"Wait and see." Liu Ling turned around, staring at the spot where Xiao Yan had disappeared moments ago. With a cold smile, he murmured under his breath, "I'll make him feel utterly humiliated at the Alchemist Graing. The disciple of the Pill King is the most outstanding person in the Jia Ma Empire."

  …

  Early the m, Xiao Yan once again arrived at the Alchemist Association uhe guidance of Steward Zhao.

  Tomorrow was the official start of the Alchemist Graing, and today there would be an internal test.

  As they walked along, Xiao Yan was somewhat surprised to see fully armed troops patrolling the main streets of the city.

  Clearly, this was due to the uping Alchemist Graing. After all, for such a gra, it was only natural that ample security measures would be put in pce.

  The colossal Alchemist Association finally came into view after traversing several wide streets. Xiao Yan shook his head with a feeling of helplessness as he looked at the entrahat seemed even more crowded than trior.

  It seemed that alchemists from all over the empire, and even from other empires, were eager to make a name for themselves at this Graing.

  Stepping down from the carriage, Xiao Yan smoothly approached the mairance of the Association uhe prestigious banner of the Nan .

  Just as he was about to ehrough the VIP passage, a otion suddenly arose not far behind him, and gazes from all around were cast in that dire.

  'Hmm? What's going on?' Xiao Yan furrowed his brow slightly as he turo look toward the source of the otion.

  A strange beast with blue fmes rising from its body ulling a silver-white carriage. From the carriage, a jade-white slender hand reached out and elegantly grasped the handle of the carriage door. Then, a graceful figure gracefully stepped out, appearing in everyone's sight.

  The young dy who emerged was wearing a purple-colored dress that had silver-colored lines embedded in it. Her exquisite features exuded an innate emperament. A purple-colored belt was worn on her narrow and delicate waist, dispying the small waist vividly and incisively. She didn't seem to be very old, probably aroueen hteen, about the same age as Xiao Yan.

  This young dy, who looked quite dylike, had a quirky and strange smile fshing across her watery eyes. Clearly, she wasn't as quiet as she appeared on the surface.

  Steward Zhao spoke in a low voice, "That is Princess Yue Er of the Jia Ma Imperial Family. Her Master is Qie Mi Er, the Deputy Chairman of the Alchemist Association. Last year, she passed the 3rd-tier alchemist examination. She's the treasure of the Jia Ma Imperial Family and one of the top tenders for the championship this year."

  Xiao Yan could only silently mourn for the little princess after hearing the old steward's words. Because whether one was a 3rd-tier or even a 4th-tier alchemist, to Xiao Yan, who possessed a Heavenly Fme, Tier 6 Spiritual Strength, and peak 4th-tier alchemy skills, they were all mere also-rans.

  Xiao Yan took the lead aered the Alchemist Association without paying any further attention.

  Following the old steward, he arrived at a spacious inner hall with a rather cssical decor. By this time, there were already several people standing in groups of three or two. As Xiao Yan's gaze swept over these people, he was a bit surprised to find that many of them, who looked around twenty-seven or twe years old, were actually 3rd-tier alchemists.

  Not long after, the imperial princess he had just seen at the entrance, as well as Liu Ling, also walked in.

  "Young Master Xiao Yan, I won't be able to apany you further," Steward Zhao said with a bow.

  "Thank you for leading the way."

  "It was no trouble at all. I wish Young Master Xiao Ya success."

  After seeing off the old steward, Xiao Yan had no iion of iing with these people. He leaned against the wall with his eyes closed to rest as he waited for the test to begin.

  "Eh? Wasn't that the steward of the Nan just now? Who is that person not wearing an alchemist robe? He shouldn't be on the list, right? How did he mao get in through the backdoor?" Master Ao Tuo from Bck Rock City asked.

  Deputy Chairman Qie Mi Er shook his head upon hearing this and said, "I don't know. I heard he got in through Nan Jie's influe seems he hasn't even been assessed for an alchemist tier."

  "Hasn't even been assessed? He's probably just here to broaden his horizons."

  Qie Mi Er didn't say much more. He shifted his gaze to the people belooio the left side of the hall, where many bck curtains hung from the walls. "Behind each curtain is an individual small room. That's your testing site."

  "As we all know, the purification of medial ingredients is aremely important step in alchemy. Our test this time will be examining your refi of these medial ingredients."

  "Oable in each small room, the medial ingredients for the test have already been prepared. What you o do is to refihe medial ingredients to the highest purity you achieve before the hss runs out."

  Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes and looked at these small rooms when he heard the Deputy Chief's words. He casually chose the one and walked in.

  A stoform immediately appeared before him as he lifted the bck curtain and stepped inside. Oform was an hss, as well as lumps of medial ingredients that looked like bck coal.

  Xiao Yan muttered to himself as he picked up the medial ingredient, "So that's it. It's the low-grade medial ingredient Bck Iron Spiritual Leaf, only used in refining tier 2 healing pills. This thing is highly resistant t and requires strong fire trol abilities for precise manipution during the refining process."

  Xiao Yan merely shrugged upon seeing this. It wasn't very difficult for him. After yawning and smag his lips, he took out a medial cauldron and threw the Green Lotus Core Fme and the Bck Iron Spiritual Leaf into it.

  With a whooshing sound, Xiao Yan instantly raised the temperature of the Green Lotus Core Fme to its maximum. At such a high temperature, fet about refining, the Bck Iron Spiritual Leaf could be directly ied into ashes.

  Just as the Bck Iron Spiritual Leaf made tact with the Green Lotus Core Fme, Xiao Yan trolled the Green Lotus Core Fme with both hands as if maniputing a puppet.

  In a thousandth of a sed before the Bck Iron Spiritual Leaf was about to turn into ashes, strands of green fmes rapidly threaded through the disiing Bck Iron Spiritual Leaf. The medial essence was instantly extracted from it.

  The Bck Iron Spiritual Leaf in the medial cauldron was reduced to ashes in the blink of an eye. If Xiao Yan had been even a fra slower, the medial essence would have beeroyed along with it.

  The key to this teique y in using ultra-high temperature to quickly break down the medial ingredient, then using Spiritual Strength to sense a critical point. At the very limit before the ingredient disied, one had to swiftly use Spiritual Strength to extract the medial essence.

  This required not only powerful fmes but also extremely strong Spiritual Strength capable of seeing through the medial properties of the ingredient.

  Xiao Yan took out a wooden box from his ste ring, pced the medial powder in it, and turo leave the room.

  The entire process took less than a minute.

  Seeing Xiao Yan emerge after just a minute, while some sluggish alchemists were still dawdling in the hall and hadn't eveered, Deputy Chairman Qie Mi Er smiled and said, "Young friend, there's o e out just to check the hss in the hall. There's an hss inside as well, synized with the one here. The time before the hss runs out is all for refining. The purity will be checked after time's up. You don't o be anxious."

  It was clear that the Deputy Chairman thought Xiao Yan was overly nervous and unfamiliar with the rules, so he came out to ask.

  Xiao Yan took out the wooden box, looking drowsy and listless, and said, "I've already finished refining."

  "You've already finished refining??!!" The two judges, Qie Mi Er and Master Ao Tuo, both excimed in shock.

  Master Ao Tuo asked, "How many times did you refi?"

  "How many times? Once, of course."