After easily dealing with the three people in front of him, the old man returned to Xiao Yan and his group, bowed slightly to Xiao Ming, and said humbly:
"I've disturbed you all, showing you a farce. I'll now escort you into the hall."
The group began to pace back and forth. Mu Leng and Murong Qianqian still looked at Xiao Yan with disbelief. Even if they were ignorant, they knew that the Pill Tower was a dominant force on the continent. Yet, an elder from such a super power was so respectful to Xiao Yan. This truly astonished them.
What has this guy next to me been through all these years?
Faced with the strange looks from the two men, as if they were looking at a monster, Xiao Yan could only smile wryly. He could only briefly explain his relationship with the Xiao Clan of the Central Region. Although these words were simple, they left Mu Leng Ling and the other man speechless.
" The Xiao Clan? You mean... one of the three major clans... the Xiao Clan?"
Mu Leng spoke with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty, his gaze sweeping over Xiao Siyu and Xiao Ming in front of him. Murong Qianqian beside him had an even more interesting expression. They had traveled a long way and had naturally heard a lot about the forces in the Central Region. As for the so-called three major clans, they felt not only awe but also endless curiosity. However, they never expected that Xiao Yan's true identity would be a member of the Xiao Clan. Moreover, judging from the scene today, his status within the Xiao Clan was clearly extraordinary.
Xiao Yan had no time to discuss those trivial matters, but instead talked with the two about the affairs of the Northwest Continent. When he learned that Zhou Tai had actually joined the Xiao Gate, Xiao Yan was somewhat surprised. After all, the Alchemist Alliance never interfered with border forces, and Zhou Tai's move would undoubtedly attract a lot of criticism. However, upon further reflection, he realized that the latter was a free spirit, and even when he was in the alliance, no one could restrain him. He thought that the condemnation from the outside world would be irrelevant to him in making such a choice.
As the three were talking, the group's steps gradually came to a stop. Coming to their senses, the group looked ahead, following the sounds of conversation in the hall. On the seats on both sides of the front of the hall, many figures were already seated. Upon seeing Xiao Yan and his group arrive, various gazes filled with different meanings were cast over them. With his keen senses, Xiao Yan instantly noticed a hostile gaze.
" Yao Shiling, it's him again."
Xiao Siyu crossed her arms over her chest, a hint of disdain in her narrow, beautiful eyes, and said.
"It's irrelevant. Compared to him, I'm more curious about whether there's anything interesting on that monument."
Xiao Yan raised his chin slightly, his dark eyes looking directly at the center of the seats. There, two old men in gray robes stood quietly. Between them was a huge stone tablet, over ten feet tall and completely black. This was the opportunity Xiao Siyu had mentioned, the Nine-Character Soul Stele.
"Hehe, please take your seats, everyone. A few of you will be coming forward for the test shortly."
After leading Xiao Yan and his group to a seating area, the Pill Tower Elder offered a few words of flattery with a smile before quickly leaving. Xiao Yan and the others, having regained their senses, then looked around at the people in the surrounding seats.
After scanning the crowd, Xiao Yan noticed that apart from a few veteran alchemy masters who had long been famous in the Central Region, most of the people present were young people. And beside each of them, there was a Yuan Zun Venerable protecting them. This scene made Xiao Yan secretly admire them.
These forces usually keep a low profile, but unexpectedly, a Pill Gathering has drawn them all out, which shows just how important this Pill Gathering is.
"Hiss... that person is radiating such intense heat!"
Suddenly, Xiao Yan's wandering gaze sharpened slightly, stopping on a red-haired youth at the front of the seating area. Under his perception, although the man did not use any power, there were wisps of heat rising and twisting in the space around him, as if the man himself was a scorching furnace. Moreover, it was not only him, but also the other companions beside him!
"Those are members of the Huoxun Clan. Almost everyone in the Huoxun Clan has comprehended the Great Dao of Fire. They even have a unique method for comprehending and cultivating the Great Dao of Fire. Therefore, the Power of the Great Dao they possess is much stronger than what is commonly seen. Even without deliberate control, it will still gather on its own."
Xiao Siyu stared intently at the red-haired youth. As her jade-like fingers rubbed together, a wisp of flame moved and slid between them. As someone who also followed the Great Dao of Fire, she shared the same curiosity about the Huo Xun clan, renowned for their mastery of the Great Huoxun of Great Dao of Fire, as Xiao Yan was at that moment.
Just as the group was looking around, a young man was pouring his Spiritual Strength into the stone tablet in front of him. As the Spiritual Strength surged in, the characters engraved on the stone tablet from one to nine were lit up one by one.
Finally, the faint light stopped at position seven. By this time, the young man's forehead was covered in sweat, but judging from his furrowed brows and closed eyes, he didn't seem to intend to withdraw his Spiritual Strength. It wasn't until a long while later that he opened his eyes with a disappointed expression, looked at the black stone tablet in front of him again, and then indifferently accepted the rank badge handed over by the Pill Tower Elder before retreating to his seat at the back.
"Heh, so you still haven't found anything, have you? I've explored this monument countless times. You, a mere seventh-tier cultivator, dare to dream of seizing this opportunity? What a fool."
Seeing the dejected young man sitting opposite him, Yao Shiling, not afraid of stirring things up, launched into a barrage of sarcastic remarks. Seeing the young man frown and show anger, she continued:
"Let alone the fact that there are no opportunities within the stone tablet, even if there were, only an eighth-level or higher alchemist could discover them. With your half-baked alchemists' abilities, you'd better give up on this idea as soon as possible."
As she finished speaking, Yao Shiling couldn't help but give Xiao Yan and the others a mocking look.
Mu Leng and Qianqian couldn't help but mutter curses at this annoying guy, while Xiao Siyu, though she pursed her lips, still sighed:
"This guy is indeed detestable, but what he said is true. This Nine-Character Soul Stele has always been highly sought after. Even some people from the Pill Tower have tried to investigate it several times, but all have returned empty-handed. It seems that if one really wants to obtain some opportunity from this stele, one can only first possess a more powerful soul."
"Oh..."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan chuckled slightly and said:
"How strange. Although accomplished experts usually choose those with exceptional talent and strength to entrust their legacy to, in the world of alchemy, Tier Seven Alchemist is already considered top-tier. If it were truly Tier Eight Alchemist, why would they condescend to seek such a well-known opportunity? If they gain nothing, wouldn't they be disgracing their reputation in vain?"
"That's why so many people are skeptical about this stone tablet. However, for the Pill Tower, whether the inheritance opportunity is real or fake is irrelevant. What's important is that as long as this stone tablet stands here, countless alchemists will flock here and eventually become subordinates of the Pill Tower."
Just as Xiao Yan finished speaking, a bright voice with a hint of laughter suddenly came from the side. Turning his head, he saw that the person who had come up to him was none other than the Huoxun Clan member that Xiao Yan had noticed earlier.