Lin Fan had drawn the number one, so he was one of the first people to go up.
The ten contestants who had drawn the numbers one to ten were led up to the stage where they would be facing each other. Then they were split into pairs of two based on who they were facing and led to separate arenas.
When they were on stage facing each other, Lin Fan's opponent couldn't stop himself from shaking a bit.
He had worked hard to get into the top hundred and now he would be eliminated immediately since his luck with the draw was bad. But he really couldn't blame it on anything since this just meant that his skills weren't good enough and he had bad luck.
There was no suspense at all in this match as Lin Fan easily destroyed his opponent.
He did the same thing as he did in the qualifiers, he used his flames as a cauldron as he refined his ingredients down into essence before combining them into pills.
It took him less than ten minutes to finish the pill they were assigned and of course it came out as a pill with 100% purity.
Lin Fan's opponent couldn't stop the tears from coming out when he saw that Lin Fan was done, but still he couldn't just stop now since he was on stage with thousands of people watching him.
In the end, he was able to finish his pill, but the end result was as expected. Lin Fan won in a landslide and he was allowed to go back to the contestant room to relax.
However, one strange thing did happen.
As the judge was looking over Lin Fan's pill, he had also leaned closer to Lin Fan to whisper, "There is someone who wishes to meet with you. The staff member leading you back to the room will bring you to meet someone special who can change your life."
Lin Fan acted surprised when he heard this, but deep down he let out a cold laugh because he knew that it meant his plan was working.
Lin Fan's opponent was dejected as he was led away, but the staff member leading Lin Fan led him in a different direction from the waiting room. After going through twists and turns, they came to a luxurious looking door that was covered in gold trims.
The door opened to reveal a viewing room with a view of the entire hall, with two chairs in the middle facing the glass window.
In those two chairs, there was a middle aged man and a young man with piercing eyes.
When they heard the door open, they turned to look over and when they saw Lin Fan, they both revealed smiles.
The staff member gave a bow to the two of them and indicated for Lin Fan to go in before quickly leaving, closing the door behind him as he went.
The young man was the first to speak when Lin Fan walked in, "So you're Fan Lin. I've heard a lot about you and I must say that I am not disappointed by what I've seen."
Lin Fan just pretended to be confused as he asked, "Who are you?"
The envoy didn't say a thing and the Alchemy Master took over for him, "I know that you don't know who we are, but we do know that you've been tricked by Elder Hua and the others. They must have tricked you with benefits and led you on the wrong path, but it's alright since we are here to help you."
Lin Fan said in an impatient voice, "That doesn't answer my question."
The Alchemy Master revealed a smile, "It's good for you to have your pride as a talented young man, but you should also know to have a bit of patience. I am the Alchemy Master of the Alchemy Tower and this esteemed gentleman here is the envoy sent from the upper realm faction above us. You should be aware of the upper realm, right?"
Lin Fan nodded to show he understood.
The Alchemy Master continued after seeing this, "You should know that compared to that Elder Hua, we are the true masters of the Alchemy Tower and your key to the upper realm, so instead of working with them, you should work with us."
The envoy added, "I can see that you're a talented person, so as long as you agree to come to our side, I can promise you that I will bring you to the upper realm."
Lin Fan asked, "But how do I know that you're really who you say you are? Elder Hua has offered quite generous terms to work with her, I won't betray her for just an empty promise."
The Alchemy Master smiled at this, "I knew that you were a smart person. Of course we would be more than willing to prove ourselves." After that, he took out a token and threw it to Lin Fan, "This is the token of the Alchemy Master, as a citizen of Green Wood City, I'm certain that you would have heard of it before."
Then he looked over at the envoy and the envoy nodded.
The envoy said with a smile, "I can give you a token, but you wouldn't recognize it since it is something that comes from the upper realm. However, the only thing that really matters in this world is strength." At this, the envoy released his aura and applied his pressure on Lin Fan, "I'm sure that you can tell that I'm not just a simple person, right?"
Lin Fan pretended to wince and struggle under the envoy's aura, but feeling this aura, he confirmed that the envoy was indeed in the Fragmented Soul Realm.
After a few seconds, the envoy pulled back his aura and waited for Lin Fan's response.
Lin Fan fell into thought for a bit before saying, "Alright, I can tell that you're not lying, but what benefits can you offer me?"
When they heard this, the smiles on the Alchemy Master and the envoy's faces became wider. They knew that as long as they offered enough benefits now, they would be able to sway this genius in front of them. That was just how this world was, people were moved by the most benefits.
The envoy said, "As long as you come work with us and help us take down the insurgent faction, with your talent, it will be easy for you to be accepted into our upper realm faction. Once you reach the upper realm, your wings will spread and you will become a true master. I'm certain that someone like you wouldn't be content with just staying on this lower realm for the rest of your life."
The Alchemy Master also added, "This is a great opportunity young friend. Also as long as you take this offer, we will support you with everything that our Alchemy Tower has during your short time in this lower realm. We just ask that you remember us when you reach the upper realm."
The Alchemy Master was someone who knew how to flatter people, that was how he had reached his current position. With his family connection in the upper realm, he knew just how rare talent like Lin Fan's was.
Once Lin Fan reached the upper realm, it was certain that he would be groomed by the Alchemy King Hall. As long as he flattered Lin Fan here, there was the chance that he could also be brought up if he could make a good impression.
Lin Fan fell into thought again before asking, "Is there something that you want from me?"
The envoy's smile became even wider since he knew that he had already gotten him. The fact that he was asking this meant that he was moved, but the only thing that was holding him back was the possibility that they were after his techniques.
The envoy just said, "All we need you to do is to help us take down the insurgents and then I'll personally bring you to the upper realm. The only thing that we can ask is that you remember lowly people like us when you've become an expert."
The Alchemy Master nodded vehemently as he echoed, "Yes, yes, all we can ask is that you remember lowly people like us."
Lin Fan pretended to hesitate a bit before finally saying, "Alright, I can agree to these terms. What do you need me to do?"
After that, the envoy and the Alchemy Master began sharing their plans with Lin Fan.
It took them an hour to finish their discussion and when they were done, two more batches of refining duels had already finished.
Once they were done, the Alchemy Master summoned a staff member to lead Lin Fan back to the participant room.
When Lin Fan had left the room, he revealed a wide smile under his mask since his plan had worked and these two idiots had taken the bait.