The Female CEO's Personal Bodyguard

Chapter 1513: Chapter 1513: Didn’t I Say This Myself?

”Bang!”

Herbs exploded inside the Pill Furnace, and green smoke rose up.

The contestant in front of the Alchemy Furnace instantly looked dejected, disappointment written all over his face.

Failure in refinement meant elimination, as he no longer had enough time to attempt another batch of elixirs.

An exploding furnace signified no finished product.

It wasn’t just one or two contestants facing failure; those remaining in the top 32 all possessed remarkable alchemy skills. Apart from a few who failed to discern the optimal combination of elixirs, most alchemists opted to refine either the Rising Dragon Pill or the Black Bone Pill.

The Rising Dragon Pill was extremely difficult to refine, but success in doing so almost guaranteed advancement to the top 8. The Black Bone Pill was comparatively less difficult, but even if successfully refined, it might still result in elimination.

Different choices, different outcomes.

Sighs of frustration and exclamations of shock echoed continuously.

In the arena, contestants were leaving the competition one after another in regret, as the remaining time was insufficient to even attempt creating the simplest elixirs.

Carson Flores gave the Pill Furnace in front of him a pat, and a shiny black Black Bone Pill dropped onto the porcelain plate in front of him.

Carson examined it closely for a moment and breathed a sigh of relief.

Top-tier Black Bone Pill.

After completing the refinement, Carson waited quietly. Before long, the competition’s time limit ended, the barriers beside the Pill Furnaces all dropped, and the alchemists were once again in each other’s view.

Carson instinctively glanced diagonally at Archie Cooke. He immediately noticed the crystal-clear, red elixir on the porcelain plate before him.

Rising Dragon Pill!

Carson was not too surprised and silently sighed to himself. As expected, the Twin Dragon Sect lived up to its reputation as a powerhouse in alchemy; Archie’s curiosity and skills were indeed formidable.

Even though Carson had diligently studied under the Pill King for five years, the time was still too short, and his repertoire of refined elixirs remained limited.

To truly become a Pill King, he needed much more practice and further improvement!

Archie’s gaze also fell on Carson immediately. When he saw the Black Bone Pill in front of Carson, Archie’s lips curled into a smirk, revealing a hint of pride.

This guy’s abilities are limited and, as expected, didn’t dare to attempt refining the Rising Dragon Pill!

While the Black Bone Pill was of high grade, it was ultimately a step below!

This round, I’ve won!

Archie scrutinized Carson’s Black Bone Pill carefully, and the smile on his face quickly faded. He then scanned the other contestants one by one, and after a while, his expression turned grim.

Out of 32 contestants, 14 experienced furnace explosions, leaving 18 who successfully refined elixirs.

Among the 18, six contestants attempted the Rising Dragon Pill. However, one of them created a Rising Dragon Pill with uneven coloration, clearly of the Lower Grade, and thus not meeting the Middle Grade requirement, which meant it would be deemed a failure. That left five qualifying Rising Dragon Pills.

Of the remaining 12, six refined Black Bone Pills, while the other six created elixirs inferior in grade to the Black Bone Pill, guaranteeing their elimination.

The six Black Bone Pills, judging by appearance, were all Middle Grade or higher and qualified as valid results. Upon closer inspection, Archie determined there were three Middle Grade, two Upper Grade, and one Top-tier.

The Top-tier Black Bone Pill was refined by Carson!

No referee’s judgment was needed; the results were already clear. The top 8 consisted of five contestants who refined Middle Grade or higher Rising Dragon Pills, along with Carson and two others who created Upper Grade Black Bone Pills.

Everyone else was eliminated.

Archie felt conflicted. He had originally hoped to defeat Carson in a direct confrontation, to humiliate him and prove his own superiority. Yet, upon seeing Carson’s skill, Archie began to feel a lack of confidence.

Deep down, he wanted Carson to advance, as this would give him a chance to personally defeat Carson in front of everyone and prove himself superior. But at the same time, he worried—what if he lost?

No one knew what Archie was feeling. After the Referee Supervisor verified all the elixirs, the eight contestants who advanced to the next round were announced.

Carson entered the top 8 with a sixth-place ranking.

With the competition over, the finalists were presented before the audience for a celebratory showcase before leaving the arena.

Walking side by side with Carson, Archie glanced at him and asked, ”Did you notice the Rising Dragon Pill?”

Carson, knowing full well what Archie meant, responded straightforwardly, ”I noticed, but I’ve never refined it before. Taking such a risk was out of the question, so I went with the Black Bone Pill. After all, my goal was to advance, wasn’t it?”

Archie opened his mouth but couldn’t find the words.

Hadn’t he himself said these exact words before?

Carson had put it so plainly—what else could Archie say?

After a brief silence, Archie spoke in a serious tone, ”I admit, I underestimated your alchemy skills, but I’ll definitely win against you!”

”Oh, sure...”

Carson replied nonchalantly, ”There are still four others who succeeded in refining the Rising Dragon Pill. Your opponent might not even be me.”

Staring at Carson, Archie asked, ”Do you want the Pill King title?”

Carson smiled faintly. ”Though it’s unlikely, who wouldn’t dream of it when entering the competition?”

Indeed, Carson had dreamed of it before.

But it wasn’t out of a desire for the vanity associated with being called the Pill King. It was because the victor of the Pill King title would receive a trove of rewards, including a Heavenly Thunder Flower!

The Heavenly Thunder Flower, one of the eight main ingredients for refining the Nine Revolutions Great Land Pill!