“I’m going all in!”
Lin Xiao clenched his fists, then flicked his hand, retrieving the Green Flame Evil Fruit from his storage ring. With a surge of spiritual power, he guided it to float several meters ahead and slightly upward.
The crowd murmured in surprise at the sight of the Green Flame Evil Fruit. Its glossy, dark green sheen resembled a jewel, catching the eye.
But compared to Ye Yu and Yunfeng’s ingredients, it fell short. Considering Lin Xiao’s spiritual power level, the onlookers could only sigh with regret.
Lin Xiao had been dazzling in the first three rounds, but the fourth round hinged on elixir grade. With his rank so clear, no amount of brilliance could bridge the gap.
Refining across one grade was already a monumental challenge; crossing two grades and surpassing both opponents was near impossible.
“Didn’t he say he’d refine the Yellow Heaven Elixir? What’s this ingredient?” Ye Fenghua’s brows furrowed, a puzzled look crossing his face.
He couldn’t identify this green fruit. Yesterday, Lin Xiao had confirmed he’d refine the Yellow Heaven Elixir. Had he switched to another elixir on the spot after seeing Yunfeng and Ye Yu’s plans?
Yet, Ye Fenghua couldn’t fathom what high-grade elixir this shiny green fruit could produce.
“This green fruit feels… unusual…” Ye Fenghua seemed on the verge of a realization but shook his head, “No, that recipe’s been lost for ages.”
“Father, do you know what he’s refining?” On the other side, Meng Ying watched Lin Xiao, brimming with fighting spirit, and asked with curiosity.
Emperor Meng shook his head slightly, “I’ve seen my share of things, but I’m no expert in elixirs. I can’t tell.”
“Judging by his character, he doesn’t seem like someone who gives up easily. Maybe the elixir he’s preparing isn’t low-grade,” Meng Ying mused inwardly with a sigh.
Only one person in the crowd recognized the fruit—a middle-aged man who’d sold it to Lin Xiao at the market. Even now, he didn’t know its purpose.
As for Wu Neng and Chen Tong, who’d clashed with Lin Xiao that day, their families had punished them severely, barring them from attending the competition.
Once Lin Xiao produced his ingredient, the others followed suit, pulling out their own herbs and starting to refine.
Wu Gong prepared a third-grade intermediate elixir, the highest difficulty he could manage, though he begrudged falling behind.
At the same time, Chen Qing’er, Feng Huo, Wu Sha, Xuanxuan, and others began their work.
When Wu Sha revealed a dense pile of herbs, Wu Meng’s face below the platform turned grave, his tone heavy, “Sha Sha’s actually going for that elixir…”
Noticing Wu Meng’s solemnity, Pang Po asked, puzzled, “Something’s off, old man Wu. I’ve never seen you this serious. What’s Sha Sha refining?”
“We’ll talk when the results are out!” Wu Meng snapped, sweat beading on his face.
Seeing Wu Meng’s reaction, Pang Po didn’t press further, turning his attention back to the arena.
He didn’t place such high expectations on Xuanxuan, so the pressure wasn’t as intense for him.
The scene proceeded according to the competition’s rules. Once refining began, loud disturbances were forbidden, and no spirit controller could interfere with others. The arena grew quiet.
Staring at the Green Flame Evil Fruit, Lin Xiao took a deep breath and summoned a burst of cyan fire spiritual energy to burn beneath it. But he suddenly sensed the fruit devouring the cyan fire, absorbing it entirely.
Lin Xiao broke into a cold sweat, hastily adjusting the cyan fire’s intensity and distance to prevent it from being consumed.
To refine the Thunderclap Evil Fire Elixir, the auxiliary herbs had to be fused into the Green Flame Evil Fruit first, then tempered. Otherwise, its voracious energy consumption would make blending other herbs impossible, requiring a gradual fusion followed by slow calcination.
Lin Xiao produced the fire-attributed Soaring Fire Wood, controlling it to burn beneath the Green Flame Evil Fruit. As it slowly liquefied into a woody sap, he meticulously fused it into the fruit.
The Green Flame Evil Fruit craved fire but repelled other herbs. Integrating the Soaring Fire Wood took considerable spiritual power and time.
If it weren’t a fire-attributed herb, fusion might have been outright impossible.
Next, Lin Xiao methodically blended one auxiliary herb after another. Though not rare or costly, all eighteen were fire-attributed.
Despite his efforts to hasten the process, it remained painstakingly slow.
By the time half the herbs were fused, an hour and a half had passed, and nearly a third of his spiritual power was depleted.
“What’s he refining? Why’s he fusing so many fire-attributed herbs into that green fruit?” Wen Renliang below the platform watched, bewildered.
“I’ve been staring for ages and still can’t figure out what this kid’s up to,” Pang Po shook his head, equally perplexed.
“And this method of fusing herbs into one—it’s so slow. Half a day is three hours, and half that time’s already gone. No idea how many more herbs he’s got to add,” Pang Po added.
The others were just as clueless, unfamiliar with this peculiar refining technique.
Even seasoned spirit controllers couldn’t guess what elixir Lin Xiao was crafting.
“Let’s wait and see. Hopefully, this kid gives us a surprise,” Wen Renliang sighed uncertainly.
On the jade platform, Ye Fenghua studied Lin Xiao intently, murmuring, “Vice Leaders, doesn’t it look like he’s refining an explosive elixir?”
“Explosive elixir?” Le Zheng Hongmao’s brows shot up, briefly considering the possibility before shaking his head, “No way. That kind of elixir’s been lost for centuries. He’s just a third-grade elementary spirit controller—however prodigious, he couldn’t possibly refine something like that.”
“Of course, I’d love for him to prove us wrong with a shock,” Le Zheng Hongmao added.
Situ Guang shared the same view. Experienced as they were, they couldn’t see Lin Xiao possessing the means to refine such an elixir.
Their gazes then shifted to Ye Yu, whose elixir was already two-thirds complete.
Unlike the swift pace of the first three rounds, refining high-grade elixirs demanded patience. A single mistake could ruin everything.
With only one chance in this competition, everyone proceeded with utmost caution. Completing half in an hour and a half was already double the usual speed.
When only half an hour remained, some began successfully condensing their elixirs.
“Chi!” Before Chen Qing’er, a third-grade elementary elixir took shape.
