Yao Ye's Helplessness

When Xiao Yuan and his group arrived at the Royal Plaza where the Alchemist Convention was being held, Xiao Yuan was also taken aback by the enormous square that stretched as far as the eye could see.

This Royal Plaza, that's a real "square"! Compared to this, the Central Square of Wutan City is nothing!

As Xiao Yuan's gaze swept across the vast plaza, he discovered that it was filled with thousands of neatly arranged Bluestone Platform. These platforms were arranged in a staggered yet orderly manner, resembling an immovable army of bluestone figures.

However, by this time, many participating alchemists could already be seen in the square. They sat quietly on the Bluestone Platform, waiting for the competition to begin.

As VIPs, Xiao Yuan and his group naturally had exclusive seats. Following Hai Bodong and Mittel Tengshan, Xiao Yuan and Ya Fei also arrived at the front row of the VIP area, where a row of people were already seated. However, what caught Xiao Yuan's attention the most was an old man dressed in a purple alchemist's robe.

Judging from the five-wave-patterned alchemy cauldron badge on his chest, it is clear that he is a Fifth Grade Alchemist.

Presumably, this person is Fa Ma, the president of the Alchemist Guild of the Jia Ma Empire.

Despite his rank being less than sixth grade, Fa Ma's reputation in the Medicine Realm of the Jia Ma Empire is comparable to that of Pill King Gu He. After all, having lived for so many years, Fa Ma's accumulated knowledge and experience are beyond what a junior like Gu He can match.

"Hey, this old guy is still alive? These old fogies are all more monstrous than the last!"

Hai Bodong narrowed his eyes slightly and chuckled softly.

Mittel Tengshan, standing to the side, didn't know how to respond to the topic and could only remain silent.

"Being alive is better than being dead!"

Xiao Yuan smiled and chimed in.

"Old Man Bing, you're not dead either, are you?"

As if he had heard Hai Bodong's words, Fa Ma's voice suddenly rang out.

These words drew the attention of many people around, who were clearly quite interested in Hai Bodong's identity.

"Heh, you're still alive, how can I go first?"

Upon hearing this, Hai Bodong quickly moved to sit down next to Fa Ma and said with a faint smile.

"I thought you had been killed by Medusa, but last night's battle between you and Jia Xingtian really surprised me. I never expected that you could survive Medusa!"

Upon hearing this, Fa Ma shook his head and couldn't help but sigh.

"Tch, she just survived by luck. That woman was truly terrifying."

Upon hearing this, Hai Bodong clicked his tongue in lingering fear, then inexplicably felt a chill and couldn't help but shiver.

"He's got a tough life... but it's good that he's still alive. At least an old man like me won't be too lonely, haha..."

Upon hearing this, Fa Ma's face, which was as withered as a tree trunk, twitched, and he let out a loud laugh.

"By the way, I heard you took on a disciple? This must be the little guy, right? His soul power is quite formidable; even a typical third-grade alchemist probably doesn't have such a powerful soul power."

Immediately afterwards, Fa Ma looked at Xiao Yuan and said with a smile.

"Tsk, your senses are indeed sharp!"

Hai Bodong curled his lip upon hearing this, but there was clearly a hint of arrogance in his eyes.

After all, he was quite satisfied with Xiao Yuan as his disciple.

"Greetings, Chairman Fa Ma!"

When the topic turned to him, Xiao Yuan bowed respectfully and said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Fa Ma nodded, then looked Xiao Yuan over again. His gaze narrowed slightly, and his soul perception swept over Xiao Yuan, a hint of doubt flashing deep in his eyes.

He vaguely sensed a familiar aura in Xiao Yuan's soul power, but it was too blurry to be certain.

However, the owner of that aura was a Alchemic Grandmaster he had met years ago. If it weren't for that senior, he probably wouldn't have reached his current level.

However, this current sense of familiarity is not enough to confirm this.

But... how could this kid possess such immense power? After probing around, Fa Ma not only failed to detect any trace of his senior, but was also astonished to discover that Xiao Yuan's body actually contained an extremely powerful force. If it were to erupt, even he himself might not be a match for it!

What a mysterious little fellow! After thinking to himself, Fa Ma smiled and was about to say something when he suddenly raised an eyebrow and looked at the passageway to the side.

"Hehe, Old Man Hai, you and your disciple have arrived quite early!"

An old man's laughter rang out. Although Xiao Yuan didn't need to turn around to know that the voice belonged to Jia Xingtian, he still turned around and looked over out of politeness.

Then, an elderly man with white hair, dressed in a simple hemp robe, walked over with a smile, though his beard was noticeably shorter than when they first met the night before.

Those around Fa Ma were quite surprised to see Jia Xingtian. They knew that although the Alchemist Convention was held in the provincial capital, Jia Xingtian was now considered a guardian of the Imperial Family and usually wouldn't appear in public. What had happened today that made this Old Monster show up? However, Xiao Yuan's attention wasn't on the old man Jia Xingtian. His gaze swept over the area and he saw the Little Princess he had seen at the banquet the day before.

Today, the Little Princess was dressed in a light blue alchemist's robe, with brocade lotus flowers embroidered on the loose cuffs, giving her an extra touch of elegance. However, after getting to know her a little last night, Xiao Yuan knew that this seemingly quiet girl was actually a Gu Ling girl.

Beside her stood a tall woman dressed in a luxurious brocade robe. This woman's face bore a resemblance to the Little Princess, but she appeared much more aloof and elegant. Beneath this aloofness lay a dignified air instilled by the Imperial Family.

Compared to the somewhat naive Little Princess, this woman undoubtedly possessed a more mature charm and was more alluring.

However, Xiao Yuan withdrew his gaze, looked at Jia Xingtian, and said with a smile, "Jia Lao, you're not too late!"

"Hehe." Upon hearing this, Jia Xingtian smiled, then stepped forward, looked at Hai Bodong and Fa Ma, and laughed loudly, "I never thought that the three of us would have the opportunity to get together again. It's truly fate."

"It is indeed quite a coincidence..." Fa Ma chuckled and said, "Old Monster, I didn't expect you to come to watch the tournament today. I remember you didn't seem to like this kind of competition."

"After hiding away for decades, it's good to come out and see things occasionally..." Jia Lao smiled, turned to look at Xiao Yuan, and then pointed to the mature and aloof woman behind him and said with a smile, "Little guy, you must already know Yue Er. This is Yue Er's older sister, Yao Ye. She is in charge of the security and order of this conference. All 50,000 troops inside and outside are under her control!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan cast a kind glance at Yao Ye and smiled politely.

Those who are truly planning to cause trouble don't care about the so-called 50,000 troops, but the fact that Yao Ye can freely deploy 50,000 troops and handle them with ease and order clearly shows that his Yao Ye should not be underestimated.

However, Xiao Yuan held Ya Fei's hand beside him, feeling quite proud.

Compared to Sister Ya Fei, this Yao Ye is still somewhat inferior.

"Yao Ye, this is Xiao Yuan, the disciple of Old Man Hai. His strength is extraordinary. Last night, even I suffered some losses at his hands!"

Jia Xingtian pointed at Xiao Yuan, then smiled at the cold and beautiful woman behind him.

Hearing this, the Little Princess quietly stuck out her tongue. Xiao Yuan's terrifying offensive last night had startled her.

"Hello, Mr. Xiao Yuan!"

The aloof and beautiful woman stared at Xiao Yuan, gracefully extending her hand and smiling slightly. That fleeting smile stunned some of the noblemen around the VIP seats. They rarely had the chance to see the usually cold and aloof princess treat someone like this! "Hello, Princess Yao Ye."

Xiao Yuan smiled, then extended his other hand and politely grasped that soft, boneless jade hand before letting go.

"Yao Ye my great-grandfather was amazed by Mr. Xiao Yuan's talent. I have always respected a strong person like Mr. Xiao Yuan. I wonder if we could arrange a time to spar?"

After withdrawing his hand, Yao Ye asked with a smile.

"Hehe, Princess Yao Ye, you flatter me. With my meager skills, how dare I claim to be a strongman in front of Jia Lao?"

Xiao Yuan smiled faintly upon hearing this.

Upon hearing this, Jia Hai Bodong and said, "Hey, your disciple really does have your style from Jia Xingtian the day!"

"Hmph, envious, aren't you?"

Upon hearing this, Hai Bodong seemed oblivious to the underlying meaning, but instead shuddered and said with a hint of smugness.

Seeing this, Jia Xingtian shook his head helplessly, too lazy to argue with this ice block any longer.

Having been rebuffed, Yao Ye became somewhat curious about Xiao Yuan. Ordinary people either dared not approach her because of her status or tried to curry favor with her. It was quite rare to find someone like Xiao Yuan who dared to defy the royal family in front of Dou Huang expert like her great-grandfather.

However, Yao Ye could also see that Xiao Yuan himself had no objection to the Imperial Family. In fact, his current behavior seemed to indicate that he did not want to have any dealings with her.

Was it because of Ya Fei? Looking at Xiao Yuan's left hand, which was holding hands with Ya Fei, Yao Ye suddenly felt a little amused and exasperated.

So it was to avoid suspicion that he was disrespecting me? Was my motive really that impure? However, my great-grandfather wouldn't lie. Yue Er said the same thing yesterday. It seems that Xiao Yuan's talent is indeed worth befriending. As for whether or not to use my beauty to seduce him, honestly, with Xiao Yuan's looks, who could be considered a beauty in front of him?

A sense of frustration welled up in Yao Ye's heart.

It would be too unfair to fail to achieve one's initial goal for such a reason.

But seeing that Xiao Yuan had already turned away and was no longer paying attention to her, Yao Ye realized for the first time that she didn't know what to say.

As time went on, more and more alchemists poured out of the passage and then found their places according to the examination tokens they had received.

During this time, members of the other two major families also arrived at the venue, causing quite a stir as well. After all, as prominent families in the Imperial Capital, they attract attention wherever they go.

The Mu family goes without saying. Nalan Jie of the Nalan Family has recovered from his injuries, and with Nalan Yanran, the future heir of the Misty Cloud Sect, whose appearance is also quite beautiful, they naturally attracted a lot of attention.

After some pleasantries, Xiao Yuan simply leaned on Ya Fei's shoulder and pretended to be asleep.

Ya Fei was used to handling these kinds of things, so she shouldn't have felt a headache in this kind of situation. But seeing Xiao Yuan so casual, she suddenly had a whim and simply closed her eyes and leaned on Xiao Yuan's head. The two of them actually pretended to fall asleep in front of everyone.

Hai Bodong and Mittel Tengshan shook their heads speechlessly upon seeing this: This young man!

But the two old men were quite considerate, insisting on making excuses for the two youngsters. Mittel Tengshan was one thing, but Hai Bodong was a genuine Dou Huang expert, so Mu Chen and Nalan Jie naturally dared not neglect him. They immediately adopted an attitude of "whatever you say goes," completely ignoring Ya Fei and Xiao Yuan standing to the side.

Nalan Yanran, however, felt a strange tightness in her chest as she looked at the seemingly asleep Ya Fei and Xiao Yuan's intimate appearance, but she couldn't help but keep casting her gaze over them.

Xiao Yan followed the two masters from Black Rock City to the VIP seats. Seeing that his brother and sister-in-law were pretending to sleep, he did not go up to disturb them. After exchanging pleasantries, he sat down and heard Xiao Yuan's voice transmission in his ear. "Keep it up."

I don't know how much time passed, but the noise around me gradually weakened, and a clear bell rang out, echoing in the square.

Fa Ma stood up unhurriedly and walked slowly to the front of the VIP seats. His gaze swept over the thousands of alchemists sitting behind the Bluestone Platform below. At this moment, more than two thousand alchemists also raised their heads and cast their awe-inspiring gazes at this old man who had an extremely high reputation in the Medicine Realm of the Jia Ma Empire.

"In my capacity as the president of the Alchemist Guild of the Jia Ma Empire, I hereby declare the Seventh Alchemist Convention to commence!"

"Boom!"

The entire arena erupted in cheers and shouts that seemed to echo through the heavens! Standing at the front of the VIP section, Fa Ma gazed at the bustling plaza, and after a moment, chuckled softly, "Now, all participants, please take your seats."

Although the square was so bustling that the sound of the bells could hardly be heard, Fa Ma's light laughter still resounded in everyone's ears, which showed that this old man who was about to die was also extremely powerful.

Upon hearing Fa Ma's words, many alchemists immediately stood up from the VIP seats. Most of these alchemists were trained or recruited by powerful forces. Because of the support of their backers, the level of these alchemists was generally higher than that of free alchemists.

The platform was dozens of meters high above the plaza below. At such a height, these young people, whose strength was only at the level of Dou Shi or even Dou Zhe, naturally did not dare to jump down directly. Therefore, there were special staircases leading to the plaza below on both sides of the corridor of the VIP seats. At this moment, they were slowly descending one by one under the watchful eyes of countless people.

"Hehe, Liu Ling, Yue Er, Xiao Yan, you should go to your respective positions... Because of your outstanding performance in the internal test, those positions belong to you, and they will make you the focus of everyone's attention."

Fa Ma pointed to the center of the square, where there were a dozen or so huge Bluestone Platform. These Bluestone Platform were not only more spacious than the others, but their foundations also seemed to be higher. Such a prominent position naturally made the person standing on them the focus of the entire square.

Xiao Yuan and Ya Fei opened their eyes in unison, and what came into view was the figures of Xiao Yan and the other two using their respective skills to jump down from the high platform.