Word Count: 2,995 Words

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"Don’t worry. Why would I make a move right now?" Zi Yan whispered back.

She and Xiao Yan exchanged a pair of mischievous, knowing glances, both recalling their days in the Pill Realm when they had donned the guise of the ’Purple Flame Bandits,’ robbing every competitor of their hard-won medicinal ingredients and stripping the entire Ten Thousand Medicinal Mountain Range bare in the process.

It was thanks to that haul of herbs that Xiao Yan’s alchemy had advanced so rapidly.

Having forcibly suppressed their shared urge to launch another looting spree, the two partners-in-crime hurried to catch up with the group.

Along the path, lush seas of medicinal plants stretched in every direction. Among the verdant fields, Xiao Yan spotted elderly figures tending to the herbs. Though these old men appeared to be nothing more than humble herb cultivators, he could sense extraordinarily powerful spiritual fluctuations radiating from each of them. Clearly, the attainments of these unassuming ’farmers’ in Spiritual Strength were not low.

As they passed certain medicine plots, Zi Yan quietly committed to memory which tier 9 ingredients had already ripened. Such was the natural instinct of an Ancient Void Dragon!

After traversing several winding mountain paths, the group finally reached the summit. The peak was already crowded with alchemists, every one of them having come to test their skills and vie for that single apprentice spot.

One should not underestimate the position of apprentice to a Small Pill Tower Elder. Every alchemist gathered here was a renowned, top-tier figure on the Dou Qi Continent.

The Pill Gathering was held only once every thirty years, and only one champion could emerge from it. The runners-up, however, were far from weak in their own right, and over the decades, a fair number of alchemists whose talent was not poor had naturally risen through the ranks. The singular pursuit of their lives was that tier 9 realm which stood at the very pinnacle of the Dou Qi Continent.

"Tsk tsk tsk, truly as expected of that Old Demon Hou picking an apprentice. Quite a few old fellows have shown up," Xuan Kong Zi muttered as he surveyed the crowd.

On the way here, he had already told Xiao Yan that when Old Demon Hou competed for his Elder seat, the pill he refined had been the ’Flame Demon Quiet Mysterious Pill’. This was a peak tier 8 medicinal pill on par with the Bodhisattva Pill and the Nine Revolutions Heaven-Changing Pill, guaranteed to draw down nine-colored Pill Lightning.

When consumed by someone possessing fire-attribute Dou Qi, it offered a chance to trigger a mutation in their Dou Qi, thereby amplifying their combat power.

Xiao Yan’s own refinement of Heavenly Flames was essentially a form of such a mutation, infusing his Dou Qi with the power of Heavenly Flames. A single Flame Demon Quiet Mysterious Pill could produce a comparable effect, and from that alone, one could well imagine just how precious such a pill truly was.

Among the assembled alchemists, Xiao Yan quickly picked out Dan Chen and Cao Ying. The reason was simple enough: amid that sea of weathered faces, the two of them were the only young people in sight.

Under ordinary circumstances, given the talent and skill that Cao Ying and Dan Chen possessed, refining a tier 8 pill capable of attracting three-colored Pill Lightning would have been more than enough to claim the championship of the Pill Gathering. Unfortunately, that year, one—no, two Hall of Souls alchemists had appeared out of nowhere!

Dan Chen remained just as she had always been. She stood alone in a corner with her head lowered, clad in a simple, plain dress. Her large eyes were round and dewy, and whenever she shrank back in timid unease, those eyes seemed to speak volumes all on their own.

Her fingers twisted together nervously, and the moment anyone drew close, she would instinctively retreat a few steps. Her shyness toward strangers was profound; forget holding a conversation, even someone merely approaching her was enough to leave her uncomfortable. She looked, for all the world, like a little lamb cornered by a pack of big grey wolves.

Cao Ying, by contrast, stood out from the crowd like a crane among chickens. She wore a flowing black gown whose long, trailing hem could not quite conceal the breathtaking figure beneath it. A layer of thin gauze draped across her body revealed a willow-slender waist in soft, hazy outlines, and through that same gauze her long, shapely legs were on full display. Set against the dark fabric, the contrast only made her all the more captivating.

The black gauze lay over her graceful form, tracing her silhouette in what seemed like a few casual brushstrokes, strokes that nonetheless sketched out a beauty so striking it was nearly heart-stopping. Such a figure simply could not be hidden within any crowd.

With each step she took, the thin gauze rippled and swayed, and that subtle motion alone was enough to make onlookers feel as though their souls were being drawn out of them. It was far too intoxicating. Her graceful, bewitching bearing made it no wonder Zi Yan had called her a vixen.

Even when Cao Ying was not deliberately flaunting herself, the mere sight of her walking a few steps was enough to seem like an act of seduction.

What differed from before, however, was that Cao Ying no longer relied on social machinations to toy with others. Her focus now lay squarely on alchemy, and at this moment her gaze burned with fierce fighting spirit as it settled upon Dan Chen.

At the previous Pill Gathering, she had edged out Dan Chen by the narrowest of margins. In the years since, however, Dan Chen’s alchemy had slowly but surely surpassed her own. After Xiao Yan’s departure, the two had crossed paths in competition many times, and Cao Ying had gone from winning more often than losing to losing more often than winning.

"Hm?"

Some sharp intuition stirred in both Cao Ying and Dan Chen almost simultaneously, and they slowly turned their heads in unison toward the same direction. There, at the edge of the crowd, a face surfaced, one achingly familiar to them both yet touched by a faint layer of unfamiliarity that time had etched upon it.

Even Tian Lei Zi and Xuan Kong Zi, the masters of the two young women, were automatically ignored. Both pairs of eyes slid right past them and locked onto this suddenly appearing man alone.

Xiao Yan met their stares with a faint smile and raised a hand, waving casually in greeting.

"Xiao Yan!"

"Big Brother Xiao Yan!"

As Holy Pill City’s most brilliantly talented pearls and the strongest contenders in this apprentice selection, Cao Ying and Dan Chen naturally drew no small share of attention. When both cried out in near-perfect unison, countless gazes followed their line of sight straight to Xiao Yan.

"Xiao Yan? Why does that name sound so familiar?"

"I remember now! He’s this term’s Pill Gathering champion, Xiao Yan of the Yan Alliance!"

"Holy crap! Why is he here? Don’t tell me he’s competing for the apprentice spot too. What are the rest of us even supposed to refine then?"

"Are you out of your mind? Xiao Yan is the Pill Gathering champion. He already has the qualification to enter the Small Pill Tower and cultivate."

"Oh. Right."

Shock flashed across the faces of both young women, only to melt a heartbeat later into clear delight.

A smile broke across Dan Chen’s face, one that had been absent for far too long. Her eyes darted left and right before she threaded through the crowd in a hurried little trot and came to a stop just shy of Xiao Yan. Those large eyes of hers shone with happiness as she asked, "Big Brother Xiao Yan, why have you come?"

Xiao Yan looked down into those utterly innocent eyes and gently rested a warm palm atop her head, his Asura Spiritual Strength quietly holding back the power of her special constitution. He smiled. "I came to cultivate my alchemy inside the Small Pill Tower. This is the holy land of alchemists, after all. If one wishes to improve, there’s no better place."

Truly worthy of being the Tenth Tianzun. Lies rolled off his tongue without so much as a blink.

Cao Ying, for her part, carried herself with far more restraint. She approached Xiao Yan with unhurried, elegant steps, her fingers tightening almost unconsciously around the hem of her sleeve before she lifted a hand to cover her lips in a soft, coquettish laugh.

"Hehe, Grandmaster Xiao Yan, it has truly been far too long. This little woman had almost come to believe she would never lay eyes on Grandmaster Xiao Yan again in this lifetime." Her smile held that natural, undeniable allure that effortlessly stirred a man’s heartstrings, though a faintly aggrieved look crept across her pretty features as she spoke.

Xiao Yan glanced at her at the sound of those alluring words and met that pair of enchanting eyes. The clear, earnest emotion swimming in them gave him pause for a moment, and he was about to reply when—

"Hmph! Vixen, don’t come any closer!" A petite figure suddenly leapt up, latching onto Xiao Yan’s neck like a koala. Zi Yan wedged herself firmly between him and the approaching Cao Ying, baring her little white teeth in open hostility.

"Hehe, so Miss Zi Yan is here as well." Cao Ying covered her mouth and laughed softly, showing not the faintest sign of offense.

Just as Xiao Yan was catching up with the group, a discordant voice cut through the hum of conversation. The gathered alchemists parted, opening a corridor through their ranks, and a rather thin, short old man in grey robes stepped slowly through.

"So you’re that Yao fellow’s legacy disciple?"

Xiao Yan slowly turned his head. Even without Xuan Kong Zi or the others needing to make introductions, he already knew who this was: Old Demon Hou, Venerable Yao’s lifelong rival, or perhaps he should now be called Elder Hou.

The gray-robed elder fell silent for a time, and when he spoke again, his eyes carried a trace of sorrow. "Is that old thing truly dead?"

A kindred spirit was hard to find; a true rival, even harder. Old Demon Hou had always treated Venerable Yao as the target he ceaselessly pursued. He had secluded himself for years, honing his alchemy with a single purpose: to surpass that man. He never expected that when he finally emerged, the only news awaiting him would be of his rival’s death. It was that sudden loss of purpose that drove Old Demon Hou to enter the Small Pill Tower for further study.

Xiao Yan took no offense at the brusque manner and simply gave a light nod.

Though Old Demon Hou had already heard the news long ago, seeing Xiao Yan confirm it still sent a pang of renewed loss through his heart. For a brief moment, he felt as though his entire life had suddenly been drained of purpose.

But that feeling did not linger. The disappointment in his eyes was quickly forced down, replaced by something sharper. His gaze shifted and locked onto Xiao Yan, eyes narrowing. "Since you are that Yao fellow’s legacy disciple and the Pill Gathering champion, have a match with me in alchemy. If you win, I’ll cede my Elder seat to you."

!!!!

The surrounding alchemists exchanged startled glances. Those familiar with the history between Old Demon Hou and Venerable Yao nodded in quiet understanding. It made perfect sense. With Venerable Yao dead, Old Demon Hou could no longer seek his ’revenge.’ The only person who could still be considered a worthy opponent was perhaps Xiao Yan, who had inherited Venerable Yao’s legacy.

Xiao Yan smiled faintly. Under countless astonished gazes, he actually nodded. "Since I have inherited my master’s alchemy and his name, naturally I should inherit his grudges as well. If Elder Hou wishes for a match, then Xiao Yan will gladly oblige."

A rather ugly smile spread across Old Demon Hou’s withered face. "Hahaha! Good, you’ve got far more bearing than that master of yours. Whenever you like, wherever you like, it’s all the same to me."

"In that case, let’s refine pills right here, together with them," Xiao Yan replied. "Since this is a selection for an apprentice, we might as well let them watch. Who knows? Perhaps one day the disciple will surpass the master."

Quite a few sharp-eared alchemists picked up on the subtle implication in those words!

"Good. Then here it is. We raise our cauldrons and refine together." A faint light flickered in Old Demon Hou’s eyes. He nodded once, then turned and left to prepare the medicinal ingredients he would need.

For a moment, the alchemists who had come intending to compete for the apprentice spot were completely dumbfounded. Were they not here to secure the qualification to become Old Demon Hou’s apprentice, to stay in the Small Pill Tower and receive his personal guidance?

What was happening now?!

The teacher had not even started a single lesson, and he was already hinting that someone else might take his place?!

"Two Presidents, are those things available right now?" Xiao Yan turned his gaze toward Xuan Kong Zi and Tian Lei Zi. He was, of course, referring to pill recipes. Since he was going to refine a pill anyway, he might as well refine a tier 9 one.

Both Xuan Kong Zi and Tian Lei Zi could not help swallowing hard at the prospect. Tian Lei Zi spoke first. "The Small Pill Tower happens to have a copy. I can bring it to you."

"Then I’ll trouble President Tian." Xiao Yan turned toward Cao Ying and Dan Chen with a smile. "You two had better give it your all. It’ll be embarrassing if you can’t even make it in as apprentices."

Knowing they would share the same stage as Xiao Yan once more, both Cao Ying and Dan Chen felt fighting spirit stir within them. Even if they knew they could not compare to him, as people of the same generation, they were determined to bring out their absolute best.

Before long, Tian Lei Zi returned and handed Xiao Yan a pill recipe. It was precisely the Nine Yin Yellow Spring Pill. He said gravely, "This Nine Yin Yellow Spring Pill is not easy to refine. Even among Tier 9 Treasure Pills, it ranks among the superior ones."

"All the better as a challenge." Xiao Yan took the recipe with a confident smile.

Had it been two years ago, when he had just emerged from his hundred lifetimes of reincarnation, he might not have been certain he could refine the Nine Yin Yellow Spring Pill. But now, having refined the Bodhisattva Heart, his strength far surpassed what it once was.

Word spread swiftly. News that the Pill Gathering champion was going to compete in alchemy against the newly appointed Elder rippled throughout the Small Pill Tower in no time at all.

Some of the older generation alchemists who had been in seclusion, delving into their craft alone, emerged one after another to spectate. Among them were seven elders whose strength had all reached the Dou Saint level. Like Old Demon Hou, each was an Elder of the Small Pill Tower.

Every one of them was either capable of refining tier 9 pills or had successfully done so in the past. They represented the strongest group of alchemists on the Dou Qi Continent.

"That youngster is Yao Chen’s legacy disciple, Xiao Yan?" The gray-clad elder at their head gazed down at the figure standing in the plaza.

Xuan Kong Zi nodded respectfully. "Yes, First Elder."

"Spring Blood Crystals? Is this brat really planning to refine the Nine Yin Yellow Spring Pill?!"

"The Nine Yin Yellow Spring Pill recipe you took yesterday; that was for this little fellow?!"

Several of the elders could not hide their surprise upon seeing Xiao Yan produce the Spring Blood Crystals. How old was this kid? Thirty-two at most! And he dared challenge the Nine Yin Yellow Spring Pill?!

Being able to refine a peak tier 8 pill at that age would already be a miracle!

"Perhaps he simply wants to challenge a tier 9 pill," one elder murmured. "He doesn’t seem particularly interested in the Elder seat. Gaining some experience... winning or losing probably doesn’t matter to him."

The First Elder’s Spiritual Strength swept over Xiao Yan and then paused. With his own 2-star Dou Saint cultivation, he was actually unable to see through this youth. He murmured softly, "Perhaps... it isn’t as simple as just wanting a challenge."

Whispers naturally arose across the square. The title of Pill Gathering champion carried no small weight, yet many still believed Xiao Yan was merely here to gain experience. No one thought he could truly refine a tier 9 medicinal pill; in fact, not many even believed he could produce a peak tier 8 one.

The reason was simple: Xiao Yan was far too young! Aside from Dan Chen and Cao Ying, he was the youngest alchemist present!

A little brat in his thirties claiming he could refine a tier 9 pill? Who would believe that?!

Xiao Yan naturally paid no mind to what these people thought. He closed his eyes and quietly rested his mind.

As the last aged figures finally took their places on the open square, the onlookers slowly retreated to its edges. Only then did the First Elder speak once more. "If everyone is ready, then let us begin."

The atmosphere on the square tightened instantly. Every expression gradually turned solemn.

Only Xiao Yan remained perfectly calm, a faint smile even playing at the corners of his mouth.

A Tier 9 Treasure Pill? As long as you had the medicinal ingredients, wasn’t that all there was to it?