On the VIP platform.
At that moment, Jia Xingtian smiled at the old man in purple alchemist robes beside him. "Old Man Fa, who do you think will win this tournament?"
"I couldn't say, but Gu He's disciple Liu Xiang and your granddaughter Yao Yue are both contenders for the championship."
Fa Ma was clearly a shrewd old man, offering an answer that smoothed things over without taking sides. Jia Xingtian laughed when he heard it. "Oh, you flatter her. My granddaughter still needs more practice."
His words were modest, but Jia Xingtian's face was wreathed in smiles.
Hai Bodong, however, seemed unable to stand Jia Xingtian's smile and doused him with cold water. "You two old men shouldn't speak too soon. That fellow from the Chu Yun Empire is no pushover. More importantly, there's also that youngster named Xun Xiao. He's another dark horse."
At the mention of Yan Li from the Chu Yun Empire, Jia Xingtian's and Fa Ma's expressions changed. When they heard Xun Xiao's name, their smiles faded further.
"Xun Xiao does have the potential to win, but there's clearly something wrong with that Li Yan from the Chu Yun Empire."
Fa Ma narrowed his aged eyes. "During the test, I sensed that he was at least a fourth-rank alchemist, not the second-rank alchemist recorded in his information."
"A seventeen-year-old fourth-rank alchemist? President, do you think that's possible? No matter how talented he is, alchemy still requires time and accumulated experience. Even if someone like that existed, he couldn't possibly appear in our Northwest Region, unless he were an unparalleled prodigy."
Chelsea, the Alchemist Guild's vice president, spoke gravely. "But I don't believe Li Yan is an unparalleled prodigy. There's something strange about his face. Beneath that youthful face, there should be an aged soul."
"Could