Princess Yao Yue and the Young Alchemist

Au Tuo, hearing the question, glanced at Liu Ling and Nalan Yanran. His expression suddenly turned serious, and he replied in a deep voice: "Her name is Nalan Yanran, a prominent young lady from the Nalan family, one of the three major families in the Jia Ma Empire. She's around the same age as our little princess. Four years ago, she caught the attention of Yun Yun, the leader of the Misty Cloud Sect, and was taken as a personal disciple. Although she's not an alchemist, she's incredibly gifted and broke through to the Dou Zhe level at just thirteen. I don't know what brought her here today, instead of continuing her cultivation with her master in the Misty Cloud Sect. The young man next to her is Liu Ling, a disciple of the Pill King Gu He. He's in his early twenties and is said to have just passed the third-grade alchemist test half a month ago."

Xiao Se nodded slightly. By now, the plot had deviated so much that even if Yun Yun herself showed up, he wouldn't be surprised.

"Come, let's go meet those old geezers. Their influence is considerable," Au Tuo said, licking his lips and leading the way up to the highest platform.

Xiao Se smiled calmly and followed closely behind.

Au Tuo quickly reached the platform and began chatting and laughing with Qie Mi Er and others. Xiao Se stood quietly on the side, patiently waiting. If not for the mysterious champion's prize and the Soul-Merging Pill formula, he wouldn't have bothered with this commotion.

"Old friend, is this young fellow your Black Rock City's representative?" After chatting with Au Tuo for a while, Qie Mi Er turned his gaze toward Xiao Se, his smile gradually fading. He realised that the boy before him was not so easy to read.

"Haha, yes. His name is Xiao... Huo Huo. His potential is limitless," Au Tuo said with a chuckle, nodding. He then turned to Xiao Se and introduced, "This is Master Qie Mi Er, the Vice President of the Alchemist Association Headquarters of the Jia Ma Empire. And beside him is the little princess of the royal family, Yao Yue."

"Hello, Vice President Qie Mi Er, Princess Yao Yue," Xiao Se replied with a calm smile, neither arrogant nor servile.

Seeing Xiao Se not bow to them, Princess Yao Yue huffed, placing her hands on her hips and demanding, "Xiao Huo Huo, why didn't you bow to my teacher and me?"

Xiao Se remained composed and responded indifferently, "Saying hello is enough. Is there a rule that says I must bow when we meet? Little girl."

"You—!" Xiao Se's remark calling her "little girl" infuriated Yao Yue, who was sensitive about her petite size. She immediately became furious.

Just as she was about to explode, Qie Mi Er raised his hand to stop her and sternly scolded, "Yao Yue, don't be rude."

Hearing her teacher's reprimand, Yao Yue shot a glare at Xiao Se, huffed, and fell silent.

"Haha, young man, I hope you can pass the test. Otherwise, old Au Tuo here will be terribly embarrassed," Qie Mi Er said, giving Xiao Se a deep look. In his mind, he dismissed Xiao Se as arrogant, unaware that the boy simply disliked formalities. 

With a sigh, he shook his head at Au Tuo, knowing that while he couldn't see through Xiao Se, in such a high-level competition, a mere second-grade alchemist wouldn't stand a chance.

"At least, I'll pass this test," Xiao Se said casually, shrugging.

"Haha, all right, all right. I must be speaking too much. The test is about to begin, so you should head down now," Qie Mi Er said with a smile, shaking his head in resignation.

Xiao Se nodded slightly, turned, and walked down from the platform. At the same time, Nalan Yanran also left the crowd and approached him. As they passed each other, they exchanged a glance, and Xiao Se gave her a nod before continuing on his way.

Nalan Yanran reached the platform and stood next to Princess Yao Yue, somewhat puzzled. "Princess, why did you suddenly get so angry?"

"Hmph, it was that Xiao Huo Huo. Acting all high and mighty. He's just a second-grade alchemist. Does he really think he's all that? Just because he's a few years older than me. In another two years—no, one year—I'll definitely surpass him!" Yao Yue pouted in frustration.

"Xiao Huo Huo?" Nalan Yanran blinked in surprise, then looked at Xiao Se below, a thought crossing her mind. Her teacher had once spotted a second-grade alchemist with a strange flame on a flying magical beast in the Tagore Desert. 

Now, this second-grade alchemist named Xiao Huo Huo was representing Black Rock City in this competition. Could they be the same person?

On the other side, after chatting with Au Tuo for a bit, Qie Mi Er walked to the edge of the platform and looked down at the crowd below. He spoke loudly, "The time for the test has come. All participants, please proceed to your designated rooms for the test."

"In each room, there are herbs and tools. The test will evaluate your ability to refine herbs. Only those who successfully extract the herbs within the time limit and meet our standards will pass. Those who fail will be disqualified from the competition."

"Now, I declare the test officially begins," Qie Mi Er announced, gesturing to an old man behind him. The old man nodded in understanding and struck the bronze bell on the platform.

At the sound of the bell, the young participants hurried into their rooms. For most of them, this preliminary test was no less stressful than the actual alchemist competition. Failing here would mean losing the chance to even compete, so time was of the essence.

As the hall quickly emptied, Xiao Se leisurely found an empty room and walked inside.

On the platform, the petite princess smiled at Qie Mi Er and asked, "Teacher, who do you think will win first place? Could it be Brother Liu Ling?"

Qie Mi Er shook his head and smiled. "It's hard to say. Liu Ling may be the disciple of the Pill King, and his talent is not weak, but he only recently became a third-grade alchemist. Compared to the other third-grade alchemists, he doesn't have much of an advantage."

"Haha, I believe Xiao Huo Huo will take first place," Au Tuo chimed in with a laugh.

"Him? Master Au Tuo, are you losing your mind? He's just a second-grade alchemist. How could he possibly beat a third-grade alchemist?" Yao Yue frowned, clearly dissatisfied.

"Yao Yue, mind your manners," Qie Mi Er immediately reprimanded her for speaking disrespectfully to his old friend.

Yao Yue pouted but didn't argue further, pulling a face at Qie Mi Er.

As time passed, participants gradually began to leave their rooms, and the final moments of the test arrived.

"It's almost time!" Qie Mi Er clapped his hands, and all the fourth-grade alchemists, including Au Tuo, stood up from their seats. Qie Mi Er signaled to the old man again, who struck the bronze bell once more.

Looking at the anxious faces of the young alchemists below, Qie Mi Er sighed. But when his eyes fell on Xiao Se's calm expression, a slight ripple stirred in his heart. 

He then led the other fourth-grade alchemists down from the platform, with Princess Yao Yue and Nalan Yanran following closely behind.

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