Fantasy, starting with a treasure bowl

At this moment, on the side of the square outside the palace

"The competition continues."

Seeing that most of the contestants were eliminated in the first round of the Dan competition, Mondo, the referee, nodded slightly, as if he had expected it.

Because the rules for advancing in the first round of the alchemy competition are not simple.

Only by successfully refining a complete elixir with a grade of at least rank two can one advance to the next round.

Looking at all the contestants present, apart from the four renowned rising stars of the Alchemist Guild, no one dared to guarantee that their success rate in producing pills would be 100%, while also ensuring that the pills were of grade two or higher.

"Are Zhang Yu and Gu Juji at odds again?"

In a corner of the square, a hunched-over man in black robes, blind in his left eye, stood still, then looked in the direction where Zhang Yu and the others were. He seemed to be a member of the Alchemist Guild as well.

The man in the black robe had a sallow complexion, missing teeth, and a head of messy white hair that drooped limply, making him look like an old man on his deathbed.

However, the high-ranking officials, nobles, and scions of prominent families present did not dare to underestimate the man in black robes in the slightest; in fact, a hint of respect was faintly visible on their faces.

Because, although the other party was unremarkable in appearance, like a decrepit old man who was about to die, he was actually one of the four rising stars of the Alchemist Guild, a genius of alchemy from the Western Qin Kingdom, Hai Dafu!

Compared to Zhang Yu, a half-baked fourth-grade alchemist, Hai Dafu in front of him has not only been cultivating his skills as a fourth-grade alchemist for many years, but also possesses the unique skill "Blood Burning and Pill Fusion Technique," which can temporarily boost his alchemy skills, allowing him to refine high-level pills!

However, the "Blood Burning Elixir Fusion Technique" also has significant drawbacks, including a reduction in the user's lifespan, essentially risking one's life to refine elixirs.

Therefore, Hai Dafu, who was only in his early thirties, looked like an old man in his seventies, and had lost all his hair and teeth.

"Hmph, just two clowns, nothing to fear...!"

Upon discovering that Zhang Yu and Gu Juji were still busy competing, Hai Dafu withdrew his gaze and flicked his sleeve, immediately summoning a huge cauldron from his storage ring, its entire body as black as ink and carved with tiger heads all around.

This cauldron is called the "Four Tigers Fighting Enemies Cauldron". Not only does the name sound domineering, but its grade is also not low. It is a genuine fifth-grade cauldron, far superior to the Dragon Pattern Cloud Swallowing Cauldron in Lu Feng's hands!

Now that Hai Dafu has once again brought out his natal alchemy furnace, his purpose is obvious: to sweep aside all rivals in the next round of alchemy competition and ultimately win the championship.

After all, this alchemy competition was not only proposed by Xu Liancheng, the president of the Alchemist Guild, but also watched by Emperor Ren Tianxing of Dongyun Kingdom, so its importance is self-evident.

Moreover, if he can win the championship in this pill-making competition, he will not only gain Ren Tianxing's favor, but may even marry Princess Changren Xuanfei in the future and become the enviable imperial consort!

Therefore, faced with such a great temptation, Hai Dafu naturally showed off his best skills without holding back at all.

"That furnace in this guy's hand looks pretty good..."

In a certain part of the crowd, seeing Hai Dafu summon the Four Tigers Fighting Enemy Cauldron, Lu Feng's eyes lit up, a hint of interest appearing on his face. "It's a pity that such a fine cauldron has now fallen into the hands of a wretched old man; it's truly a waste of its talent..."

Although the Dragon Pattern Cloud-Swallowing Cauldron in his hand is a fourth-grade furnace cauldron, it is still slightly inferior to Hai Dafu's Four Tigers Fighting Cauldron, and its efficiency and difficulty in refining pills are also much lower.

In addition, as Lu Feng broke through to the fifth level of his soul power realm, the Dragon Pattern Cloud-Swallowing Cauldron in his hands became increasingly useless, which is why he set his sights on the Four Tigers Fighting Enemies Cauldron.

After all, for an alchemist, a good furnace can not only make things twice as easy, but also greatly increase the success rate of alchemy. Its importance is no less than that of high-level spiritual treasures in the hands of some martial artists!

Just as Lu Feng was observing the situation of everyone on the field, Zhang Yu, who ranked third among the four rising stars, also took the lead in refining pills.

"One White Spirit Flower, one Vitality Grass, both over fifty years old, plus three liters of Yuan Stone powder, and the core of a top-tier Xuan-rank demon beast...!"

Zhang Yu was seen muttering incantations as he intently selected various medicinal herbs from the surrounding area, then poured them all into the huge cauldron in front of him, his movements remarkably practiced.

As for the medicinal materials he carefully selected, they are one of the main ingredients for refining the fourth-grade pill "Revitalizing and Regenerating Pill". This is also the pill that Zhang Yu is most skilled at making, and the success rate of each batch is basically over 70%!

"Dan Huo, emerge!"

Zhang Yu poured all the medicinal herbs into the huge cauldron without delay. Immediately, a wisp of Yuan Qi Dan Fire appeared in his right palm and was then injected into the bottom of the huge cauldron.

Roar! Roar! Roar!

In an instant, the elixir fire surged and raged, reflecting points of red light, which also caused the temperature in the air to rise considerably.

"The flame temperature is just right, and the essence of the herbs hasn't been lost... Excellent!"

While controlling the alchemical fire to heat the furnace, Zhang Yu also released his Yuan energy to look inside and discovered that the essence of the medicinal herbs inside the furnace was being purified and refined little by little. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

For most alchemists, the alchemy process is not particularly difficult. Under normal circumstances, as long as the two most important steps, "fire control" and "alchemy fusion," go smoothly, they can generally guarantee the successful production of the pill.

Zhang Yu is currently in the "fire control" stage. As long as he controls the temperature of the alchemical fire and prevents the essence of the medicinal herbs inside the furnace from burning, and at the same time completely purifies and refines them, he will be considered successful!

"This guy really did refine a Rejuvenation Pill...!"

"Damn it! If I were to refine a third-grade pill as usual, I would undoubtedly lose!"

Gu Juji glanced at Zhang Yu, who was refining pills not far away, and his expression turned solemn, showing hesitation.

"Damn it, I'll give it my all...!"

Seemingly having made up his mind, Gu Juji clenched his teeth and immediately manipulated the alchemical fire to burn all the medicinal herbs inside the furnace in front of him. He then added other medicinal herbs, clearly intending to start a new furnace.

Just as Gu Juji was plotting how to defeat his mortal enemy Zhang Yu, Hai Dafu and the others on the side also began refining pills. For a moment, the atmosphere on the field was tense and full of gunpowder.

However, although the atmosphere on the field was tense, most people's eyes were focused on a young man in a red robe, and their expressions were shocked, as if they had seen a ghost.

The young man in red robes had a sinister face and a cold expression. He was completely focused on refining pills and paid no attention to the astonished looks from the crowd, as if his mind and spirit were isolated from the world.

To his left stood an almost identical transparent figure, looking like a twin brother.

The transparent figure stood quietly in place, manipulating the fire in both hands and slowly pouring it into the furnace in front of him. The two complemented each other perfectly.

"The main body split in two? Such a bizarre alchemy technique exists in this world!"

"Am I seeing things? This person summoned a clone out of thin air...?"

"Although it is a clone of Yuan energy, its every move is no different from that of an ordinary living person. Such miraculous methods are exactly the same as the ancestral secret technique 'Dual Spirit Spell of Distraction' of the Guo family, a quasi-sixth-rank power in the Northern Wei Kingdom...!"

"Could this person be Guo Tianlin, the top of the four rising stars of the Alchemist Guild, the number one alchemy prodigy in the Northern Wei Kingdom, known in the martial arts world as the 'Twin Alchemy Madmen'?!"

"It can't be wrong! After all, looking at the entire Lingnan region, apart from Guo Tianlin, there's probably no one else who can cultivate the 'Dual Spirit Distraction Spell' to such a superb level...!"

Outside the arena, the crowd was buzzing with discussion, clearly recognizing the red-robed youth's origins.