Gazing slowly across the entire plaza, Elder Pharmacist Fama pressed his hands down, and the deafening noise gradually subsided. His sonorous voice resonated through the air, lingering for a long time. “For this third round of the assessment, the Guild will not provide any assistance to the participants. Everything must be done by yourselves, including the prescriptions and herbs. In other words, within the specified time, you must successfully refine a medicinal pill within your capabilities. The final victor will naturally be determined by the grade and practical value of the pills they refine!”
Hearing the resounding voice, most of the participants in the plaza were stunned by the sudden assessment topic. After a while, some of them turned pale, clearly unprepared with the appropriate prescriptions or sufficient ingredients. Under such a test, without these two conditions, the outcome was obvious—the chances of failure would greatly increase.
Although he had known the assessment topics beforehand, Xiao Yan still pretended to change his expression. After all, remaining calm under such an unexpected question could easily raise suspicion. While controlling his expression, Xiao Yan quickly scanned the surroundings. He noticed that although Princess Nalan and Liu Ling were initially stunned by the question, they quickly recovered, and their expressions did not look too bad.
“As expected, they have a rich foundation. From their expressions, this kind of question might be a surprise, but it doesn’t seem to hinder their performance,” Xiao Yan murmured to himself, then turned his gaze back to the nearby Yan Li. The latter was frowning, and after a moment, he sneered and muttered, “No matter what bizarre questions you come up with, this championship is mine!”
“Since everyone is familiar with the rules, then…” On the high platform, Fama slowly raised his hand and then lowered it, his voice ringing out, “The third round of the assessment, now begins!”
With Fama’s announcement, the plaza, which had been whispering, fell silent. Countless pairs of eyes from the audience stared intently at the more than a hundred participants on the large square, eagerly awaiting their performances.
In the plaza, after Fama’s announcement, all the participants remained still, instead maintaining a united silence, each frowning and pondering how to handle this assessment.
After nearly ten minutes of silence, Princess Nalan and Liu Ling broke it first. The two slowly approached the stone platforms, and with a wave of their hands, two ancient yet subtly imposing green and red cauldrons appeared on the platforms.
Hearing the sound of the cauldrons landing, Xiao Yan glanced over, his brows furrowing slightly. The cauldrons used by the two were clearly different from those used yesterday. Judging from the subtle, deep aura emanating from the cauldrons, their quality far exceeded Xiao Yan’s dark red cauldron.
“Tsk tsk, Old Man Jia, your royal family truly has a big budget. To bring out the Green Flame Cauldron, a fifth-grade medicinal cauldron. I remember several Alchemists of the fourth rank once fought over it, and it ended up in your hands.”
Looking at the green cauldron summoned by the princess, Fama said in a surprised tone.
“Hehe, I’m not quite sure. It must be that little girl who pestered her father to get it out,” Jia shook his head, smiling faintly. “Gu He also has a good hand. That red medicinal cauldron of Liu Ling seems to be the famous ‘Volcanic Flame Furnace’ he used to gain fame. Another fifth-grade medicinal cauldron, I see.”
In the alchemy world, a good medicinal cauldron greatly assists an alchemist, significantly increasing the success rate of pill refinement. Cauldrons of lower quality cannot withstand high temperatures, leading to explosions during refining. Therefore, medicinal cauldrons are divided into precise grades, from first to eighth, with the highest being the ‘Heavenly Cauldron Rank’ mentioned by the old pharmacist. Only thirteen such cauldrons exist in the world, making them extremely valuable. The dark red cauldron Xiao Yan often used was barely a second-grade cauldron, offering little benefit.
Of course, even with the best cauldron, it is just an external aid. The most important factor is the alchemist’s own strength. Thus, even though the old pharmacist had briefly mentioned the ‘Heavenly Cauldron Rank,’ he didn’t go into detail about the grades.
A true alchemy master can form a cauldron with their palm and refine pills at will, unrestricted. Such mastery is the true essence of a master’s skill.
“Indeed, it is the ‘Volcanic Flame Cauldron,'” Fama nodded, smiling. “Back then, Gu He used it to win the championship of that assembly. He could lend it to Liu Ling for the competition, showing great expectations for him.”
“But unfortunately, if it weren’t for that guy or Yan Xiao, Liu Ling might have had a chance. But now, it’s quite difficult,” Hai Bo Dong said, shaking his head with a hint of schadenfreude.
Fama smiled without responding, turning his gaze to the plaza.
On the plaza, Xiao Yan, though somewhat surprised by the high-quality cauldrons of Princess Nalan and Liu Ling, showed no envy. Firmly believing in the old pharmacist’s philosophy, he saw these as mere external aids. Withdrawing his gaze, he summoned his dark red cauldron, which looked somewhat shabby compared to the fifth-grade cauldrons of the others.
The dark red cauldron drew some astonished looks. Many thought Xiao Yan, like Princess Nalan, had saved the best for last, but they were surprised to see him still using the same old cauldron.
Ignoring the looks, Xiao Yan closed his eyes in thought, then flicked his fingers, summoning the materials for refining the ‘Three-Striped Blue Spirit Pill’ onto the stone platform. There were around twenty different ingredients, and it was the first time in years that Xiao Yan had refined a pill with so many components.
“Fourth-grade medicinal pill… Quite a challenge,” Xiao Yan sighed softly, looking around and noticing many participants starting to heat their cauldrons and prepare their ingredients.
“The Three-Striped Blue Spirit Pill is indeed a fourth-grade medicinal pill, but to outshine the others, I need to form at least two rings. An ordinary one-striped Blue Spirit Pill wouldn’t be enough to win the championship,” Xiao Yan mused, his brows furrowed.
“Wow, a blue flame?”
Just as Xiao Yan was about to start, a wave of surprise erupted from the audience. Lifting his head, Xiao Yan turned to see the blue flame on the princess’s hand, surrounded by ripples like water waves.
“What kind of flame is this?” Xiao Yan, puzzled, thought, “It looks familiar.”
Frowning, Xiao Yan thought for a moment, then realized, “This blue flame, it resembles the royal emblem on the carriage she rode in…”
The royal emblem was a massive beast roaring, its body enveloped in a strange flame that caused ripples. According to legend, the royal family once possessed a powerful divine beast that saved the kingdom multiple times. Though many considered it a rumor, certain insiders knew the truth.
“Is this the Dry Blue Water Flame of the Thunder Dragon Beast?” Fama and Hai Bo Dong, seeing the blue flame, were shocked.
“Haha,” Jia laughed, saying nothing about the Thunder Dragon Beast.
“Lucky girl, but I didn’t expect that sleeping monster to still be alive…”
Seeing Jia’s reaction, Fama and Hai Bo Dong shook their heads, understanding the significance. The Dry Blue Water Flame, though not as rare as the Heavenly Fire, was among the top “Beast Flames” and suited for virgins, enhancing its power.
Shortly after, the audience was surprised again when Liu Ling summoned a light brown flame, and Yan Li a black flame.
Looking at the colorful flames in the plaza, the crowd was excited, realizing many had hidden their best for the final round, making the assessment more interesting.
“Everyone has their tricks,” Xiao Yan chuckled, raising his hand and summoning a elegant green flame. Instantly, the temperature in the plaza soared, and the various flames of Princess Nalan and others wilted, pointing toward Xiao Yan, as if paying homage to a king.
“The appearance of the Heavenly Fire, all flames submit. This is indeed true,” Fama sighed, recalling a similar scene from his youth.
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