"Good heavens, what pill is that?!" many of the lower-ranked spectators cried out. Most were below the Dou Wang realm and had never even witnessed a Sixth-Grade Pill emerge.
But many fifth- and sixth-rank alchemists could no longer remain seated. They sprang up from the stands, disbelief spilling from their eyes.
"Impossible! He's so young! How could he possibly refine an Emperor's Extreme Pill?!" several alchemists cried involuntarily.
"The Emperor's Extreme Pill?" The moment the name was spoken, it spread through the crowd. As a pill capable of directly raising a Dou Huang expert's strength by one star, the Emperor's Extreme Pill enjoyed tremendous renown among Sixth-Grade Pills. Even some of those with lower cultivation had heard of it, though they had never seen one.
"That glittering golden pill is the Emperor's Extreme Pill!"
"Bullshit! How is that possible? The Emperor's Extreme Pill is a Sixth-Grade Pill, and it ranks pretty high even among those!"
"Those sixth-rank alchemists said it themselves! Why would I lie to you?"
"How... how is that possible? How old is that boy? How could he refine a Sixth-Grade Pill?!"
In the elders' seats and the VIP stands, the Seventh-Rank Alchemists all shot to their feet.
"A genius! A true, peerless genius!" In one section of the VIP stands, the Cao Family Ancestor and Danyang Zi were equally dumbfounded.
The two exchanged a glance, then turned toward their granddaughters in the square, an uncertain light flickering in their eyes.
"Yao Chen, this disciple of yours... truly defies heaven!" Xuan Kongzi watched the boy slowly take the golden pill into his hand, a wry smile appearing on his face.
"Yao Chen's luck... really is enough to make a man jealous!"
"Luck, nothing but luck! This brat failed every time he tried refining the Emperor's Extreme Pill before, yet somehow succeeded this time. It was pure luck!" Yao Lao declared with righteous solemnity, though his grin stretched practically to his ears.
In the square, Xiao Yan held the glittering Emperor's Extreme Pill in his palm. A gentle breeze swept past, setting his snow-white robes fluttering. Just then, the last rays of the setting sun fell upon him, lending him an indescribably otherworldly air, like a youthful god.
"Xiao Yan! Xiao Yan!" Some girl who knew his name shouted it, and the entire square began calling his name in a frenzy.
Their voices rose in wave after wave, like the tide. At that moment, the white-robed boy in the arena was like the sun itself. No matter how brilliant a prodigy might be, they could only serve as his backdrop, or even be swallowed by his radiance.
"Xiao Yan..." Cao Ying stared blankly at the Emperor's Extreme Pill in his hand, a sense of helplessness rising from deep within her.
Though only a single grade separated the Dou Ling Pill from the Emperor's Extreme Pill, it was the deep chasm between the fifth and sixth grades. Even with Cao Ying's talent, she would need at least another two years before she had a chance of catching up.
And that was only possible if she pushed her efforts to the very limit.
For the first time in her life, Cao Ying had been defeated by someone her own age in the field she excelled at most-and it had been a crushing defeat.
Her alluring face grew ever paler. At last, a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth, and she slowly lost consciousness.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Before her eyes closed, she saw a white-robed figure flash over from afar. Then she fell into a warm embrace.
"Ying'er!" The Cao Family Ancestor, who had been watching from outside the arena, paled in alarm. Above the Pill Tower, Xuan Yi's expression changed as well.
A moment later, she appeared in the square.
"Senior Xuan Yi." Xiao Yan looked at Yao Lao's old flame.
Xuan Yi said nothing. She merely took Cao Ying from Xiao Yan's arms and poured Dou Qi into her body. Only after confirming that she had suffered no serious harm did she let out a breath.
"She's fine. This child has simply exhausted herself refining pills over the past few days, and pent-up distress has attacked her heart. A few days of rest to settle her state of mind will put her right."
Xuan Yi waved her hand, and a moment later, she vanished with Cao Ying. At the very instant she disappeared, Xuan Kongzi appeared in the square.
Under the gaze of the entire crowd, Xuan Kongzi smiled faintly on the raised platform. He slowly took a step forward, swept his gaze across the sky, then let it settle on the white-robed boy.
"Now that the pills are complete, contestants, please present the pills you have refined."
At Xuan Kongzi's words, the youths below the platform placed their pills in their palms. With a sweep of his hand, the pills slowly flew toward the judges' platform.
As for Cao Ying's Dou Ling Pill, Xuan Yi had placed it inside the pill cauldron before leaving.
Once all the pills had flown over to the judges' seats, Xuan Kongzi extended a finger and tapped lightly.
The pills arranged themselves into a pyramid in the air. At its very summit was the glittering Emperor's Extreme Pill, standing among the other pills like a sovereign!
Only beneath it came the Dou Ling Pill, the Blood Lotus Pill, and the Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pill.
"Everyone!" Xuan Kongzi's voice rang out across heaven and earth.
"As you can all see, the Emperor's Extreme Pill has left every other pill far behind in its dust. Therefore, I hereby announce... the champion of this Youth Alchemist Tournament is... Xiao Yan!!!"
At that moment, countless gazes turned toward the stone platform in unison. A moment later, deafening cheers erupted, shaking heaven and earth.
"Xiao Yan!!"
"Xiao Yan!!"
Countless girls shrieked, and some of the lovestruck ones screamed so hard they nearly ran out of breath.
After today, the entire Pill Region would know that a boy named Xiao Yan had refined a sixth-grade Emperor's Extreme Pill at the age of fifteen.
His teacher was a towering mountain that countless alchemists in the Central Plains could never cross. And he would become a sheer cliff before which countless young alchemists could only halt and stare.
"Xiao Yan, as the champion of this Youth Tournament, with your heaven-defying talent, you may one day surpass even your teacher. Perhaps you will have a chance to become a legendary Ninth-Rank Alchemist.
"This is what you deserve as champion. I hope this Spirit-Nurturing Heavenly Pill will provide even greater aid on your path of alchemy!" Xuan Kongzi smiled faintly. With a wave of his hand, a mysterious sky-blue pill appeared before them.
"Gulp!" As the Spirit-Nurturing Heavenly Pill appeared, countless eyes in the square burned with desire, and the sound of people swallowing rose all around.
An Eighth-Tier Pill would stir greed and longing even in a Dou Zun expert.
Looking at the sky-blue pill wreathed in mist, Xiao Yan did not reach out to take it. Instead, he produced an oddly shaped white jade bottle and directed his Dou Qi toward the Spirit-Nurturing Heavenly Pill. A moment later, a powerful suction drew the pill inside.
The Spirit-Nurturing Pill Bottle?
Xuan Kongzi smiled faintly at the sight. The Xiao Clan really is wealthy. This Spirit-Nurturing Pill Bottle was made from ancient spirit jade. The bottle alone must be worth nearly as much as the most ordinary Eighth-Tier Pill.
"After announcing the champion, Xuan Kongzi read out the names of the top ten one by one and bestowed rewards on each of them."
Only then did he announce the end of the tournament.
As Xuan Kongzi's voice faded, the tournament finally drew to a true close.
After bowing slightly to Xuan Kongzi, Xiao Yan gave Dan Chen a small smile, then turned and flew off to find Yao Lao. Of course, finding Yao Lao was not his real goal. His goal was to have Yao Lao take him to Xuan Yi's place to look after Cao Ying.
This was the moment when a woman's spirits were at their lowest and most vulnerable-and the perfect opportunity for Xiao Yan to slip through the breach.
Before you continue