Down on the stage, Ace and Lotus stood in their respective positions, the anticipation in the air palpable.
"It's still not too late to back out," Lotus said calmly, her tone devoid of any mockery. It was just a simple offer.
Ace chuckled, his expression relaxed. "You don't have to worry. I take great pride in my alchemy skills."
But in his mind, he sighed. Do I really have to act like an arrogant prick?
Ignoring her, he proceeds to grab the cauldron before him.
And From the neatly arranged basket of herbs, his hand moved with precision, plucking out the Yin Bell Herb first. He turned it over in his fingers, inspecting it.
"A ten-year-old Yin Bell Herb… just perfect," he murmured.
Then, to the absolute shock of the audience—he bit into it.
A hush fell over the spectators, quickly followed by an uproar.
"Wait, what is he doing?"
"Shouldn't he start the furnace first?"
"Is he actually tasting the herbs? Is he checking for poison? Is he planning to bla Professor Lotus if sothing goes wrong?"
Speculation ran wild, but Ace paid them no mind.
anwhile, Lotus had already begun her refinent. Her focus was sharp, her hands steady as she balanced the heat within her cauldron.
With a practiced motion, she carefully added another Pink Ginger leaf, adjusting the fla ever so slightly.
Unlike Ace, she wasted no ti with theatrics as she was already deep into the process.
Ace casually heated his cauldron, his movents unhurried yet precise. Then, without hesitation, he tossed in the Moonstone first.
The crowd erupted in murmurs.
"Wait, what is he doing?"
"Moonstone first? That's wrong! Pink Ginger goes in before anything else!"
"Is he just making this up as he goes?"
So scoffed, convinced he was about to fail spectacularly. Others watched in anticipation, wondering if there was a thod to his madness.
Even Lotus glanced up briefly, her brow furrowing. Is he deliberately making mistakes? Or… does he actually know sothing I don't?
But Ace, completely unfazed by the whispers and doubtful stares, remained focused, a smirk playing at his lips.
The Moonstone within the cauldron began to sizzle as Ace carefully controlled the heat. He swirled his fingers ever so slightly, manipulating the flas with a casual grace that belied the precise control behind his actions.
anwhile, Lotus had already added the Pink Ginger first, following the conventional refinent sequence. She was fully imrsed in her craft, yet a part of her mind remained distracted by Ace's odd approach.
"He's definitely going to fail."
"Does he even know what he's doing?"
"Lotus has already stabilized her flas, but look at him—he's not even using a fla control technique!"
The crowd grew louder, convinced that Ace was making amateur mistakes. So even started laughing, while others whispered in hushed tones, debating whether he was truly a fraud or just overconfident.
anwhile, atop the VIP area, Shan Yifeng leaned back lazily, arms crossed, grinning like a child watching his favorite puppet show. "Hehe, these people are so dumb. If my master ever makes a mistake, then even pigs can learn how to fly."
Milson raised an eyebrow. "What's funny about that?"
Shan Yifeng turned to him, expression dead serious, as if Milson had just asked whether water was really wet. "Because my master doesn't make mistakes. He'll only ss up when pigs actually learn how to fly."
Milson blinked. "But… there are pigs that can fly."
Shan Yifeng's grin faltered. He squinted at Milson like he had just sprouted a second head. "Huh?"
"Yeah," Milson said, nodding. "Ever heard of Wind-Treading Swine? They literally soar through the air using their soul energy."
Shan Yifeng's mouth opened, then closed. His brain visibly short-circuited. "But Master said pigs can't fly! He said they can't even see what's up!"
Milson smirked. "Clearly, you have a lot to learn."
Shan Yifeng just sat there, stunned, his whole belief system shaken to the core. anwhile, Milson narrowed his eyes toward the stage, watching Ace intently.
Back at the cauldron, Ace spat in the Yin Bell herb, breaking tradition entirely. Then, without missing a beat, he casually picked up the pink ginger, examined it for a second, and then he took a bite.
The crowd lost it.
"WHAT IS HE DOING?!"
"DID HE JUST EAT THE INGREDIENT AGAIN?!"
"HE'S NOT EVEN TRYING TO WIN!"
Even Lotus' composure cracked for a mont as her hand trembled slightly over her own cauldron.
She had never, not once in her life, seen soone eat a crucial refinent ingredient mid-competition.
Ace chewed thoughtfully, savoring the herb like a connoisseur tasting fine wine. Then, as if he had all the ti in the world, he nodded to himself.
"Mm. Good quality. Just perfect."
He finally tossed the remaining part of the herb into the cauldron, completely unbothered by the chaos around him.
anwhile , Milson, kept his eyes locked on Ace, the sa unsettling feeling creeping in. He had a gut instinct honed from years of battle experience telling him not to blink.
Lotus let out a slow breath, her focus entirely on the cauldron before her.
The flas flickered beneath the iron vessel, steady and controlled.
She was in her elent.
A faint dicinal fragrance spread through the air, causing murmurs of approval to ripple through the audience.
"She's almost done!"
"Look at that glow! The pill is about to form!"
"Flawless control, as expected of Professor Lotus!"
Even Pot Black nodded in acknowledgnt. "Hmph, at least she's competent."
Then, with a final flick of her wrist, Lotus guided the last traces of energy into the cauldron.
A soft hum resonated from within as the condensation process began.
A mont later, a set of White fine pill erged, glowing faintly.
Perfect refinent.
The crowd erupted into cheers.
But before the applause could settle down
BOOM!
A violent explosion erupted from Ace's cauldron.
The explosion sent shockwaves rippling through the training grounds. Students in the front row yelped as they tumbled backward, robes singed at the edges.
Even those further back ducked instinctively, shielding their faces from the swirling smoke and flying embers.
Gasps filled the air then comnts followed.
"What just happened?!"
"Did he fail?! Did his cauldron explode?!"
"HAHA, I Told You He's A Fake!"
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