Although in the second round, Yu Kun only secured the fourth place, he ultimately advanced smoothly to the final round.
And indeed, as his father Yu Qin had expected, he had reserved some strength, waiting to astonish everyone in the last round.
Therefore, even though he was surpassed by Lv Yang and others, he was not particularly concerned.
Especially when he thought of defeating Zhao Letian again, a huge sense of achievement and satisfaction arose uncontrollably in his heart.
However, Yu Kun's moment of joy was short-lived. A powerful aura burst forth from the Pill Furnace in front of Zhao Letian. As the furnace opened, a round elixir emitting a strong aura flew out.
Judging by the aura alone, the quality of Zhao Letian's elixir had obviously surpassed all those who had gone before him.
Even more peculiar was a strange pattern on this elixir.
"Fifth place? That's good enough."
Zhao Letian caught the elixir, glanced at the people ranked above him, and said indifferently with a slight smile.
"What high quality, this is yet another fine elixir among the Second Grade Elixirs."
"What is that pattern? Could it be a Pill Pattern?"
"Yes, that's a Pill Pattern!"
Everyone gazed intently at the elixir in Zhao Letian's hand and exclaimed in surprise.
As everyone knows, Second Grade elixirs and above, if of sufficient quality, will display Pill Patterns; one Pill Pattern for the first sub-grade of Second Grade, at most two patterns for the second sub-grade, though it could also be just one - the more Pill Patterns on an elixir of the same grade, the better the quality.
Similarly, this rule applies to Third Grade, Fourth Grade, and even higher-grade elixirs.
The appearance of a Pill Pattern on Zhao Letian's Second Grade Elixir indicated that his Second Grade, first sub-grade elixir was a top-quality product among fine elixirs, extremely precious, worth many times more than elixirs of the same grade.
"Although there are many Second-Level Alchemists, those who can create Pill Patterns are very rare; even some high-tier Second-Level Alchemists can't make any elixir with Pill Patterns. This young man is truly extraordinary!"
"Yes, being able to make a Pill Pattern implies that his Alchemy Skill and talent far exceed his peers, with significant cultivation value. If possible, I would very much like to take him as a disciple. No matter what place he ultimately gets, it's all the same as long as he's willing."
"Don't be hasty, at such a young age, he has such high Alchemy Skill; such strong talent is quite rare. If he can win the championship, Dan King Mansion's master might personally take him as a disciple, so we can forget about it."
On the main stage, the three King-level Alchemy Grandmasters sitting in the middle closely examined Zhao Letian and the elixir in his hand, their eyes revealing a look of approval.
Seeing this scene, Yu Kun and his father Yu Qin both frowned at the same time, with their expressions becoming very grim.
The third round of the competition hadn't even started yet, and Zhao Letian had already attracted the attention of the three King-level Alchemy Grandmasters, which was very unfavorable news for the Yu Family.
If Zhao Letian were to have a King-level Alchemy Grandmaster as his master, people from the Yu Family would no longer dare to target him lightly.
"The young master is so impressive!"
Seeing Zhao Letian advance smoothly to the final round and attract strong attention from the audience, Cheng Jiayin and her brother couldn't help but look at each other and show excited expressions, feeling very proud.
The stronger Zhao Letian performed, the more it proved the wisdom of their initial decision to follow him in cultivation.
After Zhao Letian finished, a short while passed, and the top ten were all born.
However, the assessment for this round had not yet ended, with many still rushing to complete their Alchemy.
Those people, although no longer in contention for the final round, still needed to pass the certification assessment for Second-Level Alchemists by producing a Second Grade Elixir within two hours.
Time slipped away quietly; soon, two hours had passed.
The result, some were happy, some were sorrowful.
Out of the hundred Martial Artists who entered the second round, apart from those who withdrew voluntarily, only a bit more than thirty passed this assessment and became Dan King Mansion certified Second-Level Alchemists.
These certified Martial Artists, although they didn't advance to the final round, were also in good spirits.
Because, with the certification from Dan King Mansion, they would be able to obtain some precious herbs and even Elixir recipes from Dan King Mansion that were not available outside, and the prices were also much cheaper than in the outside world.
In addition, the certification from Dan King Mansion was recognized throughout the Four Symbols Domain.
This meant that with certification from Dan King Mansion, no matter which country they went to within the Four Symbols Domain, they would be treated as noble Alchemists and receive warm hospitality.
Furthermore, after passing the second round of assessment, they also had the opportunity to join Dan King Mansion.
If they were fortunate enough to become a member of Dan King Mansion, they could receive even more benefits.
"The second round of assessment has ended. Just like the first round, wait until after the contest to collect your reward according to your ranking."
The purple-robed sovereign in the middle of the main stage infused a stream of True Essence Power into the stele, and then the rankings of the second round appeared.
"Lv Yang? Hmph, in the final round, I will definitely defeat you, and also Zhao Zilong—I will continue to trample you beneath my feet!"
Yu Kun's gaze was venomous as he swept his eyes over Lv Yang and Zhao Letian, thinking secretly in his heart.
"Kun'er, it's up to you now. As long as you can win the championship and become a Direct Disciple of Dan King Mansion's master, I can directly eliminate that boy and avenge you brothers!"
Yu Qin on the main stage looked down at Yu Kun with eyes filled with anticipation.
However, aside from him, the other powerhouses on the main stage were most focused on Zhao Letian, followed by Lv Yang, Ge Jun, and the black-robed man from the Sect Martial Realm.
As for Yu Kun, not many people were optimistic about him; the incident where he nearly blew up the furnace in the second round made everyone see that his resolve was not firm, easily disturbed by external factors and likely to waver, and it seemed unlikely for him to achieve much or have a high level of Alchemy Skill.
"The third round, which is also the final round, is a timed three-hour limit. In this period, reveal your strongest capabilities, and produce the highest-grade elixirs you can make. In the end, whoever's elixir has the higher grade and quality, will be the overall champion of this Dan King Competition!"
At this time, the purple-robed sovereign in the middle of the main stage spoke out again.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!..."
As his words fell, Zhao Letian and the others immediately sprung into action, commencing their Alchemy once more.
This time, Zhao Letian suddenly became much less leisurely. From the outset, he was as smooth as flowing clouds and water in his proficient operation, with a speed far surpassing the others; in just a moment, he had completed refining the herbs and directly began condensing the elixir shape.