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**
Up in the VIP section, Ya Fei rested her delicate chin on her jade-like hand. Her beautiful eyes were fixed on the elegant, otherworldly young woman in white standing on the center platform of the plaza, bathed in the attention of the entire crowd.
On Ya Fei's enchanting face was a trace of absent-mindedness. In her eyes flickered a mix of complicated emotions—
Envy, inferiority, bitterness, and even a touch of jealousy...
Nalan Yanran lounged lazily on a soft and comfortable chair. The graceful curves outlined under her loose, moon-white robes caught the attention of many men behind her, who cast subtle glances her way.
At this moment, her gaze was also firmly locked on that white-robed figure.
Beside her, Princess Yao Ye was no exception.
And below them, standing on the stone platform, even the little princess was pouting and muttering something under her breath.
Perhaps due to a natural sense of competition among women, these four famous beauties of the imperial capital all had their eyes on Xian'er.
...
On the other side, Vice President Qie Mi Er was smiling as he praised Wei Yang:
"Miss Xian'er is indeed a worthy pupil personally trained by Mr. Wei. Her alchemy skills are outstanding—even this old man is full of admiration.
In the previous internal test, she was able to purify the medicinal ingredients eight times using only a Rank 5 beast flame. That level of achievement... even the former Pill King Gu He wasn't necessarily better."
Wei Yang smiled at the words, his tone completely lacking in modesty:
"Haha, Xian'er is indeed quite good. She's very dedicated to alchemy."
"Haha!" Qie Mi Er burst into loud laughter.
"Hehe." The surrounding big shots also smiled warmly.
From this brief exchange, everyone could clearly see that Wei Yang deeply favored this girl named Xian'er.
He didn't even bother pretending to be modest. And the way he lit up when others praised Xian'er made it even more obvious.
Some women couldn't help but show expressions of envy.
President Fa Ma asked curiously, "Do you think Miss Xian'er can win this tournament?"
"I wouldn't dare say she'll win first place, but she's definitely going to be in the top three," Wei Yang replied casually.
At that, many of the people nearby raised their eyebrows slightly.
Judging by that tone, it seemed Miss Xian'er was far more capable than just a mere third-tier alchemist.
...
Xian'er stood calmly on the smooth bluestone platform, unfazed by the countless eyes fixed on her.
Her gaze swept across the platform and found two sets of medicinal ingredients neatly arranged in front of her.
Lying quietly in front of the ingredients was a thin sheet of paper.
In addition, embedded into the platform in front of her was a jade mirror that flickered with faint green-red light.
Picking up the sheet, Xian'er scanned it briefly and was surprised to find that it was a pill recipe for a Tier 2 pill.
But what made her speechless was that this recipe was clearly just a casual transcription of some basic information like ingredient quantities. Its format and structure didn't follow any of the standards for official pill recipes.
Proper pill recipes—or Dou Techniques, or cultivation techniques for that matter—
Had to be inscribed using soul power, and could only be read using soul power as well. Moreover, the number of times they could be read was limited.
Only in this way could the reader quickly grasp the essential information, precautions, and critical details in the shortest possible time.
But this sheet of paper was just a basic transcription. It gave only a rough idea of the refining process and lacked any finer details. Those would have to be figured out by the refiner themselves. This kind of document simply didn't qualify as an official recipe.
Using such a recipe would no doubt raise the failure rate of pill refinement to terrifying levels.
Because all those crucial points—what to watch for, how to adjust, and when to act—had to be discovered, understood, and handled by the alchemist during the actual process.
To make matters worse, the tournament only provided two sets of ingredients.
Which meant that each participant only had two chances. If both attempts failed and no completed pill was produced, then the result was obvious—
Elimination.
This kind of assessment heavily tested an alchemist's experience, knowledge base, and adaptability under pressure.
"As expected of the Alchemist Grand Meeting that only comes once every eight years… the difficulty is definitely off the charts."
Holding the thin sheet in her hand, Xian'er furrowed her brows slightly, feeling a bit of pressure in her heart.
This kind of approach was something Xian'er had never experienced before. Even though her mind was filled with knowledge, it was hard to keep the nervousness at bay.
In the past, she had always refined pills step-by-step based on detailed and standardized pill recipes. She had never once thought to question why a recipe was composed the way it was.
...
Elsewhere, Xiao Yan was feeling equally troubled.
And not just the two of them—if one looked around the venue, they would see that many alchemists wore the same bitter expression on their faces.
Only Liu Ling and the little princess seemed relatively calm.
The little princess required no explanation. Born into royalty, she was raised in the Alchemist Association from a young age and received a formal education early on.
As for Liu Ling, it was the same. He had been formally taught and personally nurtured by Pill King Gu He since childhood. For them, this sort of exam wasn't their first—so they had the experience to handle it.
That was the difference between those who were raised by powerful factions and those self-taught or trained through unorthodox paths. The gap lay exactly there.
In this regard, many of the alchemists present—including Xiao Yan, Xian'er, and even Wei Yang—belonged to the latter group. They hadn't been exposed to alchemy from childhood. Most of them, like Xiao Yan, had only started in their teenage years.
Because of this, they lacked certain foundational accumulation and depth.
Now, this wasn't a gap in knowledge or talent—it was a gap in exam experience.
"Master…" Xiao Yan called out in his mind.
But Yao Lao didn't respond at all, as if he hadn't heard.
"Alright then…" Xiao Yan muttered helplessly. He understood now—his master wanted him to face and resolve this challenge on his own.
Xiao Yan looked toward Xian'er not far away.
Xian'er also seemed to sense his gaze and looked over.
Their eyes met for a brief moment. There was mutual understanding in their expressions, but also unmistakable unease.
Then they both lowered their heads and focused on the few refining notes written on the thin sheet of paper.
They were trying to find some kind of pattern hidden within.
Liu Ling, who had been secretly observing the two of them, let out a faint, cold chuckle and thought to himself: "Master was right—these two seriously lack experience... Hmph, so what if they're good at purifying ingredients?
I've said it before—this tournament doesn't just test those skills. It's a full-spectrum assessment. Now, let them see the difference between someone like me—formally trained since childhood—and hicks like them who took the wild road!"
...
Up on the high VIP platform, Wei Yang leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowing slightly.
The problem Xian'er encountered—he had seen through it at a glance.
To him, this kind of issue was nothing at all.
Given his level, it was like a university student looking back at elementary school exam questions. Everything was crystal clear—including any traps or tricky bits.
Once one reached a certain height, issues like a mere Tier 2 pill recipe were beneath notice.
But Xian'er was different. She was only at peak Tier 4, so naturally she couldn't handle this with the same ease.
Still, she had a slight advantage—after all, she'd been studying alchemy for nearly two years longer than Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan's biggest problem was lack of time. He had only been learning alchemy for less than three years.
And within those three years, most of his time was spent cultivating. How much could he possibly have spared for alchemy study?
Even so, neither Wei Yang nor Yao Lao had any intention of helping them cheat. The two old masters had silently agreed to watch from the sidelines and let the two of them figure things out on their own.
"Say, senior…" Wei Yang transmitted a voice message privately, teasing in tone. "Xiao Yan has only been studying alchemy for just under three years. Aren't you worried he might mess this up?"
"So what if he messes up?" Yao Lao replied indifferently. "It's just a minor competition. If he loses, he loses. Consider it a paid lesson."
"And frankly, a little setback might be good for him. People grow faster through adversity."
"Fair point. Anyway, we still have Xian'er as a backup, right?" Wei Yang chuckled.
"Exactly. Even if both of them end up failing, it doesn't matter." Yao Lao snickered. "You're an Honorary Elder. Didn't you already get advance access to that Soul Mending Pill recipe anyway?"
"True enough." Wei Yang agreed.
"You two…" Xiao Yan's expression went speechless.
Don't you realize I can hear all this too?
"Then quit daydreaming and focus on your pill recipe. Do you think there's plenty of time right now?" Wei Yang and Yao Lao responded in unison, their voices overlapping perfectly.
"..." Xiao Yan.
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