Xiao Yan frowned slightly as he worked in the arena. Multi-tasking had caused him to lose some control over the heat, affecting his alchemy.
Soon after, Han Xian followed the same path—his medicinal ingredients turned to ash in his cauldron.
However, Xiao Yan fared far better; the quantity he had successfully refined before failing was much larger than Han Xian's.
Xiao Jietian casually glanced at the two, then returned to his work, completely unaffected by their failures.
Time passed, and Xiao Jietian finished refining all the medicinal ingredients. In his mind, he reviewed the fusion steps of the Dragon Strength Pill, running through countless virtual alchemy exercises.
Finally, he opened his tightly shut eyes, fully mastering every detail of the refinement process.
He reignited the flame, adding the ingredients to the cauldron in the precise order dictated by the prescription. Under the scorching heat of the exotic flame, the components began to fuse steadily.
Seeing Xiao Jietian enter the fusion stage, Han Xian's nervousness spiked. He prayed fervently that Xiao Jietian would fail.
The onlookers' eyes were glued to Xiao Jietian. His technique was mesmerizing; a faint fire dragon seemed to swim continuously within the cauldron, a visual manifestation of the Mysterious Fire Dragon Hand, which accelerated the fusion of the liquid medicine.
Xiao Jietian ignored the stares of others, focusing entirely on controlling the flame's temperature.
Meanwhile, Han Xian was the first to fail again, followed shortly by Xiao Yan.
After more than ten minutes, a rich, intoxicating pill fragrance drifted from Xiao Jietian's cauldron, washing away the fatigue of the onlookers simply with its scent.
"Such a rich fragrance… is it about to form into a pill?"
A murmur spread among the crowd. Pan Gate members and Han Yue clasped their hands nervously. Only Xun'er remained calm and confident, her serene expression unmoved.
The pill formation stage was the most critical—any slight fluctuation in temperature could cause failure. Everyone held their breath, fearing that even a whisper might ruin the moment.
Two to three minutes later, a powerful energy ripple burst from Xiao Jietian's cauldron, spreading outward. Streaks of seemingly solid energy whipped his robes and hair, yet his expression remained unchanged, fully focused on maintaining the exotic flame's heat to finish the pill.
Dong~
With a sharp slap to the cauldron, the lid flew off. A dark-red pill shot upward; Xiao Jietian caught it mid-air and placed it carefully in a jade bottle.
Nearby, Xiao Yan and Han Xian felt a surge of urgency. As Alchemists, they could sense even the faintest fluctuations in energy and pill fragrance.
On the high platform, Xiao Jietian smiled and nodded toward Xun'er, who returned a gentle smile. Her presence captivated the crowd instantly. Xiao Jietian caught her gaze and smiled subtly in return.
About five minutes later, a faint, ordinary pill fragrance rose from Han Xian's cauldron. He slapped the cauldron, producing a mottled, irregular pill. His face flushed as he hastily stored it in a jade bottle.
Han Xian knew he had lost, but unwilling to yield to Xiao Yan, he had produced a semi-finished product as a last-ditch gamble, hoping Xiao Yan would fail.
Soon after, a fragrance drifted from Xiao Yan's cauldron. Though not as exquisite as Xiao Jietian's, it easily surpassed Han Xian's semi-finished pill.
Han Xian's face, already red with embarrassment, darkened further. Despite his curses, Xiao Yan had successfully refined the Dragon Strength Pill. This time, using the Black Demon Cauldron, he had avoided any dramatic explosions.
"The refining is complete. I and the three Elders of the Alchemy Department will now appraise the quality of the pills," Elder Hao announced.
Three Elders in Rank 4 Alchemist robes joined him.
They examined Xiao Yan's pill first. It was flawless, of high quality.
"Xiao Yan, if you have time in the future, visit the Alchemy Department. Fire Elder is very eager to meet you," whispered one Elder. Xiao Yan smiled, nodding politely. "I will, when I have the time."
The other three Elders also smiled kindly. Xiao Yan realized they likely hoped to employ him for future pill refinement.
Next, they approached Han Xian. Seeing the Elders, he hid his pill behind his back. "I concede. There's no need to examine mine," he said awkwardly.
"No, all pills must be examined. That is the rule; no exceptions," Elder Hao replied firmly, his face radiating fairness.
Han Xian's face turned a liver-like shade as he reluctantly retrieved the semi-finished pill.
Elder Hao picked it up, unable to hide his shock. "Can this even be called a pill? Alas…"
"Will anyone survive eating this?" another Elder muttered.
Han Xian's embarrassment deepened. He had already admitted defeat, yet now he was being mocked openly. The onlookers stared with curious expressions.
If a crack had appeared in the high platform, Han Xian would have gladly crawled inside. He had lost all face.
Ignoring him, Elder Hao and the other Elders turned to Xiao Jietian. Cooperating, he presented his pill for examination. The crowd leaned forward, eager to see the creation that had produced such a powerful fragrance.
The Elders examined it carefully. The pill was perfectly round, full, and brimming with a sense of latent power.
"Xiao Jietian, the quality of this Dragon Strength Pill exceeds all expectation!" Elder Hao's voice trembled slightly with excitement.
Another Alchemist Elder added, "I've had the privilege of seeing Fire Elder refine this pill before, but Xiao Jietian's appears even better in quality."
The other two Elders nodded, their eyes fixed on the pill as if it were a priceless treasure.
"Elders, you flatter me. I was simply fortunate this time," Xiao Jietian said modestly, standing aside with a smile.
In truth, this was only his first refinement; he knew the quality could improve further with additional attempts, possibly even revealing the pill patterns.
The Elders returned the pill to Xiao Jietian, then huddled together, whispering excitedly.