The next morning, as the sky began to lighten, the bustling city started to function smoothly, like a vast machine set in motion. The flowing streams of people moving through its streets provided the essential energy that powered this great machine. The most crowded and lively spots in the city that day were, without a doubt, the grand Royal Plaza. Word of yesterday's match had spread rapidly among the audience, drawing growing numbers of spectators enchanted by the thrilling alchemical duel. Though it was still early morning, the plaza was already packed with people—dense crowds stretched as far as the eye could see. As time passed, a streak of morning light broke through the clouds and illuminated the vast city. When the sun rose, the grand royal plaza, which had been closed tight, slowly opened its gates, and at once, the dense crowd outside surged in like a tide. Ignoring the soldiers, Hai Bo Dong led Xiao Yan through the main gate as if they were completely unimpeded, and the soldiers seemed aware of their status, with no one stepping forward to obstruct them. When Xiao Yan and his companion entered, the group of people who had been speaking softly lowered their voices considerably. Though Xiao Yan was still dressed in the robe of a Second-Rank Alchemist, no one present was foolish enough to still believe that was his true strength. The astonishing display of power he had shown in yesterday's thrilling match had left everyone deeply impressed. At this moment, among all the contestants, Xiao Yan clearly stood at the forefront—so far ahead that even Li Ling and the young princess found it difficult to describe. Indeed, after yesterday's sharp criticism from Xiao Yan, every representative from the Gamma Empire had been shaken, while Xiao Yan alone had successfully turned that criticism back with his own strength. Anyone with real ability and power always commands respect effortlessly—this principle holds true even within the world of alchemy. "Looking at Xiao Yan, the princess turned and approached, smiling warmly. "Princess, you're not late at all." Although she hadn't been particularly impressed by the princess's initial demeanor, she did recognize that the princess was a descendant of the ancient beast who even the waves of the Eastern Sea feared—so Xiao Yan couldn't afford to come across too cold. He nodded slightly and offered a rather generic greeting. "Today's evaluation is the final round. Mr. Yan Xiao, we absolutely can't lose to that one!" Undeterred by Xiao Yan's somewhat perfunctory response, the princess chuckled lightly. "We'll do our best—after all, that one isn't easy." Xiao Yan nodded in agreement. "Mr. Yan Xiao, at this crucial moment, you absolutely can't make a mistake. I'm still looking forward to challenging you!" Liu Ling approached, offering a gentle smile. Though he had managed to endure the two rounds of evaluations yesterday, he clearly found Xiao Yan to be far more outstanding—this was a significant blow to Liu Ling, who had always been proud and self-assured. After a casual nod, Xiao Yan suddenly raised his head. On the second floor, the senior executives of the guild, including Fama, were slowly stepping out and making their way toward him. Upon seeing Xiao Yan, Fama gave him a warm, friendly smile and then led the group down the stairs, greeting him and the others. Only after they had descended the stairs did Xiao Yan notice that the elderly Fama was moving slowly behind them, currently engaged in a quiet conversation with several senior guild elders. After exchanging a few polite words with both Fama and the elder, Xiao Yan suddenly felt a sense of awareness and turned back. There, at the entrance where he had first arrived, a young man in gray robes was walking steadily forward. With the arrival of the gray-robed youth, the once bustling hall instantly grew quiet, a series of expressions filled with various reactions now fixed upon him. "Indeed, what he said last night proves true—today he appears exactly as he did yesterday..." Gazing at the familiar visage that matched yesterday's so closely, Xiao Yan gently shook his head. Was the "Rejuvenation Pill" truly that remarkable? Could even a Supreme Sovereign-tier warrior discern any difference? Staring calmly at the gray-robed youth who had entered, Mamu and Jia exchanged a glance, offering a gentle smile—yet within that smile lay a clear undercurrent of cold resolve. As peak warriors of the Garde Empire, it was indeed somewhat presumptuous of Yan Li to display such confidence before them. If it weren't for the necessity of not engaging in this setting and the desire to preserve the reputation of the guild, the three Supreme Battle Lords would have instantly ended his life on the spot. The gray-robed youth—Yan Li, by name—now bore a youthful smile, his gaze unimpressed as it swept over Mamu and the other two. With a composed stride, he walked toward the entrance to the plaza. Only when passing by Xiao Yan did his pace slow, and he chuckled, saying, "Among the three of you, only you still possess some strength. But today, your luck has run its course. In this final round, I won't spare a single move—no, not even a single one! Ha ha!" "Staring at the now-laughing Yan Li, Xiao Yan merely calmly shrugged. The young princess' face grew slightly gloomy, while Liu Ling remained pale with anger—being a disciple of the Dan King, he had never before been treated so dismissively. "Well, let's not fuss about it. We'll just compete on the field." Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yan roughly estimated the time, then turned and walked toward the plaza. The young princess followed reluctantly, while Liu Ling stayed put, bitterly cursing Yan Li before finally leaving the hall. "Oh... I'm not entirely sure either. Honestly, I've done everything I could think of. Now, all I can do is watch Rock Jiao handle things on his own." Mamu shook his head, sighed. To be honest, he didn't have much confidence himself. Though Rock Jiao had strong potential, he simply lacked experience due to his youth. In the audience, as some attentive spectators noticed Xiao Yan stepping onto the stage, the crowd immediately grew lively, with countless people whispering to one another. "Hey, look at that—there he is! That's the one who came out on top yesterday, and he's quite young." "He's named Yan Xiao, isn't he? From the way he looks, he's no older than twenty—what a treat!" "This year's evaluation seems to be a match between him and the gray-robed youth from the Izumo Empire. Had it not been for him stepping in yesterday, the top performer might very well have ended up with the Izumo representatives." "Today is truly the most crucial match. I hope he can defeat that competitor from the Uzushio Empire; otherwise, the Herbalist Guild will surely face some embarrassment this time..." "Agreed..." Ignoring the conversation drifting from the audience, Xiao Yan quietly made his way to the spot he occupied yesterday, then settled onto the large stone seat behind the stone platform, appearing to be meditating with his eyes closed—though in reality, he was constantly reviewing various techniques and key points for crafting the "Sanwen Qingling Pill" in his mind. As time passed, more and more contestants gradually poured into the plaza. Each one, like Xiao Yan, sat in stillness, calibrating their own states. Those who had reached this stage generally possessed strong capabilities and mental focus, none of whom wanted to falter due to a minor oversight during the final round of evaluation. By the time the blazing sun climbed high into the sky, the two sides of the plaza were already packed with a dense crowd. "Dong!" At a certain moment, a clear and resonant chime echoed through the square, lingering and bright. As the chime rang out, Xiao Yan, who had been quietly closed his eyes, slowly opened them, exhaled the turbid breath that had been swirling in his chest, stood up, and raised his head, gazing toward the position of the guest podium where Fang Ma was seated. "Cough..." On the elevated stage, Fang Ma cleared his throat gently, his composed gaze sweeping across the entire audience. After a while, the bustling voices in the hall gradually settled into silence, and his calm, elderly voice reached every listener: "Ladies and gentlemen, today's evaluation will be the most crucial round of the entire event. The final winner will be crowned the champion of this year's competition. Therefore, for all your efforts, give it your all today!" "Hoo-hoo-hoo!" As soon as Fang Ma finished speaking, the crowd on the stands, who had been waiting for a long time, erupted into a thunderous roar, their voices rising high and echoing into the sky.