The other judges leaned in, examining each herb with growing disbelief.
One by one, they picked up the plants, scrutinizing their roots, stems, and leaves.
There wasn’t a single blemish, a single broken stalk, or any sign of improper handling.
It was as if the herbs had never been plucked from the earth at all.
Elder Han took a deep breath and placed the Moonlit Ginseng back in Gu Jin’s satchel.
"This level of precision... It’s unbelievable."
The murmurs of the audience died down as they waited for the final verdict.
The arena erupted into cheers once again.
"Twenty-five minutes! How is that even possible?"
"I thought Contestant No. 6 was fast with five herbs, but she didn’t even come close to Gu Jin’s time."
"Not just the speed! The way she harvested them... No wonder she’s first!"
The people of Fujio City, already excited from her undead’s accidental popularity, were now completely fired up.
"God Gu is unbeatable!"
"Bow before her greatness!"
"Mr. Undead, celebrate with us!"
The undead, still standing beside Gu Jin, stiffened at the attention. It turned its head toward her, as if silently asking for guidance.
Gu Jin, lips twitching, glanced at the awkward stance of her undead and decided to let it handle the situation itself.
The undead hesitated, then, as if resigning itself to its fate, slowly lifted both arms into the air.
The entire arena lost it.
"HE CLAPPED! HE ACTUALLY CLAPPED!"
"Kyaaa! Mr. Undead, we love you!!"
The judges quickly gave Gu Jin the numbers and asked Gu Jin to sit as the other contestants hadn’t arrived by then.
As Gu Jin took her seat, the other contestants finally started returning from the forest.
Some were covered in sweat, their robes dirtied from running around.
Others had disappointed looks, clearly aware that they had taken too long or had gathered herbs in poor condition.
One by one, they handed over their collected herbs to the judges.
The judges carefully examined each herb, checking for damage, quality, and quantity.
Soon, the final scores were announced.
The arena went silent as Elder Han stepped forward.
"The results for the first round have been calculated," he announced. "The top five rankings are as follows."
A large screen lit up, displaying the names and scores:
1st Place: Gu Jin – 98 points2nd Place: Wei Lin – 95 points3rd Place: Shen Yue – 93 points4th Place: Zhao Ming – 90 points5th Place: Luo Fei – 88 points
The audience cheered loudly as Gu Jin’s name appeared at the top.
"She almost got a perfect score!"
"Only two points away from full marks? That’s crazy!"
Gu Jin remained calm as she saw the results.
She had expected to do well, and 98 points were more than enough to secure first place.
But not everyone was happy.
Wei Lin, who came in second, clenched his fists.
His lips pressed into a thin line, and his expression darkened.
He had been so sure that he would take first place, yet Gu Jin had beaten him.
Zhao Ming, the son of a high-ranking official, looked even worse.
He had relied on his cunning more than his skills, but even that wasn’t enough to place him in the top three.
His face twisted in frustration.
Luo Fei, who came from a family of famous alchemists, stared at the rankings with a blank expression.
His family had expected him to shine in this competition, but he barely made it into the top five.
His hands trembled slightly as he lowered his gaze.
Meanwhile, Shen Yue’s expression was unreadable.
He glanced at Gu Jin before walking over to her.
"Congratulations," he said with a smile, his voice light and friendly. "You were incredible out there."
Gu Jin studied him for a moment. She knew Shen Yue wasn’t as simple as he seemed, but she nodded politely. "Thank you."
Before he could say more, Elder Han spoke again.
"The first round is over. Now, we will begin the second round."
The crowd hushed as the judges waved their hands, and assistants stepped forward with trays.
"Each contestant will receive the herbs they gathered and will be tasked with refining a Mana Recovering Pill," Elder Han explained.
"This is a test of your control, skill, and knowledge of alchemy."
As he spoke, large black cauldrons were placed in front of each contestant.
"The cauldrons have been personally checked by the judges," Elder Han continued.
"There will be no tricks, no tampering. This will be a fair competition."
Gu Jin calmly looked at the cauldron before her. It was standard in design, with intricate engravings meant to help stabilize the refining process.
The other contestants also inspected their cauldrons. Some ran their hands over the surface, checking for cracks or hidden problems.
Zhao Ming scoffed under his breath. "Fair? Hmph, let’s see about that," he muttered, his mood still sour from the rankings.
Luo Fei took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. His hands tightened into fists before he forced himself to focus.
Meanwhile, the audience watched with excitement.
"This round is going to be intense!"
"I want to see how Gu Jin refines a pill!"
"Do you think Mr. Undead will help?"
"Haha, no way! That would be cheating!"
As the excitement in the arena settled, the judges gave a final nod, signaling the official start of the second round.
"You may begin!" Elder Han announced, his voice carrying across the competition grounds.
A wave of concentration settled over the contestants.
The light-hearted energy from before was gone, replaced by focused determination.
Each alchemist had their own way of preparing for the pill refinement process, and they wasted no time getting started.
Gu Jin remained calm, her movements unhurried as she placed her herbs beside the cauldron.
Unlike the others, she did not immediately start the fire beneath it.
Instead, she examined each herb with a critical eye, ensuring that they were in the best possible condition.
Other contestants, however, wasted no time in igniting their cauldrons.
Flames flared to life across the stage as some of them hurriedly began tossing in ingredients.
The crowd murmured in anticipation.
"Look! Wei Lin has already started refining!"
"Shen Yue’s movements are so smooth! He’s done this a hundred times before, hasn’t he?"
Zhao Ming, still bitter about his ranking, shot Gu Jin a sidelong glance.
Unlike him, she had yet to even light her cauldron. His lips curled into a sneer.
"Hmph, does she think she’s so great that she doesn’t need to start right away?"
He turned back to his own process, quickly chopping his herbs into smaller pieces before throwing them in.
The flames beneath his cauldron flickered a deep orange as the ingredients began to heat up.
Meanwhile, Luo Fei’s hands trembled slightly as he worked.
He was careful with his ingredients, but he hesitated with each movement, clearly lacking the confidence the others had.
Gu Jin, however, finally made her move.
With a simple flick of her wrist, a deep rose-red flame roared to life beneath her cauldron.
Unlike the chaotic fires of some of her competitors, hers was controlled, steady.
She reached for the first herb—Moonlit Ginseng—and, instead of tossing it in, she ran her fingers over its surface.
A soft green glow emanated from her fingertips as she activated her plant energy, carefully drawing out the herb’s impurities before placing it inside the cauldron.
"She purified the herb before adding it in?"
"That’s an advanced technique! Most alchemists purify their herbs during the refining process, not before!"
Even the judges were intrigued. Elder Han leaned forward slightly, eyes locked onto Gu Jin’s cauldron.
"She’s minimizing the risk of contamination," he murmured. "That level of control... It’s remarkable."
On the other side of the stage, Wei Lin heard the murmurs about Gu Jin and grit his teeth.
He had been confident in his own skills, but watching her movements made him uneasy.
There was no hesitation, no wasted motion—just pure efficiency.
Shen Yue, standing nearby, chuckled under his breath as he stirred his ingredients.
"Looks like she’s setting the standard high again."
Gu Jin continued her process, methodically adding each ingredient after purifying it.
Her plant energy coated the herbs, breaking them down seamlessly as the cauldron emitted a soft hum.
The deep blue flames never wavered, adjusting in intensity each time she added a new component.
Meanwhile, Zhao Ming was struggling.
He had rushed his process, tossing in multiple ingredients at once, and now his cauldron was bubbling violently.
The mixture inside flickered between different colors—an obvious sign of imbalance.
"Tch!" He clenched his fists, knowing that if he didn’t act fast, his entire batch would be ruined.
He quickly adjusted the fire, lowering its intensity in an attempt to regain control.
But it was already too late. A loud pop sounded, and a thick, black smoke rose from his cauldron.
The audience burst into laughter.
"Haha! Zhao Ming messed up!"
"So much for being the son of an official!"
Zhao Ming’s face burned with embarrassment, but he could do nothing but grit his teeth and try to salvage what was left.