Compared to Pill Master Ye Wen's serene composure, Dean Lei Ming seemed restless and uneasy, his pink skin tinged with worry, brows tightly furrowed, his silver-gray pupils flickering with tension.
Twenty minutes had passed, and someone on the stage began to falter, uttering a light cry as the flames suddenly extinguished with a puff.
"Ah, the flames are out!" Shouts of surprise filled the arena, as the spectators, already impatient from the twenty-minute wait, quickly stood up from their seats upon witnessing this unexpected turn of events on stage.
"What's happening, it's been so long, why is there still no movement?"
Perhaps the agitation in the arena was too apparent or the gazes of the crowd too sharp, the man whose flames had gone out furrowed his brows and, after hesitating repeatedly, reignited a new flame.
Another twenty minutes passed, and several alchemists gave up completely, stepping down from the platform.
