Chapter 408: The Competition Begins

Time slowly passed, and soon, the ten contestants who had advanced to the finals arrived one after another.

After each contestant found their assigned seat and settled down, they closed their eyes to rest, adjusting their minds and spirits to their optimal state.

The surrounding onlookers began to gather in greater numbers, the clamor growing louder and louder; the area around the square had veritably become a vegetable market.

"Boom..."

Finally, as a loud bell toll rang out, the area around the square fell silent; all the onlookers ceased their conversations, their eyes fixed excitedly on the ten individuals in the center of the square.

Among them, the gazes converging upon Long Xuan, Fen Tian Old Ancestor, and Qi Tian Lao Zu were the most numerous.

The vast multitude of Long Clan Gu Cultivators in the crowd all focused their eyes on Long Xuan, clenching their fists and displaying expressions of tension; clearly, all the Long Clan Gu Cultivators had pinned their entire tribe's hopes on him.

The bell toll lingered among the crowd for a long time; after the sound vanished, Feng Tiancheng finally stood up, scanned the surroundings, and said in a deep voice:

"Today marks the final round of the Western Region Alchemy Competition; after layers of screening, only ten have successfully advanced to the finals, and these ten can almost be called the most talented Alchemist Heavenly Prizes in the entire Western Regions."

"After this Alchemy Competition concludes, you will be worthy of bearing the label of the Western Region's Top Ten Alchemy Geniuses; compared to the rewards for the top ten in the competition, I believe this title is what matters most to you."

Feng Tiancheng looked at these ten Heavenly Prizes and said with a smile.

Hearing this, the Heavenly Prizes in the square indeed revealed excited expressions; Long Yuyao, Feng Shuang, and Wang Wu all proudly lifted their heads, displaying looks of pride.

Long Xuan, Fen Tian Old Ancestor, and Qi Tian Lao Zu, however, remained very steady, their faces expressionless.

Especially for Long Xuan, the title of one of the Western Region's Top Ten Alchemy Geniuses would not stir any waves in his mood; he simply did not care about such fame.

In his view, having too loud a reputation was not necessarily a good thing; when traveling through the Gu World, keeping a low profile was the safest approach, for exposing oneself to the sunlight would ultimately become a burden due to that very fame.

Feng Tiancheng withdrew his gaze and continued, "It is my honor to personally host an Alchemy Competition of such high specifications, so I will not waste words."

"In this round, contestants may refine any type of Pill; finally, the Judges will assign scores based on the value of the Pills. Materials may be your own or requested from the competition organizers. Now, let the competition officially begin!"

As soon as his words fell, a wave of excited cheers erupted from the crowd below.

Long Xuan was also awakened by the surrounding cheers; he finally opened his eyes and murmured softly, "Has it finally begun? I'm afraid I'll have to use every trick at my disposal for this upcoming battle!"

He took the Heavenly Gold Alchemy Furnace out of his Storage Ring and placed it heavily on the floor tiles before him.

He did not immediately begin refining; instead, he first cast his peripheral vision toward Fen Tian Old Ancestor and Duan Tianwu.

Duan Tianwu was the first to act; he placed a huge cyan Alchemy Furnace heavily onto the floor tiles. The moment the massive furnace landed, the tiles instantly began to crack under the impact, slowly developing dense, intricate fissures, revealing just how heavy this huge Alchemy Furnace was.

Duan Tianwu lifted the lid of the Alchemy Furnace just a crack, inserted the finger wearing his Storage Ring inside, and one Spirit Medicine after another flew out from the ring, landing steadily within the furnace.

With such an operation, it was impossible for others to know what Spirit Medicines he had thrown into the Alchemy Furnace, let alone discern the Pill Formula for this particular Pill.

Acting in this manner achieved confidentiality to the greatest possible extent.

At this moment, all the Judges displayed disappointed expressions, secretly sighing at his cunning.

Anyone could see that Duan Tianwu was certainly about to refine a very Heaven-defying Pill, but judging by current events, the formula for this Heaven-defying Pill was clearly not going to be obtained for free.

After placing the Spirit Medicines inside the Alchemy Furnace, Duan Tianwu withdrew his finger; the heavy furnace lid closed once again, and a cluster of golden flames abruptly ignited beneath the furnace, releasing scorching heat.

As soon as this fire appeared, the Alchemist Fires that the other contestants had just released began to sway wildly, as if blown by wind, and soon extinguished entirely; instantly, a chorus of gasps rang out throughout the venue.

"Golden flames! What kind of fire is this, to possess such terrifying power!"

"It seems to be a Heavenly Fire; legend says when a Heavenly Fire appears, ten thousand fires are extinguished. I didn't believe it before, but now it seems the legend is true."

"Tsk tsk, once a Heavenly Fire appears, I'm afraid the other contestants won't even be able to refine Pills; truly, I never expected to see a legendary Heavenly Fire in this Alchemy Competition."

"This flame..." On the High Platform, Wang Hu's face showed shock, and with an astonished expression, he said, "Could this be the Imperial Tomb Golden Fire, ranked twentieth on the Heavenly Fire List?"

Qin Shang's face turned solemn, and he stated seriously, "Golden flames that emit a King's Qi and ignite nothing but Metal—this must be that fire."

"I never expected Qi Tian Lao Zu to be able to subdue even the Imperial Tomb Golden Fire; a Heavenly Fire ranked so highly is no longer something a Gu King could subdue."

Long Xiaoyao frowned, and after pondering for a moment, said gravely, "I heard he improved his Cockroach Gu, allowing him to transplant powerful organs from Alien Races into his own body."

"His body has long ceased to be that of a human; with such a formidable physique, I wouldn't be surprised even if he swallowed a Heavenly Fire ranked tenth."

"Heh heh!" The Gambling God, seated in the foremost position, laughed and said, "It seems Duan Tianwu has also been pushed to desperation, to actually expose such a trump card."

"The Imperial Tomb Golden Fire ignites nothing but Metal; with such a flame in hand, I fear no Spirit Weapon in the world can injure him anymore, making him even more difficult to deal with..."

At this moment in the square, the Alchemist Fires of the contestants were extinguished under the suppression of the Heavenly Fire; forced to wear ugly expressions, they rushed to the edge of the square, set up Formation Disks there to isolate the influence of the Heavenly Fire on the remaining Spirit Fires.

The greatest characteristic of a Heavenly Fire is heat; the high temperatures it produces are absolutely not something a normal Gu Cultivator can endure.

Now that the Heavenly Fire had appeared, generating lethal high temperatures, the square instantly transformed into a smelting furnace; even though the other contestants hid far away, none could avoid sweating profusely from the heat, let alone concentrate on refining Pills.

The scorching high temperatures baked the earth, and the onlookers all displayed pained expressions, retreating frantically like a receding tide.

At this moment, the only ones in the arena seemingly unaffected were likely only Long Xuan and Fen Tian Old Ancestor.

Long Xuan's Body Refining Cultivation Method was special, requiring him to frequently swim in Lava and bathe in Heavenly Fires; he had long grown accustomed to the heat, so this level of temperature was merely child's play to him.

Although his seated position was clearly the closest to Duan Tianwu, placing him at the very center of the high temperatures, he currently appeared just like someone unaffected.

The other unaffected person was Fen Tian Old Ancestor; snorting coldly, he finally took out a black Alchemy Furnace and inserted the finger wearing his Storage Ring inside it.

After placing Spirit Medicines inside the Alchemy Furnace, he finally released his own Heavenly Fire.

Very soon.

The Nine Nether Nether Fire, ranked thirty-first, appeared.

The Nine Heavens Bright Moon Fire, ranked twenty-ninth, appeared.

The Extinction Life Flame, ranked twenty-fifth, appeared.

These three Heavenly Fires burned beneath the Alchemy Furnace, causing the temperature in the arena to surge drastically once again; whether contestants in the square or onlookers surrounding it, all suffered unspeakably.

Long Xuan had now confirmed that both men intended to refine Fourth Grade Pills; at this point, how could he dare to hide his abilities? Gritting his teeth, he prepared to refine a Fourth Grade Pill as well.

Thus, unwilling to remain idle, he mimicked their actions by inserting the finger wearing his Storage Ring into his Alchemy Furnace; after releasing the Spirit Medicines, he withdrew his finger and unleashed the Sunset Divine Flame, which he had never before revealed to the public!

As soon as the Sunset Divine Flame appeared, the temperature in the square climbed once again to an extremely terrifying level.

At this moment, five Heavenly Fires had simultaneously appeared in the square; how terrifying would the combined high temperatures generated by these five Heavenly Fires be?

The square had now become as hot as purgatory; the floor tiles were baked red and cracked.

The other contestants suffered unspeakably; being able to preserve their lives was already good enough, and they had no mind left for refining Pills.

The onlookers were even suffering from heatstroke, collapsing in large groups onto the ground; the Survivors, their faces filled with terror, retreated desperately!

"Damn it! Are you trying to kill people!"

"Stop quickly! Someone is going to die!"

The crowd fell into chaos...

"Hahaha... What a thrill!"

"Heavenly Fire is so rare; last time I participated in the Western Region Alchemy Competition, I didn't see a single one. I never expected to have the fortune today to witness the scene of five Great Heavenly Fires appearing together."

"Today, let us fight to our hearts' content!"

Duan Tianwu let out a wild laugh, looking at the two with excited eyes, his fighting spirit soaring high.

Fen Tian Old Ancestor glanced at the Imperial Tomb Golden Fire beneath Duan Tianwu's furnace, then looked at the Sunset Divine Flame beneath Long Xuan's furnace; a hint of killing intent, faint yet present, flashed in his eyes before quickly vanishing.

Long Xuan, through his Split Soul and One Mind Dual Use, was refining pills while simultaneously using his Perspective Eye to secretly learn the Heaven-Defying Pill Formulas of the two.

Therefore, although that killing intent flashed and vanished instantly, it was still detected by his keen senses.

Long Xuan was immediately startled in his heart; it was not hard to see that Fen Tian Old Ancestor was not targeting him, but rather the Heavenly Fires beneath the two furnaces.

Fen Tian Old Ancestor already possessed three Heavenly Fires in his hands, yet he still coveted the Heavenly Fires in others' hands; he was truly insatiably greedy.

Could he have a hobby of collecting Heavenly Fires? Or perhaps he possesses an ability or Cultivation Method that allows him to grow stronger by devouring Heavenly Fires, Long Xuan thought with alarm, beginning to grow vigilant.

At this moment, he had already made up his mind: after finishing the pill refinement, he would leave his Clone here to accept the award, while his main body would directly tear up the Hundred Li Talisman and flee far away.

Facing such a terrifying figure, he absolutely dared not harbor any hope of luck; this Hundred Li Talisman absolutely could not be spared.

On the High Platform, the group of Judges were also suffering painfully from the heat, but fortunately, as Fourth Grade Alchemists, their resistance to high temperatures was extremely high; under the protection of the Barrier, they did not end up fleeing in a panic in a sorry state.

"It is actually the Sunset Divine Flame, ranked twenty-eighth! Interesting! Interesting! With five Great Heavenly Fires appearing together, this competition is becoming more and more exciting."

The God of Gambling revealed an expression of extreme interest, watching with relish.

He was the only person on the High Platform unaffected by the high temperature of the Heavenly Fires.

"Truly rare; Heavenly Fires are seldom seen in the world. I, as the Chief Alchemist of a Nation, have lived more than half my life without ever seeing a single Heavenly Fire. I never expected to see five kinds simultaneously today; even if I were to die now, I would have no regrets!"

In the Judges' seat, an old man, upon seeing the scene below where five fires appeared together, was so excited that tears streamed down his aged face.

"Hehe! The scene produced by the gathering of five Great Heavenly Fires is truly terrifying."

"The current temperature is merely the beginning; we are only warming the furnace. The temperature will rise higher and higher shortly; it will not only roast the onlookers to death but also affect the entire City, and the remaining competitors in the arena will be unable to focus on refining pills."

"It seems we have no choice but to act."

Feng Tiancheng gave a bitter smile; without him making any visible move, three cylindrical Barriers suddenly appeared in the arena, enveloping Long Xuan, Fen Tian Old Ancestor, and Qi Tian Lao Zu.

Another square-shaped Barrier enveloped the entire plaza.

Under this double-layered protection, the high temperature formed by the Heavenly Fires was isolated to the greatest extent possible.

The surrounding onlookers finally breathed a sigh of relief at this point, collapsing onto the ground and panting heavily.

The lingering fear in their eyes had not yet dissipated.

"Hehe, they are all quite cunning; they actually stuck the fingers wearing their Storage Rings into the Alchemy Furnaces, making it impossible for us to see what Spirit Medicines they threw into the furnaces."

"Fen Tian Old Ancestor and Qi Tian Lao Zu are undoubtedly going to refine Fourth Grade Pills, but can any of you see what Spirit Medicine Long Xuan threw into his Alchemy Furnace?"

"Why do I sense the aura of Fourth Grade Spirit Medicine? Could it be my illusion?" Qin Shang asked suddenly, frowning and hesitating.

"Fourth Grade Spirit Medicine! How is that possible? He is merely a Third Grade Alchemist; could he possibly refine a Fourth Grade Pill? This joke is not funny at all."

"No matter how heaven-defying a person is, they cannot be heaven-defying to such an extent; does he intend to ascend to the heavens?" A female Judge shook her head in disbelief, joking.

However, her smile quickly froze, and she widened her eyes to look at Long Xuan.

They saw Long Xuan in the arena sitting cross-legged on the ground; suddenly, he separated five Clones, which surrounded the huge Alchemy Furnace before them.

The five Great Clones sat evenly spaced, each controlling a ball of Sunset Divine Flame; together with the main body, a total of six balls of Sunset Divine Flame burned at the bottom of the pill furnace.

"What is he doing?"

"Why did he bring out his Clones?"

"Is he about to create a unique method of pill refinement again?"

All the Judges frowned, revealing expressions of confusion, unable to make head or tail of Long Xuan's strange action.

When they perceived that the energy fluctuation released from the Alchemy Furnace was that of a Fourth Grade Pill, everyone's eyes widened in shock, and their faces changed drastically.

"Damn it! This is the aura of a Fourth Grade Pill! This kid really intends to refine a Fourth Grade Pill!"

"How is that possible? He is clearly just a Third Grade Alchemist!"

"Refining across levels! He intends to use that unique pill refinement method to refine across levels!"

"Hiss... Refining across levels, damn it! Is this kid truly intending to defy heaven!"

The Judges' seat erupted in an uproar.

At this moment, seeing this scene, all the Judges were greatly alarmed; they stood up in unison.

These great figures, who could shake the entire nation with a stomp of their feet, now looked as if they had witnessed something extremely terrifying; their expressions were filled with horror, and their demeanor was utterly out of control.

At this moment, everyone in the entire arena could no longer remain calm.

After a brief moment of dead silence throughout the arena, the God of Gambling burst into loud laughter, saying: "Hahaha... Refining across levels! Truly unprecedented in history! This kid is truly intending to defy heaven!"

"He indeed did not disappoint me; I knew he would definitely create a miracle! Betting all my Spirit Stones on him was truly a sweep to victory, hahaha..."

Feng Tiancheng was also startled into standing up; seeing this scene, he revealed an expression of disbelief, clenched his fists tightly, and his expression instantly became extremely ferocious.

He knew it, he just knew it; this kid was a freak. Even in a situation that seemed like a certain win, he could become a variable; absolutely not killing him would be unsafe.

Feng Tiancheng clenched his fists, remaining dazed for a long time.

His premonition was correct, and not betting against Long Xiaoyao was also correct; this kid had indeed created a miracle again in this round, and now big trouble had arrived.

At this moment, that ominous feeling in his heart grew heavier and heavier; could this kid truly defeat two Fourth Grade Alchemists? A hint of despair began to emerge in his eyes...

At this moment, Long Xiaoyao looked completely dumbfounded; despite calculating everything in a thousand ways, he had never calculated that this outstanding junior could refine pills across levels. Could this kid be any more heaven-defying?

Which person of the Long surname gave birth to such a freak? The Long Clan has truly produced a talent this time.

He swallowed hard, unable to regain his composure for a long time.

"Refining pills across realms!" Duan Tianwu turned his head to look down at him, laughing loudly, "Truly a genius whose comprehension rivals my own; to think you could create such a heaven-defying method of alchemy!"

"This competition is becoming more and more interesting!"

"I simply refuse to believe that I, the former champion of the Western Region Alchemy Competition, could lose to a junior like you! Let us settle this with our skills!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned his head back and began to focus all his attention on the pill furnace before him, though his gaze now held far more gravity than before.

Fen Tian Old Ancestor also cast a grave glance at Long Xuan, then quickly looked away, yet the flames beneath his furnace flickered at that moment, revealing that his heart was far from calm. (End of Chapter)