As Zhang Hao hesitated in his heart, Elder Wang looked at the other party with a somewhat angry expression and said:

"Actually, it doesn't matter whether you cheat or not, but you shouldn't have cheated in the Great Alchemy Competition that I am hosting! You're disregarding me! Want to know the consequences?"

After Elder Wang finished speaking, suddenly the momentum around him surged, making it seem as if the air in the room had solidified. For a moment, Zhang Hao's body was tightly bound by an invisible force, and before long, Zhang Hao even felt his breathing becoming extremely difficult.

"I was wrong! I was wrong! I shouldn't have cheated in your Great Alchemy Competition, please spare me..."

The tension inside Zhang Hao broke instantly, clearly when ordinary cultivators face life and death crises, so-called concerns disappear in an instant. Obviously, at such times, the first consideration is preserving one's life; everything else is fleeting.

Upon hearing these words, Elder Wang's heart bore a trace of a smile. Indeed, the other party was cheating. But at this moment, Elder Wang's intimidating presence not only didn't lighten up but continued to intensify.

"I'll speak! I'll speak! I'll say everything..."

At this point, Zhang Hao clearly found even breathing difficult. He had a feeling if the other party applied just a little more force, he would surely meet a premature death. How could his heart not fear? He couldn't afford to think much more, and immediately shouted, his heart resolved to tell whatever the other party wanted to know.

Upon hearing these words, Elder Wang slightly restrained his aura and then continued:

"You don't need to tell me anything! I just want to inform you that you are not allowed to participate in the Great Alchemy Competition in the future, and your results in this competition have also been nullified!"

"Alright, alright! If you say so, that's it! As long as you don't kill me, anything is fine!"

Clearly, Zhang Hao was focused solely on saving his life, and as for anything else, it wasn't very important to him at the moment. After all, even with a lot of cultivation resources, if he died, he wouldn't have any opportunity to use them.

After Zhang Hao finished speaking, he fainted. When he woke up, he found himself in a piece of woodland on the outskirts of Dancheng. Zhang Hao hurriedly inspected his body to find that he hadn't suffered any injuries, allowing his anxious heart to calm down. But Zhang Hao discovered a piece of paper beside him.

The paper read: "Ill-gotten gains are empty; hard work is the truth!"

At this moment, Zhang Hao stared at the beautifully written calligraphy on the paper, contemplating for a long time before breaking into a relieved smile. Clearly, he had come to a realization — he shouldn't have agreed to Sun Long, the Vice City Lord. Although his desires weren't large, he merely wanted to stay in the City Lord Mansion and gain some alchemy resources. But now, upon reflection, Zhang Hao couldn't help but laugh.

Zhang Hao thought about his previous diligence and rigorous efforts in pill refinement and couldn't understand why he agreed to Sun Long's request, doing something like this. Clearly, this time everything he did was like fetching water from the moonlight, and he ended up with a ruined reputation in the Great Alchemy Competition. Evidently, the path of an alchemist became difficult given such circumstances. For a moment, Zhang Hao felt a deep sense of regret.

Thinking about how this Great Alchemy Competition was just like a dream — so unreal. He gained nothing, and unfortunately gave up the most important asset for an alchemist: reputation. For alchemists, reputation is crucial. Without reputation, they can't obtain cultivation resources, and improving alchemy level becomes very difficult.

Moreover, Zhang Hao realized that not only did he lose his reputation, but after this Great Alchemy Competition, his reputation had been tainted. It's impossible for him to sustain himself in the alchemist realm.

For a moment, Zhang Hao stared at the paper. The signature at the bottom was a name respected throughout the Alchemy World: Wang Fan.

Zhang Hao knew Wang Fan was Elder Wang's name, which filled his heart with feelings towards Elder Wang. When Zhang Hao wanted to stand, he unexpectedly found a book behind him. Opening the book, Zhang Hao was extremely shocked, unexpectedly discovering that the book contained Elder Wang's personal insights into pill refinement.

Initially, Zhang Hao was deeply disheartened, but upon seeing this book, he was immensely moved. Clearly, Elder Wang spared him, not only leaving behind a note of encouragement but also gifting him a book. Additionally, Elder Wang took him outside of Dancheng. Zhang Hao knew Elder Wang didn't make him reveal Sun Long's involvement to protect him, and sending him to the outer city was also a form of protection.

At this moment, Zhang Hao was filled with gratitude towards Elder Wang; truly a respectable elder. Zhang Hao was very fortunate to encounter such a judge like Elder Wang; otherwise, the consequences of his cheating would have been much more severe. His fate wouldn't have been so fortunate.

Furthermore, Zhang Hao now realized how foolish he had been to agree to Sun Long's scheme. Clearly, as a third-grade alchemist, he managed astonishing results in the second and third rounds of the Great Alchemy Competition. Any discerning person could see through it. Sun Long obviously knew that Zhang Hao sacrificed his principles in hopes of entering the City Lord Mansion, which was truly a lamentable case...

As for Elder Wang, clearly, he knew even if Zhang Hao didn't reveal the person behind the scenes, Elder Wang somehow discerned it. Furthermore, Elder Wang recognized Zhang Hao was just being utilized and had reviewed Zhang Hao's background, determining that inherently he wasn't a bad person; simply blinded by profit and took a wrong step. Elder Wang didn't wish to destroy such an alchemist; after all, Zhang Hao wasn't too old, and although his alchemy level wasn't high at the moment, he obviously had substantial development potential.

Thus, Elder Wang immediately left Zhang Hao with a word and a book before departing.

At this time, the Great Alchemy Competition was still being held normally. The judges saw the previously departed Elder Wang had returned, and one judge couldn't help but ask:

"Elder Wang, what should we do about Zhang Hao?"

Hearing the question, Elder Wang calmly said:

"Announce his cheating, directly disqualify him, and ban him from future competitions! Minimize the impact as much as possible!"

Elder Wang knew that although he cheated, from any perspective related to the Great Alchemy Competition, and for Zhang Hao's future in alchemy, Elder Wang hoped to minimize the impact.

The judge nodded heavily at Elder Wang's words, and a subtle smile appeared on his face. It wasn't just this judge who was pleased; evidently, the other judges were happy too, since Zhang Hao had been dealt with by Elder Wang. It was not only a fair decision for the participating alchemists but also maintained the fair reputation of this Great Alchemy Competition.

After all, such matters are very detrimental to such grand events as the Great Alchemy Competition, and many people could see through the cheating. If there was no reasonable explanation provided, the credibility of the competition would be lost.

Clearly, if another Great Alchemy Competition tried to be held, it wouldn't attract as many alchemists and spectators. If the competition were affected by this kind of incident, Dancheng would not look as it does today. The future of Dancheng was bound to decline. Therefore, the judges understood Elder Wang's intentions to minimize the impact; such matters must indeed have as little effect as possible.

Then, an elder ascended the high platform of the Great Alchemy Competition and loudly announced the total scores of this year's Great Alchemy Competition.

At this moment, tens of thousands of spectators saw the elder stepping up, and cheers and whistles resounded. Everyone was clearly very eager for this year's overall results. To be frank, the most anticipated result was Ding Lin's, who clearly turned out to be the much-anticipated highlight of this year's competition.

Amidst the cheers, the judge said with a radiant smile:

"The three rounds of the Great Alchemy Competition are finally over. Many participating alchemists now await their results anxiously. This year's Great Alchemy Competition has many dark horses and is quite an interesting one. I personally believe that this kind of competition is the most meaningful. After all, only when more talented alchemists emerge in the competition is it beneficial to the Alchemist Realm, and even the Cultivation World."

At this point, the elder spoke earnestly; the audience obviously understood that he referred mainly to Ding Lin, the biggest dark horse in the competition, clearly unmatched by ordinary alchemists.

The judge continued:

"Perhaps everyone's focus is on the current scores of the competition. Now, I will announce the top three: third place goes to Herr Lian, Seventh Grade Alchemist..."

As the judge announced Herr Lian's result, the cheers from the crowd surged, as Herr Lian evidently had many fans. After all, Herr Lian was a well-known local figure and had been a Seventh Grade Alchemist for a long time. Of course, some spectators felt a bit disappointed, as failing to win the championship was somewhat regrettable for Herr Lian.

Many of Herr Lian's fans were very curious; since Herr Lian was the third, who was second?

The judge continued:

"Second place is Hu Feng, Sixth Grade Alchemist, with exceptional overall quality!"

Upon announcement, the crowd erupted in cheers. While shocked, they understood, as the performance of the white-robed elder in the third round was truly astonishing.

Under the pressure of that high platform, the elder in white managed to advance, leaving a deep impression on many spectators.

Most spectators accepted the competition results announced by the judges. Although Hu Feng's alchemy skill was slightly inferior to Herr Lian's, this comprehensive competition clearly valued overall abilities. Therefore, Herr Lian's loss was justifiable!