Growth Realm.
This area is vast, spanning a full thousand square meters.
Moreover, the entire space is filled with dark, fertile soil, without a single weed.
Young Master Xiao Li had acquired this space a long time ago, but it had never been put to use.
It's just right to experience it now.
He buried a few herb seeds in the soil, then simply watered them, doing nothing else.
Ten seconds.
The seeds began to sprout.
Thirty seconds.
The tender shoots had already broken through the soil, making their first appearance.
One minute, the tender shoots had completely grown into a robust herb, already showing preliminary medicinal effects.
Two minutes, the herb matured!
Young Master Xiao Li watched with his own eyes as these herbs, in just two minutes, grew from seeds to mature herbs ready for harvest!
"The effect is actually this good!"
The speed was beyond Young Master Xiao Li's expectations.
Normally, herbs take several months, or even several years, or even decades, to grow to a harvestable stage.
The herbs Young Master Xiao Li just planted would normally take half a year to mature.
Yet, in the Growth Realm, they matured in just two minutes!
Moreover, throughout the entire process, Young Master Xiao Li did nothing except water them at the beginning, and the herbs matured.
One can imagine how astonishing the effect of this Growth Realm is!
If others knew, all Alchemists would probably go crazy!
"Not bad, it seems I can save a lot of money on buying herbs."
Next, Young Master Xiao Li planted the entire area with herbs, and then harvested a large patch within minutes.
In fact, his planting speed couldn't even keep up with the herbs' maturation speed; the effect was astonishing.
Finally, Young Master Xiao Li harvested a batch of herbs, gathered enough for the Alchemist Convention, and then stopped... The Alchemist Convention was held as scheduled.
The sky was clear and blue, without a single cloud.
Today was the day of the Alchemist Convention, and the Jia Ma Royal Family's army was responsible for security.
The venue for the Alchemist Convention was not the Alchemist Guild, but rather the Jia Ma Royal Family's Royal Plaza—after all, the Alchemist Guild's space was too narrow to accommodate so many people.
Young Master Xiao Li arrived at the plaza very early.
At this time, many people had already gathered in the Royal Plaza, including participants and spectators.
The Alchemist Convention could be said to be the grandest competition in the entire Jia Ma Empire, naturally attracting countless people to watch.
"Young Master Xiao Li, you've arrived." Jia Xingtian proactively greeted Young Master Xiao Li.
This greatly astonished some of the bewildered leaders of various factions nearby.
Who could this person be, to warrant such an enthusiastic greeting from Jia Xingtian?
Yao Yue, who was behind Jia Xingtian, also wore a specially made light-green Alchemist robe today, appearing more elegant, though the playful glint in her eyes remained undiminished.
"Xiao Li, just wait to be utterly defeated by me!"
Yao Yue waved her small, pink fist and said.
"Hahaha, please be merciful, Little Princess." Young Master Xiao Li laughed in response, his gaze noticing another woman standing beside Yao Yue.
The woman was dressed in a brocade robe, tall and slender, with an alluring bust and long, beautiful legs, all indicative of superior beauty.
Moreover, her appearance bore some resemblance to Yao Yue, but her demeanor was colder, carrying a hint of royal majesty, exuding a mature charm that was naturally refined.
Noticing Young Master Xiao Li's gaze on her, the woman smiled slightly and proactively extended her hand to Young Master Xiao Li: "Young Master Xiao Li, I've long admired your reputation; today I finally get to meet you. I am Yao Ye, Yao Yue's elder sister."
"Princess Yao Ye is too kind." Young Master Xiao Li shook hands with Yao Ye, briefly feeling the softness of her palm before withdrawing his hand.
"Young Master Xiao Li, this is Yao Yue's elder sister, and also the leader of the security for this convention. The tens of thousands of troops inside and outside the plaza are all under her personal command." Jia Xingtian introduced her appropriately.
Young Master Xiao Li feigned surprise, saying, "Oh? Princess Yao Ye is a true heroine; I am impressed."
"You flatter me, Young Master Xiao."
Yao Ye smiled gracefully, and the captivating charm that bloomed in that instant caused everyone around her to pale in comparison.
The two parties only chatted briefly, without much in-depth conversation.
The distinguished guests and participants of the convention gradually arrived.
Representatives from all major factions in Jia Ma Holy City were present.
The Nalan Family, the Mu Family, the Mittel Family, and the Yunlan Sect.
The Mittel Family's representatives were Hai Bodong and Consort Ya—Young Master Xiao Li had already told them in advance that he would be participating in the Alchemist Convention.
So they were all very happy to come and watch the competition.
The Nalan Family's attendees were Nalan Yanran and Nalan Su.
The Mu Family's was Mu Chen.
And the representative of the Yunlan Sect was Grand Elder Yun Leng—Young Master Xiao Li had initially thought it would be Yun Yun, but it wasn't.
This was good too, saving them from meeting prematurely and preserving a surprise... Once everyone was present, Fa Ma announced the official start of the Alchemist Convention.
"I declare the Seventh Alchemist Convention of the Jia Ma Empire officially open!"
The first round of competition required the Alchemist Guild to provide an incomplete two-grade medicinal formula, and all participants had to deduce the correct formula based on their experience to refine the correct pill.
Each person had only two chances.
After the first round of assessment officially began, all participants pondered the formula before them, then carefully began to work.
Some people, unable to figure out the correct proportions of the medicinal ingredients, had their cauldrons explode halfway through refining.
The dull explosions caused quite a stir in the plaza.
Even Yao Yue, who was the most watched participant in this convention, was meticulously analyzing the formula based on her own experience.
Only Young Master Xiao Li was different.
"Two-grade pill... such a low-level formula."
With his experience as a Sixth-Grade Alchemist, as soon as he saw the formula, the correct proportions were almost automatically analyzed in his mind.
Then, he succeeded on his first try, effortlessly refining the two-grade pill with no difficulty at all.
His pill refining speed left everyone stunned.
"Who is that person? How did he manage to refine it so quickly?"
"So impressive, a one-time success!"
"It feels as if he was given the correct formula to begin with."
"Even with the correct formula, refining pills isn't that easy. The fact that he finished so quickly shows his unfathomable alchemy skills." Everyone whispered, noticing Young Master Xiao Li's performance.
And in the VIP section, Jia Xingtian and Fa Ma, among others, naturally also noticed Young Master Xiao Li's alchemy technique.
"Fa Ma, what do you think?" Jia Xingtian asked.
Fa Ma sighed and stated his conclusion: "This technique, this proficiency, he's at least a Fourth-Grade Alchemist."
They had indeed been somewhat skeptical of Young Master Xiao Li's alchemy skill level.
Now, it seemed there was no need for doubt.
Just as Young Master Xiao Li completed his alchemy at the fastest speed, immediately after, a second light lit up in the plaza; another person followed closely behind Young Master Xiao Li and also completed it!
...