"What happened?"
Xiao Fan was still unaware of the situation outside. He was looking over the Pan Gate's alchemists when he suddenly saw Hu Jia stop in front of him, panting for breath. Puzzled, he asked what was wrong.
Surely Hu Jia hadn't changed her mind?
"Out... outside, a lot of alchemists have come..."
Hu Jia stared wide-eyed at Xiao Fan and pointed outside as she spoke.
"A lot of alchemists?"
Surprise crossed Xiao Fan's face before understanding dawned on him. After a moment's thought, he decided not to turn them away. Looking back at the Pan Gate alchemists behind him, he smiled and said, "Since so many people have come, why don't we make this a bigger event?"
"Hahaha, good! We should let them know that the Inner Academy's strongest alchemist comes from our Pan Gate!"
"Exactly! With Senior Brother Xiao Fan here, the title of the Inner Academy's number one alchemist will always belong to our Pan Gate!"
"I've been sick of those medicine jars in the Alchemy Department for ages. They fleeced me when I bought medicinal herbs last time. This time, we've got to win it back from them..."
Hearing Xiao Fan's plan, the alchemists all grew excited. Their faces flushed as they voiced their support, laughing and calling out in a boisterous chorus.
"All right, let's go!"
It had been a long time since Xiao Fan had experienced such a comfortable atmosphere in the Inner Academy. He couldn't help feeling nostalgic, as though he had grown much younger. A smile appeared on his face as he led the Pan Gate alchemists outside.
Soon, Xiao Fan and his group reached the Pan Gate's entrance, where a dense crowd of alchemists had gathered. Farther away, many students saw all those alchemists blocking the entrance and initially assumed