"Oh, you're talking about Elder Han, he's the chief alchemist of the Fire Feather Sect. In past alchemy competitions, the Fire Feather Sect has always been a notch above our Four Symbols Academy."
"As for that purple-robed man, it's my first time seeing him. But hearing Elder Han call him Senior Brother, he must be quite a formidable character."
"I see."
Mu Qingqing nodded thoughtfully.
"Alright, the alchemy competition is about to begin. Let's head into the competition grounds quickly," Yan Hongde reminded them.
"Okay!" Mu Qingqing replied.
The three of them walked towards the competition grounds. On the way, Yan Hongde explained some of the rules to the other two.
The rules of the competition were quite simple, with three rounds.
The first round was the refining of materials, judged by speed.
The second round was the purification of elixirs.
The final round was the crafting of elixirs, judged by quality.
"Look quickly, it's Li Xuanmo, the President of the Alchemist Guild, and Honorary Elder Su Mu!"
"That's right, it's those two seniors!"
"Not only that, even the Six-Star Alchemist, Master Lu Nanxing, has arrived."
"The three of them are all top-tier figures in the Eastern Continent's alchemy world!"
The crowd buzzed with discussion, all talking about the identities of Li Xuanmo, Su Mu, and Lu Nanxing, showing great respect towards them.
The two old men were dressed in light blue fitted attire, their expressions solemn and stern.
As for the Six-Star Alchemist named Lu Nanxing, she was a mature and steady beauty.
The three of them walked into the alchemy arena and took their seats at the judges' table, awaiting the start of the competition.
Before long, the competition began.
All one hundred participants in the alchemy competition took to the stage, commencing the event.
"Welcome, all alchemists, to this alchemy competition. I am Ji Kongqing, the alchemist in charge of this event."
"I will now announce that I will be presiding over this competition. Alchemists, please be prepared."
A middle-aged man in white robes walked onto the alchemy platform and spoke loudly to the crowd below.
"The Alchemy Competition officially begins!"
As these words were uttered, the audience seating erupted into a frenzy, with gongs and cheers instantly filling the entire alchemy plaza.
In a flash, all sorts of flames rose from the alchemy platforms.
Each alchemist was controlling their flames, meticulously refining the fist-sized, sky-blue crystals before them.
These crystals were top-grade Heavenly Origin Crystals. Even for a Four-Star Alchemist, it would take the time of one incense stick to refine this Heavenly Origin Crystal into a solution.
The time limit for the first round was precisely one incense stick.
"Elder Han of the Fire Feather Sect is indeed a strong contender for the championship of this alchemy competition, his progress is much faster than other alchemists."
"It is rumored that Elder Han's flame is a top-tier Rank Five Beast Fire, the Purple Netherflame!"
"However, besides Elder Han, Elder Yan of the Four Symbols Academy's alchemy skills are also not bad. Although his flame is ordinary, his speed in refining the Heavenly Origin Crystal is only slightly slower than Elder Han's."
...
The audience buzzed with discussions.
On the judges' table, the expressions of the three Six-Star Alchemists varied.
"The Fire Feather Sect and the Four Symbols Academy have always been the strongest contenders in the alchemy competition. Especially the Fire Feather Sect, which has firmly held the throne as the number one alchemy sect in the Eastern Continent in recent years."
"It seems that this year's King of Elixirs will once again belong to the Fire Feather Sect."
Both Li Xuanmo and Su Muxuan believed that this year's King of Elixirs would undoubtedly come from the Fire Feather Sect.
This was because over the years, neither the Four Symbols Academy nor the Alchemist Guild had won the King of Elixirs title, while the Fire Feather Sect had never once failed.
Compared to the loud conversations of these two seniors.
Lu Nanxing, sitting on the right, remained silent, her face always maintaining a detached and expressionless look.
"Master Lu, what do you think?" Li Xuanmo asked, noticing Lu Nanxing's lack of reaction.
Lu Nanxing did not reply, her gaze fixed on Mu Qingqing on the alchemy platform.
The other two masters found it strange and followed her gaze.
They saw that Mu Qingqing on the alchemy platform was not eagerly refining the Heavenly Origin Crystal with her spiritual fire like the other alchemists.
Instead, she was staring intently at the Heavenly Origin Crystal before her, as if studying something, with a pensive expression.
A doubt simultaneously arose in the minds of Li Xuanmo and Su Muxuan.
"What on earth is this kid doing?"
Not only the three Six-Star Alchemists, but also many in the audience were unsure of what Mu Qingqing was doing.
"Why isn't that kid refining the Heavenly Origin Crystal yet?" a young man asked, looking at Mu Qingqing on stage with confusion.
Another young boy was equally bewildered.
"Could it be that this kid has given up in the first round?"
"Who knows? He's just wasting time anyway."
People in the audience were discussing.
Han Xuwen, who was refining the Heavenly Origin Crystal solution, also noticed Mu Qingqing's actions and revealed a cold smile of arrogance.
"To think this kid came from the Four Symbols Academy and doesn't even know how to refine a Heavenly Origin Crystal! Truly a waste."
"As for Elder Yan Hongde, he's nothing to fear, and with Senior Brother here, this year's King of Elixirs will definitely belong to my Fire Feather Sect again." he thought to himself.
"What is that kid Xin Ci doing? Although I told him to treat this alchemy competition as an opportunity to broaden his horizons."
"But I didn't tell him to give up at the start." Yan Hongde, who was also in the process of refining the Heavenly Origin Crystal solution, felt a bit worried.
"Senior Han has already refined half of the Heavenly Origin Crystal solution. It seems the outcome is already quite clear."
"Elder Yan of the Four Symbols Academy's alchemy skills are also not weak, but he's still a notch below Senior Han, having only refined one-third of the solution."
"It looks like Senior Han will be the first to complete the Heavenly Origin Crystal solution in this round."
As they watched Han Xuwen's refining process speed up on stage, the audience became somewhat excited.
At this moment, Mu Qingqing finally took action, and the hand seals in her hand shifted.
Instantly, a cluster of deep red flames emerged from Mu Qingqing's fingertips.
As this flame appeared, faint phoenix cries could be heard, accompanied by a sense of inexhaustible vitality, emitting an extremely scorching aura.
"What a powerful flame."
"This flame is extraordinary, it looks even more powerful than Senior Han's Purple Netherflame!"
"This kid actually has such a trump card!"
"This is truly shocking!"
Upon seeing the flame Mu Qingqing suddenly unleashed, everyone in the alchemy plaza was filled with shock.
"Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire?" Looking at this flame, Li Xuanmo and Su Mu, seated at the judges' table, both showed expressions of surprise.
"That's right, it is Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire." Lu Nanxing also blinked, then nodded.
Li Xuanmo and Su Mu exclaimed in amazement and then looked at Lu Nanxing.
No wonder she had been staring at that young man earlier; she had probably guessed long ago that the young man possessed Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire.
"Even if that kid's flame is excellent, isn't it too late to start refining the Heavenly Origin Crystal now?"