After Hao the Elder announced the start of the competition, everyone's attention instantly turned to the two figures behind the stone dais, and the bustling noise gradually settled into quiet. Xiao Yan slowly scanned the herbs arranged on the dais, nodding slightly once he had ensured he hadn't missed any. With a gentle gesture of his hand, an dark-red cauldron materialized before him on the stone dais. The cauldron Xiao Yan used was not particularly refined, and due to frequent use over the past period, its surface had slightly faded, appearing dull and gray—much like a simple stove. “Hah…”, as soon as Xiao Yan’s medicinal cauldron appeared, Han Xian, who had been closely observing the scene from a few paces away, couldn’t help but chuckle and shook his head inwardly, smiling to himself, “I must have greatly overestimated this guy.” In the world of alchemy, a good cauldron is much like a well-crafted weapon in a warrior’s hand—significantly boosting the success rate of potion-making. Now, seeing Xiao Yan’s cauldron so worn and outdated, Han Xian naturally felt a sense of disdain. After finishing his thoughts, Han Xian raised his hand, and instantly, a cauldron of golden-yellow hue materialized, its surface reflecting a brilliant, dazzling light under the sunlight, so intense that observers had to shift their gaze. Simply by comparing the appearance and grandeur of the two cauldrons, the contrast could not be more striking—one looked like a humble farm dog, while the other resembled a luxurious, gilded, silver-adorned pet, exquisitely elegant and showy. Xiao Yan ignored the occasional teasing glances from those around him. His gaze swept over the medicinal cauldron before him, and after a moment, his fingers gently traced a subtle crack on the surface—so fine that it was barely visible to the naked eye—causing a slight frown to form between his brows. In his heart, he sighed with resignation: "The power of the unique fire is truly overwhelming. These lower-tier cauldrons simply cannot withstand such intense heat. I'll have to find a more suitable one later. For now, I hope this one can endure until the refining process is complete..." As he breathed a soft sigh, he suddenly felt a surge of intense heat. His brows lifted slightly as he turned his head, and there he saw Han Xian holding a cluster of flames in his hands—the flame's hue matched that of the cauldron, golden and strikingly vivid. Upon closer inspection, it appeared as though molten golden lava was flowing within the flame itself, an utterly remarkable sight. "Hm?" "Fixing his gaze on that cluster of golden flame, Xiao Yan softly exclaimed in surprise. He hadn't expected this individual to possess such a remarkable flame. While, in Xiao Yan's judgment, the golden flame fell short of the extraordinary power of the hetero-fire, it still stood out as a rather unusual type. Moreover, judging by the intense heat radiating out from the flame into the air, it seemed to surpass his own purple flame in terms of temperature. 'Han Xian isn't exactly a novice after all,' Xiao Yan thought, glancing at Han Xian's face with mild astonishment. Yet, he noticed a touch of pride in the corner of Han Xian's eye. With a sigh of resignation, Xiao Yan silently decided to retract his earlier remark." To an expert like Xiao Yan, the flames in Han Xian's hands were by no means extraordinary. Yet to the students below, they appeared remarkably unusual. While solidified flames could indeed be achieved through aura power—especially at the level of a Battle King or above—the resulting flames still lacked the genuine quality of true fire. Moreover, Han Xian's golden flame was particularly impressive, with its flowing golden molten rock adding an element of wonder that left the onlookers in awe. "My flame is called 'Luminous Gold Fire.' It only remains within the shell remains after the hatchling of the Seven-Stage Luminous Fire Scorpion Dragon Beast emerges from its egg. Within three days, the shell will be completely consumed by the flame and turned to ash. To obtain this Luminous Gold Fire, one must locate the shell remains of the hatchling within those three days..." The unusual glances from below stirred a surge of pride in Han Xian's heart, prompting him to laugh heartily. "Seven-Stage Luminous Fire Scorpion Dragon Beast?" As soon as the name was spoken, the faces of the students below grew pale, and even the elders, including Hao the Elder, showed subtle signs of admiration. A seven-stage being—equal in strength to a Battle Sect-level master—was no small feat. It was now clear how this dazzling, flamboyant golden flame could be so powerful. Indeed, it originated from a higher-tier creature. What a fortunate turn of events for this young one. Hearing Han Xian's words, Xiao Yan's eyes also flickered with surprise. Indeed, the vast world was full of wonders—its flames were dazzling and astonishing. Just this beast-fire was so magnificent; it was hard to imagine what other flames on the "Ethereal Fire Ranking" might be like. As he recalled the so-called "Ethereal Fire Ranking," a warm sense of excitement stirred within him. With a gentle smile, he lightly waved his finger, and a small cluster of green flame appeared in his palm. He then gently tapped it with his fingertip, causing the flame to arc through the air before gracefully entering the medicinal cauldron. Instantly, a steady stream of flame rose and burned within the cauldron. The Qinglian Earth-Heart Flame in Xiao Yan’s hands naturally caught the attention of Han Xian, who had been closely observing this area. A spark of astonishment flashed across his eyes—indeed, as the reports indicated, Xiao Yan possessed a mysterious, deep-sea blue flame that was remarkably dominant. Though it had yet to be fully proven whether this dominance was truly evident, the flame’s hue and appearance matched precisely with what had been reported. “Fire is merely auxiliary; the real key lies in the individual’s skill in alchemy.” Han Xian smiled calmly, waving his hand and sending a golden flame into the golden medicinal cauldron. For a moment, the golden cauldron held the golden flame, making his section the most captivating spot on the plaza. In contrast, Xiao Yan’s composed presence on the other side received far less attention. Xiao Yan’s gaze remained fixed on the cauldron, his fingers slowly gliding over the herbs arranged on the stone platform, occasionally lightly touching one, which would then be gently held between his fingers, its form unusually distinctive. As Xiao Yan closely focused his attention, his mind rapidly went through the various records listed on the prescription. The ingredients required to craft the Dragon Force Pill were numerous—adding up to possibly over forty different types, each interwoven and overlapping in complex ways, making the process seem as tangled and messy as a ball of disordered yarn. Without strictly following the prescription step by step, it would be nearly impossible for ordinary practitioners to accidentally succeed, requiring an exceedingly rare chance indeed. Even though both Xiao Yan and Han Xian had carefully studied the prescription and memorized its contents, they still felt somewhat unfamiliar. After all, a fifth-rank pill was no ordinary achievement—such a high-level pill could command a substantial premium even within Black Angular Domain. Thus, successfully crafting it was inherently challenging, especially considering that both Xiao Yan and Han Xian were still early-stage practitioners who had not yet reached the rank of fifth-rank pill master. Therefore, some of the elders present, who had a basic understanding of alchemy, merely watched with a sense of casual interest. Han Xian's alchemy skill was only around fourth rank—asking him to produce a fifth-rank pill was simply astonishing in terms of failure rate. As for Xiao Yan, although the elders knew he possessed a unique azure flame, having a flame didn't necessarily mean he excelled in alchemy. So, assigning these two young individuals to create fifth-rank pills was truly a disastrous decision—did they really think the rare ingredients were free? Of course, neither Xiao Yan nor Han Xian knew what the elders were thinking inside—otherwise, they would have been thoroughly frustrated and speechless. At this moment, both of them were facing their first challenge: due to the intricate sequence of steps, they were actually unsure of which one to begin with. For a while, the audience could only see the two of them staring blankly at the flames within the cauldron, some students even mistaking this for the very beginning of the alchemy process. His face serious, Xiao Yan controlled the flame with his right hand, while his left hand danced intricate shadows upon the stone platform, throwing various herbs into the air, which then followed a parabolic path and directly fell into the medicinal cauldron, only to be instantly consumed by the flames. The herbs tossed in mid-air on the platform never ceased. As the audience watched Xiao Yan's seamless, continuous sequence of movements, murmurs of astonishment began to rise from the lower plaza. Even Han Xian, who had been deeply absorbed in thought, turned his head to watch. Upon seeing Xiao Yan's unbroken, fluid performance, his face momentarily went still with wonder. Standing with arms folded, Hao Elder now displayed a gleaming gaze—Xiao Yan's technique flowed like a river of clouds and water, without a single pause, and was exceptionally captivating to behold. "Pfft..." Under the collective gaze of the audience, a surprisingly deep and subtle sound suddenly emanated from the stone platform. At that moment, Xiao Yan's hand abruptly stopped, his brows furrowed as he swiftly intercepted a herb that was about to fall into the cauldron. Glancing at the now empty cauldron, he gave a slight shake of his head. Having been divided in his attention, he had inadvertently raised the heat slightly, causing the nearly half-fused medicinal liquid to completely evaporate. "Ah..." Xiao Yan's first setback immediately drew a sigh of惋惜 from the onlookers who had been intently watching. By then, having witnessed Xiao Yan's first failure, Han Xian offered a cold smile, murmuring to himself, "I'll have you sputtering..." After silently mocking him in his mind, Han Xian turned his attention away from Xiao Yan's thoughtful posture and fixed his gaze on his medicinal cauldron, his expression growing increasingly serious. After a moment, he exhaled deeply and waved his hand, sending a single herb spiraling into the cauldron. "Hmph..." On the plaza, everyone first stared at Han Xian, his face stiff, then gradually began to emit soft chuckles. Han Xian's first attempt at refining and blending herbs had clearly fallen apart more completely than Xiao Yan's. While Xiao Yan had successfully refined over twenty different herbs before being derailed by distraction, Han Xian had already failed just after refining only eight. This clear difference was immediately noticeable even to those who had no experience in creating pills. Though both of them had ended their first attempts in failure, Xiao Yan's failure seemed more graceful and composed.