The Alchemist Competition Begins

Inside the secret chamber, Qin Chen waved his hand, and over a dozen rare medicinal ingredients flew out of his Storage Ring, hovering quietly in midair.

Bang!

With a muffled thud, the medicinal cauldron landed on the ground. The Green Lotus Core Flame suddenly surged, and Qin Chen tossed the medicinal ingredients into it one after another.

Qin Chen could naturally have refined the Seven-Illusion Green Spirit Saliva directly into a liquid for Yao Lao to consume, but the effect would have been greatly diminished.

After all, Protector Wu was a Four-Star Dou Zong. In the original story, after Yao Lao consumed the medicinal liquid refined by Xiao Yan, he had only been able to fight Yun Shan, who had just entered the Dou Zong realm, to a standstill.

With the Soul Hall's strange methods, if Yao Lao only possessed the strength of a One-Star Dou Zong, would he not be captured alive by Protector Wu in a single exchange?

Failing to capture Protector Wu would be a minor matter. If they drove him into a corner and he directly devoured Yao Lao's soul to perish together with them, who would be able to leave alive?

Therefore, Yao Lao's strength had to reach at least the level of a three- or four-star Dou Zong. Only then could they prevent Protector Wu from succeeding and keep Qin Chen from losing the initiative.

Under the tempering of the azure flames, a rich medicinal fragrance swiftly filled the entire secret chamber.

Breathing in the refreshing fragrance, Xiao Yan immediately felt the soul fatigue caused by refining the Brand Poison vanish completely. His eyes lit up—his teacher could finally recover!

In truth, there was no shortage of heavenly treasures on the Battle Qi Continent capable of quickly restoring an exhausted soul. However, their methods of use and rarity varied, and so did their effects.

What Qin Chen was refining this time was also a medicinal liquid. If ranked according to pill grades, it was roughly around the fifth grade. The refining process was not complicated, and it consumed almost nothing for him.

As time passed, a mass of brilliantly colored medicinal liquid gradually took shape under Qin Chen's fusion, radiating vigorous vitality.

Qin Chen turned and gestured to Xiao Yan. The latter immediately understood, flicking his finger as the black ring in his hand traced a graceful arc through the air and flew into the colorful medicinal liquid.

The moment the two came into contact, the medicinal liquid instantly boiled and rapidly adhered to the Ancient Flame Ring, seeping into it bit by bit.

At the sight, Xiao Yan was overjoyed. He could already vaguely sense that familiar soul force slowly reviving.

Black light flickered continuously across the Ancient Flame Ring, as though something was about to burst free from within.

"Since you have already awakened, Senior, please show yourself," Qin Chen said with a smile, leaving Yao Lao no chance to attack.

The ring visibly paused. Then a faint glow flashed, and Yao Lao's illusory figure slowly drifted out of the Bone Flame Ring.

Compared to when Qin Chen had first seen him, Yao Lao's soul force was undoubtedly much more solid now.

"Teacher!" Xiao Yan's face filled with delight upon seeing Yao Lao appear once more.

"I am fine now." Yao Lao smiled at Xiao Yan, then turned to Qin Chen and said solemnly, "Little Friend Qin Chen, thank you for this."

Though he had fallen asleep, he had not lost his awareness of the outside world. He knew about Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran's situation as well.

But Qin Chen could not be blamed for this matter. After all, he had put in considerable effort to awaken him. If outsiders learned of it, it would make Venerable Yao seem petty.

"There is no need for such courtesy, Senior. We are merely taking what we each need." Qin Chen shook his head and smiled. "I have already invited the experts who will accompany us to the Misty Cloud Sect."

Qin Chen did not say who they were. He believed Yao Lao already knew.

Yao Lao nodded, indicating that he understood.

"Senior." Qin Chen's expression turned serious as he said in a deep voice, "Since we will be facing someone from the Soul Hall, I believe it is necessary for us to discuss a strategy beforehand."

"Mm." Yao Lao nodded and chuckled. "If I am not mistaken, you must have learned some important information?"

"Senior truly has sharp insight."

Qin Chen grinned and continued, "Through Yun Yun, the sect leader of the Misty Cloud Sect, I did indeed learn several important pieces of information. First, that Soul Hall Protector is a Four-Star Dou Zong."

"A Four-Star Dou Zong..." Yao Lao's eyes narrowed slightly.

He had not expected the opponent to be evenly matched with his current self. Without the medicinal liquid Qin Chen had refined, he might truly not have been a match.

"That is right." Qin Chen nodded. "According to Yun Yun, he is preparing something. It seems he has already noticed Senior's whereabouts."

"What?" Yao Lao's expression changed. "Little Friend, do you know the details?"

"This junior does not know the reason behind it either." Qin Chen shook his head, then shifted his gaze toward Xiao Yan beside him. "However, I believe part of the reason lies with Brother Xiao."

"Me?" Xiao Yan, who had been idling at the side, looked utterly confused.

How could he possibly be connected to that Soul Hall Protector?

"That is right." Qin Chen smiled softly and looked at Yao Lao. "Think about it, Senior. Dou Qi vanished for no reason for three years, then in just a year and a half, he rapidly advanced from Dou Qi to Dou Zhe. Is that something that would happen to someone native to the Northwestern Continent?"

"Not to mention that the Xiao Clan is merely a small family within the Jia Ma Empire."

After a moment of silence, Yao Lao nodded. "You have a point."

During his escape after his physical body had been destroyed, the last Soul Hall Protector he had killed had been in the Northwestern Continent. The Soul Hall must have intensified its search in this region.

Though the Soul Hall was detestable, it had to be said that the organization was extremely powerful and deeply founded. People in the northwest could not figure out why Xiao Yan's Dou Qi had vanished so strangely, but concealing it from a prepared Soul Hall Protector was another matter.

Moreover, Xiao Yan had gone from Dou Qi to Dou Zhe in just over a year. With his own talent and the local alchemists of the Jia Ma Empire's use of heavenly treasures, that was simply impossible. It was not difficult to infer that a high-level alchemist had been helping him from behind the scenes.

The local alchemists of the Jia Ma Empire could never refine pills effective at the Dou Qi stage.

Just like Qin Chen, who had guessed his identity at their first meeting. Although the Bone-Chilling Spirit Flame had played a part, it was enough to deduce that Xiao Yan had an expert backing him, and one from the Central Plains at that. There was surely no shortage of bounties for Venerable Yao within the Soul Hall.

What he had not expected was that the Soul Hall's reach extended so far that even the barren Jia Ma Empire had traces of them.

The Alchemist Grand Meeting Begins

Inside a concealed underground secret chamber at the Mittel Family headquarters.

"Teacher, I..."

Listening to their analysis, Xiao Yan's nose suddenly stung, and intense guilt welled up in his heart.

If he had not been hot-blooded in his youth and impulsively accepted Nalan Yanran's absurd Three-Year Agreement, he would not have drawn the Soul Hall's attention and put his teacher in such danger.

"It is fine. You need not blame yourself." Yao Lao stroked his beard, a carefree smile on his face. "This matter was mainly due to your teacher's lack of foresight. Besides, we have not yet reached a dead end."

He had tangled with the Soul Hall for centuries and was already thoroughly familiar with the methods of those sinister people. Combining the scattered intelligence Qin Chen had brought, Yao Lao had already formed a rough picture of the situation.

Those neither-human-nor-ghost things had greed carved into their bones.

Since they knew of his whereabouts yet had not dispatched a large force to surround and eliminate him, the leading Protector must have become greedy for merit and acted rashly, hoping to claim this enormous achievement for himself.

After all, Yun Shan, the former sect leader of the Misty Cloud Sect, was a genuine Dou Zong. In that Soul Hall Protector's eyes, two Dou Zongs joining forces would naturally be more than enough to deal with him, a weakened soul body.

In that case, the man would most likely wait at the Misty Cloud Sect for him, Venerable Yao, to walk into the trap himself.

Unfortunately, no matter how carefully that Protector calculated, he had not anticipated that Yao Lao's soul force had already recovered by more than half, nor had he expected that several powerful experts now stood at his side.

Since that was the case, they might as well see it through!

As long as they could completely keep that Protector behind, Venerable Yao's whereabouts would not leak in the slightest.

With that thought, Yao Lao turned to Qin Chen, a sharp gleam flashing through his eyes. "You are right. This matter must indeed be considered carefully. Let this old man first explain his thoughts."

"Please do, Senior." Qin Chen nodded with a smile.

Half an hour of discussion passed in the blink of an eye. After much deliberation, the three of them finally settled on a largely complete plan. Xiao Yan and Yao Lao then left the secret chamber first.

Only after their figures had completely disappeared did Qin Chen slowly return to his room.

The night was deep, and winter's chill seeped through the window lattice in thin strands.

Qin Chen removed his outer robe and gently took the Little Swallowing Heaven Python coiled around his arm. The little fellow was sleeping soundly, her delicate face full of innocent naivety.

He shook his head helplessly and chuckled softly. "Little one, all you do all day is eat and sleep. What an easy life!"

After carefully placing Xiaocai at the head of the bed, Qin Chen leaned against the soft pillows and soon fell into a deep sleep. The faint sound of his snoring slowly echoed through the quiet room.

With his cultivation as a Dou Emperor, he no longer needed sleep to nourish his body. Still, indulging in a brief nap now and then was a rare comfort.

"Hiss..."

Not long after Qin Chen fell asleep, the Little Swallowing Heaven Python at the head of the bed suddenly trembled, and her tightly shut eyelids slowly opened.

The usual innocence and confusion faded from those demonic vertical pupils, replaced by cold beauty and majesty. It was not difficult to see that the one controlling this body at the moment was the Queen Medusa herself!

A nearly imperceptible flash of colored light passed by, and the Little Swallowing Heaven Python's body floated lightly into the air, landing above Qin Chen's chest.

Her pointed snake tail playfully supported her chin, her tiny snake head tilted slightly to one side. With a trace of scrutiny in her eyes, she quietly stared at Qin Chen's sleeping face.

Though Medusa's soul often remained dormant, she was not completely unaware of the outside world.

Over the past month or so, she had watched nearly everything Qin Chen said and did. Recalling everything that had happened since their encounter, a thought became increasingly clear in her heart.

This fellow was absolutely not as simple as he appeared!

He was playing a grand game, and the board was not limited to the tiny Jia Ma Empire. His target could not possibly be just a mere Soul Hall Protector!

Besides that, there was another matter Medusa could not understand.

Qin Chen clearly knew she retained awareness of the outside world, so why did he dare keep her by his side so confidently?

"Could it be..."

"Am I one of his targets as well?"

The moment that thought surfaced, Medusa's heart jolted violently.

Impossible!

Absolutely impossible!

Uh...

At least, not for now!

According to the rules passed down through generations of Medusa Queens, the queen's husband had to be stronger than the queen herself!

Medusa forcibly suppressed the inexplicable restlessness in her heart and thought this to herself. Yet in the next instant, a strange thought quietly arose.

The spouses of every previous Queen Medusa had been powerful snake-people warriors.

But Qin Chen was merely a "fair-skinned and tender" alchemist. Perhaps...

Special circumstances could be treated specially?

After all, the strength spoken of on the Battle Qi Continent had always referred to overall strength, not merely one's cultivation realm.

Medusa remembered Qin Chen mentioning during a casual conversation that, with his current alchemy skills, he could already refine Seventh-Grade Pills.

The only reason he had not done so was that refining a Seventh-Grade Pill would cause too great a disturbance, and there was no pressing need for one at present.

A Seventh-Grade Alchemist held a status on the continent sufficient to rival a High-Rank Dou Zong!