Chapter 73: Xiao Yan’s Confidence

Before Lin An successfully completed his refinement, more than thirty others had already produced the Pill of Breaking Calamity. What surprised Lin An was that Xiao Yan seemed particularly fond of the name Yan Xiao, using it once again to participate in the Alchemist Grand Tournament. However, just as Lin An had suspected, his appearance was altered through disguise—clearly, he feared being recognized either by Lin An or by Nalan Yanran.

Given the previous incidents, even though he participated in the tournament under the name Yan Xiao, no one from the Jia Ma Empire dared to act against him. Before leaving, Yan Xiao glanced in Lin An’s direction, smiled, and then departed. Evidently, the preliminary round posed no real challenge for him; his goal from the start was nothing less than the championship of the Alchemist Grand Tournament. For both him and Lin An, the preliminary round was little more than a warm-up.

Once the round was over, Lin An returned to the Nalan family residence with the others, showing no interest in how many had advanced to the next stage. Like Xiao Yan, the only one Lin An considered a potential threat was Xiao Yan himself.

The semifinals were scheduled for two days later, but Lin An was unconcerned. When the semifinals began, two hundred and thirty-four contestants had successfully advanced, a number that did catch Lin An off guard. It seemed the generous rewards had drawn quite a few talented young alchemists to participate. Lin An believed that if not for the allure of the prizes, at least half of these so-called prodigies would have had no interest in the tournament at all. Even Lin An himself would not have cared to join were it not for Xiao Yan’s presence.

The challenge of the semifinals was far greater than the preliminaries: the task was to refine a fourth-tier pill. This time, there were no tricks or hidden requirements—one simply had to follow the steps to produce a fourth-tier pill. However, only a fourth-tier alchemist could hope to succeed, and many competitors felt despair upon hearing the task, even if they had been mentally prepared.

In the end, it was still Lin An and Yan Xiao who first completed the refinement of the fourth-tier pill. Because of this, their names quickly became known among the public.

“Look at how skillfully and swiftly they refined a fourth-tier pill! Their alchemist rank must already be fourth-tier, surely? It’s terrifying—so young and already fourth-tier alchemists; their futures are limitless!”

“That’s right. When Gu He won the Alchemist Grand Tournament, he was about the same age, but he was only a second-tier alchemist at the time.”

“If one could befriend such prodigies, no price would be too high.”

“You’d best not even think about it. Lin An is backed by a seventh-tier alchemist—rumor has it even that master addresses him as ‘young master!’”

“And Yan Xiao? Don’t even consider it, unless you want to be branded a traitor and an enemy of the state!”

The semifinals continued. For contestants of their age, refining a fourth-tier pill was indeed a daunting challenge, and in the end, only a handful of young alchemists succeeded. Ultimately, only seven alchemists managed to complete the task, and without exception, they were all obscure figures, evidently reclusive alchemists who preferred to remain unknown. Including Lin An and Yan Xiao, only nine alchemists advanced to the final round.

Such a staggering elimination rate was unprecedented in the history of the Alchemist Grand Tournament—perhaps it would never happen again. Young alchemists who had entered the competition hoping for experience found not growth, but a harsh lesson in reality. True prodigies could refine fourth-tier pills at this age; what right did those who could only produce second- or third-tier pills have to call themselves geniuses?

After a three-day respite, the final round arrived as scheduled. This time, the pill formula was highly unusual, just as many had speculated: the task was to refine a fifth-tier pill. Upon hearing this, four of the nine prodigies who had reached the final immediately withdrew from the competition. Had it been a contest of fourth-tier pills, they might have stood a chance, but fifth-tier? They had never even attempted such a feat.

Even so, when five contestants remained on stage, the entire audience was shaken. Fifth-tier alchemists, when seen in public, were almost always elderly greybeards; to witness such young fifth-tier alchemists was nearly unimaginable. Since these five were willing to stay, it meant there was at least a chance—however slim—that one of them would succeed in refining a fifth-tier pill. Even a one percent chance was enough to astound the crowd.

“This year’s Alchemist Grand Tournament is truly exceptional. The final will be decided in this manner for the first time in history. For all of you to have made it this far, you have already surpassed most of your peers, and I must congratulate you in advance!”

“This time, the fifth-tier pill you must refine is especially rare—it is called the Nine-Turn True Spirit Pill. As the name implies, to refine a complete Nine-Turn True Spirit Pill requires nine transformations: nine turns to form the pill, which would be a legendary ninth-tier pill.”

“Of course, I am not asking you to refine a ninth-tier pill, but this pill is unique. Each turn increases its rank: four turns make a fourth-tier pill; five turns, a fifth-tier pill; and so on, up to seven turns. Because the formula is incomplete, it is impossible to refine the eighth or ninth turn.”

“I believe this is the fairest way to decide the final winner!”

Fama’s words left the audience in shock. Even though the highest achievable result was a seventh-tier pill, this was already an extraordinary feat.

Naturally, the Nine-Turn True Spirit Pill had been provided by Lin An, who wished to take a gamble. If Xiao Yan could truly refine a six-turn pill, Lin An might even risk attempting a seven-turn pill himself.

Yan Xiao nodded imperceptibly, for this was the first time he had heard of such a miraculous pill. All the pills he had seen before were fixed in rank; once refined, their grade was determined. Unlike the Nine-Turn True Spirit Pill, each turn elevated its rank.

This suited him well—if, as he had anticipated, the final contest were limited to a fifth-tier pill, he would not be able to fully display his strength. After all, he was already a sixth-tier alchemist. Judging by Lin An’s easy success in previous rounds, it was likely that Lin An was at least a fifth-tier alchemist as well. As for reaching the sixth tier, that was not something an ordinary person could achieve, even with Medicine Dust, the seventh-tier alchemist, by his side. To refine a sixth-tier pill was not a simple matter.