Under the watchful gaze of countless figures below, two figures stood tall and upright on the plaza, their poised postures highlighting distinct personalities and giving them an imposing presence. For a moment, several female students from the inner courtyards found their eyes gleaming with admiration. The senior Hao, standing between Xiao Yan and the other figure, wore simple attire. Though his hair had turned white, his appearance conveyed a solid, vigorous energy not unlike that of a young man. On his slightly wrinkled face, a gentle smile played, perhaps warmed by today's atmosphere; yet, the subtle intensity in his eyes revealed a firm, unyielding demeanor—just as Lin Yan had described. Coughed softly once again, his deep and resonant aura of combat energy silenced the entire hall. Gazing around the audience, Elder Hao finally hesitantly withdrew a slightly yellowed, ancient scroll from his meditation chest, smiled gently, "I have always been deeply interested in alchemy, yet due to the rigorous requirements for becoming an alchemist, I've had to content myself with merely watching from the sidelines. To be able to personally oversee this alchemy competition—such a rare occurrence within the inner academy—is truly a joy. As you all know my reputation for fairness, I kindly ask that you set aside any doubts regarding the impartiality of the contest." At the sound of Elder Hao's words, the lower plaza erupted in a wave of enthusiastic responses, clearly indicating that his reputation for fairness was well-known throughout the inner academy. "The competition's challenge has been personally selected by me. To date, neither Xiao Yan nor Han Xian has yet been informed of exactly what they are expected to produce." The rising cheers below caused a slight lift in the elder Hao's smile. Gently patting the scroll with his palm, he turned his head and smiled warmly at Xiao Yan and Han Xian, saying, "I've already mentioned that this examination task will be quite challenging. Do either of you dare to take it up?" Upon hearing this, both Xiao Yan and Han Xian were momentarily startled, exchanged glances, and Han Xian stepped forward, bowing respectfully and smiling, "Regardless of the nature of the task chosen by the elder, I will do my utmost." He was confident in his status as a Fourth-Rank Alchemist, and occasionally, when in peak condition, he could even manage to produce Fifth-Rank pills—though the success rate remained modest. Even if the task were exceptionally difficult, he firmly believed that, should he fall short, he would still outperform Xiao Yan. Meanwhile, Xiao Yan offered a gentle smile, nodded in agreement, and showed no hesitation. "Very well, both of you have shown remarkable flair. As the manager of the Inner Courtyard's prescription archive, I am entitled to draw upon the prescriptions. Today, in gratitude for the impressive alchemical techniques you've demonstrated, I shall consider this prescription a gift for both of you." Elder Hao smiled, lifting the scroll toward them and said, "Who would like to start?" And witnessing the change in Han Xian's expression, murmurs began to rise from the crowd below, a wave of curiosity spreading through their gazes—clearly, they were uncertain about what had just transpired. "Something seems off,"琥嘉 frowned, speaking to her companions, Xun'er and the others. "Let's see," Xun'er felt a tinge of nervousness herself, yet managed to maintain a composed smile. On the plaza, Xiao Yan's brow furrowed slightly in response to Han Xian's expression—this seemed to suggest that the prescription might indeed be problematic. Could it be, as Elder Hao had claimed, exceptionally difficult? And so difficult that even Han Xian, a fourth-rank alchemist, now looked visibly troubled? Under the countless questioning glances of the crowd, after a while, Han Xian finally withdrew his soul energy from the prescription, returned it to Elder Hao, and offered a strained smile, "Indeed, the questions chosen by Elder Hao are quite challenging. I can only do my best." "Young people always need to push themselves to the limits," Hao the Elder smiled, his smile carrying a subtle undercurrent of cunning as he handed the prescription to Xiao Yan. Upon receiving the prescription, Xiao Yan did not hesitate; he immediately unfolded it and his soul energy swiftly seeped into its pages. Seeing Xiao Yan grasp the prescription, Han Xian's eyes flashed a cold smirk—this very prescription had even left him helpless with a helpless chuckle. How could Xiao Yan, a mere young man, possibly handle it? Han Xian watched Xiao Yan with a mixture of satisfaction and anticipation, eager to witness the moment when Xiao Yan's expression would turn strained and awkward. Yet, after two minutes passed, Xiao Yan's face remained neither disheveled nor visibly troubled—instead, it only bore a deeper sense of gravity and astonishment. "Such depth of character," Han Xian mused, "he manages to remain so composed even under such shock. Hmph. This pretense will surely unravel when it comes time to refine the elixir." Xiao Yan's composed demeanor prompted Han Xian to furrow his brows, and he quietly scoffed in contempt. "It seems the situation isn't that bad after all..." Below the plaza, upon seeing the seriousness in Xiao Yan's expression, Xu Nv exhaled a sigh of relief and smiled. Beside her, Hu Jia, Wu Hao, and Lin Yan all shrugged helplessly—before the final stage of the elixir was reached, they simply didn't have much to offer. Under the collective gaze of the audience, after a few minutes, Xiao Yan also withdrew his soul energy from the prescription, massaging his slightly swollen head as the overwhelming amount of information had pressed upon it. He returned the prescription to Hao Elder, chuckling lightly, "Hao Elder truly finds it difficult for us. A five-rank elixir is no easy feat—even a typical five-rank elixir master wouldn't guarantee a high success rate." "Five-rank elixir?" Hearing the words spilling out of Xiao Yan's mouth, the audience below couldn't help but gasp, now understanding why Han Xian's face had turned so stern earlier. A fifth-rank pill was a level that only fifth-rank alchemists could truly aspire to—though he was a fourth-rank alchemist, the success rate of producing such pills would undoubtedly be no more than seventy or eighty percent. "Well, since we're comparing, let's make it more substantial," Hao Elder chuckled. "Indeed, crafting a fifth-rank pill is quite challenging. But if things don't work out, we can always settle for failure." Xiao Yan remained silent. The prescription described a fifth-rank pill known as "Dragon Power Pill," which could grant the user an exceptionally powerful, surge-like strength within a short period. This strength was purely physical, independent of the fluctuation of qi energy, making it a direct enhancer of combat prowess. Thus, the "Dragon Power Pill" belonged to a category of pills that were more difficult to produce than ordinary fifth-rank pills. Even for Han Xian, and certainly for Xiao Yan, it had been a challenging task. Xiao Yan had not expected the elder Hao to choose such a demanding examination topic. At the level of this pill, even among the pill-making specialists, only a few individuals might succeed. Elder Hao smiled calmly, paying no attention to the expressions on either of their faces, and then unfurled the scroll, reading out the pill's rank and its basic descriptions. The onlookers below, upon hearing that this medicine could exert such a remarkable effect, couldn't help but have their eyes brighten, silently marveling: Indeed, it is no surprise that this is a fifth-rank medicine—it possesses such an extraordinary effect. Could it be a dead heat? Hearing this, Han Xian slightly furrowed his brow, for he had little confidence in the so-called "Dragon Power Pill." Should the process fail, he would then be no different from Xiao Yan—something that would surely seem unfair, though he believed it to be so. "If neither of us succeeds, there must still be some substandard pills produced. From these, we can clearly discern the true strengths and weaknesses of both parties," said Elder Hao, who was particularly interested in pharmaceutical techniques and thus well-versed in the steps of pill-making. Upon hearing Elder Hao's words, Han Xian finally exhaled in relief. Though he might not produce a perfect pill, he was confident that even the substandard ones would surpass Xiao Yan's in quality. "Xiao Yan, do you have any objections?" Elder Hao asked him. Xiao Yan smiled slightly and shook his head, then turned to glance at Han Xian, catching a faint cold smile in his eyes. With a slight lift of his brow, he turned and walked swiftly toward a stone platform in the center of the square. Following this, Han Xian gracefully bowed slightly to the crowd below before turning and quickly making his way to another stone platform. As he passed by Xiao Yan, his steps paused briefly, and he murmured, "The one pretending to be calm—I'm waiting for your downfall." "The same to you," Xiao Yan replied, smiling as he stepped onto the platform. Xiao Yan's composed demeanor only deepened Han Xian's cold expression, who gave a slight turn of his mouth, said nothing, and then swiftly stepped into the platform. Seeing both competitors now fully prepared, the elder Hao's smile grew even more vibrant. He turned to face the dense crowd below and spoke clearly and authoritatively, his voice echoing loudly throughout the square. "The competition—now begins!"