Ke Ruxia and her companion were a bit hesitant before. But seeing Yan Xiao and Su Bing so excited, and with Feng Yuqin's straightforward words to them, they followed Yan Xiao and Su Bing to place their bets.
Although they thought it would be difficult for Feng Yuqin to beat Li Muchuan, they still hoped she would win.
Ke Ruxia and her companion always thought Feng Yuqin was a seventh - level alchemist, just like Li Muchuan.
Most importantly, Li Muchuan had been at the seventh level for many years. He had more alchemy experience than Feng Yuqin, so they preconceived that Li Muchuan would win.
However, they didn't know that Feng Yuqin was an eighth - level alchemist. Even if she wasn't, both her alchemy skills and strength could crush those at the same level.
Yan Xiao and the other three followed Feng Yuqin's instructions and placed their bets at the last moment in the gambling house.
The next moment, the news that someone had placed a high - value bet on Feng Yuqin spread throughout Tiancheng.
Since Yan Xiao and the other three participated in the competition, most people recognized them. So after hearing the news, people just thought they were being stubborn for the sake of face.
Of course, there were also a few oddballs who placed bets on all the remaining contestants, including Feng Yuqin.
At first, they just wanted to balance their bets, but later they found they had made a fortune because the odds for Feng Yuqin were extremely high.
The fact that Yan Xiao and the others bet on Feng Yuqin at the same time became a topic of conversation. So when the third round of the competition started the next day, people were still talking about it.
Feng Yuqin stood calmly in front of her alchemy furnace. When the steward in charge announced the start, she began to pick the herbs in front of her while the discussions below slowly reached her ears.
"Do you think Yan Xiao and those guys are a bit stupid?"
"Sure they are. They're just throwing their money away at the gambling house. What big suckers!"
"I should have bet more on Li Muchuan. Then I would have made a fortune."
"I bet all my savings on Li Muchuan and the others. I'm going to make a fortune this time." Another man said excitedly.
This round of alchemy was more difficult. They had to refine sixth - level pills, and the quality was also required.
Yan Xiao and Sun Jian glanced at each other and quickly gave up because they simply couldn't refine sixth - level pills.
Among the elders from Lin, besides Elder Lin who was a seventh - level alchemist, Elders Chen and Zhao had reached the sixth level, so they had no problem.
Although they could refine pills normally, Yan Xiao and Sun Jian's withdrawal became another topic of conversation.
"Really, there are so few alchemists above the sixth level in the Central Region. They just gave up like that."
"If I were them, I'd be too embarrassed to participate in the competition."
"Yeah, it's really embarrassing."
Yan Xiao and Sun Jian were quite calm because their mental states were different.
Yan Xiao wasn't that enthusiastic about alchemy. At least compared with Yan Geng, he wasn't. He just got lucky and obtained an inheritance. So he didn't think there was anything embarrassing about himself.
As for Sun Jian, he didn't think it was embarrassing at all. Because after he and Ke Ruxia were poisoned, they thought they wouldn't be able to make any further progress. But luckily they met Feng Yuqin, and all their subsequent improvements made him feel like he had earned them. Besides, it was okay to withdraw from the competition. So he calmly walked off the competition stage with Yan Xiao.
Just then, Elder Lin glanced at Feng Yuqin coldly and said indifferently, "So what if you brought them here? You might as well withdraw voluntarily."
How could Feng Yuqin not understand this? She thought it was good for them to gain some experience.
"What does it matter to you?" Feng Yuqin retorted coldly, which made Elder Lin's hand tremble.
He quickly calmed his mind and entered the state of alchemy again.
Bang!
Just then, there was an explosion on the competition stage from Xingcheng.
"Someone's furnace exploded?" Someone looked towards Xingcheng.
"Probably because their realm is unstable, that's why the furnace exploded."
"After all, it's not easy to be a sixth - level alchemist."
The alchemist whose furnace exploded didn't look good at this moment. If he hadn't dodged quickly, he would definitely have been injured. Since there was only one chance in the competition, the alchemist who exploded his furnace turned around and walked off the competition stage.
Soon, there was another loud noise.
Bang!
"What's going on? Someone's furnace exploded in Yuecheng too?"
"Could there be something wrong with the herbs?" Someone asked doubtfully.
Everyone began to wonder what the problem was.
Soon, the steward stood up and said, "This time we're testing the alchemists' understanding of herbs. There will be similar herbs. If you make a mistake in the selection, the furnace will explode."
The people from the general union weren't worried about this situation. Because generally, alchemists would prevent the furnace from exploding. Even if they couldn't prevent it, at most they would get a little injured and wouldn't die. So after the steward explained the specific situation, the alchemists whose furnaces hadn't exploded were quite nervous.
Soon, the sounds of furnace explosions came from Xingcheng, Yuecheng, and Tiancheng at the same time.
"Master, if this continues, we might be able to tell which contestants will stay before the competition ends." Xiaoying gloated in the space.
Feng Yuqin said calmly, "If an alchemist can't even recognize the most basic herbs correctly, they're likely to misdiagnose."
So she thought today's furnace explosions were a warning to the alchemists. She hoped that after this incident, they would be more careful when they encountered similar herbs next time. It would be even better if they could go back and consolidate their basic knowledge.
Although the final situation wasn't as bad as Xiaoying said, it wasn't much better either. Because Elder Chen from the Central Region also had his furnace explode. Only Elders Lin and Zhao were left.
This time, the two - hour alchemy time ended.
"Master, it takes two hours to refine only about three pills. No wonder pills are so expensive." Xiaoying thought these people's speed was really slow compared to her master.
Not only was her master's alchemy speed several times faster than theirs, but she could also refine thirty pills in each furnace and simultaneously refine five furnaces with her spiritual power.
Even though her master was in the competition, her spiritual power was still controlling four other identical furnaces in the space. So while these people took two hours to refine about three pills, her master could refine hundreds of them.
Xiaoying thought secretly: Isn't this just like the saying "comparison makes one angry"?
"Our master is, of course, the most amazing." Xiaojin said proudly.
Hearing the words of her two spiritual pets, a faint smile curved Feng Yuqin's lips.