The blue me danced in my palm, casting an ethereal glow across the stunned faces surrounding me. Thepetition hall had fallen into a deafening silence, broken only by the soft crackle of my azure fire.


    Elias Ainsworth''s face had turned ashen, his earlier smugness evaporated like morning dew. His eyes, wide with disbelief, reflected the blue glow of my me.


    "That''s... that''s impossible," he whispered, his voice trembling. "Blue Spirit Fire? That can''t be..."


    From the judges'' table, Desmond Davenport half-rose from his seat, his knuckles white as he gripped the edge. The look on his face—a mixture of shock, fear, and rage—was almost worth all the trouble I''d been through.


    An elderly judge with a long white beard stepped forward, adjusting his spectacles as he peered at my palm. "In all my years..." he murmured, shaking his head in wonder.


    "What does it mean?" someone in the audience asked, breaking the silence. "Why is everyone so shocked?"


    The elderly judge cleared his throat. "Spirit Fire manifests in colors corresponding to its power and rarity. Red ismon, orange less so, yellow quite rare." He gestured toward my palm with a trembling finger. "But blue... blue appears perhaps once in a generation, if that."


    I watched their reactions carefully, keeping my expression neutral despite my inner turmoil. The truth was, I hadn''t intended to reveal this power—not here, not now. But Elias''s provocation had touched a nerve.


    "Three minutes remaining in the evaluation period," the head judge announced, his voice unsteady.


    Realization hit me like a bucket of cold water. Thepetition wasn''t over—I''d allowed myself to be distracted by Elias''s taunts while my medicinal pill remained iplete. I closed my fist, extinguishing the blue me, and turned back to my station.


    "I need to use the Blue Spirit Fire toplete the refinement," I muttered to myself, weighing my options.


    The problem was, I''d never actually used the blue me for alchemy before. My training had focused on controlling its emergence, not applying it to medicinal refinement. Using it now would be a desperate gamble.


    From the corner of my eye, I spotted Desmond leaning close to Elias, whispering urgently in his ear. Elias nodded, his expression hardening as he nced in my direction.


    I had no time to worry about them. Closing my eyes, I summoned the blue me again, this time focusing its energy directly onto my half-formed pill. The blue fire enveloped the creation, causing it to glow and pulsate with azure light.


    "Two minutes remaining," the head judge called out. <b ss="frag-dcf236">My<i ss="node-sep"></i>Virtual<i ss="node-sep"></i>Library<i ss="node-sep"></i>Empire<i ss="node-sep"></i>(*)<i ss="node-sep"></i>hosts<i ss="node-sep"></i>the<i ss="node-sep"></i>original.</b>


    Sweat beaded on my forehead as I struggled to maintain control. The Blue Spirit Fire was like a wild horse—powerful but untamed. One wrong move and my creation would be reduced to ash.


    Suddenly, I felt a jarring impact against my shoulder. My concentration wavered, but I managed to keep the me steady.


    "Sorry," Elias said, not sounding sorry at all as he brushed past my station. "Just checking the otherpetitors'' work."


    I kept my eyes closed, focusing entirely on the delicate process. Another jolt—this time an elbow to my ribs—nearly caused me to lose control.


    "This is tant interference!" Anthony Harding, apetitor from the neighboring station, protested loudly. "Judge Davenport, surely you see what''s happening?"


    "I see nothing improper," Desmond replied coldly. "Competitors are free to move about during the evaluation period."


    I gritted my teeth, doubling down on my concentration. The blue me flickered dangerously as Elias made another pass, this time knocking against my arm.


    "One minute remaining," the head judge announced.


    Elias grew bolder, abandoning any pretense of subtlety. He mmed his shoulder into my back, hard enough that I staggered forward.


    Still, I didn''t break my focus. The pill was beginning to take form within the blue me, its essence stabilizing with each passing second.


    "This is outrageous!" Anthony shouted again. "He''s physically assaulting anotherpetitor!"


    Desmond waved a dismissive hand. "Young alchemists should be able to work under pressure. If Knight cannot maintain his focus through minor distractions, perhaps he isn''t as talented as some believe."


    Elias, emboldened by Desmond''s support, moved in again. This time, his fingers jabbed toward a pressure point on my neck—a strike that would disrupt my qi flow if it connected.


    I shifted slightly, letting his fingers miss the critical point. He hissed in frustration.


    "Thirty seconds," called the head judge.


    The audience had begun to murmur, some in outrage at the tant cheating, others fascinated by my unwavering concentration despite the attacks. Elias circled me like a predator, looking for another opening.


    The blue me in my palm pulsed once, twice, then stabilized. I could feel the pill nearingpletion. Just a few more seconds...


    Elias lunged forward one final time, his knuckles aimed at a vital point on my back that would send shooting pain through my meridians.


    Just as his hand was about to connect, I opened my eyes and turned to face him. The blue me in my palm cast eerie shadows across my face as I smiled.


    "Are you scratching me here? What, didn''t you have enough for lunch?" I taunted, my voice low but carrying in the sudden silence.


    Elias froze, his fist inches from my back. The confident sneer on his face melted into confusion, then rm as he realized I had been aware of his attacks all along—and that they had failed to disrupt my work.


    In my palm, nestled within the blue me, sat a perfectly formed Vitality Restoration Pill, glowing with azure power and emanating an aura that made even the judges lean forward in their seats.


    "Time has expired," the head judge announced, his eyes fixed on the glowing pill in my hand.


    Elias''s face contorted with rage and disbelief as he stared at mypleted creation. Behind him, Desmond Davenport''s expression had darkened to something dangerous and calcting.


    I extinguished the blue me, letting the pill rest in my palm for all to see. Its soft azure glow remained, pulsing gently like a heartbeat.


    Thepetition hall erupted into chaos as everyone tried to get a closer look at what I''d created. In themotion, I caught Desmond''s eye across the room.


    The hatred I saw there told me one thing clearly: I''d just made a powerful enemy. But as the judges approached with awe written across their faces, I knew there was no going back now.


    The Blue Spirit Fire had been revealed, and with it, everything was about to change.