“Who would have thought young Yan Zhen had tamed an extreme flame? Impressive stuff. Old brother Yan Lie, why didn’t you mention it sooner?”
Yan Lie stroked his own beard.
“Seems that master of Zhen’er’s gave it to him. This is my first time seeing it too.”
Huangfu Can remarked coolly, “The aura isn’t particularly strong. It’s no surprise for a mystic general to refine it…”
Huangfu Wenqing cut in from nearby: “It’s Gold-Silver Fire, number one hundred on the Extreme Flame List. Yan Zhen acquired it back in the Mystic Initiate Realm, and it’s been with him ever since!”
Her words turned every head from the Huangfu Family toward her—including those of the Eighth Palace Lord and Yunbai.
“No way he had it back in the Mystic Initiate Realm!” Yunbai shot back. “Even the lowest-ranked extreme flame, Phosphorus Fire, is beyond a Mystic initiate. Gold-Silver Fire is no different. To control an extreme flame, you need at least mystic master level! And even then, success isn’t guaranteed—the failure rate is higher, and it’s extremely dangerous. Most wouldn’t risk it. Did your fiancé tell you he refined Gold-Silver Fire as a Mystic initiate? He’s bragging. Don’t fall for it, Young Sect Master.”
Yunbai’s bluntness soured Yan Lie’s expression, but everyone else nodded in agreement.
Everyone in mystic cultivation had heard tales of extreme flames—perilous forces far beyond what a mere Mystic initiate could handle.
Huangfu Wenqing snorted coldly.
“Believe it or don’t. You’ll see the truth soon enough.”
Yunbai shrugged. He wasn’t dumb enough to argue with the Young Sect Master.
Yun Xiu mused privately that Yan Zhen had even shared such a personal detail with Wenqing. They must have gotten close at the Holy Land Academy—maybe even developed feelings.
The thought brought her joy… and sorrow.
On the other side, the Garo Country Lord and his retinue betrayed surprise as well. Extreme flame wielders were rare, let alone among youths like Yan Zhen.
Suddenly, the crowd around regained interest in watching—not just for the competition, but because watching a handsome young man play with fire was easy on the eyes.
Only President Qingmu was stunned. He clearly remembered Yan Zhen’s extreme flame as the Great Crimson Heaven Flame from the City of Water. When did it become Gold-Silver Fire?
—Some kind of illusion trick? Or… did he have two extreme flames?
President Qingmu startled himself with the latter idea and dismissed it as impossible. Yet deep down, he felt a thrill of anticipation. Yan Zhen just might deliver a massive surprise!
Two hours later, President Qingmu’s hunch proved right.
Yan Zhen produced a glowing Healing Pill!
No expert appraisal needed; every Pill Refiner knew what that glow signified.
Supreme-grade quality!
The romance of the craft!
As the fluorescent Healing Pill gleamed, the Pill Refiners’ breaths quickened. The judges practically begged Yan Zhen to present it for a proper appraisal.
No need to compare—even if the Three Star Nation’s refiners matched the third-tier supreme-grade Healing Pill, Yan Zhen had finished first. After confirming the grade, the judges declared his victory outright!
The crowd erupted!
True, his opponent wasn’t Wolf Poison, but clinching the win with supreme grade was thoroughly satisfying!
The Garo Kingdom contingent rekindled a spark of hope.
Huangfu Xiong and Yan Lie cheered loudest, bursting with pride.
“He actually refined a third-tier supreme-grade pill…”
The Garo Crown Prince, Qing Shan, Shangguan Jinghong, and Yunbai all stared in stunned disbelief.
Supreme grade was a stroke of luck, elusive even for seasoned refiners attempting lower-tier pills—and never guaranteed. Was Yan Zhen’s fortune just too good?
Wolf Poison’s face darkened, unease budding in his chest.
Luck or not, it gave Yan Zhen the means to threaten him.
Wolf Poison considered his options and decided to play it safe, wearing Yan Zhen down. The Garo Kingdom had no one left but him—no substitutions, no breaks for recovery. Wolf Poison’s team still had three others.
Fifteen minutes later, the seventh round commenced—another decider.
Back to Cultivation Pills, with a two-hour limit.
Yan Zhen chose to refine the Fourth-Tier Pure Essence Pill, a recipe unique to the Holy Land Academy and Jialan Holy Land!
Two hours later, as the sky began to lighten, a beam of light shot out from Yan Zhen’s pill furnace and hovered above his palm, spinning endlessly.
The Pill Refiners in the audience seats, the judges’ seats, and even the VIP seats all leaped to their feet in shock, staring fixedly at the glowing pill in Yan Zhen’s hand.
Supreme grade again!
And not third-tier, but fourth-tier.
Tier 4 supreme grade!
The crowd erupted in excitement, and the atmosphere grew even hotter.
The Garo Crown Prince, Qing Shan, Shangguan Jinghong, and Yun Bai were all dumbfounded.
Could a person’s luck really be this good? Supreme grade twice in a row, and the tier had even increased by one! Had Yan Zhen grown up eating nothing but luck?
President Qingmu, Feng Xiao, the Eighth Palace Lord, and the other Pill Refiners fell deep into thought, pondering who Yan Zhen’s master could be.
Wolf Poison, meanwhile, sensed a Mystic crisis. Even he couldn’t produce supreme grade pills two times running!
—This kid was suspicious!
In the eighth round—the decisive one—Yan Zhen lived up to expectations. He clinched victory once more with a third-tier supreme grade pill.
Supreme grade three-peat!
At last, the Garo Crown Prince, Qing Shan, Shangguan Jinghong, and Yun Bai realized something was amiss.
Was it possible that Yan Zhen wasn’t just lucky, but could actually refine supreme grade pills at will?
They didn’t want to admit it, but the reality staring them in the face left them no choice.
Huangfu Wenqing wore a proud smile, lifting her chin as if to tell her father and three uncles, “See that? That’s Yan Zhen’s real strength. You’re all seeing things through old, foggy eyes!”
“Truly worthy of Little Brother Yan Zhen.” Ji Ya leaned lazily against the back of her chair, her gaze resting on her lover. She found him dazzling and utterly captivating. “I remember my own reaction the first time—it was just like theirs. It nearly scared my heart right out of my chest, hehe~”
President Lin Fen had always assumed Yan Zhen was the Chief Manager’s pretty boy. Now he finally realized his mistake. Clearly, the Chief Manager had a keen eye for talent and invested early!
Amid the crowd’s excitement and shock, Yan Zhen popped the last restoration pill into his mouth. Then he sat down cross-legged, seizing the moment to recover.
Even a Mystic Lord powerhouse like Wolf Poison was starting to struggle after three rounds in a row. Yan Zhen was no exception; he was already panting from exhaustion.
Such fatigue meant little in a fight, but in technique refining, it spelled disaster. A tiny error could lead to complete failure!
President Qingmu and the other higher-ups could see that Yan Zhen was in poor shape. But with him already meditating, they couldn’t even send him recovery pills. All they could do was worry helplessly.
Finally, after a quarter-hour, the ninth and final round had no choice but to begin.
The assignment was the Vitality Pill, with a two-hour time limit.
Even after the judge announced the start, Yan Zhen remained in meditation. Everyone’s hearts leaped into their throats.
Wolf Poison smirked sinisterly. His wheel-war tactic had worked. Ignoring Yan Zhen entirely, he threw himself into refining his pill.
He intended to refine a Tier 5 pill.
Since he couldn’t compete on quality, he would crush his opponent with the pill’s tier alone.
Yan Zhen was merely a fourth-tier Pill Refiner, while he was fifth-tier. That was the decisive gap between them!
