He Closed His Eyes Again; This One's in the Bag

The next day, the sun slowly rose, dyeing the clouds on the horizon a brilliant orange-red. When the sunlight fell on the people walking on the road like golden ribbons, they seemed to feel endless warmth.

Xiao Tian led the three women toward the Royal Plaza.

Along the way, the crowds surged, like a black mass flowing through the pulse of the city.

Today is the last match, and the number of spectators has increased several times over.

Upon arriving at the VIP area, Xiao Yan, Liu Ling, and the others were already seated.

Xiao Yan was still sitting next to Nalan Yanran and Yao Ye, but considering Xiao Yan's personality, Xiao Tian finally shook his head.

Liu Ling and Yao Yue were talking about something. Liu Ling was no longer as arrogant as before. It was probably because the blows of the past two days were too great, which made him realize his own shortcomings.

If he can fully understand himself, his talent can be better utilized; otherwise, he'll remain mediocre.

Xiao Tian smiled and nodded at the group, then led the three women to find a place to sit down.

"It seems quite a few people have received some inside information."

Ya Fei looked around and saw that many of the Alchemist had confident expressions, showing no signs of confusion about the nature of the assessment.

"A large guild usually has members from other factions inside, and with such a diverse group of people, a lot of information will naturally leak out."

"There might even be people from the Chu Yun Empire inside. Look at his expression; he must have known beforehand."

Xiao Tian turned to look at Yan Li in the arena and gestured.

Yan Li was in the arena, noticed Xiao Tian and made a throat-slitting gesture with his hand, his eyes full of provocation.

Xiao Tian: Oh, a prophet, huh? He actually knew he'd be killed after today.

Xiao Tian ignored him and continued chatting with the three women.

Seeing that it was almost time, Xiao Tian stepped down from the VIP seats and went to the spot where he had been tested yesterday.

"Look, this is the person who got the best score in yesterday's assessment. He looks so young and handsome."

"This world is so unfair. It's one thing to be so good-looking, but to be so talented and skilled as well is just too much. They're practically giving us no chance at all."

"..."

After Xiao Tian entered the stage, a chorus of voices erupted from the audience.

Xiao Yan scrutinized Yan Li: "Is this Appearance Recovery Pill really that miraculous? Even Dou Emperor Peak couldn't distinguish between the real and fake."

"Today's champion is mine. You have no chance. You are going to experience a crushing defeat in your lives, haha."

Yan Li's arrogant laughter rang out.

Xiao Tian and Xiao Yan remained calm and unaffected, while Liu Ling and Yao Yue clenched their fists with livid faces.

Thump.

A clear bell rang in everyone's ears. Upon hearing this bell, both contestants and spectators were on high alert, for the bell signaled the imminent start of a fierce and intense competition.

Everyone's eyes turned to Fa Ma on the high platform.

"Today is the final and most crucial round of this year's Alchemist Convention. The winner of this round will be this year's champion."

"This competition is a testament to your sweat and hard work, and a reflection of your pursuit of your dreams, so please give it your all and leave no regrets."

Fa Ma stood on the high platform. Although his voice was old, his speech was powerful and resonant, and every word touched the hearts of the contestants.

"Good."

Thunderous applause and excited roars erupted from the stadium.

Half a minute later, Fa Ma pressed his hands down, and the sound in the arena gradually decreased until it became completely quiet.

The third round of assessment (summary: free rein, entirely up to you; refine what you believe to be the best elixir within the allotted time)

Fa Ma gave a clear introduction to the subject matter of this round of assessments.

After Fa Ma finished speaking, most of the Alchemist present changed their expressions; some were genuinely at a loss, while others were pretending.

"Now that everyone is familiar with the assessment rules, I hereby announce that the third round of assessment shall now begin!"

A burst of Dou Qi struck the giant hourglass, causing it to tumble and begin to flow slowly, as if telling the story of the passage of time.

After Fa Ma finished speaking, everyone in the room fell into deep thought, as if in perfect unison.

Everyone was calculating what grade of pills the people around them would offer, deciding whether to refine their best ones or take a risk and refine something better, and also checking if they had enough medicinal herbs.

The first to break the silence were Yao Yue and Liu Ling, who came from relatively wealthy families. With a wave of their hands, a high-quality Medicine Cauldron appeared in front of each of them.

The Medicine Cauldron the two men revealed immediately drew gasps of astonishment from those in the know.

Yao Yue took out was a cyan Medicine Cauldron, which was the once famous Fifth Order Medicine Cauldron: the Azure Flame Cauldron.

Liu Ling took out an orange-yellow Medicine Cauldron.

"Huh, I thought Gu He would give him his Volcanic Flame Cauldron. This Blazing Sun Cauldron is also Fifth Order Medicine Cauldron. As expected of Pill King, his foundation is indeed abundant."

Fa Ma looked at Liu Ling's Medicine Cauldron and asked in surprise.

Then, a burst of azure flame rose from the Little Princess's palm; it was the Beast Fire of the Imperial Family Surging Sea Dragon Beast (Netherworld Nether Sea Flood Dragon): Dry Blue Water Flame.

Liu Ling's flames were light brown, while Yan Li's were black.

Then Xiao Yan took out his Medicine Cauldron. When the people around him saw Xiao Yan's shabby dark red cauldron, their faces were full of astonishment. This Medicine Cauldron looked like it was at most Second Order cauldron.

"Young friend Yan Xiao, what's going on? Why are you using this Medicine Cauldron at this time? Are you confident in your abilities, or..."

When Fa Ma saw the Medicine Cauldron that Xiao Yan took out, his brows furrowed immediately, and he even felt a little regretful that he hadn't asked more questions about the Medicine Cauldron at the time.

"Hopefully he's confident, otherwise it'll be bad."

Their gaze shifted to Xiao Tian 'Xiao Tian seat, and upon seeing the purple Medicine Cauldron in front of him, they immediately stood up, muttering in disbelief.

"This... this Medicine Cauldron looks so much like the legendary Purple Abyss Cauldron."

"Pharaoh, what's wrong with you? Is there something wrong with Xiao Tian?"

Hai Bo Dong and Jia Xing Tian stared blankly at Fa Ma, who suddenly stood up straight and widened his eyes.

Fa Ma ignored them, frantically searching his memory, and finally confirmed that he had not misread it.

"Holy crap, this is the Purple Abyss Cauldron?"

The voice of the Yao Lao also echoed in Xiao Yan's mind at this moment.

That "Holy crap!" was naturally imitated from Xiao Yan.

"What's wrong with Tian Ge's cauldron? Is it very powerful?"

Xiao Yan glanced at Xiao Tian's Medicine Cauldron. This purple Medicine Cauldron looked very deep and mysterious, and its body vaguely contained a mysterious aura.

Do you remember the Heaven Cauldron Ranking I told you about before?

"Of course I remember. Teacher, the Black Demon Cauldron you used before was ranked eighth on the Heaven Cauldron Ranking. You're not trying to say that Tian Ge's Medicine Cauldron is also on the Heaven Cauldron Ranking, are you?"

Xiao Yan had a very deep memory of Yao Lao's Black Demon Cauldron, because it was the highest-level Medicine Cauldron he had ever seen.

I even imagine myself owning one someday.

"Yes, the Medicine Cauldron in front of Xiao Tian is called Purple Abyss, and it's ranked third on the Heaven Cauldron Ranking."

The words of the Yao Lao resounded in Xiao Yan's mind like a bolt from the blue.

"This... this..."

"Snap out of it. I'm not trying to discourage you, but rather to make you feel a sense of pressure. Pressure is what drives personal growth."

"Yes, teacher."

Xiao Yan calmed himself down, and a fierce Xiong Zhan spirit ignited in his eyes. He slowly raised his hand, and the ethereal Green Lotus Core Flame appeared in his palm.

Instantly, the flames that had been cheering and jumping for joy among the Little Princess and others in the square dimmed considerably, tilting towards the Azure Flame in Xiao Yan's hand as if paying homage to a king.

"When Heavenly Flames appears, Wan Huo submit; this is truly true," Fa Ma exclaimed, observing the extraordinary scene before him.

Yao Yue and the others became depressed, muttering to themselves.

Xiao Tian also summoned his Qilin Burning Sky Flame. The bright red flame appeared, and immediately the other flames turned towards Xiao Tian.

Only the Azure Flame in Xiao Yan's hand dimmed slightly, without bowing down; all Heavenly Flames are quite arrogant.

"This... this is yet another Heavenly Flames?"

The crowd inside gasped in shock.

"With the Purple Abyss Cauldron on the Heaven Cauldron Ranking and Heavenly Flames, what kind of person must his teacher be to have nurtured such a monster?"

Fa Ma, his face showing surprise.

"Miss Ya Fei, is the flame in Xiao Tian's hand also Heavenly Flames?"

Yao Ye asked Ya Fei, who was standing not far from her.

Ya Fei was taken aback when she heard this, not expecting Yao Ye to suddenly ask her, but she nodded silently in the end.

"What a terrifying guy, two Heavenly Flames appearing in one match, this is really something to look forward to."

Yao Ye gently licked her rosy lips.

Xiao Tian ignored the surrounding discussions and directly threw the Qilin Burning Sky Flame into the Purple Abyss Cauldron.

Xiao Yan followed suit and began warming the Medicine Cauldron.

After the two people's Heavenly Flames entered the Medicine Cauldron, the flames of the others also began to return to normal.

While warming the Medicine Cauldron, Xiao Tianyi closed his eyes and reviewed the pills he was going to refine that day.

"He closed his eyes again. This round is in the bag. He closed his eyes at the start of the first two rounds and then took first place. Is there some kind of magic involved?"

A gasp came from the stands, and those who had watched yesterday's game recalled that it was indeed true.

This is the third update tonight, presented to everyone.