Chapter 150: One

"Wait and see," Liu Ling turned, fixing his gaze on the spot where Xiao Yan had vanished, smiling softly as he murmured, "I'll make him feel utterly ashamed at the Convention—the Disciple of the Dantian Alchemist is the finest in the Jia Ma Empire."

Early the next morning, Xiao Yan, led by Zhaoguanjia, returned to the Alchemist Guild.

Tomorrow marks the official start of the Elixir Convention; today will be a trial test.

As he walked, Xiao Yan was startled to see fully armed troops patrolling the main streets of the City.

Clearly, this was due to the impending Alchemist Convention—such a grand event naturally required thorough security measures.

After slowly passing several wide streets, the massive Alchemist Guild finally came into view; seeing its entrance even more crowded than two days prior, Xiao Yan sighed helplessly.

It seemed Alchemists from across the nation—and even foreign lands—were all eager to shine at this Convention.

Disembarking from the carriage, Xiao Yan easily approached the Guild's entrance, thanks to the Nan Lan Clan's banner.

Just as he was about to enter through the VIP passage, a commotion erupted behind him, drawing the eyes of everyone nearby.

"Hm? What's going on?" Frowning slightly, Xiao Yan turned to look toward the source of the disturbance.

A blue-flame beast pulled a silvery-white carriage; from it, a snow-white, jade-like hand reached out, gracefully grasping the door handle, then a graceful figure stepped out, appearing before all eyes.

The girl wore a purple robe embroidered with silver patterns; her exquisite face carried an innate air of nobility. She appeared young—perhaps seventeen or eighteen—roughly Xiao Yan's age.

Though she seemed demure, her watery eyes flickered with mischievous, cunning smiles—clearly, she was no quiet, docile maiden.

Zhaoguanjia whispered, "This is Xiao Princess Yue, daughter of the Jia Ma Royal Family. Her Master is Vice-Chairman Chimer, who already earned Third-Rank Alchemist status last year. She is the Royal Family's precious jewel and a top favorite to win this year."

Hearing this, Xiao Yan could only silently pity the Xiao Princess—because whether Third-Rank or Fourth-Rank, to him—with his Strange Fire, Six-Grade Soul Force, and Fourth-Rank Peak Pill Alchemy—all were mere cannon fodder.

Without further notice, Xiao Yan entered the Alchemist Guild first.

Following the old steward into a spacious, classically decorated hall, he found several people standing in small groups; his gaze swept over them, and he was startled to see many of these seemingly twenty-seven- or twenty-eight-year-olds were already Third-Rank Alchemists.

Soon after, the Imperial Princess and Liu Ling entered as well.

"Young Master Yan, I can't accompany you further," Zhaoguanjia bowed.

"Thank you for guiding me."

"Not at all. May Young Master Yan triumph at the outset."

After seeing off the old steward, Xiao Yan had no intention of conversing with the others; he leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and rested, waiting for the test to begin.

"Huh? Wasn't that the Nan Lan Clan's steward? Who's that man not wearing the Alchemist robe? He's not on the list, is he? How did he get in through the back door?" Master Otto of Black Flame City asked.

Vice-Chairman Chimer shook his head. "I don't know. I heard he gained entry through Nalan Jie's influence—apparently, he hasn't even been tested for Alchemist rank."

"Never tested? Probably just brought along to see the sights."

Hearing this, Chimer said no more, turning his gaze to the crowd below and pointing to the left wall of the Hall, where many black curtains hung: "Behind each curtain is a private chamber—your testing room."

"As you all know, the refining of Medicinal Materials is a crucial step in Pill Alchemy. Today's test will assess your ability to refine these materials."

"On each chamber's platform, the test Medicinal Materials have been prepared. Your task is to refine them to the highest purity you can achieve before the hourglass runs out."

Hearing the Vice-Chairman's voice, Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes, glanced at the chambers, and chose the nearest one, stepping inside.

As Xiao Yan pulled back the Black Cloth and entered, a Stone Platform stood before him, bearing an hourglass and chunks of Medicinal Material resembling charcoal.

Picking up the Medicinal Material, Xiao Yan murmured, "So this is Black Iron Spirit Leaf—the low-grade herb commonly used in Two-Rank healing Elixirs. It resists heat fiercely; refining it demands precise control over Fire Energy."

Seeing it, Xiao Yan shrugged—it wasn't difficult for him. He yawned, smirked, pulled out five Alchemy Furnaces, and tossed the Green Lotus Earth Core Fire and Black Iron Spirit Leaf into them.

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—the Green Lotus Earth Core Fire's Infernal Heat surged instantly to maximum. Such heat wouldn't just refine it—it would reduce the Black Iron Spirit Leaf to ash.

At the very instant the Black Iron Spirit Leaf touched the Green Lotus Earth Core Fire, about to turn to ash, Xiao Yan's hands manipulated the flame like puppet strings.

In the thousandth-of-a-second moment before the leaf was fully consumed, thin threads of green flame pierced through the burning, breaking leaf, instantly extracting its medicinal essence.

In the blink of an eye, the Black Iron Spirit Leaf in the Alchemy Furnace turned to ash. Had Xiao Yan been a fraction slower, the medicinal essence would have been destroyed with it.

The technique's core lies in using ultra-fast destruction to break the Medicinal Material, then sensing its critical threshold with Soul Force Perception—extracting the essence at the precise moment of maximum fragmentation.

This demands not only powerful Fire Energy but also extremely strong Soul Force, capable of perceiving even the medicinal properties within.

Pulling a wooden box from his space ring, Xiao Yan placed the Medicinal Powder inside, then turned and left.

Less than a minute total.

Seeing Xiao Yan emerge after only a minute, while some Alchemists were still lingering in the Hall, not even entering their chambers.

Vice-Chairman Chimer smiled and said, "Young man, you don't need to come out to check the Hall's hourglass—each chamber has one synchronized with this. The refining time lasts until the sand runs out; purity checks begin only after. No need to rush."

Clearly, the Vice-Chairman assumed Xiao Yan was overly nervous and misunderstood the rules, coming out to ask.

Xiao Yan pulled out the wooden box, eyes half-lidded, yawning lazily: "I'm done refining."

"You're done?!?!" Chimer and Master Otto both exclaimed in shock.

Otto asked, "How many times did you refine?"

"How many times? Once."

(End of Chapter)