Don't mess with that necromancer; his summoned creatures level up on their own!

Lu Zhixing ignored the comments. His breathing was steady and even, his chest rose and fell slightly, and he even closed his eyes.

The entire room fell silent for a moment.

The audience members who were loudly discussing the impossibility of "summoning creatures to make medicine" suddenly noticed that Lu Zhixing had closed his eyes.

Then it burst into an even louder sound than before.

"Why...why did he close his eyes?! Is this kid trying to admit defeat?"

"At least he could see the summoned creatures' actions when his eyes were open, but now that his eyes are closed, he can't even see them move!"

"Controlling two summoned creatures to brew potions without any vision? Are you kidding me?"

"Controlling summoned creatures with his eyes closed? How does he know if he's made a mistake? How does he know if the timing is right?"

"How do you judge the color change and viscosity of the medicine? This isn't just ten times more difficult; it's pure mysticism!"

Before he could finish speaking, the little vampire moved.

She picked up the silvery-white herb, and with a gentle flick of her wrist, three leaves were precisely peeled off and fell into the groove of the grinder.

The movements were fluid, without hesitation or excess; every turn was perfectly timed.

The grinding rod made a steady, rhythmic sound as it spun in her hands.

After grinding, she poured the powder into the medicine furnace.

The flame was precisely heated to the right temperature under the control of her fingertips.

Her approach to handling materials was completely different from Su Youran's.

Su Youran was a steady, methodical, textbook-perfect replica, following the standard procedures in every step, like a meticulously calibrated precision instrument.

The little vampire is agile, unconventional, and possesses a rhythm that only she knows.

She didn't even need to pause and think; every step seemed pre-planned. While her right hand was grinding, her left hand was already preparing the next ingredient, her time management precise to the second.

Even Su Youran couldn't help but glance at her a few more times.

The audience was completely silent.

"This...this speed is even faster than Su Youran's? And the skill level of her technique...it doesn't seem like something a novice could have."

"The grinding pressure, the timing of adding the medicine, the precision of controlling the flame..."

Su Youran's hand paused above the spirit medicine furnace for a moment.

Through the rising steam from the fireplace, she saw the little vampire's movements not far away.

The control of the flame, the order of adding materials, and the timing of each addition were all done at a perfect pace, without the slightest delay.

Su Youran's heart sank suddenly.

She originally thought Lu Zhixing would embarrass himself, and even considered that he might give up halfway because he couldn't complete the potion.

But the little vampire's performance didn't seem like that of an amateur cramming for the last minute.

Su Youran took a deep breath, looked away, and refocused her attention.

She quickened her pace; she couldn't afford to be distracted any longer.

In the VIP room, Lu Zaoxie watched the little vampire's practiced movements, which seemed to have been done a thousand times. He then turned to Shen Jing and lowered his voice.

"Honey, didn't you say Zhixing couldn't do it? This level of proficiency... did he secretly practice while we were all asleep?"

Shen Jing's gaze also fell on the little vampire. She paused, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

"……I have no idea."

Half an hour later, Su Youran put the last drop of medicine into the bottle, put the stopper on, and walked quickly toward the testing instrument.

Her steps were calm and confident as she placed the medicine bottle steadily on the testing table.

All eyes in the room were focused on the testing instrument.

People were talking in hushed tones.

"How much purity do you think Su Youran's bottle has?"

"Based on the data of previous champions, it's generally around 93%. Judging from her technique just now, I think it shouldn't be lower than 95%?"

"95%? That's already very high. There are only a handful of people who can reach 95% in all the previous competitions."

The instrument emitted a soft beep, and a number appeared on the screen—98%.

The entire audience fell silent for a moment, then erupted in gasps of amazement.

"98%! That's several percentage points higher than the previous champion's record!"

"Su Youran's talent is truly terrifying... 98% purity, that's almost the threshold for top-grade potions, she's just a little short of top-grade."

"The champion for this year is basically decided, right? It's unlikely that the next 98% will be able to win."

Su Youran stood in front of the testing platform, looking at the number, and the corners of her mouth slowly curved up.

She glanced at Lu Zhixing but didn't say anything.

In the VIP room, Su Yangwei leaned back on the sofa, looking at Lu Zaoxie with a hint of smugness in his voice.

"Old Lu, your son is going to lose this time. 98%, the highest record ever. The potion furnace over there is still running."

Lu Zaoxie remained silent.

His gaze fell on the small, busy, silver-white figure.

After Su Youran's potion test ended, all eyes turned back to Lu Zhixing.

The little vampire was getting faster and faster, so fast that her movements were almost invisible.

Grinding, temperature adjustment, proportioning, and dispensing—every step has been compressed to the extreme.

Her movements have transcended mere skill; they are more like a flowing art.

The medicinal liquid in the furnace began to change.

A faint golden sheen appeared on the surface of the originally clear liquid.

It was like a thin layer of gold dust being sprinkled on the surface of a liquid; the gold grew thicker and thicker, and the aura became stronger and stronger.

In the audience, someone suddenly stood up.

"Gold! That's a sign of a top-grade potion! Normal potions only emit a white mist; they only turn golden when their purity approaches its limit!"

"Lu Zhixing's batch of potions is breaking through to become a top-grade potion! If he succeeds, its purity will not be lower than 99%!"

The whole place erupted in chaos.

"In all the years this alchemy competition has been held, no contestant has ever successfully concocted a top-grade potion!"

"It's over. Su Youran's 98% purity was already quite high, but if Lu Zhixing really refines a top-grade one, then she'll be second!"

Su Youran's smile faded slightly as she stared at the spreading golden light, her breath catching in her throat.

In her view, 98% was enough to guarantee victory.

But she never imagined she would encounter someone who was concocting a top-grade potion.

Damn it... I guess I'll have to ask that old man for help.

She glanced down at the ring on her finger and silently exclaimed in her heart,

"Old Dong... senior, what should we do? Can you help me?"

An aged and steady voice came from the ring.

"No rush, I have a way."

Just then, a faint spiritual energy emanated from the ring, like an extremely fine needle tip.

It accurately pierced the few alchemy furnaces closest to Lu Zhixing.

The alchemy furnaces were operating steadily, but the flames inside the furnaces flickered violently the moment that wisp of spiritual energy pierced through.

"Bang--!"

A muffled thud.

A candidate's alchemy furnace exploded without warning, sending fragments flying and liquid medicine splattering everywhere.

The shockwave from the explosion reached the neighboring furnaces, triggering a chain reaction.

Within ten seconds, more than forty alchemy furnaces on the field exploded one after another, with flames and debris rising and falling, and smoke and dust filling the air.

The central area of ​​the entire venue descended into chaos.

An uproar erupted in the audience.

"What happened? Why did so many stoves suddenly explode?"

"This is a series of explosions! An extremely rare occurrence! Especially some of the alchemy furnaces, which were operating very stably just now!"

"What a pity... If nothing unexpected had happened, Lu Zhixing's batch of medicine would have been refined into a top-grade product, and now it's all ruined."

Someone looked at the alchemy table shrouded in smoke and dust, their voice filled with regret.

In the VIP room, Yu Xiaogang stared at the screen, remained silent for a moment, and then sighed.

"What a pity, it was so close. No contestant has ever successfully concocted a top-grade potion in the Alchemy Competition. This year could have been an exception."

Su Yangwei was also looking at the screen, but the smile on his lips returned, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Luck is also a part of ability, there's nothing we can do about it, it's a pity."

Lu Zhixing thought to himself;

"Little Blood, are you still okay?"

The little vampire looked at the mess in front of him and slowly spoke.

[It's alright, I still have a trump card: I won't be using this broken stove later.]

The examiner glanced at the shards and scattered medicine on the floor.

He glanced again at the empty alchemy tables on the platform, cleared his throat, and was about to speak...

"So, the champion of this year's alchemy competition..."

"Wait a moment!"