At that piercing muffled bang, the little princess, Liu Ling, and Yan Li—who had been engrossed in the pill-merging stage—were all slightly startled. They promptly turned toward Xiao Yan, and as they watched black ash spill from his medicinal cauldron, each wore a different expression.
"Ah..." The little princess sighed softly. Xiao Yan had originally been the strongest contender against that gray-robed youth from the Izumo Empire, but judging from this unexpected turn of events, things did not look good.
"Since you've failed, leave the rest to me. I'll represent the Jia Ma Empire's alchemy world and defeat that man. I'll let everyone know that even without you, he won't be taking the championship!"
Liu Ling pressed his lips tightly together, his fists clenched. Though he felt some regret, he felt even more secret delight.
Ever since Xiao Yan had taken the stage, he and that mysterious gray-robed youth had undoubtedly become the most watched contestants in this competition. To the ever-proud Liu Ling, that had indeed been rather hard to accept.
"Heh, you brat who started strong and finished weak. Since you've lost, no one in this competition can stop me now! The championship is mine!"
A smug sneer curled across his lips as Yan Li waved his hand. The black flames inside his cauldron surged up once more, and the various ingredients gradually fused together perfectly beneath the searing flames.
"He failed?" On the platform, Hai Bodong's expression changed slightly as he turned to Fa Ma and asked in a low voice.
"Yes." Fa Ma nodded and sighed, then forced a spirited smile. "But it's all right. He still has chances."
Although he said so, Fa Ma's heart was filled with gloom and bitterness. As an extraordinarily experienced master alchemist, he understood very well just how difficult it