Teacher by day, Farmer by passion-Chapter 153: Alchemy Battle [4]

Speculation ran wild, but Ace paid them no mind.

Meanwhile, Lotus had already begun her refinement. Her focus was sharp, her hands steady as she balanced the heat within her cauldron.

With a practiced motion, she carefully added another Pink Ginger leaf, adjusting the flame ever so slightly.

Unlike Ace, she wasted no time with theatrics as she was already deep into the process.

Ace casually heated his cauldron, his movements unhurried yet precise. Then, without hesitation, he tossed in the Moonstone first.

The crowd erupted in murmurs.

"Wait, what is he doing?"

"Moonstone first? That's wrong! Pink Ginger goes in before anything else!"

"Is he just making this up as he goes?"

Some scoffed, convinced he was about to fail spectacularly. Others watched in anticipation, wondering if there was a method to his madness.

Even Lotus glanced up briefly, her brow furrowing. Is he deliberately making mistakes? Or… does he actually know something I don't?

But Ace, completely unfazed by the whispers and doubtful stares, remained focused, a smirk playing at his lips.

The Moonstone within the cauldron began to sizzle as Ace carefully controlled the heat. He swirled his fingers ever so slightly, manipulating the flames with a casual grace that belied the precise control behind his actions.

Meanwhile, Lotus had already added the Pink Ginger first, following the conventional refinement sequence. She was fully immersed in her craft, yet a part of her mind remained distracted by Ace's odd approach.

"He's definitely going to fail."

"Does he even know what he's doing?"

"Lotus has already stabilized her flames, but look at him—he's not even using a flame control technique!"

The crowd grew louder, convinced that Ace was making amateur mistakes. Some even started laughing, while others whispered in hushed tones, debating whether he was truly a fraud or just overconfident.

Meanwhile, atop the VIP area, Shan Yifeng leaned back lazily, arms crossed, grinning like a child watching his favorite puppet show. "Hehe, these people are so dumb. If my master ever makes a mistake, then even pigs can learn how to fly."

Milson raised an eyebrow. "What's funny about that?"

Shan Yifeng turned to him, expression dead serious, as if Milson had just asked whether water was really wet. "Because my master doesn't make mistakes. He'll only mess up when pigs actually learn how to fly."

Milson blinked. "But… there are pigs that can fly."

Shan Yifeng's grin faltered. He squinted at Milson like he had just sprouted a second head. "Huh?"

"Yeah," Milson said, nodding. "Ever heard of Wind-Treading Swine? They literally soar through the air using their soul energy."

Shan Yifeng's mouth opened, then closed. His brain visibly short-circuited. "But Master said pigs can't fly! He said they can't even see what's up!"

Milson smirked. "Clearly, you have a lot to learn."

Shan Yifeng just sat there, stunned, his whole belief system shaken to the core. Meanwhile, Milson narrowed his eyes toward the stage, watching Ace intently.

Back at the cauldron, Ace spat in the Yin Bell herb, breaking tradition entirely. Then, without missing a beat, he casually picked up the pink ginger, examined it for a second, and then he took a bite.

The crowd lost it.

"WHAT IS HE DOING?!"

"DID HE JUST EAT THE INGREDIENT AGAIN?!"

"HE'S NOT EVEN TRYING TO WIN!"

Even Lotus' composure cracked for a moment as her hand trembled slightly over her own cauldron.

Foll𝑜w current novels on fɾēewebnσveℓ.com.

She had never, not once in her life, seen someone eat a crucial refinement ingredient mid-competition.

Ace chewed thoughtfully, savoring the herb like a connoisseur tasting fine wine. Then, as if he had all the time in the world, he nodded to himself.

"Mm. Good quality. Just perfect."

He finally tossed the remaining part of the herb into the cauldron, completely unbothered by the chaos around him.

Meanwhile , Milson, kept his eyes locked on Ace, the same unsettling feeling creeping in. He had a gut instinct honed from years of battle experience telling him not to blink.

Lotus let out a slow breath, her focus entirely on the cauldron before her.

The flames flickered beneath the iron vessel, steady and controlled.

She was in her element.

A faint medicinal fragrance spread through the air, causing murmurs of approval to ripple through the audience.

"She's almost done!"

"Look at that glow! The pill is about to form!"

"Flawless control, as expected of Professor Lotus!"

Even Pot Black nodded in acknowledgment. "Hmph, at least she's competent."

Then, with a final flick of her wrist, Lotus guided the last traces of energy into the cauldron.

A soft hum resonated from within as the condensation process began.

A moment later, a set of White fine pill emerged, glowing faintly.

Perfect refinement.

The crowd erupted into cheers.

But before the applause could settle down

BOOM!

A violent explosion erupted from Ace's cauldron.

The explosion sent shockwaves rippling through the training grounds. Students in the front row yelped as they tumbled backward, robes singed at the edges.

Even those further back ducked instinctively, shielding their faces from the swirling smoke and flying embers.

Gasps filled the air then comments followed.

"What just happened?!"

"Did he fail?! Did his cauldron explode?!"

"HAHA, I Told You He's A Fake!"