"It's bigger than I expected," Yu Lianyan murmured.
Jìn Bǎo's eyes widened as he took in the sight. "There are… so many people."
They found seats near the middle rows, giving them an unobstructed view of the stage.
Down on the platform, about thirty young alchemists stood behind their furnaces, waiting in tense silence. Most wore association robes or the insignias of their clans.
A refined-looking elder stepped onto the main stage.
He wore the dark-gold robes of a senior alchemist, embroidered with pill cauldrons. His white hair framed a steady, profound aura, warm with the faint glow of controlled flame.
With a single raised hand, he brought the entire hall to silence.
"I am Elder Mò Xuándān of the Skyreach Alchemy Association," he announced. "Today's Alchemy Competition will proceed in three rounds."
His calm gaze swept over the contestants.
"First: herb recognition and attribute discernment.
Second: flame control and essence extraction.
Third: pill condensation."
He let the words settle before continuing.
"The top three will receive resource support and guidance from our association. The first-place winner will also earn a chance for enlightenment within our Inner Flame Hall."
A ripple of excitement ran through the crowd.
Chu Feng's eyes narrowed; he could tell that the reward was extraordinary.
First Round – Herb Recognition
Elder Mò clapped once.
Attendants in association robes stepped onto the platform carrying sealed trays. They placed one before each contestant, then retreated.
"Each tray contains ten herbs," Elder Mò said. "Some common, some mixed, some processed. Within ten minutes, you must identify all ten, list their properties, and note any dangerous combinations."
He lowered his hand.
"Begin."
The lids were lifted.
Contestants leaned forward at once, some inhaling deeply, others tracing the veins of leaves with careful fingers, and a few closing their eyes to sense the faint spiritual fluctuations lingering in the herbs.
Chu Feng observed them closely.
A young man bearing the insignia of the Cloudriver Clan moved with practised precision. His fingers glided over the herbs as if reading a familiar language. The Cloudriver Clan's cosmic soul, known to heighten perception and clarity, was evident in his movements.
Nearby, a girl from Firemist Hall employed her Ember plant cosmic soul, gently warming each herb to detect the subtlest shifts in scent and essence.
Not all were so confident.
Several contestants hesitated, brows furrowed, their uncertainty betraying inexperience.
Yu Lianyan crossed his arms, eyes sharp. "Some of them are only here to fill space."
Yu Lianxue cast a sideways glance. "Everyone has to start somewhere."
Chu Feng said nothing, watching every movement.
Ten minutes passed. Attendants collected the slips.
Elder Mò announced, "Below sixty per cent, step back." More than twelve people left the stage.
Jìn Bǎo whispered, "Just the first round…"
In the second round, contestants had one incense stick of time to extract essence from Scarlet Vein Grass using only their flame.
Skill levels quickly became clear as they controlled their fire with precision, producing a clear essence, while others burned or muddied the herb.
A silver-haired competitor from the Silverflame Ji Clan stood out with near-perfect results. When time ended, the weaker contestants were dismissed, leaving seven remaining.
Third Round – Pill Condensation
"For the final round," Elder Mò announced, "you will refine a first-grade Pill. Your final product will be judged on stability, purity, and pill form."
Pill furnaces rose once more with a low hum.
Attendants stepped forward, placing neatly arranged trays of ingredients before each contestant.
"The time limit," Elder Mò continued, "is one incense stick."
"Begin."
Flames flared to life. Cauldrons opened and shut, metal ringing in steady rhythms.
Some contestants worked with slow, deliberate precision.
Others hurried, hands trembling, their flames surging too eagerly.
Herbs went in at staggered intervals—chopped, shredded, ground, liquefied—each motion measured or frantic depending on the alchemist.
While some cauldrons exploded and several contestants withdrew in frustration, others displayed remarkable skill.
Chu Feng's gaze never left the platform.
Moments later, the incense burned down.
One by one, lids opened.
Pills floated up from within the cauldrons.
Only a handful looked truly refined, round, smooth, and glowing faintly.
Judges inspected each one.
"Average."
"Decent purity."
"Too many impurities."
When they reached the Ji Clan candidate, Elder Mò nodded.
"Seventy per cent purity."
They moved on to a timid-looking girl. Elder Mò nodded once more.
"Sixty-five per cent purity."
Eventually, the scores were tallied.
Elder Mò lifted a hand.
"The top three for this year's Alchemy Competition are…"
Chu Feng observed every detail, and a yearning to learn alchemy slowly awakened within him.
Once the alchemy competition concluded, the group made no plans to linger.
Skyreach City's lights faded behind them as they headed directly toward the next teleportation station, a major hub that connected distant regions of the prefecture. Their preparations were long completed. Supplies were accounted for and routes confirmed.
By dusk, they had stepped into the vast teleportation array, handed over their tokens, and vanished into a swirl of white light.
Days in the Warmhole
Teleportation was rarely instantaneous over extreme distances.
For several days, they travelled through the warmhole, a tunnel of distorted space filled with drifting motes of light that resembled glowing embers suspended in darkness.
Inside this strange corridor between worlds, sound felt muted and time stretched in unusual ways.
Chu Feng sat cross-legged inside his assigned barrier bubble as warm currents flowed past him. The bubble was comfortable enough, so he used the time to study the alchemy books they had won at the auction as well as the ones he had recently purchased. His breathing remained steady. The twins meditated in quiet focus. Jìn Bǎo stared around with wide eyes whenever the void shivered.
Although the journey was mostly peaceful, the occasional ripple of spatial turbulence reminded them that a single mistake in such a place could scatter a person across half a continent.
On the fifth day, a faint horizon-light flared ahead. A vortex blossomed in the distance, pulling them forward. Their protective barriers dissolved around them as the world twisted.
A heartbeat later, they stepped onto solid earth once again.