The night passed. Zhou Lihua had not slept at all that night, instead choosing to spend her night in quiet meditation.

She had spent much of the night trying to center herself in preparation for round three, which would prove to be her biggest challenge yet. She was not only going up against two disciples of platinum rank alchemists, but she would be refining a pill she had never attempted before, and it was the hardest tier 4 pill to refine to boot.

As a cultivator at the peak of the Asura Realm, Zhou Lihua could go days without sleep and stil be fine. A single night without rest was no big deal. She felt no different now than she always did. The only thing keeping her preoccupied were her nerves.

She was still worried about failing.

After breakfast that morning, their group of three once again made their way to the arena, and Zhou Lihua soon found herself standing on the platform alongside the remaining twelve alchemists taking place in the final round.

The platform had changed now. There was no longer two tiers and instead just one large platform for every alchemist to stand on. Thirteen alchemy stations were spread out across the stage, and in the center was the pill evaluation device. It loomed over them as though silently watching the proceedings.

The three stars of the competition--her, Lili Ling, and Xaio Wei--were located on opposite ends, forming a triangle with each other. Situated between them were the remaining ten alchemists.

She looked up. The alchemist booth where her master and Wu Jian were located was just in front of her. She could see them standing at the front. Wu Jian rested his hands on the railing as he looked down at her. While she wished she could see his face, she could at least see the signs he made with his hands.

You. Got. This.

Zhou Lihua smiled when she read the hand signs he made. They had created those so many years ago, back when they were still kids. Hou Jingshu had already left by that point. How long had it been since they used those? It must have been… just a few days before she left for Shang Imperial City and the Wu Clan was destroyed.

“Welcome, everyone, to the final round of the Young Alchemist Competition. These young alchemists you see standing on that stage have proven themselves to be the best of the best, the most elite alchemists their age. Today, they will put their skills to the test in an effort to earn fame, glory, and the grand prize--the Heavenly Ghost Flame.”

At those words, Zhou Lihua and the others all glanced at the Heavenly Ghost Flame, sitting in a place of prominence near Emperor Cì Shā. She tried not to look at the man who had hired Cì Chuān. His very presence caused a chill to run down her spine.

Standing beside him were his two sons. She already knew Cì Chuān, but she had not seen his elder brother.

They looked quite similar, Cì Chuān and Cì Han. The only difference lay in their hair styles and demeanor. They both had pale skin, silver hair, and gray eyes. Cì Han had short hair. His demeanor was also far more stern than his lackadaisical brother. He looked like a marble statue.

“Are you all ready to witness the biggest competition for young alchemists this nation has ever seen?” asked Sao Yong.

The crowd roared. Their excitement shook that foundations of the arena. Zhou Lihua thought the platform was shaking due to their excessive noise.

“Good. Good. Just like last two rounds, this round will be graded. If you’re curious to know who is currently in the lead, then it is Lili Ling, Xaio Wei, and Zhou Lihua, who had the highest grade pills in round one and two. Whoever has the highest grade pill in this round will receive fifteen points. That means even someone who did not do so well in rounds one and two still has a chance to take first place. Let us begin this competition.”

Loud explosions rocked the atmosphere as fireworks went off, igniting in a brilliant display of shapes and colors. Many of the fireworks that went off were shaped as cauldrons and other alchemical devices. Whoever made those was a talented artisan.

“Alchemists, bring out your ingredients and pill recipe,” said Sao Yong.

Zhou Lihua held out her hand. The ring on her finger glowed as several dozen ingredients appeared on her table along with a scroll.

She had already checked all of the ingredients last night, and so she knew they were in perfect condition, though she still felt the temptation to check one more time. That was just nerves, however. She did her best to ignore the butterflies welling up inside of her gut.

“At the sound of the gong, you may begin,” said Sao Yong.

Zhou Lihua closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. This was the final round. So far, she was tied with Lili Ling and Xaio Wei.

She wasn’t too worried about the other competitors because, even if they refined their pills perfectly, there was little chance they had the ingredients necessary for the highest rank tier 4 pills. Both the Three Layered Red Yin-Yang Pill and the White Flame Ascension Pill required ingredients far beyond what most people could attain. Her biggest concern was what pills her two rivals would refine and whether or not she could refine the Three Layered Red Yin Yang Pill.

Will I win? Can I defeat those two?

Try as she might, she could not completely clear her mind of doubt. She was confident in her alchemy. Yet she also understood how much of a disadvantage she had. The Shang Kingdom lacked the ingredients needed for higher tier pills, and her master was only an osmium ranked alchemist. That was the highest level of alchemist in the Shang Kingdom, unfortunately. And his unique flame was not a heavenly flame but a regular beast flame that he acquired from an Asura Realm black flame scorpion.

The gong soon sounded. Zhou Lihua opened her eyes, cast her doubts aside as best she could, and got to work.

***

Although she appeared calm on the outside, Wu Jian knew how much pressure Zhou Lihua must have been feeling. Even though she had already checked, double checked, and triple checked her ingredients the night before, she was checking them again. That was a clear sign of nerves.

But he had faith in her.

He had faith that she would come out on top.

“I am most surprised to see an alchemist aside from my apprentice and that witch’s apprentice taking such a high spot in this competition. She is a credit to her master,” a voice said behind them.

“Master Yun Che, you honor me.” Master Wong Jiu bowed to this old man who stood so far above him in the alchemy world. “My apprentice she might be, but I am sadly ill-suited to teaching Zhou Lihua. She is far more talented than myself. It will not be long before I have nothing left to teach her.”

“That is true. You are lacking in many ways. However, you have taught her up to this point, and that is admirable… but you are right. If she wants to continue reaching the peak of the alchemical dao, she will need to find a more suitable master to apprentice under.”

Master Wong Jiu stiffened, and even Wu Jian felt his body go rigid. They both understood the subtle suggestion this man was hinting at. It was true that Zhou Lihua would do well under this man’s tutelage, but while Master Wong Jiu was certain to be exuberant that such an esteemed alchemy master was willing to take her under his wing, Wu Jian was not as enthused.

She’ll once more be out of my grasp for a long time if she becomes his apprentice.

He was conflicted. Wu Jian of course wanted Zhou Lihua to continue on her path, wanted her to succeed and become the greatest alchemist of all time, but he also wanted her to stay beside him. They had not seen each other in so long, and they had only just been reunited. How long would it be before they saw each other again if she left? He didn’t want to think about it.

“I would be honored if you could take her on. However, though I may be her master, Zhou Lihua is still a member of the Zhou Clan’s main house. You will have to petition them if you want to take her on as an apprentice. There is also the matter of your other apprentice,” said Master Wong Jiu.

“Do not worry about Li’er. That brat might have some dumb rivalry with your apprentice over that foolish second prince, but I care not for such trifles. And the competition will be good for them. You also needn’t worry about the Zhou Clan,” Yun Che said with a deft wave of his hand. “I will petition them shortly after this competition.”

“This is a very interesting conversation you people are having,” came a voice that sounded like a siren’s call.

Ruo Chong strode over with sashaying hips. Her heavily modified alchemist robe revealed long legs every time she took a step forward, and her gigantic breasts jiggled within the confines of her barely tied front. What did that woman eat to get those things? Wu Jian still couldn’t figure it out.

“What do you want, witch?” grinted a now irritated Yun Che.

Ruo Chong smiled. “I could not help but overhear your conversation, and I thought to myself, would this not be a wasted opportunity if I allowed a conservative old codger like you to take on a woman like that as an apprentice? Little boy, I will petition the Zhou Clan to take on that girl as my apprentice. I am certain I can teach her much more than this old fool.”

The fact that this woman would call Master Wong Jiu “little boy” was both a sign of her status and age. She might have looked like a young woman in her twenties, but she was much older. Status and seniority might not go hand in hand, but when someone had both, they had the power and right to call those beneath them whatever they wished.

Yun Che looked nonplussed. “Haaaaah? You think you can teach her better than I can? The only thing you’re good for is creating pills that increase your own vain appearance. That young woman will only be able to truly shine under my tutelage.”

“Uf fu fu. That you would think this shows how narrow-minded you are. You think pills should only be used to increase people’s cultivation and focus on little else. Meanwhile, I believe pills should have a much wider application of uses. I’ll teach that young woman the liberating feeling of refining pills that can be used for anything and everything.” The woman paused, pursed her lips, then smiled. “Besides, that young girl is quite the beauty. I believe she will be well-suited to my little Xaio. Yes, they will make a perfect alchemist pair.”

“That will never happen,” Wu Jian said before he could stop himself.

“Excuse me?” Ruo Chong turned to him, eyebrow raised as though to ask “Who the hell do you think you are to speak with me like that?”

Wu Jian knew he had made a mistake, but it was too late to back down now. He squared his shoulders and spoke in a voice that everyone could hear.

“Zhou Lihua would never marry your apprentice. She is a member of the Zhou Clan’s main family. As such, she can only marry another member of the main family.”

He said that, but neither of them intended to let that happen. Zhou Lihua was his. He refused to let anyone else have her, and she refused to become anyone else’s wife. They had already decided that she would abandon her family if they attempted to force her to marry someone else… though they both hoped to use the Zhou Clan’s resources for as long as possible before that time came.

“Little boy, you shouldn’t speak when you are so ignorant.” Ruo Chong wore a pleasant smile, but the aura surrounding her was menacing. She did not bring her cultivation to bear. However, Wu Jian could tell from the simple fact that he couldn’t feel her cultivation that she was well above him. “You are not quite wrong. The Zhou Clan’s main family almost always marries into the main family, but there is a precedent for this situation. I believe the Zhou Clan will be more than happy to accept my offer.”

A precedent? What does she mean by that? Has someone from the Zhou Clan’s main family marry outside the family before?

He looked back at Zhou Lihua, who was completely focused on her cauldron. He would have to ask her about this after the competition ended.