As Han Xian completed his preparation, a soft murmur began to rise among the crowd. "Did he succeed?" Wu Hao, though deeply passionate about combat, had never understood the art of alchemy. Seeing Han Xian step down from the stone platform and present the pill to Elder He, his brows furrowed in concern. "It probably didn't work. It's said that the fifth-rank pill took shape with some unusual phenomena, yet up until now, aside from a regular aroma of herbs, no such signs appeared. Moreover, Elder He's expression doesn't seem to reflect the excitement one would expect upon witnessing a fifth-rank pill." Xun'er paused thoughtfully, shook her head slightly, and spoke softly. Hearing Xun's analysis, the others beside her—Wu Hao and the rest—gently nodded, lifting their eyes to gaze at Xiao Yan, who remained fully absorbed in his refining process, and murmured, "Even if Han Xian fails to complete his concoction, he at least delivers something. If Xiao Yan still ends up empty-handed as he did in the previous two attempts, then even if both of them fail ultimately, the victory will still be credited to Han Xian." "Let's just hope Brother Xiao Yan succeeds," Xun sighed, offering only this kind of reassurance at such a moment. "The refinement is complete. Now... it's time to integrate." Gazing intently at the swirling pale red broth, Xiao Yan murmured softly. The last time, failure had occurred precisely here. This time, having clearly identified the cause of that failure, Xiao Yan divided his soul energy into two streams, channeling both fully into the cauldron. One stream firmly suppressed the flame, while the other surged swiftly, enveloping the broth, then suddenly exerted an immensely powerful compressive force. As the medicine cauldron trembled, Xiao Yan's face also subtly changed. With a sudden stomp of his foot, he abruptly clenched his hands forward, as if trying to crush the air in front of him. As his grip tightened, the violently churning medicinal liquid within the cauldron suddenly stalled. The invisible, soul-powered hands surrounding it instantly surged in strength, and the once-large mass of liquid had now shrunk down to the size of a ping-pong ball. Yet, as it reached this size, it immediately began to fiercely resist, refusing to proceed to the final stage. Xiao Yan's pale face gradually flushed with the intense resistance. He hadn't expected the Long Force Pill to be so difficult to refine—this level of resistance even surpassed that of the Three-Trace Qing Ling Pill. Still, he knew clearly that if he succeeded in perfecting this Long Force Pill, he would surely be able to advance directly into the rank of a Fifth-Class Alchemist. The changes in Xiao Yan's expression were equally observed by the crowd on the plaza, and they had also witnessed the earlier tremor of the medicinal cauldron. At that moment, everyone held their breath, eyes fixed and unblinking. "Even crafting a fifth-rank pill is already so difficult—imagine how challenging higher-grade pills must be!" As the spiritual power in Xiao Yan's body struggled against the forces within the medicinal liquid, a thought flashed swiftly through his mind. He then took a deep breath of warm air, his face instantly flushing. With his right hand, initially slowly spreading out before the cauldron, he then gradually trembled and closed it again, his voice deep and resonant, emanating from his throat: "Concentrate!凝!" As the sound of the sip settled, Xiao Yan suddenly clenched his hands tightly. With the pressure of his grip, the liquid inside the cauldron—originally only the size of a ping-pong ball—shuddered violently and then shrank rapidly, visibly, until within a blink of an eye, the liquid was completely gone, replaced by a pale red, thumb-sized prototype of a pill. The most difficult phase of pill formation had now been overcome. Sweat dripped from the corners of Xiao Yan’s forehead as he took several deep breaths. The once tightly suppressed, jade-green flame began to gradually release its intense heat, gently warming the irregularly shaped prototype. Unlike the half-finished pill韩闲 had presented, the pill currently in Xiao Yan's cauldron was truly in its nascent form. While its exterior was equally irregular, its hue contrasted sharply with韩闲's weathered half-finished version. As for the latter, it remained uncertain whether someone consuming it would experience a brief surge of power or be violently overwhelmed by the chaotic blend of herbs, ultimately bursting apart—no one dared to try, for fear of the unknown. Though still only in its early stage, the pill in Xiao Yan's cauldron already exhibited the initial effects of a Long-Force Pill. While the strength enhancement offered at this stage would certainly fall short of that of a fully matured pill, it at least posed no threat to the consumer's life. Considering these points, the outcome of this match has already been decided... Gazing at Xiao Yan, who now gasped for breath, as though dehydrated, Elder Hao nodded gently, his hand slowly stroking his beard, then glanced at Han Xian, whose face was pale. It was clear that Han Xian too understood that, with his current half-finished pill, he could not possibly overcome Xiao Yan's nascent elixir. "Heh, Han Xian, didn't I say so?" Elder Hao tossed the spotted, incomplete pill he held in his hand, chuckling warmly. His mouth slightly twitching, Han Xian managed a rather strained, awkward smile, saying, "Elder, the match hasn't even reached its conclusion yet... While the process of forming the pill is indeed the most challenging step, there are still many other difficult stages to come. As long as Xiao Yan makes even a single mistake, he might waste his final chance. In that case, at least I'll still have another half-finished pill." "Then let's continue watching." Seeing Han Xian still being stubborn at this point, Hao Elder smiled slightly and didn't waste any more words, turning his gaze back to Xiao Yan. ... Inside the cauldron, the jade-colored flames continuously surged upward, their intense heat transforming the cauldron into a furnace. The irregularly shaped, nascent pill gradually became smoother and more rounded under this roasting process, and its surface glimmer intensified, radiating a brilliant, almost gem-like sheen. From a distance, it appeared as if a red gemstone glowing brilliantly within the jade flames. After successfully consolidating the pill into form, Xiao Yan flawlessly completed the subsequent steps of roasting, refining, and polishing. Yet these delicate operations caused his sweat to accumulate more densely on his forehead, and a subtle paleness spread across his face as he rapidly breathed—clear signs that Xiao Yan was nearing his physical limit. Initially, Han Xian had been displeased, his expression strained and tense as he had watched Xiao Yan progress steadily and with growing peril. But upon seeing Xiao Yan’s composed demeanor, a cold smirk now crept onto Han Xian’s face, and his mind was filled with relentless curses against Xiao Yan’s waning spiritual energy. Naturally, Han Xian’s curses did not always come true, and he had also underestimated Xiao Yan’s resilience—though Xiao Yan’s breathing grew increasingly labored, his dark eyes remained sharp and clear, unshaken by any external pressure. His gaze was fixed intently on the cauldron, where among the jade-green flames, a dark-red pill shimmered subtly. The pill, once radiant, now appeared ordinary, as plain as any common medicine, lacking the distinguished presence befitting a fifth-rank pill. With unwavering focus, Han Xian watched the dark-red pill, now nearly smooth and rounded. Xiao Yan knew within himself that this fifth-rank "Dragon Force Pill" was about to fully mature and complete its transformation. Within the flames, the deep crimson pill began to spin smoothly. As its rotation intensified, the scorching heat within the green flames coalesced into slender, twisting ribbons of invisible energy, flowing continuously into the pill. The pupil of Xiao Yan's eyes slightly contracted as his gaze shifted to the surface of the cauldron, where he noticed a fine crack slowly spreading outward. At this sight, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly—how many times had the furnace exploded during the refining of elixirs now? "Clang!" Another wave of energy rippled out from the medicine, causing the crack to branch rapidly and steadily spread across the entire cauldron. The cracks grew denser and denser, until even the spectators on the plaza noticed the cauldron's distress. Gazing at the faint emerald flames seeping through the cracks, everyone took a quiet breath—some female students couldn't help but cover their mouths in surprise, as no one had expected such an unexpected turn of events at this critical moment. Old Hao's expression had also changed; his brows were furrowed, his eyes fixed intently on the cauldron. Then, suddenly, his gaze lifted, and he saw the young man standing behind the cauldron, a touch of resignation gently playing on his lips. Han Xian's face first showed astonishment, which then gradually transformed into a smug, triumphant smile—especially after clearly hearing a series of crisp cracking sounds. The smile grew richer and more vibrant. "Oh..." On the plaza, everyone sighed deeply, feeling deeply disappointed by this final defeat. Staring in astonishment at the suddenly exploded oven, Han Xian's lips curled into a smile after a moment. Yet just as he was about to let out a hearty laugh, a cough echoed from within the white mist, followed by the sound of footsteps. A young man in a disheveled black robe emerged slowly, looking somewhat clumsy. At this moment, Xiao Yan's face bore slight black spots, his black robe scorched and curled with numerous holes. Blood dripped steadily from his tightly clenched hands, splashing in delicate blooms upon the floor. Seeing Xiao Yan's appearance, nearly everyone fell silent, their hearts filled with a sense of pity and regret. Han Xian was also somewhat stunned by Xiao Yan's appearance, but soon recovered, stepping forward, shrugging slightly and smiling, "Xiao Yan, don't worry about the failed alchemy attempts—failure is common. Those three prescriptions..." Xiao Yan gave a calm glance to the man, smiling faintly, and slowly advanced, passing by him without a single word of acknowledgment. Xiao Yan's indifference caused Han Xian's expression to grow slightly serious. He spread his hands and murmured, "Everyone seems to act this way when they fail." As he thought this, he turned around with a smile, which gradually faded until it finally froze into stillness. After brushing past Han Xian, Xiao Yan approached Hao Elder, who seemed still pondering how to comfort this promising young prodigy. Yet Xiao Yan extended his hand, now streaked with blood, and slowly spread it open. As his palm unfolded, a dark-red, smooth pill still bearing a trace of blood quietly appeared before the countless astonished eyes. "Ah, Hao Elder, I've lived up to my promise," Xiao Yan said, gently covering his chest and coughing. His calm voice drifted slowly across the plaza, quietly instilling a sense of deep respect in all present toward the young man in black robes.