Chapter 574: Trump Card

Chapter 574: Chapter 572: Trump Card

Dragon Cauldron Plaza fell silent in an instant. The rule that had just drawn cheers now caused their voices to catch in their throats, unable to make another sound.

Higher Grade Elixir Pills would earn higher scores; they had certainly cheered for that. But the Valley Master’s next words instantly sent their spirits plummeting.

Failure would result in point deductions! ‘Thinking about it, the rule is completely fair,’ they realized. If everyone gambled on refining Fourth Grade or Fifth Grade Elixir Pills, the chances of success were minuscule. With such a high failure rate, wouldn’t the ingredients provided by Medicine King Valley be wasted?

Therefore, the deductions had to be severe—not just equal to the points gained, but ruthless! If you weren’t confident, you shouldn’t refine recklessly. It would be a waste of medicinal ingredients.

Putting that aside, there was no score limit. Within the five-day time frame, the more elixirs one refined and the higher their quality, the greater the score!

If one’s Alchemy skill was high enough and their speed fast enough, it was truly possible to turn the tables.

Although there was no score limit, there was a time limit. The points Lin Xuan had earned so far had already put a considerable distance between him and the others. If Long Bin and Long Fan wanted to close the gap, they would need to refine High Grade Elixir Pills to have a chance at a comeback.

As for high-level Elixir Pills, Fifth Grade ones were worth a lot of points, but they also took a long time to refine and were extremely difficult. Whether it was worth the risk was up to the Alchemy Masters themselves. Long Xingyun had only stated the scoring rules.

Third Grade Elixirs were relatively easy to refine, but the score was just too low. With the time limit, making a comeback that way would be incredibly difficult. Only by refining Fourth Grade or Fifth Grade Elixir Pills would the attempt be worthwhile.

“If there are no questions, then preparations for the match can begin. I hope you can all achieve even better results. Whether you earn a higher score or maintain your current position is all up to you.”

Long Xingyun’s gaze shifted to Lin Xuan, lingering on him for a moment. The second half of that sentence was directed at him. This was the final round. Whether he could hold on to first place truly depended on his own ability.

It seemed he had held a clear advantage in the first four rounds, but there was no telling if he’d be overtaken from behind. Medicine King Valley’s confidence was well-founded, and that wasn’t just empty talk.

“Valley Master, I have a question,” Lin Xuan suddenly asked.

“What is it? Feel free to ask.” Long Xingyun’s gaze shifted back to him, a little surprised. ‘I wonder what kind of question he’ll raise,’ he thought.

“For these Elixir Pills, will the final judgment be based on their effect, or simply their Grade?” Lin Xuan inquired.

“Based on effect or Grade? What do you mean by that?” Long Xingyun wasn’t quite sure what Lin Xuan was getting at. Elixir Pills were generally judged by their Grade.

He knew Lin Xuan wasn’t spouting nonsense; he had to be getting at something else. If it had been anyone else, Long Xingyun would have already scolded them.

The others didn’t share Long Xingyun’s thoughts. They all frowned, feeling that Lin Xuan was just talking nonsense. ‘Of course it’s judged by Grade,’ they thought.

“When I talk about effect versus Grade, my meaning is simple,” Lin Xuan clarified. “For example, the effect of the six fused Red Leaf Pills from before was very powerful. Would that be judged as a Second Grade Elixir, or as a Third Grade Elixir?”

This time, Long Xingyun finally understood. So that was what he meant by ‘based on effect.’ The fused Red Leaf Pill, made from six individual pills, was comparable in value to a Third Grade Elixir—it might even surpass an ordinary one.

This complicated matters. Within any given Grade, pills had varying levels of difficulty. Even among Third Grade Elixirs, there was a distinction between easy and difficult recipes.

If judgment was based purely on Grade, everyone would just refine the simplest Elixir Pill to get the points. It would be quite a bargain.

Long Xingyun frowned. This was a problem they hadn’t really considered. He immediately lowered his head to discuss it with the Elders. After just a few minutes, Long Xingyun looked up, smiled faintly at Lin Xuan, and announced, “This is an issue we haven’t properly considered. Let’s do it this way: the final judgment will be based on effect. A Third Grade Elixir, no matter how it’s refined, will be worth one point. As for a Fourth Grade Elixir, the most difficult will be worth the full three points, while an ordinary one will be worth two… If anyone refines a fused elixir like the Red Leaf Pill from before, the score will also be different. It will all depend on what you produce.”

Everyone looked at each other in dismay. ‘What’s he playing at?’ they wondered. ‘His point seems meaningless. Besides, if he hadn’t brought this up, we could have just refined the simplest pills for full points. That would have been great!’

Now, with this slight change, they would have to increase the difficulty. Refining something within the Fourth Grade was still manageable, but for the Fifth Grade Level, getting that full ten points wouldn’t be so simple anymore.

An even deeper resentment for Lin Xuan grew in the hearts of Long Bin and Long Fan. ‘He must have done this on purpose,’ they fumed internally, ‘just to protect his position!’

“This Lin Xuan is too sinister! Now Long Bin and the others will have to refine the most difficult pills just to get full points.”

“Yeah, he’s afraid he can’t beat them, so he has to resort to these dirty tricks!”

“That’s for sure. Long Bin and his brother are about to use our strongest Alchemy Technique, which can mass-produce Elixir Pills. He knows he can’t compete, so he has to play games with the rules.”

…

The crowd’s resentment toward Lin Xuan grew, believing his actions were a deliberate scheme to hold on to his position.

“It seems you have no confidence in yourself. Or are you just scared we’ll surpass you?” Long Bin sneered. “It’s understandable, though. Our Creation Technique is unrivaled in Alchemy, and we’ll definitely take the lead in terms of refining speed… But with five days, are you sure a stunt like this is enough to stop us?”

Lin Xuan just smiled. “I don’t believe in cheap tricks. I only fight for what’s advantageous to myself; I wouldn’t argue for a rule that doesn’t benefit me… Since you’re so confident, then prove it with your skills. I’m eager to see them!”

“Don’t worry, you don’t need to lecture us. We know exactly what to do!” Long Bin gave a sinister smile, his previous dejection completely gone. They felt this round was tailor-made for them. ‘In this round, you’ll learn the real gap between our Alchemy Techniques…’

‘A gap, you say…’ Lin Xuan shook his head. He’d lost count of how many times he’d heard that. A real gap wasn’t something you talked about; it was something you proved with skill.

A glint flashed in his eyes. His other ace in the hole was simple: inscriptions!

With the enhancement from the inscriptions, an Elixir Pill could undergo a qualitative leap… This was his other ace. When the two were stacked together, the effect would be explosive!