Inside the Alchemist Hall, silence hung like a thick veil.
Not a single breath dared to break it as the attendants carefully distributed the cauldrons to the four contestants.
Every eye in the hall was fixed on them, their anticipation almost tangible.
When Zhen Xi and Qiao Lian received their cauldron, their faces darkened immediately.
Their brows furrowed as if they had just been handed something offensive.
They exchanged a brief glance before they simultaneously reached out to touch the bronze cauldron.
The audience was full of confusion.
"Why are they touching the cauldron?" someone whispered.
"Are they inspecting it?" another asked.
Murmurs spread through the crowd like ripples in still water, growing louder with each passing second.
The Chief Judge, noticing the confusion, rose from his seat to clarify.
His authoritative voice echoed across the vast hall.
"For this final round," he declared, his gaze stern and direct.
