Ming Zhi Tian summoned a puppet with human skin from his storage bag: "Since you all want me to refine pills so badly, I'll reluctantly oblige... let my friend take the lead."
As everyone looked on, bewildered, not knowing when this person appeared, the figure, at Ming Zhi Tian's signal, walked directly to the alchemy furnace.
Seeing the puppet clad in human skin, they couldn't discern anything amiss for the moment.
The judge looked tentatively at Meng Qi: "This... this isn't by the rules, is it?"
Before they could react, the puppet slammed violently onto the medicine table! A pile of spirit materials, indistinct to the eye, flew into the alchemy furnace! It was quick, precise, and ruthless! All were placed into the furnace at once, followed by the control of the flames.
Wang Hao was dismissive: "Hmph, hot-headed fool, pretending to know what he doesn't. All for show."
The other alchemists began to whisper amongst themselves: "Isn't it obvious he doesn't know how to refine pills? Who starts by controlling the flames and then adds spirit materials one by one? Like this, I reckon the furnace will explode soon, and with considerable force."
"I don't understand either. He himself received the invitation, yet he's letting a friend substitute, and a hot-headed one at that!"
But the next moment, the puppet's actions stunned Meng Qi and the five judges.
The puppet slammed the alchemy furnace violently once more! Then it turned and struck twice!
Following that, it struck upwards from the furnace bottom! The entire alchemy furnace flew into the air, and with a stomp, like an eagle spreading its wings, the puppet pinned the furnace under its foot.
Some couldn't bear to watch and shook their heads: "It's over. These pills are ruined. With such dramatic movements, even if pills are formed, they'll be a pile of sand."
Wang Hao suddenly frowned, looking at Meng Qi and the five judges who were watching intently: "No, why are their expressions so astonished?"
Ten minutes passed, and some grew impatient, starting to jeer: "Judges, I request to terminate his competition! Why should we wait for his delay that exceeds the allotted time? I'm not convinced!"
With one leading the way, a chorus of agreement followed: "Yes, why... why? ... And we have to wait two hours for him? Judges, this seems unfair!"
"Exactly, who does he think he is? Worthy of our wait? What if the furnace explodes later, leaving us waiting for nothing and wasting our precious time."
"We won't wait, we demand immediate announcement of the competition results! That's right... that's right!"
Meng Qi, suddenly disturbed from his focused observation, grew angry: "Silence! The competition rules are decided by this vice-president! Even if any one of you were not participating, I would consider allocating alchemy time to each of you. Further disruptions will lead to disqualification, and your results will be voided!"
Silence instantly fell...
Soon, forty minutes passed, and the puppet's alchemy was nearing its end. It leaped suddenly, its entire body suspended in the air.
As everyone looked up, the puppet inverted itself and descended from the sky, striking the surface of the alchemy furnace on the ground with a palm!
Then, with a fierce punch, it struck the alchemy furnace. Even with the deterrent vibration, there was no damage, indicating a control beyond the ordinary.
As impurities were expelled from the alchemy furnace from the inside out, Meng Qi's inner thoughts were confirmed, and he blurted out:
"This is the long-lost Ling Tian Jiang Dan method! The purity is absolutely perfect!"
The five judges were also shocked: "What? Ling Tian Jiang Dan method? That's something only alchemists who have reached the master realm possess. This... who on earth is this person?"