The sun rose higher into the air, bringing with it physical heat to match the atmosphere below. And then the same clear gong that had announced the start of the round rang out across the refining platforms, and everyone sat up straighter.
It signaled someone's completion.
To no one's surprise, the first to finish was the Bigswamp Villa's Hanzhi.
He lifted a crystal vial with a satisfied smile. Dark-gray liquid swirled within, almost paste-like in its consistency. It was filled with an ash-like sediment that danced with surprising lightness despite the thickness of the solution.
Those familiar with spirit liquids and purifying lights recognized it immediately. It was what the Bigswamp Villa used to compete against the other elite villas: the Coarse Dust Spirit Liquid.
This was the Bigswamp Villa's only four-star formula among its line-up of third-grade spirit liquids.
There were approving cheers and applause for his work. Hanzhi seemed well-placed to win this round. Not only had he executed a flawless artificing, but he had done so in the fastest time.
Both Duze Honglian and Duze Beixuan were smiling, satisfied with his work.
Hanzhi rubbed his hands together with great pleasure, then he looked over at Li Luo's side. The boy seemed oblivious to the fact that Hanzhi had already finished. He was still a ways away from succeeding.
Hanzhi smirked. A mere third-grade resonance artificer? No amount of talent could help him overtake a fifth-grade resonance artificer.
Of course, speed wasn't one of the judging criteria. The final tempering strength was everything.
Hanzhi was pleased with his work today. He was confident that his spirit liquid would be the finest out of all that was produced today.
With this, he could talk as big as he wanted.
Not long after Hanzhi finished, the other four fifth-grade resonance artificers finished as well. They also looked well-pleased with their creations.
Which made everyone turn towards the last competitor, Li Luo. He had yet to finish.
Step by step, he moved through the procedure. His concentration was absolute, and he was lost to the world that watched his every moment from every angle.
Over at the Suncreek Villa contingent, Yan Lingqing and Cai Wei were beside themselves with anxiety. Despite willing herself to relax, Jiang Qing'e's back had grown straighter and straighter over the course of the competition, and now her golden eyes were tightly fixed on Li Luo, hunched over his refining platform.
"Come on, Brother Luo!"
Yu Lang rallied the gang for a cheer.
Lu Qing'er and Bai Mengmeng were identical quivering lumps of nervousness.
Their shouts soon had a few Cultivators Hall students joining in. They were only here for fun after all—they did not care about politics or factions. Besides, Li Luo's heroism in the Umbra Cave had earned him a lot of respect, and they showed it now through open and generous support.
Soon enough, the cheers picked up lusty momentum, leaving the other villas amazed. They had not expected Li Luo to be so famous in the Astral Sage College.
Hadn't he just entered the school half a year ago?
Li Luo was as oblivious to the encouragement as he had been to the silent pressure. He was entering the most complicated phase now, where complex reactions between his tricky compounds were finally starting to trigger.
Rows of test tubes were laid out before him, and he weaved an intricate symphony of artificing with his fingers. His waterlight resonance danced in threads, sending sparkling light twinkling off the transparent gloss of water and glass. Each movement of his fingers sent streams of resonant power into a test tube, catalyzing reactions and amplifying their potency further and further.
Like a courtesan waving her sash, Li Luo threw more threads of power, his entire being engrossed in his task. He charmed the audience and ingredients alike, seducing them to his will.
He looked perfect, invincible. He could do no wrong.
When the ingredients began to fuse, more and more impurity leached away, until they all sparkled like crystals under the light.
Up on the stage, Ling Zhaoying frowned. "There's something strange about the boy's resonant power."
"Li Luo has a dual resonance," Chi Chan answered. "It's to be expected."
"No..." Ling Zhaoying said uncertainly. "It's not the dual resonances... His resonant power is making those ingredients purer than they should be.
"It's a purity that matches the other fifth-grade resonance artificers. Very strange..."
Chi Chan was surprised by this. "How can that be? His first resonance is water, but the second is wood. Surely wood resonant power offers no help to making spirit liquids and purifying lights."
Ling Zhaoying shook her head to clear the irrational irritation she was feeling. "Well, in any case, the kid has some good foundations. He made a few mistakes at the start, but he adjusted quickly enough. I think this one should be a success. And I was right... that looks like a four-star formula to me."
Chi Chan was not surprised either. Li Luo was a third-grade resonance artificer, so a third-grade spirit liquid was just at the limit of what he could accomplish. Success was not guaranteed, but it was nothing surprising either.
Still, this wasn't the autobus. Just finishing was not enough.
The tempering strength was everything. It was a quantifiable mark of the strength of the villa you stood for.
Now that everyone had started with equal footing of a four-star formula, a third-grade resonance artificer like Li Luo should technically be far behind the other fifth-grade resonance artificers in terms of execution.
That was precisely why there were two number grades separating them.
As for the seventh-grade secret watersource, the other five fifth-grade artificers had them as well. How was Li Luo going to catch up?
Time ticked on, and the competition was almost at a close now.
As the cheers and yells rang out, Li Luo's resonant power suddenly roared forth in a majestic surge, and all the solutions rose up from their bottles to form an eddy in the air.
Within the ingredients, the resonant power was an anchor, holding them all together, polishing them until starlight began to glimmer and glow from within.
Finally, drops of dewy liquid began to trickle down into the crystal vial that Li Luo was holding out, already partially filled with the secret watersource that he had prepared.
A thin tendril of smoke rose out, still glittering with speckles of starlight. It danced on the rim of the vial like a freed fairy.
Budding Butterfly Spirit Liquid, finally completed.
The entire audience gave him rapturous applause.
Li Luo finally noticed it, the sound returning to his ears and brain as his concentration faded away. He received it with a grateful smile. His schoolmates were awesome.
"All he made was a third-grade spirit liquid," Mei Xuan'er said, shaking her head in disgust. "From the way his fan club's going crazy, you'd have thought he beat all the other fifth-grade artificers."
"The results are not out yet," Li Bi chided, frowning. "So I don't see why you have to let your tongue loose already." She was getting annoyed by Mei Xuan'er's shrewish complaints.
"As if it makes a difference," Mei Xuan'er sniped back.
Li Bi remained silent, turning back to watch Li Luo walk towards the mentor on stage for the last step of the whole process.
The most important step of all.
The tempering strength test.