The highly anticipated third round of the Great Alchemy Competition officially began that day. Even before dawn, Wuji Square was already filled with people. Many cultivator spectators arrived at Wuji Square early in hopes of finding a good spot before the sun even rose.

There was still an hour and a half before the official start of the third round of the Great Alchemy Competition, yet Wuji Square was already crowded with numerous spectators. Nearby, the expensive teahouses were packed as well. Many cultivators brought their own stools to sit by the windows, eagerly awaiting the start of the third round of the Great Alchemy Competition.

The crowd was even larger than the combined audiences of the first and second rounds. Obviously, many of the cultivators were here to see Ding Fan, whose presence in this year's Great Alchemy Competition had attracted countless cultivators. Those who hadn't initially attended were drawn by stories of Ding Fan's previous exploits.

Clearly, they were very shocked and curious, so there's no way they could miss this final round of the Great Alchemy Competition.

"I heard Ding Lin has already won first place in the previous two rounds of the Great Alchemy Competition! So isn't the championship practically his this time?"

"Needless to say! You didn't come before, did you? You're definitely regretting it now! It was incredibly exciting earlier! Let me tell you…"

"Our Brother Dalin finished refining a medicine pill in the first round of the Great Alchemy Competition in less than half an hour! Can you guess what kind of medicine pill it was? I'll tell you—it'll scare you to death! Haha…"

"This news has already spread on our side. I heard Ding Lin refined a Supreme Quality Medicine Pill! Is that true?"

"Is it true? You're joking! Are you questioning our Brother Dalin's abilities? Fine! Let me tell you about Brother Dalin's performance in the second round of the Great Alchemy Competition here in China. It's guaranteed to drop your jaw!"

"I heard it was pretty amazing!"

"I heard so too. It's a shame I wasn't there in person; it must have been quite the spectacle!"

"Amazing doesn't even begin to describe it! It was downright incredible! I'm telling you, Brother Dalin in the second round not only wrote a completely correct and comprehensive pill recipe but also elevated the Grade Eight level medicine to that of a Supreme Quality Medicine Pill! Now, isn't that amazing?"

"My goodness! It's hard to believe; Ding Lin is just too impressive! Is there really an alchemist like that? The person must be quite old, right? Why do you call him Brother Dalin?"

"Haha... Foolish! Simply foolish! You're saying Brother Dalin is old? That's just laughable! You should know our Brother Dalin is only a little over twenty—a young and handsome fellow! Haha... You're definitely regretting not coming before. Luckily, you're here now, or you'd regret it forever!"

"Really? Brother Dalin is that young? That's just amazing! From now on, Brother Dalin is my idol! What Master Nanyang! He's really nothing!"

"Really? Really? Brother Dalin is just over twenty—a young and handsome guy? My goodness! I feel like I've fallen for Brother Dalin!"

"I love you, Brother Dalin!"

"Ahhh! I love you, I love you, Brother Dalin..."

"..."

For a moment, everyone started discussing Ding Fan. Those spectators who hadn't come before were now filled with regret upon hearing the experiences of those who had witnessed earlier rounds. Missing the chance to see such a prodigious young talent in this final third round of the Great Alchemy Competition would truly be a lifetime regret!

Already, many female cultivators had started to frantically shout Ding Lin's name, screaming and cheering continuously. Clearly, although the third round hadn't officially started yet, the audience at Wuji Square had already gone wild!

As everyone awaited with bated breath, the third round of the Great Alchemy Competition officially began!

At this moment, an elder walked onto the competition field, smiling kindly at the throngs of excited spectators below. The elder felt a sense of exhilaration too and promptly cleared his throat to speak loudly to the crowd:

"Welcome everyone! The third round of the Great Alchemy Competition is about to begin! I've hosted many rounds of the Great Alchemy Competition, but this is the first time I've seen such a scene in my life! I'm very heartened and delighted to see so many cultivators interested in our Great Alchemy Competition!"

After the elder finished speaking, he slightly bowed in a gesture of courtesy. It was clear he was no ordinary cultivator elder; just from his resonant voice, it was evident he might be close to the Distraction Stage, and perhaps already had reached the Distraction Stage.

After bowing, the elder's booming voice echoed clearly around the entire competition area:

"Next, let me explain the method of this third round of the Great Alchemy Competition. Everyone, please look at the high platform we've already prepared."

With a gesture, the elder pointed as several staff members pulled down a red cloth, revealing a very large platform before everyone's eyes. The platform had numerous stair steps, roughly numbering close to a hundred.

Seeing this scene, everyone couldn't help but feel surprised. Clearly, no one had noticed such a massive object appearing in Wuji Square before. Hence, everyone felt a sense of astonishment and heightened anticipation for what this third round of the Great Alchemy Competition entailed. Of course! The most anticipated part was what kind of astonishing performance Ding Lin would showcase this time!

Listening to the murmuring discussions from below, the elder lightly motioned for quiet before continuing, speaking clearly so the entire area could hear him clearly:

"Everyone quiet down! You've all seen this high platform; let me tell you it's not an ordinary one. It's not easy to reach the top! If any of you are interested, you can come up and try. Consider it a benefit I'm offering you! Haha!"

The elder finished speaking and laughed heartily.

"I'll go! I'll go!"

"Let me go! Let me go! My cultivation is high! I'm beautiful! I can command respect!"

"Get out of here! You call yourself beautiful? Even a ghost would be scared to tears!"

"Exactly! You say you have high cultivation? A cultivator merely at the Nascent Soul Stage is truly outrageous! Let me go! I am an Emergence Stage cultivator!"

"Brother! You call yourself an Emergence Stage cultivator, but you are clearly just a Late Nascent Soul Stage cultivator!"

"Ah, it's just a matter of time, right? Hehe..."

"I'll go! I'll go!" ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novelFɪre.net

...

For a moment, upon hearing the elder's words, the cultivators at the Great Alchemy Competition venue went mad, scrambling to rush forward, clearly very interested in the high platform. At this time, the cultivators inside the teahouse felt very bitter, if they had known about this benefit, they wouldn't have spent so many Spirit Stones to be there! Such a rip-off...

Finally, the elder selected two middle-aged men to invite up. One had Early Nascent Soul cultivation, and the other Mid Nascent Soul cultivation. Clearly, such cultivation made them very powerful in the Cultivation World, as for most cultivators, reaching the Nascent Soul Stage was already the limit.

The elder chose these two middle-aged men because he saw their cultivation was impressive, and the two men felt as though they had won a prize, clearly very happy, but their faces showed modesty, as cultivators have the dignity of the Emergence Stage.

Then, under the elder's guidance, the two middle-aged men began to climb the high platform. The platform was large; even with dozens of people on it at the same time, it wouldn't be crowded. As soon as the two middle-aged men stepped onto the first step, their faces changed.

Clearly, this platform was not as easy as imagined. The two men felt a great invisible pressure on the first step and could not explain what this pressure was. It made climbing very difficult.

The middle-aged man at Early Nascent Soul could only climb nineteen steps before he could no longer move forward, sweating profusely and looking very strained.

This scene shocked everyone, as they hadn't expected this high platform to be so difficult. For Emergence Stage cultivators to have climbed less than twenty steps was surprising. The cultivator at Mid Nascent Soul finally climbed twenty-five steps but couldn't endure further.

Afterward, the two middle-aged men came down, clearly no longer happy and proud as before. As Emergence Stage cultivators, they only managed to climb twenty-five steps, which was incredibly embarrassing!

Seeing the condition of the two middle-aged men, the elder smiled calmly and comforted them by saying:

"Don't be upset. Even I may not be able to climb it! Hehe..."

The two middle-aged men were shocked upon hearing the elder's words, knowing that he was likely a powerful cultivator of Divine Transformation Stage, yet he said he might not climb the platform — it seemed too exaggerated!

The audience of cultivators below were also shocked to hear the elder's words, and everyone gasped collectively. Even Divine Transformation Stage cultivators might not climb this platform — it was too difficult!

However, the two men became a lot more relieved, realizing it's normal if they couldn't climb much as Emergence Stage cultivators, since even Divine Transformation Stage cultivators couldn't either. They expressed sincere thanks to the elder before leaving the stage.

"It's too difficult! Even Divine Transformation Stage cultivators can't climb it; this is terrifying!"

"Exactly! It's too tough. What will the alchemists competing do? What will Brother Dalin do?"

"Brother Dalin might stumble here! I'm so worried..."

"..."

"You should know the biggest common problem for alchemists is their cultivation isn't high, as most of the alchemists spend their time researching medicine pills. This third round of the Great Alchemy Competition seems to test the alchemists' cultivation quality! Unfortunately, your Brother Dalin might have the poorest cultivation! He's just too young!"

"My god! Why is it like this? How can they bully my Brother Dalin this way!"

"I protest! Alchemy should be about refining medicine, not cultivation! I'm so worried about my Brother Dalin..."