Out of the Cauldron!

"Why not?" Yao Lao smiled faintly, putting on an air of unfathomable wisdom.

"There's no reason why not." Xuan Kongzi drew a deep breath and shook his head. "It's just that, in all my years, this is the first time I've seen a fifteen-year-old sixth-rank alchemist. With talent like his, had he been born in ancient times, he might well have become an Emperor-Grade Alchemist."

At Xuan Kongzi's words, Xuan Yi and Tian Leizi, whose old face had turned thunderously dark, fell silent.

"Hehe." Yao Lao gave a restrained chuckle and gently stroked his beard.

Say nothing, act like a master!

"If we weren't here, you'd be grinning from ear to ear, wouldn't you?"

Xuan Yi, who understood Yao Lao best, sneered beside him.

"Hehe." Yao Lao chuckled without confirming or denying it. As Xiao Yan's teacher, he was naturally delighted to see his student shine so brilliantly.

The sight of the three looking so shocked had already sent joy blossoming in his heart. Fortunately, he had professional training and could rein himself in a little.

"Don't celebrate too soon, you old coot. If your disciple wins, we'll have to study alchemy together for a month." Xuan Yi's soul transmission suddenly reached Yao Lao's ears.

At those words, Yao Lao's expression changed drastically, just as he had been about to lose control of his grin.

A whole month? Wouldn't even my bone spirit cold flame get sucked out of me?

The spectators naturally had no chance to witness the exchange between the four. All they could see were the young alchemists sitting cross-legged across the square.

"Look! That little kid who drinks beast milk actually refined a third-grade Qi Recovery Pill!"

"Yes. Although it's the easiest third-grade pill to refine-even easier than some second-grade pills-he's still only a twelve-year-old child."

With this boy's talent, he might reach the fourth rank by fifteen.

"Indeed. Even in the Pill Tower, his talent would be considered first-rate. Aside from a freak like Cao Ying, I doubt anyone could reliably surpass him."

"That's not quite right. Look at Dan Chen from the Dan Family. She's no ordinary talent either; she's just too introverted and low-key."

"Judging by the way she keeps switching between two flames, could she be refining a Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pill?"

"A Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pill made with two flames counts as an advanced fourth-grade pill, doesn't it? Add another flame, and it would rival a fifth-grade pill."

"She's only a little over fourteen, isn't she? That's truly heaven-defying!"

"Look at Cao Ying's technique. It seems she's refining a Dou Ling Pill!" some higher-ranked alchemists remarked.

Although the Dou Ling Pill was difficult to refine, its formula circulated fairly widely. Many alchemists of the sixth rank and above knew it.

"No way. She can refine a Dou Ling Pill at her age?" Some people's eyes went round.

"With such monstrous talent, no wonder President Xuan Yi took her as a personal disciple. If she matures smoothly, the Pill Tower will have another towering figure within a hundred years."

In the ordinary spectator stands, many sixth-rank alchemists were already regarded as leading figures. Yet in some of the VIP and elder seats, numerous Seventh-Rank Alchemists were paying even more attention to Xiao Yan than to Cao Ying.

"This... how is this possible?!" A group of well-renowned Seventh-Rank Alchemists stared at the ancient golden vine in Xiao Yan's cauldron, disbelief filling their eyes.

"Is this boy really going to refine an Emperor's Extreme Pill?!"

Like the Dou Ling Pill, the formula for the Emperor's Extreme Pill was not particularly rare. After all, many Dou Huang experts needed this pill.

Most high-ranked alchemists possessed its formula, but anyone capable of refining an Emperor's Extreme Pill was undoubtedly outstanding even among sixth-rank alchemists.

Yet how old was the boy before them?

"I thought Cao Ying was already unrivaled among her peers. Who would have thought someone could be even more monstrous than her? Whose disciple is he?!" Several alchemists who were close to the eighth tier watched Xiao Yan with burning eyes.

At their level, aside from breaking through to the eighth tier as soon as possible, the only thing worth worrying about was raising an outstanding disciple.

If this boy's teacher was not particularly powerful, they would surely find some way to bring him under their own tutelage.

"Everyone, stop entertaining such ideas. This young man is the disciple of Venerable Yao, Yao Chen." A faint, rueful chuckle rang out, making the eager old men feel as though a bucket of icy water had been poured over their heads.

Venerable Yao, Yao Chen, was an insurmountable mountain in the hearts of the Central Plains' alchemists. If anyone could climb over that mountain, it would probably be only a legendary Ninth-Rank Alchemist.

Ninth-Rank Alchemists were like divine dragons whose heads might be glimpsed, but never their tails. Many Seventh-Rank Alchemists might never have the chance to meet one in their entire lives.

"In that case, this young man is beyond our reach. We'd best just sit quietly and enjoy the show." The old men sighed as they sat in their seats drinking tea.

As time passed, the young alchemists finished refining their pills one after another.

Of course, some failed to control the heat properly and accidentally caused explosive mishaps in both attempts. Fortunately, these youngsters all came from fairly wealthy backgrounds, and their cauldrons were of excellent quality, so no one was injured.

Clink! A crisp sound rang out near Xiao Yan.

Not far away, Dan Chen formed a seal with her small hands. A deep green pill wreathed in black and red released ripples of energy, striking her well-made cauldron with crisp ringing sounds.

"Whew!" Dan Chen exhaled. A trace of happiness finally appeared on her tense little face, and she reached out with a fair little hand to grasp the pill.

A short while after her, another series of sounds rang out as the energy from a newly formed pill struck a cauldron. It came from the alchemist who appeared to be the oldest.

In his hand was a blood-red, fifth-grade Blood Lotus Pill! Clearly, he had succeeded and could just barely be considered to have entered the fifth rank.

As everyone else finished refining, only Cao Ying's and Xiao Yan's cauldrons still held burning flames.

"Xiao Yan! You're certain to lose this time!" A moment later, Cao Ying cried in a low voice.

A deeper, clearer ringing sounded from her phoenix-patterned cauldron.

With that clear ringing, an apricot-yellow pill flew out of the cauldron. The energy it contained drew sidelong glances from countless experts.

"A Dou Ling Pill! Cao Ying actually refined a Dou Ling Pill!" someone exclaimed.

"She truly deserves to be called a witch. Her talent is downright monstrous!"

Ignoring the crowd's exclamations, Cao Ying stretched out her slender, delicate hand and placed the Dou Ling Pill in a jade bottle, then turned to stare intently at Xiao Yan.

"I refuse to believe you can refine a sixth-grade pill!" Cao Ying said through clenched teeth as she watched Xiao Yan, whose expression remained calm.

She had devoted nearly all her attention to refining her pill just now and had not spared a glance for Xiao Yan.

With so many pills emerging from their cauldrons, the alchemy square blazed with excitement, the clamor surging like a tide. Yet Xiao Yan's heart remained as still as water.

His soul power seeped into the cauldron, carefully sensing the changes in the flames within.

Inside, a vast mass of colorless, transparent energy was slowly merging with a mass of golden medicinal liquid. Streams of medicinal essence in all manner of colors were added with unfailing precision at every instant, balancing the forces between the two masses of energy.

The golden embryo of a pill, as large as a fist, was slowly taking shape.

"The final step!" The flames in Xiao Yan's hands abruptly swelled, and the golden pill embryo began spinning rapidly within them.

"A sixth-grade pill... can this boy really refine it?"

Above the Pill Tower, the three giants were now staring fixedly at Xiao Yan's cauldron.

Beside them, Yao Lao also watched Xiao Yan with concern. After all, his previous three attempts to refine the Emperor's Extreme Pill had failed. There was no guarantee that he would succeed this time.

"If this boy succeeds in refining an Emperor's Extreme Pill today, he'll be the most heaven-defying alchemy prodigy the Dou Qi Continent has seen in a hundred years." In the VIP and elder seats, a group of Seventh-Rank Alchemists also stared unwaveringly at Xiao Yan's cauldron.

Dong! An hour later, a sound like a mighty ceremonial bell rang out. A pillar of golden light blasted the lid off the cauldron and shot straight into the clouds.

"What pill is that? How can it release such powerful energy fluctuations?!" Countless gazes across the square were drawn toward it. Faced with that powerful surge of energy, Cao Ying's little face, previously brimming with fighting spirit, turned pale once more.

The golden pillar of light lingered in the air for a full breath before slowly dissipating.

As the pillar faded, a dazzling golden pill appeared before everyone's eyes.