The会长 stopped laughing, took Mu Qingdai’s test paper, and glanced at it, his brows furrowed.
One after another, the disciples on the stage handed in their test papers.
"Cough, cough, now I, this old man, will announce the rankings," the会长 stood up, holding a piece of paper.
"Third place, Mu Qingdai."
As soon as the words fell, her face turned extremely ugly: "Impossible!"
"This princess answered every question correctly!" How could she only be third!
The会长 sighed. He knew this would happen. He took out Mu Qingdai's test paper and with a flick of his finger, it flew to her.
The paper clearly showed several typos, which were undoubtedly hasty mistakes.
Mu Qingdai's face flushed with anger, and she tore the test paper to shreds.
How embarrassing!
"The Third Princess is actually third place?"
"Isn't she? She always claims to be a rare genius."
The onlookers below the stage were buzzing.
"Shut up!" Mu Qingdai roared at them. The crowd immediately fell silent, as no one wanted to offend the imperious princess.
The会长 continued to announce the rankings: "Second place, Wu Zhuo."
"Wu Zhuo isn't first?"
"He's participating again? This is the fifth time."
"Yeah, he wins first place every year but doesn't participate in the Qinglong Secret Realm. I don't know what he's after."
Wu Zhuo?
Bai Ran listened to the discussions from below and followed their gaze to a lean, gentle-looking man.
Suddenly, Wu Zhuo looked back at her, and their eyes met.
For some reason, Bai Ran couldn't see joy or disappointment in his eyes. Instead, there was a sense of desolation.
Bai Ran averted her gaze, unwilling to look at him.
"First place, Bai Li!"
Bai Li?
It was that *jianren*! How could it be!
How could a mere country bumpkin possibly achieve first place!
"会长! This princess is not convinced!" Mu Qingdai glared at Bai Ran angrily, "This princess demands to see her test paper! What if someone cheated?"
The会长's patience seemed to have reached its limit. He frowned, and a powerful wave of spiritual energy surged towards Mu Qingdai.
Mu Qingdai was sent flying backward, falling to the ground and spitting out a mouthful of blood.
"Third Princess, I have always been fair and just. You need not cast insidious insinuations."
Golden Core, ninth stage.
Bai Ran felt his strength the moment he made his move.
The会长!!!
Elder Liu scurried around anxiously below the stage. The会长 actually attacked the Third Princess!
It’s over, it’s over! Even though the royal family usually gave them some face, they wouldn't tolerate their royal bloodline being so provoked.
He never expected a mere alchemy competition to have Elder Liu's heart in such a turmoil, like riding a roller coaster.
The onlookers below were also startled into silence, with only the sound of their heartbeats audible.
"Although her test paper has few words, every answer is standard."
The会长 picked up Bai Ran's test paper. Only a sparse few words were written on the paper, and for some questions, only a circle was drawn around the prompt.
While others had written a great deal, it was all superfluous, merely filling space.
Mu Qingdai, supporting her arm, struggled to stand up from the ground, her eyes glaring fiercely at the会长.
Old man, how dare he treat her like this?
But Mu Qingdai understood that this was not the time to act. She was being watched by everyone, and she was in the wrong to begin with. She had no choice but to swallow her anger.
"The second round of competition will commence in half an hour," the会长 flicked his sleeves and left.
"Your Highness!" A maid rushed onto the stage anxiously.
"Your Highness, please take this pill quickly," she said, producing many bottles of fourth-grade pills.
Mu Qingdai was instantly enraged, and she slapped out at the maid, sending her to the ground in pain, unable to straighten up.
"Don't touch me!" Mu Qingdai panted, her head swimming with fury.
"Not much skill, but quite a temper."
Bai Ran slowly walked past her, leaving a remark without paying any mind to Mu Qingdai's continuous curses from behind.
During the half-hour adjustment period, a gaze was constantly fixed on Bai Ran.
This Wu Zhuo had been staring at her for half an hour. Bai Ran sat in her seat, and even with her eyes closed, she could feel that gaze.
"Half an hour is up, the second round of competition begins," the会长 returned to the judges' table.
The alchemists participating in the competition stood up and took their positions.
"The second round is the final round, testing alchemy grade and completion speed, with a time limit of one hour."
An incense stick began to burn, signifying the official start of the competition.
More than half of the alchemists rushed to select the spirit herbs they needed, as this was also a race against time.
As Bai Ran was about to reach for them, she noticed a small amount of black powder on the spirit herbs. She picked up some and sniffed it.
Rock powder? Bai Ran's lips curved upwards.
Mu Qingdai, oh Mu Qingdai, why do you always resort to such underhanded tricks?
Rock powder, though not poisonous, has a ninety percent chance of causing alchemy to fail if incorporated, thus it is known as the "Alchemist's Terminator" and feared by countless alchemists.
Bai Ran's palm was enveloped in a thin layer of Burning Heaven Flame. With a slight wave, she swept over the spirit herbs, and the rock powder instantly vanished.
As always, Bai Ran used her unique alchemy method, but she stood at the back of the crowd, almost unnoticed.
However, there are always exceptions. The会长, sitting at the judges' table, stared intently at Bai Ran's movements, his gaze growing more fervent.
During the Four Nations Competition, Bai Ran had used ordinary methods like other alchemists, slowly refining her alchemy to conceal her strength.
But times were different now. She felt the会长's eager gaze.
Bai Ran understood that if she wanted more spirit stones or resources, she had to cast out more bait and wait for the big fish to bite.
As expected, she was once again the first alchemist to complete her alchemy.
What use is speed! We don't even know what low-grade pills she's refining!
Mu Qingdai, seeing Bai Ran finish, was jealous but remembered her mistake in the previous round and focused her energy on refining her pills.
At this moment, Wu Zhuo also finished his alchemy and continued to stare at Bai Ran.
An hour passed. Most of the alchemists on stage had successfully refined their pills, while a few failed and left dejectedly.
The会长 slowly descended from the high platform and began to assess the alchemy furnaces one by one.
Most of them were first and second-grade pills, and the judging was based on completion speed.
The会长 stopped in front of Wu Zhuo. Inside the alchemy furnace lay three perfectly round third-grade Qi Gathering Pills.
"Third-grade Qi Gathering Pills, excellent quality, and very fast completion speed," the会长 nodded with satisfaction.
Third-grade pills!
This was the first time a third-grade pill appeared on stage!
"Wu Zhuo must be first, right?"
"But what about Bai Li?"
Mu Qingdai had always placed second in previous years, with Wu Zhuo consistently taking first. However, this year, a dark horse appeared at the alchemy competition, defeating Wu Zhuo and securing first place.
Everyone was extremely interested in this suddenly appearing Bai Li.