On the morning of the third day, the atmosphere at the venue for the final round of the Alchemy Great Competition was even more heavy and solemn than the previous two days.
The sect leaders of each sect were all present today, seated right in the center of the judges' bench. They exchanged pleasantries, but their eyes were unanimously focused on the contestants who were ready and waiting in the field.
Su Muli, the Sect Leader of the Shenmu Sect, was dressed in a green robe and was laughing and talking with several other sect leaders nearby.
"Sect Leader Su, I assume the champion of this year's Alchemy Great Competition will once again fall to the Shenmu Sect?" Bu Qingwei, the Sect Leader of the Tianyan Sect, stroked his beard and smiled. "The Shenmu Sect is truly a cradle of talent."
Su Muli gave a humble smile. "Sect Leader Bu overpraises them. Those children do have some talent, but they are young and impetuous; they still need tempering." He shifted the topic. "On the other hand, I heard that the little girl from the Five Elements Dao Sect named Li Nanzhu gave a stunning performance yesterday."
Liu Changhe nodded upon hearing this. "Indeed, it was impressive. To be able to perfectly merge heart-eroding grass into a tier 2 pill shows a level of control that is anything but ordinary. In today's final, she might really bring us a surprise."
As the sect leaders talked and laughed, the elder of discipline stepped onto the high platform, his deep voice echoing throughout the venue.
"The final round of the competition begins now! The rules are simple—no limit on materials, no limit on pill grade. Within three hours, refine the most perfect pill you are capable of! The final judgment will be based on a comprehensive evaluation of pill quality, refining difficulty, and innovation!"
Li Nanzhu blinked, not expecting the rules of the final to be so simple.
Looking at the dazzling array of rare spiritual plants on the materials table, her heart felt exceptionally clear.
Unlike the other contestants who were struggling to decide, she was very clear about her position—since she certainly couldn't compete with geniuses like Jiang Zhi who could refine tier 4 pills, she might as well focus on attempting a tier 3 pill, striving to stand out through quality and innovation.
Various precious spiritual plants were laid out on the materials table, all rare high-grade materials, but at this moment, they caused many contestants to fall into a dilemma.
Jiang Zhi stood before the materials table, lost in thought for a long time.
He had originally planned to refine a tier 4 gold spirit pill, but seeing the other direct disciples also eager to try, he couldn't help but hesitate over whether to challenge an even more difficult tier 4 high-grade pill.
After all, in this kind of free-form competition, merely meeting the standard wasn't enough; one had to surpass the other geniuses to seize the top spot.
Ye Zhiqiu was also deep in thought. Although the five elements spirit-nurturing pill was her forte, she feared it would be difficult to stand out among so many tier 4 pills.
The rest of the direct disciples were also pacing back and forth anxiously, clearly uncertain about what pill to refine.
The lack of restrictions had instead become the greatest restriction—one had to ensure success while also surpassing others, and this balance was truly difficult to grasp.
At the judges' bench, the various sect leaders watched the contestants' hesitation and wore understanding smiles.
"This has really stumped these children," Bu Qingwei said with a chuckle while stroking his beard. "The absence of rules is actually the greatest test of one's temperament."
Zhao Wufeng nodded. "Indeed. To stand out among a crowd of geniuses, this choice is not simple."
Only Li Nanzhu walked toward the materials table without a moment's hesitation.
She was very clear about her goal—to try refining a tier 3 cleansing heart mind-concentrating pill, but using Xiao Yan's improved formula.
This was already a massive challenge for her; after all, she had never successfully refined a tier 3 pill before.
Seeing Li Nanzhu make her choice so quickly, both the judges' bench and the audience cast surprised looks. While the other contestants were still indecisive, she was actually the first to start selecting materials.
She briskly took several spiritual plants, all of which were standard materials for refining a tier 3 cleansing heart mind-concentrating pill.
Just as everyone thought she was going to refine a traditional recipe, she unexpectedly took a stone marrow vine and several gold-patterned fruits.
"Eh?" Su Muli leaned forward slightly. "A mind-concentrating pill plus purple cloud vine? What exactly is this girl trying to do?"
Even Liu Changhe frowned. "The medicinal property of the purple cloud vine is fierce, and the gold-patterned fruit tends toward dry heat. They don't harmonize with the gentle medicinal properties of a mind-concentrating pill. This... won't this affect the quality of the finished pill?"
Elder Tan, however, looked thoughtful. "Looking at her performance yesterday, she doesn't seem like the type of person who would make such a mistake. Perhaps... she has some new ideas?"
Li Nanzhu's decisive choice seemed to break the deadlock on the field. Seeing that she had already made her decision, the other contestants also began to act one after another.
Lin Xiaowan was the first to step forward, taking materials for the water rhyme pill she was best at, while Tao Ying chose the familiar starlight pill recipe.
They were both very aware that since they couldn't compete with the direct disciples who could refine tier 4 pills, they might as well focus on doing what they were best at.
Seeing this, the other disciples also let go of their psychological burdens and selected the materials for the pill recipes they were most proficient in.
After all, in a competition crowded with geniuses, being able to completely refine a high-quality pill was already a success.
Seeing everyone making their choices, Jiang Zhi finally stopped hesitating as well.
He took the precious materials required to refine a tier 4 high-grade gold spirit pill, and his gaze became firm—if he was going to compete, he would compete for the best!
Ye Zhiqiu, Wei Zhaoheng, and the others also quickly made the same choice.
They were all going to fight for it!
At the judges' bench, the various sect leaders looked at each other and smiled.
"This girl actually broke the deadlock," Elder Tan said admiringly. "Despite being the first to make her own choice, she indirectly helped everyone else make up their minds."
Bu Qingwei nodded. "It is indeed rare. To be able to maintain such clear self-awareness in this kind of setting, knowing what she should and shouldn't do."
Driven by Li Nanzhu, all the contestants began their refining.
Spiritual light instantly flickered throughout the field as the fragrance of medicinal herbs filled the air. Everyone was fully focused, throwing themselves into their alchemy.
Li Nanzhu focused on processing the materials, completely undisturbed by the outside world.
She wouldn't worry about her ranking, nor was she afraid of losing to others. Rather than overreaching to challenge the impossible, it was better to be down-to-earth and do her absolute best.
She understood the weight of the words 'self-awareness' better than anyone.
At the judges' bench, because of Li Nanzhu's strange combination of materials, Su Muli's attention remained fixed on her.
Soon, his gaze shifted from doubt to focus, finally settling on the flames she was controlling.
"This technique..." Su Muli suddenly sat up straight, a flash of shock in his eyes. "Look at her control of the heat!"
Spiritual energy flowed from Li Nanzhu's fingertips, the green flames moving as if they were an extension of her own limb. Every temperature change precisely hit the critical nodes of the medicinal herbs' characteristic transitions.
"This... I hadn't noticed this before." Elder Tan's eyes widened slightly. "Every node is actually perfect!"
Liu Changhe also showed a look of disbelief. "She's only fifteen! This kind of heat control, even if it were switched to refining artifacts, would require at least ten years of hard work!"
Qin Wuyan suddenly turned to Ling Xiao. "If I remember correctly, she should have only been with that young disciple of yours for a little over a year?"
Ling Xiao nodded expressionlessly.
Having received a definitive answer, everyone looked at each other, seeing shock and confusion in one another's eyes.
Such exquisite fire-control techniques could not be explained by natural talent alone; she must have had guidance from a master.
Who exactly... was her master?
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