In the quiet hall, Chaimir and the others sat on their chairs, closed their eyes, and rested. Before them, on the table, the sand in the hourglass flowed steadily downward... The stillness lasted for an indeterminate length of time. Chaimir was the first to open his eyes, glanced at the hourglass, now nearly halfway full, and shifted slightly in his seat, clearing his throat gently. As Chaimir cleared his throat, Otto and the others also opened their eyes, surveyed the hall with a glance, and smiled. "It seems this assessment has been quite challenging—no one has stepped forward even now." "Those with strong abilities are striving to maximize the purity of their extracts, while those with slightly less strength are struggling to complete the extraction within the allotted time. Thus, naturally, no one has come forward yet," Chaimir remarked calmly. "Who, in your opinion, do you think will achieve the most outstanding results?" Otto nodded, took a gentle sip of his tea, and smiled, asking the question. "It's not easy to say..." Chimel's dry fingers lightly tapped the back of the chair, pausing slightly before adding, "But in my opinion, Liu Ling's chances are the strongest. He has strong talent, and over the years, he's mastered nearly three or four layers of Gu He's skills—this alone secures him a top position among his peers." Otto smiled, his peripheral glance sweeping over the black curtain room where Xiao Yan was located, and inwardly sighed, "I wonder what kind of results Xiao Yan will achieve. I hope they won't be too mediocre—his talent, after all, is no less than that of Liu Ling or the young princess." "Hmm? Old Otto, you're still holding out hope?" Though the gesture was subtle, it hadn't escaped Chemir's notice. With a slightly helpless shake of his head, Chemir realized that even with exceptional talent, a second-rank alchemist simply couldn't compete with these third-rank alchemists. "Ah," Otto replied, smiling gently. He didn't argue with Chemir, simply letting his hands rest flat on his knees, gently rocking the slightly tilted chair, and quietly awaiting the results. Seeing Otto remain silent, Chemir said nothing further, merely sighed softly before once again casting his gaze across the empty hall, slowly counting the ticking passage of time. … When only a quarter of the sand remained in the hourglass, the black curtain suddenly stirred, and instantly, several sets of eyes on the raised platform turned toward it, fixing their gaze on the black curtain. A arm extended from within the curtain and then lifted it aside, revealing a handsome young man with a gentle, tender smile, who stepped forward slowly... "Indeed, it's him," Otto and the others murmured, slightly taken aback by the tall, poised figure. They exchanged a glance with Chemil, then sighed and shook their heads—this old river master truly had a few tricks up his sleeve. Liu Ling stepped out of the black curtain and paused at the center of the hall, smiling gently at Chemil and the others on the platform, then inclined her body with graceful elegance, displaying a most refined and gentlemanly demeanor. Not long after Liu Ling stepped out, a graceful figure swiftly emerged from the black drapes. Upon seeing Liu Ling already standing in the hall, the delicate expression on her face instantly turned to disappointment. She moved slowly toward the center of the hall, murmuring, "Liu Brother, I didn't expect you to be so quick." "Ah, little princess, you're not slow either," Liu Ling smiled. "Hmph. Though you arrived earlier, your extracted herbs might not be as pure as mine!" With a slight lift of her snowy jade fist, the princess lightly scolded. Liu Ling nodded, smiling quietly. The first thirteen to step out from the black curtain bore insignias of Third-Rank Alchemists on their chests, clearly surpassing the Second-Rank Alchemists in their refinement skills. After these thirteen appeared, the curtain remained still until ten minutes later, when people began to emerge one by one—each of them clearly falling short, all holding the rank of Second-Rank Alchemist. Upon seeing the thirteen Third-Rank Alchemists standing proudly at the center of the hall, the Second-Rank Alchemists exchanged weary smiles, shook their heads, and then settled with a sense of resignation in the back rows—now clearly aware of the gap between themselves and these emerging elite candidates. As the black curtain continued to rise, the sand in the hourglass was nearly fully poured out, yet Otto's brow remained tightly furrowed, for Xiang had still not appeared. "What is this young man up to? Has he not yet completed his refinement?" It's impossible! With his level of ability, even if he couldn't catch up with the frontline players like Liu Ling in terms of preparation time, he wouldn't have fallen so far behind. Gripping the chair back tightly, Otto murmured to himself, growing increasingly anxious. "Ah..." Observing his anxious friend beside him, Cemir sighed softly, gently patting his shoulder to offer comfort. Standing at the forefront of the crowd, Liu Ling smiled faintly, glancing around the hall. Upon failing to spot Xiao Yan, a cold, mocking expression immediately surfaced in his eyes. As time passed, the spacious hall once again grew filled with people, yet everyone remained silent, their gazes all converging simultaneously on the spot where Xiao Xiang had entered through the black curtain—until now, only Xiao Xiang among the participants had not yet stepped out. The young princess smiled gently, her words surprisingly sharp. Having come from the intricate rivalries of the royal court, she believed only those who possessed the strength to command her full attention deserved to be considered friends—ordinary second-rank alchemists, like the one before her, simply hadn't earned that level of respect yet. Liu Ling nodded in agreement, her gaze briefly lingering on the still-still black curtain before casting a mocking smile and finally turning her attention away. On the dais, the grains of sand in the hourglass had long since slipped to the bottom. Seeing this, Chemit sighed in resignation. He hadn't expected the candidates recommended by Otto to fall short even at the initial assessment. With a deep breath, he rose to announce the conclusion of the extraction process. Otto by the side also sensed Chemil's actions, yet despite his slightly bitter expression, he found himself powerless to stop it. With a weary shake of his head, he leaned back against the chair, facing the ceiling, and exhaled deeply. "Well, everyone, I announce—time..." Watching the one who finally stepped out, the Princess spoke softly. "It's not unusual at all—elimination is expected, and the competition lacks many things, but it's never short of participants..." Li Ling glanced at Xiao Yan with a slightly narrowed gaze, offering a gentle smile. Standing on the stage, Cemir looked at Xiao Yan, who had finally made his appearance, then turned to Otto, who had visibly relaxed, and murmured to himself, "Well, he's managed to make it, but his expression suggests he's barely holding on—his performance might not be very promising. What a pity for the old Otto." Turning back, Cemir clapped his hands to draw the curious glances from the audience toward Xiao Yan, cleared his throat, and said in a steady tone, "Since everyone has arrived on time, let us now proceed with the next assessment." As he stepped forward, he lifted a black cloth covering a platform, revealing beneath it a sophisticated mechanical device glowing with a soft, steady light. "This is a purity meter crafted by renowned forgers at the Herbalist's Guild, capable of accurately measuring the purity of the materials you've refined." Tsemir ran his fingers over the dark machinery, pointing to a recessed groove. "Here, you place the sample to be tested." He then indicated a screen, which was continuously flashing characters. "And here, the purity is displayed—graded on a scale of ten, with ten being the highest and one the lowest; four is considered passing." "Now, place the iron-wood spirit leaves you've refined into the meter. Before doing so, please mention how many times you've refined them—each refinement becomes increasingly difficult, often several times more challenging than the previous one. For instance, even with Tsemir's skill, refining these iron-wood spirit leaves can only be repeated ten times before further attempts become mere exertion of effort." "Begin!" Mitchell lightly tapped his hands, and the four fourth-rank alchemical masters rose from their seats, approaching the testing apparatus with a touch of curiosity, waiting in anticipation for the results to be revealed. As soon as Mitchell finished speaking, the crowd in the hall exchanged glances, and one of the foremost third-rank alchemists—clenching his teeth—stepped forward. From his nautilus belt, he removed a jade vial containing iron-wood spirit leaves and placed it into the designated slot, then respectfully addressed the group above: "Vice President, my ability allows me to extract only three effective batches from the iron-wood spirit leaves." Looking at the blood-red characters, Mitchell nodded and smiled. "Next..." "Four points—passed." A second-rank alchemist was brought forward, quickly setting up everything. After a brief moment, the four characters flashing on the screen caused him to exhale in relief and then clap his chest before stepping aside. "Next..." "Five points—passed." "Next..." "Three points—failed." After several successes, finally one unfortunate second-rank alchemist, his face defeated, withdrew. As the examination progressed, Li Ling finally came forward with composure under everyone's watchful eyes, took out a jade vial from her storage bracelet, carefully placed it into the slot, and then looked up at Chemil with a smile, saying, "My abilities are limited; I can only refine it six times." "As soon as Liu Ling spoke, everyone in the hall was taken aback, and then erupted in surprise—both the people below and even Chemil and the others exchanged astonished glances. To refine Iron Wood Ling Ye five times required at least the peak strength of a Third-Rank Alchemist, which was no small feat. Chemil sighed softly and turned his gaze toward the screen. There, after a brief flicker of light, a large seven-character phrase gradually appeared: 'Seven parts—congratulations, you've passed!' He exhaled gently and smiled. Liu Ling smiled in return, then stepped aside, her eyes occasionally glancing toward Xiao Yan, who stood at the back, closed his eyes and was quietly meditating. With the dramatic climax created by Liu Ling, the subsequent tests seemed remarkably ordinary—those simple, occasional refinements of three or four times failed to stir much interest among Chemil and the others." Serene until the young princess made her appearance, this young girl had undergone the iron-wood spirit leaf refinement five times—though perhaps due to her experience, she scored 0.5 points lower than Liu Ling. After the princess, several strong seed contenders also reached six points, yet still fell short of Liu Ling's performance; thus, it seemed Liu Ling would emerge as the top performer. As one after another of the testers passed through, the central area of the hall gradually emptied, and eventually, only Xiao Yan remained, standing alone in the midst. "Xiao Yan, it's your turn," Chetimir said, speaking with a touch of resignation as he gazed at the boy who sat closed-eyed, as if asleep. He heard the urging voices and slowly opened his eyes, lazily scanning the room before settling on Li Lin, who was smiling warmly at him. A gentle smile formed on his lips, and he then cast a reassuring glance toward Otto, who was visibly anxious. Taking steady, long strides, Xiao Yan reached the testing machine, withdrew a jade vial from his storage ring containing the powdered extract from the Ironwood Spirit Leaf, and, with the others staring in silent astonishment, casually dropped it into the recess. "Little one, how many times have you refined the extract?" Chetmir, seeing Xiao Yan低头 without speaking, asked proactively. "How many times?" Xiao Yan furrowed his brows, hesitated, and then said uncertainly, "I think... eight times." Silence. The hall fell into a stillness as profound as death. "Hmph. Foolish one—did you really think you could just make up such numbers at will?" "Stung just as deeply by Xiao Yan's words, the Princess finally couldn't hold back and spoke with a cold laugh. She simply didn't believe that a second-rank alchemist could possibly extract the iron-wood spirit leaf eight times."