Mu Qingyuan stepped forward once more, his presence drawing every gaze in the hall.
The murmurs gradually subsided.
His eyes swept across the participants, checking whether everyone was prepared.
"Before we begin, let lay down the rules."
The young alchemists straightened instinctively.
"This competition has no restriction on equipnt or ingredients."
A slight pause.
"You may use your own cauldrons, flas, and materials."
Although it won't be entirely fair-since depending on one's background, one can obtain better equipnt and ingredients-in the end, that too is an ability.
This was the reality of the cultivation world.
After all, no one would care about what materials were used or what equipnt was involved.
The only thing that mattered was the quality of the pill.
"Of course," he added, "for those who did not prepare, the Mu Clan has already provided standard cauldrons and ingredients."
His gaze shifted briefly toward the neatly arranged platforms.
"No one will be prevented from participating due to a lack of resources."
Then his expression turned slightly more serious.
"During the competition..."
A faint pressure spread from him.
"No one is allowed to interfere with another alchemist, whether intentional or accidental."
"If anyone violates this rule, they will be imdiately disqualified."
Under the watch of so many powerful figures, nobody dared to disobey.
Even the tiniest Qi fluctuation couldn't escape the eyes of a Grandmaster Alchemist.
Finally, Mu Qingyuan raised his hand slightly.
"As for the outco..."
All attention sharpened.
"The winner will be determined by the quality of the pill refined."
Simple and straightforward.
"And if the grade is the sa..."
A faint glint appeared in his eyes.
"We will judge based on the pill itself."
No two pills are the sa.
So are more difficult to refine, while others are simpler-even if both share the sa grade.
With so many great alchemists present, although opinions may vary, they could decide by vote if necessary-but only if the best pills have the sa grade. With that-
The rules were set.
Mu Qingyuan lowered his hand.
"Now..."
A slight smile appeared on his face.
"Begin!"
The mont Mu Qingyuan gave the signal, the competition began.
Almost instantly, the atmosphere transford.
One by one, the participating alchemists raised their hands.
Light flickered.
Storage rings shimred.
And then, cauldrons appeared.
A series of tallic hums echoed as heavy vessels descended onto the prepared
platforms.
So were simple.
Ordinary-grade cauldrons-sturdy but unremarkable.
Others were more refined-high-quality vessels, their surfaces engraved with basic runes, clearly Yellow Grade artifacts.
They were already considered decent among most alchemists.
Yet-
The mont the top geniuses revealed theirs-
The difference beca painfully clear.
A deep, resonant clang echoed.
Yan Ruichen's cauldron landed before him.
Its body was deep azure, with intricate fla patterns carved along its surface.
The aura it emitted was steady and profound, faint wisps of spiritual heat distorting the air around it.
"Profound Grade..."
Soone whispered.
Not far away-
Qi iling's cauldron appeared just as gracefully.
Elegant.
Refined.
Its jade-green surface shimred faintly, almost like flowing water. The inscriptions on it were delicate yet complex, clearly crafted by a master.
Another Profound Grade artifact.
While Profound Grade weapons wouldn't be that rare, it was different for cauldrons, which were much rarer.
Hence, even though it was just a Profound Grade artifact, since it was a cauldron, it was almost like they were taking out Earth-Grade weapons.
Murmurs spread.
Already, the gap in resources had begun to show.
But then-
A heavier sound resounded.
BOOM!
The mont Huo Shenyu's cauldron appeared, the entire hall seed to pause.
Dark crimson in color, with faint golden lines running across its body like
flowing lava. The aura it emitted wasn't just strong-it was oppressive. Even without activating it, the surrounding Qi see to bend slightly toward
it.
Then-
"...That... that can't be... Earth-Grade?!"
The words spread like wildfire.
Shock!
Disbelief!
An Earth-Grade cauldron.
Sothing that even many Grade-7 alchemists did not possess.
Yet here it was in the hands of Huo Shenyu.
"It really is the Vermillion Pill Empire..." "They actually gave such a treasure to a junior..."
"This... this is ridiculous..."
Even Yan Ruichen's brows furrowed slightly.
Qi iling's calm expression showed the faintest ripple.
Not only was Huo Shenyu more skilled than everyone present, but now, with a
cauldron of such level, the difference only increased.
Among the crowd, many could only sigh inwardly.
(How do you compete with that...?)
On the Mu Clan's side, even so elders couldn't help but frown slightly.
They had expected Huo Shenyu to be prepared-but not to this extent. On the other hand, Mu Linyue also stared at Huo Shenyu's cauldron with envy.
She also had a Profound Grade cauldron, which was better than most-but still
paled in comparison to an Earth-Grade one. However, she wasn't jealous.
(Bai Zihan has already promised to give an Earth-Grade cauldron when I
reach Grade-6!)
With the treasure of Immortal Emperor Feilian in his hand, he not only had Earth-Grade cauldrons but even Heaven-Grade ones.
The only reason he had not given one to Mu Linyue was because he believed a
Profound Grade cauldron was more than enough-perhaps even overkill for soone at her level.
No matter the tool, he believed that if the person lacked the ability to handle it,
then it would simply be wasted.
Moreover, by making a promise to give her one upon reaching Grade-6, he also
increased her motivation to work even harder.
Sigh!
Many felt that they weren't going to win even before refining the pills.
But they weren't people who would give up so easily.
Then-
Flas rose.
Whoosh! Spiritual flas ignited across the hall.
Even the weakest among those present possessed spiritual flas far superior
to ordinary fire.
After all, no one standing here was ordinary.
They were all geniuses.
Yet-
Just like with the cauldrons-
The gap quickly revealed itself.
Yan Ruichen raised his hand.
A deep blue fla burst forth.
It did not flicker wildly-instead, it flowed like water, steady and controlled.
The temperature was terrifying, yet its movents were precise.
"That's... a Beast Fla!"
"Azure Serpent Fla... if I'm not mistaken!"
Murmurs rose.
A fla harvested from a high-level spirit beast-
Rare and powerful.
And superior to spiritual flas.
Not far away, Qi iling also revealed hers.
A soft green fla blossod in her palm.
At first glance, it seed gentle-
Almost harmless.
But the mont it touched the cauldron, the air itself warped slightly, as if
being refined along with the ingredients.
"Another Beast Fla..."
"Jade Mist Spirit Fla..." "She truly lives up to her reputation..."
Her control- Her precision-
Combined with such a fla-
It was no wonder her success rate was so terrifying.
Across the field, several other geniuses also revealed their own flas.
All of them, without exception, possessed high-quality spiritual flas.
Two even had weaker Beast Flas.
This alone showed the level of this competition.
But then-
Huo Shenyu moved.
He raised his hand.
BOOM!
A dark crimson fla erupted.
It did not flicker.
It did not waver.
It roared.
Like a living entity.
Golden streaks ran through it, like molten veins pulsing with terrifying heat.
The mont it appeared, the surrounding flas trembled.
So even dimd slightly.
As if suppressed.
"...!"
Shock spread across the hall.
"That... what kind of fla is that?!"
"It's also a Beast Fla-but... far stronger than the other two!"
Even Yan Ruichen's blue fla wavered faintly.
Qi iling's green fla lost a trace of its earlier brilliance.
Side by side-
The difference was obvious.
If their flas were exceptional then Huo Shenyu's was dominant.
The temperature alone was enough to distort the air violently.
The pressure it emitted caused even spectators to feel a faint heat pressing
against their skin.
"This..."
"How is anyone supposed to compete with that...?"
Whispers spread uncontrollably. Background! Cauldron!
Fla!
In every aspect, Huo Shenyu stood above the rest.
Even before the competition had truly begun, the outco already seed
decided.
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