"Huff, huff, huff." Xiao Yan was gasping for breath as well. It was not because anything was wrong with his body—the news before him had simply struck him too hard.
Hua Qingyu was a contestant sent by the Flower Sect, one of the continent's top powers, to participate in the Pill Convention. She had drawn considerable attention simply by virtue of who she was. Like Yi Xu of the Heavenly Nether Sect, she was an alchemy expert who had emerged during the Pill Convention.
Her situation differed from Yi Xu's, however. Yi Xu of the Heavenly Nether Sect had merely never practiced alchemy before; everyone had always known who he was.
As for Hua Qingyu, no one besides those from the Flower Sect knew anything about her. Only later did people learn that she was the direct disciple personally nurtured by an extremely important core figure of the Flower Sect. Because her talent in alchemy was astonishing, she had remained hidden all along, waiting to make a stunning debut at the Pill Convention.
Hua Qingyu's background was so clear that, aside from the attention she initially attracted because of her strength and the Flower Sect, she was soon overshadowed by the clash between Xiao Yan and Ling Zhuo. Though Hua Qingyu was outstanding, Ling Zhuo and Xiao Yan had practically been fighting like immortals.
Xiao Yan still remembered the first time he saw Hua Qingyu while collecting the scrolls. Her true appearance had not yet been revealed then. He had stared at her for a long time, only feeling an indescribable sense of strangeness. If they had not been complete strangers, he might even have rashly gone over to strike up a conversation.
Now that he thought about it, Xiao Yan was far too familiar with Yao Lao's appearance. Since