The morning of the competition's second day arrived, and the atmosphere in Verdant City was electric. The first two stages, held back-to-back the previous day, had established a clear and thrilling narrative: Chen Jianxin of the Verdant Cauldron Sect was as brilliant as the rumors claimed, but he was not untouchable.
Two mysterious dark horses, Liu Meiying of the Silver Stream Clan and the completely unknown Su Lin of the Pale Orchid Clan, had matched him step for step in the trials of perception and control, creating an unexpected three-way tie for first place. The arrogant heir of the Crimson Crucible Sect, Huo Liling, trailed just behind, her fury and ambition a palpable force that seemed to radiate from her very being.
As the Green Mountain Sect delegation made their way through the bustling streets towards the Cauldron Pavilion Arena, the disciples were in high spirits. They had performed respectably, avoiding disgrace and securing a solid position in the middle of the pack. The pressure of the initial stages was off, replaced by an eager curiosity to witness the next chapter of the unfolding drama between the top contenders.
The city was a living thing, buzzing with speculation. In the teahouses and on the street corners, cultivators debated heatedly whether the mysterious Su Lin could maintain her miraculous performance, or if the sheer power of the fire-specialist sects would overwhelm her subtle skills.
Li Yu walked with Han Jian, a calm island in the river of excitement. He listened to the sect heir analyze the situation with a keen, strategic mind.
"Today will shake up the rankings dramatically," Han Jian mused, his eyes sharp and analytical. "Yesterday favored finesse and perception, which are the hallmarks of a truly refined alchemist. Liu Meiying and Su Lin excelled because their spiritual senses are incredibly pure and their control is immaculate. But today is about raw, unadulterated power. It is a stage designed to favor cultivators like Huo Liling, whose entire dao is built on aggression, and the brute from Roaring Beast Mountain, Xiong Shan, with his violent beast flame. It will be interesting to see how the leaders adapt to a test that seems so contrary to their nature."
They took their seats in the massive amphitheater, which was already a roaring sea of voices and vibrant energy. The competitors filed onto the white jade stage below, their expressions a stark contrast to the previous day. The nervous energy of the opening trials had been burned away, replaced by a grim, focused intensity. Today was not about subtlety; it was about unleashing the full, untamed power of their inner fire, a direct confrontation of will and foundation.
The elderly host from the Verdant Cauldron Sect once again took center stage, his presence commanding silence from the massive crowd.
"We have tested the eye and the hand!" his amplified voice boomed, echoing through the vast space. "Now, we test the core! We will witness the true, foundational power that fuels the alchemist's art and separates the strong from the weak. Welcome to the third stage: The Trial of Power!"
The Spirit Flame Calibrators from the previous day were removed by sect disciples, replaced by a single, slender crystal pillar at each station. The crystal was perfectly clear, about three feet tall, but deep within its core, a single, dark, inky mote was visible, a flaw in its otherwise perfect structure.
"This is a Spirit Flame Purity Crystal," the elder explained, his voice resonating with authority. "Your task is simple. You will unleash the most powerful flame you can possibly sustain and direct it at this crystal for one minute. The crystal will measure two things: the raw temperature of your flame, which will cause the crystal itself to glow with a corresponding intensity, from a dim yellow to a blinding white. Simultaneously, it will measure the purity of your flame. A pure flame, free of chaotic or mixed energies, will cause the dark mote within to shrink. An impure or unstable flame will cause it to expand. Your final score will be a combination of both raw power and essential purity. Let the third stage begin!"
A sharp, explosive chime, like the crack of a whip, signaled the start.
The stage erupted in a blinding flash of light and a wave of overwhelming heat that rolled through the arena. The sudden, intense thermal wave caused thousands of spectators in the lower tiers to instinctively raise their spiritual barriers. The air shimmered with the raw energy. For Li Yu, however, the wave of heat was of no consequence. His Abyssal Leviathan Physique was completely indifferent to such superficial temperature changes. The heat washed over him and was gone, no more bothersome than a slight change in the wind, a fact that Han Jian, who had subconsciously circulated a thin layer of his own Qi, noted with a flicker of surprise.
This stage was Huo Liling's domain. A savage, triumphant grin spread across her beautiful face, a look of pure, cathartic release. "Finally!" she roared, her voice laced with fiery energy. She thrust her hands forward, and a pillar of furious, crimson fire erupted from her palms, engulfing the crystal before her. The flame was not just large; it was dense, a churning vortex of power that screamed with aggressive, unrestrained energy.
The crystal at her station instantly glowed a blinding, cherry-red, a testament to the terrifying temperature her cultivation art could produce. From the stands, Li Yu could see that the dark mote within had shrunk significantly, but it still wavered and pulsed slightly, a clear sign that her raw, untamed power lacked the ultimate refinement of a truly stable flame. Still, her display was the most visually spectacular, a clear declaration of dominance that had the crowd roaring her name.
Not far from her, Xiong Shan of the Roaring Beast Mountain let out a guttural roar of his own. He ripped the massive, sealed gourd from his back, tore off the talisman that bound it, and pointed its opening at his crystal. With a deep, primal bellow that seemed to shake the stage, a torrent of churning, violet-black fire spewed forth.
The flame was chaotic and terrifying, and within its violent, flickering depths, one could almost hear the faint, agonized roar of a powerful demonic beast. This was his beast flame, a rare and violent power absorbed from a formidable creature. The heat it produced was immense, nearly matching Huo Liling's, and the crystal at his station glowed an equally furious red. His brute force was undeniable, and he was clearly going to claw his way back up the rankings with this single, overwhelming display.
Then there was Chen Jianxin. He remained an island of calm amidst the inferno. He took a deep, centering breath, and his gentle, golden flame expanded. It did not explode outwards like Huo Liling's or spew forth like Xiong Shan's. It intensified, the color shifting from a soft gold to a white-gold so pure and bright it was difficult to look at directly. It was not a raging inferno, but a miniature, perfectly stable sun.
The crystal before him glowed with an intensity that, while a fraction less than Huo Liling's, was absolutely unwavering. And the dark mote within? It had shrunk to the size of a pinprick, a near-perfect display of pure, refined power. He was proving to the entire world that true strength did not need to be wild; it could be focused, pure, and absolute.
The two dark horses, however, faced their first true wall, a test fundamentally at odds with their nature. Liu Meiying's silvery-blue flame intensified, its color becoming a deeper, more vibrant azure. It was a flame of breathtaking beauty and purity, but it simply lacked the raw, explosive heat of the fire specialists.
Her dao was one of gentle, flowing control, not overwhelming power. The crystal glowed a respectable orange-yellow, and the mote shrank significantly due to her flame's incredible purity, but she was clearly outmatched in this specific trial. A faint, resigned sigh escaped her lips as she maintained her output, knowing this was the best she could do.
For Su Lin of the Pale Orchid Clan, the trial was a catastrophe. Her entire dao was based on nurturing life, a gentle and subtle art. A test of raw, destructive power was its complete antithesis. Her pale green flame, which had shown such impossible control, barely grew in size. She pushed her spiritual energy to its absolute limit, her face pale with strain, but the flame only managed to produce a soft, warm glow.
The crystal at her station barely lit up, a faint, dim yellow that looked pathetic next to the raging infernos around her. And while her flame was incredibly pure, causing the mote to shrink almost to nothing, its utter lack of power meant her score would be abysmal. The crowd, which had been cheering for her just moments before, now looked on with a mixture of pity and disappointment. The miracle, it seemed, was over.
The Green Mountain Sect disciples performed as expected. Brother Shen's flame was a solid, powerful orange, a testament to his years of steady practice. Lin Xue's was a brighter yellow, showing more potential and a finer degree of purity. Yao Fei, having taken Li Yu's words to heart, was no longer dejected. He focused on producing the purest flame he could, rather than the strongest, and his performance was stable and composed. They were all solidly mid-tier, a performance of competence but not genius.
Li Yu glanced down at his own hands, remembering the pathetic, firefly-sized flame he had managed to produce the night before. The sheer, overwhelming power on display before him now highlighted the immense, almost laughable gulf between him and these true alchemists in this specific field.
"See, little boy?" Khaos's voice echoed in his mind, dripping with ancient, cosmic amusement. "This is a candle's fire. That little spark you made would be an insult to a candle. Why bother with such trivial things? Play with the void. It has more power than any of these tiny little candles."
Li Yu ignored the jibe, his focus remaining on the stage. The minute of sustained output felt like an age, but finally, the chime rang out, and the competitors, many of whom were now drenched in sweat and breathing heavily from the exertion, extinguished their flames.
The results flashed onto the ethereal cauldron, and the crowd roared as the scores for Stage 3 were revealed.
"Huo Liling of the Crimson Crucible Sect, with overwhelming power, earns a score of 9.8 points!" the host announced. The crowd cheered for the fiery display.
"Xiong Shan of Roaring Beast Mountain, with his ferocious beast flame, is close behind with 9.7 points!" Another roar for the brute's impressive showing.
"Chen Jianxin of the Verdant Cauldron Sect, a master of purity and power, scores 9.5 points!" The home crowd gave their genius the loudest cheer of all.
The host's voice softened slightly. "Liu Meiying of the Silver Stream Clan, a respectable score of 8.0 points." The applause was polite, acknowledging her effort. Then, a wave of sympathetic sighs went through the crowd as the next score appeared. "Su Lin of the Pale Orchid Clan scores 5.1 points."
The Green Mountain Sect's scores were then announced. "Lin Xue, a fine display of pure fire, earns 8.4 points! Brother Shen, with his steady flame, scores 8.2 points! And Yao Fei, a commendable performance, earns 8.1 points!"
The results flashed onto the ethereal cauldron, and the crowd roared. The host returned to the stage. "An incredible display of power! The rankings have been shaken! But an alchemist is more than their perception, their control, or their power. An alchemist is one who creates! Tomorrow, the true test begins. For the fourth stage, you will be required to refine a Rank 3 Spirit-Recovery Pill! Prepare yourselves, for the dao of creation is the most demanding of all!"
The announcement sent a fresh wave of excitement through the arena. The foundational skill tests were over. Now, it was time to make medicine.