Dropped off the recommendation list, folks! Pump up the volume and see if we can climb back up, haha (∩_∩)~……

…… Amidst gasps of astonishment, the Fourth Prince’s dazzling, luminous Spiritual Fire Power in his palm slowly receded. “Heh…” Only when the medicine cauldron settled completely did he let out a soft breath, drawing a finely wrought handkerchief from his robes to gently wipe the beads of sweat forming on his brow. Then, a flash of red light flickered in his hand, and the handkerchief instantly turned to ash. Only then did the Fourth Prince, without haste, lift the cauldron lid, plucking out a single, deep green spiritual medicine pellet, a faint smile playing on his lips. The pellet was perfectly round, having shed the leaf-like shape of the original “Bamboo Leaf Pill.”

Cheng Feiliu and the others, noticing his demeanor, moved closer. “Good.”

This stage was set by Qu Tingyun, and she would judge the result. Taking the newly formed “Bamboo Leaf Pill” from Cheng Zixuan’s hand, Qu Tingyun sniffed it and smiled with satisfaction. “His Highness the Fourth Prince truly lives up to his reputation as a Third-Grade Spiritual Pharmacist; the integration level of this Bamboo Leaf Pill has already reached eighty-two percent.” “Master praises me too highly,” Cheng Zixuan replied with a gentle, humble smile.

Blending finished spiritual medicines, Cheng Feiliu, Mu Zisi, and others who were Fifth-Grade Spiritual Pharmacists had done this often in their youth, but they had only integrated low-grade First or Second-Grade spiritual medicines.

When two medicines were fused into one, the resulting effect far surpassed that of the unblended originals. Of course, this required a prerequisite: the integration level of the new spiritual medicine had to reach at least eighty percent; otherwise, the medicinal effect would see no significant change.

Refining spiritual medicine was far more difficult than refining crude herbs. Achieving an integration level exceeding eighty percent when blending existing medicines was much harder than refining a crude herb into a spiritual medicine with ninety percent integration. Therefore, when Cheng Zixuan and the others blended spiritual medicines back then, it was primarily to hone their refining skills, rarely paying much mind to the final integration percentage.

After all, blending spiritual medicines was not the long-term path.

Shortly after Cheng Zixuan successfully combined his medicine, Mu Xiaoling, Qu Xinyi, Yu Qingguan, and Gu Qi sequentially lifted their cauldron lids. Their “Bamboo Leaf Pills” showed integration levels between seventy and eighty percent—somewhat inferior to Cheng Zixuan’s—but successfully passing this fourth stage was already quite an achievement.

During this time, three more young women had their medicine cauldrons violently burst open by the internal spiritual power.

Regrettably, they too were wearing garments made of special materials, causing those spectators in the courtyard hoping for a glimpse of alluring beauty to sigh in disappointment, yet they were helpless—they couldn't very well rush forward and forcibly strip them, as the consequences for such an act would be dire.

The sound of the hourglass continued. On the high platform, only Nie Kong remained, and the sand accumulated in the hourglass had dwindled to a mere speck, capable of lasting perhaps one or two more minutes at most.

Instantly, nearly every gaze fixed upon Nie Kong.

Nie Kong sat motionless, the Spiritual Power blazing vigorously in his palm, yet sweat was beading profusely on his forehead, and his face had flushed with a drunkard’s deep crimson. Judging by Nie Kong’s appearance, his Spiritual Power was clearly on the verge of complete depletion. Mu Xiaoling grew anxious; she did not want Nie Kong to fail to reach the final stage of the competition because he had misunderstood her intentions. Little Gu Qi, however, raised her eyebrows, muttering indistinctly, unsure whether she hoped Nie Kong would pass or was praying for this great deceiver to be eliminated right here in the fourth stage.

The Fourth Prince’s face was wreathed in smiles, but a faint, imperceptible coldness flickered in his eyes. He crushed the spiritual medicine residue into dust between his fingers; succeeding in blending the medicine would be a sheer fantasy!

Regardless of the scrutiny, Nie Kong remained utterly unmoved. After working so painstakingly for so long, he finally managed to compress the “Bamboo Leaf Pill” powder into a small ball.

“Little fellow, put some more effort in!”

“Aiya ya.”

The instant the Spiritual Power entering the medicine cauldron drastically decreased, the little fellow cried out obediently. A thick trace of emerald green essence extended from the inner wall of the cauldron, forming a thin membrane that snugly enveloped the compressed “Bamboo Leaf Pill.”

“That’s enough,” Nie Kong urgently called out. He was unwilling to waste too much of his precious innate Spiritual Power on a mere “Bamboo Leaf Pill” meant only for passing the stage.

As the green essence vanished, the Spiritual Power surging from Nie Kong’s palm flared up fiercely, intensely scorching the bottom of the medicine cauldron. Heat billowed out, and the spiritual medicine spun rapidly inside like a top. Seconds ticked by, and the robust Spiritual Power allowed the thick green film to slowly integrate with the “Bamboo Leaf Pill.”

Suddenly—

Nie Kong’s heart leaped. His internal Spiritual Power was nearly exhausted, and the power surging from his palm grew weaker and weaker. At this critical juncture, as his spiritual flow abruptly waned, Nie Kong vaguely detected a faint cracking sound emanating from within the hard-won spiritual medicine. If he delayed for another moment, the medicine would completely detonate.

“Hiss! Hiss…”

Nie Kong gritted his teeth fiercely. His left hand moved like the wind, its fingers tapping successively upon the Nine Hidden Acupoints: the Sea of Consciousness, the Jade Brightness, the Celestial Palace, and others. When his finger finally landed on the Jade Pool Acupoint, the hidden point shuddered, the meridians surged, and the remaining vestiges of Spiritual Power roiled like monstrous waves, causing the emerald-green flame shooting from his palm to suddenly intensify severalfold.

The surrounding crowd exchanged bewildered glances. Nie Kong’s spiritual power was clearly about to fail; how could he suddenly become vigorous again after just a few taps with his fingers? Mu Xiaoling, however, paid no heed to explanations; faint touches of rosy color bloomed on her doll-like face in excitement, and she restrained the urge to cheer by waving her arms.

Cheng Feiliu and Mu Zisi exchanged glances with the other judges; even they felt a flicker of anticipation. Especially Lian Tianxin, who clenched his fists, wishing he could rush forward and complete the refining for Nie Kong himself.

Binding Spiritual Power into needles, executing the “Nine Revolutions Golden Needle Technique”—this was the second time Nie Kong had employed it.

The last time he used it, Nie Kong was full of vigor, but this time he was considerably weakened, meaning he could sustain it for a shorter duration and at a greater cost. If he hadn't known that the final stage of the Medicine Convention trials was always held in the afternoon, Nie Kong would not have made his decision so quickly.

Under the fierce burning of the potent spiritual power, the small medicine cauldron hummed with an impassioned resonance, and the integration speed of the spiritual medicine inside rapidly increased…

As the sand in the hourglass diminished, whether they hoped Nie Kong would succeed or fail, every pharmacist’s heart involuntarily tightened, their eyes fixed unwaveringly on the rapidly spinning cauldron. The crowd below in the courtyard also held their breath, necks craned, awaiting the final moment.

“Time’s up!”

Mo Xingtu’s booming shout jolted everyone back to awareness.

The Spiritual Power abruptly dried up. The small medicine cauldron dropped into his palm. Sweat burst forth on Nie Kong’s forehead, and he leaned back against the steps as if utterly drained, gasping for breath.

The medicine was formed, or was it not?

Did that even need asking?

One look at his expression made it perfectly clear. The Fourth Prince smiled faintly, then turned to descend. To him, the eliminated Nie Kong held no value worthy of further notice.

The several judges exchanged glances and swiftly walked over…

Lian Tianxin quickly helped Nie Kong up. Relative to the outcome of this fourth stage, he was far more concerned about Nie Kong’s physical condition. He kept pondering how to comfort his disciple, but he was truly not as adept at this as Nie Xingyun. In the end, he managed only four simple words: “Don’t be sad.”

“Yay!”

The moment the words fell, Mu Xiaoling’s joyful cheer rang out from behind them.

Lian Tianxin turned around in surprise. He saw Qu Tingyun carefully lifting a spiritual medicine pellet from the small cauldron—it was crystal clear, resembling jade, radiating an eye-dazzling green light.

“It… it actually formed?” Lian Tianxin murmured, his eyes filled with disbelief. Not only him, but Cheng Feiliu, the other judges, and Qu Xinyi and the others also let out low cries upon seeing that spiritual medicine, completely unprepared for Nie Kong to have succeeded in refining it at the very last second, and the resulting medicine possessed excellent shape and color.

Cheng Zixuan turned his head instinctively upon hearing the noise. One glance was all it took for the smile on his face to freeze.

“The medicinal integration level… eighty-five percent?” Qu Tingyun exclaimed, her voice sharp with shock.

“What? Eighty-five percent?”

Mu Zisi snatched the spiritual medicine and brought it close to her nose. Cheng Feiliu, Que Yu, and Fu Erong felt a surge of excitement, strongly suppressing the urge to grab the medicine for a sniff. As for the four little girls—Mu Xiaoling, Qu Xinyi, Yu Qingguan, and Gu Qi—they were simply stunned, their mouths agape wide enough to fit several eggs.

The Fourth Prince looked at Nie Kong in disbelief, only to see him struggling to force a slight smile in his direction, his lips moving soundlessly a few times. Judging by the shape of his mouth, he seemed to be saying, “Sorry, I disappointed you.”

“He actually passed!”

In that instant, the Fourth Prince pressed his thin lips together, his expression turning grim as the facade of gentle refinement gradually dissolved…

……