Bustling Wu Tan City

Early in the morning, news that the Xiao Clan's alchemist would compete against the Jia Lie Clan's alchemist swiftly spread throughout Wu Tan City.

"Using two markets as the wager—the Xiao Clan really has guts."

"Five days from now, right? I'll remember that. I have to see this spectacle."

"The Blood-Clotting Powder sold at Xiao Clan Market is better than plenty of healing medicines. We'll finally get to see who the alchemist they hired is."

Through the mercenaries' word of mouth, everyone in Wu Tan City knew about it by noon.

Wang Teng learned of the situation after finishing his alchemy that evening.

"Master Wang Teng, the Xiao Clan is making such a big show of this. Could they be plotting something?" Jia Lie Bi asked cautiously.

"Soldiers will be met with generals, water with earth." Wang Teng focused on his dinner, not pausing for a moment.

Seeing how calm he was, Jia Lie Bi's lips moved, but in the end, he did not press further.

If Master Wang Teng had not stepped in to help in time, the Jia Lie Clan might have had to hand over two markets just from the Li Clan of Telan City coming to collect their debt.

Since that was the case, who cared what confidence the Xiao Clan had? At worst, they could give up another two markets.

He had figured it out. No matter how valuable the markets were, they could not compare to Wang Teng himself.

"Clan Chief Jia Lie, help me buy a few materials." After finishing his meal, Wang Teng named several medicinal herbs.

Jia Lie Bi repeated them to himself several times, committing them to memory before promising, "I'll have someone buy them right away."

"No rush. Just get them the day before the alchemy competition." Wang Teng rose and returned to his room to rest.

After washing up and lying down in bed, Wang Teng was not sleepy for the moment. He could not help recalling Jia Lie Bi's question.

Why was the Xiao Clan making such a huge fuss?

To outsiders, the Xiao Clan's alchemist was a mystery.

But Wang Teng knew the truth. On the day of the competition, the one representing the Xiao Clan would definitely be Xiao Yan.

As for Xiao Yan's trump card—or rather, his support—it was naturally Yao Lao.

As I recall, Xiao Yan doesn't seem like someone who enjoys being so high-profile. Wang Teng was puzzled.

If Xiao Yan exposed his identity as an alchemist now, how would he pretend to be Yan Xiao in front of Nalan Yanran later?

Unless he had another purpose.

For fame?

A flash of insight crossed Wang Teng's mind, and he immediately found a clue. "I think I understand what Xiao Yan is thinking."

In the book, the Jia Lie Clan had put enormous pressure on the Xiao Clan, but that pressure disappeared after Liu Xi died.

That was why Xiao Yan could leave without worry.

But this time was different. My appearance had prolonged that pressure. Once Xiao Yan left, without the support of medicinal pills, Xiao Clan Market would quickly lose its competitiveness.

"Xiao Yan wants to borrow Yao Lao's power to win two markets for the Xiao Clan and give them some breathing room." Wang Teng felt that he had deduced the truth.

And that was not all. Several years ago, Xiao Yan had already become famous. Now, he had broken through to become a Dou Practitioner again and revealed his talent as an alchemist.

With all of that combined, his image as a genius would be firmly established.

Even if Xiao Yan left the Xiao Clan, as long as he remained alive, he could deter those forces that coveted the Xiao Clan.

"I think I understand why Yao Lao wasn't persuaded by Xiao Yan to come kill me." Wang Teng worked out another detail.

In the eyes of outsiders, I am also a genius, with a third-tier alchemist as my teacher.

Unlike my senior brother, my talent and hard work have been acknowledged by Teacher Liu Jiang.

If something happened to me in Wu Tan City, Teacher would definitely fly into a rage and rush here as soon as possible.

Xiao Yan had to leave Wu Tan City to fulfill the three-year agreement. He could not afford to delay.

"Quite the calculation. But if we're competing in first-tier pills, I'm not afraid of you, Medicine Venerable." Wang Teng sorted through the entire chain of thought and found it quite coherent. He looked forward to the day of the competition.

Over the next few days, news of the alchemy competition spread farther and farther, and the number of people in Wu Tan City visibly increased.

The city's merchants practically woke up smiling every day. More people meant better business.

Only the city guards suffered. They had to put out fires everywhere and deal with all kinds of skirmishes. In the end, even the Mittel Auction House and the Jia Lie, Oba, and Xiao Clans sent out men to help.

One reason for this was the extensive publicity. Another major reason was that Wu Tan City lay on the empire's border, where such excitement was rarely seen.

Furthermore, Canaan Academy's recruitment location this time was Wu Tan City.

With all these factors combined, many people flocked to Wu Tan City.

At dusk, the arrival of a mighty procession at the crowded gates of Wu Tan City caused a commotion.

At the front of the procession was a group of elite soldiers clad in armor. Their movements were perfectly synchronized, and they exuded a grim, murderous air.

In the middle of the procession was a group of young men and women, each vibrant and extraordinary in bearing.

They wore uniforms marked with the same insignia.

"Canaan Academy's recruitment team is here!" Someone recognized them and shouted excitedly.

Because there were simply too many people in the city, Canaan Academy's recruitment team was forced to stop.

"So many people. Mentor, Canaan Academy's reputation is growing greater and greater. This time, you'll definitely be able to recruit a group of talented students," a young woman said excitedly.

She wore a red robe, and her brown hair was tied into a ponytail. The exaggerated curves of her chest were especially eye-catching.

"Xue Ni, don't get too excited," the woman beside her said helplessly.

Did this girl really not know how charming she was? The moment she started making a fuss, every nearby gaze was drawn over.

A sly glint appeared in red-clad Xue Ni's eyes. "Mentor, it seems we can't get into the city."

The woman addressed as mentor wore green, with a faint smile always on her face and a gentle warmth in her eyes.

"The city lord is here. I'll go ask what's going on." Ruo Lin pulled her arm free from Xue Ni's embrace.

A short while later, she returned and informed the students that they would have to temporarily camp outside the city tonight.

As she spoke, the fully armed soldiers had already begun moving, finding an open space and setting up tents.

"Teacher, what exactly is going on?" Xue Ni asked.

Canaan Academy had never encountered such a grand scene before during recruitment in other cities—one where they could not even enter the city.

The other students also cast curious looks her way.

Ruo Lin explained, "Two alchemists are competing in alchemy. Those people are all here to watch the spectacle."

"An alchemist competition?"

"Is it over already? If not, where can we watch it?"

"As expected of a small place. An alchemist competition can actually draw this many people."

After hearing their mentor's words, the students had all kinds of reactions.

Some were curious and wanted to watch the excitement, while others were unhappy about having to spend the night outside the city.

Ruo Lin did not answer them one by one. She called out several students and had them take their respective team members to rest.

Before long, Ruo Lin received a report. She stepped out of the tent and saw a familiar figure.

"Mentor." The woman spread her long, straight legs and ran over. "I missed you so much."

A smile appeared on Ruo Lin's face as she embraced her. "Yu'er, did you enjoy your holiday?"

"It was pretty good," Xiao Yu replied.

As soon as the two separated, Xue Ni and the others swarmed over and surrounded Xiao Yu.

After a brief exchange of greetings, they asked her about the alchemist competition in the city.

"Ah, I almost forgot." Xiao Yu pushed them aside and stood before Ruo Lin. "Mentor, I'd like to ask you for a favor."

"Me? What is it?" Ruo Lin asked in confusion.

Xiao Yu said, "Please come to my home for dinner."