After Elder Hao announced the start of the competition, all eyes in the arena abruptly turned to the two figures behind the stone platform, and the noisy sounds gradually quieted down. Xiao Yan’s gaze slowly swept over the herbs on the stone platform, and after confirming that nothing was missing, he nodded slightly. With a gentle wave of his hand, a dark red medicinal cauldron appeared on the stone platform before him.
The medicinal cauldron that Xiao Yan used was not a high-grade one, and due to its frequent use, the color on its surface had become somewhat dull, resembling an old hearth at first glance.
“Ch…” The moment Xiao Yan’s medicinal cauldron appeared, Han Xian, who had been watching from a short distance, couldn’t help but sneer. He shook his head inwardly and thought with a smile, “It seems I overestimated this guy…”
In the alchemy world, a good medicinal cauldron is like a sharp weapon in a warrior’s hand, greatly increasing the success rate of pill refinement. Seeing the shabby state of Xiao Yan’s medicinal cauldron, Han Xian naturally felt a bit contemptuous.
After his thoughts, Han Xian waved his hand, and instantly, a golden medicinal cauldron appeared, reflecting dazzling light as the sunlight hit its body, causing people to avert their eyes.
From the appearance alone, the difference between the two medicinal cauldrons was like night and day. One looked like a humble country dog, while the other was like a glamorous, flamboyant pet dog adorned with gold and silver.
Xiao Yan ignored the mocking gazes from various directions. His eyes swept over the medicinal cauldron in front of him. After a moment, his fingers gently traced a barely visible fine crack on the surface of the cauldron, and his brows furrowed. Inwardly, he sighed, “The power of the Heavenly Flame is truly too great; these low-grade cauldrons can hardly withstand such heat. I should find a more suitable one later. For now, I hope this will suffice for the refinement…”
Sighing inwardly, Xiao Yan suddenly felt a wave of intense heat. Raising an eyebrow, he turned his head and saw Han Xian holding a flame. The color of the flame was in stark contrast to the cauldron, a striking gold that was extremely eye-catching. Upon closer inspection, it seemed as if there was flowing golden lava within the flame, making it quite peculiar.
“Hmm?” Staring at the golden flame, Xiao Yan was slightly surprised. He hadn’t expected this guy to have such a treasure. From Xiao Yan’s perspective, although the golden flame was far inferior to the Heavenly Flame, it was still quite unusual. Moreover, from the heat it exuded, it seemed to be even hotter than his purple flame.
“Seems this Han Xian isn’t completely without skills…” Xiao Yan glanced at Han Xian’s face with a hint of surprise and noticed a smug expression at the corner of his eye. He smiled wryly and thought, “I’ll have to take back those words today.”
“This flame is called ‘Illusory Gold Flame.’ It remains in the shell of a young Seventh-Grade Illusionary Fire Scorpion Dragon Beast after it hatches. The shell is burned to ashes within three days, and to obtain this flame, one must find the shell during those three days,” Han Xian explained proudly, basking in the curious gazes from the crowd.
“A Seventh-Grade Illusionary Fire Scorpion Dragon Beast?” At the mention of the name, not only did the students below look shocked, but even Elder Hao and the other elders were visibly moved. A Seventh-Grade beast was a formidable entity, comparable to a Battle Sect-level expert. No one expected that this flamboyant golden flame would have such a distinguished origin.
“No wonder it’s fiercer than the Purple Crystal Lion King’s purple flame. It comes from a higher-grade flame… This guy is indeed lucky,” Xiao Yan mused, surprised by Han Xian’s explanation. The vast world was indeed full of wonders, and just this kind of beast flame was so impressive. He wondered what the other flames on the Heavenly Flame List would be like.
Thinking of the Heavenly Flame List, Xiao Yan’s heart grew warm. Smiling, he flicked his fingers, and a small, green flame appeared in his palm. With a flick, the flame arced through the air and entered the medicinal cauldron, where it immediately ignited and burned brightly.
The green flame in Xiao Yan’s hand, the Earth Heart Flame, naturally caught Han Xian’s attention. His eyes widened in surprise, confirming the reports about Xiao Yan’s mysterious and powerful green flame. Though he hadn’t seen it in action yet, the appearance and color matched the descriptions exactly.
“Flame is merely an auxiliary. The most important thing is one’s alchemy skill,” Han Xian said with a slight smile. With a wave of his hand, the golden flame entered his golden cauldron. Instantly, the golden cauldron and flame made his side the most eye-catching part of the square, while Xiao Yan’s calm presence was largely ignored.
Xiao Yan’s gaze was fixed on the medicinal cauldron, his fingers slowly moving over the herbs on the stone platform. Occasionally, he would pluck a uniquely shaped herb and place it between his fingers.
As he concentrated, Xiao Yan’s mind raced through the formula, recalling the numerous materials needed for the Dragon Strength Pill. There were over forty different herbs, and their complex interactions were like tangled threads. Without the formula, it would be nearly impossible to refine the pill by chance.
Even though both Xiao Yan and Han Xian had studied the formula and memorized it, they still found it challenging. After all, a Fifth-Grade pill was no ordinary item. Such a pill could fetch an astronomical price even in the Black-Corner Region.
Therefore, successfully refining it was extremely difficult, especially for the two young alchemists who hadn’t reached the Fifth-Grade level yet. The elders who knew a bit about alchemy watched with a mix of amusement and skepticism. Given Han Xian’s Fourth-Grade skill, his chances of failure were high. As for Xiao Yan, though they knew he had a green flame, it didn’t guarantee his alchemical prowess. Thus, having these two young alchemists attempt a Fifth-Grade pill seemed like a poor decision, considering the value of the rare herbs.
Neither Xiao Yan nor Han Xian knew what the elders were thinking, or they would have been quite frustrated. Both were now faced with the first challenge: the intricate steps, which made it difficult to know where to start.
For a few minutes, the crowd could only watch as the two young men stared at the flames in their cauldrons, some of the students mistakenly thinking it was part of the process.
After a few minutes, Xiao Yan regained his composure first. He took a deep breath and began to move with precision. His right hand controlled the flame, while his left hand deftly threw herbs into the cauldron. The green flame twisted and bent, its temperature fluctuating.
With a serious expression, Xiao Yan’s right hand controlled the heat, while his left hand moved in a blur, throwing herbs into the cauldron. The herbs were swiftly thrown into the air, forming a parabolic arc before being engulfed by the flame.
The continuous movement of herbs and the fluidity of Xiao Yan’s actions drew some admiring gasps from the crowd. Even Han Xian, who was deep in thought, turned to look, his face showing a moment of surprise.
Elder Hao, standing with his hands behind his back, also observed Xiao Yan’s seamless technique with a glint of admiration in his eyes.
Suddenly, a dull sound came from the stone platform, and Xiao Yan’s hand paused. He caught a falling herb mid-air and, seeing the empty cauldron, shook his head. A momentary lapse in concentration had caused the partially fused liquid to evaporate completely.
The crowd below let out a collective sigh of disappointment at Xiao Yan’s first failure.
Seeing Xiao Yan’s failure, Han Xian sneered inwardly, “Let you get cocky…”
After mocking Xiao Yan, Han Xian turned his attention back to his own cauldron. His face grew serious, and after a deep breath, he tossed a herb into the cauldron.
As Han Xian continued to add herbs, the crowd’s attention shifted to him. Noticing the gazes, Han Xian’s smirk quickly faded when, after the eighth herb, a faint popping sound indicated another failure.
“Ch…” The crowd, seeing Han Xian’s stiff face, couldn’t help but snicker. His failure was even more complete than Xiao Yan’s. At least Xiao Yan had refined over twenty herbs before failing, while Han Xian failed after just eight.
Their first attempt ended in failure for both, but Xiao Yan seemed to handle it more gracefully.
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