The strength of that female alchemist indeed surprised Zhang Ergou.
Not just him, but even the great figures of Dan Feng were astonished.
After consuming four portions of medicinal ingredients, she successfully refined a Rank Four Breakthrough Pill.
When the third Rank Four Breakthrough Pill was successfully forged on the stage, a brief silence fell over the scene.
You could hear a pin drop.
Everyone was speechless with shock.
A Rank Four alchemist under thirty years old.
Normally, even one such individual appearing would be legendary news.
Now, here at the Guardian Alliance's assessment, three Rank Four alchemists had emerged simultaneously.
This brought the crowd a shock no less than if three Nascent Soul stage cultivators around twenty years old had appeared at once.
It was even more so.
After all, Rank Four pills could generally satisfy Nascent Soul stage cultivators.
The rarity of alchemists clearly indicated the difficulty of becoming a Rank Four alchemist.
Following the brief silence, cheers erupted from the crowd.
Not only the young disciples watching, who were attending the selection for the first time, but even the alliance disciples maintaining order were filled with excitement.
"Haha, it seems this selection has indeed attracted many promising talents. My Dan Feng is quite fortunate."
Dan Feng laughed heartily. He had already been very pleased upon discovering Li Qian was a Rank Four alchemist.
Now, with another Rank Four alchemist, it was like adding wings to a tiger for Dan Feng.
"Congratulations, Brother Dan."
"Congratulations, congratulations..."
"Brother Dan, with such excellent talents now, will the monthly supply of pills for my Sword Peak be increased?"
"Easily, easily, haha."
"Brother Dan, that's not right. How can you only increase supplies for Sword Peak? Are the other peaks not part of the Alliance's combat power?"
"Increase them all, increase them all."
Dan Feng's smile was almost splitting his face, completely oblivious to the sour undertones in the voices of the peak masters.
When the last disciple on the stage consumed their final portion of medicinal ingredients without refining a Rank Four Breakthrough Pill,
the third round of the selection officially concluded.
The entire third round had lasted a full day and night.
Not everyone was as monstrous as Zhang Ergou, able to quickly identify problems and solve them.
After the third round of selection, the three remaining alchemists on the high platform were Zhang Ergou, Li Qian, and the female alchemist named Qu Yao.
It was rumored that this female alchemist hailed from a family of alchemists.
With three alchemists still present,
there has always been the saying, "No one is first in literature, no one is second in martial arts."
This saying was by no means an exaggeration in the cultivation world, and these three alchemists would naturally have to be ranked first, second, and third.
"I withdraw."
As the fourth round of competition began, Qu Yao was the first to announce her withdrawal.
Refining the Rank Four Breakthrough Pill had already consumed a large amount of her soul power, and she had not yet fully recovered. She knew that the pills to be refined in the subsequent rounds would certainly not be weaker than the previous Rank Four Breakthrough Pill.
Being able to successfully refine one Rank Four pill in a day was already her limit.
If she continued, she feared her soul power would be completely depleted.
Therefore, despite her reluctance, she chose to withdraw.
As she descended from the stage, she glanced back at the two youths on the platform, her gaze lingering on Zhang Ergou for a moment longer.
"What is your choice?"
The moment Qu Yao stepped off the stage, a voice sounded simultaneously in the sea of consciousness of Zhang Ergou and Li Qian.
Without speaking, Zhang Ergou turned to look at Li Qian.
As if connected by telepathy, Li Qian also turned his head to look at him.
Their gazes met in mid-air, igniting another spark.
"Continue." Both spoke without hesitation.
"Good, young people should have the vigor of youth."
Almost simultaneously, five portions of medicinal ingredients appeared on the high platform before Zhang Ergou and Li Qian.
Along with a copy of a pill formula.
"Rank Five Pill - Concealment Pill."
The words "Rank Five" were written in large characters at the top of the formula. This time, the pills Zhang Ergou and the others were to refine had reached Rank Five.
Li Qian's pupils contracted, and he stared blankly at the words "Rank Five" on the formula.
He had already broken through to become a Rank Four alchemist.
But refining a Rank Five pill was an impossible task for him.
He truly didn't know what these elders were thinking. Did they really believe that either he or that black-robed youth could become a Rank Five alchemist?
Staring blankly at the text on the formula, even if he couldn't refine it, just reading it and comprehending it would greatly benefit his alchemy skills.
He did not believe Zhang Ergou could refine a Rank Five pill.
The peak masters held the same thoughts as him.
They were bewildered by Dan Feng's actions.
"Old Dan, have you gone mad? You're letting these two youngsters refine Rank Five pills."
Actually, Dan Feng was not confident. But when he was preparing to prepare medicinal ingredients for a Rank Four pill that was more difficult than the Breakthrough Pill,
he suddenly received a telepathic message from an elder, which forced him to change the prepared ingredients and formula to the Rank Five Concealment Pill.
His heart was also in his mouth, but since the Alliance Leader had instructed him to do so, he could only comply.
However, he remained outwardly calm.
"Anything is possible. Have those two young people given us too few surprises?"
Hearing this, the peak masters fell silent.
Having witnessed Zhang Ergou's monstrous talent, they truly did not dare to measure the current generation of young people by their old standards.
New talents emerge in every generation.
The peak masters sighed inwardly and tacitly closed their mouths.
Having been proven wrong so many times before, it would be difficult to backtrack if they spoke too much now.
Seeing Li Qian hesitating for a long time, Dan Feng could roughly guess his predicament.
But when he turned his gaze towards Zhang Ergou's direction, his pupils constricted.
At this moment, Zhang Ergou had already placed the pill formula on the high platform, and judging by his actions, he was about to begin refining the Rank Five pill.
Zhang Ergou's swift movements immediately drew the attention of others.
A cacophony of voices erupted from the scene.
Speculation was rife, but most were not optimistic about Zhang Ergou. Su Dan Novel Network
Zhang Ergou was clearly much younger than Li Qian. Being able to refine a Rank Four pill had already exceeded everyone's expectations.
Now, seeing Zhang Ergou starting the furnace, everyone believed without exception that Zhang Ergou was putting on a show.
He was merely trying to force Li Qian to concede and step down from the stage.
This way, he would successfully become the champion.
There were quite a few people who held this thought, even the peak masters believed so.
The primary reason was Zhang Ergou's speed, which made them suspect he was being theatrical.
After all, in such a short time, they did not believe Zhang Ergou could have thoroughly understood the pill formula so quickly.
Therefore, everyone believed without exception that Zhang Ergou was bluffing.
However, Zhang Ergou's subsequent actions made them reconsider.
"Could this kid really be a Rank Five alchemist?"