Soon, the second round of the competition began.
Due to what had happened in the previous round, everyone had different thoughts, and they also scrutinized Feng Yuqin more.
After all, that white stone was generally insurmountable for ordinary people.
But Feng Yuqin had managed to solve it.
This left everyone quite puzzled.
However, this puzzlement didn't last long before it was dispelled by Li Muchuan from Tiancheng and Wang Zexin from Yuecheng.
"Li Muchuan and Wang Zexin are truly geniuses. Their speed of alchemy has always been extremely fast," someone commented.
"Yes, and Luo Tianhao from Xingcheng is also no slouch. These few people will surely be in the top three again this year," another person added.
"It was these three last time. I'm afraid it'll be the same this year," a third person said.
"I thought Feng Yuqin had a bit of a chance before, but now she's still just combining the medicinal herbs. She doesn't even have a solid grasp of the basic knowledge. How on earth did she learn alchemy?" someone sneered.
"She probably just got lucky," someone else scoffed.
"I think so too. Many people couldn't solve that white - stone problem. She must have just had a stroke of luck this time," another person chimed in.
"Master, look at how these people are talking about you. Can't you just get into the state of alchemy?" Xiao Ying said anxiously.
A faint smile played on Feng Yuqin's lips as she said calmly, "What's the rush?"
"How can I not be in a rush? All the people here combined are no match for you, yet these people dare to belittle you," Xiao Ying said impatiently.
"So what? I don't care what these people say." She only cared about what the people she cared about said. The irrelevant remarks from those she didn't care about meant nothing to her.
"Xiao Ying, master always has a plan. We just need to wait," Xiao Jin said.
Soon, more comments about Feng Yuqin came from below.
"Look, Feng Yuqin has finally started her alchemy," someone shouted.
"Li Muchuan and the others have already moved on to the next step. Although the others haven't reached that stage yet, they're getting close," another person said.
"Yes, the speed of those elders is on par with Li Muchuan and the others. So Feng Yuqin is probably going to lose this time," someone speculated.
"Not necessarily. Look at those two groups from the Central Region. Their strength is rather mediocre," someone else said.
"Alas, the Alchemy Guild in the Central Region really is getting worse every year," someone sighed.
"I heard that if the Central Region loses again this time, it'll be difficult for them to get support from the General Guild in the future," someone whispered.
"That's quite normal. Who would dare to support them in such a situation?" someone replied.
Many people present were having such discussions.
Xiao Ying was extremely frustrated. But since his master was not in a hurry to start alchemy and was taking her time, there was nothing he could do but be anxious.
Since everyone thought there was no suspense about Feng Yuqin, few people paid attention to her.
In the end, she barely managed to avoid being eliminated, just a bit faster than the elimination rule.
This made people lose all hope for Feng Yuqin. They all thought that her success with the white stone must have been a fluke.
The second round was a group competition, so three out of the five people in each previously - qualified group needed to be eliminated.
Two hours later, among the five people led by Elder Lin from the Central Region, Lin Sixue and Zhao Yiyang were eliminated.
This was no surprise to everyone, as the three elders, including Elder Lin, were stronger than Lin Sixue and the other one.
On Feng Yuqin's side, Su Bing and Ke Ruxia were eliminated, while Feng Yuqin, Yan Xiao, and Sun Jian advanced.
The person in charge of the competition announced that the third round would be held the next day.
There was a night of rest because there would be bets on this competition.
This was tacitly approved by Tiancheng, as it could boost the local economy.
So Tiancheng was extremely bustling that night. Many people started to bet on who would make it into the top three.
In the previous competition, the top three were Li Muchuan from Tiancheng, Wang Zexin from Yuecheng, and Luo Tianhao from Xingcheng.
As for the Central Region, they had been eliminated in the third round for many years, so no one bet on the people from the Central Region.
Since there were no bets on the Central Region, if someone from the Central Region won, the reward would be the highest.
Although the odds were high, no one was tempted.
This news soon reached Feng Yuqin.
"Do you want to place a bet?" Feng Yuqin suddenly asked Yan Xiao and the others.
Hearing this, Xiao Ying suddenly remembered that his master had performed quite averagely in the second round, as if she had won with great difficulty.
He immediately understood Feng Yuqin's plan.
"Sure," Yan Xiao knew Feng Yuqin's strength. He had been wondering why A Qin had revealed a bit of her strength in the first round and had made a high - profile appearance, but then had been so low - key in the second round.
Now that she had said this, he also understood her plan.
However, Ke Ruxia and Sun Jian didn't understand.
So Ke Ruxia looked at Feng Yuqin and asked, "Elder Feng, are we going to bet on Li Muchuan?"
Sun Jian also said, "Elder Feng, Li Muchuan and the others are very popular right now. He's a seventh - level alchemist, and his strength is comparable to that of Elder Lin. So we won't win much money by betting on them."
Feng Yuqin gave them a cold look and asked, "Did I say I'd bet on them?"
A look of surprise flashed across the eyes of Ke Ruxia and Sun Jian. Then they asked, "If we don't bet on them, betting on others is just throwing money away."
Su Bing rolled her eyes in annoyance and said, "Do you two have a problem with my master?"
Ke Ruxia waved her hands quickly and said, "No, no, no. How could we have a problem with Elder Feng? If it weren't for Elder Feng, we wouldn't even have had the chance to participate in this competition."
So they were actually quite grateful to Feng Yuqin.
Even though Ke Ruxia had been eliminated, she still felt grateful.
"Since you have no problem, then go and bet on A Qin to win," Yan Xiao said.
"What?" Ke Ruxia and Sun Jian were both shocked.
"Although Li Muchuan is under thirty, his strength is not much different from Elder Lin's. He's a very talented alchemist," Sun Jian said.
Ke Ruxia nodded and quickly added, "So it's quite difficult to beat him."
Yan Xiao said angrily, "You're boosting the enemy's morale and undermining A Qin's prestige."
Ke Ruxia: "..."
Sun Jian: "..."
"Master, tell me how much to bet," Su Bing looked at Feng Yuqin and asked.
Feng Yuqin took out two storage rings and said, "Take these and place a bet for me. Bet all your silver and crystals. Remember to place the bet at the last moment."
A look of excitement flashed across Su Bing's eyes. "Yes, master."
"I'll also bet all my possessions," Yan Xiao's eyes also showed a glimmer of excitement.
A look of surprise flashed across the eyes of Ke Ruxia and Sun Jian when they saw the excited expressions on Yan Xiao and Su Bing's faces.
Feng Yuqin glanced at them. She could tell that they were loyal to her. So she said something extra for once, "I'll beat this Li Muchuan you're talking about."
If Ke Ruxia and Sun Jian were still afraid of losing after this, she would really think they were hopeless.