Xiao Yan's Victory

During the subsequent search, Lin Ming and his group visited several more secluded alchemy chambers with relatively well -Restriction preserved protective barriers.

Thanks to Lin Ming's powerful Soul Perception and decryption skills, the group was always one step ahead of others, or found those corners that others had overlooked.

Although the subsequent gains could not compare to obtaining the Pill Beast and the Ancient Pill Recipe formula, they were still quite substantial. He obtained two more ancient pill formulas containing Tier 7 Medicinal Pill. Although they were not as profound as the previous one, each had its own exquisite aspects, which satisfied Lin Ming considerably.

In addition, there were some high-quality medicinal herb essence crystals, as well as several special utensils that seemed to have been used by ancient Alchemist. The runes engraved on them were of great value for studying ancient alchemy techniques.

Lin Ming accepted all offers without hesitation, taking them all into his possession. Afterward, Lin Ming and his group continued on their way.

However, this time, just as they were walking along an increasingly dark and dimly lit passage, preparing to explore the end of the passage and the large-looking alchemy chamber they were about to reach, a "click-clack" sound of a mechanism turning suddenly came from inside the heavy Stone Door.

Seeing this, Lin Ming's eyes narrowed slightly, and he stopped in his tracks, raising his hand to halt the steps of the people behind him.

So, the group stopped tacitly, held their breath, and turned their gaze to the Stone Door that was slowly opening.

The Stone Door opened completely, and a group of people emerged from it. Their auras were powerful, and their clothing styles were distinctive. It was clearly the Starfall Pavilion team led by Venerable Feng.

Among this group, a young man dressed in black robes, with an exceptionally strong Fire Attribute aura and a resolute yet handsome face, stood out.

This person was none other than Xiao Yan.

"Huh?"

The two met unexpectedly in the somewhat narrow passage and were both taken aback. There seemed to be a momentary pause in the air.

Upon hearing this, Lin Ming was the first to react, and a warm and natural smile instantly appeared on his face, as if he had unexpectedly met an old friend. He said, "Venerable Feng, Brother Xiao Yan. What a coincidence to meet you here."

Lin Ming's voice broke the silence.

Seeing this, Venerable Feng Gu Ling his beard and smiled, his demeanor refined and scholarly, and replied, "Sect Master Lin, how have you been! It seems the depths of this Pill Hall are quite alluring, for even Sect Master Lin has personally led a team to venture here."

Upon seeing Lin Ming, Xiao Yan suppressed a hint of surprise, smiled, stepped forward, and said in a familiar tone:

"Big Brother Lin, what a coincidence! This ruin is so vast, and the passageways to the Pill Hall are incredibly complex. To run into each other like this, it seems we really are destined to meet!"

After speaking, Xiao Yan's gaze quickly swept over the team behind Lin Ming. Zi Yan, Qing Lin, Xiong Zhan... the lineup was still formidable, and he felt a chill run down his spine.

"That is indeed a deep connection, Brother Xiao Yan."

Lin Ming nodded with a meaningful smile, leaving Xiao Yan and his group feeling somewhat puzzled.

However, Lin Ming had no time to explain. At this moment, Lin Ming's gaze casually swept over the interior of the alchemy room behind Xiao Yan and the others, where he could see that there seemed to be other disciples of the Starfall Pavilion still searching inside.

Lin Ming then adopted a perfectly measured expression of regret and said, "Since you, Brother Xiao Yan, have already arrived at this alchemy chamber, we shouldn't disturb you any longer. This Pill Hall is vast; there must be other opportunities there. Let's go look around elsewhere; maybe we can find some leftovers."

After speaking, Lin Ming nodded politely to Venerable Feng, then gestured to the people behind him to prepare to bypass the Starfall Pavilion group and continue exploring deeper into the passage.

Just as Lin Ming and his group were about to pass by them, Xiao Yan suddenly had a thought and asked as if by some strange impulse, "Big Brother Lin, judging from your direction, it seems you came from a more outer area. I wonder how your trip went? Did you find any rare pills or formulas?"

Xiao Yan's tone carried a hint of curiosity, as if it were just a casual question, but deep in his eyes lay a subtle, almost imperceptible, intent to investigate and compare.

After all, he knew that his group was among the first to arrive at the core area of the Pill Hall, and that they had reaped extremely rich rewards.

Upon hearing Xiao Yan's question, Lin Ming paused slightly, his warm smile instantly transforming into a perfectly measured look of helplessness and bitterness. Then, he sighed heavily, his voice tinged with frustration as he said:

"Oh, Xiao Yan, don't even mention it! When we arrived at this Pill Hall, it had already been visited countless times! It was like a locust plague, leaving nothing but barren land! We painstakingly broke through several Restriction, only to find dust and empty Jade Bottle Jade Box inside. We finally managed to find something..."

As he spoke, Lin Ming shrugged, his expression becoming even more "dejected":

"It's just a few bottles of Tier 6 Medicinal Pill, mostly ordinary stuff to aid cultivation and restore Dou Qi. Oh, right, there's also a scroll or two of Fifth Grade or 6th Grade pill formulas, better than nothing."

Lin Ming shook his head, his tone full of self-deprecation:

"This harvest might be considered decent for an ordinary Dou Emperor or a Rogue Cultivator Dou Zong, but for us Tier 8 Alchemist, spending half a day in an ancient Pill Hall and only getting this meager harvest is hardly believable. It's utterly shameful! We should have just gathered more medicinal herbs outside."

Lin Ming's words were sincere and heartfelt, and his expression was spot-on, perfectly portraying the image of a hapless guy who "arrived late and could only pick up trash."

As Lin Ming spoke, Zi Yan behind him secretly pursed her lips, trying hard to suppress a laugh, her shoulders trembling slightly. Qing Lin lowered her eyes, gently stroking the fur of the Pill Beast in her arms, afraid that her expression would give her away. Xiong Zhan, Di Kong, and the others kept their eyes down, looking as if to say, "The Sect Master is right, we are indeed very poor."

Hearing Lin Ming's "vivid" lament of poverty, Xiao Yan knew he'd be a fool to believe him!

Given Lin Ming's abilities and the strength of his team, even if they arrived late, they shouldn't have only gained this much. This guy is definitely hiding his true strength!

However, upon further reflection, Xiao Yan felt that Lin Ming's words might have some "foundation".

The Starfall Pavilion was indeed one of the first groups to arrive at this Pill Hall, but they didn't see Lin Ming and his group among them at the time.

Upon arriving at the Pill Hall, they found that almost all the pill chambers along the way still had their Restriction in place, indicating that no one had visited them. As a result, they were able to break through many powerful Restriction and obtain a large number of rare pills and pill formulas.

Lin Ming and his group arrived later, and given that the area had already been thoroughly searched, their gains were likely to be significantly reduced.

In terms of seizing the initiative, our side certainly had a significant advantage.

Thinking this through, Xiao Yan couldn't help but feel quite happy and proud.

Since meeting Lin Ming, whether in alchemy, strength, or opportunities, he always seemed to be slightly outmatched by the other party. Although the two had a good relationship, Xiao Yan's competitive spirit remained.

Now, in terms of the harvest from this ancient Pill Hall, he has finally won against Lin Ming!

Although it was only a temporary victory, it was still a rare triumph, and it was hard-won! A sense of exhilaration and triumph welled up within me.

However, Xiao Yan naturally couldn't show it on the surface.

So, Xiao Yan, being a skilled actor, quickly showed a look of shared sympathy on his face, nodded, and followed Lin Ming's words:

"Big Brother Lin is absolutely right! Although we arrived a little earlier, the situation is about the same. This third level seems to have many treasures, but the competition is fierce, and many alchemy rooms have already been claimed by others."

"We also went through a lot of trouble to find some rather unremarkable items. Even combined, they probably aren't much better than Big Brother Lin and you guys have gained. We really are unworthy of the name 'Pill Hall'!"

Xiao Yan's words were a complete lie, after all, right here in the alchemy room, they had found a Five-Colored Pill Lightning Tier 8 Pill and a scroll of a Tier 8 Ancient Pill Recipe.

After speaking, Xiao Yan's gaze swept over Lin Ming and his group again. When his eyes passed over Qing Lin, who was standing quietly beside her, holding the Qing Lin, snow-white beast in her arms, a gentle smile appeared on his face, as if he were casually praising her:

"The little beast in Lady Qing Lin's arms is quite adorable, all fluffy, and seems to be very much to her liking. In these perilous ruins, having such a spirit companion can certainly alleviate some of the boredom."

Xiao Yan's words were purely out of polite praise and to steer the conversation away from the topic of "gains," without giving it much thought.

Upon hearing this, Qing Lin raised her emerald eyes, smiled gently at Xiao Yan, and said softly, "Thank you for your praise, Young Master Xiao Yan."

At the same time, the Pill Beast in Qing Lin's arms seemed to understand that it was being praised. It raised its round head and blinked at Xiao Yan with its big, bright eyes, which were as black as gemstones. It looked adorable and harmless.

Seeing this, Xiao Yan only felt that the little beast was quite Spirituality and did not notice anything unusual.

Afterwards, Lin Ming bowed to Venerable Feng and Xiao Yan to say goodbye again, and led his group without lingering. He calmly walked past the Starfall Pavilion team and headed deeper into the passage, his figure quickly disappearing around the corner.

Watching Lin Ming and the others leave, Xiao Yan's smile grew even wider, and he almost couldn't help but hum aloud.

After all, it was in this very alchemy room they had just emerged from that they not only found a Jade Casket protected by a powerful Restriction, containing an Ancient Tier 8 Pill had been tempered by Five-Colored Pill Lightning, but also obtained an Ancient Pill Recipe for a Tier 8 Medicinal Pill called "Pill to Break Venerate," which increases the chance of a peak Dou Venerate Peak Dou Ancestor by 30%!

Either of these gains, if announced to the outside world, would be enough to cause a huge uproar, truly enormous!