Chapter 1356: The Last Three Minutes
On the fourth day of the competition, the results of the preliminary round were announced, and the majority of people would leave Bing City, returning to their respective countries or hometowns.
The fifth and sixth mornings, a day and a half’s time, were for the semi-finals.
Within this day and a half, participants only needed to perform alchemy once, with the time to be determined later.
The list for the finals would be announced on the afternoon of the sixth day, and the seventh day of the competition would be the time for the finals.
The seventh day, which was the most critical day, was certainly in terms of those who made it to the finals.
The final results would be announced on the same day, marking the perfect conclusion of this International Alchemy Competition.
No matter the results, after the competition, Bing City would return to its quietude.
The day of the finals fell on the 29th of the lunar year, just in time for everyone to go back and celebrate the New Year.
The Spring Festival was a holiday in our country, but regardless of the results, almost all remaining participants would leave on that day.
The sign-in venue was packed with people, a truly magnificent sight.
After the incident with Xia Yinian, the other participants were all well protected.
People entered the venue wave after wave, and everyone conscientiously kept quiet.
The sign-in area was a large square, specially built for this International Alchemy Competition.
Every city had its designated rest area.
Yuan Yaying, Leng Zhishuo, Li Yuetong, and Yu Wanqing appeared at the entrance of the sign-in area under the guidance of volunteers.
Apart from those accompanying them, there were also quite a few bodyguards around, just in case.
In the face of such an important competition, regardless of whether one’s family had money or not, everyone was treated equally.
Only those who stood out in such a competition were the true champions.
Ye Shushu always stayed by Yuan Yaying’s side, even now.
The few of them sat down in their arranged spots, and Ye Shushu held Yuan Yaying’s hand.
"Yayin, Nian Nian she..."
Although Leng Zhishuo said that Nian Nian was safe and had asked them to keep things confidential, until they saw her, no one could feel at ease.
"Don’t worry, she will definitely come." Yuan Yaying gave Ye Shushu an affirmative look, letting out a soft sigh.
Yu Wanqing glanced sideways at the two of them and said nothing.
Her disdainful gaze made Ye Shushu feel uncomfortable.
However, with Xia Yinian on her mind, Ye Shushu wouldn’t bother with anything else.
When Xia Yinian was found, Chi He notified Leng Zhishuo, but their people were still searching.
As for their purpose, only those who arranged all of this knew.
Ye Shushu and Yuan Yaying sat there, their eyes mostly fixed on the entrance of the sign-in area.
Going by the situation outside, the police were still searching for Nian Nian. In fact, they weren’t completely without suspicion.
If Leng Zhishuo had lied to calm Yuan Yaying, they really wouldn’t know what to do.
After more than ten minutes, the host began to speak from the stage surrounded on three sides.
"On this snowy day, we welcome..."
A long string of official words didn’t lift Yuan Yaying and Ye Shushu’s mood; instead, it made them feel worse.
Time was ticking away, yet the figure they wanted to see still hadn’t appeared.
In such a competition, everything was accounted for; typically, there shouldn’t be a situation where a participant was late or absent.
"There are only three minutes left until the end of registration," the host’s voice rang out once again.