Final Round Assessment

The second round of assessments had ended.

The quality of the pills also had to be tested.

The pill Ning Su had refined was once again of the highest quality.

After all, his alchemy skills spoke for themselves. Deliberately lowering a pill's quality required a certain level of technical skill as well.

The pills refined by Xiao Yan, Liu Ling, and the Little Princess were evenly matched in quality.

Without a doubt, these four were the best performers in this Alchemist Competition so far.

Liu Ling and the Little Princess were exactly who everyone had expected.

Ning Su and Xiao Yan, on the other hand, were unexpected dark horses.

But that made it interesting. Talents from all over had gathered here—who would come out on top? Everyone would have to wait and see.

"Congratulations to everyone for successfully passing the second round of assessments."

"Today's competition will conclude here for the time being. Go back and rest well. Tomorrow will be the final round, the match that will determine the winner and produce the Champion!"

Fa Ma loudly announced the end of the day's assessments.

The spectators outside erupted in disappointed murmurs.

The contestants on the field also breathed sighs of relief.

Two consecutive rounds of competition had taken quite a toll on them.

Everyone gradually dispersed.

Ning Su left alone, disappearing into the crowd.

Yun Yun watched his retreating figure, her gaze distant.

"Sect Master Yun, you've already got your eye on that young man?" Jia Xing Tian teased from beside her.

"If I don't keep a close eye on him, Elder Jia will snatch him away," Yun Yun said with a smile.

"Hahaha, then let's compete fairly."

All of these people had taken a liking to Ning Su.

But if they learned Ning Su's true identity, what would their reactions be?

"Young Master, you're back."

Qing Lin had been waiting obediently at the inn. The moment she saw Ning Su return, she immediately stepped forward to greet him.

"Mm."

Ning Su had not brought Qing Lin to the competition venue.

There were simply too many people there. With so many eyes around, it was best to avoid trouble.

"Young Master, would you like to eat first or bathe first?"

"I'll bathe first."

"Alright, I'll go prepare your bathwater now."

Qing Lin skillfully prepared the hot water.

Then she helped him undress and bathe.

These were things she had often done before.

"I can soak by myself. You don't need to help me," Ning Su said, feeling a little embarrassed.

Before taking human form, he had often bathed with Medusa.

But after taking human form, he had never let anyone attend to his baths.

After all, bathing was such a private matter. Being watched always felt a little strange.

"Does Young Master dislike me?" The little girl lowered her head, looking somewhat upset.

"That's not what I mean. I'm just not used to being attended to. And I've told you many times already, you're no longer a maid. You don't need to serve anyone anymore," Ning Su hurriedly explained.

But Qing Lin was still somewhat downcast. "But if I can't serve Young Master, I always feel like I'm useless."

She was deeply grateful to Ning Su for bringing her into a new world and allowing her to change the way she saw this world.

But if she simply stayed by Ning Su's side without doing anything, she would feel useless.

"Young Master, I want to serve you. I want to be someone useful." She raised her head, her eyes filled with expectation and hope.

"From now on, I'm willing to care for only Young Master forever, to be only Young Master's maid!"

In the end, Ning Su could not talk her out of it.

"Alright, then help me massage my shoulders."

Qing Lin finally brightened up. She hurried over and began massaging Ning Su's shoulders and scrubbing his back.

At the Alchemist Guild.

Fa Ma and the others were still making preparations through the night for tomorrow's final round.

"After the two rounds of competition today, everyone has gained a preliminary understanding of the participating alchemists."

"Tomorrow's battle for the championship will most likely be contested among Liu Ling, the Little Princess, Ning Su, and Yan Xiao."

Jia Xing Tian suddenly asked, "Wasn't there intelligence saying that two alchemists from the Chuyun Empire were coming to disrupt the competition? Have they been found?"

Fa Ma shook his head. "The moment we received the intelligence, we began investigating. So far, we haven't found anything."

"Those two probably saw how tight security was at this competition and gave up."

Yun Yun added, "If people from the Chuyun Empire truly dare to cause trouble, then they must have a death wish."

Several of the Jia Ma Empire's strongest factions were present, and experts from every major force had attended as judges.

Anyone who dared cause trouble on such an occasion truly did not fear death.

"Then no one should cause trouble. We can quietly wait for tomorrow's competition to end," Jia Xing Tian said.

Everyone nodded.

Early the next morning.

The final round arrived as scheduled.

The Royal Plaza was packed with people in the early morning, even more than yesterday.

After all, today's round would determine the final Champion, and many people wanted to witness the Champion's birth with their own eyes.

Soon, the contestants emerged from the passageway and stepped onto the plaza one after another.

Many people cheered for the contestants they supported.

"Go, Little Princess!"

"Go, Senior Brother Liu!"

These were the contestants they favored most.

Before long, everyone had arrived.

Fa Ma stood up. "Today is the final round of assessments for this Alchemist Competition. Whoever emerges victorious from this round will be the Champion of this Alchemist Competition!"

"The rules for the final round are very simple."

"Our Alchemist Guild will no longer provide anything. Everyone must rely on their own abilities to refine the pill they are best at on the spot within the allotted time."

"Whoever refines the highest-grade pill with the best quality will be the Champion of this Alchemist Competition!"

Fa Ma's words stirred everyone's excitement.

"I hereby announce that the third round of assessments officially begins!"

As his words fell, the chime of a bell rang out in all directions.

The final test had begun!

Quite a few alchemists had already made preparations in advance and immediately got to work.

Others were still considering what pill to refine.

The requirement now was simple: refine the highest-grade pill possible by any means.

But there were many risks involved.

The higher the grade of the pill, the greater the risk of failure.

A slightly lower-grade pill carried a smaller risk of failure.

For example, if a fourth-grade pill had only a thirty percent success rate while a third-grade pill had a seventy percent success rate, should one refine a fourth-grade pill or a third-grade pill?

This choice was the first test for many alchemists.

Some chose pills they were more confident in refining, while others chose to challenge themselves.

No matter what they chose, neither choice was wrong.

It was merely a matter of personal preference.

Ning Su was also considering what pill to refine.

The only fourth-grade peak-tier pill he possessed was the Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill.

He had no choice.

On the other side, Xiao Yan was also thinking about what pill to refine.

"Teacher, what's the highest-grade pill you think I can refine right now?"

"Fourth-grade pills won't be a problem. As for whether you refine a low-tier fourth-grade pill or a high-tier fourth-grade pill, that depends on whether you want to challenge yourself."

"My goal is to win the championship. Of course I can't refine a low-tier fourth-grade pill!"

"Mm... then refine a fourth-grade peak-tier Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill."