Opening Ceremony

Sure enough, no matter where the protagonist went, he had that harem magnetism and could attract a whole flock of women!

Liuli, currently using the alias Yu Gongtian, watched him awkwardly surrounded by four breathtaking beauties and grumbled inwardly.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce him to you. This is young friend Yan Xiao, an Alchemist who possesses a Heavenly Flame." Seeing Liuli looking at Xiao Yan, Jia Xingtian happily introduced him.

"Oh? A Heavenly Flame?" Liuli feigned surprise as she looked him over, a sly smile curling her lips. "Mr. Yan Xiao, you really know how to hide your talents. No wonder so many beautiful young girls are drawn to you!"

"Uh, Senior Yu, you flatter me. I merely obtained it by chance. As for being popular with women, I've never thought I had such luck." Xiao Yan smiled, though he felt somewhat guilty saying that in this situation.

"I wonder, compared to that little girl from Jia Nan Academy who also possesses a Heavenly Flame, whose alchemy skills are better? I'm really looking forward to it!" Liuli smiled, her bright eyes narrowing with a hint of mischief.

Xiao Yan froze for a moment before asking somewhat distractedly, "There's also a student at Jia Nan Academy who possesses a Heavenly Flame?"

Liuli nodded.

"May I ask which Heavenly Flame it is?" Xiao Yan asked anxiously.

Old Yao had once said that Jia Nan Academy held a Heavenly Flame of a higher rank than his Green Lotus Core Flame. If it had already been absorbed by someone... he could not bring himself to kill someone and seize their flame...

"Mr. Yan Xiao, it isn't very polite to pry into someone else's trump card, especially something as divine as a Heavenly Flame. Are you interested in her Heavenly Flame?" Liuli chuckled. She had read the script and knew what Xiao Yan needed and wanted, so naturally she had to whet his appetite.

Xiao Yan's expression changed, and he immediately denied it. "Not at all. I'm merely curious. Senior Yu should know that how could an ordinary person possibly contain more than two Heavenly Flames? Since I already possess one, I would never seek trouble with another Heavenly Flame wielder."

But you're the protagonist! In all the world, perhaps only a handful of people can accommodate two Heavenly Flames at once, and you're one of them.

"That's true. I misunderstood you." Though Liuli said this inwardly, she nodded on the surface and put on an apologetic expression, playing her part perfectly.

Xiao Yan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If people learned that he was still coveting Heavenly Flames before he even entered Jia Nan Academy, then his plan would truly be ruined. Still, whenever he spoke with this elder from Jia Nan Academy, he felt uneasy, as if she knew what he was thinking and had him completely in her grasp.

"She came this time as well. As for what kind of Heavenly Flame she has, you can observe her for yourself later." Liuli smiled at Xiao Yan's silence.

Xiao Yan was startled, then nodded and asked, "May I ask what this Jia Nan Academy student is called?"

Liuli pursed her lips and smiled mysteriously before speaking four words: "Gongsun Liuli."

"This Alchemist Competition can only succeed. Failure is not an option. Understood?"

At the farthest corner of the stands sat two figures in grey robes. Both wore bamboo hats, making them appear exceedingly mysterious.

The smaller grey-robed figure on the right nodded and answered the one on the left. "Understood. But if I win the championship and they grow suspicious or refuse to let me leave, what then?"

"Don't worry about that. If you win, they won't dare touch you openly. Once you leave the square, I'll be waiting outside to meet you and take you out of Jia Ma Holy City. By then, the sky will be vast and the birds free to fly. Do they really think they can catch someone from the hands of a Dou Emperor who is deliberately hiding?" The grey-robed figure on the left spoke in a mocking tone.

"Besides, I've already arranged several dead warriors with Poison Roots planted within them throughout this square. If we truly cannot get out, I'll use that to threaten them. Would they rather protect the lives of the tens of thousands present, or only care about capturing the two of us?"

"My lord is truly brilliant," the small grey-robed figure praised.

"After this is over, return with us. The Chu Yun Empire's Royal Family will surely ensure that you become the Guild President." The grey-robed figure on the left patted his shoulder.

"Hehe, thank you, my lord!" the small grey-robed figure said with a grin.

"Dong..."

A crisp bell rang out, and the clamorous square instantly fell silent. Everyone's gaze gathered upon the Purple Robed Elder in the VIP seats.

Fa Ma slowly rose to his feet and made his way to the front of the stands. He swept his gaze across the square before speaking in a measured voice. Though not loud, bolstered by his powerful Dou Qi, it resounded throughout the entire venue. "In the name of the President of the Jia Ma Empire Alchemist Guild, I hereby announce that the Seventh Alchemist Competition has begun!"

The entire venue erupted, and cheers soared into the heavens.

Listening to the uproar, Fa Ma smiled and nodded. Only after a long while did he address the many Alchemists. "All contestants, please proceed to your respective competition stations!"

As Fa Ma's words fell, the many Alchemists stood and slowly entered the square, heading toward the more than one thousand competition stations.

"Liu Ling, Yao Yue, Yan Xiao, you three little fellows should head to your positions as well! See those stations over there? They belong to you. You are the focus of this competition!" Fa Ma slowly returned, pointing toward the center of the square as he spoke.

The three of them looked toward the center of the square. Ten enormous Bluestone Platforms had been placed there. Not only were they far larger than the other stations, even their foundations stood several feet higher.

Xiao Yan frowned. With his temperament, he truly did not like such attention-grabbing affairs.

Fa Ma looked at Xiao Yan and smiled kindly. "Young man, being low-key is a good thing. But since you've joined the Alchemist Competition, you will inevitably become the center of attention sooner or later. If you don't do something arrogant and unruly while you're young, what will you have left to boast about when you're older?"

"The Guild President is right." Xiao Yan gave a bitter smile.

"Xiao Yan, I'm going ahead!" Yao Yue waved at him, then leaped out of the VIP section like a nimble cat. With light steps, she drifted down like a falling leaf. Her movement drew excited howls from many spectators in the stands.

"Mr. Yan Xiao, won't you put on a performance too?" Liuli turned and smiled at him.

The group of Old Men in the front row also nodded, expressing their desire to see this somewhat mysterious Young Man perform.

Xiao Yan's mouth twitched. He shook his head and refused. "Forget it, I'll just walk down—"

Before he could finish, a powerful gust of Dou Qi blew from behind him, swatting his entire body straight out of the VIP section.

"Stop dawdling and get down there!" Hai Bodong rubbed his wrist with a smug grin. He wanted to see Xiao Yan make a fool of himself this time.

"You old bastard!" Xiao Yan cursed. His body began plummeting rapidly from the force of inertia, and everyone's attention followed this farce to focus entirely on him.

"Sigh!" Xiao Yan let out a helpless sigh, then continued falling headfirst in a straight line.

Just as most people thought he was about to smash into the ground and spill blood across the square, Xiao Yan suddenly widened his eyes. The Dou Qi in his hands condensed into wind, which he fiercely slammed against the ground.

Using the recoil, his entire body shot upward and rose back into midair. He controlled himself and flew toward the center of the square. Whenever his body began falling again due to inertia, he would manipulate his Dou Qi once more to send himself flying.

"What exquisite control over Dou Qi. Even some Dou Wangs might not be capable of this!" Jia Xingtian clicked his tongue in amazement, and the others also cast approving gazes at Xiao Yan.

"Pfft!" Yet Liuli, seated in the middle of the front row of the VIP seats, burst out laughing at the sight.

Look at those textbook consecutive backflips, look at that twisting little waist—he's absolutely the star performer of a circus!

The more Liuli thought about it, the happier she became. But remembering that she was wearing Yu Gongtian's alter ego, she suppressed her laughter.

With one final flip, Xiao Yan landed steadily on the competition platform, taking one of the ten core competition stations.

"Excellent! Excellent!" Many people in the stands applauded and cheered. This young man had given them a truly eye-opening entrance.

Liuli smiled faintly, then gently leaned back into the soft VIP chair. The light in her eyes dimmed slightly, as if the soul deep within had vanished.

Now, the performance begins!