Qin Xin turned his gaze toward the place where the aged voice came from.

A man dressed in a gray alchemist's robe had seven shimmering silver ripples on the alchemy cauldron on his chest.

"A seventh-grade beginner alchemist?"

Qin Xin murmured, somewhat surprised. After looking at the old man's face, the corners of his mouth turned down slightly.

This old man had met Qin Xin twice before; he was none other than Huo Sheng, the inner dean of the Eastern Wilderness Academy.

Huo Sheng seemed to notice Qin Xin's gaze. After glancing at the symbol on Qin Xin's chest, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but it disappeared in an instant. He then nodded slightly to Qin Xin.

"Contestants, please enter!" Huo Sheng said with a light smile, standing in the central square.

As the alchemists entered the plaza one after another and took their positions, their shouts echoed throughout the plaza.

Qin Xin and Ming Ningzhu also slowly walked into the square.

Before leaving, Jin Yuanbao and Mo Wen didn't forget to cheer each other on.

After standing still, Qin Xin noticed that many alchemists had been asked to leave the square.

"Let me emphasize again: anyone over thirty years old, please leave. If you are discovered to be over thirty again, don't blame me for being impolite!"

Huo Sheng radiated heat, and even though Qin Xin was quite far away, he could still feel the waves of heat emanating from him.

As Huo Sheng's voice faded, some alchemists slunk away from the central square.

“Senior Huo, I will not turn thirty for another month, so I think I can still participate,” said Ding Sheng, the eldest prince of the Ding Dynasty, in a loud voice.

Qin Xin also looked in the direction of the sound and found that Ding Sheng was wearing a fourth-grade high-level alchemist's robe, which seemed to indicate that he had made some progress in alchemy.

"Of course." Huo Sheng answered calmly, then continued, "The rules are simple: refine a complete pill within five hours."

"The final champion will be determined based on the grade and quality of the final elixir."

"Of course, everyone is already aware of the rewards for this championship. If you want to obtain the Spirit-Nourishing Powder, then show your strongest abilities."

Huo Sheng's words were very infectious, and even Qin Xin felt his blood boiling.

Suddenly feeling a chill from behind, Qin Xin looked towards the location of the Ding Dynasty, where an old man dressed entirely in black was looking at him.

"This feels so familiar?" Qin Xin was puzzled. He had never seen this old man before, but the evil aura emanating from him was exactly the same as the one he had felt when he was in the Ding Dynasty.

After withdrawing his gaze, Qin Xin put aside his doubts. Black Dragon City was relatively safe, and even if the old man was from the Ding Dynasty, he wouldn't dare to make a move.

"You were lucky last time, and Liu Jue was biased towards you. This time, I will make you lose completely!"

Ding Sheng deliberately walked up to Qin Xin, speaking arrogantly with a cold look in his eyes.

"Let's refine the pills first before we start talking big." Qin Xin shrugged indifferently, completely unconcerned about Ding Sheng's provocation.

"The competition begins! If any cheating is discovered during the pill refining process, the family involved will be permanently banned from participating in the Eastern Wilderness Pill Gathering!"

Following Huo Sheng's announcement, all the participants walked into the designated alchemy area on the square.

After Qin Xin entered the alchemy grounds, he placed all the spiritual herbs needed to refine the Qi-Nourishing Pill on the stone platform.

Seeing that Qin Xin had taken out the spiritual medicine for refining the Peiyuan Pill, Ding Sheng, who was not far away, was slightly surprised. He took out the same spiritual medicine as Qin Xin and placed it on the stone platform.

"Interesting? This guy only got the recipe for the Qi-Nourishing Pill yesterday, and he's already preparing to refine it today. Isn't he being a bit too arrogant?"

On the platform, Ming Wei shook his head and said, seemingly not believing that Qin Xin could complete the refining of the Peiyuan Pill.

Liu Jue, who was standing to the side, nodded slowly. Although he admired Qin Xin's talent in alchemy, it was simply impossible for him to master the refining of the Peiyuan Pill in such a short time.

Even a high-level alchemist would need half a month of practice to fully master the refining of the Qi-Nourishing Pill, and there would still be a considerable failure rate.

"I think this lad might succeed."

Just as Liu Jue and Ming Wei were convinced that Qin Xin could not complete the refining process, Huo Sheng had already left the central square and arrived beside them.

Liu Jue and Ming Wei looked at Huo Sheng with awe, mainly because there was a huge gap between a sixth-grade alchemist and a seventh-grade alchemist, a gap that countless alchemists could not cross in their entire lives.

However, Ming Wei did not entirely agree with Huo Sheng's assessment.

"Elder Huo might be overestimating this kid," Ming Wei said softly.

"Is that so?" Huo Sheng shook his head and said, "If I told you that a year ago, this kid was just a novice second-grade alchemist, would you believe me?"

"What? A second-grade alchemist? In just one year..." Ming Wei was somewhat surprised, and even a little envious of Qin Xin's talent in alchemy.

It's important to understand that the growth of an alchemist is extremely difficult. Many start learning alchemy as soon as their martial spirit awakens. However, Qin Xin's rapid growth from a second-grade alchemist to a fourth-grade intermediate alchemist in just one year is a speed that most people cannot accept.

"I do hope this kid can win the championship. Both the Ding Dynasty and the Yan Dynasty are prepared this time," Huo Sheng said softly.

Liu Jue and Ming Wei then turned their gazes to the platforms of several powerful forces and the disciples representing these forces in the competition, their eyes flashing with a glint of brilliance.

"I didn't expect that old codger Ding Tian to come." Liu Jue looked at the old man who was completely wrapped in a black robe, his eyes full of fear.

"He probably didn't come here to see Dingsheng; he must have had some other purpose," Mingwei said thoughtfully.

Huo Sheng had already found a chair and sat down, saying calmly, "Let's wait and see."

After exchanging a glance, Liu Jue and Ming Wei sat down and turned their attention to the contestants who were refining pills in the square.

Qin Xin was not in a hurry to refine it. While calming his mind, he glanced at Ming Ningzhu beside him. At this moment, hot air was emanating from Ming Ningzhu's body, and a Fiery Lion in her hand roared continuously, with bursting blue flames rushing directly into the furnace in front of her.

"Galloping Lion Heart Flame".

Qin Xin was somewhat surprised to see the flames in front of Ming Ningzhu. This Gangshi Heart Flame was the beast fire of the Tiangang Yanshi. Its flames were violent and shaped like a lion, making it extremely difficult to control.

However, Ming Ningzhu's martial spirit is the seven-star Heavenly Flame Lion, so she can perfectly control the Heavenly Flame Lion Heart Flame, which makes her able to achieve twice the result with half the effort when refining pills.