Overwhelming the Field with Skill

As time passed, countless strange gazes fell upon Zhou Chen. During this period, Zhou Chen's reputation had grown immensely, even making him a potential dark horse in the eyes of many, a figure capable of competing with Liu Ling.

Yet, such a promising candidate had still not completed his pill refinement at this very moment. This was only the first round; could this top contender for the championship be forced to stop here?

"What on earth is Zhou Chen doing? It has been so long, yet he still hasn't succeeded in refining it?" Ya Fei parted her vermilion lips slightly, speaking with a hint of anxiety.

"I find it strange too. I have witnessed how formidable Mister Zhou Chen is. Could something have gone wrong?" The beautiful Nalan looked toward Ya Fei and asked curiously.

Observing the expressions of the two, Ya Ye shook her head. It seemed this Zhou Chen was not as miraculous as the rumors claimed; she had lowered her posture for nothing just now.

Fa Ma explained, "There is no need for excitement, ladies. Zhou Chen has already succeeded in his refinement. Right now, he is merely regulating the temperature of the pill to increase the success rate and prevent it from cracking."

Watching the hourglass run down to its last few grains of sand, Zhou Chen patted the medicinal cauldron. A pill shot out, and Zhou Chen caught it steadily, a satisfied smile appearing on his face. Just as Zhou Chen caught the pill, the ancient bell on the plaza instantly chimed.

"Just in the nick of time. Consider yourself lucky," Liu Ling flicked his sleeve disdainfully and turned away.

As the bell rang, hundreds of red lights lit up across the venue, signaling the end of the first round of the competition!

Zhou Chen carefully stored the pill in a small vial, waiting for the prominent figures to inspect it. In front of him, many exhausted and weary alchemists, their faces filled with dejection, were lining up to leave the stage.

"To think that a third of the contestants were eliminated in just the first round; this exam is indeed rigorous. It seems I must focus my attention even more in the next round."

Zhou Chen looked at the chaotic scene, feeling a wave of emotion. At this moment, quite a bit of black ash littered the plaza ground, and a large number of medicinal cauldrons were releasing black smoke, resembling a smoke-filled border pass.

"Mister Zhou Chen, your luck is indeed quite good, completing the test at the very last moment. However, you should feel some urgency. This is only the first round, and you already struggled this much. You must work harder.

You are a potential dark horse in the eyes of many, and you even achieved the best score in the final test. If you are eliminated in the very first round, wouldn't you become the laughingstock of millions?" Liu Ling spoke in a teasing tone, but it was filled with sarcasm.

Zhou Chen had no leisure to bicker with Liu Ling. Beneath his white blindfold, he rolled his eyes in disdain. "Mister Liu Ling appears so aloof, yet I didn't expect you to be so talkative, and with such hidden meanings.

Could it be that you've placed all your focus on the art of rhetoric instead of alchemy? No wonder your refining skills haven't improved. If you want to show off to Miss Nalan, then display your true strength instead of wasting your mind on flattery and belittlement. Do you understand?"

Liu Ling's smug expression froze, gradually turning gloomy. "I... I do not quite understand what Mister Zhou Chen means."

"Don't understand? Then go back and ask the teacher who taught you how to read and write, lest your brain rusts over," Zhou Chen said coldly, turning his face away expressionlessly.

Seeing Liu Ling silenced in such a manner, Ya Yue let out a soft laugh. In all these years, this was the first time she had seen such an expression on Liu Ling's face, and she found it incredibly amusing.

"That's wonderful, Zhou Chen succeeded!" Faced with such a heart-stopping moment, Ya Fei exclaimed in excitement. Not far away, Mu Zhan's face was extremely unsightly, countless thoughts flashing through his mind.

"As expected, the Association President guessed correctly. However, this guy always does things at the last second; it really tests the limits of my heart," Otto said helplessly.

Fa Ma spread his wings and returned to the platform in front of the plaza. With his hands behind his back, he surveyed the crowd. "Congratulations on completing the first round of the exam. However, do not celebrate too early.

I have noticed quite a few impostors. The pills refined by those people have no therapeutic effect whatsoever, possessing only the outward appearance. Therefore, the inspection shall begin now."

As soon as these words were spoken, Princess Ya Yue stood on her tiptoes and turned her head. In the crowd, several alchemists guiltily lowered their heads, occasionally wiping the sweat from their brows.

"Beneath your bluestone platforms, there is a button. Pressing it will reveal a testing device. It can inspect your Bone-Growing Pills.

The testing rules are simple: a red light indicates that the pill refinement has failed and has no healing effect. A green light indicates success; the brighter the green light, the higher the quality of the pill. Without further ado, let us begin."

Shortly after, everyone began placing their pills into the testing devices. Across the plaza, occasional flashes of red light were exceptionally glaring. Soon, a man near Zhou Chen let out a stream of curses.

"This is absolutely unacceptable! Which 'kind soul' invented this thing? I really want to 'gift' him something nice."

The cursing man kicked the bottom of the bluestone platform in frustration, his face flushed red. "Isn't this just making things difficult for Brother Kun? Damn it, all of this is a mess.

Giving me an obscure pill formula and forcing me to refine it—couldn't they just let us refine normally? Is that old man playing with me? Damn it, this Alchemist Grand Meet is so much 'fun.' I'm not coming next time!"

Looking at the grumbling alchemist who called himself Brother Kun, Zhou Chen was amused by him. "Oh my, what a man of 'character.'"

This machine inspection forced nearly a hundred alchemists to leave the stage with flushed or pale faces. As Zhou Chen watched in a daze, the little Princess Ya Yue skipped over and patted his shoulder.

"Hey, Zhou Chen, let's test ours together."

"Sure." Zhou Chen nodded with a smile. Looking at the lively and adorable little girl, he always felt an urge to reach out and pat her head.

At this moment, Liu Ling was also staring intently at the two of them. The three potential dark horses placed their pills down simultaneously, a scene that instantly became the focus of the entire venue. Who was superior was what everyone was most eager to find out.

A heavy sound echoed, and the jade mirror fell into a brief silence before suddenly bursting with brilliant light. Three green beams shot upward, but the light radiating from Zhou Chen directly crushed the other two.

Of the three beams of light, the one in the middle was as rich and vibrant as green jade, more dazzling and eye-catching than any light that had appeared before, securing victory with absolute dominance.

Ya Ye was slightly inferior to Liu Ling, her light somewhat dimmer. She stamped her foot in discontent. "Hmph, I still couldn't beat you. I'm truly convinced. When you have time, let's discuss alchemy."

"Haha, definitely next time."

Liu Ling cupped his hands and smiled at Zhou Chen, "Congratulations."

Looking at that face, which resembled a resentful widow's and was as unsightly as could be, his smile was like a stone in a latrine—both foul and stiff.

"You... should go back and practice more." Changing the subject, Zhou Chen did not say anything further to him. Under countless astonished gazes, he displayed his pill, the pill veins on it exceptionally striking.