Word Count: 2,124 Words
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At the Yan Alliance's residence, Xiao Yan couldn't help but say, "Not bad. You actually managed to take first place in the western area and even leap ranks to beat that fellow nad Li Shi."
To be honest, he had not expected Nalan Yanran to sweep through all the genius disciples of various sects in the western area, even pulling off a surprising victory over Li Shi.
After all, she hadn't seed that strong when sparring with him.
Jia Xing Tian and the Serene Sea Scaly Beast had not returned together with them. Instead, they stayed at the younger-generation alchemist competition venue because Princess Yue Er was still in the process of refining pills. They had to guard against anyone who might resort to underhanded tactics.
Among those competitors were alchemists cultivated by the leading factions of the North-Western Region; even the weakest among them was a 4th-tier alchemist. anwhile, Princess Yue Er was attempting to refine a tier 5 pill, so the result would not be known until the following day.
Of course, Xiao Yan, being an alchemist himself, naturally served as the team's 'healer,' ready to assist anyone who was injured.
Nalan Yanran had fought a bloody battle to secure her victory over Li Shi.
"Hmph, obviously. I, Nalan Yanran, always keep my word." Nalan Yanran was as proud as ever.
"Is that so?" Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow, implying that she hadn't entirely lived up to her word.
However, he didn't continue to tease her. Her talent was indeed not bad. She had rely been unfortunate enough to encounter him in the past. If it had been anyone else, she might have erged superior long ago.
Xiao Yan took out an Emperor Heaven Pill from his storage ring. He was never stingy with those who had made contributions.
Without ceremony, Nalan Yanran snatched the Emperor Heaven Pill from his hand, intending to refine it for the final four of the next day. Her three remaining opponents all possessed Dou Emperor strength and hailed from the top ten factions of the North-Western Region as their youngest talents. She would certainly stand no chance if she stayed at the Dou King realm.
"Hey, don't rush. Using a pill to break through can cause unstable Dou Qi. I'll use my Heavenly Fla to help you refine the dicinal strength, which should firm up the Dou Qi a bit," Xiao Yan said quickly. Although an Emperor Heaven Pill could directly raise a 9-star Dou King to Dou Emperor, it had its fair share of side effects.
Nalan Yanran's pretty face turned slightly red when she heard that he would use his Heavenly Fla. "Using a Heavenly Fla to refine the dicinal strength? You're not going to do what you did at the Alchemist Grand eting or with Grandfather that ti, are you?"
She hadn't forgotten how Xiao Yan had appeared when he used the Four Lines White Spirit Pill at the Alchemist Grand eting. Moreover, when he helped her grandfather remove the Searing Poison, the Heavenly Fla had seed rather unruly.
It even burned off the clothes.
Xiao Yan cleared his throat and shot her an exasperated look. "What do you take the Heavenly Fla for? With my current strength, things like that won't happen anymore."
The Heavenly Fla was for refining pills, not for burning clothes!
In the end, Nalan Yanran nodded in agreent. After all, unstable Dou Qi was very troubleso for cultivators.
However, after Xiao Yan helped her refine the dicinal effects overnight using the Heavenly Fla, he happened to run into Yun Yun bringing breakfast for Nalan Yanran as he exited the room. The atmosphere imdiately grew awkward.
Although Yun Yun said nothing, Xiao Yan could tell from her eyes that she thought sothing had happened.
"Yun Zhi, listen to my explanation. I didn't do anything. I'm innocent!"
"No need to explain to . You and Yanran were engaged to begin with; this kind of thing is perfectly normal. Also, my na is Yun Yun."
?????
With a thud, Yun Yun closed the door, leaving the baffled Xiao Yan standing there in the breeze.
But that engagent was already canceled!
Of course, this was just a small episode. The main events today were not only the ergence of the strongest among the younger generation in the North-Western Region, but also the appearance of the most gifted alchemist.
After an entire day and night of alchemy, the alchemist competition grounds had thinned considerably. Previously, more than a hundred alchemists under the age of thirty had begun refining together, but now only a handful remained.
So had failed, and those who succeeded at refining low-grade tier 4 pills had already finished their tasks and left the venue.
All that remained were alchemists refining peak tier 4 pills or even tier 5 pills!
Outstanding young alchemist disciples were indispensable for any powerful faction. These disciples typically exchanged the pills they refined for faction contribution points, which earned them resources to improve their alchemy skills and personal strength.
Such a positive cycle was what every faction longed for.
"She Wang Yao from the Sky Serpent Mansion, Huangfu Guangtai from the Thunderbolt Sect, Jian Feixue from the dicine Bone Sect, Cao Jun from the Profound Lion Sect, and Sima Lin from the Heavenly Snow Gate... I'd guess all of them are refining tier 5 pills."
"Tsk, tsk. As expected of the top ten factions of the North-Western Region. Even their alchemy divisions are so formidable. Under thirty and already 5th-tier alchemists, we have only one 5th-tier alchemist in our sect."
"That She Wang Yao is simply outrageous. He's clearly a magical beast, but because his talent in alchemy surpassed everyone else, the Sky Serpent Mansion didn't hesitate to use a Body Transforming Pill at a young age to help him take human form. Now he's already a 5th-tier alchemist!"
After a day of observation, many keen onlookers had guessed that these individuals were refining tier 5 pills.
One had to recall that even a Deputy Chairman of the Alchemist Association in the Chu Yun Empire, who resorted to cheating at the Alchemist Grand eting, still couldn't refine a tier 5 pill. Yet now, at the Great eting of Factions in the North-Western Region, so many under-thirty 5th-tier alchemists had appeared!
"Huh? Who's that little girl? Why haven't we heard of her? And what's she refining that's taking so long?"
As more and more people departed after completing their peak tier 4 pills, Princess Yue Er, situated in a corner of the grounds due to the Yan Alliance's lack of status, finally attracted attention.
Anyone still refining a pill at this point was either just putting on a show or genuinely working on a tier 5 pill.
And it was clear that Yue Er was the latter!
Setting aside the anomaly that was Xiao Yan, Yue Er was even a year younger than him, having just turned twenty-two, and yet her alchemy skills had reached tier 5. Such talent was already astonishing in the Jia Ma Empire.
It seed to be the ti for pill formation. All six people, including Princess Yue Er, opened their eyes simultaneously. Six waves of colored dicinal fragrance emanated from their cauldrons!
"Oh my! All of them are tier 5 pills!"
"And they're about to succeed! It's already the final step of pill formation!"
Just as everyone was increasing their flas in preparation for the pills to finally take shape, Yue Er took a deep breath, placed a pill into her mouth, and then exhaled a mass of purple fla that surged into her dicinal cauldron.
The cauldron already contained the blue-colored Serene Sea Fla obtained from the Serene Sea Scaly Beast, and now an additional purple fla was added. This was actually the Athyst Fla of the Athyst Winged Lion King!
"What on earth?! Why is she adding another fla?!"
"No, wait, look again. There's more!"
As if addicted, Yue Er spat out another mass of purple fla, this ti much deeper than the beast fla of the Athyst Winged Lion King.
This was Zi Yan's Ancient Void Dragon Fla!
She didn't stop there; she spat out yet another fla, this ti a green one. There was no need to guess; this was Xiao Yan's Green Lotus Core Fla!
Four kinds of flas! This scene had been witnessed at the Alchemist Grand eting in the Jia Ma Empire!
And back then, Princess Yue Er had been one of the closest spectators!
"Four kinds of flas... A pill that requires four kinds of flas, I know! It's the legendary Four-Lines White Spirit Pill from the Jia Ma Empire!"
"So this girl is an alchemist from the Jia Ma Empire? Wait, no, she's from the Yan Alliance!"
"It's the Yan Alliance again!!!"
The appearance of four flas not only drew the attention of the audience outside but also caused the five alchemists within the arena to cast shocked glances.
Everyone in Jia Ma Sacred City knew about the Four Lines White Spirit Pill, but the distant empires in the North-Western Region did not.
"Hmph, alchemy isn't about who has more flas!" soone scoffed.
"The Four Lines White Spirit Pill? My Cultivation Pill is definitely not inferior," another said confidently.
"That green fla seems a bit strange..." soone muttered in puzzlent.
Only Princess Yue Er was fully focused on refining her pill at this mont. This was also her first ti refining the Four Lines White Spirit Pill.
Back then, Xiao Yan had rcilessly dominated the entire Alchemist Grand eting, defeating Yan Li with undeniable strength. That scene had left an indelible impression on this young girl.
Therefore, for this competition, she also chose to refine the Four Lines White Spirit Pill!
"Form the pill!" *6
Almost in unison, all six slapped their cauldrons. Six waves of colored dicinal fragrance instantly filled the entire square, each vying with the others and refusing to concede. For a mont, it was impossible to determine which one reigned supre.
However, if one had to declare a victor, it would undoubtedly be Princess Yue Er, because she was the youngest among them, only twenty-two!
After which, dicine Bone Sect's Sect Leader Gu Tong, along with Qiu Ping from the Qiu Clan in the Pill Region, stepped down from the VIP seats to inspect the pills. The first person they approached was Yue Er.
They glanced at the Four Lines White Spirit Pill before Yue Er and then exchanged looks, seeing the astonishnt in each other's eyes.
This was refined by a twenty-two-year-old?!
"I am the Sect Leader of the dicine Bone Sect. We possess an extensive heritage of alchemy. Would you be interested in joining the dicine Bone Sect? I promise, in my capacity as Sect Leader, you will receive the best of everything. With your talent, there is no need to stay in that sort of small faction."
Everyone was stunned. The Sect Leader of the dicine Bone Sect was personally recruiting!!
What shocked them even more was that Princess Yue Er refused without a mont's hesitation!
"No, thank you. I'm very happy in my own country. There's a very powerful alchemist there," Princess Yue Er politely declined, worthy of her royal upbringing.
By now, Jia Xing Tian had appeared beside her as well, ready to shield her in case the other party beca angry out of embarrassnt.
Though a hint of displeasure flashed in Gu Tong's eyes, he did not lose his temper. Instead, he continued, "If you join our dicine Bone Sect, you might even have the opportunity to enter the Qiu Clan in the Pill Region. I can recomnd you."
Hearing his words, even Jia Xing Tian showed a surprised expression. One of the five great clans in the Pill Region of the Central Plains!
Not only him, but all the spectators were astonished. The five major clans of the Pill Region in the Central Plains! Their combined strength surpassed even that of the entire North-Western Region, and even the Four Pavilions couldn't compare.
After all, each of the five major clans had 8th-tier alchemists!
Beside them, Qiu Ping nodded subtly and said, "Your talent is quite good. A twenty-two-year-old 5th-tier alchemist is considered promising in our Qiu Clan. If you can break through to tier 6 before you turn twenty-eight, we might make an exception to let you join."
"Recruiting my people?"
Suddenly, a chuckle ca from not far away. Clad in an alchemist's robe, Xiao Yan slowly walked in from the entrance of the venue and said leisurely, "This must be the funniest joke I've ever heard."
"What does your Qiu Clan count as, anyway? Anyone listening might think your clan head is the number one alchemist in the entire Dou Qi Continent."
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