Someone's Defenses Broke, but I Won't Say Who

"What?! How is that possible?!" Yan Li stared in disbelief at the pill slowly being refined in the sky.

Alchemy required three external things: flames, medicinal ingredients, and a medicine cauldron. This was common knowledge throughout the entire alchemy world. For thousands of years, countless Alchemists had followed this principle.

Yet now, he was watching that principle be shattered by a young man who looked barely over twenty.

Was he simply ignorant and inexperienced?

This guy had to be showing off right now!

Yan Li gritted his teeth and communicated in his mind once more. "All death warriors, stand by. The moment I give the order, detonate the Poison Roots in your bodies!"

"...Yes!"

Surging Soul Power poured forth in full force, controlling the blazing Green Flame as it continuously baked and compressed the red Medicinal Liquid. Gradually, the mass of liquid began to take on the form of a pill.

Time slipped by like sand through one's fingers. Yet the fervent gazes throughout the venue did not diminish in the slightest. Everyone was waiting for that miracle to be born.

"Dong!" The resonant bell rang out once again, announcing that the competition had entered its final stretch. Less than ten minutes remained.

"Hehehe, President Fa Ma, the time is about up. Most of the Alchemists present have already finished refining their pills. As for Yan Xiao's pill, I doubt he'll be able to complete it. Let's just announce the results now!" Yan Li sneered, though his tone no longer carried its previous arrogant dominance.

"Hehe, for the sake of fairness, I will not announce the end of the competition until the very last moment." Fa Ma smiled as he stroked his beard.

"Hmph!" Yan Li snorted coldly, his foot tapping restlessly against the ground as irritation showed on his face.

That blazing Green Flame seemed to be scorching his heart like a death warrant.

Relax, relax... The pill he refined may not necessarily surpass my Dark Bamboo Barrier Breaking Pill. So what if he succeeds? The championship will still be mine!

Yan Li kept comforting himself inwardly.

Within the Green Flame, the pill embryo had already been compressed to the size of a pigeon's egg. Under the tempering of the Heavenly Flames, its shape had begun to turn smooth and round.

"This pill is about to be finished." Xiao Yan spoke softly.

As the spherical object gradually shrank, an energy fluctuation that even Xiao Yan found astonishing quietly began to form. Its level had already begun to cross into the threshold of the fifth grade.

Suppressing the faint excitement in his heart, Xiao Yan steadied his mind. His hands formed seals as he controlled the Heavenly Flames and began the final stage of refinement.

"Form!" the young man shouted.

The Green Flame surged once more, churning like an overturned sea. Amidst the flames, that green lotus slowly bloomed.

A pill as crimson as blood slowly floated within the lotus's core.

In an instant, a faint fragrance spread across the entire venue. A vortex-like red mist swirled above Xiao Yan's head. Such an unusual phenomenon could only appear with some exceptionally high-quality fifth-grade pills!

"Hah!" Xiao Yan dropped onto the ground, exhaling wearily.

Although his Soul Power had increased greatly, that bold and crazy method of refinement had still consumed a great deal of it. The Dou Qi in his body had been drained nearly completely. He felt that even a Nine Star Dou Zhe standing beside him could probably defeat him head-on.

He raised his arm, and suction emerged from his palm. The red pill resting within the Heavenly Flame lotus slowly descended before landing in his hand.

A warm sensation spread through him. Xiao Yan closed his eyes, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

This was the first time in his life that he had refined a pill two grades above his level. Having successfully done so, the pride in his heart naturally surged like a tide.

"Mr. Yan Xiao, what grade is that pill?" The little princess curiously leaned closer and could not resist asking.

That spectacle was definitely not something a fourth-grade pill could produce.

Xiao Yan opened one eye and gave her a mysterious smile. "All you need to know is that it's better than the one that annoying guy refined."

Seeing how evasive he was being, Yao Yue turned her head away with an unhappy snort. "What's with that? You made such a huge fuss just now, and now you're being all secretive. Honestly."

Unbeknownst to her, a faint blush had already appeared on her lovely face, making her look especially beautiful.

"Brother Yan Xiao, congratulations!" Liu Ling also tactfully walked over. His previous arrogance had vanished as he clasped his hands in salute.

"Just luck." Xiao Yan gave his signature response, then turned to look at Yan Li, whose expression kept shifting.

"Hehehe, there are still two minutes left, but since everyone has finished refining their pills, I'll make the decision to end the third round early!" At this moment, Fa Ma appropriately stepped forward. Looking at Xiao Yan, who was gradually being surrounded by people offering congratulations, he spoke with a smile.

The crowd cheered in agreement, but to Yan Li, those sounds were like sharp blades slowly closing in on him.

"Then, everyone who has finished refining their pills should announce their pills' names. We will conduct a special verification afterward to ensure fairness." Fa Ma nodded and continued, "Let's begin with the ten seats on this platform!"

"Fourth-grade pill, Condensing Crystal Pill." Liuli sat in her seat, casually shaking her Jade Bottle as she spoke.

"Fourth-grade pill, Bone Softening Pill."

Soon, apart from Yan Li and Xiao Yan, the other eight contestants had announced the names of their pills. Even the lowest among them was at the peak of the third grade.

Everyone could not help sighing at how intense the competition in this Alchemist Competition was. It truly was the fiercest since the event's founding.

"Fifth-grade pill, Dark Bamboo Barrier Breaking Pill." Yan Li spoke coldly, his face dark.

Then all eyes turned toward Xiao Yan, and he suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of nervousness.

Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yan faced the expectant gazes of the crowd, raised the pill in his hand high, and slowly said, "Fifth-grade pill, Crimson Firmament Spirit Pill. Its effect is that cultivators above Five Star Dou Grandmaster have a seventy percent chance of breaking through directly to the Da Dou Shi realm! And there are no side effects!"

"Good! Excellent!" The entire venue erupted.

"Hahaha, I never expected this little fellow to possess such a miraculous pill formula. This is practically an upgraded version of the Three-patterned Green Spirit Pill!" Fa Ma finally could no longer contain his excitement. He burst into laughter, and the satisfaction on his face grew even stronger.

Compared to Yan Li's Dark Bamboo Barrier Breaking Pill, which accelerated cultivation and allowed one to gradually break through bottlenecks, this pill could raise one's level by up to five stars, directly cross half a realm, and produce immediate results. It was naturally more popular among the strong individuals of the Dou Qi Continent.

Furthermore, judging from the richness of the Colored Pill Fragrance earlier, Xiao Yan's pill was also far stronger than Yan Li's. This Crimson Firmament Spirit Pill could be considered quite high quality even among fifth-grade pills.

At this point, the answer was already obvious. Among the pills refined here, none could contend with Xiao Yan's.

"This boy will surely achieve greatness in the future. His Alchemy skill has the potential to surpass even Pill King Gu He." Jia Xingtian could not help nodding in praise.

"This kid makes things so nerve-racking every single time. Still, I was right about him after all." Hai Bodong shook his head helplessly and chuckled.

After more than a hundred Alchemists who had successfully refined pills announced their names, Fa Ma gave a soft cough. Dou Qi wings spread from his back as he floated into the air.

Under the burning gazes of the crowd, Fa Ma spoke happily. "All right, I believe everyone now understands the situation of the Alchemists present. At present, the highest-grade pills are Yan Li's Dark Bamboo Barrier Breaking Pill and Yan Xiao's Crimson Firmament Spirit Pill, both of which are fifth-grade pills. However, judging from the richness of the Colored Pill Fragrance just now and the effects they described, Yan Xiao's pill is still superior. Therefore—"

Fa Ma swept his gaze over the crowd, raised an arm, and his aged voice became ancient and majestic with the support of Dou Qi. "I announce that the champion of the Seventh Jia Ma Empire Alchemist Competition is Yan Xiao!"

"Wait!" Just then, a sharp, trembling voice rang out. Everyone looked over to see Yan Li, his face somewhat pale.

"Yan Li, do you have any further objections? You previously spoke rudely and insulted the Alchemists of my Jia Ma Empire. I haven't even settled that score with you yet!" Fa Ma's expression darkened, his tone unfriendly.

"I don't believe that a brat like him can truly refine a fifth-grade pill. I demand to inspect it personally!" Yan Li forced a smile as he spoke.

"Maybe you just want to destroy it after getting your hands on it, then deny everything!" Liuli sat on a stone stool, watching him like a clown performing and mocking him.

"My apologies, but the competition rules state that you have no right to inspect another contestant's pill." Fa Ma said coldly.

"Hmph. I was already suspicious of that method of refining earlier, and now you won't even let anyone inspect it. I think the Jia Ma Empire Alchemist Guild is simply taking advantage of being the host to manipulate the results behind the scenes. You put on a flashy performance, then brought out a fake pill..."

"Shut up! Yan Li, don't get too presumptuous. You know perfectly well what your Chu Yun Empire did this time!" Fa Ma shouted. The pressure of a Dou Emperor burst forth without restraint, shaking Yan Li to his core.

"Hehe, if you won't let anyone inspect it, then you have a guilty conscience." Yan Li simply began acting shamelessly.

"Nothing more than a clown deceiving himself." At that moment, Xiao Yan suddenly stepped out from the crowd and spoke coldly. "Fine. You want to verify whether it's real? Then I'll eat it right now and let you see!"

Xiao Yan raised his hand, and the red pill instantly entered his mouth.

The entire venue fell silent for a moment before erupting into uproar. Such a precious pill, and he just ate it like that?

"I'm currently a Seven Star Dou Grandmaster. If I digest its medicinal power and break through to the Da Dou Shi realm, then the pill will be proven real!" Large beads of sweat suddenly began streaming down Xiao Yan's forehead. Powerful medicinal energy spread throughout his body, making his meridians ache and swell.

Without hesitation, he sat down on the ground, crossed his legs, and began focusing on refining the medicinal power.

Yan Li fell silent. Now, he truly believed that this young man of around twenty had genuinely refined such a supreme-grade pill.

"No, no! I planned this for so long and paid such a price, only to lose like this? I refuse to accept it! I refuse!" Yan Li broke down as endless fury surged into his heart.

His left hand curled slightly as the strength of a Dou Ling erupted. Gray Dou Qi condensed into a claw and shot out directly toward Xiao Yan.

Everything happened far too suddenly. Fa Ma was nearly a thousand meters away from Xiao Yan, and by the time he moved to help, it was already too late.

"Your defenses broke that easily? What trash." Just then, a pleasant voice rang out. A Purple Longsword shot out from beside Xiao Yan and, in the blink of an eye, pierced straight through Yan Li's abdomen!