The morning of the competition's final day dawned with a palpable weight in the air. The usual vibrant buzz of Verdant City was replaced by a tense, focused silence. This was the day of the finale, the culmination of all the previous trials. The championship, once thought to be a guaranteed victory for the Verdant Cauldron Sect, now hung in the balance. Chen Jianxin held a slim, almost negligible lead of 1.5 points over the fiery Huo Liling, with the serene Liu Meiying just a fraction of a point behind her. The stage was set for a dramatic, winner-take-all conclusion.
As the Green Mountain Sect delegation made their way to the Cauldron Pavilion Arena, even the normally unflappable Han Jian seemed to feel the pressure. "Everything comes down to this," he said, his voice low. "One pill. The slightest mistake, the smallest lapse in concentration, and the championship is lost. I have never seen the rankings this close before."
They took their seats. The arena was a sea of silent, expectant faces. Every eye was on the white jade stage below, where the top one hundred competitors who had survived the previous culling now stood by their stations. The air was thick with tension, a coiled spring of spiritual energy waiting to be released. Li Yu watched the top contenders. Chen Jianxin was a picture of calm, his eyes closed in serene meditation. Huo Liling was pacing like a caged tigress, her crimson robes a stark contrast to her pale, focused face. Liu Meiying stood as still as a statue, her plain features composed into a mask of absolute tranquility. And further back, Su Lin, the girl who had produced a miracle, stood quietly, her expression unreadable, having already secured a legendary reputation regardless of this final day's outcome.
The elderly host from the Verdant Cauldron Sect floated to the center of the stage, his expression more solemn than ever before.
"We have reached the final trial," his voice echoed, deep and resonant. "We have tested your eye, your hand, your core, and your heart for creation. Now, we test your ambition, your courage, and your very dao. For the fifth and final stage, you will refine a Foundation Establishment Breakthrough Pill!"
A collective gasp went through the arena. This was not a Rank 3 pill. The Foundation Establishment Breakthrough Pill was a genuine, notoriously difficult Rank 4 pill. It was the ultimate gatekeeper, a concoction so volatile and complex that success was far from guaranteed, even for the geniuses on the stage. A single misstep in its refinement could lead to a violent cauldron explosion, injuring the alchemist and ensuring utter failure.
"The herbs before you are some of the rarest and most potent in the world," the elder continued, as disciples placed a new, heavily reinforced jade box at each station. "The time limit for this trial will be four hours. In this final stage, speed is irrelevant. Only the final product matters. Your score will be based entirely on the quality of the pill you produce. A successfully refined low-grade pill will be a remarkable achievement. A mid-grade pill will be a mark of true genius. A high-grade pill would be a historic accomplishment. As for a top-grade pill... that is a thing of legends."
He paused, letting the weight of his words settle. "The final trial begins now!"
The chime rang out, a long, sonorous tone that seemed to hang in the air for an eternity. The competitors broke the seals on their boxes. An wave of incredibly potent, almost overwhelmingly powerful medicinal aromas filled the arena. The final battle had begun.
For the first hour, the stage was a scene of intense, silent preparation. This was not a pill to be rushed. The competitors meticulously analyzed their ingredients, their spiritual senses probing the volatile herbs, planning their every move.
Li Yu watched, fascinated by the different approaches. The process was far beyond his comprehension, but he could observe the styles, the spirit of their daos at work.
Huo Liling was the first to act. Her crimson flame roared to life, a declaration of her intent to dominate these powerful ingredients through sheer force. Her style was a high-risk, high-reward gamble. She began processing the most volatile herbs first, her powerful flame wrestling with their chaotic energies, a brilliant but dangerous display that had many in the crowd holding their breath.
Chen Jianxin was the epitome of the orthodox path. His golden flame was a perfect, stable heat. He followed a meticulous, perfect sequence, processing the gentlest herbs first to create a harmonious base before slowly and carefully introducing the more potent ingredients. His every movement was flawless, a demonstration of the peerless foundation of the Verdant Cauldron Sect. He was not taking risks; he was executing a perfect plan.
Liu Meiying's approach was one of absolute purity. She spent almost the entire first hour not extracting, but cleansing. Her silvery-blue flame and watery spiritual sense washed over each ingredient, a painstaking process of removing any and every trace of natural impurity. She was sacrificing a massive amount of time, betting everything on the belief that a perfectly pure foundation would yield a peerless final product.
And then there was Su Lin. She was once again a world apart. She laid all her herbs out in a specific, intricate pattern around her cauldron. Her pale green, life-affirming flame did not heat the cauldron, but instead enveloped the entire array of herbs. She was not processing them one by one. She was encouraging them to harmonize before they even entered the cauldron, using her unique dao to bridge the gap between their conflicting natures. It was an act of alchemical artistry so profound that the judging elders on the high platform were all staring at her, their faces a mixture of complete bafflement and awe.
The hours ticked by. The tension in the arena was so thick it was almost a physical presence. Several lesser-known competitors, unable to control the violent reactions in their cauldrons, were forced to abandon their attempts, their cauldrons cracking and emitting clouds of foul, black smoke. Then, a loud BOOM echoed as a competitor from a mid-tier sect failed at a critical moment, his cauldron exploding in a ball of fire, forcing the arena's protective arrays to flare to life to contain the blast. The unfortunate alchemist was carried from the stage, injured and disgraced or rather embarrassed. The reality of the danger had set in.
The Green Mountain Sect disciples were struggling. This was a challenge far beyond their level. Yao Fei and Lin Xue, after a valiant effort, were forced to admit defeat, their concoctions dissolving into a useless, tar-like sludge. Only Brother Shen, with his decades of experience and unshakable caution, was still in the running. He was working at a glacial pace, his face drenched in sweat, but his cauldron was stable.
As the four-hour limit approached, the top contenders reached the final condensation stage. Huo Liling, her face pale with exertion, let out a fierce cry as she slammed her palms onto her cauldron, a massive surge of fiery energy forcing the volatile liquid within to coalesce. A single, crimson pill shot into the air. She caught it and struck her chime, finishing with ten minutes to spare.
Chen Jianxin finished moments later, his expression calm but his spiritual energy clearly taxed. Then, with only a minute left, Liu Meiying completed her refinement, a look of serene exhaustion on her face. Finally, as the last seconds ticked away, Su Lin gently coaxed her pill into existence, striking her chime just as the final, echoing tone of the time limit faded.
The pills were collected and brought to the judging elders. This time, the judgment was long and silent. The entire arena waited with bated breath as the elders carefully, almost reverently, inspected the four legendary pills.
Finally, the host floated to the center of the stage, a scroll in his hand, his expression one of pure, unadulterated awe.
"The results of the final stage are in!" he declared. "Huo Liling of the Crimson Crucible Sect, with incredible speed and power, has successfully refined a high-grade Foundation Establishment Breakthrough Pill! For this, she is awarded 9.5 points!"
A roar of approval went up from the Crimson Crucible Sect's seating area. Huo Liling's total score was now a massive 47.3.
"Chen Jianxin of the Verdant Cauldron Sect," the host's voice rang with pride, "has refined a flawless, perfect, top-grade pill! An absolute textbook example of alchemical mastery! He is awarded 9.8 points!"
The entire city seemed to erupt in a single, deafening cheer. A top-grade Rank 4 pill was a monumental achievement. His final score was 49.1. He had set an incredibly high bar.
The host held up a hand for silence, his eyes wide as he looked back at the scroll. "Liu Meiying of the Silver Stream Clan… with her dao of absolute purity, has refined a top-grade pill… with one spiritual vein! An incredible feat! She is awarded 9.9 points!"
The crowd went wild. A pill vein on a Rank 4 pill! It was a legendary sight! Her total score was now 47.5, pushing her just past Huo Liling into second place.
The host's voice then trembled with unconcealed shock. "And Su Lin of the Pale Orchid Clan… the elders have judged her creation to also be a top-grade pill… also with one spiritual vein! Another miracle! She is also awarded 9.9 points!"
A wave of pure, stunned shock washed over the arena, followed by an explosion of sound that dwarfed everything that had come before. Two geniuses producing a one-vein Rank 4 pill in the same competition! It was a historic moment. Su Lin's final score was 45.0. It was not enough to win, but her name would be remembered.
The host, his voice filled with emotion, finally announced the final standings. "With a total of 49.1 points, the champion of this Grand Alchemy Tournament is the peerless genius of our own Verdant Cauldron Sect, Chen Jianxin!"
The arena celebrated its champion, but they also cheered for Liu Meiying, the quiet master of purity who had secured a shocking second place, and for Huo Liling, the fiery prodigy in third. But the loudest, most heartfelt cheers were for Su Lin, the girl from nowhere who had shown them all a profound path of the alchemy dao.
As the awards were being given out, the host returned one last time to the stage. "This concludes the competition, but not our celebration of the alchemical dao! As is tradition, tomorrow morning, the Grand Elder of our Verdant Cauldron Sect, a true master of the pill dao, will hold a public lecture in this very arena. He will deconstruct the refinement of a Rank 5 pill and answer questions from the audience. All participants and guests are welcome to attend!"
This announcement sent a fresh wave of excitement through the crowd. A lecture from a Grand Elder of the Verdant Cauldron Sect was a priceless opportunity, perhaps even more valuable than the competition itself for many of the alchemists present.
In the Green Mountain Sect's seating area, Elder Han was practically vibrating with excitement. "A lecture from Grand Elder Hui! We must attend! The insights we could gain would be invaluable for the sect!"
Han Jian nodded in agreement. "Of course we will stay. An opportunity like this cannot be missed." He turned to Li Yu. "Brother Li, I assume you will join us?"
Li Yu smiled. The thought of listening to a true master explain the profound principles behind the art was an intriguing one. "I wouldn't miss it," he said.