Alchemy Department Recruitment

The instant the golden giant ball condensed, it slammed heavily into Raina's Dou Qi Armor. The searing heat and tremendous force immediately halted the ferocious humanoid beast.

Under the collision of the two forces, cracks spread across the thick Dou Qi Armor. As it fractured, scorching heat immediately seeped inside.

With a bang, the Dou Qi Armor shattered completely. Raina flew backward off the arena like a kite with its string cut.

In an instant, the entire spectator stand fell silent!

"Y-you're not a Three-Star Great Dou Master?" Blood at the corner of his mouth, Raina stared up at Xiao Yan in shock. "Five stars... You've broken through to a Five-Star Great Dou Master!"

His voice was not particularly loud, but in the silence, the students with decent strength could hear him perfectly clearly.

As they looked at Xiao Yan, who was already a Five-Star Great Dou Master and far stronger than the rumors suggested, gasps rose one after another from the crowd.

A Three-Star Great Dou Master had already been hard enough to accept. How had this guy risen another two stars?

In Xiao Yan's Dou Qi cultivation, little had come from simply circulating his technique and accumulating power; most of it had come from using medicines to accelerate his training. However, they had basically all been supplementary medicines that increased cultivation speed.

He had only benefited once from a pill like the Purpleheart Barrier-Breaking Pill, which directly raised one's strength by an entire star.

To ensure that his realm remained stable, Xiao Yan had refrained from using methods such as Super Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid, Imitation Bloodflame Pill, and Spirit Awakening Pill during the journey, when it was inconvenient to do so. He had merely circulated the Sacred Sun Technique atop the Blue Eagle.

Relying on the technique's ability to refine Dou Qi, he had thoroughly condensed and purified his Dou Qi.

Only after arriving at Jia Nan Academy had he begun using external methods again. Before long, he had naturally broken through to a Four-Star Great Dou Master, with further improvement afterward.

To be precise, he was now at the peak of the Five-Star Great Dou Master realm, only one step away from becoming a Six-Star Great Dou Master.

On the referee's platform, after a brief moment of astonishment, someone announced the result in surprise. "This match goes to Xiao Yan of Yellow Tier Class Two!"

As the referee's voice rang out, everyone in the stands who had been skeptical widened their eyes.

To defeat Raina, a Four-Star Great Dou Master, in a single move, Xiao Yan absolutely possessed the strength of a Five-Star Great Dou Master. Moreover, he was a Five-Star Great Dou Master who had mastered a battle technique as formidable as an Advanced Profound Rank technique.

"So this is Xiao Yan's true level!" In the stands, Xiao Yu and Ruo Lin also stared at the upright figure on the arena in astonishment.

Who could have imagined that Raina, a Four-Star Great Dou Master, would not even be able to withstand a single move from Xiao Yan?

Ruo Lin asked herself whether she would have been killed in one strike if she had faced the Golden Ball Battle Technique Xiao Yan had suddenly unleashed in the back mountain of the Xiao Family that day. Her Dou Qi Armor certainly would not have protected her.

Elsewhere in the stands, Bai Cheng, dressed in white, stared coldly at the victor on the arena. "What do you all think of this Xiao Yan?"

Liu Qing, whose body was even taller than Raina's, replied in a deep, resonant voice, "His strength isn't bad, and his potential is extremely high."

Lin Xiuyan, dressed in a green robe and appearing to be in his twenties, smiled brightly. "We've been surpassed."

Han Yue, with her rare silver hair, said nothing, but the admiration in her beautiful eyes was impossible to conceal.

"Nothing special. The arena is where the truth comes out." Lin Yan, dressed in gray, looked at Bai Cheng with a smile. "Though certain people are about to be in danger."

Bai Cheng's gaze turned even colder. As a Five-Star Great Dou Master, he had originally held great hope of securing a spot to enter the Scripture Pavilion. Now, that was indeed uncertain.

In the central seats, the head of the Alchemy Department said with a smile, "His Dou Qi is pure, and he has mastered Beast Flame. It doesn't seem impossible that this Xiao Yan is a Third-Grade Alchemist."

"Old Man Huo, don't you know that Xiao Yan taught himself Alchemy Art?" the gray-robed elder in the middle asked with a smile.

"He reached this level on talent alone? He's simply a natural-born alchemy prodigy." The elder called Old Man Huo grew somewhat excited. "But even if he has a teacher, there is no conflict. The academy and a private teacher do not clash."

Old Man Huo slapped his palm onto the table. "Our Alchemy Department wants this Xiao Yan!"

"Er, but he intends to enter the Inner Academy, Old Man Huo." The gray-robed elder was taken aback.

Old Man Huo said flatly, "Entering the Inner Academy does not conflict with joining the Alchemy Department. If Xiao Yan taught himself alchemy, he should all the more enter the Alchemy Department for systematic study. It will benefit his future alchemy while not delaying his cultivation in the Inner Academy."

"Do as you wish. So long as you can get him into the Alchemy Department and add an outstanding alchemist to the academy, I could not ask for more," the gray-robed elder said with a smile.

Old Man Huo nodded slightly and said nothing more. A sharp glint flashed through his aged eyes as he seemed to ponder how to recruit Xiao Yan into the Alchemy Department.

After this battle, all doubts surrounding Xiao Yan's name completely vanished. Someone with exceptional talent not only in Dou Qi cultivation but also with such high comprehension in Alchemy Art was rare even throughout the entire history of Jia Nan Academy.

During the following matches, Xiao Xun'er and Xiao Yi Xian gradually took the stage as well. The opponents they encountered were not strong, and both won their matches with ease.

After this round of matches, the reputations of Xiao Yan, Xiao Xun'er, and Xiao Yi Xian were completely confirmed.

When the competition ended and Xiao Yan's group was preparing to leave, Ruo Lin called out to them.

Upon hearing the news Ruo Lin brought, Xiao Yan was somewhat surprised. Old Man Huo from the Alchemy Department was already trying to recruit him?

He remembered that the old man had boasted for ages, only to practically vanish without a trace in the end. For him to act so swiftly now... it showed just how important age was.

Following Ruo Lin's directions, Xiao Yan arrived before an enormous building shaped like a medicinal cauldron. After explaining his purpose to the guards, he was directly led to an exceptionally spacious room on the third floor, where a rich medicinal fragrance rushed toward him.

Old Man Huo got straight to the point. "I heard that through self-study, your alchemy level has reached the third grade. This shows that your talent for alchemy is outstanding. Are you interested in joining the Alchemy Department?"

"Joining the Alchemy Department will not conflict with your entry into the Inner Academy. Moreover, receiving systematic guidance can resolve the flaws left by your own exploration and allow you to grow to a higher level."

Xiao Yan had been at Jia Nan Academy for three months, quietly cultivating the entire time. Ruo Lin had reported his information, yet no one had recruited him. He had long stopped hoping to enter the Alchemy Department. Once he entered the Inner Academy, he intended to devote himself to cultivation in the Burning Heaven Qi Refining Tower.

Though it was somewhat late, what Xiao Yan wanted were certain pill formulas. Joining now was not too late.

At that moment, someone pushed open the door and entered, saying sharply, "Becoming a Third-Grade Alchemist is not so easy!"

Seeing Xiao Yan, who had been tempted, interrupted before making his decision, Old Man Huo flared with anger. "Han Xian, you're already an old hand in the Alchemy Department. How can you still be so rash and impulsive? No wonder your Alchemy Art has struggled to reach the third grade."