A quarter of an hour later, the competition for the second round officially began.
The items on the alchemy platforms had been replaced. The prescription was new and the handwriting clear. Now, the medicinal ingredients placed on the bluestone slab matched the prescription exactly, with nothing missing and all of high quality.
However, what had previously been only one portion of materials had now become two portions.
From this point alone, the difficulty of this round should be greater than the first.
Yet after hearing the requirements announced by Medicine King Sun Ran, the alchemists were somewhat baffled.
“This round is still to refine a mortal pill. You have two attempts, and the pill efficacy only needs to reach sixty per cent or above. You may begin now.”
These words sounded unproblematic.
But they left the competing alchemists somewhat hesitant to act.
The reason was simple: this test was too easy.
A mortal pill that did not even rank as a grade, with no requirement for full efficacy, two full portions of materials, and a complete, clear prescription.
If someone failed to refine it successfully under these conditions, they truly did not deserve to be called a yellow-grade alchemist.
Ling Xiao also felt some confusion.
He still did not rush to start, because he knew very well that this test could not possibly be so straightforward.
With the same thirty-minute time limit, he had plenty of time to carefully consider it.
Many people around him reacted the same way as Ling Xiao.
Those who had passed the first round generally had real skill and would not act rashly.
About five minutes later, some began refining.
Dan Qing and Ji Luoyu had already extracted the essence from their first portion of ingredients and placed them into their furnaces.
Clearly, wasting time guessing was pointless, so they decided to try with the first portion first. At the very least, that way they could discover where the problem lay.
In a short time, flames burned on almost every alchemy platform. Perhaps everyone sensed that something was not simple, yet could not find the reason, so they could only reveal the issue through practical attempt.
Fortunately, this time there were two portions, which could be used for experimentation.
Yet Ling Xiao still did not move.
His thinking differed from the others. He felt that the two portions placed here were not necessarily meant to give two chances.
Perhaps there was another meaning behind it.
Across the entire competition venue, only Tianhai Zhenzhu acted like Ling Xiao, delaying starting for a long time.
“It seems only the two of them have thought of something the others have not.”
Ji Qing smiled and said, “This time, the only one who can challenge Tianhai Zhenzhu is probably Ling Xiao. Dan Qing and Luoyu are still a bit too inexperienced.”
“You still played that little trick in the end?”
Medicine King Sun Ran frowned.
“Indeed, I did play a small trick. If someone sees through it, their score in this round will be excellent. If they do not, they may not necessarily fail, but the chance of failure will greatly increase.”
Ji Qing laughed.
“Alas, why bother? It is too discouraging for them.”
Sun Ran said helplessly.
“Ling Xiao and Tianhai Zhenzhu are younger than many here. Since those two can discover the secret, it shows the puzzle is not unsolvable.”
Ji Qing said calmly.
“Perhaps they are just being cautious?”
Sun Ran continued, “In fact, they have not seen through the trap you designed.”
“Maybe. In any case, we will soon know the answer.”
Ji Qing smiled, raised his eyes to look down at the competition field. The expressions of Ling Xiao and Tianhai Zhenzhu carried a hint of partial understanding.
It seemed they were close to discovering something.
Meanwhile, the other alchemists had already begun refining, and some were progressing particularly quickly.
Since the initial process went extremely smoothly, these people shook their heads with bitter smiles, clearly feeling they had frightened themselves a little.
In reality, this round was just that simple.
Dan Qing even glanced at Ling Xiao and said to Ji Luoyu beside him, “See that? That fellow is really too clever for his own good. This second round is actually a relatively simple topic, yet he still thinks for so long. Ridiculous.”
Ji Luoyu did not agree with him, instead frowning and saying, “Perhaps he has his own reasons. We had better focus on our own tasks.”
From the first round, Ji Luoyu had already witnessed Ling Xiao’s prowess, so now she would never underestimate his ability.
Although she truly did not know what Ling Xiao was thinking at this moment, she always felt that he was not the type to act without purpose.
Among the spectators, many did not understand alchemy, so seeing the alchemists’ exquisite refining techniques left them all excited.
Of course, some were also anxious on Ling Xiao’s behalf.
“Why has he not started yet?”
“Hurry up, otherwise others will finish first!”
It was no wonder people felt so anxious. The key was that each round had scoring.
The one with the highest final score would be the champion.
This was not simply a matter of passing the rounds.
Clearly, in the second round, with sufficient materials and a clear, complete prescription, completion rate and pill efficacy had become the scoring factors.
This differed from the first round.
“Tianhai Zhenzhu has finally begun!”
On the judges’ seats, Ji Qing took a deep breath and said, “How can this girl’s alchemy technique be so seasoned? It completely does not seem like that of an eighteen- or nineteen-year-old girl… Without decades of accumulation, it would be impossible!
Sun Ran, do you know this Tianhai Zhenzhu? Do you know her specific background?”
“About three years ago, I met her once. At that time, Tianhai Zhenzhu was already extremely talented, but at most on the level of Luoyu. Her technique was nowhere near this proficient.”
Sun Ran replied, “I suspect that in these three years, something happened to her, perhaps a fortunate encounter, a very good one.”
“If that is true, then Ling Xiao is in trouble. Tianhai Zhenzhu has already taken the lead.”
Ji Qing frowned and said, “Moreover, she has clearly discovered the reason we provided two portions of materials. Among so many people, only she is using the correct method.”
“Alas, I do not know if Ling Xiao can still suppress her in this round. If not, then we will be embarrassed.”
Elder Ancestor Changle shook his head and sighed.
Even though he did not understand much about alchemy, hearing Ji Qing’s words, he knew the situation.
Currently, only Tianhai Zhenzhu was refining according to the correct method. All the others were wrong. Although this wrong method might still allow them to pass, their scores would certainly be inferior to Tianhai Zhenzhu’s.
This hope, then, could only be placed on Ling Xiao, who had not yet begun refining the pill?
…
As time continued to pass, some of the faster alchemists were already close to completing their pills.
The entire process seemed to present no problems at all, which suddenly relaxed their originally tense mood.
Perhaps they really had frightened themselves. In reality, it was not that frightening. This round truly was the judges going easy on them.
