Davis, who sat on the spectator's seat, looked at the stage. The pill concoction had already begun to take place after the ingredients have been all brought out by the participants. However, his concentration wasn't on that but on Immeth Alstreim's actions.

However, he couldn't help but smile in derision a little.

Almost everyone here was a fucking rat! They schemed behind other's back and seemed to have little sense of morality behind their actions.

He cast a glance at Nora Alstreim and couldn't help but sneer at her in a derogatory way.

'Master like subordinate...'

Both of them were backstabbing bitches! Yet, they dared to behave like they were pure, wanting to have a moralistic life while pursuing the peak of cultivation.

Truly, women do know how to play the victim instinctively. If he hadn't seen this, perhaps he would be sympathizing with Nora Alstreim's and Immeth Alstreim's plight, but for the latter, he had already seen through her with the Karma Threads. He knew that Immeth Alstreim was trying to make use of him, but to think that it was for revenge against the ones who used her, he didn't expect that.

He felt that it was more along the lines of trapping him with her body in the behest of her Young Mistress Nora Alstreim, but it seemed like it was her own doing...

Did that mean that she was truly trying to secure a strong man and fortune by having him as her man?

A jade digger?

'Still... Who was that person at last? Father...?'

'Mother didn't say anything about such a person...'

Davis frowned in contemplation before he eyed Nora Alstreim.

'Wouldn't I just know by asking Nora Alstreim for the answer but considering that those two were so secretive despite being father and daughter...'

Davis narrowed his brows, 'Are they hiding their relationship?'

He felt that it was plausible, but for what reason?

He shook his head and leaned towards the front as he heaved a breath.

"... Only thirty of them managed to find the right ones, but those ingredients..." Dalila Leehan suddenly smiled before she cast a look at Alchemist Davis, "If you are capable, you must know what is wrong with those ingredients, no?"

Davis blinked, wondering what he did to deserve this... He felt that he shouldn't have sat here. He cast a look at the stage to observe again as he really hadn't paid attention to the uniqueness of the ingredients.

"If you do not know, just say that you don't kno-"

"Just shut up for a moment..."

"You!!!" Dalila Leehan looked shocked by his response.

Her expression fell as she became angered. She was just about to retort before she got interrupted.

"Two of those ten ingredients are of the two opposite nature, and when thrown into the cauldron, their percentage should be accurately balanced. Otherwise, it is possible for the whole concoction to fail. Moreover, if their cauldrons were not above the Low-Level Sky Grade, it is possible for that their cauldrons to explode from the ignition of the two ingredients counteracting each other when they are not perfectly balanced."

Dalila Leehan's expression became disoriented. She knew that it was her fault that she instantly tried to put him down, but she wasn't able to stomach being told to shut up like that. She felt her face slightly burn up in humiliation.

Nevertheless, she gritted her teeth, and gracefully continued, "That's right. This is also a trap that is set up for the unsuspecting alchemists who have never known much about the combination of these particular ingredients before."

Davis simply nodded his head, and Dalila Leehan leaned back with a hateful expression on her face. However, her expression also looked a bit aggrieved.

Who other than her Top Pill Disciple Seniors dared to treat her like this? She found it not one bit to her liking, but as a woman, she knew that she could not behave unruly as she was at fault for trying to tease him.

'Hmph... No fun...' She imperceptibly pouted....

Soon enough, just when the participating alchemists expected that it was going to be easy-peasy in concocting that Low-Level Sky Grade Pill, a muffled sound echoed.

*Omm!~*

The alchemist who stood in front of the origin of that sound looked at his cauldron in shock, "What happened!?"

Even though he asked, he knew what this sound signified.

He gulped and opened the lid of his cauldron. Black smoke emerged before it elevated into the skies. He stretched his head and looked into the cauldron, finding some ruined paste that stuck to the bottom of the cauldron.

His expression became ugly as what he feared came to pass! The pill concoction had failed!

"But how!?"

He had no idea. He grasped his head in thought but soon, numerous echoes of muffled booms echoed around the stage, causing him to look around in a stupor. Numerous explosions occurred, and when those people opened their cauldrons, black smoke emerged out.

Looking at them almost simultaneously fail, an imperceptible smile, as well as relief, painted his face.

*Tcha~*

However, another muffled sound echoed. It attracted almost all attention since the sound was different than what others heard.

A woman with a confident demeanor stood before her cauldron.

She waved her hand, and the lid opened as her soul force lifted it up for her. At the same time, another strand of soul force entered the cauldron and brought out eight brightly shining pills. Its luster caused the people to marvel at its effects!

"Bi-Energy Condensing Pill!" She voiced out the pill's name.

A Low-Level Sky Grade Pill that restored both essence energy and battle aura of a Fifth Stage Cultivator! It was relatively difficult to concoct since it involved in the amalgamation of restoring two different types of energy!

"This Sophie Alstreim is not bad..." Dalila Leehan nodded her head in approval.

"Indeed, she's very upright and has only eyes for the peak. She rarely concerns herself with internal affairs or public gatherings, so no rarely knows about her. If it weren't for Grand Elder Krax Alstreim favoring her, she would be completely unknown among the junior generation due to her lack of social upbringing."

"She is suitable for the profession of alchemy! Ask her if she is interested in becoming my subordinate, but of course, she would have to abandon the Alstreim Family and follow me to the Thousand Pill Palace since she doesn't have a special status."

Nora Alstreim wryly giggled, "As far as I know, she is completely loyal to the Alstreim Family like us."

"Hehe..." Dalila Leehan snickered, "I've seen many loyal people cave in to the power that is known as wealth..."

However, Nora Alstreim seemed to be thinking of something else as her expression fell.

"Speaking of loyalty and social skills, I can't help but recall a certain person..." She shook her head as she sighed.

Dalila Leehan checked her friend's expression and could tell that she suddenly exuded a bit of sorrow.

"Who is it?" Her eyes flashed as she asked. She became genuinely curious as to who could make the prideful Nora Alstreim feel like this...

Nora Alstreim wryly smiled, "She could be designated as my rival in the past."

Davis suddenly pricked up his ears as he heard a clicking term! Rivals?

'Wasn't mother a rival to Nora Alstreim as they had completed for the Young Mistress's status?'