The roar of the crowd following the conclusion of the third stage was a chaotic symphony of shock, excitement, and debate. The leaderboard had been violently reshuffled by the Trial of Power. Chen Jianxin, with his display of pure and refined fire, had narrowly held onto his first-place position.
The arrogant Huo Liling, despite a spectacular display of raw power, now sat in second, a fact that was clearly grating on her pride. Liu Meiying had slipped to third, while the former miracle, Su Lin, had plummeted into the middle of the pack after her disastrous performance in the power-based trial.
Before the audience could even fully process the new standings, the elderly host floated back to the center of the stage, his voice cutting through the din.
"An incredible display of power! But raw strength is but one facet of the dao!" he boomed. "An alchemist is not a warrior; an alchemist is a creator! After a short recess for our disciples to reset the stage, we will proceed immediately to the true heart of our competition. The fourth stage: The Dao of Pill Creation!"
A wave of renewed, and somehow more intense, excitement surged through the arena. The foundational tests, with their clear-cut metrics, were over. Now, the competition was entering a more profound, more artistic phase. This was the true test of an alchemist's soul.
During the brief, twenty-minute break, the crystal pillars were cleared away with swift efficiency. Each of the hundreds of stations was meticulously set with a standard-issue, high-grade bronze cauldron and a sealed jade box containing the necessary herbs.
The competitors, who had just endured a draining test of power, had little time to recover. They used the short period to sit in meditation, hastily swallowing pills to replenish their spiritual energy and calm their minds for the far more intricate task ahead.
When the competition resumed, the elderly host's voice had taken on a more solemn, respectful tone, as if speaking of a sacred rite.
"The fourth stage is one of creation, balance, and healing. You will refine a Rank 3 Spirit-Recovery Pill!" he announced.
A murmur of understanding and anticipation went through the crowd. The Spirit-Recovery Pill was a staple, a crucial medicine for any cultivator in the Foundation Establishment realm, used to rapidly replenish spent spiritual energy. It was a pill everyone knew, but one that was notoriously difficult to refine to a high quality.
The thirty-six required herbs had conflicting properties—some fiery, some icy, some gentle, some potent—and forcing them into a harmonious, stable whole was the very definition of the alchemical art.
"You will each be provided with an identical, flawless set of the thirty-six required spirit herbs," the elder continued, gesturing to the jade boxes. "This is a test of pure skill. You will have two hours to complete the refinement. Your final score will be based on two criteria: the speed of your refinement, and the final quality of the pill you produce. The pills will be graded from low to top-grade. For those who can touch upon the true essence of the dao, the legendary pill veins are a possibility! Let the fourth stage begin!"
The chime rang out, a deep and sonorous tone that seemed to settle the hearts of the competitors. They simultaneously broke the seals on their boxes, and a wave of rich, complex herbal fragrance washed over the stage, a thousand times more potent than the single herb from the first trial. The true art of alchemy had begun.
Li Yu leaned forward, his focus absolute. He knew nothing of the specific techniques, of the precise temperatures or the order of ingredients. His observations were purely from an outsider's perspective, a judgment of style and spirit. He was watching not as an alchemist, but as a cultivator observing another profound path of the dao.
Huo Liling's style was one of domination. Her crimson flame roared to life, a barely contained inferno beneath her cauldron. She was a whirlwind of aggressive efficiency, tossing in the first half-dozen herbs with an almost contemptuous air. To Li Yu, it looked like she was bullying the ingredients into submission, her fiery spiritual sense brutally tearing the essence from the dross. Her speed was breathtaking, a clear strategy to overwhelm the competition.
Chen Jianxin's style, in contrast, was one of harmony. His golden flame was a soft and gentle heat, nurturing the cauldron. He did not toss the herbs in; he placed each one with a quiet reverence. His movements were fluid and perfect, a dance of effortless grace. Li Yu felt that Chen Jianxin was not commanding his ingredients, but partnering with them, persuading them to give up their essence for a greater purpose.
Liu Meiying's style was one of purity. Her silvery-blue flame washed over the herbs in gentle, pulsating waves. She was meticulously slow, her every action deliberate and patient. It looked to Li Yu as if she were cleansing the very soul of each herb, washing away any trace of imperfection before asking it to join the whole. It was a painstaking, beautiful ritual.
But it was Su Lin who was the most captivating. Her pale green flame, so weak before, now seemed like the most natural thing in the world. It was a flame of life. As she worked, a serene, life-affirming aura enveloped her station. To Li Yu's unique perception, it appeared as though she was not an alchemist refining herbs, but a gardener tending to her plants, coaxing them to bloom. Her connection to her ingredients was something that transcended technique; it was a fundamental understanding of life itself.
He watched his own sect's disciples with a quiet pride. Brother Shen was the picture of a seasoned veteran, his hands steady, his expression unwavering. He was not fast, but he was flawless in his execution of the sect's orthodox techniques. Lin Xue was more ambitious, her sharp, precise flame indicating she was attempting a more difficult, faster refinement method. And Yao Fei was a new person.
The shame of the previous day was gone, replaced by a quiet, determined focus. He was working slowly, even more slowly than Brother Shen, but his every action was deliberate. He was no longer fighting his flame; he was working with it.
The hours passed. The air in the arena grew thick with the intoxicating aroma of medicinal essences being combined within the cauldrons. One by one, the competitors reached the final, most critical step: pill condensation. This was where a great display of power was needed, to force the chaotic liquid of spiritual energy into a perfect, solid pill.
Huo Liling, driven by her impatient nature, was the first to finish. With a final, explosive burst of her spiritual energy, a fiery-red pill shot from her cauldron. She caught it in a jade bottle and slammed her hand down on the chime at her station in just under an hour, a stunning display of speed.
Soon after, Chen Jianxin finished, his movements as calm and unhurried at the end as they were at the beginning. Then came others. The Green Mountain Sect disciples all finished within the time limit. Liu Meiying was one of the last, taking nearly the full two hours. And right as the final echo of the two-hour limit was fading, Su Lin gently tapped her chime, her expression as placid as a calm lake.
The pills were collected and brought before the judging elders. The results were then posted, and a wave of shock and awe silenced the entire arena.
Huo Liling's pill was judged to be high-grade, a remarkable achievement. Her score, combining her incredible speed and the pill's quality, was a fantastic 9.4 points.
Chen Jianxin's pill was flawless. It was judged to be a top-grade pill, its color a perfect, lustrous gold. He had been slower than Huo Liling, but the sheer quality of his creation was undeniable. The judges awarded him 9.8 points, a near-perfect score that solidified his position at the top.
Liu Meiying's pill was also top-grade, its purity even slightly higher than Chen Jianxin's. Her slow speed, however, brought her score down slightly. She earned 9.6 points.
The Green Mountain Sect disciples once again performed admirably. Brother Shen's steady hands had produced a solid mid-grade pill, earning him 8.3 points. Lin Xue's ambition paid off; she had successfully refined a high-grade pill, earning her 8.9 points. And Yao Fei, in a wonderful display of growth, had produced a fine, mid-grade pill, earning 8.5 points, a score that brought a proud, relieved smile to his face.
But all of these results paled in comparison to the one that came next.
The host's voice trembled with unconcealed shock as he read the judgment. "Su Lin of the Pale Orchid Clan… has refined a top-grade pill… with one spiritual veins!"
The arena exploded. Pill veins! The legendary sign of a pill that had not just been created, but had been birthed, a pill that possessed its own spiritual intelligence! Her slow speed was irrelevant. The creation of such a pill was a perfect achievement. She earned a perfect 10 points.
The crowd was on its feet, roaring her name. The girl who had been pitied and dismissed was now the subject of intense, frenzied speculation. Her name shot up the rankings, a testament to her heaven-defying skill.
However, the crowd also knew that while her talent in pill creation was perhaps the greatest in the entire arena, the disastrous score from the Trial of Power had left a deep deficit. She had secured a place in the top five and the hearts of the audience, but barring a miracle of impossible proportions, the top three positions were likely just out of her reach. She was a genius, but a flawed one in the context of this specific competition.
As the day's events concluded, the host announced the final, most difficult trial for the next day: the refinement of a Foundation Establishment Breakthrough Pill. The stage was set for a dramatic finale. Chen Jianxin held a slim lead, but Huo Liling and Liu Meiying were close behind. The championship was still a fierce three-way battle.