Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 350: The Tri-Academy Exchange Arc (Part-42)

As his words fell, the others followed his gaze.

Tiffany’s expression darkened. "If it weren’t bad news, Sylvandria wouldn’t look like that. Don’t tell me... she lost this round?"

Although the results had not yet been announced, anyone who understood alchemy knew the truth. The Potion of a higher rank would always win.

Baldwin clenched his fists. "That’s rough. After dominating the first two rounds, Reynard actually turned things around in the third."

"Don’t panic!" Reesa said firmly. Her eyes were fixed on the platform. "Zora hasn’t finished yet. What if her Potion is even stronger than Reynard’s?"

Her tone carried absolute confidence.

On the platform, Zora remained calm.

Not rushed. Not tense.

Her movements were steady and precise, as if she were not competing at all, but quietly crafting a piece of art. Watching her did not make people nervous. Instead, it was strangely soothing.

Reesa’s faith did not waver.

If Zora looked like this, she thought, then she must still have something up her sleeve.

The others exchanged glances. They did not understand where Reesa’s confidence came from, but at this moment, Zora truly was their only hope.

Ding!

Jocelyn opened his cauldron.

A faint medicinal fragrance spread as he retrieved the Potion and placed it into a white porcelain bottle, his face filled with relief. He had completed it successfully.

Now, three people were done.

Only Zora remained.

Her cauldron was silent. No fragrance leaked out. No sign of completion appeared.

Anxiety crept into the hearts of the academy’s students.

Time continued to tick away, slipping closer and closer to the end of the third round.

Someone finally whispered what everyone feared:

"Has Zora... not finished Concocting yet?"

"Is she going to fail outright?"

As the final moments drew closer, Gerrad’s expression gradually changed.

The time was dragging on for far too long.

Although Zora had never formally undergone assessment by the Alchemists Association except for that registration time, Gerrad firmly believed that her level had already reached that of a second-rank Alchemist.

Under normal circumstances, the Concocting time for second-rank Potions was roughly similar. Yet now, Zora’s cauldron had remained silent far longer than expected.

Something about this was... strange.

Malrick, on the other hand, was growing more and more relaxed. The smile on his face deepened with every passing breath. Sylvandria was already certain to lose to Reynard, and as for Zora... in his view, she probably wouldn’t even finish concocting, let alone surpass Reynard.

"Heh," Malrick chuckled softly, his tone tinged with mockery. "Your academy’s Zora really made quite a show earlier. Looks impressive at first, but now... thunder without rain."

The faint tension he had felt earlier completely dissipated.

No matter how well the academy performed in identifying medicinal materials or Concocting herbs, alchemy itself was the true test of an Alchemist. What use were those earlier rounds if one couldn’t even produce a Potion in the final stage?

The more dazzling the beginning, the harsher the fall at the end.

Cindral also smiled faintly. Even if Thunderclap Academy ranked last in this alchemy contest, it hardly mattered. Alchemy had never been Thunderclap Academy’s strong suit anyway.

As long as Zion Blackstar swept through the Combat finals tomorrow, Thunderclap Academy would still stand at the peak.

Below the platform, anxiety crept through the academy’s group.

"Zora still hasn’t finished..." Reesa clasped her hands tightly, her eyes filled with worry. "What should we do?"

"If she can’t complete it before time’s up..." Baldwin frowned deeply. "That would be disastrous."

"The outcome isn’t decided until the very last second," Alaric Von Seraph said quietly. Even his usually cold expression showed a trace of tension.

From the moment they set foot in Thunderclap Academy, this had been a battle. And in a battle, surrender before the final moment was never an option.

On the judging platform, the three Concocting masters exchanged glances, a hint of surprise flickering in their eyes.

From their perception, there was nothing wrong with Zora’s Potion. The Concocting process was smooth, stable, and flawless. There were no mistakes, no deviations.

The only explanation was that the Potion she was concocting required an unusually long time. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"But among second-rank Potions, there aren’t many that take this long," Lionel muttered, frowning. "This duration is almost comparable to concocting a third-rank Potion."

Eamon’s brows shot up. "Don’t tell me... this girl is concocting a third-rank Potion?"

He didn’t understand alchemy deeply, but if that were true, it would be utterly terrifying.

If Zora could truly refine a third-rank Potion at her age, then dragging her away to the Inscription Masters Guild would become even more difficult.

Mariette shook her head lightly and smiled. "No. Judging from the fluctuations, she’s definitely concocting a second-rank Potion."

Her tone was calm, yet her eyes were sharp.

"But," she added slowly, "this second-rank Potion... is anything but ordinary."

As she spoke, Mariette couldn’t help but glance at Eamon. Only now did she finally understand something.

Eamon’s interest in Zora was far from casual.

Could it be... that the person Eamon had come to Thunderclap Academy looking for was Zora herself?

Mariette had known Eamon for many years. Ordinary talents would never catch his eye. Yet now, his gaze lingered repeatedly on Zora, attentive and focused. Mariette truly couldn’t see what made Zora so special that she could draw such attention from him.

Tancred, however, noticed none of this. His eyes never left Zora.

"In my opinion," he said slowly, "although Zora is concocting a second-rank Potion, its quality is likely very close to a third-rank Potion."

"If she completes it within the time limit, she will take first place in this alchemy contest. Otherwise, the victory goes to Reynard."

Everyone else had already finished. Only Zora remained.

Under normal circumstances, the last person still concocting would already be overwhelmed with pressure, their mental state wavering. Yet not a trace of tension could be seen on her face.

She seemed completely isolated from the outside world, as though nothing around her could disturb her focus.

For an Alchemist, such composure was priceless. It reflected not only experience, but absolute confidence.

At that moment, Tancred suddenly realized he might have underestimated Zora.

Her identity as a Spirit Warrior had been too misleading.

There were indeed people who cultivated while practicing alchemy. Sylvandria was one such example. But in the end, most would choose a single path and devote themselves fully to it.

Zora was different.

She walked both paths simultaneously and astonishingly, achieved heights on both that others struggled their entire lives to reach.

Sylvandria becoming a second-rank Alchemist at her age was already remarkable. Yet Zora seemed even younger.

If she truly succeeded in concocting a second-rank Potion bordering on third-rank quality... then her talent in alchemy was nothing short of monstrous.

And this was achieved while she also focused heavily on cultivation.

If she were to devote herself solely to alchemy, just how far could she go?

Tancred didn’t dare imagine it further. His eyes gradually burned with fervor.

Such a genius could not be wasted. He had to make Zora focus on alchemy.

Godfrey, catching the blazing light in Tancred’s eyes, inwardly cried out in alarm.

He was all too familiar with that look. It was the gaze of someone who had discovered an extraordinary seedling.

If Tancred set his sights on Zora, this would become troublesome.

Even Godfrey himself was shocked. He simply couldn’t understand what kind of monster Zora was.

Cultivation at an exceptional level. Inscription talent that stunned even the masters. And now—alchemy at such terrifying heights.

Even without sleeping, mastering so many disciplines should have been impossible.

Yet Zora had done it.

And unfortunately for everyone else, Godfrey happened to adore this kind of freakishly talented prodigy.

On the platform, Zora remained fully immersed in her concocting.

Although Sylvandria and the others had long since finished, she showed no impatience at all.

From the moment she chose to concoct Heaven’s Drought Potion, she had already anticipated this scene.

The higher the rank of a Potion, the longer the time required for refinement.

Zora had already calculated this clearly the moment the time limit was announced. With precise control, Heaven’s Drought Potion could be completed just within the allotted time.

Just as everyone was beginning to think that she would fail to finish in time, a sudden surge of rich medicinal fragrance burst forth from her cauldron.

The moment the scent spread, countless eyes lit up.