Roughly fifteen minutes later, a huge plaza appeared before them, surrounded by walls. The central plaza spanned roughly a thousand square meters and could accommodate a few hundred people simultaneously. 1

All the prominent guests of Zen City had already gathered there. The plaza was sectioned into different areas for observation, competition, and judging.1

Three old men were seated on the first row, and they were the judges sent by the headquarters. The man in the center appeared to be in his sixties, with a white beard and gentle features, exuding an air of transcendence. Each person had a nameplate in front of them displaying their name and other information. 0

The man on the left was Sang Yan, a three-star alchemist from headquarters. The man in the middle was a renowned four-star alchemist from headquarters, known only as Master Mao, as his real name had long been forgotten. The man on the right was Zhou Xinsheng, another three-star alchemist. All three held high positions and were overseeing the competition.3

Four-star alchemists were rare, with only a handful in the Great Yan Dynasty. Among all the alchemists participating in the competition, the best were three-star alchemists, who were ahead of many old-generation alchemists.0

Despite having lived most of his life,...2