Chapter 205 The game begins
Turning our gaze towards the square, as the giant hourglass began to count down, more than two thousand alchemists, no matter what dreams they had in their hearts, summoned their own flames and began to refine pills.
In an instant, more than 2,000 flames lit up at the same time like stars, and the brilliant light pushed the atmosphere of the entire square to a boiling point. The temperature in the air soared, as if even breathing could feel the heat.
Fortunately, there is an invisible barrier guarding the surroundings, locking the heat wave firmly within the competition area, ensuring the safety and comfort of the audience.
Most of the flames summoned by these alchemists are bright yellow, with only slight differences in the depth of the color. They are all catalyzed by pure fighting spirit.
Even Liu Ling, Gu He's direct disciple, is no exception.
However, in this sea of flames, there are always a few that stand out.
For example, Xiao Yan summoned a ball of colorful flames.
This action surprised everyone in the VIP seats. Xiao Yan was indeed not simple. Even the fire he used was so special.
Xiao Ling had heard of this flame before. He heard that Elder Huo had put a lot of thought into getting this beast fire for Xiao Yan.
This is the unique beast fire of the sixth-level magic beast "Phantom Fox". Its temperature varies greatly. When refining pills, it can be adjusted according to the wishes and skills of the alchemist, perfectly adapting to the refining needs of various medicinal materials. Although this kind of flame is not suitable for fighting, it is very suitable for refining medicine.
The flame summoned by the royal princess Yaoyue was as blue as water waves. Obviously, this was the Qianlan Water Flame possessed by the royal sea beast.
In the first round of assessment, the challenge faced by the contestants was to refine a second-grade bone-growing pill carefully developed by the Alchemist Guild. However, the difficulty of the assessment was that, in addition to the necessary materials, they only received a very simple pill recipe.
In this recipe, many key details and steps were deliberately omitted, requiring alchemists to fill in and explore them based on their own experience and intuition.
This is not only a test of skills, but also a challenge to wisdom and creativity.
For a low-level novice alchemist, this is undoubtedly a severe test.
They must not only complete the refining of the elixir within a limited time, but also find the right path among many unknowns.
The results also proved this point. As time passed, explosions began to be heard in the square. The first round tested the basic skills of the alchemists, and obviously, not everyone could withstand such a test.
After using up two supplies of medicinal materials, many alchemists turned pale, and with reluctance and disappointment, they left the square sadly amid the regretful looks and discussions around them.
When most of the sand in the hourglass had fallen, a round pill flew out of the medicine cauldron in front of Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan jumped up and with one swift move, he firmly grasped the pill in his hand.
When the first round pill flew out of Xiao Yan's medicine cauldron, at that moment, the entire square seemed to have pressed the pause button.
Then, a low exclamation spread among the audience, like gentle ripples, gradually spreading to every corner.
The people in the VIP seats and the surrounding alchemists couldn't help but focus their attention on this young boy.
There was both admiration and curiosity in their eyes. After all, being the fastest among many alchemists to complete the refining of pills was an extraordinary talent in itself.
This scene undoubtedly gave people a new evaluation of Xiao Yan's alchemy skills, and made people realize that their previous assessment of his strength was obviously too conservative.
At this time, Hai Bodong's laughter echoed in the VIP seats: "Haha, Master Xiao Ling, this kid named Xiao Yan can reach his current level, it must be inseparable from your guidance, right?"
Hearing Hai Bodong asking, Xiao Ling just shook his head and said, "Although I do give him some guidance when I am free, most of his achievements are due to his own talent and hard work."
Hai Bodong was slightly stunned when he heard this, and then he laughed even more happily: "Haha, Master Xiao Ling, you are still so humble. However, Xiao Yan is indeed impressive. We all underestimated his strength before. With his talent and hard work, plus your guidance, he is even more powerful."
Several people around also nodded, agreeing with Hai Bodong's words.
Everyone's attention was focused on the square again. Following Xiao Yan, as if a chain reaction had been triggered, Liu Ling, Yao Yue and other alchemists with solid foundations successfully refined the Bone-Growing Pill one after another.
After this round of fierce competition, only about one-third of the alchemists were left on the scene. With their own strength and skills, they won the qualification to continue the competition.
At this time, Chemiel, the host of the competition, began to read out the specific methods of testing the elixir. However, during the tense testing process, something unexpected happened.
Originally, everyone in the VIP seats, including Xiao Ling, generally believed that Xiao Yan, Liu Ling, and Yao Yue would easily occupy the top three positions in the first round.
However, the result was not what everyone expected, but instead brought an unexpected huge shock.
The special light mirror installed in the square was originally used to test the medicinal power of elixirs, but it reflected an incredible scene. The elixirs made by three unknown alchemists from foreign countries showed green light beams in the light mirror, which was even higher than the level shown by many alchemists in the Gama Empire.
Under the special detection light microscope, only the green light beam emitted by the elixir refined by Xiao Yan could be compared with the other three eye-catching light beams.
Although Xiao Yan's beam of light was brighter than the other two, it was still slightly inferior to the green beam at the top. There was a burst of exclamations at the scene, and even several important figures in the VIP seats could not help but frown.
Although some of them came with the intention of watching the fun, as residents of the Gama Empire, they could not help but feel uncomfortable when they saw their country's alchemists being overshadowed by contestants from other countries in the competition.
In the VIP seat, Fa Ma frowned and looked solemn. As the president of the Alchemist Guild, such a result was undoubtedly a heavy blow to his dignity, and a challenge to the reputation of the Gama Empire Alchemist Guild.
Jia Xingtian's face was also solemn. He knew that this was no longer just a matter of the Alchemist Guild, but also a matter of national dignity. If not handled properly, it would cause immeasurable damage to the prestige of the Jia Ma Empire.
Xiao Ling raised his eyebrows slightly, his gaze passed through the crowd and fell on the three alchemists shrouded in black robes.
"This soul power is outstanding even among fourth-grade alchemists. Is it Yanli?" Xiao Ling stroked his chin and thought to himself, "However, how did these two people who suddenly appeared appear?"
In Xiao Ling's perception, although the three people looked only seventeen or eighteen years old, there was a faint smell of decay in their bodies. It was obvious that their actual age did not match their appearance. They must have taken the "Restoring Pill" used by "Yan Li" in the original book.
However, Xiao Ling did not take it too seriously. In the original novel, Xiao Yan was able to successfully refine the Three-Striped Green Spirit Pill and defeat "Yan Li", which was enough to prove that "Yan Li" was just that level.
If anything unexpected really happened, he could take action personally at any time to expose the true identities of these people, and kill them directly if necessary.
At this time, Fa Ma raised his head and asked the surrounding guild members: "Where is the information of these three people?"
As soon as Fa Ma finished speaking, a guild elder responded quickly. His fingers flew through the thick files and soon he pulled out three yellowed papers. His voice trembled slightly.
"These three alchemists are from Luoyan Empire, Mulan Empire and Chuyun Empire respectively. However, their faces are quite unfamiliar and have never been recorded in the previous database. Moreover, these three people have registered for the competition as freelance alchemists."
Flipping through the information in his hand casually, Fa Ma sneered and said, "They call themselves second-grade alchemists, but in my perception, their soul power is enough to rival the best of the fourth-grade. With such talent, how could they be unknown? This is clearly intentional. Their purpose is probably this alchemist conference."
After a slight pause, Fa Ma continued, "As I expected, the identities of these three people were also forged, and their faces were carefully disguised."
Hai Bodong on the side smiled calmly and said, "Whether it is suspicious or not, we will know after a try. If it is a disguise, it will definitely not escape the perception of several Dou Huangs present here. Let's find an opportunity to lift their robes later." After the voice fell, Hai Bodong turned to Xiao Ling and asked, "Master Xiao Ling, what do you think?"
Xiao Ling raised his eyebrows slightly and nodded. His voice was calm and firm: "No need to speculate any further. These three people are indeed disguised. Based on what I sensed, their bodies have begun to decay. Their actual ages are obviously over 30 years old, definitely not the 17 years old stated in the information."
Everyone was shocked when they heard this, but since Xiao Ling had confirmed this inference, what Fa Ma mentioned before was likely to be true. It was unbelievable that the three surrounding countries would unite to target the Alchemist Conference held by the Jia Ma Empire.
If they have ill intentions towards the Gama Empire, the alliance of the three countries will undoubtedly bring huge trouble to the Gama Empire...
After listening to Xiao Ling's words, Fa Ma thought for a moment and then added, "I read in an ancient book that there is a special elixir called Fu Rong Dan, which can change a person's appearance and make them look younger. But to restore the original appearance, you need to take a specific elixir. If I'm not mistaken, these people must have taken Fu Rong Dan."
Mitchell frowned and asked Fa Ma: "In this case, President, should we expel them from the conference?"
Fa Ma shook his head, his voice filled with helplessness: "Although we can see through their disguise, we can't expel them in public based on our intuition. Our conference has always been open to all alchemists, including the alchemists of the Izumo Empire."
Jia Xingtian frowned and said with some dissatisfaction: "What are you going to do now? If someone from the Izumo Empire wins the championship, it will be a big blow to the reputation of your guild. The Gama Empire will also lose face because of this."
Fa Ma spread his hands, with a hint of helplessness in his voice: "We can only continue the smooth flow of the conference. If they are exposed, we don't need to worry too much..."
Before Fa Maba could finish his words, Xiao Ling interrupted the conversation. There was a hint of relief in his voice: "Don't worry, Xiao Yan has his own way to deal with it. I believe he will not let the championship fall into the hands of others." His eyes inadvertently swept across the arena and fell on Xiao Yan, his eyes full of deep meaning.
In order to appease everyone, Xiao Ling continued, "If anything unexpected happens, I will participate in the finals. Anyway, I am within the age limit. As for how to deal with these three people, we will take action after this competition is over."
After hearing Xiao Ling's words, everyone nodded in agreement. Jia Xingtian and Fa Ma both breathed a sigh of relief.
Although Xiao Yan was an outstanding figure among the younger generation, the three mysterious gray-robed boys were obviously not of the same generation.
Xiao Ling is different. As a renowned sixth-grade alchemist, his strength and achievements are enough to convince everyone.
Then, everyone in the VIP seats turned their attention to the center of the square, where Yan Li and the other three foreign alchemists looked quite pleased with themselves after defeating many alchemists from the Jia Ma Empire. However, a trace of imperceptible pity gradually emerged in their eyes.
Their fate has been quietly determined. When this Alchemist Conference comes to an end, many forces will secretly covet them and want to eliminate them as soon as possible, and will never allow them to step out of the territory of the Gama Empire alive.
After all, although the status of a pharmacist is noble, it is only for the living. When the dead return to silence, their value disappears.
A trace of relief flashed across Fa Ma's eyes. He bowed deeply to Xiao Ling, his tone full of gratitude: "Master Xiao Ling, your support is crucial to us. If the situation is urgent, please don't hesitate to help us."
Xiao Ling nodded slightly, his face still calm, and his tone revealed a calmness: "It's the same for you. As an honorary elder of the Alchemist Guild, I should naturally stand up in the face of emergencies. Our common goal is to ensure the fairness and order of the conference, and there can be no mistakes."
Hearing this, Fa Ma secretly breathed a sigh of relief and was glad that he had established a friendly relationship with Xiao Ling last time.
If he had not helped Xiao Ling find items before, thus establishing a solid friendship between the Alchemist Guild and Xiao Ling, Fa Ma would not be sure whether Xiao Ling would be so willing to provide help.
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(End of this chapter)