“Miss, are you saying—I will die in your arms, wearing this outfit?”By the bed, Xiaoyu looked down at the white coat folded on the bed. It was the most expensive item in her wardrobe. She had originally planned to wear it to celebrate her Miss’s victory in the competition, but at this moment, the clothes seemed to be stained with the blood from her nightmare, making her chest tighten.“Miss, maybe it’s just a normal nightmare.” Xiaoyu gently patted Dongfang Mingyue’s trembling back, her voice as soft as if coaxing a child, “You can have dreams that foretell the future, and naturally, you can also have ordinary dreams.Don’t take it too much to heart, okay?”Dongfang Mingyue pursed her lips, her eyes still red, tears welling up.How could she not take it to heart?The dream just now was as vivid as if she were there, without any fragmented blurriness, exactly like the premonition dreams she had before—that was clearly a segment of what she was about to experience.“Xiaoyu, leave, leave Frost Flower Star.” Dongfang Mingyue suddenly grabbed Xiaoyu’s hand, her voice still trembling and even carrying a hint of pleading, “I will beg the Family Head and the elders to send someone to protect you back to Qingmu Star, far from the dangers here.”Hearing this, Xiaoyu gently patted the back of her hand and slowly shook her head: “Miss, I cannot leave. You also said before that fate cannot be changed, and the more you try to break free, the worse things will become.”She paused, her voice softening a few degrees, “I don’t want more people to get into trouble because of me, just like that mother and her child yesterday.”At these words, Dongfang Mingyue’s heart felt as if it had been fiercely twisted by a knife, and the despair and powerlessness against fate once again swept over her, almost suffocating her.“Sister, don’t worry about me anymore.” Xiaoyu suddenly smiled, trying to make her tone lighter, “I remember you said that your premonition dreams usually happen several months later. Doesn’t that mean I can still live for several months? At the very least, I can personally watch you win the championship, watch you go to Imperial Star, and fulfill your wish.”She paused, a hint of anticipation in her eyes: “Maybe things will take a turn for the better in these few months?Then I won’t have to die and can continue to follow Miss.”Dongfang Mingyue tightly clasped Xiaoyu’s hand, her knuckles turning white from the force. Xiaoyu could even feel her bones aching from the squeeze, yet she still smiled, without a hint of complaint.“Miss, it’s getting late, we should go to the competition.” Xiaoyu said, picking up the white coat and unhesitatingly throwing it on the ground, even deliberately stepping on it twice, wrinkling her nose and huffing twice, “I will never wear these clothes again in my life! I’ll throw them directly into the trash can later, to save myself the annoyance!”“Xiaoyu—” Dongfang Mingyue looked up, her eyes red, with unshed tears still clinging to her lashes, feeling even more distressed seeing Xiaoyu pretend to be carefree.“Miss, don’t waste time!” Xiaoyu forcefully pulled Dongfang Mingyue up, her tone carrying a hint of non-negotiation, “I still have several months to live, now is not the time to dwell on me, the competition is the main event!”She half-pulled, half-supported Dongfang Mingyue into the bathroom, skillfully squeezing toothpaste for her, handing her a towel, and helping her wash up like she was caring for a child; then she contacted hotel services to have breakfast delivered to the room, watching Dongfang Mingyue eat every bite before nodding in satisfaction: “That’s better! Alchemy requires so much energy, how can you do it without eating enough?”“Xiaoyu—” Dongfang Mingyue opened her mouth, but Xiaoyu gently interrupted her.“Miss, no matter what happens to me in the future, my greatest wish right now is to see you win the championship.” Xiaoyu looked at her, her eyes incredibly serious, “So I want to ask you, please give your all in this competition. If I distract you and cause you to fail, that would be my biggest regret in this life.”Dongfang Mingyue looked at the determination in Xiaoyu’s eyes, the pain in her chest still spreading, tears almost welling up again, but she still sniffed hard and slowly nodded.=====The Starry Sky Cup quarter-finals were held in an open-air stadium, with spectator seating strictly by invitation only; only those holding exclusive invitation cards could enter the venue.At this moment, hundreds of seats were already full, and the air was filled with anticipation and tension.In the center of the stadium, eight contestants stood in eight separate corners, dozens of meters apart, forming a symmetrical layout.In front of each person was a neat row of jade boxes, containing the raw materials needed for the subsequent alchemy, with identical types and quantities to ensure the fairness of the competition.Among the contestants, there were white-haired, wrinkled old men, and calm-faced, composed middle-aged individuals, but the most eye-catching were two young figures—both girls, yet with vastly different styles.One wore purple, her makeup dazzling and eye-catching, looking more like a celebrity in the spotlight than an alchemist dedicated to the Dao of alchemy; the other wore simple white, without makeup, her slightly red-rimmed eyes adding a touch of pitiable fragility.“Are those two alchemists from the Oriental Family? They look barely in their early twenties, to reach the top eight so young, truly impressive!” In the stands, someone couldn’t help but whisper, their gaze fixed on the two girls in the arena.“The Oriental Family lives up to its reputation, indeed worthy of being the empire’s top alchemy family, with geniuses emerging generation after generation.” The person next to them echoed, their tone full of admiration.“I heard that the girl in white is even stronger than the one in purple.” Someone lowered their voice, offering more specific information, “One is from a collateral branch, the other from the main lineage, yet the talent and strength of the collateral branch surpassed the main lineage, which is rare in large families.”“In terms of looks, the one in white is also superior, her temperament is so pure.”The intermittent discussions from below drifted into the ears of the eight contestants. Some paid no mind, closing their eyes to adjust their state; some subtly moved their fingertips, silently familiarizing themselves with the medicinal ingredients in front of them; and some, like Dongfang Xi, hung her head, her long hair concealing the surging coldness in her eyes—those discussions pricked her heart like needles, and anger and jealousy wildly grew in her chest.Just then, Dongfang Xi’s gaze inadvertently swept towards Dongfang Mingyue opposite her, but suddenly paused—Dongfang Mingyue’s expression was somewhat off, her eyes vacant, as if she was distracted, completely lacking the focus and tension of someone about to face a competition.What’s going on? Is her alchemy cauldron really broken and still not fixed?A surge of schadenfreude instantly rose in Dongfang Xi’s heart. Whatever the reason, Dongfang Mingyue competing in this state was destined for nothing but failure!“What’s wrong with Miss? Why does she look so distraught?” At the edge of the stands, the Oriental Family bodyguards also noticed Dongfang Mingyue’s abnormality and couldn’t help but exchange glances, their eyes full of worry.“Not sure, she was like this on the way here.” A burly guard replied with a frown, “I quietly asked Xiaoyu, and Xiaoyu said she was fine, so I didn’t ask further.”The guard captain, Min Wenbing, followed his gaze to Xiaoyu on the stage—Xiaoyu was staring directly at Dongfang Mingyue, her eyes seemingly carrying a hint of tension and unease.Min Wenbing’s brow furrowed even tighter, but he said nothing more, only secretly heightened his vigilance.Soon, the quarter-finals officially began.Without a lengthy opening speech, an elder in a green robe with a profound aura walked onto the stage. He was Gu Chaoxian, an Eighth-Rank Alchemist sent by the Alchemist Association Headquarters.At the same time, staff members carried eight jade slips, handing one to each of the eight contestants.“Everyone, the Starry Sky Cup quarter-finals, now begin.” Gu Chaoxian’s voice was deep and powerful, spreading throughout the venue through the amplification array. Without any superfluous words, he cut straight to the chase, “The pill you need to refine today is called the ‘Jade Heavenly Primordial Pill’. This pill was recently developed by Seventh-Rank Alchemist Lou Kecheng. After consumption, it can temporarily increase a Sixth-Order Spiritual Energy Practitioner’s spirit power threefold, while also accelerating wound recovery, with no side effects.” As his voice fell, the scene instantly erupted in a commotion, discussions surging like a tide.A threefold increase in spirit power—this meant that in a battle of evenly matched opponents, those who consumed this pill could instantly reverse the situation and achieve an overwhelming victory; even if severely injured, they could quickly recover with the help of the pill, making it a “trump card” pill for Sixth-Order Spiritual Energy Practitioners!Seeing the enthusiastic discussions in the stands, Gu Chaoxian revealed a faint smile. Alchemist competitions have always been a good opportunity for the association to promote new pills—using the attention of the competition to make new pill formulas known to more people, thereby gaining external recognition and orders, which has been the association’s long-standing practice.Using a new pill formula as the competition topic was undoubtedly a huge challenge for the contestants, but this was precisely the meaning of the competition.Just like ordinary academic competitions don’t feature recycled questions, but rather test students’ true abilities with new problems.Using new pill formulas in alchemist competitions not only ensures maximum fairness but also truly tests the contestants’ fundamental skills and on-the-spot adaptability.Of course, for the contestants, this was also not a losing proposition. New pill formulas, for alchemists, are comparable to martial arts secret manuals for Spiritual Energy Users. Being able to learn a rare Sixth-Rank pill formula for free is naturally a good thing.Compared to other Sixth-Rank pills, ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) while the Jade Heavenly Primordial Pill’s formula was new, its overall difficulty was not particularly high, and it was a formula carefully selected by the association as suitable for the competition.“Alright, no more unnecessary words.” Gu Chaoxian raised his hand to quiet the crowd, “The competition time is ten hours. After ten hours, the judging panel will score the pills you have refined, and the four highest scorers will advance to the finals.”As soon as his voice fell, the stone slabs beneath the feet of the eight contestants simultaneously lit up with a soft white light, and eight translucent spirit energy arrays slowly rose, enveloping each person in an independent space—this both isolated them from external noise, preventing interference, and could protect the alchemists’ safety in case of emergencies.The contestants each picked up the jade slips in their hands and injected their mental power into them.The next second, a stream of information regarding the Jade Heavenly Primordial Pill’s formula, ingredient ratios, refining steps, and details clearly flowed into their minds.No one immediately started. Everyone held their breath and concentrated on studying the pill formula, trying to grasp every detail, even simulating the entire alchemy process in their minds—for a new pill formula, the more thorough the initial preparation, the lower the probability of errors later on.About a quarter of an hour later, someone finally made the first move—it was a white-haired elder. His fingertips glowed with faint red spirit energy, and with a gentle touch to the charcoal brazier in front of him, a faint blue flame ignited with a ‘whoosh’. The flame’s height remained stable at about three inches, without the slightest flicker.This was a typical application of fire-elemental spirit energy, directly using the flames to temper the medicinal ingredients through precise fire control.Following closely, other contestants also began their operations.Some, like the elder, activated fire-elemental spirit energy, their flames varying in strength but always under firm control, feeding the medicinal ingredients into the alchemy cauldron in batches, using high temperatures to decompose their essence; others, like Dongfang Mingyue, had faint green spirit energy coiling around their fingertips, like delicate vines wrapping around the ingredients, using the “life force” of wood-elemental spirit energy to precisely strip away impurities, extracting the active components of the ingredients with exceptional purity—both schools had their merits, drawing frequent nods from the alchemist-spectators below, their gazes fixed on every detail in the arena, fearing to miss any techniques they could learn from.Only Dongfang Mingyue, from the very beginning, moved with a hint of hesitation.Although the wood-elemental spirit energy at her fingertips was still pure, it occasionally showed subtle fluctuations, and the rhythm of decomposing the ingredients was half a beat slower than usual—the lingering dread of the nightmare still weighed on her heart, and Xiaoyu’s image kept flashing in her mind, making it difficult for her to fully concentrate.Min Wenbing and the others below watched with a tightening in their chests, and Xiaoyu clenched the corner of her clothes even tighter, her nails almost digging into her palm—she knew that Miss was distracted because of her.Time passed bit by bit, and in a blink of an eye, two hours went by.Several contestants in the arena had already completed the initial tempering of the medicinal ingredients and were preparing for the crucial step of medicinal property fusion.Just then, a soft ‘buzz’ suddenly emanated from Dongfang Mingyue’s alchemy cauldron, followed by a wisp of black smoke slowly rising from the cauldron’s mouth, and the spirit energy fluctuations instantly became chaotic.“It’s ruined! The pill is destroyed!” Someone in the stands exclaimed.Everyone’s gaze focused on Dongfang Mingyue—black smoke appearing during the tempering of medicinal ingredients meant that the medicinal properties had been damaged, and this batch was completely wasted.The stands were filled with surprise, and even Gu Chaoxian on the judging panel frowned: “That’s not right, with Dongfang Mingyue’s strength, she shouldn’t make a mistake in such a basic step.”The judges next to him also nodded in agreement, clearly finding it unusual as well.Dongfang Xi’s peripheral vision caught this scene, and the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but curl into a hidden smile. Although she didn’t know why, Dongfang Mingyue was still affected by something!By the alchemy cauldron, Dongfang Mingyue watched the wisp of black smoke, her body stiffened for a moment, then she slowly closed her eyes. Xiaoyu’s smile from last night flashed in her mind, the coldness of the snowy ground in her nightmare, and Xiaoyu’s worried eyes just now.She remained silent for a full half-minute, and when she opened her eyes again, the confusion was gone, replaced only by determination.She turned to look at Xiaoyu below the stage. Across the crowd, their gazes met—Xiaoyu nodded vigorously at her, her eyes full of trust.Dongfang Mingyue took a deep breath, raised her hand to clean out the medicinal residue from the ruined cauldron, then opened a backup jade box and took out new raw materials.This time, the wood-elemental spirit energy at her fingertips was astonishingly stable, her movements in decomposing the ingredients flowed like water, the rhythm so precise as if practiced a thousand times, not even a trace of extra spirit energy was wasted.“That’s more like it!” Min Wenbing below secretly let out a sigh of relief, his tense shoulders finally relaxing a bit. Xiaoyu also smiled, though her eyes were a little red—she knew that Miss was forcing herself to concentrate, forcing herself to let go of her worries.But along with the relief, worry also crept in—everyone else was already two hours ahead, and only eight hours remained until the end of the competition. Dongfang Mingyue had to start refining again, could she still make it in time?Everyone’s gaze once again focused on her, with anticipation, but also with doubt.“Old He, I’m going to the restroom.”In a corner of the stands, Nie Yunxing patted He Wu’s shoulder, stood up, and walked towards the restroom.Upon reaching the restroom, Nie Yunxing had just pulled down his pants to relieve himself when he suddenly smelled a strange odor. His vision blurred for a moment, and his mind felt as if it had been pricked by a needle, followed by his eyes gradually becoming vacant.

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