The Arrogant One

Xiao Yan calmed down once more. Liuli's reminder had just pointed out where the problem lay. This time, he had to succeed!

He gently closed his eyes and raised both hands. Green Flame began pouring endlessly from his body, continuously gathering in his palms.

The young man chuckled, then heavily slapped both hands against the fire vents of the Medicine Cauldron. The Green Lotus Core Flame instantly filled the cauldron and even spilled outward, gradually wrapping around the entire Medicine Cauldron.

"Using Qi as Cauldron, Using Flame as Furnace. This technique is surprisingly similar to that gentleman's from back then..." Fa Ma was stunned. The familiar sensation could not help but bring him back to his youth—to that cave... and that White Robe Old Man!

Wrapping the entire Medicine Cauldron in flames could keep the temperature within at its peak, allowing the medicinal ingredients to fuse more purely. However, the naturally violent nature of flames also made the pill fusion process extremely unstable. If one's Soul Power was insufficient, even the slightest mistake would cause all previous efforts to go to waste.

With a wave of Xiao Yan's hand, the Heavenly Flames swept up all the medicine bottles. The scorching flames instantly refined the Jade Bottles into dregs and slowly stripped them away. The multicolored Medicinal Liquid was then cast into the Medicine Cauldron along with the Heavenly Flames.

"Roar, roar, roar..." The instant the Medicinal Liquid entered, enormous energy fluctuations surged out. The blast of air sent quite a few objects atop the Bluestone Platform flying.

"Can his Soul Power withstand such a huge commotion?" Liuli stared at Xiao Yan's utterly different method of Pill Refining in astonishment.

Xiao Yan, meanwhile, acted as though nothing were wrong, though cold sweat had already begun to bead across his forehead. That surging Soul Power continued rapidly controlling the fusion of the Medicinal Liquid.

Yan Li was also startled by the immense commotion Xiao Yan had caused. His previous confidence wavered slightly at that moment.

Just some petty tricks. No matter what methods you use, the championship will only be mine! Yan Li shouted inwardly. The method by which he controlled his Soul Power changed, and the pill fusion succeeded, entering the shaping stage!

Just then, two more strange pill fragrances filled the entire venue, accompanied by two sounds of cauldrons breaking open. Yao Ye and Liu Ling had both successfully completed their refinement as well!

The two stored their pills in Jade Bottles, yet both sighed in unspoken agreement.

"Fourth-grade Vast Sea Void Spirit Pill and Fourth-grade Wind Extreme Pill. These two little fellows are in fine form today, but it still isn't enough to turn the tide at this convention." Fa Ma shook his head. The instant their pills emerged from the cauldrons, all the hopes of the Jia Ma Empire Alchemist Guild had fallen upon that black-haired young man.

"Hahaha! The greatest geniuses of the Jia Ma Empire only refined such trash? Isn't this far too childish?" Yan Li burst into laughter. The black flames in his hand shifted as he directly lifted the lid off his Medicine Cauldron.

In an instant, a faint gray fragrance like mist burst forth!

"Colored Pill Fragrance! This fellow has refined a Fifth-grade Pill." Fa Ma immediately stood up, his expression darkening.

Opening the cauldron marked the final step of Pill Refining, signifying that the Alchemist was ready to retrieve the pill. Such dense Colored Pill Fragrance proved beyond doubt that it was a Fifth-grade Pill.

"Could it be that our Jia Ma Empire is truly going to be humiliated by the Chu Yun Empire this time?" Jia Xingtian sighed helplessly.

"Don't jump to conclusions! Isn't Yan Xiao still there?!" Hai Bodong shouted, interrupting their dispirited mood.

Xiao Yan had refined a Sixth-grade Pill for him before. Although his strength had been greatly reduced because of the previous incident, if he was confident enough to refine a Fifth-grade Pill, then he still had a chance of succeeding.

Everyone's gazes turned toward Xiao Yan once again. He was now drenched in sweat. More than half of the Dou Qi and Soul Power in his body had already been depleted, but he had crossed the most difficult tenth step!

Now, he only needed to follow the steps from last time, and the pill would be formed!

With that thought, he retrieved a white pill from his Storage Ring. After hesitating for a moment, he finally swallowed it.

A cool sensation instantly spread through his entire body. Countless cells and meridians seemed to cry out in delight before the gentle medicinal power. Meanwhile, the condensed Dou Qi within his abdomen continued growing, beginning to produce Dou Qi without end.

"Continue! Refine for me!" Xiao Yan shouted softly. The movements of his hands quickened once more, and the dazzling multicolored mixed Medicinal Liquid in the Medicine Cauldron actually began gradually turning red.

"Yan Xiao, you cannot compete with me. Let me show you what a true miraculous pill is!" A crazed smile curled across Yan Li's lips as he fiercely struck the Medicine Cauldron with his palm.

Surging black flames directly blew the lid away and shot into the sky. A pale gray pill flew out and hovered above Yan Li's head. Dense gray pill fragrance spread outward from it, blanketing the sky for a hundred meters around!

"Revere me! Fear me! Today, all of you shall submit beneath my shadow." Yan Li spread his arms in intoxicated self-satisfaction. The pill slowly drifted down before finally landing in the jade box Yan Li had prepared. This pill was also the most successful masterpiece he had ever refined.

Quite a few people on the stage wore ugly expressions as they watched the Grey Robe young man's distorted and flamboyant performance.

"This is the Fifth-grade Dark Bamboo Barrier Breaking Pill. Now, when I say that everything refined by everyone present is trash, does anyone object?" Yan Li swept his gaze teasingly across the venue, his words brimming with invincibility.

The Jia Ma Empire was not particularly powerful among the surrounding great empires. Every other empire possessed at least one Dou Zong expert, while Jia Xingtian, the Jia Ma Empire's guardian, was merely at the Peak Dou Huang. However, the Jia Ma Empire's Alchemists were uniquely outstanding.

Setting aside Pill King Gu He, a Sixth-grade Alchemist, the Jia Ma Empire openly had no fewer than four Fifth-grade Alchemists like Fa Ma! In contrast, because most cultivators in the Chu Yun Empire enjoyed using poison, they were naturally repulsed by Alchemists who wielded flames. As a result, the Chu Yun Empire Alchemist Guild had always been suppressed by the Jia Ma Empire.

Yet now, with him making such a spectacular show of disrupting the event, the Chu Yun Empire Alchemist Guild's prestige would undoubtedly rise by a level. And once he became its president, its future development would be boundless!

"The Dark Bamboo Barrier Breaking Pill can raise the cultivation speed of those below the Dou Wang realm by a level. With enough luck, one can even use its medicinal effects to break through some personal bottlenecks. Its ingredients are difficult to find and its effects are considerable, but its refinement method is very simple. As expected, people from the Chu Yun Empire love playing these little tricks." Fa Ma sighed softly and shook his head helplessly.

"President Fa Ma, just announce the results! I don't believe that, in the half hour remaining, anyone can refine anything more precious than this pill!" After indulging in his own triumph, Yan Li turned toward Fa Ma again, the provocation in his eyes plain to see.

"This bastard should have been crushed to death last night!" Jia Xingtian heavily slammed his palm onto the table beside him, and the table instantly turned to powder!

"Yan Li, the competition has not yet ended. Even if you had refined a Seventh-grade pill, we could not end it early. Rules are rules. If you continue babbling and disrupt the other Alchemists' Pill Refining, we can detain you at any time. Don't think that a few little tricks will let you rest easy." Fa Ma slowly walked to the edge of the raised platform, and a faint killing intent flashed in his aged eyes.

"Heh, no matter how much you drag this out, it will only be a slow death!" Yan Li was startled by that expression, but he still sneered mockingly. "I'd like to see what your precious hope can possibly refine!"

Though he shouted arrogantly, he truly had no confidence when he saw the situation on Xiao Yan's side. The commotion was simply too great!

At this moment, the entire Bluestone Platform on Xiao Yan's side had been covered by Heavenly Flames. Even Xiao Yan himself was enveloped in green flames. Within that red Medicine Cauldron, the astonishing energy fluctuations grew increasingly intense.

He couldn't really refine a Fifth-grade Pill, could he?

At that thought, Yan Li's expression changed slightly. After considering it carefully, he used a special method of communication to contact someone.

"Lord Yan Li, what are your orders?" A respectful voice sounded within Yan Li's mind.

"How many dead soldiers are in the plaza?" Yan Li asked inwardly.

"There are sixteen in total, spread across the east, west, south, and north sections. Their strength ranges from Da Dou Shi to Dou Ling."

"How powerful will the eruption of the Poison Root in your bodies be?"

"Please rest assured, my lord. Once the Poison Root erupts, everyone within a hundred meters who is not a Dou Wang or above will either die or be crippled!"

"If anything unexpected happens this time, await my instructions!"

"Yes!"

Xiao Yan clenched his teeth tightly, his hands pressed against the Medicine Cauldron trembling faintly. This second step was nearing its end, but less than thirty percent of his Dou Qi remained. With merely the cultivation of a Dou Shi, refining a Fifth-grade Pill that even Dou Wangs coveted was still far too taxing for him.

Fortunately, his Soul Power was extraordinary, even comparable to that of some Fifth-grade Alchemists, so he was not yet at the end of his strength.

Just then, his vision swam. When he recovered, he discovered that he was standing in a crimson space.

"This is..." Xiao Yan stared blankly at the Fire Bird before him, whose wings spanned more than eighty feet.

Liuli turned her head. Seeing Xiao Yan's eyes filled with dark red, a curve rose on her lips.

It seemed the grand gift she had prepared for Xiao Yan had been triggered by the young man!