On the vast plaza, after carefully reading the prescription, most of the alchemists expressed relief at the ease of this assessment, quickly lighting the fire and beginning to prepare for the preparation of their medicines. Of course, among the many alchemists, there were also those who were naturally meticulous and cautious. The unexpectedly simple nature of this assessment had surprised them. However, after hesitating for a long time and still failing to detect any irregularities in the prescription, they could only shake their heads in resignation and then proceed to light the fire with careful attention. Xiao Yan kept his gaze fixed on the purple flames rising within the furnace, and only after the flame had warmed sufficiently did he gently drop a herb into it, then close his eyes and begin to slowly extract and refine it. Not long after Xiao Yan began preparing the elixir, Li Ying and the young princess also furrowed their brows, starting to light fires and prepare their own batches. With detailed, official prescriptions at their disposal, and given their capabilities, preparing the "Fengxing Elixir" was not particularly difficult—provided they didn't suffer from exceptionally bad luck, since no matter what they were making, perfect success was never guaranteed. As the group resumed their preparations, the bustling noise from the two sides of the seating area gradually softened. One by one, their eyes swept across the herbalists, marveling at the tangible streams of flame emanating from their every movement, each one filled with admiration. At the guest lounge counter, Fahu stood with one hand resting on his side, his gaze fixed steadily on the gray-robed youth in a remote corner of the plaza. Observing the boy's potion-making skills—so refined and proficient, rivaling even some of the guild's elder members—Fahu furrowed his brows, murmuring softly, "Such mastery could only be achieved after decades of dedicated practice. This person truly is unusual. Yet, I've never heard of a senior alchemist emerging from the Yuncun Empire. Is it possible this one is entirely new? Let's see if he can pass this initial test...". After a sigh, Fahu turned his attention back to Xiao Yan and his companions, speaking gently, "I hope these three can also make it. Absolutely don't want to be too careless." "... As time passed slowly, several capable contestants on the plaza had already extracted the required herbal components. After a brief hesitation, they firmly decided to pour the essence into the cauldrons and began the final stage of refining. Xiang Yan closely observed the herb swirling in the deep purple flame, his pace notably slow due to concerns about potential unforeseen issues. While many others had successfully extracted their components, he remained steadily and carefully refining his own. 'Seems everything is fine...' After another half-hour, Xiang Yan gazed at the material, now reduced to a pile of pale purple powder under the gentle heat of the flame, murmured softly. He lifted the lid of the cauldron, drew out the powder, and carefully transferred it into a jade vial." His gaze slowly swept across the nine jade vases before him—the ingredients required for the "Fengxing Dan" had been fully extracted, and now came the final step: integration. Gently running his hands over the cool, smooth surfaces of the vases, Xiao Yan paused, then finally decided to act. With a graceful gesture, he raised his hand, intending to pour the contents of the vases into the cauldron. Yet at that very moment, a faint, dull sound suddenly echoed from a nearby green stone platform. Turning his head, he saw a master alchemist standing there, dumbfounded, staring at a pile of dark ash being expelled from the bottom of the cauldron—clearly, a failed batch. The pharmacist murmured softly in doubt. After a moment, without any clear answer, he concluded that his own failure lay in his inability to control the flame. Thus, he swiftly cleared away the ashes and, with ease, added the final ingredient to the cauldron, beginning the refining process once more. Gazing intently at the alchemist's movements, Xiao Yan's hand, which had been holding the jade vial, slowly lowered. His eyes remained fixed on the alchemist's every action. This alchemist, whom Xiao Yan had previously encountered during internal evaluations, was rated a third-rank alchemist. By normal standards, he should not have made a basic error in controlling the flame when preparing a third-rank pill. Yet, despite this expectation, the reality before him clearly confirmed that he had indeed failed. As time once again moved slowly, a series of gentle, muffled sounds suddenly began to rise one after another from the large cauldrons. The failed alchemists stared in utter astonishment at the dark ash pouring out from the bottoms of the cauldrons, their expressions of bewilderment conveying that they themselves had no clear idea of where their mistakes lay. "Indeed, it's not right... Though I'm not a pharmacist myself, I can clearly see that following the prescription would greatly increase the chances of success. Yet these people—Li Ling, the young princess, and others—seem to have all failed..." Lan Yanran furrowed her brows, speaking. "This examination question... seems to hold some hidden complexity." Yao Ye leaned her long right leg over her left, gazing intently at the strangely charged square. "Boom..." Another deep, resonant sound suddenly came from not far behind Xiao Yan. The previously failed third-rank pharmacist once again failed in this fusion attempt, now staring in furious disbelief at the dark ash spilling out from the bottom of the cauldron. As this sound echoed, the jade mirror before his stone platform flashed a bright red glow—clearly, having exhausted both of his materials, he had lost his final chance. On the plaza, a stream of eyes turned toward the herbalist who had stepped forward first, watching his fate closely. Some who had been eager to immediately restart their preparations were now silenced, their resolve steadied by the sight, no longer daring to waste the final batch of materials at random. Shaking all over, the herbalist's face pale with frustration, he carefully folded his cauldron and strode resolutely toward the outer edge of the arena, his expression filled with bewilderment and anger. As he passed by Xiao Yan, the latter could catch fragments of his muttered protest: "Stubborn fool! How could this happen again? My flame control was flawless—why won't they fuse?" Fixing his gaze firmly on the swirling purple flames, Xiao Yan methodically transferred one after another of the materials from the nine jade vials before him into the cauldron, then controlled the flames to divide them evenly. Finally, taking a deep breath, he began to carefully blend them together. Having learned from so many predecessors, Xiao Yan was exceptionally meticulous and cautious—far more so than anyone else. His soul energy surged forth, enveloping every inch of the purple flames, ensuring that each unique effect and reaction produced by the herbs during the blending process was delivered promptly and precisely to his mind. As Xiao Yan began to ignite and fuse the materials, the surrounding alchemists—including Liu Ling and the young princess—turned their attention toward him. With no other option, they could only hope that this young man, who had achieved the top score in the internal evaluation, would successfully resolve this challenge. "Oh...," hearing this dull sound, everyone around sighed in disappointment. Gently opening his eyes, Xiao Yan stared at the dark, ash-covered stone platform. After a brief silence, he dipped his fingers into the ashes and rubbed them between his fingertips, quickly recalling the unusual fluctuations transmitted through his soul force during the fusion process. For a moment, silence held. Then, as his fingers suddenly stiffened, his gaze sharply settled on the scroll of the prescription lying on the platform. He bit his lower lip, clenched his hands tightly, and murmured softly, "Damn it... the prescription has a problem." "Hmph, a bunch of mediocrities..." a sharp, mocking laugh suddenly broke through the quiet square, drawing sharp glares from the onlookers. Following the sound, Xiao Yan noticed that the person speaking was none other than the gray-robed youth from the far corner. Now, there was a pile of dark ashes on the stone platform before him as well—indicating that his attempt had also failed for the first time. The young man in gray robes paid no heed to the furious glares surrounding him, a cold smile playing at his lips. He suddenly swiftly tossed the final herb from the table into the cauldron. A soft, clear laugh echoed across the plaza, "It seems I've taken the lead this round, after all. The alchemical artisans of the Jamma Empire—well, they're not quite up to par." As he spoke, his hands did not slow at all. One herb after another was rapidly being distilled in the flames, as if he now clearly understood the root of his earlier failure.