As Fa Ma announced the start of the final round, a thunderous wave of cheers erupted across the entire plaza. The atmosphere instantly turned fiery and intense.
Seeing this, Qing Lin's eyes also lit up with excitement.
Pulling lightly on Lin Yuan's sleeve, she said happily, "Young Master, it's really lively here today. It's even more crowded than the Inner Academy's Strong Ranking Tournament."
Previously, the liveliest event she had ever experienced was the Inner Academy Strong Ranking Competition.
However, although the Strong Ranking Tournament far surpassed today's Alchemist Grand Meeting in terms of the quality of experts and the cultivation levels of the spectators, it still could not compare to today's event in sheer crowd size and excitement.
Lin Yuan glanced at the sea of people filling the plaza and nodded. "Mm, it really is lively. Qing'er, take this. You can use it to record memories you wish to keep."
As he spoke, Lin Yuan took out a Recording Stone from his storage ring and handed it to Qing Lin.
Meanwhile, on the competition stage, Xiao Yan's gaze swept toward an empty stone platform, and his expression darkened slightly.
That platform should have belonged to his greatest opponent in this competition, Yan Li.
"That person didn't come? Did something happen that made him withdraw?"
A faint sense of regret surfaced in Xiao Yan's heart. He had mentally prepared himself extensively for this formidable opponent, yet the other party's absence caused all the fighting spirit he had built up to lose its target.
It felt like punching into cotton, unable to unleash himself fully.
On the other hand, Liu Ling, Yao Yue, and the others looked at the empty platform with traces of relief in their eyes.
"Forget it. The person I need to surpass in this competition is myself," Xiao Yan thought inwardly. "No matter what happened, my goal remains the same to refine the Green Origin Spirit Forging Pill."
Thinking this, Xiao Yan slowly closed his eyes and exhaled deeply.
Then, his eyes snapped open, and a strand of bright yellow flame flickered within them.
With a flick of his finger, the bright yellow flame instantly surged upward. As the flame rose, the temperature of the plaza sharply increased.
Suddenly, a faint dragon roar echoed from within the yellow flame. Immediately afterward, a mysterious ripple spread outward with Xiao Yan's Heavenly Flame at its center. Numerous flames of varying colors all tilted slightly toward the yellow flame, forming the phenomenon of ten thousand flames bowing in submission.
This astonishing scene instantly ignited the atmosphere of the venue.
Envy, fear, greed countless complicated emotions surfaced within the spectators' gazes at that moment.
"The appearance of a Heavenly Flame causes all flames to submit. I never thought I would witness this legendary phenomenon with my own eyes today." Fa Ma sighed, a trace of amazement flashing through his eyes.
Seeing this, Lin Yuan raised his brows slightly, amusement appearing in his eyes.
"This fellow actually enjoys showing off quite a bit, doesn't he? But a dragon's roar? This Wind and Thunder Fury Flame is rather interesting. Ranked eighteenth let me see exactly what mysteries you possess. And also the Flame Mantra…"
Naturally, Lin Yuan had not come merely to watch Xiao Yan compete.
On one hand, he wanted to accompany Qing Lin and let her enjoy herself. On the other hand, he also intended to investigate the complete version of the Flame Mantra that Xiao Yan possessed.
To put it simply, what Lin Yuan wanted to do was reverse deduction.
For Lin Yuan who possessed half of the Flame Mantra and had already researched it extensively, this was not impossible.
After studying the incomplete Flame Mantra taken from Han Feng, Lin Yuan had gained considerable insight. Through his research, he had analyzed certain foundational aspects of the cultivation technique, causing him to develop the idea of reverse-engineering the original complete Flame Mantra.
After all, no matter how mysterious Xiao Yan's current Flame Mantra was, it had only evolved once and was still merely a Black Class technique. In many ways, it remained quite close to the original version.
Lin Yuan possessed half of the original Flame Mantra, which could serve as a reference for comparison.
As long as he could determine the circulation paths Xiao Yan used while cultivating the complete Flame Mantra, Lin Yuan could combine that information with the incomplete manual in his possession and verify the two against each other. In doing so, there was a chance he could reverse-engineer portions of the original cultivation pathways of the unevolved complete Flame Mantra.
Even if this attempt could not fully restore the Flame Mantra, it would undoubtedly provide tremendous assistance to his future research into it.
Thinking this, Lin Yuan used his Spiritual Strength to isolate himself and Qing Lin from the outside world before softly saying to her, "Qing'er, help me with something."
Seeing Lin Yuan isolate the surroundings with Spiritual Strength, Qing Lin immediately realized her young master had something important to discuss.
Her expression instantly became serious. "Young Master, tell me."
Lin Yuan glanced at the distant Xiao Yan and quietly instructed, "Your Heavenly Illusion Spirit Insight Eyes' first realm—Heavenly Eye has already reached Great Completion. You should now be able to perceive the flow of energy clearly."
"Use Heavenly Eye and see whether you can observe Xiao Yan's circulation paths."
"If you can, record everything completely, then transmit the detailed information to me using Illusion Eyes."
The Heavenly Illusion Spirit Insight Eyes Heavenly Eye:
It enhanced vision and greatly strengthened the user's ability to sense and precisely observe all forms of energy, including natural energy, Dou Qi, and Spiritual Strength. After reaching Great Completion, it could even see through the flow of power both inside and outside an opponent's body, allowing one to predict their attacks.
"I understand, Young Master."
After speaking, Qing Lin formed several profound hand seals, and a deep green glow emerged within her pupils.
Immediately afterward, under Lin Yuan's concealment, Qing Lin looked toward Xiao Yan. Her mysterious gaze instantly pierced through Xiao Yan, whose cultivation and Spiritual Strength were both far inferior to hers. His circulation pathways became completely visible before her eyes.
Moments later, delight appeared on Qing Lin's face as she excitedly said, "Young Master, I can see his circulation paths. I'll send you what I observed first."
With that, Qing Lin activated Illusion Eyes and transmitted all the information she had just observed to Lin Yuan.
After receiving it, Lin Yuan compared the information against the incomplete Flame Mantra in his possession, and joy immediately surfaced within his heart.
Sure enough, he could see traces of the original Flame Mantra hidden within it.
"Qing'er, thank you." Lin Yuan smiled happily. "Please continue observing his circulation and Qi pathways for me."
Qing Lin nodded lightly and continued watching Xiao Yan's circulation routes.
Meanwhile, on the competition grounds, as time gradually passed, the extraordinary scene of ten thousand flames bowing slowly faded away.
The competitors also gradually withdrew their attention and composure, refocusing entirely on the competition before them. One after another, they poured their flames into their medicinal cauldrons, took out medicinal ingredients from their storage rings, and began the first step of pill refinement, ingredient extraction.
The plaza once again fell into silence, with only the faint sounds of flames refining medicinal ingredients echoing softly through the air.
Influenced by this quiet atmosphere, even the audience gradually lowered their voices and settled down. Countless eyes focused intently upon the plaza, upon the alchemists fully immersed in their craft.
Xiao Yan suddenly felt a faint sense of observation upon himself. Raising his head slightly, he looked around, only to realize that tens of thousands of eyes throughout the venue were all focused on him.
He shook his head lightly, dispelling distracting thoughts from his mind before tossing medicinal ingredients into the cauldron and beginning the extraction process.
Meanwhile, in the VIP seating area, Nalan Jie suddenly looked toward the somewhat troubled Nalan Yanran and frowned.
"The person who came from the Misty Cloud Sect this morning was it to urge you to return?"
"Mm." Nalan Yanran nodded slightly.
"Sigh…"
Letting out a soft sigh, Nalan Jie's voice became somewhat heavy. "Is it because the three-year agreement has arrived?"
"That's part of the reason." Nalan Yanran nodded before slightly furrowing her brows. "Besides that, it seems something else may have happened within the sect."
Nalan Jie looked at her solemnly and said in a deep voice, "I won't say much more about the three-year agreement. Even if I do, you won't listen anyway. But rumors say Xiao Yan's talent has already recovered. I hope you know your limits and don't worsen the relationship between the two families further."
"Besides that, I've received some information. The Misty Cloud Sect may have encountered some sort of upheaval. After you return, you must be careful."
Hearing this, Nalan Yanran's pupils contracted slightly.
The sect's tightly sealed confidential information had already leaked to the outside world?
A sense of unease immediately arose in her heart.
Seeing her reaction, Nalan Jie seemed to perceive her thoughts and meaningfully said, "Yanran, among the great families of the Empire, you may be the first to become the Young Sect Mistress of the Misty Cloud Sect, but you are not the first to become a disciple of the Yun Lan Sect."
"All major factions are intertwined with one another. That is the true state of the Jia Ma Empire's major powers."
As time passed, some alchemists with fewer materials to refine had already completed the extraction process and begun preparing for the next stage.
The competition was slowly transitioning into its next phase.
At this moment, Qing Lin leaned close to Lin Yuan's ear and whispered softly, "Young Master, the pill refinement methods of the competitors below are different from what I imagined. They feel very plain."
Before this, the only person Qing Lin had ever witnessed refining pills was Lin Yuan.
Lin Yuan's flowing, cloud-like refinement techniques and his peerless control over flames had left an extremely deep impression on her. Because of this, she had always believed pill refinement should look like Lin Yuan's methods.
But today's competition left her slightly disappointed.
Hearing this, Lin Yuan chuckled softly and patted Qing Lin's little head.
"In the future, I'll take you to Central Plains to watch the Pill Gathering competition. The alchemy techniques there are far more interesting and will definitely broaden your horizons."
"Mm." Qing Lin nodded before shifting more of her attention toward observing Xiao Yan's circulation pathways.
Meanwhile, Lin Yuan continued watching the competition below while carefully observing every detail of Xiao Yan's hand seals, Spiritual Strength manipulation, and more.
Combining that with the circulation route information transmitted by Qing Lin, he continuously deduced the cultivation pathways of the original complete Flame Mantra.
Meanwhile, on the competition grounds—
At this moment, Xiao Yan occasionally tossed medicinal ingredients into the cauldron with his left hand while his right hand swiftly extracted the refined medicinal essence from within the cauldron and stored it inside jade bottles, repeating the process over and over.
Watching Xiao Yan refine pills, a trace of reminiscence flashed through Lin Yuan's eyes.
Unlike now, where refined ingredients were directly preserved with Heavenly Flames, Lin Yuan had once done the same thing. After refining each medicinal ingredient, he too had to remove the medicinal liquid and temporarily store it inside jade bottles.
And the Dragon Capturing Hand technique he frequently used had originally been created precisely for this purpose. Only after constant refinement and improvement did it later evolve into a combat technique.
After Xiao Yan finished refining the primary ingredients required for the Green Origin Spirit Forging Pill, he turned to glance at the others and discovered that the Little Princess and Liu Ling had not yet finished refining theirs.
"They're using quite a lot of medicinal ingredients. Looks like the pills they intend to refine this time aren't low-grade either. Good. That makes this competition somewhat interesting."
Generally speaking, the more numerous and complicated the medicinal ingredients required, the higher the pill's grade would be.
Most Sixth-Grade medicinal pills required dozens of ingredients, while Seventh-Grade and Eighth-Grade pills could easily require hundreds.
This was also one of the reasons why the higher one climbed in alchemy, the more demanding the requirements on an alchemist's cultivation became. Without sufficient strength, one could not even complete a full pill refinement session.
Time slowly passed.
Within the enormous plaza, muffled sounds occasionally echoed through the air—sounds of failed pill refinement. Every time such a sound rang out, another contestant would leave the stage with a dispirited expression, gradually reducing the number of participants.
Suddenly, a louder muffled explosion than before erupted from the fiery-red medicinal cauldron before Xiao Yan. Black ashes spilled out from within the cauldron.
Sighs instantly rose from both the audience seats and the VIP platform.
Yao Yue and Liu Ling, who were preparing to merge their medicinal essences, also turned their heads toward Xiao Yan's direction.
Looking at the ashes pouring from the cauldron, different expressions appeared on their faces.
The Little Princess showed some regret, while Liu Ling's face flashed with hidden delight.
Yet amid this atmosphere of failure, Xiao Yan's lips curved upward slightly into a calm, confident smile.
Seeing this, realization flashed through Lin Yuan's eyes.
"So that's how it is. A deliberate failure?"
"The first batch of ingredients had flaws, so he didn't forcefully pursue pill formation. Instead, he used this opportunity to synchronize with the cauldron and explore the critical threshold of the pill-merging stage."
"It seems he has already grasped every crucial aspect of refining the Green Origin Spirit Forging Pill. Victory has already been decided."
Sure enough, events unfolded exactly as Lin Yuan had predicted.
When Xiao Yan reignited the flames and began refining again, he showed no sign of being affected by his earlier failure.
Instead, the cautious hesitation he previously displayed had completely vanished. His refining speed became noticeably faster than before. Every movement carried a calm and composed elegance, faintly resembling Yao Lao himself.
At this moment, Xiao Yan had completely immersed himself in his pill refinement. Even the successful refinement of Fourth-Grade medicinal pills by Yao Yue and Liu Ling failed to distract him in the slightest.
The earlier failure had instead become the stepping stone that allowed him to overcome the difficult pill-merging stage. This time, he advanced with unstoppable momentum and successfully completed it.
Not long afterward, when a rich green medicinal fragrance rose from Xiao Yan's medicinal cauldron like drifting smoke, the outcome of this competition was completely decided.
"The champion of this year's Grand Meeting is—Yan Xiao!"
Fa Ma's voice echoed throughout the plaza.
Immediately afterward, deafening cheers erupted from the audience stands. Countless people stood up excitedly, waving objects in their hands as they celebrated Xiao Yan's victory.
In an instant, the entire plaza transformed into a sea of noise and excitement.
Looking at the countless people cheering for him, Xiao Yan could not help but feel a surge of exhilaration. A youthful vigor and confidence appeared upon his face.
He placed a hand over his heart and asked inwardly:
"Teacher, this time I didn't disgrace you, did I?"
Very quickly, Yao Lao's approving laughter echoed within Xiao Yan's heart.
"Haha! You did very well this time, Xiao Yan! As expected of my disciple!"
Hearing Yao Lao's praise, Xiao Yan let out a long breath and revealed a brilliant smile. Afterward, he turned his gaze toward Lin Yuan's direction.
When Xiao Yan's eyes landed upon Lin Yuan, Lin Yuan chuckled softly and generously applauded for him without the slightest hesitation.
Perhaps compared to cultivation, Xiao Yan's talent in alchemy was even more worthy of praise.
And at this moment, Lin Yuan was also extremely satisfied.
Throughout this competition, Xiao Yan had continuously circulated the Flame Mantra during several consecutive hours of pill refinement. With Qing Lin's assistance, Lin Yuan had obtained a tremendous amount of information regarding the circulation and Qi pathways of the complete Flame Mantra.
After briefly cross-verifying it with the incomplete Flame Mantra in his possession, Lin Yuan's confidence in reverse-engineering the original Flame Mantra increased considerably.
In this Grand Meeting, both Xiao Yan and Lin Yuan had obtained exactly what they wanted.
----
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