Chapter 336

"The Taidan Academy is the essence of my Qingdan Valley sect."

"The cultivators within are all experienced veteran alchemists, and there are three third-tier alchemists presiding: Qingdan, Xingyun, and Chiding."

"The Elder who just wanted to recruit you into the Taidan Academy as a guest minister is True Person Chiding."

"Once you enter the Taidan Academy, the fighting and killing of the outside world and the power struggles within the sect will no longer have anything to do with you. All you need to do is contribute your life to the path of alchemy."

"Refine elixirs in batches for the sect to make a profit, research ancient elixir formulas, and innovate to create new ones."

"Of course, there are many benefits. Regarding cultivation resources, you don't need to worry; at the very least, the high-grade Shenglong Elixir you want will be supplied with at least one bottle every month."

At the Tao family's high platform.

Tao Wan was enthusiastically introducing the situation of the Qingdan Valley Taidan Academy to Luo Chen.

From third-tier alchemists down to elderly first-tier alchemists, she introduced every situation clearly.

She did not hide the corresponding rights and obligations either.

After listening, Luo Chen frowned deeply.

This Taidan Academy didn't seem as good as he had imagined!

In summary, how did it sound any different from being a large-scale tool person?

And, they only give one bottle of Shenglong Elixir a month?

Considering that after entering the Taidan Academy, there would be a massive amount of elixir formulas for him to refer to and study, did these things not seem to matter?

Possessing those formulas, he could refine them himself; in fact, this alone was enough.

Luo Chen fell into deep thought.

The others did not dare to disturb him.

Since Luo Chen refined the Jiangchen Elixir and forcefully seized his third victory, several hours had already passed.

Faced with True Person Chiding's invitation, Luo Chen had claimed at the time that he needed to consider it.

The other party also knew they had been too hasty, so they let him go down to rest first.

At this moment, after hearing Tao Wan's introduction, Luo Chen found it difficult to make a choice.

Entering the Taidan Academy would provide many elixir formulas for his research, and there would certainly be no major problems regarding cultivation.

However, the attribute of being a tool person meant that many times he would not be the master of his own actions.

Moreover, he knew his own aptitude better than anyone; he needed a massive amount of resources to assist him.

If he could not participate in outside business, the Luotian Society he had single-handedly fostered would surely have no one to look after it, and he would lose a huge source of income.

That was the foundation he had built with countless efforts.

"Most importantly, does this seem to be something I can choose?"

Luo Chen looked up at the Heavenly Palace hanging high in the sky.

A pair of cold and icy eyes had been fixed on him since the first round of the alchemy competition.

Nominally speaking.

He, Luo Chen, belonged to the Heartless lineage of the Ice Fortress!

Luo Chen glanced at Tao Wan, who could not hide her excitement, and slowly made his choice in his heart.

It would be better not to join this Taidan Academy!

Having the connections of Tao Wan, a major direct disciple, here in the Qingdan Valley was already enough.

Rather than being bound by the sect, it was better to be a bit freer outside.

And!

Sect disciples were not as glamorous as they appeared on the surface.

They said there was no shortage of resources, but that was just talk.

Don't you see the thousands of Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Qingdan Valley, with hundreds of late-stage great cultivators, not to mention those dozen or so Jin Dan True Persons?

With such a massive number of high-tier cultivators, the resources required were astronomical.

Even if distributed according to cultivation level and status, there would never be much for each person.

This could be seen from the fact that people like Tao Wan and Danyangzi had to personally enter the arena, roll up their sleeves, and fight just to compete for the position of Dao Seed, which would allow them to obtain more resources.

Even for these direct descendants, it wasn't enough.

Let alone for an outsider like himself!

After making his decision, the heavy stone in Luo Chen's heart fell to the ground.

Only now did he have the leisure to pay attention to the tense alchemy competition taking place on the stage.

"Direct Disciple Tao, I have already taken first place three times; I wonder what your ranking will be?"

Tao Wan thought for a moment and said uncertainly: "At the very least, I can get into second place! As for whether I can get first, it depends on the result of the Senior Brother's final round."

The impact of Luo Chen winning three consecutive times was huge.

Tao Wan, who was originally ranked only fourth, could use this to improve her ranking; third or second place would be within reach, and even first place was not impossible to hope for.

If Danyangzi could still maintain the good result of second place in the third round of Jiangchen Elixir refining.

Naturally, there would be no such opportunity.

But now, anyone with eyes could see that Danyangzi's alchemy process was not going smoothly.

"Failed again!" Tao Wan whispered, her excitement hard to hide.

Luo Chen pulled Tao Yisheng over and asked: "How many times has your Senior Brother failed?"

"Since you left the stage, this is his third failure," Tao Yisheng said, both excited and somewhat disappointed.

There must be a reason for his contradictory appearance.

Luo Chen couldn't be bothered to think deeply about it.

Watching Danyangzi struggling on the stage, he shook his head in pity.

He could see that the other party's understanding of the Jiangchen Elixir formula was not yet perfected.

Some details were handled very crudely.

Most importantly, unfamiliarity!

From beginning to end, he displayed an unfamiliar state of refining.

That's right!

Over the past half-month, Danyangzi had suffered from the fatigue of continuous battles.

Every day, he had to deal with a constant stream of enemies while also leaving time to meditate and recover; where would he have enough time to study two types of elixir formulas?

Moreover, studying the elixir formula was only the first step.

Subsequent refining experience required personally refining it several times, or even dozens of times, to gain a slight understanding.

These things all required time!

"I don't know what mistake your Senior Brother made to be stripped of his Dao Seed position, and he wasn't even allowed to use his Origin True Fire in the second round."

Faced with this question, Tao Yisheng also didn't know how to answer.

Tao Wan said: "If I can achieve the position of Direct Disciple, perhaps I will be able to find out the truth."

Can she succeed?

There is a great chance!

As time reached late at night, the second person to refine the Jiangchen Elixir appeared.

It was somewhat beyond everyone's expectations.

It was not Danyangzi, nor was it Xuanyunzi, who had previously displayed his talent.

It was the Fu family alchemist, Fu Huai!

For the second round of the alchemy competition, he had cleverly chosen to focus his efforts on the second-tier elixir refining of the most important third round.

With the full support of the Fu family, this elixir formula had been studied to the extreme.

They had even succeeded in private.

Now, he had finally seized a good ranking for the Fu family!

If one counted the previous two fourth-place finishes, the final overall ranking would likely be quite good.

At this moment, someone subconsciously glanced at Danyangzi.

The other party remained silent, still struggling to refine the Jiangchen Elixir, and it looked like he was just a little bit away.

But that little bit was like a natural chasm.

When dawn arrived.

Xuanyunzi was the third to refine the Jiangchen Elixir.

Time flowed slowly; Huang Hezi and Ling Zhizi also succeeded one after another.

In this way, the top five winners were decided.

Of the remaining four, three stopped struggling and gave up directly.

Five wins and four losses; the latter four were all failures and could not help in improving their rankings.

The Elder of the Taidan Academy, True Person Chiding, walked up to Danyangzi.

"Why bother!"

"With your heaven-sent talent, whether in cultivation, alchemy, or managing a sect, you could reach the extreme, but you insist on wanting everything."

"The consequence is what you are experiencing now."

"In three rounds of competition, as long as you made a choice and gave up one round, you would have had a great chance of reaching the end."

"But you still wanted everything."

"Danyang, can you accept the failure of today?"

Danyangzi remained silent.

He was still persistently refining the elixir within the Glazed Child Cauldron.

A trace of anger appeared on True Person Chiding's face.

"You inherited the name of your father, True Person Danyang, and were supposed to be the future Peak Master of my Danyang Peak; why bother with power struggles?"

"Those things, for us alchemists, have no... eh?"

Amidst his astonishment.

A faint elixir fragrance drifted out.

Danyangzi spoke hoarsely:

"I ask the Elder to judge the grade of the elixir."

This time, Chiding fell silent.

Under the gaze of the masses.

The Elder of the Taidan Academy announced the respective rankings of the three rounds of the second stage and finally gave the comprehensive ranking.

First place, Danchenzi, deservedly so!

Three rounds of winning, three rounds of crushing; no one had any questions.

And the second place was beyond many people's expectations.

It was not Xuanyunzi, who had been third for three consecutive rounds, nor was it Danyangzi, who had been second twice and sixth once.

It was the Fu family alchemist, Fu Huai!

Many people were surprised, but many also felt it was a matter of course.

"I told you, the second-tier elixir refining in the third round has always been the most important competition for determining rankings!"

"He was fourth in the first two rounds and second in the final round, so he jumped directly to second place in the overall ranking."

"The Fu family truly made a good decision!"

The moment this ranking appeared.

The nine major direct disciples each had different moods, and the expressions on their faces were incredibly colorful.

Tao Wan and Fu Li looked at each other and then nodded in tacit understanding.

He Yuanqing and Shangguan Yan, who were ranked second and third, gradually turned gloomy.

Sure enough.

As the subsequent rankings of the second round were given, their bad worries became reality.

After all, he was the absolute winner of the first round!

Fourth, Danyangzi.

Fifth, given to Huang Hezi, who had one loss, one fifth-place, and one fourth-place finish.

After this, they were all losers.

The rankings of the major direct disciples behind them would not change much.

In this way, the top five rankings would inevitably undergo huge changes due to the overall ranking of the second round!

The next moment!

With a wave of True Person Chiding's hand.

The nine high platforms emitted a rumbling sound.

Some rose, some fell!

In the nervous gaze of countless people, Danyangzi, who was originally ranked first, slowly descended in height.

Replacing him was Tao Wan, who had jumped to first place!

At this moment, Tao Wan was first!

Danyangzi was second.

He Yuanqing was third.

Fu Li was fourth.

Shangguan Yan was fifth!

Once this result came out, Tao Wan naturally showed joy.

The others, however, were not in a good mood.

"He Yun has ruined me!" He Yuanqing's expression was ferocious; he had intended to enter the final round as the first-place finisher, but now he was only ranked third.

This meant he would have to fight at least three people before having a chance to seize the Dao Seed position.

Fu Li's expression was indifferent.

Fourth place was a very good ranking.

Although there was no possibility of competing for the Dao Seed, it also demonstrated his family's value.

And it could also be of some help to his allies.

In contrast, Shangguan Yan, who had previously been ranked third, had now fallen to fifth; she must be feeling very uncomfortable!

He looked toward Shangguan Yan's direction with interest.

The other party's face was livid, and she didn't say anything.

But Huang Hezi left with a gloomy face, flicking his sleeves.

This indicated that the two did not get along well.

The second round ended, and there was a short break in the middle.

It was not for the direct disciples to rest, but for the Qingdan Valley Elders to set up the final Sword Fighting Platform.

At this moment, the nine arenas were slowly merging under the great magic power of the Jin Dan True Persons.

A Sword Fighting Platform, nearly a thousand feet long and wide, gradually revealed its prototype.

At this timing, the direct disciples descended from the high platforms and gathered together according to their closeness.

They discussed how to deal with the enemy in the upcoming direct disciple sword fight.

Many of them had gloomy expressions.

Especially those ranked in the middle.

On the contrary, the last two had no unwillingness.

They were still enthusiastically saying, "It's been a long time since I sparred with Senior Brother; you must show mercy later!"

"Junior Brother is too polite; let's just stop at the point of contact, how about that?"

"Excellent, excellent!"

Being able to seize the position of a major direct disciple had already proven their methods.

Next, they just needed to display their strength slightly.

Dao Seed?

There was no need to hope for it at all.

The position of a major direct disciple was quite good, and they could already receive some resource allocation.

Luo Chen stood with the alchemist from the Fu family, discussing something in a low voice, his peripheral vision occasionally glancing at the others.

In his heart, however, he shook his head slightly.

This Dao Seed competition in the Qingdan Valley had great momentum, but the intensity was completely insufficient.

Sect disciples fighting internally might involve squeezing, but there was more or less a bottom line.

By comparison.

Rogue cultivators like them, who had crawled their way up, often fought to the death once they clashed.

The cruelty of that was far more severe than this sect competition.

"Fellow Daoist Danchenzi, your alchemy technique truly makes me admire you! Although I was confident in refining that Jiangchen Elixir, I was still anxious; I didn't expect you to succeed on the first try."

Fu Huai's flattery sounded in his ear.

Luo Chen smiled slightly and waved his hand modestly.

Fu Huai continued: "I'm afraid that after this incident, many people will value you, Fellow Daoist; even becoming an honored guest of a major sect would not be an exaggeration!"

Three consecutive victories, crushing his peers.

Danchenzi's alchemy technique had already become famous in the Qingdan Valley, and soon it would be renowned throughout the entire Yuding Domain!

Enthusiastic invitations would likely come one after another as soon as the direct disciple sword fight ended!

Or rather, they had come even before it ended, before it even started.

"Shangguan Yan, what are you doing?"

Tao Wan didn't know when she had blocked Shangguan Yan in front of Luo Chen.

Behind her were Luo Chen and Fu Huai, who had stopped talking.

Shangguan Yan giggled, "What could I be doing? Master Danchenzi is so amazing; naturally, I want to ask for some advice on alchemy knowledge!"

"You are not welcome here!" Tao Wan said coldly.

Shangguan Yan frowned, "You are only the first direct disciple now, not the Qingdan Dao Seed; you have quite a lot of prestige!"

Tao Wan revealed her white teeth, "Yes, I am not yet the Dao Seed. But as the fifth direct disciple, whether you can reach me during the sword fight is an unknown. Coming over in advance, are you trying to make up for regrets early?"

Shangguan Yan's expression changed drastically, her teeth clenched.

Looking at Tao Wan, she was trembling with anger.

Then she flicked her sleeves and left.

Watching her departing back, Tao Wan felt a sense of relief in her heart.

But looking around, she found that many major direct disciples were occasionally letting their attention drift toward Luo Chen.

This made her heart tighten involuntarily!

Luo Chen's importance was no longer just that of an external helper.

With his alchemy attainments, he was enough to become an honored guest of a major sect.

The Tao family naturally could not keep him.

But if the Tao family couldn't keep him, she, Tao Wan, would be qualified to keep him if she could achieve the position of Qingdan Dao Seed.

At the very least, he shouldn't fall into the hands of these competitors!

Shangguan Yan's probing was just the first one.

How should she face the subsequent ones, or rather, how should she keep Luo Chen?

Just as she was thinking, a disciple came to notify them that the venue had been set up and the direct disciple sword fight was about to begin.

All the major direct disciples set off.

Luo Chen followed behind, also preparing to watch this third round of the direct disciple sword fight properly.

But as soon as he took a step, he was stopped.

"Master Danchenzi, the True Person requests your presence."

"Which True Person?"

"The True Person on the Heavenly Palace!"

Luo Chen's expression paused slightly; he knew that what was meant to come would eventually come.

But this time, ascending to the Heavenly Palace again, he was no longer the unknown person he had been before.

Everyone had to look at him squarely!

(End of this chapter)