Xuan Kongzi: Totally Crushed

"Your Soul Hall only knows these few tricks over and over again."

Looking at the soul of Old Man Mu Gu, which was firmly locked by the Fallen Heart Flame, Xiao Yuan said calmly.

"Hmph, you've captured me, the Hall of Souls Master will not let you get away with this!"

Old Man Mu Gu was clearly not quite sure of the situation and was still spouting nonsense.

"Hmph, even as a prisoner, you're still so arrogant!"

Xiao Yan sneered, Fallen Heart Flame suddenly surged in temperature, severely refining the Old Man Mu Gu. A shrill scream accompanied by wisps of white smoke appeared.

"Let's seal it away for now, I'll hand it over to the teacher later."

Xiao Yuan glanced at the Old Man Mu Gu, who was being tortured to a pitiful state, and said in a calm voice.

Dealing with these small fry is just a warm-up for him; he doesn't get any real satisfaction from it.

"Once you find the Medicinal Herbs, go and submit them. I'll head out now."

As Xiao Yuan spoke, he scooped up the Fallen Heart Flame that was enveloping Old Man Mu Gu and casually tore open the void.

"Well"

Cao Ying seemed to want to say something, but Xiao Yuan didn't give her a chance to ask. He stepped directly into the dark Space Channel and left.

"I never expected Xiao Yuan's Dou Qi strength to be so terrifying!"

Cao Ying looked at Xiao Yan and sighed softly.

"Uh, this is nothing!"

Xiao Yan felt that Cao Ying was making a fuss over nothing. With his Third Brother's strength, was it really that difficult for him to do this? "Let's go. Let's go to the Ten Thousand Medicines Mountain Range and see if there are any Medicinal Herbs. After the battle just now, that ferocious beast from the Ten Thousand Medicines Mountain Range has not appeared. I guess he may have already left this place, or he may be busy with something. We can give it a try."

With a wave of his hand, Xiao Yan turned and flew towards the depths of the Ten Thousand Medicines Mountain Range.

Upon hearing this, Cao Ying's expression darkened slightly. She glared in the direction Xiao Yan had left, and after a moment, she stomped her foot before pouting and following after him.

In the distance, Wang Yuan Dan hung there, not approaching.

He couldn't disturb his uncle's romantic luck.

Outside the Pill World, Xiao Yuan emerged from the dark Space Channel and, with a wave of his hand, tossed out more than a dozen figures shrouded in black robes.

"Three presidents, all the Soul Hall members who interfered with the normal operation of the Pill Gathering have been executed. The leader was a Dou Zun from the Soul Hall Old Man Mu Gu."

After cupping his hands in greeting, Xiao Yuan spoke calmly.

"Yes, thank you for your hard work. Let's continue the conference."

Xuan Kongzi nodded and said with a smile.

"Good."

Xiao Yuan nodded, then casually unleashed a burst of fire, reducing all dozen or so Hall of Souls Protector to ashes before proclaiming loudly:

"Everyone, just now, it was these protectors from the Soul Hall who infiltrated the participants and killed many of the participating alchemists. Therefore, I would like to trouble you all to bear witness that as long as I, Xiao Yuan, am alive, I will never allow these scum from the Soul Hall to defile the sacred gathering hosted by my Danta!"

Xiao Yuan's resolute words and ruthless methods drew applause from the spectators. In the past, almost no one from the Danta had so clearly declared their intention to oppose the Soul Hall. Over the years, the Soul Hall had been relentlessly hunting down the souls of alchemists, causing widespread fear and anxiety. Now, with these words from Xiao Yuan, the next leader of the Danta, they felt much more at ease.

"Alright, Pill Gathering continue now."

Xiao Yuan nodded, gave a brief instruction, and then returned to the high platform to sit quietly, waiting for the contestants to pass the test and emerge from the Pill World.

And this wait lasted for ten days.

Surrounding the plaza, a dense sea of people stretched to the horizon, the deafening roar of the crowd echoing across the sky like the roar of a dragon. Under the impact of such terrifying sound waves, even the clouds in the sky were shattered into fragments. Floating in mid-air above the plaza were numerous stone platforms, which would be the most eye-catching focus of the entire event, as the final showdown of this Pill Gathering would take place on them.

Today, the plaza is undoubtedly bustling with activity, for today is the day the exit of the Pill World opens. Only alchemists who successfully emerge from the Pill World will be qualified to continue participating in the Pill Gathering! The atmosphere is thick with anticipation, and countless eyes are fixed on the center of the plaza, where a colossal gate constructed of black rock stands. Within that gate, space distorts and fluctuates. This is the exit of the Pill World, and soon, those participants who have successfully passed the second stage will emerge from here.

"The portal has opened!"

The instant the spatial fluctuation appeared, the endless sea of people around erupted in a thunderous cheer, and then countless burning gazes suddenly shifted and stopped at the spatial gate.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, the fluctuations of the spatial gate grew more and more intense. Finally, one figure after another slowly emerged from it, and amidst the cheers of the crowd, their feet landed on the ground of the plaza.

A deafening cheer erupted from the stands as the contestants emerged victorious. Those who had made it this far were already among the best alchemists on the entire continent, and even if they withdrew from the competition now, they would still be treated as honored guests by certain powerful forces.

As more and more figures emerged from the spatial gate, the cheers grew louder and louder, and the vast square trembled slightly under the terrifying sound waves.

"Boom!"

The spatial gate rippled once more, and then a stunningly beautiful figure, captivating all eyes, slowly emerged, bathed in the warm sunlight. Instantly, cheers erupted from the crowd. Cao Ying's name had become quite renowned over the years, and everyone knew that she was a strong contender for the championship of this year 'Pill Gathering Competition.

However, Cao Ying's pretty face did not have the usual alluring smile. Instead, she frowned and turned to urge, "Can you two hurry up?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Yan and Wang Yuan Dan slowly walked out from there.

Why rush things?

Xiao Yan's smile was quite relaxed, as if he wasn't there to participate in the competition, but rather to stroll around.

Wang Yuan Dan's face showed undisguised excitement. This was not his first time participating in the Pill Gathering, but it was his first time participating as Eighth Grade Alchemist.

"It's Brother Xiao Yan!"

Upon seeing this slender figure, Xin Lan's face immediately lit up with surprise, and she hurriedly said...

Upon hearing this, Ye Zhong's heart skipped a beat. He quickly looked over and indeed saw that unusually familiar figure. He breathed a sigh of relief, but when he saw Cao Ying beside Xiao Yan, he couldn't help but frown. He secretly glanced at his silly granddaughter beside him and didn't dare to say anything.

As everyone breathed a sigh of relief, Xiao Yan, who had just emerged from the spatial gate, suddenly turned his gaze over and smiled and nodded at them.

"This little guy isn't nervous at all!"

Seeing this, Heavenly Flame Venerable chuckled and said in a daze.

Unlike the relaxed atmosphere here, on the high platform, Xuan Kongzi looked at Cao Ying, whose gaze kept falling on Xiao Yan, and felt his temples throbbing.

It's one thing that his alchemy skills are inferior to Yao Chen's, but now even his disciple is being lured away by Yao Chen's disciple? Damn it!

In the center of the vast plaza, Xiao Yan listened to the clamor around him and felt somewhat dazed. During this time in the Pill World, although Cao Ying talked a lot and made his ears always very lively, he always felt that something was missing. Now that he came out, he realized that it was the lack of human presence.

Standing in the plaza, Xiao Yan scanned the surroundings, his eyes flashing with surprise as he looked at the spatial gate that was still continuously spewing out people. Judging from the number of people in the plaza, there were probably at least a thousand. He hadn't expected that after two rounds of selection, so many people would still be able to remain. Such a large number of alchemists gathered together far surpassed even the Alchemist Convention of the Jia Ma Empire back then. Of course, this was not only a difference in quantity but also in quality. Anyone randomly selected from here could easily win the championship of that Alchemist Convention.

In the plaza, after the fluctuations of the spatial gate had lasted for nearly half an hour, they finally gradually subsided, and the distorted spatial fluctuations slowly dissipated, and the spatial gate returned to calm once more.

As the spatial gate closed, the number of contestants in the square increased considerably. These people were almost all outstanding alchemists from various parts of the Douqi Continent. To win the Pill Gathering championship, they would have to climb step by step, step by step, overthrowing others, until they reached the top! When the spatial gate closed, the originally noisy square became much calmer. Everyone knew that what followed was the real highlight of this Pill Gathering! On the high platform, Xiao Yuan's gaze swept across the entire arena, and then he slowly spoke. Dou Qi powerful Dou Qi spread his voice to every corner.

"First of all, congratulations on being able to stand here. You have passed the second round of selection. However, you should also know that the next round is the most important part of the Pill Gathering. The one who can stand to the end in this round will be the champion of this Pill Gathering!"

The stone platform in the sky is your stage for performance. I hope you can shine with the most brilliant moments of your lives there!

Glory will be born from among you!

His few words were like a spark igniting an explosion, and the world instantly erupted in chaos!

The grandest event in the Medicine Realm has finally arrived! Looking at the bustling square, the Pill Tower Three Giants and the elders on the stands couldn't help but smile. Such an atmosphere could probably only be found during the Pill Gathering, across the entire continent.

"All contestants, step forward! This is the final competition. There are no rules or restrictions. Give it your all and refine the pills you are best at!"

Hearing Xiao Yuan's clear, resounding laughter, the blood of the many contestants in the square began to boil. They exchanged glances, and then with a loud bang, figures suddenly surged up across the square. In an instant, the overwhelming number of figures even caused the sunlight pouring down from the sky to pause.

There are many stone platforms in the sky, which can accommodate the remaining contestants without any problem. However, even though nearly nine-tenths of the contestants have been eliminated after the first two rounds of selection, the remaining number is still quite large. The sight of thousands of people ascending the cauldron at the same time is quite spectacular.

Amidst the overwhelming crowd, Xiao Yan was also among them. He did not rush to choose his own stone platform, but let the vast number of people rush onto the platforms. On some platforms, some people even started fighting over who got to the best spot.

Xiao Yan stayed in mid-air until most people had chosen their spots before slowly landing on a stone platform near the edge of the area. Refining pills required complete concentration, and almost every stone platform in the middle was occupied. If one was disturbed while refining pills, it would be too late to cry.

The stone platform where Xiao Yan landed wasn't very large, only about two or three zhang in size, but it was enough for him to sit alone. After finding a place, he sat cross-legged and glanced around, his eyes sweeping over Cao Ying, Dan Chen, Song Qing, and the others in the distance. The three of them were also some distance apart, and like Xiao Yan, they didn't try to grab the more magnificent stone platforms in the middle, but instead found a quiet stone platform near the edge.

"Thump!"

Xiao Yuan's gaze slowly swept across the stone platforms in mid-air. After a moment, he looked up at the sky, snapped his fingers crisply, and immediately, a long, clear bell-like sound resounded throughout the world.

"The time has come, everyone. Please raise the cauldron and begin refining the elixir!"

Boom! Boom! Boom! As soon as Xiao Yuan finished speaking, the atmosphere of this world instantly froze. Then, one after another, medicine cauldrons of various styles appeared and finally landed heavily on the stone platform. The deep metallic sound echoed continuously in the sky.

Looking at the densely packed medicine cauldrons, a low murmur arose in the square. This was probably the first time they had ever seen so many high-quality medicine cauldrons appear at the same time.

After most of the alchemists summoned their cauldrons, a series of hissing sounds rang out in the sky, and various colorful flames rose up, looking like fireworks from afar, making the world exceptionally beautiful.

Xiao Yan sat quietly on the stone platform, not in a hurry to start refining pills. Instead, he closed his eyes and sorted out his thoughts.

The Pill Gathering was naturally the Bone Growing Blood Melting Pill, for which he had prepared the Medicinal Herbs long ago. This pill was ranked at the peak of the seventh grade, and with Xiao Yan's current alchemy skills and the support of three Heavenly Flames, he was confident that he could refine it to the Eighth-Tier. He was confident that with this pill, he could turn the tide of battle! While Xiao Yan was deep in thought with his eyes closed, Cao Ying and the others did not immediately take action. They all closed their eyes to rest for a long time before slowly summoning the medicine cauldron.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Cao Ying summoned the medicine cauldron, flicked her finger, and a ball of red flame, so intense it stung the eyes, slowly rose from her palm.

The flames were an extremely conspicuous bright red, even appearing to be a shade darker than blood. As the flames rose, a tiny figure could be vaguely seen within them, like a fire sprite, constantly churning and flitting about. The moment this unusually bright red flame appeared, the flames in the surrounding alchemist cauldrons suddenly rippled slightly, startling them so much that they quickly focused their attention and controlled their flames, then cast shocked glances at Cao Ying.

"This is... Blood Demon Flame?"

On the stands, Xiao Yuan recognized the true nature of the flames at a glance and turned to look at Xuan Kongzi.

"Why are you looking at me? This fire was started by the Cao Family; it has nothing to do with me."

Xuan Kongzi rolled his eyes at Xiao Yuan and said with a sneer.

"Hehe, it didn't say it had anything to do with you, sir. I'm just a junior who's not very knowledgeable and wanted to confirm it."

Xiao Yuan naturally understood that Xuan Kongzi's attitude was not directed at him, but rather at his precious disciple's excessive favoritism towards Xiao Yan, which gave him a sense of defeat and complete loss.

"Hmph, you better be."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan shrugged and decided not to provoke the old man any further.

Since I wasn't the one who lost, I won't bother arguing with this old man.