did not allow them to submit to his academic scores. To the old, veteran grandmasters of the capital, a written text and a rapid herb identification test were nothing more than a baseline, superficial fluke .

“Do not lose your composure, Gerald! Lady Scarlet!” a popular gold-robed inner peak master shouted proudly from the sidelines, trying to build a massive new layer of political hype around the final round.

“The first two stages were nothing more than an absolute fluke of memory! A country-bumpkin hunter can easily memorize a classical text if he stumbles upon an ancient library in the provinces! But this final Stage 3 is the absolute, ultimate test of a true prodigy! An alchemist’s core lifeline is their Innate Fire Body and the quality of the Beast Fire born inside their physical meridians! A primitive archer whose body is rough from drawing a wooden bow string cannot possibly possess a high-tier fire element! The moment the flame arrays activate today, his complete lack of innate fire precision will look like nothing more than a pathetic joke beneath Lady Scarlet’s Vermilion Beast Fire Body!”

“Haha! My master speaks the absolute truth!” Lady Scarlet sneered coldly, her fiery eyes locking onto Tony’s lazy figure with a sharp, predatory intensity as she took her place on the central platform. “Let the country bumpkin enjoy his temporary fluke ledger ranks. The moment our internal flames are unleashed before Lady Vivienne’s eyes today, his fake illusion will be thoroughly, permanently crushed into absolute dust, and the entire city will witness his ultimate humiliation!”

Tony Clark stood perfectly still at the absolute edge of the front row, his hands casually tucked back into his cloak pockets, a wide, ruthlessly brilliant smile spreading across his face as his consciousness internally connected with the fully awake and operational system interface in his mind.

He could feel the dense, volatile primordial energy of his 9th Class solar foundation vibrating deep within his chest, ready to unleash a forbidden, higher-realm cosmic flame that would permanently turn their entire proud lineage into an absolute, bloody graveyard .

Tq-