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**
Whoosh~
"Three-colored pill lines! It's a Three-Line Green Spirit Pill!"
The moment everyone got a clear look at the pill, a wave of uproar erupted across the entire square.
Countless fiery gazes, filled with disbelief, locked tightly on the green-colored pill that was still spinning slowly in the snow-white palm.
From the VIP seats came waves of hearty laughter.
"Haha, excellent!"
"A Three-Line Green Spirit Pill—hahaha, well done indeed! Miss Xian'er truly lives up to expectations. She didn't let us down!"
"There's no need to even debate the value between a Three-Line Green Spirit Pill and the Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pill. It's obvious which one is superior."
"Exactly!"
Wei Yang also nodded with a smile and said, "Although the Three-Line Green Spirit Pill is still a peak Tier 4 pill, it can be used by those in the Dou Ling realm to improve their cultivation. Naturally, it's a notch above the Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pill."
"Haha, precisely!"
The prominent figures present all clapped in agreement, nodding in unison.
"Sister Xian'er is amazing!"
Qing Lin raised her hand and cheered.
"Hahaha~"
...
On the plaza, many of the participating alchemists also looked on with admiration and emotion, gazing at the pill in Xian'er's hand with deep envy.
A Three-Line Green Spirit Pill.
Even some Tier 5 alchemists had a considerable chance of failure when attempting to refine such a pill. Yet Xian'er had succeeded on the first try—and in public. One had no choice but to concede her skill.
"How is this possible? This... this can't be... impossible..."
The gray-robed young man's face was filled with shock as he muttered over and over to himself.
Everyone else looked at him with mocking eyes.
Suddenly, the gray-robed youth pointed at Xian'er and shouted, "You cheated! You definitely cheated! You only refined a Two-Line pill, not three! You're a fraud!"
"I didn't see you switch to a third flame at all, so you couldn't possibly have refined a Three-Line pill! You faked it!"
His words caused a stir, and many in the crowd began to feel something was indeed strange.
After all, everyone had seen clearly that Xian'er hadn't switched to a third flame during the refinement process.
Then how had a third line appeared?
"Who said I didn't switch to a third flame?"
Xian'er glanced at him calmly and replied, "You simply didn't see it."
"Just because you didn't see it, doesn't mean it didn't happen."
As she spoke, she raised the pill in her hand, still radiating a faint heat, and said softly, "With so many alchemists present, whether this is a Three-Line Green Spirit Pill or not will be clear upon inspection."
"That's right. Whether it is or not, we'll know once it's tested," everyone agreed with nods.
Any pill refined in this tournament would ultimately be tested thoroughly—no one could simply claim it was something it wasn't.
"Hmph, then test it. I don't believe this is a Three-Line pill!"
The gray-robed youth, seeing that he had no other choice, snorted resentfully.
At the same time, a faint black gleam flashed in his eyes. His lips moved silently, as though sending some secret message.
...
At this point, the only one who had yet to produce a pill was Xiao Yan.
There were less than five minutes remaining in the competition.
As everyone's gaze returned to him, Xiao Yan finally began to move.
Crack... Crack...
A faint cracking sound came from the dark red cauldron in front of him. Fine cracks, visible to the naked eye, began to appear and spread across its surface.
Clearly, this cauldron had reached its limit.
The crowd's expressions shifted slightly.
This scene was all too familiar.
Boom!
With a loud bang, the cauldron exploded, shattering into countless fragments on the floor.
A ball of purple flame floated silently in Xiao Yan's palm.
As the flame gradually dissipated and extinguished, a green-colored pill, wrapped with three distinct pill lines, was finally revealed to everyone.
Under the light of the setting sun, the three-colored lines—green, purple, and white—shone brilliantly with a mesmerizing glow.
Whoosh~
Another Three-Line Green Spirit Pill had emerged!
The crowd erupted once again in waves of astonishment.
The atmosphere was instantly ignited and pushed to its peak.
The quality and intensity of this year's Alchemist Grand Meeting had completely surpassed everyone's expectations.
The Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pill, the Three-Line Green Spirit Pill, even the legendary Heavenly Flames...
All had appeared one after another.
It was far more spectacular than any previous tournament.
Everyone sighed that their trip had been well worth it.
"I didn't let you see my third flame either, yet this is still a Three-Line one."
Xiao Yan held the pill in his palm, turned his gaze toward the gray-robed youth, and said with a faint smile.
"Hmph, whether it is or not, we'll know when it's tested."
The gray-robed youth snorted coldly.
His eyes were gradually covered by a shadow, a chilling aura faintly emanating from within.
Although the Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pill was strong, the gray-robed youth knew full well that a Three-Line Green Spirit Pill would definitely surpass it in strength.
The championship, which had been within his grasp, had been snatched away twice in under ten minutes—and now, it seemed it no longer had anything to do with him at all.
He never imagined that both Xian'er and Xiao Yan had secretly hidden a third type of flame.
And it wasn't just him—no one in the entire audience had seen it coming.
...
Next came the pill inspection stage.
Very soon, a group of seven evaluators stepped down from the high platform.
These seven were all fairly well-known alchemists within the Jia Ma Empire, most of them being around Tier 4 in rank.
Some were elders from the Alchemist Association, while others were independent. Regardless, no one had any objections to their credibility as judges.
A group of seven examiners carefully inspected the pills of each contestant, one by one.
In the end, as expected, there were no issues.
After all, at an event like this held under the watchful eyes of the public, no one dared to cheat. If exposed, the consequences would be a complete loss of reputation.
In a remote corner, the gray-robed young man's face was ashen, his expression so dark it seemed like water might drip from it.
...
After the inspections were completed, one problem still remained.
Both Xian'er and Xiao Yan had refined a Three-Line Green Spirit Pill, and both were of identical quality and grade.
The seven examiners simply couldn't distinguish which one was better.
So how was the champion to be decided?
The crowd began buzzing with speculation.
On the grand platform, the elders of the Alchemist Association, along with the vice president, the president, the seven examiners, Wei Yang, and several others, gathered together to discuss the matter.
"What should we do? Who should we award the championship to? Should we hold another match tomorrow and let them compete again?"
"That wouldn't follow the rules. Besides, even if they compete again, no matter who wins, it would still be hard to convince everyone."
"Their alchemy skills are very close, and they're both so young with outstanding potential. Why don't we declare dual champions for this tournament?"
"Hmm..." Some people hesitated.
Two champions—this would be the first time in the history of the competition.
"I support the dual champion proposal. Both of them are so outstanding, either one fully deserves the title," said an elderly man with snow-white hair, smiling.
Everyone turned to look at him. Though he wasn't a member of the Alchemist Association, his reputation in the Jia Ma Empire was well known—he was a former champion of the tournament.
"This may sound a bit embarrassing, but I'll be honest—I couldn't possibly refine a Three-Line Green Spirit Pill of such perfection myself."
The reason? He didn't have a Heavenly Flame.
The former champion added sincerely, "These two young ones possess boundless potential despite their youth. If they're not worthy of the championship, then I don't deserve to carry my title as a former winner."
"Well said." Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Let's put it to a vote," suggested Vice President Qie Mi Er.
"Agreed," came the consensus.
"I support it," Wei Yang was the first to voice his stance.
"I support it as well," President Fa Ma said with a warm smile.
"Agreed," Vice President Qie Mi Er raised his hand.
Seeing this, the rest looked at each other. With the three biggest names already in support, who would dare object?
One by one, they all raised their hands in unanimous agreement.
Thus, the decision to declare dual champions passed with a unanimous vote.
...
President Fa Ma stepped onto the platform and cleared his throat. Once the entire crowd's attention was on him, he chuckled heartily and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, after our careful discussion, the results of this tournament are in. I hereby announce the champions of this year's competition!"
Everyone held their breath, watching in anticipation.
Fa Ma extended his hand from his sleeve and pointed directly at Xian'er and Xiao Yan. "They are Miss Xian'er and Xiao Yan. This year, for the first time in the tournament's history—we have dual champions!"
ROAR!
As soon as Fa Ma's words dropped, a thunderous cheer erupted from the audience stands. Countless people jumped from their seats, faces flushed with excitement, arms waving wildly.
In an instant, the entire square was submerged in a sea of noise and celebration.
No one opposed the outcome—everyone accepted it willingly.
After all, awarding the title to either one would have been unfair and controversial.
In that case, naming both as champions was the most natural and ideal result.
For the Alchemist Association, it was a win-win situation.
The only cost? Engraving one extra pill recipe. No big deal at all.
...
When the results were announced, Xian'er and Xiao Yan were momentarily stunned. Then, with smiles on their faces, they accepted the outcome gracefully.
They exchanged glances, smiled, nodded, and congratulated each other.
The surrounding contestants also wore expressions of admiration, cupping their hands in congratulations—including Liu Ling and the Little Princess.
At that moment, the two young people had undoubtedly become the absolute center of attention.
Countless gazes filled with reverence, admiration, and even infatuation locked onto them.
After today, their names would echo throughout the empire.
Even many veteran alchemists admitted openly that Xian'er and Xiao Yan's alchemy skills had already surpassed theirs.
Given time, these two champions might very well rival even Pill King Gu He.
Yet, amid the roaring celebration...
In a distant, shadowed corner, the gray-robed youth slowly raised his head. A cold glint flickered in his blue, icy eyes as he let out a low sigh.
"Looks like... I'll have to make a move after all. I only wanted to win the recipe fair and square... Why do you all insist on standing in my way?"
I've worked so hard. What did I do wrong?
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