As Xiao Yan muttered softly, the black ring on his finger was silent for a while. After a moment, the black ring suddenly began to tremble gently. A faint cold sensation started to swirl around Xiao Yan’s fingertips, causing the joints to turn slightly pale. Sensing something, the purple flames in the medicinal cauldron became restless and danced uneasily. Fortunately, Xiao Yan’s soul power kept them under strict control, preventing any accidents.
On the square, as Yan Li’s wild laughter gradually faded, the gazes that had been fixed on the Purple Heart Barrier-breaking Pill once again turned towards Xiao Yan. Now, he was the only one still refining, while the other alchemists had either conceded or already left. After all, in the face of Yan Li’s peak fourth-grade pill, they lacked the strength to achieve a shocking comeback.
Stopping the tossing of the Purple Heart Barrier-breaking Pill in his palm, Yan Li folded his arms and smirked, watching Xiao Yan’s desperate struggle from a distance…
On the high platform, Fa Ma, who had a slightly gloomy face, suddenly frowned and lifted his head, looking in the direction of Xiao Yan. As the highest-ranked alchemist on the square, he could quickly sense the changes in the flames in Xiao Yan’s area. “What’s happening? Why are the flames in the cauldron becoming restless?”
Fa Ma mumbled in confusion. Suddenly, his face changed drastically as he stared at the cauldron in front of Xiao Yan, his pupils constricting sharply. He seemed to see some white substance within. Moreover, a chill was slowly seeping out from the cauldron…
“A chill?” Sensing the sudden drop in temperature, Fa Ma’s expression changed again. He was now completely baffled by the sudden situation. “The temperature has dropped, and the chill is so strong that it can affect such a wide area. Could it be that Ice Old Man is behind this?”
Jia Lao, who had somehow appeared beside Fa Ma, gave an odd look at Hai Bo Dong and said, “If I could spread a chill across the entire square without anyone noticing, I would have long become a Battle Sect.”
Hai Bo Dong rolled his eyes. He knew very well that the chill was coming from Xiao Yan activating that eerie white flame. He had previously fought against this flame and was acutely aware of its terrifying nature—extreme cold mixed with extreme heat, making it extremely difficult to handle.
“No, the chill… seems to be coming from Xiao Yan’s cauldron,” Fa Ma shook his head, saying gravely. “What is he doing? Creating a chill during pill refinement? Isn’t he afraid of extinguishing the fire? Has he given up and decided to destroy everything?”
“Unlikely. With his character, he wouldn’t do something so pointless… he must have his own plan,” Fa Ma shook his head, knowing from his understanding of Xiao Yan that he wouldn’t give up easily. “Little guy, what exactly are you trying to do?”
Sighing, Fa Ma stared at the young man in the center of the square and muttered quietly.
The trembling of the black ring grew more intense. As the shaking increased, Xiao Yan poured out his soul power, ready to withdraw the purple flames from the cauldron at any moment. However, since both flames were not truly his, the transition would be even more challenging than before. But with the experience from the previous success and his current excellent state, Xiao Yan still had confidence in himself.
“Teacher, pray for me…”
Xiao Yan exhaled slowly, then straightened his finger at the opening of the fire. The black ring trembled again, and the eerie white flame surged out, causing the temperature around Xiao Yan to plummet.
“Withdraw!” In his mind, he shouted, and as the white flame rushed into the cauldron, the purple flame was quickly guided and ejected from the other side, dissipating gradually.
“Increase the temperature…”
Xiao Yan’s soul power enveloped the white flame rushing into the cauldron, and he stomped the ground hard, causing cracks to spread from his feet. Sweat poured down his forehead like rain, soaking his alchemist robe instantly. Thankfully, the robe’s excellent moisture-wicking properties absorbed the sweat, preventing him from looking too disheveled.
Under the frenzied control of his soul power, the temperature of the white flame rose rapidly. Finally, with a relieved look, Xiao Yan managed to wrap the blue pill in the white flame. Although he increased the temperature of the flame around the pill, the rest of the flame continued to emit a chilling cold, but fortunately, Xiao Yan had already wrapped the pill in the heated flame. Thus, the churning cold flame did not cause much trouble, though it seemed temporary…
As the Bone Spirit Cold Flame churned in the cauldron, white chilly air gradually seeped out, shrouding the cauldron in a faint mist…
“What is he doing?” Watching the spreading chill, Little Princess and Liu Ling looked at each other in bewilderment. Since Xiao Yan inserted his finger into the fire opening while using the Bone Spirit Cold Flame, and with the chill subsequently spilling out, even though they were close to Xiao Yan, they did not know that a third flame was being used in the ordinary dark red cauldron.
“This is a strange chill… It’s so cold, yet my soul senses a fiery heat. Why?” Yan Li held the Purple Heart Barrier-breaking Pill, frowning as he observed the chill, feeling a bit uneasy for some reason.
“Don’t worry, I don’t believe that guy can achieve anything in the last half-hour…” Yan Li stroked the purple pill in his hand. Only this little thing brought him some comfort.
*Buzz…*
Xiao Yan’s gaze locked onto the round pill in the white flame within the cauldron. A strange sound made him pause. Looking around the stone platform, he noticed the buzzing was coming from the cauldron. Frowning slightly, just as Xiao Yan was confused, a small cracking sound made his face darken. Turning his neck, he saw a tiny crack forming on the dark red cauldron, his pupils narrowing to pinpricks.
In the smooth cauldron, a tiny crack was slowly spreading!
“It’s going to explode…”
Looking at the small crack, Xiao Yan’s throat convulsed, and his mouth felt dry. After the three flame transitions, the cauldron had reached its limit and was about to burst. This was the first time Xiao Yan realized that a good cauldron was crucial for an alchemist, more so than he had imagined.
“Trouble…”
Cold sweat trickled down his face again. He never expected such a dramatic turn of events at the last moment.
After the first crack, a second followed, then a third, a fourth… In just moments, the cauldron was covered in tiny cracks, through which Xiao Yan could see the white flame jumping.
“Oh my god…”
Due to their proximity, Little Princess and the others noticed the loud cracks soon after. Seeing Xiao Yan’s sweat-drenched face, they gasped in shock. Who would have thought he would make the cauldron explode?
On the high platform, Fa Ma’s mouth twitched. He had imagined many ways for Xiao Yan to fail, but never because of an exploding cauldron. After a while, Fa Ma shook his head bitterly, muttering, “Ah, it’s over… What was this boy doing in the end? The cauldron endured such high temperatures and now this intense cold, with such poor quality… it was bound to explode.”
Hai Bo Dong also frowned, having a better idea of what Xiao Yan was attempting. He was probably trying to use the white flame to refine the Qing Ling Pill to a three-striped grade, but overlooked this critical issue. And it was this issue that would decide the champion of the conference.
“Haha, your cauldron is about to explode. What are you refining?” Yan Li, stunned by the cracked cauldron, couldn’t help laughing hysterically, clearly shaken by Xiao Yan’s unusual actions.
Ignoring the outside world, Xiao Yan struggled to prevent the cauldron from breaking, but despite his efforts, the cracks continued to grow. When the cracks reached their limit, the expansion stopped, and a surge of white chill burst out, enveloping the entire stone platform. The cauldron began to swell, and Xiao Yan, his eyes bloodshot, slapped the bottom of the cauldron with all his might!
*Boom!*
The cauldron, already at its limit, exploded with a loud boom. The deafening explosion echoed across the square, and fragments of the cauldron flew everywhere, scaring the surrounding alchemists into retreating.
“Hahahaha, I said it, the champion is mine!” Seeing the white chill-shrouded stone platform, Yan Li laughed wildly, finally relaxed.
The entire square was filled with the aftermath of the explosion and Yan Li’s laughter. Everyone else fell silent, and failure seemed inevitable!
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