When Engo saw the delicate azure pill emitting an aura several folds more powerful than his own pill, his heart lurched. Shock and disbelief appeared on his face and he was unwilling to accept the result. Once again the guy had somehow fluked out! What unbelievable luck!
While he, Engo, had to work tirelessly for decades and decades just to reach the current position he held, the youth in front of him whose karma hasn't even matured yet was pulling out gold from his shit. The heavens were not fair! His heart was full of grievances. His face turned unsightly when he thought about how he had to eat his own words and accept defeat to a no-named brat idiot. He was a true grandmaster of the great dao of alchemy. Why did he have to suffer ? What would everyone think of him? How would he get any orders from the Eternal Sword Palace from now on? Walking the path of the great dao of alchemy was very difficult and expensive. His main livelihood was the Eternal Sword Palace. If that were taken away from him, then he would stagnate and rot. No. No. Under no circumstance could he let something like that happen. The pill might have been born but there were still ways for him to discredit the idiot. He instantly exchanged looks with his apprentice and made plans to claim that the pill was defective.
That's right. If he claimed that the pill was poisonous and if his attendant secretly took another pill to showcase the symptoms, then all of his problems would be solved. His mind raced to quickly plan the sabotage and execute it when unexpectedly something else happened.
Liam himself crushed the pill in his palm before it stabilized and destroyed it, another boom resounding loudly in the chamber. Engo's face lit up with twisted joy. This is perfect! he thought. Now I can use this to shut him down and save my reputation.
Clearing his throat, Engo stepped forward, addressing the bewildered audience. "Esteemed guests and members of the Eternal Sword Palace," he began, his voice laced with feigned concern. "It appears that Grandmaster Dante's pill was unstable—perhaps even dangerous. Destroying one's own creation in such a manner suggests a fatal flaw."
Murmurs spread through the crowd. Some nodded in agreement, while others looked skeptical.
Liam remained calm amidst the growing tension. Seraphine approached him, concern etched on her face. "Liam, what happened?" she asked softly. However, Liam did not respond to her. He did not even look at her, immediately retrieving another cauldron and starting the process all over again.
Engo gaped at his actions. What was this new development? Didn't they agree to a three-attempt challenge? How was this fellow shameless enough to so brazenly go for a fourth one?!
Engo was speechless. He did not even know what to do now. Sure, he could raise a commotion and shut this down but it would be beneath him to do something like that. He immediately exchanged another look with his apprentice who spoke loudly.
"Isn't the competition already over? What is the alchemist doing?"
Catching his drift a few more people started creating a ruckus to add to the fire.
"He's breaking the rules!"
"This is unacceptable!"
Engo watched with a smug expression as the crowd's agitation grew. Perfect, he thought. Noticing the unrest, one of the sword palace elders who had arrived to witness the event, stepped forward and raised his hand for silence. "Peace, everyone," he commanded. The hall gradually quieted. "Grandmaster Dante," he addressed Liam directly, "the challenge was agreed upon as three attempts each. May I ask why you are proceeding with a fourth?"
However, Liam once again did not respond.
Engo seized the opportunity. "Elder Jian, allowing him to continue undermines the integrity of our challenge and disrespects the terms we all agreed upon."
A few in the audience nodded in agreement, while others seemed more interested in seeing what Liam would do next.
Seraphine stepped forward. "Elder Jian, perhaps we can permit Liam to proceed outside the bounds of the competition. His work could benefit us all."
Engo frowned deeply. "This is highly irregular! Favoritism has no place here."
Interrupting their discussion, all of a sudden a powerful aura rippled out of Liam. His eyes appeared to be closed and yet at the same time he was completely immersed in the task in front of him. His hands moved listlessly but precisely. His breathing was like clockwork and steady.
Liam at this moment seemed as if he was sleeping while concocting. The next second, his expression shockingly changed. A violent aura surged from him and a blast of medicinal aroma wafted out from the trembling and shaking cauldron. The cauldron was clearly on the verge of another big explosion and yet the control was enough to stabilize it barely.
Liam gritted his teeth and blood seeped out from the corner of his lips as the full power of his mana cores and dao seeds roiled about.
The chamber fell into a tense silence as everyone watched Liam's intense struggle. The air around him crackled with energy, and a radiant aura enveloped his entire being. His eyes remained closed, yet his hands moved with precise, almost ethereal grace. Each gesture seemed to draw upon the very essence of the surrounding mana, weaving it seamlessly into his alchemical process.
Engo's smirk faded as he sensed the shift in the atmosphere. "What is he doing?" he thought, unease creeping into his heart.
"He is in the middle of an alchemical enlightenment!" Someone shouted.
Engo's face instantly paled. No. That couldn't be possible! How could someone so young and immature and still an awakener experience something like alchemic enlightenment? If something like that truly happened, then everything he had worked so hard would be lost forever! No. He could not let that happen!
The heavens were truly unfair! Why should an opportunity land on the lap of a nobody like him? Didn't he deserve it? Hmph! Engo coldly snorted. If the heavens were not fair, then he too didn't need to be! So what if the opportunity was not his? Today, he would wrestle it away from this nobody!
Engo stepped forward, but before he could reach Liam, a powerful aura rippled in front of him. A barrier formed around Liam and the entire workstation, completely preventing anything or anyone from interrupting the process.
Standing right in front of the barrier was none other than Tristan. "Where do you think you are going, grandmaster Engo?"
Engo gaped and then he swallowed. He turned towards Seraphine to see that the woman now held a medallion in her hands. She had probably activated it, immediately calling on Tristan for assistance. And now, the man notoriously known for his straightforwardness was standing in his way. A man powerful enough to become an elder of the eternal sword palace. He was done for. At that moment, the alchemist knew it was truly all over for him. Engo stepped back with his head down and his heart in turmoil. He had lost everything and the other person did not even lift a finger to do it. Just who was this Dante?