Hearing the laughter rising from the square below, Han Xian's expression grew noticeably more strained. A suppressed sigh of annoyance escaped his throat, his eyes fixed steadily on the golden flames still rising within the cauldron. He quickly grasped herbs from the stone pedestal and threw them into the cauldron. This time, Han Xian was clearly far more focused than before—yet, evidently, his composure had been subtly disturbed by the initial failure. Beside him, Xiao Yan had now completely closed his eyes, remaining utterly still, unaffected by Han Xian's actions. Seeing this unusual posture, the crowd below the square found themselves somewhat surprised. In the square, Han Xian carefully transferred one herb after another into the medicinal cauldron. This time, he clearly went much further than before—under his focused concentration, he refined nearly twenty different herbs within just five minutes. Seeing his remarkable performance, the members of the medicinal guild who had come to support him couldn't help but clap their hands in admiration. "Han Xian truly lives up to his reputation as a Fourth-Rank Alchemist—there's no doubt about it. But what is Xue Yan doing? He's not even keeping pace with Han Xian's current pace," Hu Jia murmured, slightly frowning, her voice carrying a hint of concern. Xun'er nodded, her gaze fixed on the closed-eyed Xue Yan, and said softly, "We don't need to rush—there's still plenty of time, and Xue Yan still has two more chances." Yet, despite her words, a quiet sense of anxiety stirred within her. She wasn't deeply familiar with the intricacies of alchemical practice, so her confidence in Xue Yan wasn't as strong as she usually held. With Han Xian's increasingly rapid refining pace, the laughter that had initially filled the arena had completely faded away. However, unlike the students, some sharp-eyed elders, after prolonged contemplation, gently shook their heads. "Pill-making does not emphasize speed but requires a calm mind unshaken by external distractions. Han Xian's inner composure has already been disrupted by his earlier setbacks. Though the current progress is favorable, perhaps it won't be sustainable." On stage, Hao Elder, arms folded behind him, watched Han Xian busily engaged, his brows slightly furrowed as he quietly murmured to himself. "This is precisely what Xiao Yan has achieved. As for Han Xian, he has fallen short—indeed, he is the one the Grand Elder specifically requested to be closely watched. At his age, possessing such inner stability and resilience is truly commendable." Turning his gaze to Xiao Yan, who was now meditating, Hao Elder sensed from the steadily calm rhythm of his breathing that the earlier failure had not stirred even the slightest ripple in his inner peace. …… "Pffft..." A deep, resonant sound suddenly echoed across the square. As the sound reached the listeners, their hearts instantly sank, and their eyes followed it to see Han Xian, pale as a sheet and trembling with weakness. A wave of sighs rose immediately. No one had expected such a setback, despite the seemingly smooth progress of the preparation. "How could this happen? How could this happen again?" Han Xian's face was ashen, his eyes fixed intently on the cauldron. He had already successfully gathered all the required herbs and was now merely waiting to carefully blend them. Yet, at this crucial moment, a slight fluctuation in his mood caused the suppressed flame to surge with intense heat, completely incinerating the carefully refined essence of the herbs into dark ashes. How could he remain unmoved by such a blow? Constantly murmuring to himself, the double failures—especially in such a public setting—had gradually turned the paleness of Han Xian's face into a deeper shade of iron gray. "Ah…" As Han Xian was still immersed in his disappointment, a long, steady exhalation suddenly rang out beside him. Turning to see, he found Xiao Yan, who had been closed-eyed for nearly fifteen minutes, now fully awake and stretching lazily—exactly as though he had just woken up. Noticing Han Xian's gaze, Xiao Yan offered him a gentle smile, completely ignoring the unimpressive expression on his face. With a simple wave of his hand, a cluster of emerald flames surged into the medicinal cauldron. Occasionally, he would lift a herb from his left hand and drop it into the pot. His composed demeanor stood in stark contrast to his earlier tense state, and the pills he was preparing seemed no longer to be of fifth-rank quality, but rather of merely intermediate or lower rank. Upon seeing Xiao Yan awaken from his closed-eyed state, the people below, Xun'er included, breathed a subtle sigh of relief. Gazing at Xiao Yan's now serene and composed smile, though they didn't know exactly what had transpired, they sensed that he seemed somewhat different from before. Yet, despite this intuitive sense of change, they couldn't quite articulate precisely what had shifted—something deeply enigmatic. As for Elder Hao on the platform, observing Xiao Yan's calm demeanor, he couldn't help but emit a quiet "Hmm" of mild astonishment. He then subtly exchanged glances with several elder figures hiding in the background, each of whom mirrored a sense of surprise. Even without knowing whether Xiao Yan had successfully refined the elixir, the remarkable composure he now radiated was already a significant achievement in itself. Watching Xiao Yan begin the refining process once again, Han Xian glanced at the final material remaining on the stone platform, then paused mid-motion, ultimately retracting his hand. This final chance must not be wasted—any longer. Halting his current action, Han Xian turned his gaze back to Xiao Yan, inwardly coldly mocking, "The one who's playing dumb—believe me, you'll surely fail too." Perhaps Han Xian's curse had some effect. As Xiao Yan was about to pour the last few herbs into the cauldron, the delicate, pale red liquid formed from the essence of dozens of herbs suddenly surged violently, then erupted with powerful force, sending a resounding boom that launched the cauldron lid skyward. As the lid soared, the liquid spilled out, cascading to the ground. "Oh...," the crowd on the plaza, watching the developments at Xiao Yan's side, couldn't help but widen their mouths, eventually letting out another wave of惋惜 sighs. "Hehe...," seeing Xiao Yan's attempt fall short, Han Xian finally exhaled a deep breath, smiled, and turned his gaze toward the final herb resting on the stone platform, murmuring to himself, "It seems the Long Force Pill won't be coming together at all. I no longer need to succeed—I just need the resulting batch to be better than Xiao Yan's failed attempt...". With this thought in mind, Han Xian reignited the fire and began his final attempt at refining. Yet, with such a mindset—already prepared to accept a failed batch—could he still produce a genuine, perfect pill? Undeterred by the murmurs of regret below, Xiao Yan extended his palm, and a sudden surge of suction pulled the lid of the cauldron back from the point of falling, gently settling it onto the pot. The dark pupils reflected the vibrant green flames, gently pulsing. "So that's it..." Staring intently at the rising jade-colored flames, Xiao Yan suddenly smiled gently. After two previous failures, he had begun to grasp the subtle secrets of the Dragon Power Pill. This time, he offered no rest or hesitation. With his right hand controlling the flames within the cauldron, his left hand slowly moved across the stone platform. Suddenly, his palm trembled, and then his arm transformed into a series of swift silhouettes. As these silhouettes materialized, one after another, the herbs flowed in like a continuous chain, being steadily and continuously poured into the cauldron—faster even than the first attempt. Witnessing this astonishing pace, the crowd on the plaza stared in open amazement. After all, they had barely managed to avoid failure with such cautious efforts just moments before. Now, could they really be pushing so hard? Was this man simply determined to break the vessel and throw it aside? Xun'er and the others were equally stunned by Xiao Yan's actions, exchanging glances with one another, each remaining silent, unable to speak or interrupt. Under the collective gaze, the two figures at the center of the plaza focused intently on their final refining process, and the herbs on the stone platform gradually thinned out. Time slipped quietly through their fingers—what seemed like only a few minutes to the onlookers stretched into an eternity. One shade of jade and one of deep green flame rose steadily from the center of the plaza. Xun'er and the others kept their eyes fixed on Xiao Yan, their hands growing damp with sweat. Yet, as they stared intently, a delicate aroma of herbs suddenly drifted through the plaza. The group blinked in surprise, then their expressions grew concerned as their gaze followed the scent to the medicinal cauldron before Han Xian. The aroma of the herbs likewise drew the attention of others on the plaza. A wave of astonished glances now converged upon Han Xian, as if he were on the verge of successfully refining the elixir. Elder Hao narrowed his eyes, then shook his head in resignation. This individual had seemingly abandoned the opportunity to perfect the elixir and instead settled for refining a subpar one. He understood Han Xian's reasoning—he likely believed that Xiao Yan would also fail to produce a successful elixir. Thus, since no one had managed to achieve success, why not compete to see whose imperfect elixir was the most outstanding? Such a mindset was truly beyond comprehension. Peering down at the pill in his hands—its surface worn and its shape notably irregular—Han Xian found even his usual composure beginning to blush. Yet, thinking that at least he had a half-finished product rather than a complete failure, he felt a little more at ease. He quickly stepped off the stone platform and handed the pill to Hao Elder.