Chapter 160: The Review Begins

On the podium, both President Casinio and President Helen gazed at Anthony down in the arena with profound astonishment.

"Thomas, your disciple Anthony must have been concealing his true abilities previously! Judging by the technique he just used to refine a low-tier six-star potion, his alchemy is practically on the verge of catching up to yours!" Casinio said, a trace of envy evident in his tone.

President Helen at the side could not help but suppress a chuckle. How could she fail to understand the implication behind Casinio's words? On the surface, he was praising Anthony for his brilliant alchemy, but covertly, he was disparaging Thomas. Among the three grand alchemy association presidents, only Thomas remained at the advanced six-star level, whereas she and Casinio were at the intermediate seven-star and low-tier seven-star levels respectively.

Although unsaid aloud, the other two harbored certain reservations about Thomas securing the position of President of the Light Alliance Alchemy Association despite possessing only advanced six-star alchemy. Had it not been for the fact that he specialized in potion alchemy, coupled with the Alchemy Guild's traditional favoritism toward potion alchemists, Thomas would never have attained this office. After all, his vice president, Cervantes, had already reached the seven-star level; however, because Cervantes practiced artifact alchemy, he was relegated to the position of vice president until he achieved the nine-star realm.

"Ah, looking back at the alchemy tournament we participated in, anyone who could refine a low-tier six-star potion was virtually guaranteed the championship. Yet nowadays, even in just the third trial, quite a few people have managed to refine low-tier six-star potions. The caliber of this generation is truly incomparable to the past!" Thomas's voice remained low and steady. His tone held neither joy nor sorrow, as though he had entirely failed to hear Casinio's mocking remark.

One of the guiding principles of the ancient alchemy tournament was to encourage newcomers. Therefore, the rules dictated that any alchemist who secured a top-four finish was barred from participating in the next tournament. Because the personal disciples of the three association presidents almost invariably entered the top four every time, the three presidents would invariably select new apprentices following the conclusion of each tournament.

"You!" For reasons unknown, a single casual remark from Thomas caused Casinio to glare at him with burning eyes.

"Pfft!" President Helen, standing nearby, could not help but burst into a soft laugh upon hearing Thomas's words. She well knew that Thomas and Casinio had competed in the very same alchemy tournament years ago. At the time, Casinio's alchemy had been slightly superior to Thomas's, and he had fully expected to claim the crown. Yet in the final round, while refining a six-star potion, a minuscule lapse in concentration had led to failure. In the end, the championship of that tournament went to Thomas.

Because the rules of the tournament prohibited anyone who reached the top four from competing again in the next event, Casinio had been denied the chance to redeem himself on the same stage. He had harbored a grudge over this ever since. Now, Thomas's seemingly innocent comment unwittingly dragged up that agonizing memory—despite clearly possessing the greater strength, victory had slipped through his fingers at the final hurdle. This frustration left him with an overwhelming urge to strike out at Thomas right then and there.

"All right, the examination time is nearly up, Thomas. Aren't you going to make the announcement?" Seeing that Casinio appeared genuinely enraged, Helen hastily stepped in to smooth things over.

"Very well, I shall announce it now." Although Thomas's tone remained even, a faint glimmer of amusement danced within his sole uncovered eye—the one not obscured by black cloth. It brought him considerable satisfaction to see his old rival suffer such a setback.

With that, Thomas gave a slight cough and raised his volume. "The time for the third trial has concluded. Bring the evaluation panel into the arena to assess the potions brewed by the alchemists!" His words were, as always, concise and direct.

Upon hearing his directive, the proctors below immediately sprang into action. Some went to escort the panel of judges into the arena, while others arranged a row of long tables in front of the alchemists, placing the refined potions upon them in sequential numerical order.

Out of forty-six alchemists, five had ultimately failed their refinements and were eliminated outright. Excluding them, forty-one others had successfully brewed potions. Consequently, forty-one vials rested upon the long tables. Because Rowling had performed two successive refinements and registered his work near the conclusion, his assigned number was thirty-six, placing him toward the very end of the line.

By this time, the thirty evaluators had entered the arena. Guided by the Alchemy Guild staff, they walked up and stopped before the row of long tables.

Their entrance ignited a wave of excitement among the spectators in the stands, for these thirty judges would directly determine the rankings of the forty-one alchemists, and from their hands would emerge the finalists for the top four!

Sensing the charged atmosphere both inside and outside the arena, a wave of pressure settled over the minds of the thirty judges. In particular, the nineteen female evaluators felt their hearts fluttering like startled fawns. On such a monumental occasion, bearing the heavy responsibility of determining the rankings of the younger generation of alchemists across the Aragon Continent, none of them dared to show the slightest negligence.

Next, three small vials of potion bearing the number 'one' were placed before them by the staff. Because the grade of the potion was not high, the refinement process had been swift, making it the very first potion registered in the record books.

The evaluators took up the potions one by one, tested their effects, and recorded their personal assessments in small notebooks prepared in advance by the Alchemy Guild, serving as a reference for the final deliberation.

Following this came the potion numbered 'two'.

Then the potion numbered 'three'.

...

As potion after potion was tested, the initial tension among the evaluators gradually dissipated, and the pace of evaluation accelerated.

When they reached the potion numbered 'thirteen', a soft murmur rippled through the group. This was the first six-star potion they had evaluated. Named the 'Mana Recovery Potion', its creator was currently unknown; yet the mere fact that such a difficult-to-refine six-star potion could bear the thirteenth number clearly demonstrated that its creator's alchemy was exceptionally profound. They surmised that this was very likely the work of one of the five standout alchemists from the first two trials.

Upon testing this 'Mana Recovery Potion', everyone discovered that its efficacy was remarkably potent, capable of rapidly restoring depleted magical energy. Such a potion would prove immensely valuable in actual combat, earning it unanimous praise from the entire panel.

After a succession of several five-star potions, the potion numbered 'nineteen' once again revitalized the judges' spirits. This, too, was a six-star potion. Although it had required more time to refine than the preceding number 'thirteen' potion, six-star creations were inherently superior by a distinct margin to five-star ones.

This was a 'Monster-Repelling Potion', designed to drive away ordinary sixth-tier magical beasts. Testing this proved quite straightforward, as many of the judges had arrived riding their own tamed beasts. Bringing a few beasts over from the edge of the arena for a trial yielded immediately striking results: wherever the monster-repelling potion had been applied, fifth-tier beasts, and even the formidable sixth-tier beasts, grew visibly agitated and sought to distance themselves from the spot.

This potion likewise won widespread recognition. One could easily imagine that in regions dense with magical beasts such as the Maya Mountain Range, such a potion would prove extraordinarily useful—perhaps even saving a life at a critical juncture.

Following the Monster-Repelling Potion came the potions numbered 'twenty-one' and 'twenty-three', both of which were six-star creations with quite respectable effects.

After passing through several more five-star potions, three additional six-star potions appeared. Though their effects fell slightly short of the previous four, they still easily surpassed the five-star category.

After these, the evaluators discovered no further six-star potions. Moreover, the further down the line they went, the weaker the perceived effects of the potions became, causing a growing sense of listlessness among the judges.

"Number Thirty-Six."

As the staff member of the Alchemy Guild called out the number, Rowling, standing not far away among the alchemists, felt his heart tighten involuntarily, for this number represented the whitening potion he had brewed himself.