Standing at the front of the贵宾席, Famu gazed at the bustling plaza, and after a moment, smiled lightly, "Now, please, let all the contestants take their seats." Though the plaza was so lively that even the clock's chimes could hardly be heard, Famu's gentle laughter still resonated clearly in every listener's ears—demonstrating that this elderly man, on the verge of passing, possessed an exceptionally strong presence. Upon hearing Famu's words, several pharmacists at the贵宾席 immediately rose to their feet. These pharmacists were mostly recruited or cultivated by established, powerful factions, and thanks to their backing, their overall rank generally surpassed that of independent pharmacists. The platform stood dozens of meters above the square below. At this height, young people whose strength still only reached the level of Battle Seers or Battle Masters naturally dared not leap down directly. Therefore, along the corridors of the贵宾 seating area, there were dedicated staircases leading down to the square, and at this moment, they were descending one by one, under the watchful eyes of countless spectators. Focusing on Fa Ma's gaze, the three of them observed the special position, each displaying slightly different expressions. Liu Ling was both astonished and excited, the young princess showed curiosity and eagerness to participate, while Xiao Yan paused momentarily, then slightly furrowed his brows—by nature, he wasn't particularly fond of being the center of attention. With a chuckle, Xiao Yan nodded and let the matter drop. "Heh, well then, everyone, go on down," said Fama with a smile. "I'll take my leave first," replied Liu Ling, stepping forward and laughing heartily at Xiao Yan and the others. She lightly tapped the ground, her body surging upward to the edge of the platform. Gazing down at the vast square below, she leapt straight down, landing amidst the waves of astonishment and murmurs from the guest seats. As she fell rapidly, two visible streams of combat energy erupted from the soles of her feet just before impact, absorbing the force and allowing her to land unharmed. Amidst the warm, expectant gaze of the crowd, she smiled and swiftly made her way to the center of the square. "Such a show-off—really thought only you'd do the jumping." "Watching Li Ling leap straight down, now receiving the full attention of the audience, Princess Xiao gave a slight pout, then leapt herself, emerging directly from the platform. Her body flowed gracefully, like a leaf drifting gently, descending with elegant lightness—her posture so beautiful, it seemed as if she were a celestial maiden. 'Hoo! Hoo!' Princess Xiao's stunning performance clearly stirred the audience even more than Li Ling's earlier act. Moreover, thanks to her youthful charm and endearing appearance, the贵宾 seats erupted into a chorus of roaring cheers, and even the audience section across the way roared with thunderous applause. 'Heh, Old Ji, I didn't expect you to have taught this young lady your very own 'flying down' technique. I've always said your movements and combat style were better suited for women,' said Fama, turning to smile at Old Ji, as he watched the princess glide effortlessly, defying gravity." "This footwork and combat technique she's still just learning the basics of—she's overly focused on aesthetics. If she faces off against an opponent, she'll surely become an easy target." Jia smiled and shook his head, though the warmth in his expression clearly revealed his satisfaction with the young princess's display. "Hey, youngster, just jump down now—don't let them outshine you in the opening ceremony!" Seeing Jia's slightly proud demeanor, Haibo Dong rolled his eyes and urged Xiao Yan forward. "…I'll still walk down." Feeling the weight of countless eyes upon himself, Xiao Yan shook his head and turned to step down the corridor. Yet just then, Haibo Dong suddenly waved his hand, and an invisible current of force swept out, sending Xiao Yan staggering backward. "Ha ha, don't make me embarrassed—go on down!" "By the gods, you old fool!" He was sent flying. As soon as he'd spoken those words, under the collective gaze of the crowd, his body plunged downward with sudden force. A rush of wind whistled past his ears. Thanks to Hai Bo Dong's strong push, he now fell head-first, the wind roaring loudly around him. With a sigh of resignation, Xiao Yan kept his hands still, simply allowing himself to fall in a straight line. On the plaza, countless eyes stared in astonishment at Xiao Yan, who was closing in on the ground yet remained utterly motionless. Some more timid young girls quickly covered their eyes, afraid of witnessing the gruesome scene. Just as countless spectators stared, wondering whether this seemingly capable figure would collapse into a pile of flesh the moment he stepped onto the stage, Xiao Yan, who had remained motionless until then, finally raised his hands and directed them toward the ground. Instantly, a powerful, invisible force surged forth, crashing forcefully against the solid green stone floor, instantly spreading a crack across it. Leveraging the counterforce of the energy, Xiao Yan's rapidly descending body slowed down, and in midair, his form began to spiral swiftly. Each time the force waned, he casually struck the ground with his palm, maintaining a perfect balance through the upward airflow generated by the energy and the counteraction of his body's downward momentum. Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, Xiao Yan spiraled through the air, steadily moving toward the center of the plaza. "Hmm, what a refined control of airflow! At his age, to move through the air without using both wings—this is no easy feat, something even some King-Class warriors struggle to achieve." Gazing at the figure swiftly spiraling past the plaza, both Jia and Fama couldn't help but be filled with surprise and admiration. "Hey, this guy truly surprises me. I expected him to use his flight technique, but he's got something even more impressive—something I didn't anticipate." Haibo Dong was equally amazed. Though he knew this method wasn't suitable for true flight, in the current context, it certainly left many in the audience stunned. Before the eyes of several thousand stunned spectators, the body swiftly spun to the central position, gradually slowing its rotation, then lightly tapped the air with the tips of the feet, floating and rolling through the air like a hollow gourd before descending. After a moment, the body curved slightly, settled steadily on one hand, and gently landed, brushing off the dust from his palms. Xiao Yan slowly rose to his feet, lifting his head to gaze upon the endless sea of heads in the stands. At the guest席, Yafei gently rested her hands on her cheek, her beautiful eyes fixed intently on the young man standing at the most prominent spot on the plaza, receiving the acclaim of countless onlookers. A subtle wonder shimmered across her graceful features—this young man seemed truly no longer the simple, youthful boy he once was. "Indeed, he possesses quite some talent—no wonder Grandfather holds him in such high regard," Tianye murmured softly, gazing at the young man calmly receiving endless applause. Sitting lazily in a comfortable soft chair, the graceful contours of Nalan Yanran, outlined by her loose, moon-white robe, drew quiet glances from several behind her. At this moment, her gaze was fixed on Xiao Yan on the square below, where he remained composed and seemingly unaware of the continuous applause. His calm demeanor stirred a gentle softness in her features—perhaps due to the long time she had spent in the presence of her teacher, whom she regarded as a divine figure—she found a special affinity for this quiet, teacher-like grace. Gently tapping the withered back of his hand, Mu Chen slightly shook his head and slowly said, "From now on, avoid him. If you truly like Ya Fei, pursue her through ordinary means. But as for this young man named Yan Xiao—don't challenge him anymore. Perhaps, when it comes to a clash, you won't even be able to hold your own against him." "But..." Hearing this, Mu Zhan grew anxious, about to speak, yet upon seeing Mu Chen's composed expression, he quickly shrunk back and merely nodded in resignation. ... Standing quietly before the smooth green stone platform, Xiao Yan's gaze swept across the stage, noticing that neatly stacked herbs were arranged upon it, with a thin sheet of paper resting quietly before them. Additionally, embedded before the stone platform was a jade mirror, softly emitting faint green and red glimmers. Seizing the thin sheet at hand, Xiao Yan glanced over it, only to be startled to find it was a prescription for a second-rank medicinal elixir. What truly baffled him was that the prescription appeared to have been merely copied carelessly—without any standardized format or precise measurements—falling far short of the conventional standards for official prescriptions. As previously mentioned, a proper prescription required the use of spiritual energy to read it, enabling the reader to grasp in the shortest possible time all the critical details necessary for the successful preparation of the elixir. In contrast, the information recorded on this thin sheet only provided a general method of preparation, leaving all finer details entirely to the practitioner’s own judgment. This inevitably drove the failure rate of elixir production to an alarming level. What truly left Xiao Yan utterly speechless was the herbs arranged on the stone platform—clearly, this was only enough for preparing two batches of pills. That meant each participant had just two chances to succeed. If, after fully consuming the herbs, they still failed to produce a finished pill, then clearly, they had failed—and failure meant being eliminated. "Indeed, it's no surprise this is an eight-year cycle event. The difficulty... is quite substantial." Holding the thin sheet of paper, Xiao Yan shook his head with a wry smile, then glanced around. He noticed many of the alchemists had a look of weariness on their faces, while turning to observe the two young princesses and Liu Ling, who seemed more composed. They were now slightly frowning, carefully reviewing the few specific issues listed on the thin sheet. Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yan finally turned his attention to the paper himself. This unusual examination format was one he had never encountered before, and thus, his heart was filled with genuine anticipation and nervousness. As Xiao Yan收回了他的目光, Liu Lin also turned his gaze toward him, observing the lingering苦笑 on his face and murmuring softly, "Hmph. How impressive their herbal extraction is—what's so special about that? I've already said it before: the competition isn't just about showcasing skills. Next, let me see how you'll embarrass yourself before Yanran... rustic fool..." Hearing the bell's chime, all the contestants simultaneously set down their items, raised their hands, and in an instant, over a thousand cauldrons of varying colors and shapes materialized upon the stone platform. As the bell rang, Fama, who had been gently closing his eyes, opened them, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. With a calm voice, he spoke clearly to each person: "I'm sure you've already noticed certain details. In this first round, you are to prepare finished pills according to this somewhat incomplete recipe. Each of you will have two attempts. Should your pills not be successfully prepared within those two attempts, the jade mirror on the stone platform will automatically illuminate in red; as the red light flashes, the contestants will be asked to step down." "On the opposite wall, there is a large hourglass—this marks the duration of the competition. Anyone who has not successfully prepared their pills by the time the sand runs out will be considered unsuccessful." "Do you understand?" Fama asked with a smile. "Yes!" "Below the plaza, a voice rose, resonant and thunderous, echoing upward. "Given that, then—let the first round of evaluations begin!" With a slow lift of his hand, Fama smiled and suddenly swept it forward. At that moment, across the vast plaza, thousands of flames erupted suddenly, like fireworks, creating a breathtaking spectacle that stirred the audience's passion and enthusiasm.