Chapter 596: Inheriting Hatred (Requesting Moon Tickets to Stay in Top 100)

Zi Yan whispered softly: "Don't worry, I wouldn't move now."

Zi Yan and Xiao Yan exchanged amused glances, recalling how, back in the Dan Realm, they had disguised themselves as the Purple Yan Great Thief and robbed every participant of their medicinal materials, even emptying the entire Wanyao Mountain Range.

Thanks to those medicinal materials, Xiao Yan's pill alchemy had advanced so rapidly.

After suppressing their mischievous glee, the two quickly caught up.

Along the way, among the lush medicinal seas, they spotted several aged figures; though these elders looked like ordinary medicinal farmers, Xiao Yan sensed powerful spiritual soul fluctuations emanating from them—clearly, these seemingly humble farmers possessed exceptionally high mastery in Soul Force.

As they passed several pill fields, Zi Yan quietly memorized which Nine Rank Medicinal Materials had matured—this was the nature of the Ancient Dragon!

After traversing several mountain paths, the group finally halted at the summit, where numerous Alchemists had gathered—all here to compete in Spirit Refining and vie for the single Pill Apprentice position.

Don't underestimate the Little Pill Tower Elder's Pill Apprentice; every Alchemist here is a legendary super-Alchemist on the Dou Qi Continent.

The Pill Gathering occurs once every thirty years, but only one Champion is crowned; apart from the Champion, the other Alchemists are no slouches, and over the years, several with exceptional talent have made it their lifelong goal to reach the Nine Grade pinnacle atop the Dou Qi Continent.

"Tsk tsk tsk, no wonder Old Hou picked his apprentice—so many old masters have shown up," Xuan Kongzi muttered to himself.

When they first arrived, Xuan Kongzi had told Xiao Yan that Old Hou had crafted the Flame Demon Qingxuan Elixir during his Elder candidacy—it's an Eight Grade Peak Pill comparable to the Bodhi Pill and the Nine Revolution Heaven Changing Pill, certain to summon Nine Color Pill Thunder.

It can, upon consumption by someone with Fire Attribute Battle Qi, trigger a chance of Battle Qi mutation, thereby enhancing combat power.

Xiao Yan's refining of the Strange Fire was essentially a Battle Qi mutation imbued with Strange Fire power; a single Flame Demon Qingxuan Elixir produces a similar effect—imagine how precious it is.

Among this crowd of Alchemists, Xiao Yan quickly spotted Dan Chen and Cao Ying—simply because, among all these elders, they were the only two young people.

Normally, Dan Chen and Cao Ying's talent and strength would have been enough to win the Pill Gathering with a Three-Colored Pill Thunder Eight Grade Pill; but then two Soul Hall Alchemists appeared.

Dan Chen remained as she always was—hunched, standing alone in the corner, wearing a plain little white dress, her large, round, watery eyes especially expressive when timid, as if they could speak.

Her hands twisted together; whenever someone approached, she instinctively stepped back several paces, intensely shy—not just unwilling to speak, but even someone getting close made her uncomfortable, like a little lamb among a pack of gray wolves.

Cao Ying, too, stood out like a crane among chickens; dressed in black robes, the long trailing fabric failed to conceal her exquisite figure, the sheer thin gauze revealing her slender, willow-like waist, and beneath it, her long, rounded legs were fully visible, especially accentuated by the black gauze, making her utterly alluring.

The thin black gauze draped over her delicate frame, its few brushstroke-like curves sculpting a breathtakingly seductive aura—this beauty could never be hidden in a crowd.

Especially when the thin gauze swayed with each step she took, it made one's soul soar—so intoxicatingly graceful, no wonder Zi Yan had called her a fox spirit.

Even without deliberately flirting, Cao Ying's mere walking exuded allure.

But unlike before, Cao Ying no longer played social games—she now focused entirely on Spirit Refining; her eyes now burned with fierce Battle Intention as she stared at Dan Chen.

At the last Pill Gathering, Cao Ying had barely defeated her; but afterward, Dan Chen's pill alchemy gradually surpassed Cao Ying's. After Xiao Yan left, they clashed multiple times—from Cao Ying winning more than losing, to finally losing more than winning.

"Hm?"

Dan Chen and Cao Ying suddenly sensed something and slowly turned their heads in the same direction—there stood a face both familiar and strangely unfamiliar.

Even Tian Lei Zi and Xuan Kongzi, as their masters, were ignored entirely; all eyes fixed on the sudden arrival of this man.

Seeing them look, Xiao Yan smiled faintly and waved to greet them.

"Xiao Yan!"

"Big Brother Xiao Yan!"

As two of Sheng Dan Cheng's most talented jewels and the strongest contenders for the Pill Apprentice position, many had been watching them; their simultaneous exclamations naturally drew countless gazes toward Xiao Yan.

"Xiao Yan? That name sounds so familiar."

"I remember! The Champion of this year's Pill Gathering—the Yan Alliance's Xiao Yan!"

"Damn! How'd he show up? He's not here to compete for the Pill Apprentice position too, is he? Then what's the point of us refining?"

"You're nuts—Xiao Yan's the Pill Gathering Champion; he already has the qualifications to train in the Little Pill Tower."

"Oh, right."

Seeing Xiao Yan appear suddenly, Dan Chen and Cao Ying's eyes widened in surprise, then lit up with delight.

Dan Chen wore a long-missed smile, glancing around, then darted through the crowd to reach Xiao Yan, her big eyes sparkling: "Big Brother Xiao Yan, why are you here?"

Looking into Dan Chen's innocent eyes, Xiao Yan gently stroked her small head, his Demon Soul Force blocking her Special Physique's power, and smiled: "I came to train in Spirit Refining at the Little Pill Tower—it's the Holy Land of Alchemists; if you want to improve your pill alchemy, this is the best place."

No wonder he's one of the Ten Heavenly Elders—he lies without blinking.

Cao Ying, by contrast, was more reserved; she walked gracefully toward Xiao Yan, covering her mouth with a light laugh, her smile full of seduction, stirring hearts, saying: "Hehe, Master Xiao Yan, it's been so long—what an honor to see you again. I thought I'd never lay eyes on you again."

Hearing Cao Ying's alluring words, Xiao Yan glanced at her coolly—and ignored her outright.

Seeing Xiao Yan ignore her again, Cao Ying's eyes grew wounded, her face almost resentful—why wouldn't this man fall for it!

"Hmph, fox spirit, don't come close," Zi Yan suddenly pulled Xiao Yan away from Cao Ying, leaping up to wrap her arms around his neck, baring her teeth at Cao Ying.

"Hehe, Miss Zi Yan is here too," Cao Ying laughed softly, covering her mouth.

As Xiao Yan chatted with the group, an discordant voice cut through—then the crowd parted, revealing a thin, gray-robed elder slowly advancing.

"You're the disciple of Yao Lao?"

Hearing this, Xiao Yan slowly turned his head; without needing Xuan Kongzi to introduce him, Xiao Yan knew this man was Old Hou, the rival of the Medicine Sovereign—perhaps he should now be called Elder Hou.

After a moment of silence, Elder Hou's eyes dimmed slightly as he asked softly: "Has that old man truly died?"

A true soulmate is hard to find; an opponent even harder. Elder Hou had always regarded the Medicine Sovereign as his ultimate goal, spending years in seclusion refining his pill alchemy just to surpass him. But when he emerged, he heard only of his death—suddenly losing his life's purpose, Elder Hou had decided to enter the Little Pill Tower to further his studies.

Xiao Yan bore no ill will toward Elder Hou's lack of manners; he gave a slight nod.

Though he had long known, seeing Xiao Yan nod, Elder Hou still felt a pang of loss, a hollow emptiness—as if his life had suddenly lost its direction.

But quickly, the sorrow in Elder Hou's eyes vanished; he fixed Xiao Yan with a narrowed gaze and said: "Since you're the Medicine Sovereign's heir and the Pill Gathering Champion, let's compete in Spirit Refining. If you win, I'll give you my Elder position."

!!!!

Many present exchanged glances; those who knew of the feud between Elder Hou and the Medicine Sovereign nodded silently, finding this unsurprising—after all, the Medicine Sovereign was dead, and Elder Hou could no longer seek revenge; the only remaining rival worthy of his pursuit was perhaps Xiao Yan, the inheritor of the Medicine Sovereign's legacy.

Xiao Yan smiled faintly—and to everyone's astonishment, he nodded in agreement: "Since I've inherited my master's pill alchemy and reputation, I must also inherit his grudges. If Elder Hou wishes to compete, then Xiao Yan shall accept."

Hearing this, Elder Hou's gaunt face twisted into a grim smile: "Hahahaha, good—you've more grace than your master. Whenever and wherever you like."

Xiao Yan said: "Then let's refine here, alongside them. Since this is the Pill Apprentice selection, let them watch. Who knows? Maybe one day a disciple will surpass his master."

Hearing this, many present caught the implication in Xiao Yan's words!

"Fine. Let's refine here, together," Elder Hou's eyes gleamed slightly, then he nodded and left to prepare the medicinal materials.

Suddenly, all the Alchemists here preparing to compete for the Pill Apprentice position were stunned—they had come not to vie for Elder Hou's apprentice status, to remain in the Little Pill Tower and receive his guidance?

What's going on now!

Our teacher hasn't even taught class yet, and already said they might replace someone!

"Both chairmen, could those items be available right now?" Xiao Yan looked at Xuan Kongzi and Tian Leizi, referring naturally to the Pill Formula—since he was going to refine a Pill anyway, he might as well attempt a Ji Pin Dan Yao.

Hearing Xiao Yan intended to refine a Ji Pin Dan Yao, Xuan Kongzi and Tian Leizi involuntarily swallowed. Tian Leizi said, "There's just one in Xiao Dan Ta—I can fetch it for you."

"Then I'm in your debt, Chairman." Xiao Yan then turned to Cao Ying and Dan Chen and smiled: "You two better work hard—don't embarrass yourselves by failing to even become a Pill Apprentice."

Knowing they would be refining Pills alongside Xiao Yan, Cao Ying and Dan Chen both revealed a flicker of Battle Intention; even though they knew they couldn't match Xiao Yan, as peers, they must give their very best refinement.

Soon, Tian Leizi handed Xiao Yan a Pill Formula—it was the formula for the Nine Yin Huangquan Pill—and said, "The Nine Yin Huangquan Pill is hard to refine; even among Nine-Treasure Pills, it's top-tier."

"Then consider it a challenge," Xiao Yan accepted the Nine Yin Huangquan Pill Formula with a confident smile.

Two years ago, when Xiao Yan had just emerged from Hundred Lifetimes Reincarnation, he might not have been able to refine the Nine Yin Huangquan Pill—but now, having refined the Bodhi Heart, his strength had grown far beyond what it was before.

Soon, word spread through Xiao Dan Ta that the Pill Gathering Champion, Xiao Yan, would be testing his Pill Alchemy against a newly appointed Elder.

Several Old Generation Alchemists who had been secluding themselves in Xiao Dan Ta to study Pill Alchemy now emerged to watch, especially seven elderly men who had all reached the Two-Star Dou Sheng level—these seven, like Hou the Monster, were Elders of Xiao Dan Ta.

Each was an Alchemist capable of refining Ji Pin Dan Yao, or who had successfully refined one before—representing the strongest group on the Dou Qi Continent.

"Is that man Yao Chen's disciple, Xiao Yan?" asked the lead elder, dressed in gray hemp.

Xuan Kongzi nodded respectfully: "Yes, Grand Elder."

"Yellow Springs Blood Crystal? This guy isn't planning to refine the Nine Yin Yellow Springs Pill, is he!"

"The Nine Yin Huangquan Pill Formula we took yesterday was for this kid?!"

The other elders, seeing Xiao Yan produce the Yellow Springs Blood Crystal, could not hide their surprise—this Xiao Yan was barely thirty-two years old, and already dared challenge the Nine Yin Yellow Springs Pill!

To refine an Eight Grade Peak Pill is already a miracle!

"Perhaps he simply wants to challenge a Ji Pin Dan Yao—he seems uninterested in the Elder seat, just seeking experience; win or lose doesn't matter."

The Grand Elder's Spiritual Soul scanned Xiao Yan and found he could not pierce through Xiao Yan's cultivation—even with his own Two-Star Dou Sheng power. He whispered: "Perhaps… it's not just about the challenge."

Naturally, whispers spread across the Guang Chang—the title of Pill Gathering Champion carried weight, but many believed Xiao Yan was merely playing around, gaining experience; no one thought he could truly refine a Ji Pin Dan Yao, and few even believed he could refine an Eight Grade Peak Pill.

Mainly because Xiao Yan was too young! Here, apart from Dan Chen and Cao Ying, he was the youngest male Alchemist!

A boy of thirty-something claiming he could refine a Ji Pin Dan Yao—who would believe that?

Xiao Yan paid no mind to their thoughts; he closed his eyes slightly, resting in calm.

As the final batch of aged figures appeared on the empty Guang Chang, the rest slowly retreated to its edges, whereupon the Grand Elder spoke again, slowly: "If all are ready, then begin."

At the Grand Elder's words, the atmosphere on the Guang Chang tightened instantly; all faces grew solemn.

Only Xiao Yan remained calm, even smiling slightly—Ji Pin Precious Pill? Isn't it just a matter of having the Medicinal Material?

(End of Chapter)