Luo Fei, on the other hand, was struggling in silence. His technique wasn’t bad, but his hands shook with nervousness.
His hesitation caused minor mistakes—his fire wasn’t stable, his timing was slightly off, and though his mixture wasn’t ruined, it was far from perfect.
In contrast, Gu Jin remained steady.
She stirred the mixture in her cauldron with slow, deliberate movements, letting the ingredients fuse together flawlessly.
The soft glow within the cauldron deepened as the liquid thickened, transforming into a shimmering golden hue.
Wei Lin noticed this and felt a surge of urgency.
He was nearing the final step as well, but he had already made a small mistake earlier—one that he couldn’t correct now. If he didn’t finish quickly, he might not secure second place.
With one final, precise motion, Gu Jin infused the last bit of plant energy into her cauldron.
A soft, crisp sound rang out—ding!
She lifted the lid, and inside sat three perfectly round Mana Recovering Pills.
Their surface was smooth, their fragrance rich. It was the mark of an exceptionally refined pill.
The crowd erupted into cheers.
"She’s finished first again!"
"Look at those pills! The quality is top-tier!"
Gu Jin calmly picked up her results and placed them in the tray designated for finished pills.
Wei Lin was close behind.
He finished his own refinement moments later, but when he retrieved his pills, his expression darkened slightly. They were good—but they weren’t perfect.
One of them had a minor flaw.
Shen Yue followed soon after, his refinement going smoothly.
His pills were nearly identical in quality to Wei Lin’s, but he seemed satisfied, nonetheless.
Zhao Ming barely managed to recover from his earlier mistake, producing two pills instead of three.
The color was slightly dull, but at least they were functional.
Luo Fei... had managed to make three pills, but none of them looked particularly promising.
The audience murmured as the judges stepped forward.
Elder Han picked up Gu Jin’s pills first.
He examined them carefully, rolling one between his fingers before giving a firm nod.
"Excellent purity. This is top-grade."
The other judges checked the remaining pills and recorded their scores.
One by one, the contestants’ pills were examined. Wei Lin and Shen Yue received strong marks, though slightly lower than Gu Jin’s.
Zhao Ming and Luo Fei, however, received lower scores due to imperfections.
Finally, the rankings appeared on the screen once more:
1st Place: Gu Jin – 99 points
2nd Place: Wei Lin – 96 points
3rd Place: Shen Yue – 94 points
4th Place: Zhao Ming – 88 points
5th Place: Luo Fei – 85 points
The moment the numbers appeared, the crowd exploded into cheers.
"99 points?! She’s unstoppable!"
"God Gu, we bow before you!"
"Hey...is it just me, or does everyone feel that someone from the judge panel is deliberately giving Gu Jin fewer points and Wei Lin and Shen Yue more points?"
"It does seem that way."
"Hey, don’t be too paranoid. You are overthinking."
Wei Lin’s face was dark, but he said nothing. Zhao Ming looked absolutely furious, and Luo Fei only sighed in quiet disappointment.
Meanwhile, Shen Yue simply smiled and clapped.
"Well done," he said to Gu Jin.
She glanced at him, then nodded.
The second round had ended, and once again, she stood at the top.
Wei Lin’s expression was still dark.
He had been confident that his skills were enough to secure first place, yet Gu Jin had once again left him behind.
Even worse, she had refined her pills faster and better than him.
If only Gu Jin hadn’t joined the competition...he would have won!
The third round was about to begin.
The judges stood in front of the contestants, their expressions serious. Elder Han stepped forward and cleared his throat.
"For this round, each participant will be blindfolded and given an herb. You must rely on your sense of taste and smell to identify it.
This test will determine your knowledge of herbs and your sensitivity as an alchemist. As long as you can correctly name the herb, you will pass this round."
The audience murmured in excitement.
"This round sounds simple, but it’s actually very hard!"
"Yeah, some herbs have similar tastes. If they mess up, they’ll fail instantly!"
One by one, the participants were blindfolded. Gu Jin, however, hesitated.
She had faced too many tricks in this competition already. She didn’t trust the people running it. Something in her gut told her this round might not be as simple as it seemed.
Her fingers twitched slightly.
What if this was another attempt to harm her?
Just as she was considering backing out, she noticed Long Yifan watching her from the audience.
His sharp eyes locked onto hers, and he gave a slight nod, as if to say, Don’t worry, I’m here.
Gu Jin rolled her eyes.
What? Does he think I need his protection? At most, I’ll just quit if something seems off. I don’t need a man to help me.
Still, after a brief pause, she closed her eyes, allowing the staff to tie the blindfold securely around her head.
A faint rustling sound followed. Footsteps approached her.
Then, a soft voice spoke.
"Here is your herb. Please taste it and identify it."
Gu Jin reached out. Her fingertips brushed against the delicate leaves. She brought it closer to her lips—
A deep, commanding voice echoed through the arena.
Before Gu Jin could react, a powerful force slammed into the person standing in front of her.
The sound of a heavy impact rang through the air.
Gasps filled the arena.
Gu Jin ripped off her blindfold just in time to see a man lying on the ground, unconscious. The herb he had been holding was scattered beside him, crushed beneath his limp fingers.
The one who had kicked him was none other than Long Yifan.
His face was dark as thunder, his entire body radiating a dangerous aura. He glared at the fallen staff member before turning to the judges.
"This man is an assassin." His voice was cold, filled with rage.
The judges were stunned.
"What nonsense are you spouting?" one of them asked.
Long Yifan didn’t even look at them. Instead, he pointed to the crushed herb on the ground.
"That herb is poisonous. If Gu Jin had taken even one sniff, she would have died instantly."
A heavy silence fell over the arena.
The audience, who had been buzzing with excitement just moments ago, suddenly erupted in shock.
"What?! Did he say poison?"
"Someone tried to kill Gu Jin?"
"No way! How could this happen in an official competition?!"
The judges rushed forward. One of them picked up the remains of the herb, sniffed it lightly, and immediately recoiled, his face turning pale.
"This... This is Nightshade Deathroot!" he exclaimed.
The other judges froze.
Nightshade Deathroot was one of the deadliest poisons known to alchemists. Even the strongest experts had no antidote for it.
If Gu Jin had tasted it...
She would already be dead.
The realization sent waves of horror through the crowd.
The audience, once cheering, now roared in fury.
"Someone tried to kill Gu Jin in broad daylight?!"
"This is an outrage! Who is behind this?!"
"God Gu was almost assassinated! We demand justice!"
The shouts grew louder and louder. Some people even began cursing at the competition organizers, while others demanded an investigation.
Meanwhile, the judges looked shaken. They turned to the unconscious staff member on the ground, their expressions grim.
"Who is this man?" Elder Han asked coldly.
One of the other staff members rushed forward, his face pale. "H-He’s... He’s not one of us!" he stammered. "We don’t know who he is!"
That single statement made the atmosphere even more terrifying.
An assassin had disguised himself as a staff member and nearly succeeded in killing Gu Jin.
Gu Jin crossed her arms, her face calm, but her eyes held a dangerous glint.
She wasn’t surprised.
She had expected something .
But to think they would try something so direct...
Long Yifan, still tense with anger, looked at her. "You should’ve been more careful," he muttered.
Gu Jin raised an eyebrow. "And you should mind your own business."
Long Yifan exhaled sharply, clearly annoyed, but he didn’t argue.
The judges quickly ordered guards to take the unconscious assassin away for questioning. But the damage had already been done.
The competition, once seen as fair, was now shrouded in suspicion.
The audience, furious and distrustful, demanded answers.
"Do the organizers want to kill Gu Jin? Why did they let an unknown man enter the arena in the first place?"
"How do we know there won’t be more assassins?"
"If something happens to Gu Jin again, we won’t let this go!"
The competition organizers had no choice but to act fast.
Elder Han turned to Gu Jin.
"Miss Gu, we sincerely apologize for this incident. We will immediately investigate and ensure that no more dangers befall you."