Yun Shan's Invitation, Both Sides Thought They Had Won

The carriage slowly came to a stop outside the Imperial Plaza.

The four men alighted from the carriage and walked along the path leading to the VIP seating area.

Xiao Yan adjusted his mask, a hint of anticipation rising in his heart.

When Yun Shan left the pass, he could naturally guess why.

His Ice-Fire Energy Gathering Pill had a maximum potential to raise Four-Star Dou Zong cultivator by One-Star, which perfectly matched the cultivation level of the Soul Hall Earth-Grade Protector hidden in the Misty Cloud Sect. The attraction it held for that Protector Wu was self-evident.

It's impossible that Yun Shan's eagerness to leave seclusion has nothing to do with Protector Wu.

"The Ice-Fire Energy Gathering Pill is really quite attractive," Xiao Yan thought to himself.

The scene before my eyes has changed as I move.

He looked up towards the VIP section.

Those sitting there were still the heads of various families and the branch presidents of the Alchemist Guild from various cities.

The most central position was occupied by Fama Jia Xingtian, and others.

Compared to yesterday, the two most central positions are now empty.

Standing before the seats was a distinguished-looking man in a white robe. He had a faint smile on his lips, and his calm eyes swept over everyone present, revealing undisguised contempt.

Behind him, Yun Yun, Gu He, Nalan Yanran, Yun Jing, and several other members of the Misty Cloud Sect stood obediently.

Just then, the man in white robes seemed to notice Xiao Yan's gaze and turned his head to look.

His gaze lingered briefly on Xiao Yan's Sixth-Rank Alchemist robe, a hint of seriousness appearing in his eyes. His tone softened as he said, "I presume you are Master Yan Xiao?"

Xiao Yan stepped forward and nodded slightly. "I have long admired the name of Sect Master Yun, and seeing him now, he is indeed extraordinary."

"Master Yan Xiao Seventh-Rank Alchemist, which is truly admirable," Yun Shan said.

"Sect Leader Yun Shan, please speak frankly." Xiao Yan felt that he was better at being direct.

Yun Shan was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said, "Haha, Master Yan Xiao certainly has a straightforward personality."

"Then I will speak frankly."

"Yesterday, while I was in seclusion consolidating my cultivation, I sensed the Pill Lightning drawn by Master Yan Xiao's Yan Xiao, so I came out of seclusion to investigate."

"From the elders of my Misty Cloud Sect, I learned some information about Master Yan Xiao, as well as the Ice-Fire Energy Gathering Pill you refined."

Xiao Yan interrupted, "So, the old sect master of Yun Shan did it for my Ice-Fire Energy Gathering Pill?"

Yun Shan was taken aback by Xiao Yan's directness. After a moment of surprise, he laughed and said, "Master Yan Xiao is certainly direct."

"That's right, I did have this idea. I wonder if Master Yan Xiao would be interested in selling the Ice-Fire Energy Gathering Pill?"

Xiao Yan, who was planning to use the pill as bait, naturally wouldn't agree, so he shook his head and said, "I don't have that idea for now. Elder Yun Shan, you shouldn't covet my pill."

Yun Shan frowned almost imperceptibly, recalling the scene from last night.

"The Ice-Fire Energy Gathering Pill... its maximum potential is to elevate a Four-Star Dou Zong to Five-Star Dou Zong?!" The black mist condensed into a human form, and its cold voice was now filled with wild joy.

At the Dou Zong stage, One-Star represents a huge gap, often requiring several years of arduous training.

Although he was Earth-Grade Protector of the Soul Hall and worked for the Soul Hall, he still had to put in many years of effort to improve his cultivation to the One-Star Dou Zong.

But now he's unexpectedly encountered such a great opportunity.

Just thinking about a Seventh-Rank Alchemist with only the Soul Power of Dou Emperor makes his mouth water.

"Yun Shan, bring that person to Protector by any means necessary! Whether you trick him, invite him, or kidnap him, it doesn't matter, but I want him and his Protector!"

"This is an order, you must carry it out!" Protector Wu's voice was firm and chilling.

Yun Shan's face darkened, but he could only manage a dry laugh as he replied, "Yes, Protector."

As Yun Shan's consciousness gradually returned, he looked at Xiao Yan and knew that if he failed to complete Protector Wu's mission, he would definitely suffer the consequences.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, then suddenly turned to look at Yun Yun behind him. "Good disciple, come here."

When Yun Yun was mentioned, she nodded honestly and stepped forward.

Yun Shan forced a smile and said to Xiao Yan, "Master Yan Xiao, it's alright if you don't want to sell the pills, but I've heard that you and my good disciple have some connection. I wonder if you could give me some face and come to my Misty Cloud Sect for a chat?"

Upon hearing this, Yun Yun immediately realized that she had been used, but the person using her was her master Yun Shan, who had raised her. She couldn't argue back, so she could only give Xiao Yan a look that meant, "Don't worry about me, just refuse if you want."

Xiao Yan nodded to Yun Yun, then chuckled, "Hehe, what exactly does Sect Master Yun Shan want to discuss? I already have plans for the near future."

Yun Shan immediately replied, "No problem, Master Yan Xiao, you can set the time yourself."

"As for what we'll discuss, I have a Seventh Tier medicinal formula that I'd like to talk to you about, to see if you can refine it. At that point, it wouldn't be impossible to facilitate some transactions."

Having heard Yun Shan put it this way, Xiao Yan felt the time was about right. He pretended to hesitate for a few seconds before saying, "In that case, let's set the date for half a month from now."

Yun Shan breathed a sigh of relief, thinking, "Finally, it's all settled. Once you come up the mountain in half a month, everything will be under my control."

Xiao Yan's lips curled slightly as he thought to himself, "In half a month, once Queen Medusa arrives, the roles of the butcher and the fish will be reversed."

The two nodded to each other, both feeling confident that they had secured their position.

"Master Yan Xiao, please have a seat." Yun Shan offered the main seat to Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan didn't refuse and sat down directly.

Yun Shan sat down next to him in the second seat and said to Yun Yun and the others, "Please find seats."

Yun Yun and the others immediately set off.

Yun Yun passed by Xiao Yan, she whispered, "Thank you."

Xiao Yan immediately understood that Yun Yun probably thought he agreed to Yun Shan, which was why she thanked him.

He smiled, offered no explanation, and turned his gaze to the Square below.

Without Yan Li causing trouble, today's final competition became a contest between two Yao Tian, Liu Ling and Yao Yue.

In the original story, the two of them came in third and fourth place respectively, but now they're going to be first and second.

Xiao Yan had no interest in such low-level alchemy and watched it casually.

The Square fell silent as all the Alchemist meticulously refined their elixirs.

As time passed, the results of the alchemy gradually became apparent.

To Xiao Yan's slight surprise, Yao Yue seemed to have grown from his alchemy practice the previous day, producing pills of even higher quality than Liu Ling's.

Despite Liu Ling's somewhat uncomfortable expression and Gu He's dark face in the VIP section, Yao Yue successfully won the championship.

The Alchemist Conference, held every eight years, has now come to a close.

Fama and Jia Xingtian took Yao Yue to collect the championship prize, while Xiao Yan had no intention of joining in the fun.

After giving away the alchemy tips he had promised to give to Fama, he left the Imperial Plaza immediately.

The matter of the fishing Protector Wu is basically half resolved.

Then he should also improve his skills, which have stagnated for some time.

With the resources Jia Xingtian and Yun Yun sent him, combined with the Dou Ling Pill he had already refined, it was time for him to the Dou Huang Realm...