BOOM!

Xiao Gu’s concentration shattered, causing him to make a mistake, and his pill furnace exploded.

Black smoke billowed from the Pill Furnace, a testament to Xiao Gu’s failure.

While it was common for an Alchemist’s alchemy to fail, for it to happen during a competition undoubtedly sealed one’s fate as the loser.

When performing Alchemy, an Alchemist must not only remain calm and composed.

They must also be extremely meticulous, controlling every detail with methodical precision. The slightest mistake would greatly increase the chances of the alchemy failing.

"What a pity. Elder Xiao’s alchemy actually failed."

"Besides, even if his alchemy hadn’t failed, Elder Xiao’s skill would have only produced a Silver Quality elixir at best."

"Look at Steward Jiang. He refined a Gold Quality elixir right off the bat. That’s terrifying."

"It’s a complete steamroll. Elder Xiao has been utterly defeated."

Xiao Gu stood there in a daze, staring blankly at the fact that his alchemy had failed.

For an experienced Alchemist like him, this failure was a monumental defeat.

He was still struggling to process the failure.

At the same time, his mind was in turmoil.

’No, impossible.’

’How could I lose? I can’t lose. I am the final victor!’

He screamed internally, on the verge of madness.

His eyes turned red.

He glanced at the crowd, his face burning with shame.

The shame drove him to the brink of despair.

Then he looked at Jiang Chen, who stood there nonchalantly, holding three Gold Quality Blood Creation Pills. They were dazzlingly brilliant.

He was like a god in control of everything.

Including Xiao Gu’s very life.

The mere thought of it made Xiao Gu’s scalp tingle with dread.

He couldn’t accept the final result.

"Elder Xiao, you have lost."

Master Qin announced the result with a helpless sigh.

He was telling Xiao Gu that he had been defeated by Jiang Chen.

Xiao Gu froze once more.

Then, he suddenly roared, "No, I haven’t lost! My alchemy just failed!"

"I can try again."

He was resentful and refused to accept defeat.

He felt he could do better.

But Master Qin just shook his head.

"Why bother? You are no match for Steward Jiang."

This was the most devastating blow to Xiao Gu.

Xiao Gu’s entire body trembled violently.

But he roared at Master Qin, his eyes bloodshot.

"No! I can still do it! I can keep going!"

"My alchemy just failed! That doesn’t mean I’m inferior to him! I won’t lose to him!"

Like a madman, he threw all caution to the wind, sat cross-legged on the ground, and started performing Alchemy again.

Jiang Chen took it all in. ’He still won’t admit defeat. No, he can’t accept reality; he’s still deluding himself.’ "I’ll give you one more chance," he said indifferently.

To make a man welcome death, you must first drive him to madness and despair.

And without a doubt, Xiao Gu was now on the very edge of despair.

He was like a lunatic; one wrong touch on his frayed nerves would send him spiraling into complete insanity.

Xiao Gu began again.

Ignoring his dignity—for the sake of his pride, for the sake of his very life—he had to try again.

BOOM!

He wasn’t even halfway through the refining process.

Another explosion roared to life.

Black smoke billowed from Xiao Gu’s Pill Furnace.

Another failure. Xiao Gu’s alchemy had failed again.

This explosion shattered Xiao Gu’s last sliver of hope.

He could no longer continue with his Alchemy, for his mind and spirit had completely collapsed.

He was utterly incapable of controlling the fine details of the process.

"No..."

Xiao Gu let out a despairing roar.

He shook his head, roaring over and over, "I didn’t fail! I really didn’t..."

Then, he looked at Jiang Chen, his eyes filled with terror and dread.

From their very first confrontation to this Alchemy Skill competition, he had been flawlessly defeated by Jiang Chen every single time.

This man he had always disdained had become a recurring curse upon his life.

Jiang Chen, however, spoke with extreme coldness, his voice devoid of any emotion. "Xiao Gu, you lost to me."

"I refined Gold Quality Blood Creation Pills. You had two chances and failed twice. You couldn’t even refine a single elixir."

He shook his head, his disdain for Xiao Gu growing.

When faced with his true power, his opponents were always driven to madness, their arrogant pride utterly shattered.

It was complete domination.

But Xiao Gu shook his head frantically, unwilling to admit the truth.

"Jiang Chen, I haven’t failed! I’ve only failed for now...!"

"Give me one year, and I will defeat you!"

Jiang Chen laughed.

Like a god looking down from on high, he gazed upon Xiao Gu.

"One year? Give you a hundred years, and you still wouldn’t be my opponent."

"Your will is weak, and you refuse to accept reality."

"Heh. At best, you’re merely a Ninth-Class Alchemist. No, you’re not even that."

"In my eyes, you will always be nothing but trash. When you face me, you will despair. You will question your very existence."

"You will only be humiliated by me. And then humiliated again, over and over."

Every word from Jiang Chen was like a clap of thunder, booming and echoing inside Xiao Gu’s mind.

Xiao Gu stumbled back repeatedly, his body trembling.

His eyes were bloodshot.

Yet Jiang Chen advanced, one step at a time.

His words were like a demonic incantation, causing Xiao Gu to cry out in agony.

In terms of presence alone, Jiang Chen had completely crushed Xiao Gu.

Xiao Gu was like a pathetic insect, wanting to resist, to struggle.

"No, Jiang Chen! I can’t kill myself!"

"Spare me..."

Xiao Gu finally understood that he had lost. He was beginning to fear Jiang Chen.

And so, he began to beg for his life.

He wanted to live.

Shaking his head, Jiang Chen said coolly, "We had an agreement. The loser commits suicide."

SWISH!

Jiang Chen produced a Refined Iron Sword from his Spatial Ring and tossed it to Xiao Gu.

"You. Kill yourself."

"These were your terms."

Xiao Gu caught the Refined Iron Sword, panting heavily. He was truly on the verge of madness.

Jiang Chen was forcing him to commit suicide—on terms that he himself had proposed.

"Jiang Chen, must you be so ruthless?"

He backed away, filled with regret for the condition he had proposed.

His apprentice had lost to Jiang Chen, and now he, the master, had also lost to Jiang Chen.

It seemed that Jiang Chen’s appearance had marked the beginning of his downfall.

"No. This is the fate you chose for yourself. As an Elder of the Alchemy Master Guild, you should understand the meaning of shame."

"Besides, with your current state of mind, you’ll never make any more progress in your Alchemy Skill. To live on would only be to suffer. Suicide is your best option."

"Kill yourself."

Jiang Chen had no intention of giving someone like Xiao Gu another chance.

As if passing judgment, he declared Xiao Gu’s death sentence.

Xiao Gu clutched the Refined Iron Sword, his hands trembling uncontrollably.

Suicide. He couldn’t do it.

Finally, it seemed he had made a decision.

He snapped his head up, his blood-red eyes like those of a frenzied demon.

He had been driven mad by Jiang Chen.

"AHHH...!"

Xiao Gu roared, his face twisted into a savage sneer.

He bellowed, "Jiang Chen, you want me to kill myself? Dream on!"

"You die first!"

He raised the sword and charged at Jiang Chen, intent on killing him.