The crack of my palm against Elias''s face echoed through thepetition hall. His head snapped to the side, a red handprint blooming on his cheek. Gasps rippled through the crowd as I lowered my hand, my eyes never leaving his stunned face.


    "That," I said calmly, "was for your pathetic attempts at sabotage."


    Elias touched his cheek, his eyes zing with humiliation and rage. "You''ll regret this," he hissed.


    Desmond Davenport leapt to his feet, pointing at me with undisguised fury. "This is uneptable! Competitor Knight has vited the rules of conduct! I demand his immediate disqualification!"


    Before I could respond, voices erupted from the audience.


    "After what his student did? That''s rich!"


    "We all saw Elias trying to sabotage him!"


    "The blue me alchemist deserves his chance!"


    The crowd''s reaction surprised me. People I''d never met were defending me, challenging Davenport''s authority. The old man''s face reddened as he realized he couldn''t simply dismiss me without consequences.


    The head judge cleared his throat nervously. "In light of... previous incidents during the preparation phase, we will allow thepetition to continue." He shot Desmond a meaningful look. "Allpetitors will present their creations as nned."


    Desmond sank back into his seat, lips pressed into a thin line.


    "Very well," the head judge continued,posing himself. "Elias Ainsworth, please present your creation to the panel."


    Elias stepped forward, his arrogant smirk returning despite the red mark on his face. He produced a jade box and opened it with flourish, revealing a single golden pill that gleamed under the hall''s lights.


    "Distinguished judges, honored guests," he began, his voice projecting confidence. "I present my Life Extension Pill, a form I''ve personally enhanced from my master''s original creation."


    He handed the pill to the judges, who passed it around, examining its texture and aroma with expert eyes.


    "Themon Life Extension Pill adds five years to one''s lifespan," Elias continued. "Mine guarantees eight years minimum, with proper cultivation possibly extending the effect to a full decade."


    Murmurs of appreciation spread through the audience. I had to admit, it was impressive work—for someone his age.


    "Furthermore," Elias added with a pointed look in my direction, "my creation required no theatrical disys or unorthodox techniques. Just pure, traditional alchemy at its finest."


    The crowd apuded as the judges nodded appreciatively. Desmond was practically beaming with pride.


    "An excellent showing," the head judge announced. "Now, Liam Knight, please present your creation."


    I stepped forward, feeling hundreds of eyes tracking my movement. After my disy of the Blue Spirit Fire, expectations were sky-high. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a simple cloth pouch.


    "My submission," I stated, emptying the contents onto the judging table.


    Eight small, ordinary-looking brown pellets rolled across the surface. They looked crude and unrefined, with rough edges and an uneven texture. A faint, unpleasant odor wafted from them.


    Confused murmurs rippled through the crowd. After the spectacr blue me, this was what I had to offer?


    Elias burst intoughter. "Is this a joke? They look like something a first-year apprentice would make—and discard as failures!"


    The judges leaned forward, their expressions ranging from disappointment to confusion as they inspected my offering.


    "They smell..." one judge began diplomatically.


    "Like horse dung," another finished bluntly.


    Desmond''s lips curled into a triumphant smile. "Well, I believe we''ve seen enough. The winner is cle—"


    "I haven''t finished my presentation," I interrupted, my voice cutting through the hall.


    Desmond''s smile faltered. "There''s nothing more to see. These... pills... clearly demonstrate your level of skill."


    I fixed him with a steady gaze. "ording topetition rules, I have five minutes to present my creation. I''ve used less than one."


    The head judge nodded reluctantly. "He''s correct. Continue, Competitor Knight."


    I gestured to the pellets. "These aren''t my submission. They''re merely a demonstration of how easily appearances can deceive."


    With a swift motion, I swept the pellets off the table and into my hand, then closed my fist. When I opened it again, they had crumbled to dust.


    "My actual submission," I said, reaching into my inner pocket, "is this."


    I ced a single pill on the table. Unlike the dull brown pellets, this one was a deep, mesmerizing purple—almost translucent, with swirls of darker color moving within it like gxies in miniature.


    The hall fell silent as the judges leaned forward, their expertise recognizing something extraordinary even if they couldn''t identify it.


    "What is this pill?" the head judge asked, his tone cautious but curious.


    "I call it the True Elixir," I replied simply.


    Desmond scoffed. "A fancy name and pretty appearance mean nothing if you can''t exin its properties or prove its efficacy."


    I nodded. "You''re absolutely right, Judge Davenport. Allow me to borate."


    Instead of picking up the pill, I pointed to the sky visible through the hall''s dome ceiling. "In ancient texts, the rarest and most powerful creations were said to stir the very heavens themselves. The formation of Pill Clouds was the ultimate validation of an alchemist''s work."


    Elias rolled his eyes. "Pill Clouds? Those are just myths from children''s stories."


    Several judges shook their heads, and one elderly judge with spectacles chuckled. "Young man, I''ve been an alchemist for sixty years. No one has witnessed Pill Clouds in at least three generations." <samp ss="in-imprint-b">Read ahead and get updates by visiting *.</samp>


    I smiled. "Then perhaps today will be educational for everyone."


    Desmond stood, his patience clearly exhausted. "Enough of this nonsense. Thepetition has rules, and your submission fails to meet basic requirements. You haven''t even exined what your pill does!"


    "Its properties will be evident momentarily," I replied, still perfectly calm. "As for proof of its efficacy..."


    I pointed upward again. "I suggest everyone look to the sky."


    A few people nced up out of curiosity, then more heads turned as gasps began to spread through the crowd. Through the dome ceiling, the clear blue sky was changing. Clouds were forming—not the white, fluffy kind that promised rain, but swirling, colorful mists that seemed to gather directly above thepetition hall.


    First came tendrils of gold and silver, then ribbons of emerald green and sapphire blue, dancing and weaving together like celestial silk. The colors intensified, pulsing with an inner light that seemed to bend the veryws of nature.


    "Impossible," whispered the elderly judge, his spectacles sliding down his nose as he stared upward.


    Desmond''s face had gone pale, his mouth hanging open as he watched the phenomenon unfold.


    Elias looked from the sky to me and back again, his expression a mixture of disbelief and dawning horror.


    The Pill Clouds continued to gather, forming a spectacr disy directly above the hall. The audience was on their feet now, pointing and eximing in wonder. Some of the older alchemists had fallen to their knees, ovee by the significance of what they were witnessing.


    "This," I said quietly, my voice nheless carrying through the stunned silence of the hall, "is the true mark of a superior elixir."


    The purple pill on the table began to pulse in harmony with the clouds above, its inner swirls bing more vibrant, more alive. As the celestial disy reached its peak, bathing the entire hall in otherworldly light, I caught Desmond''s eye and allowed myself a small smile.


    The Pill Clouds had spoken. And they had just dered me the victor.