Chapter 379: Liu Ling Explains! The Green Lotus Core Flame Makes Its Appearance!
Chapter 379: Liu Ling Explains! The Green Lotus Core Flame Makes Its Appearance!
Chapter 379: Liu Ling Explains! The Green Lotus Core Flame Makes Its Appearance!
The audience began whispering as they watched the alchemists on the plaza awkwardly staring at each other.
“Bang! Bang!”
A soft muffled sound echoed beside Xiao Yan. He turned his head and saw Princess Yao Yue’s grim expression. She let out a slow breath.
"Something seems off, doesn’t it?"
In the VIP section, Princess Yao Ye was surprised as she observed the dazed Princess Yao Yue after her failed fusion.
"Indeed, something's wrong... Though I’m not an alchemist, I can tell that following the recipe should significantly increase the success rate. Yet, everyone down there, including the princess, has failed!" Ya Fei frowned slightly as she spoke.
"This exam seems to have hidden mysteries," Princess Yao Ye said, crossing her slender right leg over her left, her gaze fixed on the strange atmosphere in the plaza.
"Why hasn't that kid Liu Ling started refining the materials yet?"
"Could it be... he’s already noticed something?"
On the high platform, Fa Ma, Jia Xingtian, and Hai Bodong all focused their attention on Liu Ling, who seemed to be acting unusually after seeing so many people fail.
"Bang!"
Another muffled sound came from not far in front of Xiao Yan. A third-grade alchemist, who had already failed once, ended his second attempt in failure as well. His face turned dark as he stared at the black ashes spilling from the bottom of his cauldron.
As this sound echoed, the jade mirror in front of the alchemist's stone platform suddenly lit up with a red glow, signifying that he had exhausted his two chances.
The crowd turned their gaze toward the alchemist who had been the first to take action. Seeing his fate, many who had impulsively planned to start over immediately calmed down, too scared to waste their last set of materials.
Trembling, the alchemist who failed twice packed up his cauldron, his face livid with frustration and rage. He stormed off the stage, muttering angrily under his breath. Those nearby could vaguely hear his unwilling complaints.
“Damn it! How did I fail again? My control over the flame was perfect! Why won’t they fuse?”
Watching the alchemist leave, Xiao Yan gently stroked the warm jade bottle in his hand, narrowing his eyes. After a moment, he slowly poured the materials from the bottle into his cauldron. He needed to experience firsthand why none of the participants could successfully refine the pill.
Fixing his gaze on the swirling purple flames, Xiao Yan calmly added the ingredients from the nine jade bottles into the cauldron, one by one. Controlling the flames, he carefully separated the ingredients. Finally, he took a deep breath and began the delicate process of fusion.
Thanks to the failures of the others, Xiao Yan was more meticulous and cautious than anyone. His soul power surged forth, covering every inch of the pill fire. He made sure that every reaction and effect produced during the fusion of the ingredients was instantly transmitted to his mind.
At this moment, the highest scorer in the first round, Liu Ling, still hadn’t started refining. The second-ranked Xiao Yi Xian had also completed her refining but was waiting and observing the situation. So when the other alchemists saw Xiao Yan attempting fusion, they all turned their curious gazes toward him.
Xiao Yan focused entirely on controlling the pill fire. Under the flame’s heat, the various ingredients gradually fused smoothly.
"Three-Tailed Wind Leaf, fusion successful!"
"Cloud Grass, fusion successful!"
"Li Soil Fruit, fusion successful!"
The materials smoothly fused under the sensitive detection of Xiao Yan’s soul power without any resistance.
"Thick Earth Ganoderma."
Xiao Yan’s eyebrows suddenly furrowed, and his expression changed dramatically as the flames in the cauldron surged violently. A muffled sound followed, and some black ashes scattered down.
“Sigh!”
Upon hearing this, the surrounding people sighed in disappointment.
Seeing Xiao Yan's dejected look, much like the others after his failure, Liu Ling turned back and gave him a sly smile. Speaking in a voice only those within two or three meters could hear, he said, “Heh, kid, haven’t you figured it out yet? This recipe isn’t necessarily correct.”
“The recipe!”
Hearing Liu Ling’s casual remark, Xiao Yan’s mind suddenly cleared up.
Recalling the previous situation carefully, he realized that when he was fusing the Thick Earth Ganoderma, his soul power detected something unusual.
“So, the Thick Earth Ganoderma wasn’t supposed to be added at all. Its medicinal properties lead to fusion failure if included.”
“Damn, the recipe itself is faulty. The Alchemist Guild is really messing with us!” Xiao Yan cursed them silently, then looked at Liu Ling in shock.
“He seems to have known about this all along, but why hasn’t he started refining yet? And why did he remind me?” Xiao Yan was deeply puzzled.
At this moment, Princess Yao Yue, who had been closely observing Xiao Yan, noticed Liu Ling’s lip movements. A thoughtful expression appeared in her eyes.
If Xiao Yan knew the real reason behind Liu Ling’s actions, he would understand that it was partly to prevent too many people from catching on and disrupting the competition, which would render the second round meaningless. On the other hand, Liu Ling simply wanted to show off.
As Xiao Yan wrestled with his confusion, a dazzling cyan flame appeared in Liu Ling’s palm, drawing countless astonished gazes.
As soon as the cyan flame appeared, the temperature on the entire plaza spiked to an uncomfortable level. If not for Liu Ling’s deliberate suppression, the alchemists around him would have been forced to leave their positions.
“Cyan flame! Such high heat!”
The crowd gasped in awe, staring at the cyan flame in Liu Ling’s hand.
It wasn’t just the alchemists on the plaza who were shocked; even the three Dou Emperor powerhouses on the high platform were visibly stirred.
“The cyan flame in Liu Ling’s hand doesn’t seem like an ordinary fire,” Jia Xingtian muttered to himself.
“This aura... why does it feel so familiar? It seems like... the Green Lotus Core Flame!” Hai Bodong murmured, recalling something from his past, and then confirmed with certainty.
“Old Hai, you’re right. That is indeed the Green Lotus Core Flame!” Fa Ma affirmed confidently after sensing the flame’s aura.
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