At this point, the Third Prince glanced at Qin Xuan. He smiled helplessly.
“Honestly, if it weren’t for your brilliance, I wouldn’t believe such a thing.”
At this, Qin Xuan also laughed wryly.
Considering he had gone from having no rank to being a Five-Rank Alchemist in a single day, this was far more terrifying than a Six-Rank Alchemist who improved in a month.
Thinking about it that way, the person from Da Qi didn’t seem so exaggerated after all.
“Qin Xuan, your situation is different from his. You already had the strength of a Five-Rank Alchemist a long time ago; you just never participated in the Alchemist ranking assessment.”
“So, it wouldn’t be excessive even if you advanced to a Six-Rank Alchemist in one day, but this person’s situation might not be like that.”
Han Ye earnestly cautioned Qin Xuan.
“If this person is like you, having hidden his strength before, then it’s understandable. But what if he isn’t?”
“What if he truly raised his strength to a Masked Rank 6 Alchemist in one month? How would that be explained?”
Truly raising an Alchemist’s strength from no rank to a Six-Rank Alchemist in one month?
Qin Xuan shook his head; there was no way he could believe that.
Unlike other professions, Alchemy values Mental Energy and experience the most.
A good Alchemist can only discover potential problems in each Alchemy session by continuously refining Medicinal Pills.
Through repeated practice, one’s strength improves.
Good Alchemists are nurtured in this way, constantly fed by Medicinal Pills.
Without a large supply of Medicinal Pills, an Alchemist simply cannot grow.
One month is simply not enough time.
“Then it seems the situation with this person from Da Qi is truly amiss. In my opinion, does he also possess something similar to my Thousand Transformations Spirit?”
Qin Xuan pondered thoughtfully.
Leaving aside other things, the Thousand Transformations Spirit can change a person’s appearance and even their temperament, making it very easy to fake things.
“Are you saying Da Qi actually sent a seasoned Six-Rank Alchemist to impersonate an Alchemist under thirty?”
Han Ye was somewhat disbelieving, but Qin Xuan was deep in thought.
“Actually, besides this situation, there’s another possibility.”
Qin Xuan remained calm and then looked at the Third Prince.
“May I ask, Your Highness, has there been any Six-Rank Alchemist in Da Qi who has suddenly entered seclusion or passed away recently?”
The Third Prince was stunned, then shook his head helplessly.
“I haven’t checked that. I’ve been focusing my attention on those Alchemists under thirty from the other side, but you know Six-Rank Alchemists are generally over thirty.”
“What do you mean? Why ask such a question suddenly?”
Qin Xuan took a deep breath, then looked at the Third Prince.
“Your Highness, what if this person was taken through Possession by a Six-Rank Alchemist?”
“What? You said taken through Possession by a Six-Rank Alchemist?”
The Third Prince stood up, somewhat shocked, but then the more he thought about it, the more plausible this possibility seemed.
“Exactly. For someone to go from no rank to a Six-Rank Alchemist in one month is simply too abnormal.”
“In my opinion, this person was very likely taken through Possession. Should I report it to the Supreme Emperor and ask him to intervene…?”
Before he could finish speaking, Qin Xuan negated the idea.
“No, Your Highness, you absolutely must not do that now. If you do, others will only think we’ve chickened out.”
“We have no evidence whatsoever. If we insist that someone was taken through Possession, the other countries simply won’t believe it.”
“Moreover, this will only invite criticism and make things even more unclear.”
Hearing Qin Xuan say this, the Third Prince thought about it and could only give up helplessly. After all, this was just a suspicion between him and Qin Xuan.
What if the other party truly possessed such strength, and simply hadn't participated in the Alchemist assessment before? That was also possible.
“Sigh, it’s a pity I know nothing about Alchemy. This time, I can only rely on you.”
The Third Prince cupped his hands repeatedly towards Qin Xuan.
“Your Highness, rest assured. This matter concerns the glory of our Great Qi. I, Qin, will certainly do my utmost to keep this first place in our Great Qi.”
Listening to Qin Xuan’s assurance, the Third Prince was also filled with confidence.
“Let’s go, my carriage is waiting outside. I’ll take you there.”
Saying this, the Third Prince made a gesturing motion towards Qin Xuan, indicating for him to follow him out.
Soon, the two walked out of the Qin Estate. Outside the Qin Estate’s gate, the Third Prince’s Consort was waiting there.
Compared to before, the Third Prince’s Consort now looked much more haggard, and she seemed anxious and uneasy.
Seeing Qin Xuan emerge, the Third Prince’s Consort hurriedly bowed towards Qin Xuan.
“Greetings, Master Qin.”
Qin Xuan hastily returned the bow.
Although he knew it was only a matter of time before the Third Prince’s Consort was repudiated.
But after all, she was still the Third Prince’s Consort on the surface, and he couldn’t treat her lightly.
“The matter of you fighting for Great Qi at that banquet has already spread throughout the capital. This time, many people have come specifically to support you.”
Saying this, the Third Prince looked at Qin Xuan with a beaming smile.
“If you can truly defeat the Alchemists of the three nations this time, it will undoubtedly greatly enhance the prestige of our Great Qi.”
The Third Prince said.
Hearing this, Qin Xuan gave a helpless bitter smile.
Defeating the Alchemists of the three nations was not an easy task; these three Alchemists were all Six-Rank Alchemists.
Even if he could now refine seventh-grade Medicinal Pills, it wasn’t guaranteed that he would win.
What he had said at the banquet, with all the high-ranking officials and nobles present, should not have been easily spread.
Yet, in just one day, it had become a hot topic in the city. Clearly, someone was fanning the flames.
Thinking of this, Qin Xuan looked at the Third Prince.
Among these people, the most likely one was His Highness, the Third Prince.
It seemed the Third Prince was quite confident in him securing first place, otherwise he wouldn’t have started building momentum for him in advance.
In this way, once Qin Xuan could win first place in this Alchemist Grand Competition, the Third Prince’s influence would also greatly increase.
This was undoubtedly beneficial for his bid for the position of Crown Prince, which was why he was so eager to create momentum for Qin Xuan.
“Come, get in the carriage. I’ll take you there.”
The Third Prince said, beckoning to Qin Xuan, indicating for him to share the carriage.
Seeing the Third Prince’s Consort hesitantly unwilling to get in, the Third Prince’s expression slightly darkened.
“Min’er, you come up too. Don’t keep Master Qin waiting.”
Saying this, he somewhat roughly pulled the Third Prince’s Consort into the carriage.
Upon seeing this, Qin Xuan remained unmoved. He kept his eyes lowered, like an old monk in meditation.
This matter, after all, concerned the privacy of the imperial family. Although his status was quite noble, he still had to be careful in such matters.
The carriage rumbled.
As the carriage moved forward, Qin Xuan looked out the window. The road was already packed with pedestrians, almost everyone discussing the Alchemist Grand Competition.
After all, this Alchemist Grand Competition was simply too dramatic.
Initially, everyone thought it was just an ordinary Alchemist competition, but they never expected it to evolve into a tool for Great Qi to contend with the other three nations.
