Fighting: I am Han Feng, I respect my teacher

Jia Xingtian frowned.

Although Xiao Yan's appearance was concealed, his bone age test and Dou Qi perception were both normal.

At least with the addition of Xing Tian, ​​nothing seemed amiss.

Most importantly, Xiao Yan used the identity of a citizen of the Jiama Empire.

However, the gray-clad man was dressed as a member of the Izumo Empire.

If Xiao Yan wins, as the representative of the Jia Ma Empire, Jia Xingtian will save face and may even appear tolerant.

However, it would be a disgrace for someone from the Izumo Empire to win the tournament.

A ball of yellowish-brown sand condensed in Jia Xingtian's hand.

Upon seeing this, Fama quickly stepped forward to stop him.

"Old Jia, what are you going to do?"

"This is the site of an alchemy competition!"

Jia Xingtian snorted coldly.

"I know, I will be very careful."

After saying that, he ignored the Frenchman's obstruction and dropped the sand ball in his hand from the high stands to the ground.

The sand ball swam swiftly along the ground and quietly arrived at the feet of the gray-clad man.

boom!

A blast of air suddenly rose from the ground, blowing the gray-clad man's robes away.

This did not cause a great stir among the many contestants, but when the young face of the person under the gray clothes was revealed, Jia Xingtian clenched his fist.

"Old Jia, don't be impulsive anymore!"

Fama gave a low reprimand, then quickly stepped forward to announce the content and rules of the second assessment.

"The second assessment shall now begin!"

As soon as he finished speaking, prescriptions rose from the table in front of the contestants.

The second test was to refine a grade three pill!

The difficulty level immediately jumped to another level.

For these alchemists under the age of thirty, the third grade is definitely a level that requires tremendous effort to reach.

Not to mention learning how to refine a new grade three elixir on the spot.

Xiao Yan opened the prescription and quickly browsed through it.

"A Grade 3 Windwalking Pill, a boosting pill, doesn't seem too difficult to obtain."

Enhancement pills are more difficult to refine than healing pills, but for Xiao Yan, who is proficient in refining various pills, it is too easy.

This view was also shared by the Third Princess Yaoyue and Liu Ling, a disciple of the Pill King.

The Grade 3 Wind-Riding Pill can only be used to eliminate mediocre talents who are not qualified to enter the Grade 3.

For alchemists who have reached the third rank, this method cannot be used to eliminate them; at most, it can only differentiate them based on the quality of their pills.

The group quickly began selecting medicinal herbs and started refining the elixir.

The higher the grade of the elixir, the longer it usually takes to produce, so the number of failures must be minimized.

Every step of the process requires utmost care.

A small mistake could disqualify you from the assessment.

While most people started refining pills, just like in the first assessment, Xiao Yan did not rush to start.

He carefully examined the formula for the Wind-Riding Pill, then suddenly frowned.

Something's not right...

This prescription seems to have some parts where the medicinal properties seem incompatible.

If one were to actually refine the elixir according to the description in the prescription, the cauldron would likely explode.

Could it be... that this is a trap in the second assessment?

Xiao Yan suddenly recalled how, in his previous life, when doing math problems, the teacher would always leave some small traps in the questions.

As an average student, he often doubted whether he had made a wrong judgment.

This hesitation often makes him afraid to take action.

They were afraid of going down the wrong path and making more and more mistakes.

Fortunately, Xiao Yan's knowledge of alchemy was not bad.

He was very confident in his judgment.

Xiao Yan raised his hand and shook it, causing all the medicinal herbs on the table to fly up. He quickly collected the few he needed and then, without pausing, placed them into the medicine cauldron.

"Such speed..."

From the stands, Dan Wang Gu He noticed Xiao Yan.

Such a rapid alchemy technique could only be performed by someone who is very confident in their alchemy skills.

Back then, even he wouldn't have dared to show off his skills so blatantly at a pill-refining competition.

This kid will either become famous in the capital or become a complete laughingstock.

"Has he gone mad? Why would he pour all the medicinal herbs into the medicine cauldron at once?"

"Yeah, isn't this ridiculous?"

On the stands, the alchemists who had already been eliminated in the first round began to offer pointers on Xiao Yan's alchemy techniques.

"If I were to play, my chances of success would definitely be much higher than his!"

On the plaza, Xiao Yan's soul power surged, and strands of invisible spiritual energy condensed and slowly enveloped the entire medicine cauldron.

Only the "Soul Technique" can manipulate soul changes so easily.

In order to help his junior brother develop in all aspects, Han Feng naturally passed on his unique "Soul Technique" to him.

While all his opponents of equal caliber were still unable to unravel the mysteries of the soul, Xiao Yan was already able to manipulate soul power at will.

Dan Wang Guhe noticed the change in Xiao Yan's aura and stood up in shock.

"This, how is this possible?"

A mere alchemist under thirty years old can manipulate soul power at will.

Even he was only a beginner in such exquisite soul techniques.

You must know that Gu He is the only sixth-grade alchemist in the Jiama Empire, a Dou Wang powerhouse!

Could it be... that this person is a disciple of a powerful sect?

Why would a disciple of a powerful sect come to the Jia Ma Empire to participate in the alchemy conference?

Gu He was utterly bewildered, his gaze fixed intently on Xiao Yan.

Boom boom boom!

On the plaza, the sounds of cauldrons exploding rang out, and the alchemists' previously confident expressions turned to surprise and astonishment.

"how come?"

"I clearly followed the recipe exactly, so how could the cauldron explode?"

"This is impossible!"

Liu Ling and Yao Yue frowned; they had also failed.

At this moment, Xiao Yan was fully focused on the alchemy process. Although he started slower than others, he had already entered the pill-forming stage.

As expected, my prediction was correct. Following my newly improved method, the entire medicine-making process went very smoothly.

The elixir is almost complete! Let's secure today's victory!

Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed, and his soul power began to surge violently.

Waves of air surged around them as the purple flames expanded rapidly.

"What? He's about to achieve the Core Formation?"

The gray-clad youth looked at Xiao Yan in astonishment.

Did he discover the problem from the beginning?

This is incredible!

With his near-fifth-grade alchemy skills, he managed to stabilize the pill using his crude soul power, and temporarily added neutralizing ingredients to balance it, barely managing to maintain the balance and prevent the cauldron from exploding.

I thought I was definitely the fastest, but I never expected this masked man to be so powerful.

Was it luck? Or skill?

After much deliberation, the boy in gray decided to take the risk.

As his soul power slowly circulated, the fusion of essences within the medicine cauldron was hindered, and a wondrous change rapidly occurred.

A large amount of medicinal power dissipated, and the lid of the medicine cauldron shook violently.

This is a sign that the cauldron is about to explode!

The gray-clad youth's eyes sharpened, and he abruptly changed the direction of the flames, directing the aftershocks of the exploding cauldron towards Xiao Yan's position.

He was willing to give up his own chance to refine medicine in order to prevent Xiao Yan from winning first place in the second assessment.

As long as he doesn't win, I still have a chance to win the championship!

Xiao Yan's keen spiritual power immediately sensed the strong wind coming from the opposite side.

The formation of the elixir is the most crucial moment, and it cannot tolerate any disturbance.

But right now on the field, no one can help Xiao Yan withstand this attack.

Even if everyone knows that the man in gray did it on purpose, so what?

The explanation is perfectly reasonable; the aftershocks from the explosion of the cauldron are nothing out of the ordinary.

"mean!"

Xiao Zhan clenched his fists, his heart pounding in his throat.

"How should you deal with this... Junior Brother?"

Han Feng watched this scene calmly.

All the unexpected events that occur during alchemy, no matter how much blame is given afterward, can only prove one thing: that one's skills are not up to par.

Even an eighth-grade alchemist sometimes faces this dilemma.

From a certain perspective, this is a question that lasts a lifetime.

After all, life is a long journey, and there will always be people who are jealous of you and want to prevent you from becoming better.

Xiao Yan frowned slightly. To be honest, he hadn't expected things to turn out this way.

The other party's timing was perfect; if it had been half a minute later, I could have successfully completed the elixir.

He only had a few seconds to think.

The powerful aftershocks of the exploding cauldron swept over Xiao Yan, who closed his eyes as the alchemy techniques his teacher had taught him the day before echoed in his mind.

Raise your palm...

Hold on tight!

Xiao Yan abandoned the conventional method of condensing his core, stretched out his right hand, and clenched it tightly!

boom!

A loud crackling sound came from inside the medicine cauldron. At this moment, a strong wind arrived, making Xiao Yan's clothes flutter loudly.

In the stands, everyone stared intently at the scene below.

"Did you make it?"

"Under these circumstances, no one should be able to achieve the elixir, right?"