He ignored Yang Hao and continued to purify the medicinal properties of the Chun Yuan Dan with his Undying Phoenix Flame.
"Hmph, you brat, just you wait!"
Yang Hao glared fiercely at Mu Qingqing. Since deception wouldn't work, he could only try to regain some face through alchemy. He refused to believe that a mere youngster could stir up any significant waves!
Soon, everyone on the alchemy competition stage finished purifying their Chun Yuan Dan. The participants' Chun Yuan Dans were presented one by one to the three six-star alchemy masters for appraisal.
After examining several Chun Yuan Dans, Li Xuanmo and the other two masters showed looks of disappointment. Most participants had only increased the purity by about half a percent, which would undoubtedly lead to their elimination from the third round. Among the remaining seven Chun Yuan Dans, only four had achieved a purity of over forty percent, while the others were around twenty percent.
"Oh, this Chun Yuan Dan seems to be purified by that kid named Xin Ci," Li Xuanmo asked Su Mu.
"That's right, it's that kid Xin Ci!" Su Mu confirmed with a nod.
"That little fellow is quite clever; he's the only one who saw through my methods," Li Xuanmo chuckled.
After the three masters finished their appraisal, they placed the Chun Yuan Dans on a central tray.
"Everyone, the appraisal results are in. Only seven people have passed the second round of the alchemy competition. We will now announce the list of those qualified for the third round," the host, Ji Kongqing, announced loudly from the stage.
"Bai Yufei, purity twenty percent. Xie Yi'an, purity twenty percent. Chen Yang, purity twenty percent. Yan Hongde, purity forty percent. Han Xuwen, purity forty-five percent..."
Host Ji Kongqing read out the names one by one.
Yan Hongde shook his head helplessly. The alchemy heritage of the Fire Feather Sect was indeed strong. He was ultimately still a step behind. But why hadn't he heard Xin Ci's name? Could it be that he didn't pass?
"I'm getting old and forgetful. Although that kid Xin Ci has good talent, it's his first time participating in the alchemy competition, so how could I have included him?" Yan Hongde shook his head and happened to see Mu Qingqing. Just as he was about to go and comfort him.
"Yang Hao, purity sixty percent. Xin Ci, purity ninety percent."
What? Ninety percent!!!
Yan Hongde and everyone present were stunned. They could never have imagined that the first place would be taken by that kid Xin Ci. This result was too unexpected; it was simply unbelievable!
Yang Hao was also dumbfounded. How was this possible? He thought that purifying to sixty percent was his limit, yet Xin Ci had achieved ninety percent.
"I don't believe it! Purifying Chun Yuan Dan to sixty percent is already the limit. The medicinal effect of any Chun Yuan Dan cannot possibly increase to ninety percent!"
"This kid definitely cheated!" Yang Hao roared.
Others suddenly realized. That's right. The Chun Yuan Dan, whose medicinal effect could originally only be increased by ten percent, lost a large amount of its potency during the refining process. How could it be increased by ninety percent? This was sheer nonsense!
Yang Hao's words resonated with the crowd, and they began to accuse Xin Ci of cheating.
Yan Hongde did not believe Xin Ci would cheat, but he also couldn't understand how Xin Ci managed to purify the Chun Yuan Dan to ninety percent.
"I believe Xin Ci would never do such a thing," Yan Hongde said after a moment of silence.
"Haha, Yan Hongde, you're too funny. Are you still trying to cover for him in this situation?" Han Xuwen sneered, looking at Yan Hongde with disdain. It was utterly ridiculous that he still chose to believe Xin Ci in this scenario.
Hearing the murmurs of the crowd, Mu Qingqing's lips curved into a mocking smile.
"Senior Yang, are you truly a six-star alchemist?" she asked Yang Hao, turning to him.
Yang Hao was stunned, then reacted, "Nonsense, if I'm not a six-star alchemist, are you?"
Everyone else was utterly shocked. This Yang Hao was actually a six-star alchemist?! His age was too young! Yan Hongde was even more astonished. How was this possible? When did the Fire Feather Sect gain another six-star alchemist, and he didn't even know about it.
"What does being a six-star alchemist have to do with your cheating?" Yang Hao looked at Mu Qingqing, his eyes filled with anger.
"Senior Yang, since you are a six-star alchemist, why can't you see the problem with this Chun Yuan Dan?" Mu Qingqing questioned coldly.
"What do you mean?" Yang Hao asked, confused.
"I'll explain that," Li Xuanmo said slowly, rising from the judges' table. He looked at everyone and said calmly, "All the Chun Yuan Dans here were collectively refined by the three of us, six-star alchemists."
"The original medicinal effect of this Chun Yuan Dan was ninety percent. I merely used a special method to seal its potency, disguising it as a Chun Yuan Dan with ten percent medicinal effect."
"Among all the alchemists present, only Xin Ci managed to fully activate the medicinal power."
Li Xuanmo's voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone in the hall. This statement caused an uproar. Did this mean Xin Ci hadn't cheated! Everyone couldn't help but turn their gaze towards Mu Qingqing.
"Why are you looking at me? I... I didn't cheat. It's Senior Yang, who, as a six-star alchemist, why couldn't he see the problem with this Chun Yuan Dan?" Mu Qingqing blinked her beautiful Star Wheel Pupils, looking innocent, but her words almost made Yang Hao explode.
"You... you..." Yang Hao was choked with anger, unable to say anything. A few months ago, his lifespan should have run out. It was only because of Lord Xuan Qi giving him a black pill that he was saved. Xuan Qi also gave him a ball of black flame, allowing him to refine six-star elixirs. But truthfully, he wasn't a real six-star alchemist. He could do all this because of that black pill. However, Mu Qingqing's words had left him speechless. Mu Qingqing inwardly marveled at how clever the three masters from the Alchemist Guild were. If not for her Star Wheel Pupils, she wouldn't have discovered the secret of the Chun Yuan Dan.
"Alright, this farce should stop now," Li Xuanmo interrupted their argument at this moment. His tone was clearly impatient. Everyone felt that Master Li was angry. They dared not provoke the master at this time and quickly fell silent.
Seeing this, host Ji Kongqing quickly brought the atmosphere to an appropriate level and said, "The second round has concluded, and now we proceed to the final round of the alchemy competition."
"The remaining seven alchemists will face the final assessment: whoever can refine the highest grade elixir will be crowned the Alchemy King this year!"
"Now, please prepare yourselves!"
Upon hearing this, everyone was invigorated. After all, winning the title of Alchemy King would not only earn them the Nine Yang Spirit Ginseng Emperor but also bring fame throughout the Eastern Continent, making them a sought-after alchemist in the Eastern Continent's alchemy world. Who wouldn't want that?