"You despicable kid, how dare you deceive me!" Steward Zhang roared, charging forward. The surrounding crowd gasped in surprise.
Seeing this, Shen Tang and his group gloated, "Haha, Steward Zhang is here for revenge. Let’s see how this kid dies!"
In contrast, Zi Su and the others from the Supreme Hall turned pale. "This is bad! Lin Xuan, run!"
Lin Xuan, however, did not run. He stood there calmly, merely glancing coldly at Steward Zhang before saying faintly, "I’d advise you not to make a move. Otherwise, you won’t be able to bear the consequences."
Steward Zhang gritted his teeth and sneered, "Consequences? What consequences could there be? You’re impersonating a fourth-grade Alchemy Master, but you can’t perform alchemy at all! I’ll personally take you down, you boastful fraud!"
"Who says I can’t perform alchemy?" Lin Xuan snorted. "I have already crafted a fourth-grade elixir, so I advise you not to make a move, or you will regret it for the rest of your life."
"What?" Steward Zhang was stunned. Shen Tang was stunned. Zi Su was stunned. Everyone was stunned.
He succeeded? Is that even possible?
"Impossible!" Steward Zhang roared. "Utter nonsense!"
Shen Tang rolled his eyes. "Still boasting when you’re about to die!"
Zi Su and the others stomped their feet in anxiety. "Hall Master, I’m begging you, please stop bragging!"
The rest of the crowd was equally speechless. Damn, this kid really knows how to boast. Claiming he succeeded? What a joke! You were in the Alchemy Room for only one hour. Don’t tell me you crafted a fourth-grade elixir in just an hour? How is that possible?
No one believed him. Though they weren’t alchemists themselves, they knew that crafting a fourth-grade elixir was extremely difficult. Even the most common type required at least half a day to refine. They had never heard of anyone successfully crafting a fourth-grade elixir in a single hour. This kid was clearly spouting nonsense!
Lin Xuan snorted coldly. "Just because others can’t do it doesn’t mean I can’t. I can craft a fourth-grade elixir in one hour."
The crowd was speechless, completely unconvinced.
Shen Tang chimed in, "Steward Zhang, hurry up and suppress this kid! He’s too much of a braggart!"
As Steward Zhang prepared to act, Lin Xuan spoke again, "I advise you not to let yourself be used as a pawn, or your end will be miserable."
Steward Zhang paused. He realized Lin Xuan was far too composed, so composed that he started to wonder if the boy was actually telling the truth. He gritted his teeth and said, "If you’ve really succeeded, then take it out and show us!"
Lin Xuan replied nonchalantly, "Certainly, but not right now. After Zhao Yue comes out, I will naturally present my elixir for comparison with his."
"Fine, then I’ll wait! I want to see if you can actually produce a fourth-grade elixir then!" With that, Steward Zhang snorted and stepped aside. The competition was only for one day, after all. The worst-case scenario was that he would just have to suppress the boy after the day was over.
Shen Tang also let out a cold snort, a little disappointed that Steward Zhang hadn’t acted immediately. But it didn’t matter. She would let the kid be arrogant for one more day. Once Zhao Yue emerged, Lin Xuan’s false identity as an Alchemy Master would be exposed. Let’s see how he gets out of this then. As for him actually crafting a fourth-grade elixir? Impossible. Absolutely impossible!
The others also began discussing amongst themselves, none of them believing Lin Xuan.
「Farther away」
Zi Ling and Mo Fan, however, believed him. They had seen Lin Xuan perform alchemy before. His speed was exceptionally fast; thanks to his Anomalous Fire, he was several times faster than other alchemists. For Lin Xuan, crafting an elixir in one hour was nothing out of the ordinary.
And so, the crowd waited. During this time, Zi Su, Zhang Shaochu, and the others quietly approached Lin Xuan, urging him to leave while he still could.
But Lin Xuan just shook his head. "Leave? Why should I leave? I can win. There’s no need to run."
Zi Su was on the verge of tears from anxiety, while Zhang Shaochu could only sigh in resignation. The Hall Master is just too full of himself.
「Half a day passed.」
「Inside Alchemy Room No. 1」
Zhao Yue waved his hand. The Alchemy Furnace before him rumbled as its lid flew open, revealing several elixirs that floated out to hover in front of him. He inspected their quality. They were mid-level fourth-grade elixirs.
"Hahaha, I’ve succeeded!" Zhao Yue laughed heartily. "Not bad, not bad. A standard performance."
With this, he felt completely at ease. He was certain to win this competition. There was no way Lin Xuan could surpass him. That kid is probably still in the Alchemy Room, panicking and despairing right now! A cold smirk played on his lips as he put away the elixirs and the furnace, then walked toward the exit.
RUMBLE...
The door to Alchemy Room No. 1 slowly swung open, drawing everyone’s attention. All heads turned in its direction.
The people from the Star Alliance grew excited. "He’s out! Zhao Yue is coming out!"
"Great! The winner is about to be decided!"
Shen Tang was also thrilled. The other spectators exclaimed one after another, "Zhao Yue is out! Looks like the competition is over. I guess that Lin Xuan kid is heading for a crushing defeat!"
The members of the Supreme Hall felt their hearts leap into their throats. Steward Zhang couldn’t help but clench his fists. Soon, the truth of whether Lin Xuan was really an alchemist would be revealed.
Zhao Yue emerged, brimming with confidence and all smiles. But he quickly froze. He spotted a figure standing in the crowd. It was Lin Xuan.
How is this possible? Why is that guy here? He should be freaking out in the Alchemy Room! How did he get out? Did he actually finish the elixir? Was he even faster than me?
Zhao Yue’s expression instantly stiffened.
Just then, Shen Tang and the others rushed over. "How did it go? Did you succeed?" they asked.
Zhao Yue didn’t answer them, instead asking, "Why is Lin Xuan here? When did he come out?"
"Him? Don’t worry about him," Shen Tang said dismissively. "He came out only an hour after the competition started. I bet he doesn’t know the first thing about alchemy."
"What? He came out after just one hour?" Zhao Yue let out a heavy sigh of relief, his tense heart finally settling down. Even a top-tier fourth-grade Alchemy Master couldn’t craft a fourth-grade elixir in just one hour. The boy coming out so early definitely meant he hadn’t succeeded. He probably doesn’t know how to perform alchemy at all. At that thought, a cold smile spread across his face. Victory is mine.
He turned to Shen Tang and said, "Don’t worry, I crafted a mid-level fourth-grade elixir."
"Really? That’s wonderful!" Shen Tang was ecstatic. "Then let’s get to the final showdown!"
Zhao Yue nodded and strode toward Lin Xuan. Standing before him, he announced loudly, "Kid, my alchemy is complete. Let’s compare the grade of our elixirs!"
The final showdown was about to begin. The people in the crowd grew excited, surging forward with a clamor, their eyes wide as they stared at Zhao Yue and Lin Xuan.
"I wonder whose elixir will have a higher grade?"
"Is there even a question? It’ll be Zhao Yue, of course."
"That Lin Xuan fellow didn’t even craft an elixir."
"Exactly. Coming out in just an hour, there’s no way he succeeded."
"He’s guaranteed to lose."
"Let’s see how he continues his charade of being a fourth-grade Alchemy Master now!" Shen Tang gloated.
The members of the Star Alliance sneered, while Steward Zhang’s eyes turned icy, ready to make his move on Lin Xuan at a moment’s notice.