In reality, only Lin Xiao himself knew the full truth.
The spiritual energy formed from the fusion of the Cyan Flame Spiritual Energy and the Heaven-Devouring Spiritual Energy retained the properties of both. Not only could it unleash the combined energy, but it could also separately manifest the original attributes of each spiritual energy.
In other words, Lin Xiao could individually summon either the Cyan Flame or the Heaven-Devouring Spiritual Energy.
By this point, there was no longer any need to hide the fact that he possessed spiritual energy. Besides, Feng Lanyue had already discovered it back in Linshui City, so it wouldn’t stay secret for long. Thus, he decided to use it openly.
Since it was only the first round, the Cyan Flame Spiritual Energy alone would suffice.
Of course, just one type of spiritual energy was enough to stun everyone. If they knew he possessed two kinds, the entire crowd would probably go mad.
“This, this, this…” At a corner outside the venue, Fan Renlou stared dumbfounded at the cyan flame energy in front of Lin Xiao, utterly shocked.
As a third-rank senior spirit master, he understood what possessing spiritual energy meant. Lin Xiao, so young yet with such advanced spiritual power and spiritual energy, could hardly fail to attract the attention of the Spirit Master Alliance. Compared to his own disciple, if Ye Fenghua had to choose, he would undoubtedly pick Lin Xiao.
He had already begun to guess the outcome. The grudge he had once swallowed would likely remain unavenged.
“Good heavens, Wen Renliang, what kind of monster have you brought here?” At the Spirit Master Alliance’s section, Wu Meng and Pang Po both stood up, their faces filled with shock.
Wen Renliang merely smiled, though a trace of doubt flickered in his eyes. The spiritual energy Lin Xiao displayed this time seemed different from what he had shown in Linshui City. Could it be due to the unique nature of this spiritual energy?
“Goodness, this ugly guy actually has spiritual energy?” Near Lin Xiao, Xuanxuan’s small mouth gaped into a perfect circle, her face full of astonishment.
Wu Sha was equally stunned. Wu Gong, also on the field, was dumbstruck. Chen Qing’er, Feng Huo, and others were likewise overwhelmed with shock. Whether on or off the field, no one was unaffected.
“It doesn’t seem to be the same spiritual energy as the one from the Heavenly Demon Scorpion Scale!” After a moment of stunned silence, Ye Fenghua inwardly sighed and slowly sat back down. He was now certain that what Lin Xiao possessed wasn’t the spiritual energy they had been seeking.
Le Zheng Hongmao and the others also took their seats. At that moment, the entire scene erupted into a frenzy, with waves of discussion filling the air.
Yet the central figure, Lin Xiao, turned a deaf ear to it all. Amid the clamour, he immersed himself in refining the pill, controlling the spiritual energy to temper the ingredients at a leisurely pace, as if savouring the process.
“He’s already in a trance now. This ugly guy really is a strange one!” Xuanxuan, standing nearby, exclaimed in amazement again.
“Let’s start refining too,” Wu Sha urged.
Nodding, Xuanxuan summoned her spiritual power and began refining.
Wu Sha, Feng Huo, and the others followed suit. Though the crowd outside was abuzz, time couldn’t be wasted in the arena. Many participants quickly summoned their spiritual power and focused their efforts on refining, pouring their attention into the task.
“Hmph, let’s see whose pill ranks higher!” Ye Yu felt a burning sting on his face. With a cold snort, he stopped chatting and threw himself into refining without further distraction.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, time gradually ticked by. When half the allotted time remained, Ye Yu was the first to finish, condensing a second-rank healing pill.
Shortly after, Feng Huo, Meng Sheng, and others completed their refinements as well. One by one, the young participants in the arena successfully condensed their pills. Almost none failed, since there were no restrictions on pill rank, and they all chose the healing pills they were most familiar with.
Of course, whether their grade potency would pass muster was another matter entirely.
While many watched, Lin Xiao, the focus of much attention, continued at a snail’s pace, as if chewing slowly. He hadn’t condensed his pill yet. It wasn’t until the time limit was nearly up, and everyone else had finished, that he remained alone, still refining.
At that moment, whether on the main platform or in the ordinary seats of the Spirit Master Alliance, many were silently sweating for him.
A third-rank junior spirit master genius with spiritual energy, who had captured the attention of various factions—if he were eliminated in the first round, it would be a colossal joke.
“This guy, he hasn’t gotten so absorbed that he’s forgotten the time, has he?” Sweat beaded on Wen Renliang’s forehead. It had taken so much effort for the Linshui City branch to produce such a genius for the competition. If he were knocked out in the first round, who knew how many years it would take to reach the top ten again?
“When he refined the Nine Flame Wood, he also finished at the last moment. This time, he should manage to make it too, right?” Wu Meng added from the side, though his tone carried uncertainty.
After all, not every last-second finish was a stroke of luck.
On the main platform, as the incense stick beside him neared its end, Ye Fenghua’s fingers tapped the table incessantly. For the first round of the alchemy competition to make him, the alliance leader, so tense was unprecedented.
“What’s this ugly guy doing? There’s barely a dozen breaths left, and he still hasn’t condensed the pill!”
Xuanxuan huffed in frustration nearby, though she didn’t dare raise her voice. The liquid tempered by the spiritual energy had reached a critical stage. Interrupting now would ruin the pill, and that would be disastrous.
“Should we, remind him?” Wu Sha hesitated, whispering softly.
“With just a few breaths left, so what if he has spiritual energy? He’ll still be eliminated in the first round, heh…” Zhou Ruoyi laughed at that moment, her face beaming with delight.
“If he’s eliminated in the first round like this, it’d be too boring,” Ye Yu shook his head and said.
At that point, the scene of tens of thousands fell into a breathless silence. All eyes were fixed on the liquid in front of Lin Xiao.
The green liquid, tempered by the cyan flame, seemed almost fused with it. The refining process appeared steady, but the pressing time limit had everyone holding their breath for him.
“Condense!” Just as the time ran out, Lin Xiao suddenly spoke. With a single word, the cyan flame spiritual energy abruptly withdrew. His spiritual power compressed the liquid, instantly forming a solid the size of a mung bean. A faint medicinal fragrance wafted from it.
The healing pill had finally condensed successfully. At that very moment, the flame on the incense stick in front of Ye Fenghua flickered out.
“Phew!” Many couldn’t help but let out a long sigh of relief for Lin Xiao.
This genius’s refining was far too thrilling, leaving countless people sweating on his behalf.
Of course, some secretly sighed in disappointment. Just a little more, and Lin Xiao would have been eliminated in the first round…
“This kid, always playing it so close!” Le Zheng Hongmao muttered under his breath in mild irritation. Last time, when he oversaw the Nine Flame Wood refining, Lin Xiao had finished at the last second too. And now, here he was again.
Though last time, he hadn’t had any expectations for Lin Xiao, so it hadn’t felt nearly as “exciting” as this.
“Alright, now, begin testing the grade potency of your refined pills,” Ye Fenghua’s voice rang out.
Below, a dozen or so judges placed the grade potency testing stones on their respective tables. There was ample space between each table, allowing the over two thousand young participants to line up and test their pills.
Lin Xiao joined Wu Sha and the others, walking forward.
“Hiss!” At that moment, the first youth in line placed his pill on the stone. A red light flared up, and the judge’s voice followed, “Grade potency, red light, eliminated!”
“How can this be? This is my best first-rank Fuyuan Pill! It’s the peak of my skill, how could it only be red light…” Hearing this, the youth broke down, complaining with a face full of disbelief and frustration.
