Tyrant Sky Martial Sou
Chapter 1272: The Crux of the Problem

Chapter 1272: Chapter 1272: The Crux of the Problem

When many competitors’ pills were about to emerge from their cauldrons, Ling Xiao’s lips curved into a faint smile. He finally understood the purpose of this round of the competition.

Without hesitation, he swiftly began his own alchemical preparation.

His speed was impressive, and in terms of technique, he was every bit as skilled as Tianhai Zhen Zhu.

"That’s strange, isn’t it?"

From the judges’ table, Ji Qing frowned as he watched Ling Xiao initiate his alchemy and said, "What exactly is Ling Xiao trying to do?"

He was somewhat baffled.

Ling Xiao’s method of alchemy was entirely different from everyone else’s approach, including Tianhai Zhen Zhu’s.

"Haha, this kid always catches people off guard. You might have underestimated him this time, too. He probably has his own strategy. In any case, at least he’s finally making a move now. Otherwise, he’d drag things out to the very end again."

Jackson Le Grandmaster, on the other hand, had a seemingly inexplicable faith in Ling Xiao, most likely due to Ling Xiao’s outstanding performance in the previous round.

"That’s true!"

Ji Qing chuckled. Though Ling Xiao’s methods were unconventional and didn’t conform to the correct approach Ji Qing had devised, they seemed to have their own unique merit, as if he was blazing a new trail.

"Hmph, always chasing after novelty—it’ll only dig a hole for himself! Not a hint of practicality!"

Medicine King Sun Ran grumbled with apparent dissatisfaction.

Just as Ji Qing was about to respond, a cloud of black smoke suddenly erupted in the competition arena, accompanied by a loud noise.

"Haha, someone’s failing already, huh? That’s the inevitable result of rushing and making mistakes."

Ji Qing chuckled and shook his head slightly.

He truly wished that all the alchemists could perform at the level of Ling Xiao or Tianhai Zhen Zhu.

But alas, not everyone was so exceptional.

Of course, he felt the most disappointed in Dan Qing and Ji Luoyu.

If only these two could remain a little calmer, they might have identified the critical issue.

Instead, their pride and competitiveness drove them to misstep—and once they veered off course, there was no turning back; their mistakes became a one-way street.

"Impossible! How can this be? I’ve refined Transcendent Pills over a thousand times, and my recent success rate is 99%. Practically perfect! There were no problems during the entire process—so why did I fail?"

The alchemist who failed looked utterly flustered.

He couldn’t begin to comprehend what had gone wrong.

The ingredients were fine.

The recipe was fine.

The method was fine.

So where was the mistake?

"Could it be that the timing of the fire wasn’t controlled properly, compounded with this cauldron’s lack of familiarity? That must be it."

At least this alchemist tried to analyze the issue, but unfortunately, he attributed the problem entirely to himself, never once questioning whether the ingredients were truly perfect...

...or if the recipe itself had hidden flaws.

The first round tested "innovation!"

This second round tested "transformation!"

Only by defying authority and tradition could the underlying issues be uncovered.

Unfortunately, among the competitors present, only Ling Xiao and Tianhai Zhen Zhu managed to grasp this concept.

Though their approaches differed, both maintained a mindset of skepticism from the outset.

Neither believed the judges would hand out a challenge as straightforward as it appeared.

Meanwhile, the failed alchemist—honest and well-meaning—fell victim to his own nature and tread once more down the path of failure.

He initiated his alchemy again, using his second set of ingredients and employing the exact same methods. Predictably, the outcome was no different.

"Foolish! I even left clues for these competitors who chose the wrong path to find their way forward, yet this one didn’t even think to reflect. Instead, he rushed headlong into another attempt!"

Medicine King Sun Ran lashed out angrily.

He knew Ji Qing’s tricks were hard for most to decipher, so he had deliberately lowered the difficulty level, ensuring that even those who initially chose incorrect methods would have a shot at passing—if they reflected properly after a single failure.

Alas, this individual didn’t do so. Instead, he hurried to refine again, a supreme act of foolishness.

Failure, it seemed, was contagious.

Following the first plume of black smoke, many others rose in succession, accompanied each time by a muffled noise.

Like the first failed alchemist, these competitors also wore expressions of disbelief and confusion.

They bowed their heads, ruminating over their mistakes.

Some were like the first failure, attributing the errors to their personal shortcomings, and promptly began refining anew.

Others, however, finally began uncovering the key to unlocking the solution.

"Now that’s better—not everyone is completely hopeless. Looks like a few of them might make it through this round,"

Medicine King Sun Ran’s expression softened slightly.

Seeing no one capable of discerning the mystery in his challenge would indeed have infuriated him.

With several failures now visible, the audience grew restless, engaging in heated discussions. Yet their commentary was superficial at best.

Most comments boiled down to words like "idiots," "fools," or "another failure."

Bang!

At last, even the ten competitors seated on the platform began to fall into the rhythm of defeat.

One after another—even Dan Qing and Ji Luoyu—fell prey to this Demon Barrier.

Dan Qing’s expression turned grim.

Earlier, he had mocked Ling Xiao for being overly cautious and unwilling to begin refining. Now, it seemed Ling Xiao’s prudence had been the correct choice.

While he, on the other hand, had been reckless and impulsive.

"I understand now."

Ji Luoyu revealed a bitter smile and said, "Dan Qing, brother, we were far too impatient. The truly correct alchemical method requires combining the ’Closed Moon Flowers’ from both sets of ingredients."

"I get it too. The Closed Moon Flowers in each set are incomplete. Although they appear pristine on the surface, they’ve been tampered with—altered into yin and yang attributes. If one works with just one type exclusively, failure is inevitable."

Dan Qing, prompted by Ji Luoyu’s observation, suddenly had a flash of realization.

The two simultaneously looked at the ruined leftovers of their failed attempts.

Suddenly, their eyes lit up.

"There’s still hope to pass!"

Among the remains, traces of the Closed Moon Flowers’ properties persisted. While imperfect, it was still possible to extract enough of the essence.

With this, the resulting Transcendent Pill would still be effective, albeit with diminished potency.

This was the lifeline Medicine King Sun Ran had left for the competitors.

Spurred by this insight, the pair quickly resumed their alchemical attempts.

Having identified the problem, they wouldn’t falter again—especially as the two of them were far from novices.

Many others who failed the first time also grew cautious during their second attempts.

But time was running out, barring them from calmly deliberating further.

"It’s all or nothing—I’ll give it one last shot."

That was the mentality of many.

Yet as they wielded their second set of ingredients, the first failed alchemist crashed into defeat yet again.

Both his sets of ingredients had gone to waste!

The Mechanical Bird screeched, signaling his elimination.