In the vast square, after reading the recipe, most of the alchemists showed a hint of joy on their faces, finding the examination to be rather easy. They quickly lit fires and began preparing for the alchemy process. Of course, among so many alchemists, there were also cautious and meticulous individuals. The sudden simplicity of this exam surprised them, but after carefully examining the recipe and finding no apparent flaws, they could only shake their heads in resignation and proceed with caution…
Xiao Yan’s gaze was fixed on the purple flames rising in the cauldron. After the temperature of the flames increased, he slowly threw a medicinal herb into it. Then, with his eyes half-closed, he gradually refined it.
Shortly after Xiao Yan started, Liu Ling and Little Princess, who were seated on either side, also furrowed their brows and began to light their fires and refine. With the detailed and orthodox recipe, as long as they were careful, it shouldn’t be too difficult for them to produce the “Wind-Traveling Pill.” Of course, this assumed that they did not have particularly bad luck, as even with the best preparations, a 100% success rate was impossible.
As the alchemy process resumed, the noise from the seats on both sides gradually diminished. All eyes were on the alchemists, watching them release substantial flames with every movement, evoking envy in everyone’s hearts.
At the front of the VIP seats, Fa Ma stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the gray-robed youth in a secluded corner of the square. Observing the youth’s skillful techniques, comparable to those of some elders in the guild, he frowned and muttered, “Such proficiency… without decades of practice, it would be impossible to achieve… This person is indeed strange. Why haven’t I heard of such a high-level alchemist emerging from the Yuncheng Empire? Could it be a new face?”
“Let’s see if he can pass this round first…” With a sigh, Fa Ma turned his gaze back to Xiao Yan and the others, whispering, “I hope these three can pass as well… Don’t be careless.”
…
As time passed, some of the more skilled contestants on the square had already extracted the necessary components from their herbs. After a brief hesitation, they gritted their teeth and poured the essence into their cauldrons, beginning the final refinement.
Xiao Yan’s eyes were fixed on the medicinal herb tumbling in the purple flames. Due to some unexpected issues, he proceeded very slowly, so much so that many contestants had already extracted their components while he continued to refine with great care.
“Seems like there are no issues…” After a while, Xiao Yan looked at the pale purple powder formed by the roasted materials, muttering. He lifted the lid of the cauldron, drew out the powder, and stored it in a jade bottle.
Gazing slowly over the nine jade bottles before him, all the materials needed for the “Wind-Traveling Pill” had been fully refined. The next step was the final fusion.
Gently stroking the cool surface of the jade bottle, Xiao Yan pondered for a moment before finally deciding. He waved his hand, ready to pour the materials into the cauldron.
But just then, a faint thud sounded from a nearby stone platform. Xiao Yan looked up and saw an alchemist staring dumbfounded at a pile of black ashes expelled from the bottom of his cauldron, clearly a sign of a failed refinement.
“How is this possible? I followed the recipe exactly. How could it fail?” The alchemist muttered in confusion, attributing the failure to a mistake in controlling the fire.
He quickly cleared the ashes and again placed the last herbal material into the cauldron for refinement.
Watching the alchemist, Xiao Yan lowered the jade bottle he was holding. His eyes remained fixed on the alchemist’s every move. This alchemist, whom Xiao Yan had met during the internal test, possessed the strength of a third-grade alchemist. Logically, he should not have made such a basic error in fire control when refining a third-grade pill. However, despite the reasoning, the facts were undeniable—he had failed.
“Something’s not right here…” Xiao Yan muttered, trying to calm himself. He glanced around and saw that Little Princess and Liu Ling had already begun to fuse their materials.
As time passed, a series of faint thuds echoed one after another from the cauldrons across the square. The failing alchemists stared in disbelief at the black ashes spilling from their cauldrons, their bewildered expressions indicating they had no idea where they went wrong.
Seeing the alchemists on the square staring at each other in confusion, the audience began to murmur.
“Thud, thud…” Two more faint sounds came from Xiao Yan’s sides. He turned to see the displeased expressions on Liu Ling and Little Princess. He let out a long breath.
“Something seems off,” Xiaoye said, her elegant right leg crossed over her left, as she watched the odd scene on the square.
“Thud…” Another sound came from near Xiao Yan. The same third-grade alchemist who had previously failed had once again failed in the fusion. He stared at the black ashes spilling from his cauldron, his face turning ashen.
The red light in the jade mirror in front of the third-grade alchemist suddenly lit up, indicating he had lost his last chance with the depletion of materials.
The audience watched the alchemist leave, and those who had planned to re-refine immediately paused, wary of wasting their last set of materials.
Trembling, the alchemist, with a face full of rage, packed up his cauldron and stormed off, passing by Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan could faintly hear him mutter, “Damn, how could I fail again? My fire control was perfect, why wouldn’t they fuse?”
Watching the alchemist leave, Xiao Yan gently held the jade bottle, his eyes narrowing. Suddenly, he poured the materials into the cauldron, determined to find out what was causing the failures.
Fixing his gaze on the surging purple flames, Xiao Yan methodically added the contents of the nine jade bottles one by one into the cauldron. Focusing intently, he began the fusion, extremely cautious after witnessing the others’ failures.
Using his soul power, he covered every inch of the purple flames, ensuring that every reaction and effect of the herbs’ fusion was accurately reported to his mind.
As Xiao Yan began the fusion, the alchemists around him, including Liu Ling and Little Princess, turned their gazes toward him, hoping the young man who excelled in the internal test could solve this problem.
Ignoring the onlookers, Xiao Yan concentrated on the purple flames. Under his precise control, the materials were smoothly fusing.
“Three-tailed Wind Leaf… fusion successful!”
“Cloud Grass… fusion successful!”
“Leaving Fruit… fusion successful!”
The materials fused without resistance, under the sensitive detection of Xiao Yan’s soul power.
“Thick Earth Root…” Suddenly, Xiao Yan’s brow furrowed, and his face changed. The flames in the cauldron violently churned, and a faint thud echoed, followed by a shower of black ash.
Hearing the thud, the surrounding people sighed in disappointment.
Slowly opening his eyes, Xiao Yan looked at the black ashes on the platform, pausing for a moment. He picked up a bit of the ash and rubbed it between his fingers, recalling the slight irregularities he had detected through his soul power during the fusion.
After a moment, Xiao Yan’s fingers froze, his gaze stopping on the recipe scroll on the platform. Clenching his jaw, he muttered, “Damn… there’s something wrong with the recipe…”
“Ha, a bunch of fools…” A mocking laugh echoed from the quiet square, drawing angry glares.
Xiao Yan traced the sound and saw it was the gray-robed youth in the corner. In front of him, a pile of black ashes indicated his first attempt had also failed.
Ignoring the angry glares, the gray-robed youth sneered, quickly tossing the last herb into his cauldron. His laughter resonated, “It seems I’m ahead this round. The alchemists of the Gama Empire are nothing special…”
As he spoke, the gray-robed youth’s hands did not slow, rapidly refining the herbs in the flame. It seemed he had figured out the issue with his previous failure.
Frowning at the arrogant gray-robed youth, Xiao Yan gave a cold laugh, his calm voice echoing, “That remains to be seen…”
Hearing this, the gray-robed youth paused, lifting his head and glaring at Xiao Yan with icy blue eyes, a mocking smile on his lips.
Ignoring the dismissive gaze, Xiao Yan turned abruptly, sweeping the last of the herbs into his cauldron. Raising his right hand, he paused, and in the stunned silence, a graceful, ethereal blue flame finally appeared…
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