X
Join our Discord server and get release updates for every novel you follow.
Join the ServerOn the viewing platform, Alchemy Professor Tang Wanrou stood quietly among the judges, all eyes fixed on the arena below.
The competition had entered its most thrilling phase—the proportioning and fusion of potions. This was not only the ultimate test of the contestants’ skills but the very soul of the entire event.
Everyone knew that the preparation and blending of potions were always the deciding factors between success and failure.
The higher the grade of the potion, the stricter the ingredient ratios. The slightest deviation could lead to unpredictable consequences.
Different medicinal properties either clashed or complemented each other. If the proportions weren’t handled well, at best the potion would be of poor quality or turn into waste; at worst, it could explode, ruining all previous efforts.
What made it even more daunting was that starting over would not only waste a great deal of time, but the pressure that had accumulated in many contestants’ hearts would snowball, ultimately disrupting their rhythm entirely.
Thus, this step tested not only the contestants’ familiarity with the characteristics of various herbs but also their composure in the face of crisis.
Tang Wanrou’s gaze slowly swept across the arena. All the contestants were gradually getting into the zone—their expressions and breathing indicating a state of high concentration.
Even Fan Jian, the only fifth-grade alchemist present, looked as if he were facing a formidable enemy. His hands carefully fused the potions from two test tubes, his mental energy enveloping the liquids like an invisible net, without the slightest slack.
However, when her eyes fell on Ye Xingchen, her brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
On the surface, Ye Xingchen seemed no different from the other contestants. He wore the same cautious expression, his fingers moving precisely between bottles and test tubes, his eyes fixed on the churning liquid in his hands, as if under immense pressure.
But Tang Wanrou was an experienced alchemy professor. She subtly released a strand of mental energy, probing toward Ye Xingchen like a fine silkworm thread. And that one look revealed something unusual.
Although his face showed some tension, it lacked the bone-deep nervousness that permeated the other contestants.
The others either clenched their teeth, breathed rapidly, or had trembling fingertips. But Ye Xingchen’s muscle tension seemed deliberately manufactured, and deep in his eyes lurked a faint, almost imperceptible calm.
This deliberately crafted ‘concentration’ stood out starkly in Tang Wanrou’s eyes.
She withdrew her gaze without making a sound, not rushing to expose him. At that moment, the other judges on the platform had already been captivated by Fan Jian, and the air was filled with admiration.
‘He’s truly a fifth-year student. Look at that focus—he’s probably refining a fifth-grade potion, right?’ said a long-haired, bearded professor, stroking his beard with a tone full of appreciation.
‘In my opinion, Fan Jian is definitely the champion of this competition.’
A female professor beside him nodded repeatedly, praising, ‘Indeed. In terms of experience and skill, none of the contestants here can compete with him. The rest can only fight for second and third place at most.’
As they spoke, the judges’ eyes swept over the ten contestants on the field, eventually lingering on a few upper-grade students, completely overlooking Ye Xingchen and Liu Yuxuan, who had just been promoted to the third grade.
After all, in their view, these two junior students had encountered seniors from the start. Producing a decent potion was already a good performance. As for aiming for a ranking in this competition? That was utterly unrealistic.
Although opinions ran high on the viewing platform, the arena itself was very quiet. The soundproof barrier layout of the venue was indeed effective; the sounds outside were almost inaudible inside, so there was no worry about disturbing the contestants.
That said, Ye Xingchen was silently complaining in his heart at that moment.
On the surface, he maintained that cautious demeanor, deliberately slowing his movements and even letting his wrist ‘tremble slightly,’ but inwardly, it was an entirely different story.
‘How many years has it been…’ Ye Xingchen sighed inwardly. In his years in the cultivation world, how long had it been since he had personally refined such low-level medicines? The divine elixirs that required Chaos Fire to refine were what a powerhouse of his level often used, not these potions comparable to those used by novices just entering the world of cultivation.
Now, faced with this low-grade potion, he had to constantly keep his guard up, afraid that he might inadvertently mobilize spiritual energy or be too precise, directly raising the potion’s grade. That would be awkward.
After all, his goal was merely the top three. If he stood out too much, it would only invite unnecessary trouble.
He was, after all, the rumored boyfriend of the female Su Liyue. If he were to become a prodigious alchemist on top of that, wouldn’t that be too much? The little brats in this academy would surely explode.
Thinking this, Ye Xingchen subtly adjusted his breathing, suppressed the ease that was about to spill from the corner of his mouth, and continued playing the role of a ‘nervous’ newcomer.
Yet, every movement of his fingers hovering over the potion was as precise as if etched into his bones. On the surface, no one could easily find any fault.
On the viewing platform, Tang Wanrou once again turned her gaze to Ye Xingchen. There was a hint of probing in her clear eyes.
This seemingly ordinary third-year student seemed to harbor too many unknown secrets, much like that Liu Yuxuan, also a straggler, beside him.
Both unintentionally revealed an unusual aura.
Tang Wanrou couldn’t help but smile.
It seemed this competition would be very interesting. She was beginning to look forward to it more and more.
You think this chapter was thrilling? Wait until you read You Only Want to Chase Your Husband After Leaving the Team? Too Late!! Click here to discover the next big twist!
Read : You Only Want to Chase Your Husband After Leaving the Team? Too Late!
