Whether the divine alchemy manual existed or not, the fact that both were refining unique pills and their families were rivals made this a perfect match.

Another half-hour passed, and Fang Yuanxin made his final adjustments to the alchemy flame.

After the flame was successfully transformed, Fang Yuanxin performed a second blood sacrifice.

When the pill was sealed back into the furnace, her face turned pale, indicating a significant depletion of energy.

Fortunately, the refinement seemed to be complete.

She opened the furnace lid and used a spell to make the pill float.

He calmly announced, “Fang Yuanxin’s pill is complete.”

The same golden light descended, taking away the pill Fang Yuanxin had produced.

Fang Yuanxin explained to the clouds, “This pill is called the Guan Yun Pill. It belongs to the category of unique pills and has no grade. Those who consume this pill can glimpse the future and understand their destiny. It could reveal life and death crisis.”

When Fang Yuanxin made his announcement, the crowd erupted in excitement.

This was the closest ordinary alchemists had ever come to seeing a miraculous pill.

They had heard of such pills before but had never seen one or known its effects.

Now, with Fang Yuanxin’s claim that the pill could reveal a life-and-death crisis, it seemed like a way to foresee and potentially avoid danger, which could be almost like a life-saving measure.

Although it wasn’t the same as having a direct life-saving trump card, such a pill would still be highly valuable.

If such a pill could be sold on the market, many people would be willing to pay a fortune for it.

On the cloud, there was no commentary yet; it wasn’t the time for that.

Fang Yuanxin didn’t leave the round platform because only Qin Luwei remained there.

She observed her with a subtle, mocking smile.

He knew Qin Luwei’s current mysterious state was still far from being able to make a miraculous pill.

With a proud demeanor, Fang Yuanxin settled down, enjoying the spectacle.

Qirong noticed Fang Yuanxin’s smirk and grew irritated but knew this wasn’t the time to confront her.

He asked, “Sister, how is our Third sister now?”

Qin Ruqing replied, “She’s just a step away from success.”

Before Qirong could express her relief, Qin Ruqing shook her head. “This final step is a huge leap—like moving from one end of the sky to the other, a fundamental transformation.”

Qirong’s heart sank.

Although Qin Ruqing was no longer practicing alchemy, she had been personally trained by their ancestor.

The ancestor had initially focused on training her in alchemy, so her skills and insight were significant.

Qin Ruqing explained, “Sister is still on the edge of that state. She’s very close but needs to find a breakthrough herself.”

On the high platform, Lu Wei was completely absorbed in her own world.

As Qin Ruqing had said, she was in a mysterious state, like having one foot in but not fully entering.

Sweat began to bead on Lu Wei’s forehead.

Her thoughts were clouded.

Why wasn’t she reaching that state?

She had achieved mental detachment—wasn’t that supposed to be enough?

What does it mean to be “forgetful and singular”?

Lu Wei felt a moment of frustration, nearly losing her grasp on the profound state.

However, she reminded herself that she had already decided to go all out, and even if she failed, it would be worth it…

Wait, did she go all out?

Lu Wei’s consciousness gently fell onto the powder of the broken pill, nurtured by the earth fire.

Although the pill was shattered, it wasn’t completely ruined.

As long as the earth fire continued to nourish it, there was still a chance to restore the pill once she reached the required state.

This was her hope, but it was also the crux of the problem.

To achieve the state of complete detachment, she needed to let go of all external distractions.

Yet, she had left a sliver of her consciousness to control the temperature of the earth fire, ensuring the pill’s warmth.

This sliver of divided attention meant she could never fully reach the state of detachment.

However, if she hadn’t reached that state yet and prematurely extinguished the earth fire, the medicinal properties and spiritual essence of the pill dust would completely dissipate within half an hour.

This would mean a total failure in her alchemy attempt.

Was there any need to hesitate?

Lu Wei’s consciousness floated, and without hesitation, she severed her final connection with the earth fire.

It was like extinguishing the last, faint light in dense darkness.

Her consciousness plunged into complete darkness and silence.

From an external perspective, the red earth fire floating before Lu Wei suddenly extinguished, and the invisible pill dust fell back into the pill furnace.

“Heavens, is the Qin family’s contestant giving up entirely?”

“Is the outcome decided? Forget about winning; she might not even have a score now.”

Failure in alchemy meant no score.

However, above the clouds, the old woman looked at Lu Wei’s state and murmured in shock, “A true desperate measure… It seems she has succeeded…”

The old woman’s hand half-clenched into a fist on her knee.

After a moment, her gaze returned to calmness, and she uttered a single sentence, “This junior, I will take her.”

The black-faced president and the bearded elder looked at her as if they had seen a ghost.

The renowned Grandmaster Yuwen, who had long severed worldly ties to pursue alchemy wholeheartedly, was deciding to take on a disciple?

It was known that she held the honorary title of the Grand Elder of the Alchemy Association not because she couldn’t be the president, but because she found the duties too tedious and preferred not to bother.

Among the onlookers below, many were still pessimistic.

However, amidst the doubting voices, Qin Ruoqing smiled and said lightly:

“She’s done it.”

If it weren’t for the fact that things were still unresolved, if it weren’t for the fact that even though her third sister had entered that state, there was still a long way to go before the pill could be completed, Qin Ruoqing would have clenched her fists and jumped for joy, to release the excitement in her heart.

It felt like a friend had suddenly become wealthy, and the playful remark of “when you get rich, take care of me” was actually coming true!

Qirong, who wasn’t as perceptive, couldn’t see the change in Lu Wei’s state.

He was clueless about alchemy.

But he could sense Qin Ruqing’s mood.

Seeing her smile at Luwei, Qi Rong’s mouth also curved up involuntarily.

Qirong’s eyebrows raised with excitement.

Was the third sister going to succeed?

Before he could ask the question, a rumbling thunder sounded from the distance, from the eastern side.

As the thunder rumbled and black clouds gathered in the east, the crowd was in an uproar.

“What’s that in the east?”

“There’s thunder; it looks like a thunder tribulation!”

“The east is the Refining Square. Could it be that someone is refining a device and has attracted a thunder tribulation?”

Refining Square!

The name “Tang Zifeng” immediately came to Qin Ruqing’s mind.

Tang Zifeng!

She instinctively wanted to rush over to check, but then remembered her elder sister and forced herself to stop.

Observing closely, she found that her sister was completely unaffected by the thunder, still immersed in her meditative state of detachment.

Indeed, with Qin Ruqing’s keen senses, she could tell that Lu Wei was in a state of detached consciousness.

The examiners on the clouds, fearing that the disturbance might disturb Lu Wei, quickly set up a barrier around the platform where Lu Wei was.

This barrier was established by the Grand Master Yuwen of the Alchemy Association.

She would not allow anything or anyone to interrupt Luwei’s current state.

Seeing this, Qin Ruqing felt relieved, “It seems that my sister will take a while longer. Let’s go and see Tang Zifeng.”

When Qin Ruqing arrived at the Refining Square, a massive thunderbolt struck right before her eyes, hitting a black-haired youth and his jade device.

The jade device, struck by the thunder, emitted a piercing hum. Its surface turned black, but it didn’t shatter. It spun and trembled but remained intact.

The young man near the device seemed completely indifferent to the thunder.

His focus was solely on the jade device.

With calm and focused eyes, his hands performed intricate seals. Inside the jade device, a golden light began to emerge, pushing away the black layer on the surface.

Eventually, the golden light became overwhelming.

It was as if the device had shed its old skin and was reborn!

Before the thunder, the device’s material was obvious.

After being struck, it seemed “alive.”

The jade-like appearance disappeared, and the device now radiated a moon-like soft glow.

The lotus-shaped petals of the device gently opened and closed, exuding a life-like vitality. It was like a veiled beauty, making people hold their breath in awe.

In contrast to Lu Wei’s uncertain position, the Refining Square’s competition was clear.

Only Tang Zifeng remained on the refining stage, receiving all the attention and acclaim, embodying the ultimate glory.

All the refining judges looked at him with admiration and surprise.

Master Minghua even stood up with his arms propped up.

“You’ve made the prototype of a divine artifact, Zifeng. You did it!”

The term “divine artifact prototype” was spoken clearly by Master Minghua, and despite its soft tone, it was heard by everyone.

A moment of silence followed, then a roar of cheers erupted.

The cheers were more intense than even Tang Zifeng himself!

Amidst the accolades and glory, Tang Zifeng remained unusually calm.

He carefully held the glowing lotus-shaped device in his hand.

Tang Zifeng, wearing a black robe, had his own world;

Without the black robe, Tang Zifeng’s world was larger and more secluded, inaccessible to outsiders.

He held the lotus-shaped device and searched the crowd with his black eyes, as if looking for someone.

His search was meticulous, as if waiting for a beloved person to return home.

At this moment, this task seemed to him like the entire world.

When his eyes landed on a particular spot, they suddenly vibrated and brightened.

Noticing this change in his gaze, Qin Ruqing felt a strange flutter in her heart.

Although the sun wasn’t bright, she felt her cheeks flush.

She quickly shifted her gaze and awkwardly looked away, but her peripheral vision still followed the black-robed youth.

Qirong was more direct.

She nudged Qin Ruqing and asked, “Hey, Sister, is Tang Zifeng’s divine artifact prototype… meant for you?”

Qin Ruqing, taken aback, fidgeted with her fingers:

“Don’t talk nonsense!”

Qirong swallowed hard and said, “But the shape of his artifact is a lotus…”

With the artifact shaped like a lotus, wasn’t that a clear hint?