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**
A faint chill silently spread through the air like a whisper.
Moments later, it drifted unnoticed to the area above the mysterious gray-robed man's head, curling like invisible icy serpents, quietly encircling him.
At that moment, the gray-robed figure was slowly packing up items on the stone platform.
Then suddenly—his hand froze mid-movement.
Under the shadow of his wide hat, his blue pupils contracted sharply.
With a heavy stomp, he tried to spring backward—
"Hmph. Trying to run?"
Seeing the gray-robed figure react so quickly to the cold currents, Hai Bodong was slightly surprised. Then, with a cold laugh, he clenched his hand.
"Shatter!"
Boom!
As Hai Bodong's fingers tightened, the wide hat atop the figure's head shook violently—then, in an instant, burst into a fine powder, scattering into the air.
With the hat gone, the youthful face hidden beneath was instantly exposed to countless watching eyes.
Hiss—!
A sharp intake of breath echoed across the entire plaza.
No one could have imagined that this dark horse—who emerged suddenly at the final stage, with strength enough to contend for the championship—would be such a young-looking youth.
The scene exploded into an uproar.
The youth, eyes gleaming with an unusual blue light, touched the top of his head where the hat had vanished.
A moment later, he lifted his head sharply—his gaze frosty and focused directly on Hai Bodong seated in the front row of the VIP section.
"This guy's no joke," Hai Bodong murmured, eyes narrowing. "Not only did he detect my hidden ice stream, but he even tracked it back to my exact location."
Rubbing his chin, Hai Bodong gave a cold chuckle:
"If he really is only seventeen, like the intel says... then I'll start writing my name backward."
Fa Ma and Jia Xingtian both narrowed their eyes and nodded slowly.
"A possessed old monster…? Has the story already gone off track?"
Wei Yang's expression turned unreadable.
But deep in his heart, a murderous intent quietly surfaced.
Something was happening.
Something strange.
Something beyond his control.
All eyes in the arena were fixed on the youth's young face.
Of all the years the Alchemist Grand Meeting had been held, this youth was likely the youngest competitor ever.
The gray-robed youth lightly brushed off the residual frost on his shoulders, then looked up at the VIP platform, offering Hai Bodong and the others a cold smile.
His lips moved silently.
But by reading his mouth, Wei Yang and the others clearly understood his words:
"I will be the champion of this tournament."
What he truly wanted, of course, wasn't the title.
What he wanted was—the Soul Mending Pill formula.
Fa Ma's brow twitched slightly.
"So arrogant. Interesting," Wei Yang murmured, eyes narrowing slightly.
Was the storyline starting to slip out of control?
"Could it be… that our earlier trip to the Ghostly Marsh triggered some unforeseen consequences?" Wei Yang's mind raced.
Back then, they had killed a few insignificant characters—ones who never even appeared in the original storyline.
But the biggest change?
They had taken the Ghostly Poison Flame.
Could that be the cause of some butterfly effect?
Maybe so.
But even if the plot veered slightly off course—so what?
It didn't matter.
At least for now, this "small fry" wasn't enough to disrupt the core storyline.
And even if it did…
Wei Yang's hand slowly clenched, his gaze flashing with a chilling, murderous glint.
It had been a long time since he'd felt this kind of strong killing intent.
If things were going off track…
Then he'd correct it.
Restore the storyline to what it was meant to be.
And the one causing these ripples—the deviant behind this minor divergence?
He'd just have to die.
Wei Yang was meticulous about this.
When it came to the main storyline, he would allow absolutely no deviation—not even the tiniest error.
That was his bottom line.
Any unknown element outside his control…
Would have to be eliminated.
"That guy is actually that young?!"
Xian'er, Xiao Yan, and the others all looked on in shock at the young face beneath the gray robe.
Among those present, Xiao Yan and the Little Princess were the youngest—both eighteen.
Next was Xian'er, nineteen.
None of them had Wei Yang, Fa Ma, or Yao Lao's keen eyesight, so they failed to notice the subtle and strange inconsistencies about the gray-robed youth.
"He's from the Chu Yun Empire!" the Little Princess exclaimed, sharp-eyed as always. She had just caught sight of the badge pinned to the youth's chest.
On it was a golden sun, rising slowly from the horizon.
This symbol was the unmistakable insignia of the Chu Yun Empire.
"Chu Yun Empire…" Xian'er's brows arched slightly.
Having traveled there before with Wei Yang, she was familiar with the badge.
Though she bore the Woeful Poison Body, it didn't stop her from disliking both poison masters and, by extension, the Chu Yun Empire, where they were rampant.
Xiao Yan also frowned slightly. He, too, harbored an instinctive aversion toward that poison-centric nation.
"From the Chu Yun Empire? Heh… this just got interesting," Liu Ling muttered to himself after a brief moment of surprise.
As the direct disciple of a Pill King and a formally trained alchemist, he was very well aware of the long-standing rivalry between the alchemy communities of Jia Ma Empire and Chu Yun Empire.
"Who among us wins doesn't matter. But he absolutely cannot be allowed to take the championship." Liu Ling turned toward Xian'er and the others, his tone unusually serious.
Xian'er and Xiao Yan didn't respond outwardly.
But as a member of the imperial family, the Little Princess nodded with solemn resolve.
At that moment—
Wei Yang's voice sounded in the minds of Xian'er and Xiao Yan via sound transmission.
"Your next task is to lock that youth down. If necessary, you two may join forces. Either of you winning is fine—but he must not. This concerns the face of the Jia Ma Empire's alchemy world."
This was actually a direct request from Fa Ma to Wei Yang.
Fa Ma absolutely would not allow the championship to fall into Chu Yun Empire's hands.
If push came to shove, Wei Yang himself could step in.
After all, he was only twenty-one—well under the age limit of thirty.
It might look a bit shameless, but it still followed the rules.
Of course, that was the last resort.
Only if things truly went out of control would Wei Yang step in and crush the opposition with overwhelming power.
Aside from him, the only ones with barely enough strength to take on the gray-robed youth were Xian'er and Xiao Yan.
"If you two fail… I'll go myself." Wei Yang's transmitted voice was calm, but filled with chilling determination.
As the Honorary Elder of the association, this was a small favor he was still willing to grant.
Both Xiao Yan and Xian'er's pupils contracted.
If it got to the point where Wei Yang personally entered, then there'd be no need for a tournament.
Everyone might as well just pack up and go home.
But that alone showed how seriously the Association took this matter—and where their bottom line lay.
"Understood." Xian'er and Xiao Yan exchanged a glance, took a deep breath, and nodded.
To avoid facing the final boss in person, they had no choice but to team up against this mini-boss in gray.
In the VIP section—
Now that Wei Yang had personally guaranteed a fallback plan, the various higher-ups finally relaxed and leaned back in their seats, looking calm and composed.
None of them were worried anymore.
Fa Ma exhaled slowly. His aged, clouded eyes now held a faint chill as he stared at the gray-robed youth standing in a corner of the arena.
"You're the one who broke the unspoken rules. Don't blame us for breaking our own."
A moment later, he rose from his seat and stepped to the edge of the platform, resting his hands on the railing. His gaze swept calmly across the arena as his voice echoed clearly in everyone's ears:
"Alright. Since everyone has completed the initial test, we shall now begin the second round of the assessment."
"Now—move your fingers to the small red button on the bottom-left corner of your stone platform, and press it."
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