Chapter 44

"Contestants, step onto the stage!"

At this moment, the third gate opened.

Xuan Kong Zi's voice was like a great bell, reverberating across this vast venue, clearly reaching the ears of every contestant.

He stood upon the high platform, his gaze sweeping over the crowd below, his eyes revealing a hint of anticipation.

"Bring forth your skills, refine the Dan Pill you are most adept at!!!"

As Xuan Kong Zi's words fell, the numerous contestants all executed their movement techniques, lightly flying like birds toward those stone platforms in the sky.

Although the first two gates had already eliminated many people, at this moment the number of people on the platforms still reached over a thousand.

The contestants held their heads high and chests out, each displaying their abilities, summoning their flames one after another.

For a time, the sky flickered with brilliant light.

Various flames vied in splendor.

Cao Ying made the first move; she lightly raised her jade hand, and a streak of blood-red flame instantly shot out from her palm.

This Blood Demon Flame was like a nimble red spirit, spiraling and dancing in the air, emitting a bizarre and scorching aura.

The surrounding contestants cast gazes of envy and admiration one after another.

Some people couldn't help but whisper in discussion, "This Cao Ying truly lives up to being that senior's disciple from the Dan Tower; this Blood Demon Flame is truly formidable!"

"Indeed, in alchemy the quality of the flame is also extremely important; with this flame, Cao Ying has already taken a step ahead of the vast majority."

"It's just a pity, it's not a Heavenly Flame, lacking a bit of interest."

At this time, seeing Cao Ying's flame attract so much attention, Xiao Yan also refused to be outdone, his hands rapidly forming seals.

In an instant, a bud-shaped Heavenly Flame appeared out of thin air.

Then this Heavenly Flame slowly unfurled like petals, releasing an extremely scorching temperature; that powerful aura caused the surrounding air to distort.

"What Heavenly Flame is this? It's actually this powerful!"

"To possess such a terrifying flame, this young man's origins are surely not simple!"

Quite a few spectators on the plaza gaped in surprise, growing even more curious about Xiao Yan's identity.

And Dan Chen, at this moment amid everyone's anticipation, slowly raised her hands.

A streak of deep blue flame surged out from within her body — it was precisely the Sea Heart Flame she had just refined in the second gate!

The moment the Sea Heart Flame appeared, the surrounding temperature was pushed even higher!

"This little girl Dan Chen hides her depths well; she actually refined a Heavenly Flame."

"And it's the Sea Heart Flame ranked sixteenth..."

Xuan Kong Zi and the others, upon seeing the Sea Heart Flame, couldn't help but widen their eyes in surprise.

A thing like a Heavenly Flame, even they, these Dan Tower giants, had never possessed.

Today they saw two at once.

"However, just what kind of Heavenly Flame does that kid called Xiao Yan possess?"

"Why does it not look like a flame on the Flame Ranking?"

"And this person was previously unknown; just what faction does he come from?"

An elder beside Xuan Kong Zi frowned, speaking with puzzlement.

Hearing these words, Xuan Kong Zi and the others paid even more attention to Xiao Yan.

Not only them; the surrounding spectators' gazes also converged on Xiao Yan one after another.

And to avoid being discovered, Yao Lao had long since, while in the Dan Realm, severed all connection with the outside world.

This competition was Xiao Yan's excellent opportunity to prove himself; he wanted to see the level Xiao Yan could display on his own.

So he also did not intend to interfere during the competition.

Next, over a thousand people raised their cauldrons simultaneously; the scene was extremely spectacular.

Those cauldrons floated in midair, each one engraved with an Alchemist's ten-odd years of cultivation results.

Refining pills is originally a long and meticulous process.

Especially refining high-grade Dan Pills, which consumes vast amounts of time and energy.

As time passed, the alchemy competition entered a white-hot stage.

One after another people failed; they looked at the scrapped pills in their cauldrons, faces showing dejected and helpless expressions, and could only withdraw in dejection.

Of course, there were also those who successfully drew out Pill Lightning.

"Rumble—!!!"

For a time, thunderclouds rolled unceasingly in the sky.

The thunderous roar was deafening.

However, these Pill Lightning were at most at the Seventh Rank Peak level.

After all, to advance from Seventh Rank to Eighth Rank requires not just alchemy technique.

If the Soul Realm is insufficient, no matter how proficient the technique, one cannot refine an Eighth Rank Dan Pill.

And by the end, only four people remained in the sky still refining pills.

They were precisely Xiao Yan, Cao Ying, Dan Chen, and a gray-haired old man.

This old man's face was as aged as orange peel, covered in wrinkles.

He was clearly an elder-generation Strongman.

"It's actually Qing Hua..."

"The old fellow is a great handful of years old, yet still comes to meddle in the Pill Gathering; truly shameless..."

One of the Three Giants, Xuan Yi, couldn't help but laugh, his eyes carrying a trace of teasing.

And next, Cao Ying's side was the first to show movement.

She stared intently at the pill cauldron, her hands continuously forming one hand seal after another.

Suddenly, a thick pillar of light shot out from within the pill cauldron, rushing straight into the clouds.

Immediately after, a mass of thunderclouds appeared in the sky.

This mass of thunderclouds was not the ordinary black color, but instead presented a dual color of green and silver.

Beneath that dual color, there was also a faint, barely visible trace of red.

The appearance of this state indicated that an Eighth Rank pill had already been refined!

An Eighth Rank pill possesses spirituality; compared to a Seven Grade Pill, it is a world of difference!

Moreover, during pill refinement, the more colors the Pill Lightning displays, the higher the quality of the pill it represents.

Seeing that mass of thunderclouds, Xiao Yan's expression turned grave.

To win the championship at this Pill Gathering, one truly has to go all out.

At this moment, he was also preparing to form the pill.

"Boom—!!!"

Amidst the rumbling, Xiao Yan's pill attracted Three-Colored Lightning, within which the red color had already revealed itself.

Only the color was still pale and faint.

"Young man, not bad!"

Seeing Xiao Yan's Three-Colored Lightning, Qing Hua Lao Guai couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"If it weren't for this old man, you, this Dark Horse, might really have taken first place!"

Finishing his words, he let out a loud laugh, waved his sleeves, and a pillar of light even more powerful burst forth from the pill cauldron.

The thunderclouds in the sky rapidly condensed.

Likewise Three-Colored Lightning, the red color was fully revealed, and its radiance was even more brilliant, clearly overshadowing Xiao Yan's red color.

"No, I can't let Teacher down!"

Xiao Yan gritted his teeth, his heart filled with unwillingness.

"Even more, I can't let Teacher lose face in front of those three!"

He had already declared he would take first place, so he absolutely had to obtain it!

Thus, he actually took the initiative to communicate with Yao Lao inside his Storage Ring, and then borrowed the Bone Spirit Cold Fire.

The moment the Bone Spirit Cold Fire appeared, that eerie pale-white flame instantly attracted everyone's gazes, shocking all those present.

"He actually has a second Heavenly Flame???"

"That's not right……"

"Isn't this that old fellow Yao Chen's Bone Spirit Cold Fire? Just what is this young man's background?"

Xuan Kong Zi said in surprise, his eyes full of doubt.

And what followed, he realized he had been surprised too early just now.

"Th... third Heavenly Flame???"

At this moment, everyone stared dumbfounded at this young man called Xiao Yan, who was actually using three kinds of Heavenly Flames to temper the already formed pill.

"Has he gone mad? Isn't he afraid of ruining the pill?"

Someone couldn't help but cry out in alarm, feeling Xiao Yan's move was too audacious.

"Spirit Ascension Method?"

However, Xuan Kong Zi recognized this as Yao Chen's signature technique.

He immediately guessed in his heart that this boy must be Yao Chen's Tudi.

And, he also sensed from Xiao Yan an aura that was extremely familiar.

"He, is he still alive?"

Qing Hua's complexion turned complex, she stared dead at Xiao Yan.

She likewise sensed that familiar aura within the Bone Spirit Cold Fire.

It was the aura belonging to Yao Chen.

Relying on Yao Lao's ultimate technique, Xiao Yan became the Dark Horse in this competition.

Under his tempering, the pill ultimately succeeded in Spirit Ascension, its quality forcibly raised to Four-Colored.

He looked at the Four-Colored thunderclouds in the sky, and a surge of pride welled up in his heart.

Teacher's this ultimate technique is really useful.

But the next moment, Dan Chen formed his pill.

Only to see the sky instantly manifest green, silver, red Three-Colored thunderclouds, their radiance dazzling and eye-catching.

"Right off the bat it's Three-Colored???"

However, the crowd had yet to recover from the shock of this instant Three-Colored, when they discovered the Pill Lightning was not just Three-Colored!

After the red, gold bloomed forth.

"No way?? Am I not the most dazzling Dark Horse?"

Xiao Yan was also shocked.

He widened his eyes, staring in disbelief at the thunderclouds on Dan Chen's side.

At this moment, Dan Chen was still not done.

The thunderclouds in the sky kept rolling, like surging waves.

Immediately after, a Fifth Color appeared.

Purple after the gold!

(Chapter End)