Chapter 337: The Shen Yuan (8000 Characters Completed)

"Hmm, although most of the alchemy techniques were masked, one can still glimpse the whole picture from subtle movements. Gu Tong has indeed made considerable progress in the Seventh Rank." Qiu Ping stroked his beard and couldn't help but praise.

In previous editions, the Bone Bone Sect rose to fame precisely because Elder Gu Tong reached Seventh Rank—even if only barely, it was still the pinnacle among many sects in the Northwest Region.

Only the heads of a few top Alchemist Guilds in the Northwest Region possess Seventh Rank ability.

Receiving Qiu Ping's praise, even Elder Gu Tong couldn't help but feel a touch of pride. Qiu Ping was from the Qiu Family, a seasoned Seventh-Rank Alchemist, skilled in fire control—especially the Qiu Family's fire manipulation technique, which was exceptionally powerful.

To earn his approval was already a honor.

At this moment, Elder Gu Tong deliberately revealed certain alchemy steps, carefully placing medicinal materials into the Alchemy Furnace in sequence, even simultaneously refining several herbs at once. His movements were effortless and expertly refined, clearly showing he had full confidence.

In fact, Elder Gu Tong wasn't the only Seventh-Rank Alchemist present; on Xiao Yan's other side, an old man wielded equally extraordinary skill—he was Sima Lin, the Alchemist representing the Tian She Mansion, also Seventh Rank, and formerly the head of the Tian She Empire's Alchemist Guild.

The Tian She Mansion paid an enormous price to bring Sima Lin into their ranks, sending him to represent them at the Sect Grand Meeting, with the sole purpose of surpassing the Bone Bone Sect in alchemy!

"That old bastard Sima Lin is really going all out—he's refining what must be a Seven Rank Low Grade Beast Emperor Body Strengthening Elixir. This pill is suited for Seventh-Stage Beasts, not only enhancing their physical strength but also raising the chance of increasing bloodline concentration—even high-level Seventh-Stage Beasts benefit from it."

As a nation of beasts, the Tian She Empire naturally produces far more elixirs meant for beasts.

"Look at the fire seed Sima Lin is using—that looks like Eighth Rank Beast Fire: Silver Star Dragon Snake Fire!"

"No wonder Sima Lin joined the Tian She Mansion—turns out they actually pulled out something like this! That Beast Fire's value probably rivals a Seventh Rank Peak Elixir, maybe even approaches Eighth Rank."

Sima Lin's flame sparkled with silver stars; as it surged, it resembled countless silver snakes coiling. Though inferior to Strange Fire, Eighth Rank Beast Fire already possessed a touch of sentience, and with Dou Zong-level Dou Qi enhancement, its power was nearly on par with Strange Fire.

At this moment, countless pairs of eyes turned toward the area emitting emerald light.

Countless eyes focused on Xiao Yan's direction—everyone, without exception, was intensely attentive, for Xiao Yan was by far the most mysterious and astonishing figure present.

No one now questioned whether Xiao Yan's alchemy was truly Seventh Rank; after observing for so long, it was clear he was genuinely refining a Seven-Grade Pill, and so far, he showed not the slightest sign of failure.

Under the gaze of all, Xiao Yan remained utterly composed, calm and collected—every movement, every change, every control was confident, as steady as Mount Tai, perfectly orderly, as if he weren't refining a Seven-Grade Pill at all, but merely admiring flowers, gazing at the moon, or writing poetry and painting.

Such skill and composure left many Alchemists awestruck, humbled and admitting defeat.

"Sigh, to be a Seventh-Rank Alchemist at such a young age—there truly is reason behind it," muttered an elder Alchemist, unable to hold back his admiration.

Many Alchemists, especially those of Xiao Yan's age, sighed in awe—there were always greater mountains beyond mountains; compared to Xiao Yan, all so-called geniuses were as foolish as pigs.

Some young girls even wore expressions of worship and infatuation—such a man naturally captivated countless hearts. As for the male Alchemists, they all felt that if they could ever reach Xiao Yan's level in their entire lives, it would already be extraordinary.

There was no need to speak of anything else.

Time passed minute by minute, day by day; though the sun rose and set, the mountain's exterior remained packed with people, utterly silent—even the entire Tian She Mansion was hushed.

Countless eyes watched Xiao Yan, Sima Lin, and Elder Gu Tong—after all, these were Seven-Grade Pills; everyone was intensely focused, for if any succeeded, it would produce a pill so coveted it would make even seasoned Alchemists drool.

Meanwhile, all other Alchemists refining Six-Grade Pills had long finished; they dared not even speak up, not even bothering to watch the judges, for everyone knew these three were the true focus of the contest.

One could say the future upheaval of the Northwest Region would be decided in this alchemy contest.

Because of Xiao Yan, the arena matches, which should have drawn far more spectators, were now barely discussed.

Hai Bodong, standing nearby, could only shake his head helplessly. Yesterday, he had returned with force, defeating two Ninth-Star Dou Huangs from the Northwest Region with his masterful ice Dou Qi, declaring his return as the Ice Emperor—but because of Xiao Yan, no one talked about it, and even the audience was sparse.

Even Zi Yan, defeating every Dou Huang from Mu Lan Valley and Jin Yan Sect single-handedly, holding the arena against even the Tian She Mansion and Thunder Sect's Dou Huangs, creating an unprecedented miracle, was mentioned only in passing.

After all, everyone understood one thing: if Xiao Yan truly won, the Yan Alliance would surpass every Alchemist Guild in the Northwest Region and become the Holy Land in every Alchemist's heart!

At that time, every free Alchemist in the Northwest Region would flood into the Yan Alliance; without even mentioning anything else, the Yan Alliance would unify all Alchemists in the Northwest Region.

Imagine a sect where both the youngest generation and the strongest sect alchemists all belonged to the same faction—and all were incredibly young. How terrifying such a sect would be.

Why could the Alchemist Guild gather so many Alchemists? Precisely because it was the Holy Land in Alchemists' hearts—the strongest Alchemists were all in the Alchemist Guild!

Most importantly, Xiao Yan was too young. Everyone wanted to know why he possessed such powerful alchemy at such a young age—and naturally, they would join the Yan Alliance, hoping to draw near their own "Alchemy Sage."

Finally, time flowed on, and the critical moment arrived—the moment to insert the Magic Core, the final step to complete the Pill!

Sima Lin and Elder Gu Tong both withdrew a Magic Core from their storage rings; the instant the Magic Cores entered the Alchemy Furnace, their amber-like luster tugged at the heartstrings. The Magic Cores, burned by flame, slowly transformed into round, plump shapes, taking the preliminary form of pills.

ROAR!!! As the Magic Cores merged with the medicinal substances, a furious roar erupted from the Alchemy Furnace, like a violent storm—extremely domineering, extremely fierce—as if a fierce beast sought to overturn the heavens.

This was precisely why Alchemists needed considerable strength—refining Pills was inherently dangerous!

These were Magic Cores from Seventh-Stage Beasts; the resentment within them was no trivial matter. Seventh-Stage Beasts, in life, were ferocious and invincible—even in death, their Magic Cores still held immense power.

As the Magic Core entered the Alchemy Furnace, a beast spirit surged, attempting to burst free from within.

This was the moment to test an Alchemist's true strength.

"Hmph!" Sima Lin's eyes hardened; Seventh-Rank Soul Force surged violently. The Silver Star Dragon Snake Fire instantly transformed into a colossal dragon-serpent, coiling around the beast's resentment as if to strangle it.

Elder Gu Tong also unleashed his power—the advantage of possessing Strange Fire became evident: a dragon's roar erupted from the Alchemy Furnace.

The Dragonfire Whirlwind extended a DragonClaw, seizing the Spirit Beast Soul in one firm grip.

At this moment, both Seventh-Rank Alchemists deployed their unique techniques, combining with the Alchemy Furnace's power, swiftly suppressing the Magic Cores and refining them within.

"Huh? Strange—why hasn't Xiao Yan inserted his Magic Core yet?"

At this moment, someone noticed the anomaly and turned their gaze toward Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan had wrapped himself most tightly—Green Lotus Earth Core Fire resembled a closed lotus blossom, completely obscuring his figure.

Yet no matter how tightly Strange Fire enveloped him, inserting a Magic Core would inevitably cause violent disturbances, and such disturbances must be sensed—but strangely, Xiao Yan remained perfectly calm, as if nothing had happened at all.

"Could he have failed?"

"No way—that'd be too disappointing."

But She Tianhao, Lei Dian, and other high-level Dou Zongs did not think so—they had just sensed a peculiar Soul Force fluctuation.

Inside the Green Lotus Earth Core Fire, Xiao Yan had certainly not failed—and the spectators outside were not mistaken: Xiao Yan had indeed not inserted a Magic Core.

The reason was simple: the Great Soul Black Purple Pill did not require a Magic Core at all.

Remember, the Great Soul Black Purple Pill's Pill Formula was created by the Soul Sovereign—it originated from the Soul Sovereign, or rather, the Soul Clan!

The Great Soul Black Purple Pill was an Elixir to enhance Soul Force—not to raise Cultivation Realm, heal injuries, or strengthen the body. It enhanced the Soul itself, so it required energy tied to the Spiritual Soul.

Xiao Yan withdrew the Soul Token from his storage ring, his eyes flickering; with a light touch of his finger, all the Soul Bodies collected from the Shen Yuan Gorge battle were released.

Wuuuuu!!! Black mist surged forth; countless ghostly shadows erupted like a flood, wildly pouring out of the Soul Token.

Instantly, the entire space was engulfed by these dark Soul Bodies.

Among them were the Spiritual Souls of Poison Sect and Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate disciples who had ambushed Xiao Yan, some Fifth-Rank or higher Beast Spirits, and residual Spiritual Souls devoured by the Soul Eaters.

"It's out."

"Run!"

"Where is this~~"

Waves of wailing and howling rose up.

"Ah! What kind of flame is this!"

"Let me out of here!"

Escape was, of course, impossible. That was also why Xiao Yan had wrapped himself tightly in the Green Lotus Earth Core Fire.

As for feeling sorry for these people — impossible. In life, every one of them had wanted to kill him.

Xiao Yan instantly switched into his Soul Robe, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes, and laughed: "Hehehehe, since you're all going to die anyway, why not help me refine some pills?"

Flame Venerable had never been the sort to let an enemy go.

In an instant his hand seals formed, the Soul Robe billowed without wind, and the shadow beneath Xiao Yan's feet began to wriggle eerily — finally turning into a puddle of ink!

"Xiu Luo Soul-Slaying Art — Second Form, Sunken Shen Yuan!"

With a hum, the shadow beneath Xiao Yan's feet seemed to transform into an endless abyss; at this moment, Xiao Yan appeared to be standing above an abyss!

What lay beneath his feet was impossible to make out — only a vast expanse of darkness.

As Xiao Yan stood quietly waiting above the abyss, roars suddenly rose from the dark depths below. Even the strongest of men could not help but shudder at those eerie howls.

Suddenly, a clanging rang out, and from beneath Xiao Yan's feet, black Spiritual Energy Sealing Chains shot forth one after another — chains that seemed to belong to the Xiu Luo of the abyss below.

Those chains lunged and slashed at the Soul Bodies all around. With a series of thuds and screams, every Soul Body pierced by the chains crumbled to ash and scattered, leaving behind only a pure white orb of light.

Xiao Yan of course recognized those orbs of light — weren't they the same soul-light he had absorbed while cultivating the Spiritual Heart Soul Gathering Art? But these orbs were far, far larger than soul-light.

In just a moment, the chains surging from the abyss had wiped out the densely packed Soul Bodies completely.

Those chains swayed in the air; from a distance they looked like black tentacles sprouting from beneath Xiao Yan's feet — utterly grotesque.

The chains kept swaying in the air, as if still unsatisfied, and finally turned their gaze toward Xiao Yan, standing above the abyss!

With a sudden sound, a pair of eyes appeared in the darkness beneath Xiao Yan's feet, fixing him in an unblinking stare, as if wanting to drag him down into the endless abyss as well.

Without even a second glance, Xiao Yan snorted coldly: "Get back in there, all of you!"

Whoooosh — the Burning Art activated, and clusters of Heavenly Flames instantly appeared around Xiao Yan. At his command, they would pounce and destroy those chains in an instant.

Even with the Heavenly Flames present, the chains did not retreat at once. After a brief standoff, the eyes in the abyss slowly closed, and the chains withdrew.

As the chains pulled back, they took half of the soul-light orbs with them, leaving only half for Xiao Yan — as if demanding payment.

After recalling all the Heavenly Flames, Xiao Yan could only shake his head helplessly. He had known from the very start that this Soul Technique was dangerous and eerie.

It could make him lose himself at any moment. And this was only the Second Form, Sunken Shen Yuan — if it were the ultimate Xiu Luo…

But undeniably, this Soul Technique was powerful! He needed great power right now.

Xiao Yan took a deep breath, steadied himself once more, then cast a solemn look into the Alchemy Furnace, where a large amount of medicinal essence lay.

With a sweep of his Soul Force, the remaining soul-light merged into one large cluster, and Xiao Yan slowly guided the soul-light orb, feeding it bit by bit into the Alchemy Furnace.

This was also why Elixirs that directly enhanced Soul Force were so exceedingly rare — what they required was not Magic Cores, but these soul-light orbs, which could not be obtained without a Soul Cultivation Technique.

Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed, and then the Green Lotus Earth Core Fire fiercely enveloped all the soul-light orbs and medicinal essence.

"Merge the Pill!"

This week, eight thousand words a day first; starting next week, ten thousand to pay off the debt.

(End of this chapter)