"Once?!!!" Qie Mi Er's expression became quite colorful upon hearing Xiao Yan's response.

  An ordinary 1st-tier alchemist could perform one refi; a 2nd-tier alchemist could at least refi two to three times. What did you mean by just once???

  Master Ao Tuo standing nearby walked over, patted Xiao Yan on the shoulder, and forted, "Young friend, don't worry. There's still time. This test is about refining the Bck Iron Spiritual Leaf. It's not enough to refi just once; you o enhahe purity through tinuous repeated refis."

  Only then did Qie Mi Er have a sudden realization. It turned out that what he said just now was not clear enough and caused a misuanding. He quickly crified, "Due to its special nature, each refi of the Bck Iron Spiritual Leaf bees several times more difficult than the previous one. Even with my 4th-tier alchemist strength, I only refi ten times at most. Any more, and it would be futile."

  Refining medial ingredients was nothing more than using fmes to heat and depose them, then employihods like sublimation, crystallization, filtratiora, liquid separation, distiltioion and others to obtain high-purity medial essences.

  However, no matter what, refi could never obtain 100% of the medial essences, just like how the highest purity of gold was 999.999 fineness, infinitely close to 1000.

  And it was true that the more times it was refihe higher the purity.

  Xiao Yan tilted his head, bewildered. He took the wooden box and walked bato the small dark room. He couldn't help but fall into deep thought as he looked at the pure white powder ihe box.

  'This thing still be refined? If I tinue, won't it be destroyed?'

  'Could it be that the Alchemist Association of the Jia Ma Empire has special teiques that truly bring the purity of the Bck Iron Spiritual Leaf to 100%?!!'

  His eyes sharpened as a petitive spirit instantly surged within him. He promptly took out his medial cauldron and began experimenting.

  ...

  Time passed by swiftly, minute by mihirty mier, the first to emerge was, unsurprisingly, Liu Ling. He first gnced around, then looked toward the small room where Xiao Yan was. Notig that no one else had e out yet, he revealed a cold smile.

  Shortly after Liu Ling came out, a graceful figure swiftly emerged from behind a bck curtain. When she saw Liu Ling already standing in the hall, a trace of disappoi flowed across her exquisite face.

  She slowly made her way to the ter of the hall and mumbled, "Big Brother Liu, I didn't expect you to be so fast."

  "Hehe, the Little Princess isn't slow either," Liu Ling replied with a smile.

  "Hmph! Even though you came out earlier, the purity of your refined medial ingredient might not necessarily be higher than mihe Little Princess pouted, raising her snow-white jade fist toward Liu Ling.

  Very soon, more and more alchemists emerged oer another.

  The grains of sand in the hss were about to run out as the bck curtain was tinually lifted. However, Ao Tuo and Qie Mi Er's brows were tightly furrowed because Xiao Yan still hadn't e out.

  "He's the only o."

  "Why is he taking so long?" Qie Mi Er had a puzzled look on his face. This was really dragging on.

  He was about to annouhat the time and Xiao Yan hadn't e out yet!

  Qie Mi Er sighed, walked to the small room where Xiao Yan was, aly said, "Young friend, time's up. Regardless of the oute, please e out."

  The bck curtain lifted as soon as he finished speaking. Xiao Yan shook his head and walked out with a defeated expression. Upon emerging, he curiously asked, "Does your Alchemist Association have some special teique? No matter how I look at it, this Bck Iron Spiritual Leaf only be refined once."

  Xiao Yan's voice wasn't quiet; the other Alchemists heard him clearly.

  "Once?"

  "Hahahaha, I was w why he wasn't wearing an alchemist's robe. Turns out he doesn't have o all."

  "I could refi once back when I was still an apprentice. Don't abuse your backdoor es."

  At this moment, many of the alchemists nearby burst into ughter upon hearing Xiao Yan sounding like a try bumpkin.

  Qie Mi Er shook his head, patted Xiao Yan's shoulder to fort him, and said, "It's alright; you're still young. There will be more opportunities iure."

  Among everyone present, only Liu Ling, who disliked Xiao Yan the most, frowned. He khat even if Xiao Yan was weaker than him, it was impossible for him to have refi only once.

  Moreover, Liu Ling had heard from Nan Yanran that Xiao Yan had once refined a tier 3 medial pill for Nahis meant Xiao Yan was at least a 3rd-tier alchemist. How could he have refi only once?

  "Big Brother Liu Ling, why are you paying so much attention to that person?" Princess Yue Er noticed that Liu Ling had been Xiao Yaedly and asked curiously.

  "He's at least a 3rd-tier alchemist," Liu Ling replied.

  Yue Er was shocked upon hearing this. She widened her eyes and looked at Xiao Yan. A 3rd-tier Alchemist refining only once? How was that possible? Was he lying on purpose?

  Qie Mi Er didn't say anything more. He walked to the ter and announced, "This is a purity measuring device crafted by renowned artisans invited by our Alchemist Association. It accurately test the purity of your refined materials."

  He stroked the dark mae and poio a groove. "This is where you pce your test material. The scale is out of ten points—ten being the highest, ohe lowest; four is the passing score. Please also state how many times you refi."

  "Let's start with you, Liu Ling."

  Liu Ling calmly approached the testing devider everyone's gaze. He retrieved a jade bottle from his ste ring, poured some grayish-white powder into the groove, and said to Qie Mi Er with a smile, "This junior's abilities are limited; I could only refi six times."

  Everyone in the hall took a cold breath oer another and then an uproar arose. Not only the partits but even Qie Mi Er and Ao Tuo couldn't help but look at each other in surprise.

  Being able to refihe Bck Iron Spiritual Leaf five times required at least the peak strength of a 3rd-tier alchemist. Six times?!! That fire trol was quite something.

  In other words, Liu Ling's fire trol was already equivalent to that of a 4th-tier alchemist.

  After the s flickered for a moment, a rge '7' gradually appeared.

  "Seven points. gratutions on passing," Qie Mi Er said with a smile.

  Liu Ling smiled and then stepped to the side. His gaze occasionally drifted toward Xiao Yan standing at the very back from time to time. Regardless of why Xiao Yan was lying, the results would prove that he, Liu Ling, was the stro!

  At this moment, Xiao Yan was frowning deeply, his expressioremely odd, as if he had entered something inprehensible.

  rincess Yue Er's turn. It ity that although the Little Princess also refi six times, her purity was slightly lower than Liu Ling's.

  Watg more and more people step forward to test the purity, Xiao Yan couldn't help but sigh. He finally uood where the problem y.

  After everyone had fiesting, Qie Mi Er looked at Xiao Yan and softly said, "Young friend Xiao Yan, please e up and have your material tested."

  Xiao Yan nodded slightly, holding the small wooden box, and slowly walked to the testing ptform.

  Ao Tuo asked, "You only refi once?"

  Xiao Yan nodded and calmly replied, "Yes, only once."

  Just as the people below were snickering, Qie Mi Er and Ao Tuo gasped the moment they saw Xiao Yahe wooden box, exg, "Pure white powder?!"

  Suddenly, dazzling golden light erupted from the s. The huge '10' dispyed was like a sp in the face to all those who had mocked him.

  Xiao Yan looked at Qie Mi Er with a strange expression and asked, "Deputy Chairman, for a medial ingredient whose essence be fully extracted in one go, why would you o refi ten times?"