The onlookers were puzzled as Lu Wei continued her work with the protective barrier set up by the evaluators.

“Why do the evaluating masters seem so expectant? They even set up a barrier for her!”

“Does that mean her pill hasn’t been ruined?”

“How could it not be ruined? The fire has gone out.”

“Even if the fire is out, the powdered pill can still hold its potency for a while. The time hasn’t run out yet.”

“Even so, it should be over soon. If there’s no movement, not even the King of Heaven could save it.”

As soon as the words were spoken, Lu Wei’s closed eyes suddenly fluttered. Then, with a swift motion, she opened her eyes.

She seemed to be in a half-awake state.

Her hands quickly formed seals, and the pill powder that had fallen from the cauldron, now without the earth fire’s warmth, began to float again, sparkling with the subtle light of spiritual essence.

The star-like powder floated around Lu Wei.

As Lu Wei breathed, the substance slowly gathered and took shape, eventually forming into a pill.

The pill was complete!

Lu Wei’s eyes trembled slightly, as if she had finally emerged from a profound state.

She clasped her hands together and said, “Consolidate!”

The ground fire reappeared, refining the nascent pill.

A mysterious fragrance of the pill filled the air, and just a slight inhale cleared the impurities in the heart.

“What is this pill? Just smelling it makes me feel at peace!”

“It seems like she’s really succeeded…”

“Strange, the harshness is gone. I only want to praise this Lu Wei now, not criticize her.”

Lu Wei remained calm and orderly, not disturbed by the critical step.

She made the final seal.

The pill was complete.

Dark purple thunderclouds began to gather slowly in the sky.

The crowd became restless. “Oh no! Are we going to have a thunderstorm here too? Is there going to be a lightning tribulation?”

Fortunately, the dark purple clouds seemed to only be gathering.

The round, pure white pill seemed to gain a touch of divine aura under the cloud’s cover.

When the thunderclouds finally dispersed, Lu Wei calmly sealed the pill in a jade bottle and turned to look at the clouds.

For some reason, the nearby alchemists seemed a bit nervous, swallowing hard.

Lu Wei spoke softly, “This is a rare pill with no grade. It’s called the True Spirit Calming Heart Pill. Its effects are—True peace of mind. It helps those who are mentally disturbed regain their sanity; those trapped in illusions return to reality; and those with a stable mind will be free from mental demons forever.”

Free from mental demons forever.

Although Lu Wei spoke softly, her words seemed to make the entire plaza fall silent.

The clouds above did not move for a while, and people thought they would descend with golden light to take the pill.

However, a gust of wind blew away the cloud cover, revealing the three Grand Masters of Alchemy.

They looked at Lu Wei with complex expressions.

The large man standing in the center, who had a darker complexion, spoke, “You’ve actually refined a quasi-Grade Three rare pill.”

Quasi-Grade Three!

Despite the man’s dark expression, alchemists knew he was the president of the Alchemy Association, and his words carried authority.

To hear him say that Lu Wei had refined a quasi-Grade Three pill was astounding!

But wait, wasn’t a rare pill supposed to have no grade?

It seemed the three masters knew what the crowd was thinking.

The elder with a long beard calmly explained:

“Rare pills don’t have a fixed grade because they can range from Grade One to Nine. You can’t determine a pill’s grade based solely on it being a rare pill. It needs to be evaluated based on the specific pill.”

“Of course, the grading of pills isn’t always very clear-cut. But Qin Luwei’s True Spirit Calming Pill is easy to identify because it attracted Pill Lightning.”

“The Pill Lightning gathered but did not descend, which indicates it is a near-grade-three pill. If the lightning had struck, and the pill had fully undergone the lightning tribulation, it would have been a true grade-three pill.”

So that’s it.

There’s no need for much more explanation; the Pill Lightning itself is the most powerful and direct evidence.

After the two masters finished speaking, it was the turn of the elder on the far right.

Many people didn’t know her well, but those familiar with the Eastern Domain’s alchemy families recognized her as the Grand Elder of the tournament, Master Yuwen.

Master Yuwen preferred quiet and did not participate in the mundane affairs of the Alchemy Association.

However, she was the highest authority on alchemy skills.

Thus, having Master Yuwen evaluate the participants’ pills was the most authoritative and reliable.

She first looked at Leng Danqing with a kind expression: “Leng Danqing’s Spirit Gathering Pill is a high-grade five-tier pill. The refinement technique is perfect, the fundamental skills are solid, the pill patterns are clear, and the medicinal properties are complete. It can be rated as the top grade. In the alchemy rankings, it deserves the second place.”

Second place for the favorite to win, Leng Danqing!

So who is in first place? Everyone had their suspicions but were reluctant to believe it.

Master Yuwen then turned her calm gaze to Fang Yuanxin.

Fang Yuanxin immediately stood up, clenched her fists, and seemed to be bracing herself for judgment.

Master Yuwen said, “You refined a unique pill, the Fate Observing Pill, which allows the user to glimpse the nearest life-and-death crisis. Although its effect is niche, it is highly practical. Thus, it is rated as top grade and deserves third place in the alchemy rankings.”

So Fang Yuanxin of the Fang family was third, confirming that the first place was indeed…

“Grand Elder, I don’t understand!”

Fang Yuanxin was still dissatisfied.

She couldn’t believe that her unique pill, which he had painstakingly refined, was ranked lower than Qin Luwei’s pill.

Even if he didn’t get first place, she felt she shouldn’t be in third.

She clenched her fists, her lean face showing a trace of anger and injustice:

“Is the alchemy competition all about the grade of the pill? Just because Qin Luwei refined a near-grade-three pill that attracted lightning, she gets first place?!

My unique pill, though not yet graded, has the efficacy of a grade-four pill. Why am I third, while Leng Danqing, who only refined a grade-five Spirit Gathering Pill, is second?”

Master Yuwen’s calm demeanor vanished, replaced by a cold expression.

“Are you sure you want me to explain?”

Before Fang Yuanxin could respond, Master Yuwen continued:

“Your unique pill could have reached grade four, but the key word is ‘could.’ It hasn’t achieved that grade yet.”

Master Yuwen took out a jade bottle containing the pill that Fang Yuanxin had submitted earlier.

In a calm tone, he said, “Although I don’t know the specific refining method for this Luck-Viewing Pill, from your process, I can tell it required at least three blood sacrifices and six adjustments of the alchemical fire, with each adjustment needing to be evenly timed. This would ensure a perfect result, reaching Grade Four.”

“But during your refining, you used only two blood sacrifices and adjusted the fire four times, taking an extra moment during the third adjustment. As a result, your Luck-Viewing Pill not only has a lower grade of only Grade Five, but its effectiveness is also somewhat diminished.”

“If it weren’t for the fact that you at least managed to complete the pill, we wouldn’t even consider giving you third place.”

Qin Ruqing below almost laughed out loud.

Wow, Master Yuwen really nailed it!

What a knockout!

The spectators were astonished by this dramatic turn of events.

Master Yuwen’s keen eye had noted every step of Fang Yuanxin’s pill refining process and deduced the correct method for such a rare pill.

Fang Yuanxin’s lack of skill in refining the rare pill not only lowered its grade but also impacted its effectiveness.

No wonder Master Yuwen said that getting third place was already impressive.

Looking at it, even third place might be too much!

A young alchemist in green robes, who had been hesitant to speak, now felt he might have a chance at third place after hearing Master Yuwen’s comments.

He glanced at Fang Yuanxin several times but felt unable to compete due to the influence of the powerful Fang family from Nanping Prefecture.

Master Yuwen finally turned his attention to Lu Wei, who was calmly waiting below.

Dressed in purple, she had a composed and elegant demeanor.

Master Yuwen nodded to himself and spoke warmly, “Qin Luwei, you have refined a quasi-Grade Three True Spirit Calming Heart Pill. The pill’s effect, quality, and refining method are all of the highest grade.”

“To make this pill, you broke through all limitations, first crushing the pill, then extinguishing the fire, finding hope in despair. Now, you are just one step away from mastering the Heart-Mind State.”

The alchemists were stunned, and Lu Wei was also puzzled.

What is this Heart-Mind State? Even the elders hadn’t mentioned it to her.

Only Leng Danqing and Fang Yuanxin looked at Lu Wei with shock and confusion.

The Heart-Mind State? Just because of this unknown realm, she’s entering it? Fang Yuanxin found it hard to believe.

Master Yuwen didn’t elaborate further and said, “This pill was created with perfect timing, location, and human effort—three essential conditions.”

“Since Qin Luwei has achieved all three perfectly, she and this pill have become mutually accomplished.”

“Thus, the title of the top alchemist goes to Qin Luwei!”

The crowd was amazed.

Indeed, it was her!

A genius alchemist who could produce a quasi-Grade Three pill!

Although, as Master Yuwen said, achieving this required good timing, location, and effort, even with those, they wouldn’t have been able to do it!

Moreover, since Qin Luwei is already on the brink of mastering the Heart-Mind State, she might soon be able to refine Grade Three pills.

The crowd sighed in amazement.

How is the Qin family’s current generation so incredible?

They not only topped the gold list but now also excel in alchemy, leaving no room for others.

Luwei stood stunned below.

Did she really achieve the top in alchemy?

Master Yuwen looked at her and even smiled, “Child, are you stunned? Don’t you have any thoughts about this? Oh, by the way, if you want to learn about the Heart-Mind State, come find me at the Alchemy Association after the event.”

Hearing this, the crowd became eager.

They also wanted to know what the Heart-Mind State was!

Master Yuwen, don’t be so biased—tell us too!