"It seems that Junior Sister can't keep a low profile this time." Zi Shu squinted at Ye Xiruo, who was exuding an aura of dominance on the high platform, and couldn't help but find it amusing.

"The reward wasn't enough, and Xiao Ye already harbored some resentment. It would be a shame not to deal with someone who just happened to come up here to die."

Chen Qing glanced at Ye Xiruo's attire, his disdain growing even stronger. He gritted his teeth and took out a seventh-grade spiritual herb from his ring. He raised his voice, "Let's compete! Who's 'oh' who's 'oh'?"

"I hope you don't lose too badly later."

"The host was also very sensible. He waited until Ye Xiruo and the person next to her had settled their personal grudges before announcing the start of the third round of the competition, which was to refine the medicinal herbs."

The second round eliminated about fifty people, leaving only two hundred and fifty on the platform. Ye Xiruo remained inconspicuous, standing in the last few rows. Unfortunately, the one who had provoked her was right next to her.

"I will make you understand the difference between geniuses and ordinary people."

"Uncle, aren't you afraid of biting off more than you can chew? If you're really a genius, why don't you become a disciple of the Pill King? Don't give me that nonsense about being indifferent to fame and fortune and disdaining worldly affairs."

After being mocked by Ye Xiruo, Chen Qing's face turned red and white, a truly fascinating sight.

"Oh, I see. The Pill King Palace only accepts disciples under the age of fourteen. Judging from your age, you must be in your late twenties or almost thirty!"

"You—" Chen Qing pointed at Ye Xiruo tremblingly, his old face turning red.

"Stop trying to win with your words. What have you done to me? You've ruined my mood. We'll see."

Ye Xi ignored the old man and began to examine the medicinal herbs in front of her. They were actually 300-year-old Golden Silk Grass. As the name suggests, Golden Silk Grass resembles an orchid, with a thin golden thread running through the center of its leaves. A century-old Golden Silk Grass has a golden thread that's an inch long, and these herbs are estimated to be about three inches long, so their quality is considered average.

Golden thread grass is a metallic herb with a rather explosive nature; its most valuable part is the golden thread in its center. The assessment task is to extract as much golden thread as possible within a specified time. Of course, the fewer impurities and the higher the purity, the better.

As the bell tolled, everyone began refining their alchemy. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, it would have been too conspicuous for Ye Xi not to produce a green alchemy furnace. Instead, she chose a large, exquisitely crafted, and beautifully designed red alchemy furnace from her ring, resembling a work of art.

Instantly, Ye Xiruo became the focus of the entire platform. It would be difficult for such a beautiful pill cauldron not to cause a sensation.

Ye Xiruo touched her nose. She had originally wanted to keep a low profile, but she didn't expect it to become more and more high-profile.

"Isn't this the alchemy cauldron Master used before?" Why was he so sure? Jing Li had always been a stickler for aesthetics, and all the alchemy cauldrons she used were a magnificent red, with elegant, exquisite, and ornate designs. In Jing Li's own words, they had to be beautiful. Actually, Zi Shu thought that Master just wanted it to match her red dress.

"There won't be any problems. I estimate that Xiao Yezi will come down on her own in the next round."

There were quite a few alchemists on the platform, including many fifth and sixth-rank alchemists. The final round would definitely involve alchemy, so my junior sister, being a third-rank alchemist, would probably just be there for show. Let's not waste any more time.

Ye Xiruo only produced a wisp of Azure Lotus Heaven, threw it onto the flint, and the flint immediately ignited. Then, she quietly withdrew the Azure Lotus Heaven. Presumably, no one noticed this scene.

Burn away the impurities from the golden silk grass with flames, leaving only the innermost golden threads. Then, slowly remove the impurities from within the golden threads. Golden silk grass is a metallic herb, and during the extraction process, one can sense its sharp metallic spiritual energy, which is one of the reasons why it is difficult to extract.

However, Ye Xiruo simply released her mental power to forcefully suppress it. She removed it five times before finally putting down the golden thread that shimmered like gold, and then began refining the second one. The second refining took a few minutes faster than the first. By the third time, she picked up all three golden threads and began refining them simultaneously. It was a good opportunity to practice multitasking.

And so, one or two, a dozen or so...

The bell finally rang, signaling the end of the competition. Ye Xiruo put down the last golden thread tree she had left and glanced at the guy next to her. Not bad, he probably had five or six left.

The third round of evaluation was simple. There were two old men at the front, with precise instruments in front of them. Each person whose number was called would take their refined gold thread and place it in the instrument for measurement.

"Number 120: 7 qualified, 2 excellent. Results: Not specified."

"Number 10-15, 18 qualified, 7 excellent, grade: above average."

......

Two hundred people? Ye Xiruo wasn't in a hurry. Once she won the bet and took the prize for this round, she would leave.

The guy next to me got called out.

"Number thirty-nine. Twenty-six qualified, fifteen excellent. Good result." Chen Qing gave Ye Xiruo a smug look.

It's a pity that Ye Xi is completely unaffected; that's idiot.

Finally, her name was called. "Number 118, 33 excellent grades, outstanding performance."

Chen Qing's previous performance had already impressed many; although not first, a top-three finish was practically guaranteed. Then, Ye Xiruo emerged as a dark horse, successfully refining all thirty-three Timely Grasses, each one a high-quality specimen refined more than five times. Ye Xiruo undoubtedly takes first place in this round.

"Does this young friend still wish to participate in the competition?" An old man looked at Ye Xiruo with a kind face and expectant eyes.

Ye Xiruo shook her head decisively: "I came out with my master on business, and I'll be leaving in a few nights."

"That's a real pity." The old man stroked his beard and handed the three boxes to Ye Xiruo: "These are your prizes, keep them safe."

The first box contained one hundred mid-grade spirit stones, the second box contained a fifth-grade spirit herb, and the third box, Ye Xiruo, was only opened a crack before closing again.

He bowed respectfully: "Thank you for your kindness." So the prizes were linked to performance; he should have performed better in the second round. The prize for the third round was actually a grade seven spiritual herb; adding to the one he won, today's haul was pretty good.

"Do you have anything else to say?" Ye Xiruo walked straight up to Chen Qing, a playful smile on her face.

"That's impossible! You cheated."

Ye Xiruo rolled her eyes. In front of everyone, did she really think those onlookers and judges were blind?

"The instrument must be broken."

Before Ye Xiruo could even call for help, the host arrived with a cold expression: "You are questioning the fairness of the competition."