Battle Through the Heavens: The Rise Begins at Canaan Academy

Listening to the conversation between the two, Hai Bodong raised a brow, a flicker of surprise passing through his eyes. He did not join in, instead turning his gaze toward Qin Chen beside him.

Qin Chen sat upright in his seat, calm and composed, with even a faint smile at the corners of his lips as he watched the "unexpected development" in the arena with great interest.

Hai Bodong's heart stirred, and he asked, "Little Brother Qin Chen, what do you think?"

"Who said Yan Xiao had lost?" Qin Chen looked up with a smile at Hai Bodong's question, his tone utterly certain.

In the original course of events, Xiao Yan had possessed only one flame that truly belonged to him—the Green Lotus Core Flame—yet he had still forcibly succeeded in refining the Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pill.

Now, the child flame and beast flame within his body coexisted perfectly in a strange manner, greatly reducing the difficulty of switching between and controlling the flames. With such uniquely favorable conditions, how could he possibly fail?

The moment Qin Chen's words left his mouth, they struck like a thunderclap, instantly drawing everyone's eyes in the VIP seats toward him.

Nalan Yanran also raised her delicate brows slightly and gave Qin Chen a sidelong look. This man's strength and identity were both a mystery. That night, with a casual move, he had removed the Brand Poison that had given the entire Nalan Family endless headaches.

Even though it was only third-hand information...

"Are you saying that Yan Xiao still has a chance to win?" Fa Ma turned around, a trace of urgency in his voice.

There was only a quarter of an hour left before the competition ended.

In such a short time, refining a pill superior to the Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill was simply a fantasy. Even he, the president of the Alchemist Guild, had no confidence whatsoever.

He truly could not understand what means Yan Xiao still had to turn around this hopeless situation.

"It is not that he has a chance. He has already won." Qin Chen raised a hand and pointed toward the center of the plaza, saying with a faint smile, "Look carefully at the flame above that white chill."

Hearing this, everyone hurriedly looked in the direction of his finger.

The bluestone platform where Xiao Yan stood had long since been completely shrouded in an incomparably dense mass of white chill. It rolled like clouds and mist, making the situation inside impossible to see clearly.

Above that white chill, a pale white flame floated silently.

Since the flame's color nearly blended into the surrounding mist, and it floated too high up, no one had noticed it earlier.

Without focusing and looking closely, it was truly difficult to discover that the seemingly ordinary "white cloud" was actually a blazing white flame.

"This is..."

Everyone in the VIP seats was stunned. Their eyes widened as they stared fixedly at the white flame in the sky.

The stronger among them sensed even more keenly that an icy, bone-piercing chill permeated the area around the flame, completely different from the scorching heat of ordinary flames.

What shook them the most, however, was the pill at the center of the flame. Entirely green and shimmering with flowing light, it appeared and vanished along with the flickering flames!

"Mr. Yan Xiao... really knows how to surprise people..." Nalan Yanran gazed at the white flame, her beautiful eyes rippling with brilliance.

"Good lad! I truly underestimated him!" Jia Xing Tian froze for a moment before clapping his hands and bursting into laughter, his tone full of praise.

The championship had not been taken by an alchemist from another country. As the empire's guardian, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief and felt greatly comforted.

However, he soon recalled something and asked in confusion, "But why does this kid have to make every competition so full of twists and turns?"

He had watched the first two rounds of testing in person as well. This Yan Xiao truly was not someone who could keep things quiet.

Everyone nodded in deep agreement, their gazes toward Qin Chen becoming even more solemn and wary.

All three Dou Huang experts present had been deceived by Xiao Yan's move and had once believed that he had utterly failed. Yet this seemingly young Qin Chen had seen through the truth at a glance.

This young man... was absolutely no ordinary person!

At last, Fa Ma stood at the highest point of the plaza. Facing the tens of thousands of expectant gazes, he infused his voice with Dou Qi and announced loudly:

"I declare that the champion of this Alchemist Grand Meeting has been decided! He is... Yan Xiao!"

The instant Fa Ma's words fell, deafening cheers erupted across the entire plaza!

Countless people leaped from their seats, raising their arms and shouting as they offered their most fervent congratulations to this youth who had turned the tide and defended the empire's honor.

How was that, Teacher? I didn't embarrass you, did I? Under the gaze of the entire crowd, Xiao Yan slowly raised his hand and looked at the ancient Na Ring on his finger.

"Hahaha, not bad, not bad! To think you came up with the method of sending the pill high into the air and nurturing it with a Heavenly Flame to protect it from the blast's impact. You truly are my, Yao Chen's, disciple!" Yao Lao's voice sounded in Xiao Yan's mind. This time, he was not stingy with his praise as usual.

A smile on his face, Xiao Yan slowly swept his gaze across the plaza until he saw Qin Chen...

Nalan Yanran nearby.

The girl's beautiful eyes shone with brilliance, filled with heartfelt appreciation and admiration as she applauded enthusiastically alongside the other spectators.

"..."

The smile on Xiao Yan's face instantly froze. He felt that things had become strange...

In the VIP seats, Qin Chen watched the black-robed youth hurriedly leave amid the chaos while everyone cheered. He gave the people beside him a soft smile and cupped his hands. "Now that the meeting has ended, I shall take my leave first."

Dozens of li outside Jia Ma Holy City, on a remote and deserted forest path.

A bedraggled black figure raced through the woods at great speed. It was none other than Yan Li, who had already escaped the Holy City.

Suddenly, a fierce gust of wind tore through the air and smashed down hard in front of him.

Bang!

Dirt and stones flew everywhere. Yan Li stumbled and crashed heavily to the ground, his mouth full of mud and dust.

Struggling to raise his head, he saw a young man in a dark robe standing with his hands behind his back beneath the shadows of the trees not far away, smiling at him.

"Y-You are... who?" Yan Li's entire body trembled as he looked at the young man before him.

He could clearly sense the unfathomable aura emanating from the other man's body.

A Dou Huang expert!

This was simply not someone he could contend with in his current state.

Qin Chen slowly walked forward, lightly grinding a loose stone beneath his foot as he smiled. "Who I am is unimportant. You should first think about what you ought to do."

"What do you mean..." Yan Li swallowed, his eyes filled with fear.

"It is simple." Qin Chen crouched down and looked at him calmly, his tone indifferent. "I ask, and you answer. So long as you satisfy me, I will spare your life."

Yan Li swallowed again. Looking into Qin Chen's utterly emotionless eyes, he knew that he had no room to bargain.

He hurriedly nodded, his voice trembling. "Please ask, sir. This one will tell you everything he knows!"

The smile at Qin Chen's lips deepened slightly as he slowly said, "Yan Li, as the vice president of the Alchemist Guild in the Chu Yun Empire, you must have heard of the Poison Sect, correct?"

"The Poison Sect?" Yan Li froze, then hurriedly nodded. "I-I know some information."

"What is the current strength of the Heavenly Poison Woman? And what are the Poison Sect's main activities in the Chu Yun Empire at present?" Qin Chen's gaze sharpened as he asked each word distinctly.

Yan Li did not dare conceal anything. After pondering briefly, he replied, "In response to your question, sir, I have heard that the Heavenly Poison Woman is now a Dou Huang expert, and her strength is unfathomable."

"Since its establishment, the Poison Sect has followed the creed, 'Those who submit to me prosper; those who oppose me perish.' It has expanded wildly throughout the Chu Yun Empire through exceedingly ruthless methods."

"By now, quite a few factions unwilling to submit have already been destroyed at their hands!"

"However..."

Yan Li suddenly stopped there, his eyes flickering uncertainly.

"However, what?"

Qin Chen's voice turned colder, and an invisible pressure abruptly descended upon Yan Li.

Yan Li shuddered. Not daring to keep him in suspense any longer, he hurriedly said, "But recently, for some unknown reason, the Poison Sect suddenly stopped expanding outward and instead turned its attention to the Netherworld Poison Marsh within the empire."

"I heard that the Heavenly Poison Woman personally led a group there as well. As for what they intend to do, this one does not know."

"The Netherworld Poison Marsh?" Qin Chen frowned slightly and repeated the name in a low voice.

Naturally, he had heard of this place. Poison miasma filled it all year round, leaving not even a blade of grass alive. It was a famous death zone within the Chu Yun Empire. Even in the Chu Yun Empire, where poison arts flourished, it was a forbidden land that struck terror into countless poison masters.

"Do you truly not know what they are doing?" Qin Chen's gaze fell upon Yan Li's face, his tone carrying a hint of danger.

Yan Li shuddered as if he had suddenly recalled something, then hurriedly said, "Oh! I remember now! They... they seemed to be looking for something!"

"Some time ago, I heard people from the guild mention that the Heavenly Poison Woman appeared to be searching for a supreme treasure related to deadly poison in the Netherworld Poison Marsh."

"Looking for something?" Qin Chen rubbed his chin, understanding flashing through his eyes.

If there was some heavenly treasure in the Netherworld Poison Marsh that could make Xiao Yixian go to such lengths, it would surely be related to her Woeful Poison Body.

Considering the actual circumstances of the Chu Yun Empire, the answer was already obvious. It had to be the Netherworld Poison Flame.

After all, Qin Chen had never told Xiao Yixian about the Heavenly Poison Scorpion Dragon Beast's magic core and the Bodhi Body-Transformation Saliva required for the Poison Pill Method.

Thinking of this, Qin Chen slowly nodded at Yan Li, the corners of his mouth curving into a cold arc. "The information you provided is very useful to me. Therefore..."

A trace of joy had just appeared on Yan Li's face when Qin Chen's voice abruptly turned icy and piercing: "You may die now!"

As his words fell, Qin Chen flicked his wrist, and a green flame shot toward Yan Li like a venomous snake.

"Aah!!!"

A miserable scream abruptly rang through the woods, only to cut off after a brief moment.

Under the scorching green flames, Yan Li's body did not leave behind even a trace of ash. He was completely reduced to drifting dust.

Peeling a soul directly from the body would take too much time. Moreover, this place was too close to the Holy City and could easily draw attention. Yan Li was only a fourth-tier alchemist, with pitifully weak soul strength. He was not worth the effort.

Sigh...

The Soul Hall's secret techniques were still more convenient. All it took was driving that black iron chain into someone's forehead to pull out their soul directly. Furthermore, that chain had an extremely strong restraining effect on souls. A soul pierced by it basically had no ability to resist at all.

Qin Chen glanced at the empty ground and lightly shook his head. "You dragged things out too much while answering my questions. I am very dissatisfied."

Besides, even if he had spared Yan Li, Fa Ma and Jia Xing Tian would never have allowed this Chu Yun Empire spy, who had disrupted the meeting, to leave the Jia Ma Empire alive.

Looking toward Jia Ma Holy City, Qin Chen's figure flashed and transformed into a streak of light that vanished beyond the horizon.

The moment Qin Chen arrived at the Mittel Family headquarters, his gaze was captured by a graceful figure in front of the courtyard gate.

A woman in a red dress paced back and forth, her delicate face carrying a trace of barely concealed anxiety.

"Miss Ya Fei, did something happen?" Qin Chen asked as he approached.

"Mr. Qin, you have finally arrived." Ya Fei turned at his voice, a hint of relief in her tone. "A thin middle-aged man came to the family earlier and said that he wished to see you. He is currently waiting in the guest room."

"Oh?" Qin Chen raised a brow upon hearing this.

The complete Three Mysterious Changes of Heavenly Flame had finally arrived!

Suppressing the stir in his heart, he smiled lightly. "In that case, take me to see him."