The second round was about to begin, and the crowd was buzzing with anticipation.
Alchemy contests were rarely seen in open duels, and even fewer sect disciples dared to compete against Yue Xinyao, who was known as one of the most talented alchemists in the younger generation.
Mu Qingling's face was pale. "Wang Li, please tell you've at least held a cauldron before?"
Wang Li rubbed his chin. "I an... I've held a wok before. Cooking and alchemy can't be that different, right?"
Lin Ruoyan facepald. "We're dood."
The Rules of the Alchemy Duel
The sect elder waved his hand, and two massive pill cauldrons appeared on the stage. Each was engraved with ancient runes, glowing faintly with spiritual energy.
Above them, golden letters flashed in the sky, outlining the rules:
1. Each contestant must refine a third-grade pill within the given ti limit.
2. The quality and purity of the pill will be judged.
3. If a cauldron explodes, the contestant automatically loses.
Yue Xinyao smirked. "Try not to embarrass yourself."
Wang Li cracked his neck. "I'll have you know, I make a an bowl of noodles."
Yue Xinyao sighed. "You're impossible."
The elder raised his hand. "Begin!"
A loud gong echoed.
The mont the match started, Yue Xinyao moved like a seasoned master.
With a flick of her wrist, she summoned moonfire, a rare spiritual fla that was both cold and searing. Her cauldron roared to life, and she effortlessly threw in dicinal herbs with the precision of an artist painting on silk.
Wang Li, on the other hand, stood in front of his cauldron, looking at the pile of herbs before him.
"Alright... which of you guys wants to go in first?" he muttered, poking at the ingredients.
Mu Qingling groaned. "We're dood!"
Lin Ruoyan sighed. "This is going to be a disaster."
Ignoring their lack of faith, Wang Li clapped his hands together. "Okay, let's get serious."
He summoned his own fla—a bright golden fire, crackling with raw energy. Unlike Yue Xinyao's graceful movents, his technique was... unorthodox.
He grabbed a handful of herbs and tossed them into the cauldron like he was throwing ingredients into a hotpot.
The cauldron shook violently.
The crowd gasped.
One disciple whispered, "Is he trying to cook himself alive?"
Yue Xinyao watched from the corner of her eye, expecting his cauldron to explode at any mont.
Instead, sothing unexpected happened.
The cauldron cald down.
The fla around it stabilized.
Wang Li smirked. "See? Cooking and alchemy aren't so different!"
The elder judges exchanged glances. This thod should have failed instantly, but sohow, Wang Li was making it work.
Mu Qingling blinked. "Wait. Is he actually... doing it?"
Lin Ruoyan's eyes narrowed. "No. He's not refining pills... He's playing with the fla itself."
Wang Li had no formal training in alchemy, but his natural battle instincts made him an expert at adjusting energy flow. Instead of carefully asuring each ingredient, he was reacting on the spot, adjusting the fla to compensate.
Yue Xinyao frowned. "Interesting..."
She turned her focus back to her own cauldron. Within minutes, a delicate blue mist rose from the surface. The scent of her pill was pure and elegant, almost otherworldly.
Wang Li, on the other hand, was making a ss.
Smoke billowed from his cauldron, sparks flew, and at one point, a random explosion nearly sent Mu Qingling into cardiac arrest.
But sohow, sohow, he was keeping up.
The final monts approached.
Yue Xinyao's pill was crystal clear, glowing softly with a faint silver hue. A masterpiece.
Wang Li's pill, on the other hand, was... strange.
It was golden-red, pulsing like a beating heart. The energy inside it was unstable, yet incredibly potent.
The elder stepped forward. "Ti is up!"
The crowd leaned in as the elder examined the pills.
He took Yue Xinyao's first, inspecting it under the light. "High purity, excellent refinent... a nearly perfect pill."
Yue Xinyao smirked.
Then, the elder turned to Wang Li's pill.
He hesitated.
The pill was emitting strange vibrations.
With a deep breath, the elder took a small sample and tasted it.
And then... his eyes widened.
The other elders gasped.
"What is this?" one of them whispered.
The main judge looked at Wang Li. "This is... not a third-grade pill."
The crowd gasped.
Mu Qingling groaned. "Oh no... Did he fail?"
The elder continued. "No. It's higher than third grade."
Yue Xinyao's eyes widened. "What?"
The elder nodded. "This pill is beyond third-grade refinent. It's bordering on fourth-grade!"
A collective uproar erupted from the crowd.
"How?!"
"He's never practiced alchemy before!"
"That's impossible!"
Yue Xinyao stared at Wang Li. "You're telling ... you just winged it and ended up refining sothing on the sa level as alchemy prodigies?!"
Wang Li scratched the back of his head. "I guess I'm just naturally talented?"
Yue Xinyao gritted her teeth.
The elder raised his hand. "Round Two... is a tie."
The crowd exploded with shock.
Yue Xinyao huffed. "Fine. But the next round... you won't be so lucky."
The Destiny Wheel spun one last ti.
Final Round: The Romantic Challenge!
Mu Qingling blinked. "Wait. The what?!"
Lin Ruoyan's face turned pale. "Oh no..."
Yue Xinyao's lips curled into a slow, mischievous smile.
She turned to Wang Li, her violet eyes gleaming.
"The final challenge..." the elder announced, "is a test of romantic compatibility."
Wang Li froze.
Yue Xinyao stepped closer, her voice soft yet teasing.
"Well then, Wang Li... let's see if you're as good at romance as you are at making a ss of alchemy."
Reviews
All reviews (0)