In a large hall of the Alchemist Guild, all the high-ranking members of the Alchemist Guild were gathered, and Xiao Yan, as the newly appointed chief alchemist, was naturally among them.
After everyone took their seats, Xiao Yan 'Xiao Yan rather youthful face drew everyone's attention, mainly due to Xiao Yan strength and current status.
As the chief alchemist of the Alchemist Guild, Xiao Yan's status is comparable to that of Gu Li and Chi Lin. With their support, Xiao Yan's position within the Alchemist Guild is even more unshakeable.
After everyone was seated, Gu Li, seated at the head of the table, smiled and turned his gaze to Xiao Yan, taking a small sip of his tea and saying:
"Brother Yan Xiao, I really don't know what you've been up to this past month. Your aura is so solid and powerful, it's probably no less than that of an ordinary Six-Star Half-Emperor!"
As soon as Gu Li's words were spoken, all the elders present showed a look of amazement. Such an outstanding junior made them, as seniors, feel a little ashamed!
At such a young age, not only has he honed his alchemy skills to such an extent, but his strength is also incredibly formidable. His extraordinary abilities are such that even Six-Star Half-Emperor would have to bow down and apologize before him. How could these old guys not feel helpless in the face of all this?
The elders exchanged glances, all seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes. With the arrival of this great era, this vast world has become the domain of the young. It is indeed time for them, the older generation of powerful figures, to step down and give way to the younger generation!
Whether it's the Half-Saint boy from the Li Clan, Xiao Yan in front of us, or the even more mysterious Cloud-Hidden Pavilion Master, these three are all true prodigies in the southwestern region of this continent, true dragons among men!
Their future is limitless, and they may very well become heroes in the future, and the world may very well be under their control!
Before the big event, aligning oneself with a side early might also be an opportunity for these old guys to witness it...
If one can cultivate good relations with them, and if they have the opportunity to rise to power, then one's descendants will also be able to receive their protection and have a place in this world.
Upon hearing Gu Li's words, Xiao Yan smiled noncommittally and didn't elaborate. Seeing this, Gu Li didn't press further, but slowly rose from her seat, turned to Xiao Yan, and smiled:
"Brother Yan Xiao, you are now the chief alchemist of my Alchemist Guild, a very important position. As the guild leader, I sincerely hope that Elder Yan Xiao can win honor for my Alchemist Guild!"
Xiao Yan chuckled upon hearing this. Since Gu Li was willing to help him avoid some unnecessary trouble, he was naturally more than happy to oblige. Right now, all his thoughts were focused on alchemy, and he was too lazy to pay attention to those guys outside. The less trouble, the better.
With this in mind, Xiao Yan immediately nodded and smiled, then stood up and addressed Gu Li with a smile:
"Rest assured, Guild Master. Now that I have been appointed as the Chief Alchemist, I will certainly not diminish the reputation of my guild. I will do my utmost in tomorrow's competition!"
Upon hearing Xiao Yan's words, Gu Li exchanged a smile with Chi Lin beside her. The elders below the stage also looked at Xiao Yan with smiles on their faces, their expressions revealing surprise...
Just as Gu Li was about to speak again, a thunderous laugh suddenly rang out from outside the hall, causing everyone present to instantly change their expressions. Their smiling faces were now replaced by a solemn look.
With their strength Half-Emperor, it was not difficult to see that the newcomer's strength had already reached the Late-Stage Seven-Star Half-Emperor, making him even more powerful than Fang Xun and Wang Qi, who were killed by Xiao Yan!
Xiao Yan also looked towards the direction from which the loud laughter came with a puzzled expression. Could it be that someone was really so foolish as to try to rush into the Alchemist Guild to find him?
While everyone was feeling solemn, Gu Li and Chi Lin slowly walked to the front of the group and stood quietly, waiting for the person to arrive.
"Hahaha, what? It's only been a few decades, and Old Man Gu's strength has already reached the Mid Eight-Star Half-Emperor! Haha, that's really impressive!"
Before the person even arrived, that thunderous, unrestrained laughter rang out again, causing the entire vast Alchemist Guild to tremble.
Upon hearing this, Gu Li rolled his eyes. Compared to the guy who had just arrived, his progress was probably less than a tenth of the guy's!
"Haha, Old Zhou, you're finally back! I just didn't expect that in just a few decades, your strength would have reached such a level. Tsk tsk, you really are a terrifying fellow. It seems it won't be long before you reach the Eight-Star Half-Emperor level!"
Before the thunderous voice had even faded, Chi Lin let out another hearty laugh, following the man's words. It seemed that Gu Li and Chi Lin were quite familiar with the newcomer, otherwise they wouldn't have been so casual.
However, the implication in Chi Lin's words puzzled Xiao Yan greatly. It was rather strange that an Eight-Star Half-Emperor would point at a Seven-Star Half-Emperor and say that his cultivation speed was terrifying!
Judging from his investigation, the newcomer's strength was indeed at the Late-Stage Seven-Star Half-Emperor. So how could such a cultivation speed be described as terrifying?
While Xiao Yan was filled with doubt, a bald old man dressed in black robes, with a robust build and a height of nearly two meters, exuding an invincible and domineering aura, appeared in the hall.
As soon as the old man entered, Xiao Yan immediately felt an invisible pressure coming towards them. All the elders in the arena involuntarily took a step back after feeling that pressure, and only then did they manage to withstand it.
As for Xiao Yan, although the pressure was strong, when it approached his body, Xiao Yan clearly felt that there was an invisible spatial force on his body surface that devoured part of the pressure. The remaining pressure was as if it were nothing in front of Xiao Yan's terrifying body.
Upon seeing this scene, Gu Li and Chi Lin exchanged another glance, both seeing a hint of surprise in each other's eyes.
Others might not know, but how could these two not know? This invisible pressure was the innate domineering aura of the bald old man. Wherever he went, it was like Mount Tai pressing down, making it difficult for anyone to resist.
Unless one is exceptionally strong like them and can completely dispel it with their own power, even a strong person of the same level would have their strength greatly reduced in front of this bald old man.
If it were an ordinary Three-Star Half-Emperor, he would probably be even more pathetic than those elders. But looking at Xiao Yan now, he seemed completely unaffected. Even the bald old man couldn't help but feel surprised by this.
As if noticing the confusion on the bald old man's face, Gu Li chuckled, looked at Xiao Yan, and introduced him to the bald old man:
"Who is this...?"
"You're Yan Xiao?"
Before Gu Li could finish speaking, the bald old man preemptively looked at Xiao Yan and asked.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan also turned his gaze to the bald old man. When their eyes met, he was suddenly jolted, and a sense of Yuan Zun power quickly spread through the depths of his mind.
In just a moment, Xiao Yan snapped out of his daze, quickly averting his eyes slightly and replying with a solemn expression:
"Indeed, I am Yan Xiao, the chief alchemist of the Alchemist Guild. May I ask who you are?"
Hearing Xiao Yan's slightly displeased words, the bald old man laughed heartily. His expression then turned serious, and ignoring Gu Li's frowning gaze beside him, he strode over to a chair opposite Xiao Yan and sat down. He then grabbed the jade teapot on the table, took a large gulp, and then smiled at Xiao Yan:
"You ask who I am? Hahaha, the place you sit in now is the same place I sat in a hundred years ago. Do you understand what I mean?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the bald old man suddenly looked at Xiao Yan. From his domineering eyes, an invisible beam of light shot out, carrying a terrifying power that could pierce through everything. It instantly tore through the void and shot towards Xiao Yan.
Sensing the terrifying power emanating from that invisible beam of light, Xiao Yan's expression changed drastically in an instant.
Normally, even if this old man was Seven-Star Half-Emperor, Xiao Yan would be able to face him with ease. But at this moment, this move by the bald old man made Xiao Yan feel the most dangerous aura he had ever experienced.
This attack was clearly the result of extremely compressed and condensed pure Spiritual Strength, which was then unleashed. Even with Xiao Yan's current Spiritual Strength, he was unable to withstand it...
This alone is enough to demonstrate its immense power!
However, what shocked Xiao Yan the most at this moment was that this bald old man's alchemy level had probably reached the third rank!
Third-Tier Alchemist —this level of status would likely be admired even by true Dou Di experts. Alchemists at this level have already transcended the realm of Half-Emperor level experts; in their eyes, Half-Emperor level experts are as insignificant as figments of their imagination...
This isn't to say that Third-Tier Alchemist are particularly strong, but rather that what Third-Tier Alchemist represents is definitely not just a simple alchemist...
That would be a true Dou Di powerhouse!