Word Count: 2,257 Words
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"Not bad. You actually managed to take first place in the western area and even leap ranks to beat that fellow named Li Shi," Xiao Yan couldn't help but say at the Yan Alliance's residence.
To be honest, he had not initially expected Nalan Yanran to actually sweep through all the genius disciples of the various factions in the western area, let alone pull off a surprising victory over Li Shi in the end.
After all, she hadn't seemed that strong when she fought against 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 needed to guard against anyone resorting 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. Meanwhile, 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 today to secure her victory over Li Shi.
"Hmph, of course. I, Nalan Yanran, always keep my word." Nalan Yanran was as proud as ever.
"Mm-hmm?" Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow, the implication clear; it seemed 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 merely been unfortunate enough to encounter him. If it had been anyone else, she might have emerged 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 competition the next day. Her three remaining opponents tomorrow all possessed Dou Emperor strength and were the youngest genius disciples from the top ten factions of the North-Western Region. If she remained a Dou King, she would certainly not be able to defeat them.
"Hey, hey, hey, don't rush. Using a pill to break through can easily cause your Dou Qi to become unstable. I'll use my Heavenly Flame to help you refine the medicinal strength; that should help solidify your Dou Qi somewhat," Xiao Yan quickly called out. Although an Emperor Heaven Pill could indeed allow a 9-star Dou King to directly break through to Dou Emperor, it also came with quite a few side effects.
Nalan Yanran's pretty face turned slightly red when she heard that he would use his Heavenly Flame. "Using a Heavenly Flame to refine the medicinal strength? You're not going to do what you did at the Alchemist Grand Meeting and with Grandfather that time, are you?"
She hadn't forgotten how Xiao Yan looked when he used the Four Lines White Spirit Pill at the Alchemist Grand Meeting. Moreover, when he helped her grandfather remove the Searing Poison, that Heavenly Flame had seemed rather unruly.
Xiao Yan coughed lightly and shot her an exasperated look, "What do you take the Heavenly Flame for? With my current strength, things like that won't happen anymore."
Heavenly Flames were for refining pills, not for burning clothes!
In the end, Nalan Yanran still nodded in agreement. After all, unstable Dou Qi was very troublesome for cultivators.
However, after Xiao Yan helped her refine the medicinal strength with his Heavenly Flame for a night, he happened to run into Yun Yun bringing breakfast for Nalan Yanran as he exited the room. For a moment, the atmosphere became indescribably awkward.
Although Yun Yun said nothing, Xiao Yan could tell from her eyes that she thought something had happened.
"Yun Zhi, listen to my explanation! I didn't do anything! I'm innocent!"
"You don't need to explain to me. You and Yanran were engaged to begin with; this kind of thing is perfectly normal. Also, my name is Yun Yun."
?????
With a thud, Yun Yun closed the door, leaving an innocent and baffled Xiao Yan standing there in the breeze
But that engagement was already canceled!
Of course, this was just a small interlude. Today's main event was not only the emergence of the strongest young talent in the North-Western Region but also the appearance of the most gifted alchemist.
After an entire day and night of refining, the number of people in the alchemist competition venue had dwindled considerably. Initially, over a hundred genius alchemists under the age of thirty had started refining pills together, but after a day, only a few remained.
It wasn't just the alchemists who had failed in their refinement; those who were refining low-grade tier 4 pills had also completed their work and left the venue.
All who 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 used the pills they refined to exchange for faction contribution points, thereby obtaining resources from the faction for cultivation, improving their alchemy skills and strength.
Such a virtuous cycle was something all factions aspired to.
"She Wang Yao from the Sky Serpent Mansion, Huangfu Guangtai from the Thunderbolt Sect, Jian Feixue from the Medicine Bone Sect, Cao Jun from the Profound Lion Sect, and Sima Lin from the Heavenly Snow Gate… all five of them are refining tier 5 pills, right?"
"Tsk, tsk, truly worthy of being the top ten factions of the North-Western Region. Even their alchemy divisions are so strong. 5th-tier alchemists under the age of thirty; our faction only has one 5th-tier alchemist."
"That She Wang Yao is simply outrageous. He's clearly a magical beast, but because his alchemy talent surpassed everyone else in the faction, the Sky Serpent Mansion didn't hesitate to use a Body Transformation Pill to cultivate him when he was very young, allowing him to take human form. Now he's actually reached tier 5!"
Inside the venue, after a day of observation, many individuals with sharp eyes had guessed that these people were all refining tier 5 pills.
One must remember that back then, the Deputy Chairman of the Chu Yun Empire's Alchemist Association, even when cheating to participate in the Alchemist Grand Meeting, was unable to refine a tier 5 pill. Yet now, at this Great Meeting of Factions in the North-Western Region, so many 5th-tier alchemists under the age of thirty had appeared!
"Huh? Who's that little girl? Why haven't I heard of her? And what is she refining that it's taking so long?"
At this point, as more and more people left after completing their peak tier 4 pills, Princess Yue Er, whose position was in a corner of the venue due to the Yan Alliance's lack of status, finally attracted attention.
Anyone still refining pills at this stage was either putting on an act or genuinely refining a tier 5 pill!
And it was clear that Princess Yue Er was the latter!
If one were to disregard the anomaly that was Xiao Yan, Princess Yue Er was a year younger than him, having just celebrated her twenty-second birthday not long ago. Her alchemy skills had reached tier 5; such talent was already extremely astonishing in the Jia Ma Empire.
As if it were time for the pills to form, all six individuals, including Princess Yue Er, opened their eyes simultaneously. Six streams of colored medicinal fragrance wafted out from their medicinal cauldrons!
"My heavens, they're all tier 5 pills!"
"And they're about to succeed! They're already at the final step of pill formation!"
Just as everyone was increasing their flame, preparing for the pills to finally take shape, Princess Yue Er took a deep breath, popped a pill into her mouth, and then, with a whoosh, exhaled a mass of purple flame that surged violently into her medicinal cauldron.
The medicinal cauldron already contained the blue Serene Sea Flame obtained from the Serene Sea Scaly Beast, and now an additional purple flame was added. This was actually the Amethyst Flame of the Amethyst Winged Lion King!
"What the hell?! What is she doing! Why did she add another flame?!"
"No, wait, look again. There's more!"
Princess Yue Er, as if addicted, spat out another mass of purple flame. But what was different was that this mass of flame was a much deeper purple than the beast flame of the Amethyst Winged Lion King.
This was Zi Yan's Ancient Void Dragon Flame!
She still didn't stop; she spat out another flame, this time it was green. There was no need to guess; this was Xiao Yan's Green Lotus Core Flame!
Four kinds of flames! This scene had been witnessed at the Jia Ma Empire's Alchemist Grand Meeting!
And at that time, Princess Yue Er had been one of the closest spectators!
"Four kinds of flames... a pill that requires four kinds of flames—I know! This is the legendary pill of the Jia Ma Empire, the Four Lines White Spirit Pill!"
"In that case, this young girl is an alchemist from the Jia Ma Empire? No, she's an alchemist from the Yan Alliance!"
"It's the Yan Alliance again!!!"
The appearance of four flames not only attracted the audience outside the venue but also caused the five alchemists inside the arena to cast astonished glances.
Everyone in Jia Ma Sacred City knew about the Four Lines White Spirit Pill, but the distant empires in other parts of the North-Western Region did not.
"Hmph, alchemy isn't a competition of who has more flames!" someone scoffed.
"Four Lines White Spirit Pill? My Cultivation Pill is definitely not inferior to it," someone said confidently.
"That green flame seems a bit strange…" someone else mused.
Only Princess Yue Er was currently wholeheartedly focused on refining the pill. This was also her first time refining the Four Lines White Spirit Pill.
One must know that back then, Xiao Yan had mercilessly crushed the entire Alchemist Grand Meeting, defeating Yan Li with undeniably powerful strength. That scene had left an indelible impression on this little girl's heart.
Therefore, for this competition, she had also chosen the Four Lines White Spirit Pill!
"Pill formed!" *6
Almost simultaneously, all six individuals slapped their medicinal cauldrons. Six streams of colored medicinal fragrance instantly permeated the entire square. The medicinal fragrances of the six pills could be said to be evenly matched, neither giving way to the other, making it difficult to determine a winner for a moment.
However, if one had to declare a victor, it would undoubtedly be Princess Yue Er, because she was the youngest here, only twenty-two years old!
At the same time, the Medicine Bone Sect's Sect Leader, Gu Tong, and Grandmaster Qiu Ping from the Pill Region both descended from the VIP seats to inspect the pills. The first place they headed was toward Princess Yue Er.
They glanced at the Four Lines White Spirit Pill before Yue Er and then exchanged looks, seeing the astonishment in each other's eyes.
This was refined by a twenty-two-year-old?!
"I am the Sect Leader of the Medicine Bone Sect. Our Medicine Bone Sect possesses a powerful alchemist heritage. I wonder if you have any interest in joining my Medicine Bone Sect? I guarantee, in my capacity as Sect Leader, to give you the best treatment. With such talent, you don't need to stay in that small faction."
Everyone was instantly stunned. The Sect Leader of the Medicine Bone Sect was personally recruiting someone!
And what made everyone's jaws drop was that Princess Yue Er refused without a moment's consideration!
"No, thank you. I am very well off in my own country. There's a very skilled alchemist there," Princess Yue Er, truly befitting her royal status, politely declined.
By now, Jia Xing Tian had also appeared beside Princess Yue Er to protect her, fearing the other party might become angry from embarrassment.
Though a hint of displeasure flashed in Gu Tong's eyes, he did not lose his temper. Instead, he continued, "If you join my Medicine Bone Sect, you might even have the opportunity to enter the Qiu Clan in the Pill Region. I can recommend you."
Hearing his words, even Jia Xing Tian showed a surprised expression. One of the five great clans of the Pill Region in the Central Plains!
It wasn't just Jia Xing Tian; the onlookers were even more astounded. The five great clans of the Pill Region in the Central Plains! Their strength surpassed that of the entire North-Western Region combined; even the Four Pavilions could not compare!
Because these five great clans had 8th-tier alchemists!
Qiu Ping, who was standing to the side, actually nodded subtly and said, "Your current talent is quite good. A twenty-two-year-old 5th-tier alchemist is considered to have decent talent even in my Qiu Clan. If you can break through to tier 6 before you turn twenty-eight, then we can make an exception and allow you to join my Qiu Clan."
"Recruiting my people?"
Suddenly, a chuckle came from not far away. Xiao Yan, clad in an alchemist's robe, slowly walked in from the entrance of the venue and leisurely said, "This is probably the funniest joke I've ever heard."
"What does your Qiu Clan count as? Anyone who didn't know better might think the head of your Qiu Clan is the number one alchemist in the entire Dou Qi Continent."