The Competition Begins

The next morning, when a ray of golden sunlight broke through the silence of the night, thousands upon thousands of golden rays slowly followed, bathing the entire Pill Region in a brilliant golden glow.

Sacred Pill City, the heart of the Pill Region, looked all the more prosperous beneath that golden radiance.

Inside an Alchemy Room at the foot of the Pill Tower, Xiao Yan opened his eyes. With the help of the Spirit Recovery Pill, his earlier exhaustion had been swept away, leaving him more radiant and energetic than ever.

"After this intense bout of alchemy training, my soul has grown a little more condensed. Even my unstable Dou Qi has become slightly more solid than before."

Feeling the fuller strength within him, Xiao Yan could not help climbing out of bed and stretching hard. His joints crackled like beans popping.

"That feels good!"

Xiao Yan exhaled, put away his medicinal cauldron, and prepared to head to the competition grounds.

Although this Youth Tournament was no small event, it still fell short of the legendary grandeur of the Pill Gathering. Even so, by the time Xiao Yan reached the square reserved for the competition, it was already boiling with voices.

"Look! That boy is so young, yet he can already form wings with his Dou Qi. His talent is downright monstrous."

"Judging by his looks, he's probably only fifteen or sixteen. To already be a Dou Wang at that age, he's practically guaranteed to become a rising star."

Two people chatted as they ate meat buns.

"You country bumpkins! That boy is Venerable Yao's disciple. With Venerable Yao's reputation and strength, it would be strange if his disciple were mediocre."

The chatter in the crowd was soon interrupted by another figure's arrival-a girl in red whose face was so beautiful it bordered on bewitching.

"Look, it's the Cao Family's enchantress!" someone cried.

"She's reached Dou Wang too? What a monster."

"If I could marry her, I'd ascend to heaven in a single step."

"Hey, someone here is dreaming. Hurry up and wake him with a stream of piss. Anyone with diabetes, stand back-we can't let him taste anything sweet."

"Me, me! My piss is yellow."

"Dong!"

A clear peal of a bell suddenly rang out across the heavens and earth, its resonance rolling far and wide.

As the bell rang, the thunderous clamor in the square was finally subdued.

The once-noisy surroundings finally quieted considerably. Countless gazes turned toward a tall stone platform, where the Pill Tower's senior figures were about to appear.

Not long after the bell rang, a series of rushing sounds suddenly arose. Then everyone saw figures descending from the sky.

Xiao Yan swept his gaze over them, only to discover that of the so-called Pill Tower's Three Giants, only their leader, Xuan Kongzi, had appeared. Clearly, however grand this competition was, it still stood a considerable distance below the Pill Gathering.

"Hehe, I am Xuan Kongzi. On behalf of the Pill Tower, I welcome all the young alchemists who have come here. Like the newly risen sun in the sky, you are the future of the continent's alchemy world..."

Xuan Kongzi's gaze swept over the young people on the competition grounds. Most still had youthful faces that had yet to shed their childishness.

The youngest among them was only twelve and still carried a bottle of magical beast milk. Yet the brocade robe he wore bore the unmistakable emblem of a Second-Rank Alchemist.

The oldest was only eighteen, barely an adult, yet his chest likewise bore the emblem of a fourth-rank alchemist.

Although they were merely a group of half-grown children, no one dared look down on them. Leaving aside their terrifying talent, which of these young alchemists did not have an exceptionally powerful background behind them?

Their fathers or grandfathers might well be remarkable high-ranking alchemists.

"Children, thank you for coming from across the Pill Region, and even farther afield, to take part in this competition. Hehe, I won't waste everyone's time. The rules are very simple: choose your own ingredients and refine a pill that you consider your finest work.

"The one whose pill has the highest tier and the best quality will be the champion!

"And the reward for this competition's champion is an Eighth-Tier Pill-the Spirit-Nurturing Heavenly Pill!"

"Whoa!" As Xuan Kongzi's words fell, a wave of excitement swept through the previously silent square.

"The Eighth-Tier Spirit-Nurturing Heavenly Pill has the miraculous ability to nourish the soul. Taking it will improve an alchemist's soul aptitude, and it is also of considerable value to a Seventh-Rank Alchemist seeking to advance to the eighth rank.

"Even a Seventh-Rank Alchemist would turn green with envy at the sight of such a pill."

These words sent not only the spectators into an uproar, but also set the young contestants' gazes ablaze. As geniuses of the alchemy world, they naturally knew how much the Spirit-Nurturing Heavenly Pill could help them.

Even Xiao Yan felt a considerable desire for it.

Eighth-Tier Pills were incomparably precious. The Xiao Clan might still have some in reserve, but Xiao Xuan had forbidden him from using anything in the clan treasury to improve his strength, determined to make him properly temper himself in the outside world.

Thus, this pill was tremendously tempting to Xiao Yan as well.

"The appointed time has arrived, so I won't waste any more of your time. You may now choose the ingredients for the pill you wish to refine. So long as the ingredients are for pills below the seventh tier, the Pill Tower will provide you with two sets free of charge."

Xuan Kongzi chuckled. A number of Dou Wang-level Pill Tower guards then stepped forward, each holding a red tray, and asked the contestants to write down the names of the pills they intended to refine.

"Xiao Yan, this time, I will definitely defeat you." Cao Ying stood not far from Xiao Yan. She glanced at him, her voice somewhat cold.

"Don't look as though you're nursing some bitter, deep-seated grudge. We're just competitors, not enemies." Faced with Cao Ying's challenge, Xiao Yan merely waved a hand indifferently.

"You're right. We're not enemies. But I stand by what I said-I will definitely defeat you!" Cao Ying's expression softened slightly, but her long, beautiful eyes still held fierce hostility-or rather, fighting spirit.

"Hehe, then just wait for me to pin you to the ground and grind you into the dirt." Xiao Yan chuckled, ignored Cao Ying's furiously widened eyes, and turned toward the slender, frail-looking Dan Chen on his other side.

The fish had started taking the bait. Now it was up to the angler's skill.

"Dan Chen, do your best!" Xiao Yan gave Dan Chen a warm, caring smile, standing at just the right angle to be bathed in sunlight.

Golden sunlight shone upon him, illuminating the clean, distinct contours of his sunny face and making his spotless white robes gleam. Combined with his innate hint of roguishness, it made the eyes of quite a few girls in the audience light up.

"Mm." Dan Chen nodded her little head earnestly, though her soft, peach-blossom eyes still held a trace of wariness as she looked at Xiao Yan.

Apparently feeling that this was rather impolite, she considered for a moment before blushing and saying, "Y-you do your best too!"

"Hehe, with your encouragement, I'll have to win the championship." Xiao Yan's teasing made Dan Chen's little face flush even redder.

Beside them, Cao Ying had originally been watching Xiao Yan like a tiger eyeing its prey, but at the sight of this, she could not help knitting her delicate brows.

What a cute girl. I really want to tease her properly. The thought flashed through Xiao Yan's mind. Just then, a Dou Wang guard approached him with a red tray.

Reining in his thoughts slightly, Xiao Yan picked up the brush and wrote five large characters on the slip of paper on the red tray.

"Xiao Yan: Emperor's Extreme Pill!"