Fa Ma stood with his hands behind his back in front of the VIP seats, his aged eyes calmly surveying the bustling plaza below. Despite the raucous noise of over two thousand alchemists and spectators, his voice, serene and deep, spread clearly through the crowd like a ripple of wind brushing through still water.
"Now, I would like to invite all the competitors to move to their assigned positions."
The plaza immediately quieted, as if compelled by an unseen force. Many alchemists began descending from the high platforms via the staircases at the sides. Those groomed by major powers—nobles, influential factions, or ancient clans—took the lead. But among them, all eyes eventually turned toward a small group of youths whose reputations had begun spreading like wildfire even before the competition began.
From behind Fa Ma, a group of talents emerged, each of them having passed the internal examinations with exceptional results.
"Liu Ling, Little Yue Er, Yan Xiao… and Xiao Chen, please proceed to your assigned stations."
That last name caused murmurs to ripple through the crowd.
Xiao Chen, dressed in elegant white robes embroidered with golden clouds, walked beside Xiao Yan. His presence was ethereal and noble, calm yet unfathomable. He had arrived quietly days before the Grand Meeting, yet whispers of his alchemy, his connection to powerful factions, and his breathtaking elegance had already made him the subject of speculation. Some claimed he was a disciple of the Heavenly Pavilion, others swore they saw him tame a lightning beast. Few knew the truth—that Xiao Chen, twin brother of Xiao Yan, had returned from a mysterious journey, bearing within him divine bloodlines and the blessings of the Sign-In Goddess System.
"Brother," Xiao Chen whispered as they reached the edge of the platform. "Want me to land with style this time?"
Xiao Yan glanced at him and smirked. "I already got pushed off. Don't think you can steal the show."
Just then, Liu Ling jumped down with flair, and Little Yue Er followed gracefully. But all performances dimmed in comparison to what happened next.
Xiao Chen gave a soft tap of his fingers. Instantly, nine lotus-shaped petals made of pure white flame bloomed beneath his feet in midair. The flames shimmered with hues of time and space, and he descended like a celestial flower falling from the heavens. The petals twirled in an elegant spiral, shielding him from the wind, and emitted a soft hum that resonated with the space around him.
Gasps rang through the crowd.
"White flame? No—what is that fire?"
"Wait... it feels ancient… and… was that time force?"
Even Fa Ma, Jia Lao, and Hai Bo Dong's eyes widened.
"That boy… has something more terrifying than Heavenly Flame within him…" Fa Ma murmured. "It's no ordinary flame. Could it be… a bloodline-embedded flame of ancient origin?"
Xiao Chen landed lightly beside Xiao Yan, his white robes unruffled, a faint smile on his lips.
"Brother, I call that move the 'Celestial Lotus Descent.' Stylish enough?"
Xiao Yan laughed under his breath. "Showoff."
They both stood now on the competition platform—the black-robed enigma and the white-robed celestial, twin flames destined to clash with fate and history.
As the bell rang, each participant turned to their green stone table. On each table were several ingredients and a piece of paper containing an incomplete Tier 2 pill formula. But to the shock of many, the formulas were vague, written without standard Spiritual Imprints. Only fragments of preparation and timing were listed.
Xiao Yan's brow furrowed.
"They're testing our judgment, memory, and intuition… this isn't just alchemy. This is trial by fire."
Xiao Chen glanced at his own paper and then at the jade mirror embedded at the table. The rules were cruel—two chances only. Fail twice, and you were eliminated.
"This reminds me of the Heavenly Pill Pagoda's third-floor trial," he muttered, flicking his sleeve. "Piece of cake."
Meanwhile, on the VIP platform, Ya Fei and Yao Ye watched the brothers below with complex expressions.
"That white-robed one… he's even more mysterious than Yan Xiao."
"He's Xiao Chen," Ya Fei replied softly. "He disappeared for years. Now, he returns… with power that even Dou Wangs can't read."
Further away, Nalan Yanran sat up slightly. Her gaze shifted between the black and white-robed figures.
"Are they… really brothers?" she wondered aloud. "One sharp like fire. The other calm like time…"
As Fa Ma's voice echoed again, declaring the rules officially, the competition ground fell into absolute silence.
Each alchemist called forth their cauldrons. Xiao Yan summoned the Flame Lotus Cauldron, and Xiao Chen summoned a Spacetime Jade Cauldron, shimmering with sacred glyphs. A faint dragon and phoenix pattern rippled across its surface.
"Let the Grand Meeting… begin!"
Suddenly, four heavenly flames rose around Xiao Yan's cauldron—Green Lotus Core Flame, Fallen Heart Flame, Sea Heart Flame, and Bone Chilling Flame, fused into one terrifying alchemy fire.
Not to be outdone, Xiao Chen summoned a golden-white flame that shimmered like a galaxy, infused with spacetime energy and divine aura. From within it, a faint shadow of a Ten-Tailed Fox emerged and howled.
The crowd gasped. Even the other competitors froze mid-refinement.
"W-What… what kind of flame is that?!"
"How are there two people with flames beyond Heavenly level here?!"
Liu Ling's face went pale. "Impossible… these guys… aren't normal alchemists."
As the flames roared, the twin brothers began refining, side by side, opposite in style but equal in mastery. The Grand Meeting, it seemed, would no longer be just a simple alchemist competition.
It had become the stage for legends.