Chapter 183: End of the Semifinals (2)
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The competition began, and the first participants were already on their platforms, ready to start.
Both Hu Xingyan and the boy from the tribe in the Phoenix Kingdom wasted no time on unnecessary greetings, and as soon as the competition started, so did they.
Since part of the day had already passed and there were five matches to be held, the time for each match was reduced from 3 hours to 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Going beyond that would delay the end of the tournament too much, and no one, no matter how much they wanted to, wished to stay there longer than necessary.
Even the minimum requirements for the match were reduced to just three, mainly focused on the minimum level and purity.
For the rest, each participant had absolute freedom regarding the type of pill they wanted to produce.
As soon as the timer started, both participants began working.
On one side, the boy from the tribe took out several materials, some very common and others less so, with many appearing particularly exotic.
Seeing this, the audience in the area couldn't help but grow curious.
The boy had defeated all his opponents cleanly throughout the tournament.
He was one of the few who had managed to reach this stage without causing much commotion in the audience.
Although his techniques were unique and sophisticated, they were nothing new to the spectators. Nevertheless, he continued to compete and secured a spot in the Top 10.
Now that the semifinals had begun, he immediately started using various materials unfamiliar to most, sparking some anticipation for him among the audience.
With fluid yet precise and fast movements, he prepared the materials, and within minutes, he was already adding them to the cauldron.
Seeing this, one of the examiners commented enthusiastically.
"Hm, it looks like the boy has decided to prepare a level 2 high-grade pill, and judging by the materials, it seems to be a refining pill."
The other examiners nodded in agreement as they, too, commented on what they had observed, and thus the competition between the two began.
Unlike the boy from the tribe, who immediately started refining a level 2 pill, Hu Xingyan took a few extra minutes working on the materials.
Notably, once again, she decided to use her manifestation of Qi to move and prepare everything necessary.
What would normally take at least 10 minutes was completed in half the time, and after almost 6 minutes, she, too, began adding the processed ingredients one by one into the furnace.
Her expression was neutral, but her eyes revealed that she was deeply focused on her mixture, paying no attention to her surroundings.
Seeing this, the judges understood that she had decided to attempt a level 3 pill once again. Explore more stories at m,v l'e-m|p y r
A pill of this level was certainly a strong move, as it alone could offset the advantage that several level 2 high-grade pills might have.
If she succeeded again, she would already have half the victory in hand and would have once more confirmed her abilities at the level of a master alchemist.
She was one of four people who had already demonstrated skills on par with a one-star master alchemist, with only one among them surpassing that level and matching a two-star master.
That person, of course, was Ethan, who by now was considered almost invincible in the eyes of both spectators and examiners. Demonstrating skills on par with a master alchemist was already impressive, but going beyond that was rare.
It was believed that hardly anyone else could defeat him in this tournament.
That said, there were still those who thought he had simply been lucky with that pill and might not be able to replicate the feat at that level.
These were, of course, people who hadn't fully understood what had happened the day before.
Only the examiners could confidently say that his skill level was anything but luck.
The battle between the two was fierce, and neither lost a single moment of focus throughout the allotted time.
Both were entirely immersed in the refining process.
At a certain point, both made their final adjustments, and just before time ran out, they placed their finished creations on the presentation table and waited for the judges' evaluation.
On one side, there were five high-grade level 2 pills, and on the other, to everyone's surprise, there were two identical pills that, if correct, were very likely both level 3 pills.
Seeing this, the judges smiled, silently commending the talent of this prodigy from the Tiger Kingdom.
The girl had reaffirmed her skills at the master alchemist level, producing two level 3 low-grade pills in just over an hour instead of one, as before.
Even though they already knew the result, the judges approached and examined the pills anyway.
And in the end, to no one's surprise, the winner was Hu Xingyan.
She had now secured a spot among the finalists, while the other boy would have to compete for a ranking between sixth and tenth place.
Thus, the first match of the second part of today's competition concluded with Hu Xingyan's victory.
Although many had predicted her victory, the fact that she had produced two level 3 pills in such a short time was not.
It was evident that yesterday's defeat had given her the extra push she had been missing since the start of the tournament.
As they withdrew from their platforms, the area was reset for the next match.
This time, the competitors were Xiang Hua from the Phoenix Kingdom and a member of the Qilin Kingdom.
With an impassive expression, Xiang Hua walked to her platform and stood there, waiting for the timer to start. Her opponent, a man in his thirties, also took his place and waited like her.
He was Qiang Wei, one of the greatest prodigies of the young generation of alchemists from the Qilin Kingdom.
Just like the other nine, he had displayed refining skills that had captivated everyone, especially the girls.
His movements, delicate yet exuding elegance, immediately caught the attention of many young women in the crowd.
He was what Ethan would describe as the "flashy type" from the novels he read.
In almost every novel he'd read, there was always someone so attractive that they made every girl faint wherever they went.
Ethan didn't expect to encounter such a cliché character here as well.
While he was busy labeling people based on his knowledge of novels, Bai Yu, who managed to hear this part of his thoughts, couldn't help but comment:
'If you were to reveal your full charm now, that guy would go from being the flashy type to just another average person,' she said, shaking her head.
She usually avoided complimenting him on his appearance, not only because, as a being from the spiritual plane, she had seen people much more beautiful,
but also because she didn't want to feed his naturally narcissistic nature.