Alchemists held prestigious positions, and most carried themselves with pride and reserve. Consequently, although several thousand alchemists participating in the competition filled the waiting area, it remained relatively quiet. Very few engaged in idle chatter, and the scattered conversations mostly revolved around what the upcoming test might entail.
Aside from the participating alchemists, no non-competitors were permitted to linger in the waiting area for long.
After staying a while with Shi Yu and the other association alchemists competing in the grand competition, President Song, Master Ji, and the other elders stood up, preparing to leave for the spectator seats.
Just then, a group of guards escorted two people through the main entrance of the waiting area, creating a stir that instantly drew everyone's attention.
Shi Yu glanced over and saw the pair being respectfully ushered inside by the guards. One was Yin Wenzhou, whom she had met briefly at the restaurant, and the other was Qin Qingmu, the daughter of the City Lord who had ridden through the street that day. The two were laughing and conversing in low voices as they walked in.
The moment they entered, the otherwise aloof alchemists swarmed over like stars surrounding the moon, encircling them as flattery erupted from all sides.
“Brother Yin, long time no see! You look as distinguished as ever. You were already able to concoct Tier-3 pills in last year's minor competition—your alchemy skills must have progressed even further this year!”
“I was fortunate enough to meet Miss Qin once before she left for Shiyan Academy. Seeing you now, your elegance surpasses even ten years ago.”
“Senior Brother Yin, taking first place this year must be like reaching into a bag for an object for you. You must let us broaden our horizons today!”
Hearing the deluge of praise, a hint of pride surfaced in Yin Wenzhou's eyes, though his expression remained modest. “You flatter me. With Miss Qin here this year, I am afraid I can only take second place.”
Qin Qingmu arched her red lips, her bright eyes casting a glance at him with a gentle laugh. “Please don't embarrass me, Senior Brother Yin. My alchemy skills are still a far cry from yours.”
Looking at Qin Qingmu, Yin Wenzhou's eyes held a mixture of wary caution alongside unhidden admiration and possessiveness.
The two walked further inside.
President Song and his group had never gotten along with Yin Wenzhou. Seeing him, their expressions darkened. Stopping in their tracks, they turned to head in a different direction out of the area.
Unexpectedly, Yin Wenzhou spotted them with his sharp eyes, a faint smile surfacing on his face. “Well, if it isn't the esteemed members from Lingtai Prefecture?”
President Song and the others halted.
Yin Wenzhou's gaze swept over the alchemists representing Lingtai Prefecture in the competition, his smile deepening. “Still the same old faces, I see.”
He put a deliberate emphasis on the word “old,” making President Song and the elders raise their eyebrows in indignation. Suppressing their anger, they turned around. “What are you trying to say?”
Nearby alchemists also wore playful, mocking expressions.
The grand competition had an age limit; only those under fifty could participate. Remote and desolate places like Lingtai Prefecture were mostly filled with mediocre talents, so those sent to compete were invariably seasoned alchemists who barely squeezed under the fifty-year cap to maximize their experience.
Except...
Everyone's gazes fell upon Shi Yu, whose expression was entirely indifferent.
This girl didn't seem old at all, with a trace of youthful innocence still lingering on her face.
However, cultivators aged slowly, and female cultivators were particularly fond of consuming spiritual plants and pills that preserved youth, making it difficult to judge her true age at a glance.
Yin Wenzhou's gaze swept past Shi Yu, recognizing her as the girl who had embarrassed his companion over the Flying Cart at the restaurant a few days ago. Disgust flickered in his eyes before he turned back to President Song. “What am I trying to say? Nearly fifty years old, yet barely Tier-2. Mediocre hacks coming to a place like this are just making fools of themselves. You'd better pack your bags and go home early.”
His words were dripping with mockery and disdain. The Lingtai Prefecture alchemists targeted by his insult clenched their fists, their faces flushed red with anger and shame, yet they were powerless to refute him.
President Song's chest heaved with fury. Spiritual energy gathered in his palm, kicking up gusts of wind.
Yin Wenzhou crossed his arms and looked on with contempt, utterly confident that President Song wouldn't dare strike.
Indeed, President Song didn't dare. Making a move here would disqualify all alchemists from their association from participating in the grand competition.
At that moment, Shi Yu stepped forward, gently holding President Song's hand. She turned her gaze to Yin Wenzhou. “You are merely a Tier-3 alchemist yourself. Why put on airs and bring age into this?”
Merely a Tier-3 alchemist?
Hearing this, many onlookers gave her strange looks, inwardly mocking her for not knowing the immensity of heaven and earth.
Yin Wenzhou sneered. “Ignorant nonsense!”
Beside him, Qin Qingmu, the daughter of the City Lord, let her gaze drift over Shi Yu, secretly shaking her head with a soft smile.
Just then, two rows of people wearing the robes of grand competition proctors filed out, interrupting their argument.
“The grand competition is about to begin! Please step forward one by one to test your bone age. Once verified, you may ascend the stage!”
With that, they retrieved small artifacts for precise bone-age testing and began measuring the competitors in order.
Soon, calls announcing bone ages echoed one after another throughout the waiting area.
There were fifty to sixty proctors, and checking bone age took only a few breaths. The process moved quickly, and before long, they reached Shi Yu's group.
“Yin Wenzhou, bone age forty!”
“Qin Qingmu, bone age thirty-two!”
Most participating alchemists were around forty years old, making Qin Qingmu remarkably young among them.
...
“Li Li, bone age forty-nine!”
“Meng Cheng, bone age fifty!”
“Qian Zhao, bone age forty-eight!”
The alchemists from Lingtai Prefecture were indeed all pushing the fifty-year limit, drawing another wave of muffled laughter and mockery.
Until...
“Shi Yu, bone age seven... seventeen...?” The proctor hadn't paid much attention at first, but when he clearly saw the number displayed on the testing artifact, his voice warped in shock.
Seventeen?
An uproar broke out.
In the history of the grand competition, it seemed no one this young had ever entered. No one expected that Shi Yu's actual age was truly as youthful as she appeared.
“Only seventeen...? Has she even mastered Tier-1 pills before daring to enter the competition? Isn't she afraid of making a fool of herself?”
“She was probably just sent here to gain experience.”
“To compete on the same stage as this little girl is truly beneath us.”
Yin Wenzhou looked surprised, then mocked, “What, did my words hurt so much that you brought out a kid this year?”
President Song glared cold stares at him and paid no mind to the mocking chatter around them. He patted the back of Shi Yu's hand. “Just do your best.”
Shi Yu gave a soft acknowledgement.
After President Song and the others flicked their sleeves and departed the waiting area, Shi Yu looked up at the elevated stage of the competition.
A long flight of stairs led directly to the top.
Holding the number token handed to her by the proctor, she joined the stream of people and climbed the stairs.
The platform was divided into thousands of equal-sized squares by dotted lines, each roughly one zhang long and wide. Faint light gleamed along the dotted lines—array formations had been set up so that the alchemists inside wouldn't disturb one another during concoction.
Following her number token, Shi Yu walked over to her designated square and looked down from the platform.
Almost all the top figures of Changyuan Prefecture were seated at the front of the spectator section: key figures from the City Lord's Mansion and major sects, patriarchs and elders of prominent families... Further back was a dark, boundless sea of heads, creating a deafening, boiling wave of noise.
It was a vast ocean of people, bustling with activity.
She stopped looking and turned her attention forward.
On the platform, inside every single one-zhang square, stood a rack holding hundreds of wooden boxes, their purpose yet unknown.
Once all participating alchemists reached their assigned spots, under the gaze of thousands, President Yin Shixiu of the Hengze Prefecture Alchemist Association and City Lord Qin Yu of the City Lord's Mansion stepped forward. Flying on swords, they hovered above the platform and announced the start of the competition in amplified voices.
“Alchemists take herbs as their medium and fire as their friend. Today, we gather here to showcase the art of alchemy—a grand occasion indeed...”
“...Let this edition of the Alchemy Exchange Conference begin!”
Both were Golden Core experts. Though their voices were not loud, they sounded as clear as if spoken right next to one's ear.
“The first round.” President Yin Shixiu of the Hengze Prefecture Alchemist Association waved his hand, and the waiting proctors stepped forward respectfully, carrying trays to distribute a small jade bottle to each alchemist.
“This is a pill I recently developed, and its recipe is known to me alone,” Yin Shixiu said with a smile. “On the rack before you are one hundred and eighty-eight spiritual plants. You must identify the twelve spiritual plants used to concoct this pill within a limit of three hours.”
“For every correct plant identified, you will gain three points. For every incorrect one, two points will be deducted. Anyone whose total score fails to reach eighteen points will be eliminated on the spot. The rest will carry their accumulated scores into the next round.”
Below the platform, in the spectator seats.
President Song said in a low voice, “Adding three points for a correct match and deducting two for a wrong one prevents anyone who can't identify them from making wild guesses.”
Master Ji nodded and said, “Little Yu excels at herb identification, so this first round shouldn't pose much of a problem for her.”
“Though three hours is quite tight. I wonder how many spiritual plants Little Yu will be able to identify.”
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