The Final Round Arrived

Deep within the Myriad Medicine Mountain Range, in front of Xiong Zhan's Stone Hall, the vast plaza, once shrouded in dense energy mist and adorned with countless exotic flowers and herbs, is now empty. Those rare medicinal herbs that would drive Alchemist in the outside world mad have now all entered Lin Ming's Storage Ring.

"With this batch of medicinal herbs, I won't have to worry about alchemy or making Medicinal Pill for Zi Yan for a long time to come," Lin Ming thought to himself.

These medicinal herbs are of extremely high quality and come in a wide variety. Many of them are the main ingredients for refining Tier 7 or even Tier 8 Medicinal Pill, and their value is immeasurable.

After storing the last batch of packaged medicinal herbs in his Storage Ring, Lin Ming looked up at the sky; the ten-day deadline was approaching.

"Now that we've collected all the medicinal herbs, let's set off immediately..." Lin Ming said, his voice breaking the silence deep within the mountains.

Hearing this, Zi Yan, who had been waiting impatiently, immediately jumped for joy. "Finally, we can leave this suffocating place!"

Although she had gained a lot in this Pill Realm, she longed even more for the excitement outside.

"The distance from here to the exit of the Pill Realm is quite far. Flying there myself would be too much trouble..."

Xiong Zhan chuckled, and without waiting for Lin Ming's response, he curled his thick fingers, put them in his mouth, and suddenly let out a sharp, long whistle.

The whistle sound, like invisible ripples, quickly spread throughout the entire Myriad Medicine Mountain Range.

Immediately, a clear and powerful bird cry echoed from the depths of the mountains, responding to Xiong Zhan's call.

Moments later, a huge shadow rose into the air from behind a towering mountain in the distance, bringing with it a fierce gale.

It was an extremely large Flying Magical Beast, its wingspan so wide it blotted out the sky, its feathers displaying a mysterious bluish-black color, shimmering with a metallic sheen in the light.

Its head resembled that of an eagle, with sharp eyes and a tuft of ice-blue feathers on its forehead, giving it an extraordinary and majestic appearance. A powerful aura emanated from its body, reaching the Seventh Order!

"This is the Mysterious Bird Beast, which possesses a trace of the Ancient Heavenly Phoenix's bloodline. It is extremely fast, and riding it saves trouble..." Xiong Zhan introduced, his tone tinged with pride. This Mysterious Bird Beast was considered a local overlord in his Myriad Medicine Mountain Range, and usually only he could command it.

Lin Ming's gaze swept over the magnificent Mysterious Bird Beast, and he nodded.

Having this beast for transportation can indeed save a lot of energy and time traveling, and also help maintain better condition to deal with possible situations after leaving the Pill Realm.

"Alright."

Seeing that Lin Ming did not object, Xiong Zhan gave another short whistle. The Mysterious Bird Beast circling in the air received the command, folded its wings, and swooped down like a huge dark cloud with a howling wind. Finally, it hovered steadily in the low sky in front of the Stone Hall square, concealing its powerful aura and appearing quite docile.

Let's go!

Lin Ming gave a soft shout, and the three of them stomped their feet on the ground at the same time. Their figures transformed into three streams of light, flashing upwards and landing lightly and steadily on the back of the Mysterious Bird Beast, which was as spacious as a small square.

"Grumble--!"

The enormous Mysterious Bird Beast raised its head and let out a sharp cry that pierced through the clouds. Immediately, its huge wings flapped violently, creating an astonishing gale that sent sand and stones flying. Its massive body soared straight up, instantly plunging into the clouds. Then, it adjusted its direction and, like a streak of dark blue lightning, swiftly swept towards the northern exit of the Pill Realm.

The wind whistled in my ears, and the mountains, rivers, forests, and swamps below rushed past, shrinking into blurry patches of color.

Nearly half a day flew by in this tedious yet efficient journey.

The next day, when the sky brightened again and the Yan Yang shone brightly, dispelling the slight chill of the morning in the Pill Realm, Lin Ming, who had been keeping his eyes closed, seemed to sense something and slowly opened them.

His gaze was fixed on the distant horizon.

At the edge of the horizon, the outline of a vast plaza constructed from countless white boulders gradually came into focus.

On the square, tiny black dots, about the size of sesame seeds, could be vaguely seen moving about.

"Is this the exit of the Pill Realm...?"

Looking at the vast plaza that was getting closer and closer, Lin Ming breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the journey had been smooth, and the search for medicinal herbs had not delayed him.

"Grumble...!"

The Mysterious Bird Beast beneath it seemed to sense that its destination was approaching. It raised its head and let out a sharp cry with a hint of excitement. Its giant wings flapped even more vigorously, creating Space-Rending. Like a falling star, it swiftly swooped down towards the white square.

The enormous object that suddenly appeared in the sky, along with its undisguised powerful aura, immediately alerted many people in the square.

A series of wary and suspicious gazes were cast upon them.

Every Alchemist who has survived in the Pill Realm to this day has experienced countless battles and struggles, and has a deep understanding of the ferocity of the Magical Beasts within the Pill Realm.

Seeing the enormous size of the Mysterious Bird Beast and the Seventh Order aura it exuded, they naturally dared not underestimate it in the slightest, and all secretly focused their attention, guarding against possible attacks.

Under the watchful eyes of those below, some wary, some curious, and some solemn, the enormous figure of the Mysterious Bird Beast circled once above the plaza, the gust of wind it stirred up causing the robes of some of the weaker individuals to flutter wildly.

Immediately, the three figures on its back flashed down almost simultaneously, landing lightly on the hard white rock plaza like three falling leaves, their feet touching the ground without making a sound.

As the three appeared, the gazes on the square became even more focused, most of them filled with surprise and uncertainty as they scanned the two, Zi Yan and Xiong Zhan, whose sizes were vastly different.

One is a delicately beautiful Little Girl, and the other is a giant man as tall as an iron tower. It's really hard to associate this combination with orthodox Alchemist.

On the contrary, Lin Ming, the calm and composed young man in the blue robe standing in the middle, was more in line with the image of Alchemist.

Lin Ming and his companions ignored the various emotions swirling in their gazes. Lin Ming's eyes slowly swept across the somewhat noisy square, his Soul Power fluctuating slightly, instantly giving him a fairly comprehensive understanding of the situation.

There were more people in the square than he had expected, several hundred to nearly a thousand. Those who could stand out from so many contestants, persevere to the last day, and successfully reach the exit were undoubtedly the elite of the elite. Among them, Lin Ming only recognized a handful of people.

Lin Ming's gaze quickly settled on the familiar figures at the very front of the square.

Cao Ying, dressed in a black dress that Man Miao curves, locked her beautiful eyes on Lin Ming the moment he appeared. A captivating smile graced her alluring face as she gave Lin Ming a slight nod. Beside her, Dan Chen, the timid young girl from the Dan Family, also stole a glance at Lin Ming, her face flushing slightly before she quickly lowered her head.

On the other side, Xiao Yan, dressed in black, stood alone in a corner, his aura restrained. However, Lin Ming could sense that the power contained within him was much stronger than before he entered the Pill Realm, indicating that he had also had some extraordinary encounters in the Pill Realm.

As for Song Qing, he stood not far from Cao Ying with a slightly gloomy expression. When his gaze met Lin Ming's, he quickly looked away, his expression showing a mixture of apprehension and complexity.

Besides these few people, there were many other figures in the square with considerable presence. Some exuded a Sectarian Qi, some had arrogant eyes, and some kept a low profile. Those who could come here were no weaklings; they must have all completed their tasks and collected enough medicinal herbs.

After a short wait, the space at the very center of the square suddenly exhibited a visible distortion, rippling like water.

Within that distorted space, an elderly man dressed in a special robe of the Pill Tower stepped out, holding a cane. The badge on his chest clearly revealed that he was one of the Eight Great Elders of the Pill Tower.

In the square, some people clearly recognized the meaning of this special badge and couldn't help but let out a low gasp of surprise, their voices filled with awe.

After the old man appeared, his calm and unwavering voice clearly resonated in everyone's ears:

"Time's up. Hand over your prescriptions and the medicinal herbs for your mission to me, then leave here to participate in the final Pill Gathering competition."

As soon as he finished speaking, he casually swiped the wooden cane in his hand across the distorted space in front of him.

"Sizzle!"

A pitch-black Spatial Rift, accompanied by a faint cracking sound, slowly appeared before everyone.

Upon hearing the old man with the cane's words, a commotion arose in the square. Many people's faces instantly turned dejected and pale, their eyes dimming.

Not long after the old man finished speaking, a middle-aged man with a cold expression and sharp eyes like a hawk stepped forward from the crowd.

He walked straight up to the old man, said nothing, and respectfully handed him his mission medicine and a Jade Box filled with the necessary medicinal herbs.

The old man took it, his withered fingers lightly touching the Jade Box. His Soul Power swept over it instantly, then he nodded slightly and said hoarsely, "Correct."

The indifferent middle-aged man remained expressionless, merely clasping his hands in a fist salute to the old man before taking a step forward without hesitation, his figure disappearing directly into the dark Spatial Rift.

With the first person successfully passing through, the others began to step forward one after another, handing over their prescriptions and medicinal materials in turn.

The old man's inspection was extremely fast; he could determine authenticity in almost an instant. The vast majority of people passed through smoothly and stepped into the Spatial Rift with excitement and anticipation.

Of course, there are not people who are lucky.

A man with shifty eyes attempted to pass off several similar-looking, low-grade medicinal herbs as genuine when handing over the herbs.

However, the moment he took out his item, before he could even hand it to the old man, the seemingly ordinary wooden cane appeared in front of his chest as if by Instantaneous Movement.

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, the man was sent flying backward, coughing up blood, as if struck by a giant hammer. He slammed heavily onto the edge of the distant plaza, struggling for a long time before failing to get up, his face filled with shame, anger, and fear.

This scene instilled a chill in the hearts of the remaining people, making them dare not harbor any further thoughts.

Lin Ming saw that Cao Ying, Dan Chen, Xiao Yan, and the others had all entered the Spatial Rift one by one after checking that everything was in order.

In response, Lin Ming turned his head to Zi Yan and Xiong Zhan beside him and said, "Then I'll set off first. After you go out, go and meet up with Elder Yao and Little Immortal Doctor. I'll meet up with you after I finish the Pill Gathering competition."

"Yes, we're waiting to see you display your prowess." Zi Yan nodded in agreement.

Lin Ming smiled slightly, then straightened his robes, which were slightly wrinkled from his journey. Under the gazes of those around him, filled with complex emotions such as envy, awe, and curiosity, he walked with composed steps toward the old man in the center of the square.

Approaching the old man, Lin Ming respectfully took out his mission medicine list and a Jade Box that had been prepared beforehand from his Storage Ring. Inside, all the medicinal herbs needed for the mission were neatly arranged, no more and no less, and all of superior quality.

The old man extended his withered hand to take it, his fingers gently touching the Jade Box as his Soul Power swept over it.

"Correct." The hoarse voice rang out again.

"Go in."

Lin Ming clasped his hands in a fist salute to the elder of the Pill Tower, and then turned Lin Ming gaze to the pitch-black rift in front of him that was constantly twisting and emitting Spatial Fluctuations.

Standing here, one can already faintly sense the bustling atmosphere of Sacred Pill City Square emanating from the other side of the rift.

Lin Ming took a deep breath, his eyes instantly sharpening and filled with fighting spirit.

The trials and tribulations in the Pill Realm have come to an end.

Now, the real excitement of the Pill Gathering begins! A gathering of heroes, a fierce battle, and the ultimate championship will surely belong to Lin Ming!

Without further hesitation, Lin Ming took a step forward, and his figure disappeared into the deep Spatial Rift.