One by one, the alchemists began.
Herbs were drawn out.
Fires were adjusted.
Cauldrons humd.
The sharp, distinct fragrance of dicinal ingredients began to spread, layer upon layer, filling the entire hall with a dense, almost intoxicating aura.
At first glance, it seed uneventful.
Even... dull.
To ordinary cultivators-especially the younger generation-the process was slow, repetitive, and difficult to find anything interesting.
But-
For alchemists?
This was a completely interesting event.
Their eyes shone as they kept their eyes on the participants.
Because what they saw was more than what ordinary cultivators could perceive.
They could see the participants' control over the fla.
The timing of ingredient insertion.
The subtle fluctuations of Qi within the cauldron.
Even the smallest adjustnt spoke volus about how skilled an alchemist truly was.
And among all, one person stood at the very center of attention.
Huo Shenyu!
Almost everyone's gaze was fixed on him.
Younger Alchemists see him as an idol whereas the older ones wanted to see just who skill he really was.
Huo Shenyu's movents were smooth.
Every action carried a sense of absolute confidence, as if everything was already within his calculations.
His fla roared steadily beneath the Earth-Grade cauldron, its oppressive aura making even nearby alchemists feel a faint pressure.
"What is he refining...?"
Many were trying to decipher the pill that he was going to refine-
"He definitely won't go below Mid-tier Grade-4..."
"That much is certain."
"With his level, even attempting a High-tier Grade-4 pill isn't impossible..."
Even after observing for a long ti, no one could tell exactly what pill he was trying to refine.
Most knew that Huo Shenyu must be refining a pill from the Vermillion Pill Empire, whose recipes are closely guarded.
After all, the Vermillion Pill Empire had many such pills, and it would be difficult to guess what he was refining until the very end.
However, it was very hard to estimate which grade of pill Huo Shenyu was trying to refine.
Looking at the Grade-4 and Grade-5 ingredients, it was very likely a Top-tier Grade-4 pill or above.
And since Huo Shenyu was a Top Grade-4 alchemist, many believed that it was going to be a Top-tier Grade-4 pill.
anwhile-
On the other side-
Yan Ruichen moved with precision.
His Azure Serpent Fla coiled like a living entity, wrapping around his
cauldron as he carefully controlled the temperature.
"It's the Blue Spirit Tempering Pill..."
An experienced alchemist muttered.
"Mid-tier Grade-4."
"Difficult, but with his skill, he should be able to succeed."
Nearby, Qi iling was no less impressive.
Her Jade Mist Spirit Fla flowed gently, almost like a soft breeze.
Yet beneath that gentleness was terrifying control.
"She's refining the Verdant Heart Nourishing Pill..."
"Also Mid-tier Grade-4..."
"And one that requires extre precision..."
Indeed, her reputation for a high success rate wasn't exaggerated.
Every movent she made was ticulous.
As for the rest, the gap beca increasingly clear.
So attempted Top-tier Grade-3 pills.
Others pushed themselves toward Low-tier Grade-4.
From this alone, many knew that the outco was clear.
As long as Huo Shenyu doesn't ss up, he would be the winner!
Ti passed-
Then-
The atmosphere shifted.
"The pill is about to form..."
Across the platforms, the flas intensified.
The cauldrons trembled faintly.
Qi surged inward, drawn toward the center of each vessel as the refining
process reached its final and most crucial stage.
This was where success and failure were decided.
Suddenly, a sharp burst of qi echoed.
Clang!
A lid trembled violently before settling.
A voice rang out clearly, carried by powerful Qi.
"Lie Fang has successfully refined a Top-tier Grade-3-Crimson ridian Pill!"
A ripple spread through the crowd.
Not bad!
For soone of his age, it was already an impressive achievent.
But before the murmurs could settle-
Another sound.
Boom!
A puff of black smoke burst from a cauldron.
The sharp scent of burnt herbs spread.
"...Failed!"
A voice announced without emotion.
"Zhung Wi has failed to refine a pill."
A brief silence followed.
Then-
Soft sighs.
No ridicule.
No mockery.
Only understanding.
Alchemy was never absolute.
Even geniuses failed, especially under pressure.
More so when pushing beyond one's limits.
Not everyone was trying to refine pills they were already capable of making. So tried to go beyond their limits and break through here.
So were able to do so, while others failed.
In any case, it was comndable in both cases.
One could say the forr was reckless, but others could see it as courage-
stepping out of one's comfort zone.
On the other hand, the latter could be seen as cowardly, while others might say
they were simply aware of their own strength and chose to do what they did
best.
Obviously, no one was right or wrong.
Soon, more results followed.
"... has successfully refined a Top-tier Grade-3-Bone Tempering Pill!"
"... has failed in refinent!"
"... has successfully refined a Low-tier Grade-4-Flowing Essence Pill!"
That last announcent drew more attention.
A Low-tier Grade-4 pill.
Even among geniuses, that was no small feat.
The Alchemist revealed a faint smile.
A breakthrough under pressure. That alone spoke of potential.
Gradually, the number of active cauldrons decreased.
One by one, participants finished.
So succeeded.
So failed.
So exceeded expectations.
Others fell short.
But throughout it all, no one looked down on anyone.
Because everyone here knew that standing on that platform alone already
proved their talent.
Today's failure did not an tomorrow's defeat.
With enough opportunity...
With enough enlightennt... Any one of them could rise in the future.
The path of alchemy was long and unpredictable.
Only one group remained as arrogant as ever. The Vermillion Pill Empire!
Their representatives watched with faint smiles, so even carrying traces of
disdain.
To them-
This was expected.
After all, in their eyes, they controlled the pill market in the Eastern Region.
Grade-7 pills-the finest-were in their hands, so no matter how strong other alchemists were, they believed none could surpass Grade-6.
At least, until now. But now, with Mu Tianxuan, their position was being threatened. Still, they believed that Huo Shenyu would be able to give a stern reminder that
even if there was a Grade-7 alchemist outside their Empire, they were still the
best.
Only four cauldrons remained active.
Yan Ruichen, Qi iling, Huo Shenyu and Mu Linyue. Many felt curious about what pill Mu Linyue was trying to refine.
Among all the remaining participants, she was the only Grade-3 alchemist.
If she were refining a Grade-3 pill, she would have finished long ago with her
talent. Other than the Mu Clan, no one paid attention to her, and they didn't know what pill she was refining.
Others speculated that perhaps she was trying to break through to a Grade-4 alchemist here, like so.
Anyway, it was just curiosity and nothing more.
They still knew that the competition was between the other three, especially depending on whether Huo Shenyu would succeed.
Right now, the best pill that had been refined was a Low-tier Grade-4. If the four of them could refine sothing higher than that, then the winner
would be chosen from those results-though almost everyone knew it wouldn't co to that.
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