Chapter 178: Showing Off Their Skills

Because every single one of the four finalists was exceptionally formidable, and it seemed each of them had a distinct chance of claiming the championship, the suspense surrounding the winner reached a fever pitch. Consequently, the business of the bookmakers among the crowd was overwhelmingly brisk.

The four contestants in the arena were also sizing each other up. Driven by the affair involving Bill, both Anthony and Rowling were determined to secure the tournament's championship at all costs. Meanwhile, the other two were no pushovers either, holding an equally intense passion for this highest-value title in the alchemical world.

Yolanda was the prized pupil of Helen, President of the Alchemist Guild of the Aragon Empire. For a long time, alchemists from the Aragon Empire had claimed the highest number of championships at alchemical tournaments, leaving her with an immense yearning for this crown.

Because Benjamin had tied with Gavin during yesterday's evaluations, he had inevitably faced murmurs and pointed fingers behind his back despite securing his place in the final four. This bothered him immensely, and he was eager to use this final evaluation to vindicate himself. He wanted everyone to know that his entry into the final four was by no means a matter of luck.

"I declare this final evaluation—to brew the highest-grade potion within your own capability—now officially underway. The time allotted is five hours!" With Thomas's proclamation, the final battle for the championship of this alchemical tournament officially commenced.

While reaching the final four was a cause for celebration, everyone knew that the final four paled in comparison to the championship itself. This was because those who entered the final four would no longer be permitted to participate in future alchemical tournaments. In other words, if they let the championship slip through their fingers this time, such an opportunity would never come again.

Winning the championship would not only yield unimaginably generous rewards but also bestow the Chiron Cup, the most prestigious and highest-valued honorary trophy for the younger generation in the alchemical world.

As Thomas announced the start of the final evaluation, earth-shattering cheers erupted from outside the arena. After days of assessments, the tournament had finally reached this most splendid and heart-pounding battle for the supremacy of the championship.

At this moment, Victoria, Mahler, Gebaz, Simone, Teacher Monroe, Tricia, Karina, Princess Nancy, Gavin, Thomas, Cassinio, Helen, Cervantes, Mandel, Dean Love, Teacher Harvey, and all the others had their gazes entirely focused upon the arena. Beyond being mere spectators, they shared intricate, intertwining connections with the alchemists on the field, which made them exceptionally invested in this battle for the crown!

Inside the arena, the first to make a move was Yolanda, the alchemist from the Aragon continent. The instant Thomas declared the match underway, she immediately extended her slender fingers and began tracing an alchemical array upon the alchemical stone platform before her. Though her expression was exceptionally solemn given the critical nature of the match, this serious look upon her baby face added an extra layer of cuteness, prompting more than a few uncles with a lolicon streak to let out strange, ecstatic howls.

In the blink of an eye, she had traced over a dozen strokes. The other three contestants in the arena immediately recognized that the array Yolanda was drawing was a sixth-grade intermediate array!

"As expected, with her alchemical proficiency, she really is aiming to brew a sixth-grade intermediate potion. If Uncle Cus weren't backing me up from behind, there's no way I could ever secure this championship today," Rowling silently lamented to himself.

"Swish, swish, swish..." At that moment, Benjamin on the other side also made his move. At only fourteen or fifteen years of age, he was unquestionably the youngest participant in the arena, yet not a single person present underestimated him. His performance throughout the previous evaluations had been consistently dazzling, culminating in him trampling the direct disciple of the Dark Alliance Alchemist Guild's president underfoot during the qualification matches to squeeze into the final four.

Seeing him spring into action with such speed, Rowling quickly focused his gaze and watched intently. As Benjamin's fingers swept rapidly across the alchemist platform, a corner of an alchemical array took shape in no time at all.

"It's a sixth-grade intermediate array as well!" Rowling could not help but exclaim inwardly. He had never imagined that Benjamin, at a mere fourteen or fifteen years of age, could have pushed his alchemy to such a lofty height. It was truly admirable!

Even among sixth-grade intermediate potions, distinctions of superiority and inferiority naturally existed. For this final evaluation, Rowling had meticulously prepared one of the more high-end formulations among sixth-grade intermediate potions to brew. He believed that the potion he had prepared deserved to contend with anyone else's for the top spot.

Suddenly, Rowling felt a gaze fixate upon him. He turned his head slightly to see Anthony looking at him with a half-smile. The provocative edge in that expression was something Rowling could naturally perceive, and he also seemed to detect a hint of playful mockery within it—resembling a cat toying with a rat it had cornered against a wall, radiating a sense of absolute control. Rowling's heart inexplicably sank.

The corners of Anthony's lips curled upward slightly. He stopped looking at Rowling, extended his slender index finger with fire-attribute magic swirling around its tip, and hesitated no longer. His fingertips tapped rapidly, swiftly tracing an alchemical array upon the alchemical platform.

Before he had even drawn ten strokes, Rowling stared in shock as he discerned from the intricate symbols that Anthony was actually sketching a sixth-grade advanced alchemical array!

"Has his alchemy truly reached such a towering standard?!" Turbulent waves crashed within Rowling's heart. Previously, he had assumed Anthony's alchemy was merely profound, but he had never imagined that the latter could brew sixth-grade advanced potions. Moreover, judging by his effortless and flowing movements, he was genuinely capable of succeeding!

One had to know that the time required to brew such advanced potions was extremely long. Should a failure occur midway, attempting a second brew would likely mean running out of time. Therefore, the potions they brewed had to boast a success rate of at least sixty percent; otherwise, multiple failures would render even the highest-grade potion useless once time expired.

The fact that Anthony dared to sketch a sixth-grade advanced alchemical array at this moment indicated that his alchemy must have long since reached the sixth-grade advanced level. After all, even Thomas, the current president of the Light Alliance Alchemist Guild, possessed a potion-brewing alchemy restricted to this very tier!

Rowling had originally prepared a top-tier concoction among sixth-grade intermediate potions to brew, but it was now clear that his prepared potion was entirely useless. If Anthony truly succeeded in brewing this sixth-grade advanced potion, no matter what kind of sixth-grade intermediate potion Rowling brewed, it would inevitably fall short!

Judging by Anthony's steady and sure tracing speed, he would most likely succeed. In that case, for Rowling to persist with a sixth-grade intermediate potion would be utterly meaningless. At this thought, Rowling clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles popped with a sharp crack. "Damn it, looks like I'll have to risk it all this time!"