A Sure Win?

In the Xiao Clan section, a figure rose to his feet.

"Xiao Yan, sit down! This has nothing to do with you right now," Xiao Ning immediately shouted upon seeing him.

"Don't mess around, you little brat. You've only been apprenticed for two months," Xiao Yu urged.

The other members of the Xiao Clan looked at the standing Xiao Yan in shock, save for the clan leader and the three elders.

The alchemist representing the Xiao Clan was Xiao Yan? Not his teacher?

This was simply a joke. Two marketplaces were at stake!

Two months ago, that alchemist had delivered Blood-Clotting Powder to the Xiao Clan and praised Xiao Yan in front of everyone.

But only two months had passed. Could Xiao Yan already refine a first-grade pill?

Xiao Yan glanced at the siblings and rolled his eyes. "Two idiots. Wonder who you inherited that from."

The First Elder immediately started coughing, glaring hard at Xiao Yan.

"Xiao Yan-gege, good luck!" Xun'er smiled and made a cheering gesture at Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan nodded lightly and turned his gaze toward his father.

"Yan'er, don't put yourself under too much pressure," Xiao Zhan said deeply.

"I'll win. I definitely will." Xiao Yan was extremely confident. With his teacher present, refining a first-grade pill would be effortless.

Step by step, Xiao Yan climbed onto the alchemy platform and looked toward Wang Teng in the distance.

This was the first time the two had met.

Xiao Yan was slightly taken aback when he saw Wang Teng's calm expression.

It's like he isn't surprised at all that I'm representing the Xiao Clan?

Could someone in the Xiao Clan have leaked the secret, and he learned about it beforehand? Impossible. Only Father and the three elders know about this.

Forget it. There's no need to overthink it. Cooperating with Teacher to refine the pill and win this match is what matters most.

Unable to see a shocked expression on Wang Teng's face, Xiao Yan felt briefly disappointed before gathering his focus and taking out a crimson medicinal cauldron.

Wang Teng likewise took out a medicinal cauldron, along with portions of medicinal herbs and ingredients.

When the audience saw the two preparing to begin refining, the discussion grew even more heated.

"I never expected the Xiao Clan's alchemist to be Xiao Yan."

"A year ago, Xiao Yan was only at the third stage of Dou Qi. Now he's transformed into an alchemist."

"As expected of a genius who broke through to Dou Zhe at the age of eleven. His talent in alchemy is terrifyingly strong as well."

Those who had lived in Wu Tan City for a long time naturally knew Xiao Yan well, and they all sighed at the sight.

Those drawn over by the commotion were left too stunned to speak after asking about what had happened.

If they had not seen it with their own eyes, it would have been hard to imagine that such an exceptional genius could emerge from a border town like Wu Tan City.

As Ruo Lin listened to the city lord's introduction, her beautiful eyes swept over Xiao Yan.

In one year, his Dou Qi had leaped directly from the third stage to the seventh, rising four stages in a row. Now, he had not only broken through to Dou Zhe, but had also become an alchemist.

I really made the right choice coming to Wu Tan City this time!

Joy filled Ruo Lin's heart. Suddenly, she braced herself against the table and stood up, staring fixedly at Xiao Yan. "That is the energy fluctuation of a four-star Dou Zhe."

A seventeen-year-old four-star Dou Zhe? Yu'er really didn't lie to me yesterday.

As Xiao Yan activated his pill flame, the energy of his own Dou Qi was also exposed to the public.

The expressions of many Xiao Clan members became complicated, with Xiao Ning's being the most obvious.

But soon, an energy fluctuation stronger than Xiao Yan's appeared.

"A nine-star Dou Zhe... no, it feels like he's about to break through to Dou Shi." Ruo Lin's gaze shifted to the other platform.

I really want to know how old Wang Teng is this year.

If he isn't yet twenty, then his potential completely exceeds the academy's established standards.

As both alchemists began refining, the discussion at the scene gradually subsided.

The city lord looked at Gu Ni. "Master Gu Ni, you are the only second-grade alchemist here. Could you explain Wang Teng and Xiao Yan's match for everyone?"

"Certainly." Gu Ni considered it, then agreed.

Their conversation had not been concealed, and many people heard it. Their gazes gathered on Gu Ni.

Alchemy was a tedious process. To outsiders, it merely involved lighting a fire inside a medicinal cauldron, continuously tossing herbs into it, and waiting for the pill to form.

Who was stronger and who was weaker could only be determined once the pills emerged from the cauldrons.

"The two alchemists are currently carrying out the first stage of alchemy: extracting the essence from the medicinal herbs."

"This stage greatly tests an alchemist's control over heat. If the temperature is too low, the herbs' medicinal potency will dissipate. If it is too high, the herbs will be ruined."

"Furthermore, the order in which the herbs are extracted also matters."

"Judging by the extraction order alone, Xiao Yan and Wang Teng are evenly matched. Both possess deep knowledge of medicinal ingredients."

"However, in terms of speed, Xiao Yan is weaker than Wang Teng and has fallen somewhat behind."

Each time Xiao Yan added a medicinal herb, he had to wait a while before taking the next one. Wang Teng, on the other hand, added one herb after another without pausing.

Throughout the process, every step Wang Teng took was orderly, his movements smooth and flowing.

Before long, a mixed fragrance of medicinal herbs drifted from Wang Teng's medicinal cauldron and spread through the air.

Xiao Yan could not help raising his head to glance at Wang Teng. As a result, the flames in his cauldron swelled and nearly went out of control, almost ruining one of the herbs.

Fortunately, a wisp of white flame flashed past and balanced the temperature.

"Focus! Boy, there's no need for you to compete with him in speed. He has spent several more years than you studying alchemy," Yao Lao reprimanded.

"I understand, Teacher." Xiao Yan tensed his nerves.

He cultivated a low-grade Yellow-tier technique, and the amount of Dou Qi in his body could not support a second round of pill refinement.

At last, all the medicinal herbs and the magic core had been refined.

Xiao Yan let out a breath and looked toward Wang Teng. His opponent was already condensing the pill.

"Teacher, can you tell what pill he is refining?" Xiao Yan could not suppress his curiosity.

The two sides were not refining the same kind of pill in this match. Victory could not be judged based on pill quality; it depended on the effects of the pills.

Originally, Xiao Yan had considered borrowing Yao Lao's power to refine a second-grade pill and secure victory through its grade.

Unfortunately, the other side had stipulated that only first-grade pills could be refined.

"Every pill formula is an alchemist's trump card. They are not casually revealed to others," Yao Lao said.

Xiao Yan paused, then said softly, "You couldn't tell either, could you?"

"This old man may not have identified the exact pill formula, but based on the ingredients, I can roughly judge that it is a pill with an effect similar to ours," Yao Lao said, forcefully saving face.

"Doesn't that mean we've got this in the bag?" Xiao Yan asked in delight.

This time, he was refining a first-grade pill called the Realm-Breaking Pill. When consumed by a Dou Zhe, it could help them break through one level. Each person could take it at most twice; after that, the medicinal effect would no longer work.

Having seen pills such as Foundation-Building Spirit Liquid, Xiao Yan was extremely confident in the pill formula Yao Lao had provided.

"Enough. Rest up and hurry to refine the pill." Yao Lao avoided Xiao Yan's question with an impatient tone.

Before I became a soul, I was already a Medicine Venerable. Why would I have bothered specifically collecting first-grade pill formulas?

Who knows whether first-grade pill formulas have improved after all these years.

Xiao Yan naturally did not know what Yao Lao was thinking. After steadying himself, he began controlling the fusion of the medicinal liquids.

Yao Lao would guide him through this step.

But for the final pill condensation, Yao Lao would need to provide his strength.

After Gu Ni's explanation, everyone present knew the match had reached its crucial final stage, and they all focused intently on watching.

Wang Teng was as fast as ever. The entire process was silky smooth, without the slightest mishap, as he successfully fused the medicinal liquids and condensed them into pill after pill.