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**
The various gazes from the outside world were completely ignored by the three individuals. At this moment, they were fully focused, their attention locked on the medicinal cauldrons before them.
They were concentrating on controlling the flames, refining the essence of the medicinal ingredients.
The gray-robed young man no longer concealed anything. With a wave of his hand, a medicinal ingredient that had been scorched and deformed flew out from his cauldron and was casually tossed aside by him.
Within his cauldron, only eight ingredients remained.
The eyes of the crowd turned to the scorched and nearly unrecognizable herb, but they could still barely identify it — it was Thick Soil Ganoderma.
That was the final ingredient listed on the prescription. Now, it had been discarded from the refining process by all three contestants.
After the previous trials, Xian'er and the others had already figured out that the reason they had failed to successfully form the pill was entirely because this ingredient — Thick Soil Ganoderma — was unnecessary.
It was precisely this redundant herb that caused the final failure in pill formation.
Among the crowd, some — like Liu Ling and the Little Princess — had a moment of realization, vaguely understanding the root of the problem.
But more people simply frowned in thought.
To question a complete prescription, and then to identify the problem and resolve it within a short time, required not only courage but also strength.
This was not something everyone could do.
Just like now — even though Xian'er and the others had already pointed out the problem, everyone knew that the failure to form the pill likely stemmed from the Thick Soil Ganoderma.
However, so what if you knew? Even if you found the root of the problem, without the strength to resolve it, it was still useless.
Moreover, some traditional alchemists believed too devoutly in the orthodoxy of prescriptions. No matter how many times they failed, they found it difficult to blame the prescription. They would only assume they had made a mistake in the timing or in some refinement step.
Because of this mindset, even after failing once, they couldn't truly understand the essence of the issue. Without even figuring out why, there was no way they could find a solution.
In such an assessment, they would undoubtedly suffer a complete defeat.
Therefore, at this moment, even the Little Princess and Liu Ling had no choice but to become mere spectators.
On the vast plaza, an eerie silence prevailed.
Only three flames were still burning.
All the gazes in the field swept back and forth among these three locations.
Within each of the three cauldrons, flames surged as the essence of the eight herbs gradually drew closer to one another, slowly merging in preparation for the final moment of pill formation.
This was a race against time, like a clash between dragons and tigers.
Given they were all refining the same pill and the final quality would likely be the same, if a winner was to be determined, it would depend on who formed the pill faster — who used the least time.
Under such circumstances, victory or defeat might be decided in the span of a single second.
The gray-robed youth's hands shifted into different seals, skillfully controlling the condensation process. Even with his focus on pill formation, he still had enough spare attention to raise his head and glance at Xiao Yan. A mocking smirk curled at the corner of his lips.
His experienced eyes instantly saw the rough gap between their progress just from subtle differences in the condensation process.
Too slow.
The gap was at least five minutes — not worth worrying about.
He then looked toward Xian'er. The mocking smile on his lips slowly faded.
Hmm, she's decent. The difference between them was minimal — less than a minute, perhaps even less than that.
However, he still opened his mouth to taunt: "Heh, all of you are too slow. What's the use of being good at flame control?"
"My flame is weaker than yours, my control is worse than yours, and yet — I'm still faster at forming pills! Hahaha!" The gray-robed youth burst into proud laughter.
Xian'er's gaze remained fixed on the interior of her cauldron. Her expression was blank; she didn't even bother lifting her eyelids.
Xiao Yan, however, frowned slightly. After glancing at the arrogant and boastful gray-robed youth, he took a light breath and withdrew his gaze, no longer paying him any mind.
"Heh~" The gray-robed youth snorted coldly when he saw this and also withdrew his gaze.
Still, he felt slightly disappointed. He hadn't managed to provoke them. These young people had good self-restraint — they could remain calm under pressure.
However, youth is still youth.
Not yet fully refined — lacking in technique and experience, far from seasoned or skilled.
"Not good enough!"
In the arena, many of the contestants clenched their fists upon hearing these words.
…
In the VIP stands.
"Old Fa, it looks like Miss Xian'er and Xiao Yan are falling behind a bit?" Hai Bodong stood up, looking at the intense, time-sensitive competition in the arena, and asked with a frown.
"They are indeed slightly behind at the moment, but the gap between Miss Xian'er and the opponent is very small."
Fa Ma nodded and said slowly, "They both have a huge advantage in flames and fire control techniques. However, due to their age, they lack in technique and experience, and that's where they're losing ground to that strange fellow."
"That guy, on the other hand, is extremely experienced. He hasn't wasted even a second in any step. So while their respective strengths cancel each other out, the opponent gained an upper hand by starting first... Now, it's really hard to predict who will win." Fa Ma shook his head and sighed.
Hai Bodong frowned and looked over at Wei Yang.
Wei Yang just smiled indifferently and said, "Even if they lose this round, it doesn't matter. It's not the final one anyway."
Everyone nodded slightly.
But just thinking about the possibility of losing on timing—and imagining the other side's arrogant and smug faces—was enough to make the big shots here feel rather displeased.
"Alchemists are never judged by being a few minutes or even a few seconds faster."
Wei Yang glanced at them and said, "Does faster refinement mean higher skill? You're too caught up in appearances."
"My teacher told me, in alchemy, the greatest taboo is rushing. It can't be rushed. It's like carving a work of art, like simmering a fine soup—it requires patience. The control of heat is most important! I'd rather Xian'er and Xiao Yan not forget the true essence of alchemy in a moment of prideful contest." Wei Yang spoke calmly.
"Indeed, the result of a pill isn't just about grade; it's about the timing and quality, not the speed of completion. Even if they're slower by a few minutes, it's fine. They shouldn't forget the essence of alchemy over a moment of pride!" President Fa Ma nodded with a smile, expressing his agreement.
"That's right, exactly."
"There really is no point in chasing just a few seconds."
Qie Mi Er and some elders of the Alchemist Association all stroked their beards and nodded in agreement.
To alchemists, what they compete on has always been the grade and quality of the pills, not the speed of refinement—it's meaningless.
Jia Xingtian and Hai Bodong, seeing this, could only shrug and remain silent.
This was a belief sacred to alchemists. Unless the two of them had lost their minds, they wouldn't dare question it.
If they wanted to die, there were far more comfortable and painless ways to go—no need to choose the most agonizing route.
…
In the plaza.
Xian'er, Xiao Yan, and the gray-robed youth all kept their eyes fixed on the flames surging within their cauldrons.
The differently colored flames cast red, purple, and deep yellow hues across their faces.
"Hurry, hurry, come on, don't lose!" The little princess rubbed her hands nervously, her eyes constantly sweeping across the three cauldrons. With her sharp eyesight, she could see that the pill embryos within were slowly becoming rounder and more defined.
"The pills are about to take shape!"
Smelling the faint medicinal fragrance drifting from the three cauldrons—and fully understanding what that meant—Liu Ling and the others felt their nerves tighten as well.
Countless hearts were now caught in their throats.
These young people didn't yet possess that level of composure. At this moment, the youthful urge to compete still dominated their hearts. None of them wanted to lose to the contestants from the Chu Yun Empire—not even in terms of time.
"Miss Xian'er's is almost done, and so is Xiao Yan's!"
"But the opponent is keeping up too. The gap between the three doesn't seem very big."
Within the three cauldrons, the flames surged and roiled, and the three round pills spun swiftly.
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