The Second Round, Part III

Zhou Lihua took several slow, calming breaths as she tried to center herself. The stifling silence as every person in the arena waited on baited breath was getting to her. It felt like this moment was stretching on forever, leaving her with nothing but worries and doubts.

How long does it take to sound a simple gong? Is Sao Yong doing this on purpose? Is he trying to make us so nervous that we can’t think straight and will mess up?

Being an alchemist often meant working under high stress since there was always a good chance of something going wrong. You could fail to refine a pill. Your cauldron could blow up. Zhou Lihua once heard a story about a man who tried creating a pill beyond his level and had his soul sucked out of his body as a result. Every alchemist knew that studying the Dao of Alchemy was the same as walking alongside death.