Cao Ying sat back in the Cao Family's seat, her beautiful eyes deeply glancing at the departing figure. She knew that Xiao Yan hadn't necessarily lost just now; he might have used some kind of special Soul illusion technique.
Some Soul Dou Techniques can make people fall into illusions, causing the affected to lose focus. However, this time it was a contest of Soul power, and Xiao Yan couldn't use other means of attack, so this Soul illusion technique for controlling people seemed quite clumsy. After all, it was just a means of auxiliary attack.
Therefore, Cao Ying understood that she could win only because of the rules of the competition.
And the truth was indeed as Cao Ying thought. What Xiao Yan had just displayed was the second form of the Asura Soul Severing Technique, Sunken Abyss. It could create Soul illusions unknowingly through contact with the opponent's Soul power, sealing off their five senses, and was very subtle.
But soon, a charming arc appeared on Cao Ying's lips, and she immediately turned around, heading out of the Great Hall as well. Her lazy and proud figure captivated many men present.
"Since this time it was due to the advantage of the rules, then at the Pill Gathering, I, Cao Ying, will definitely defeat you fair and square!" A fighting spirit ignited in Cao Ying's heart.
The result of this assessment naturally caused a sensation throughout Holy Pill City. Whether it was the Ye Family retaining its position among the five great families, or the duel between Xiao Yan and Cao Ying, the two Eighth Grade Alchemists, both were major events.
"Tsk tsk tsk, a duel between Eighth Grades, ah. I didn't expect it to be so lively even before the Pill Gathering started."
"Alas, it's a pity that Xiao Yan still narrowly lost to Cao Ying. Is it really true that grassroots Alchemists are inferior to Alchemists from great families?"
"There's no way around it. How long has the Cao Family stood in Holy Pill City? Their ancestors were among the original founders of the Pill Tower. Their inheritance is naturally powerful."
"What's there to fear? I still believe that Xiao Yan Master will win glory for us grassroots Alchemists and win the Pill Gathering Champion!"
Xiao Yan naturally ignored these 'rumors' and cheers. In the following days, Xiao Yan basically planned to stay at home, cultivating Dou Qi and Pill Refining techniques, preparing for the Pill Gathering!
The outside world had nothing to do with this cultivation fanatic.
Time passed, and the start of the Pill Gathering was getting closer and closer. As the Pill Gathering approached, an increasingly terrifying flow of people poured into Holy Pill City. In this vast area, almost every place was filled with countless figures, and the inns and hotels in Holy Pill City were also fully booked.
This region had become the focus of countless eyes in Central State.
Deep within the Ye Compound, in a quiet courtyard, Xiao Yan sat cross-legged on a stone chair with his eyes slightly closed. The Burning诀 slowly circulated, absorbing the surrounding Heaven and Earth power. The Heaven Flame Spirit Pill in his body was also slowly releasing energy, constantly being compressed by the Fallen Heart Flame, accelerating Xiao Yan's cultivation.
As the turbid air left his body, Xiao Yan slowly stood up, put his hands behind his back, and turned around. His dark eyes stared at a void in the courtyard, and he said lightly, "What? The Pill Gathering hasn't started yet, and you're planning to eliminate your opponent first?"
"Jie jie jie, a force gave my Soul Palace information, saying that there is an Eighth Grade Alchemist. If I am willing to take action, they are willing to provide assistance, but I didn't expect it to be you." An old voice came from the void, and a Black Robed Man slowly emerged from the void.
Even though he was wearing a Soul Robe, Xiao Yan knew that this person was his Martial Uncle, Mu Gu! The moment Mu Gu appeared, Little Fairy Doctor and Heavenly Flame Venerable instantly locked onto Mu Gu. Taking off his hood, revealing an old face, Mu Gu looked at Xiao Yan with a smile, not afraid of Little Fairy Doctor and Heavenly Flame Venerable at all.
For the same reason, Xiao Yan was not afraid of Mu Gu killing him because Hun Xuzi had given the order, requiring the two to compete in the Pill Gathering to determine who could become the Alchemist for the Emperor Pill Plan.
Although Xiao Yan was now powerful, he was not more powerful than the Soul Palace, nor more powerful than Hun Xuzi.
Hun Xuzi had ordered the two to decide the winner in the Pill Gathering. If Xiao Yan killed Mu Gu in advance, wouldn't that be the same as telling Hun Xuzi that his Pill Refining skills were inferior to Mu Gu's, so he had to eliminate him? If that were the case, then what value would Xiao Yan have? Moreover, Xiao Yan didn't need to eliminate Mu Gu now. He was confident that he could win against Mu Gu fair and square in the Pill Gathering.
Once Mu Gu lost his value, it would be a matter of a word for Xiao Yan to eliminate him whenever he wanted.
Xiao Yan waved his hand, signaling Heavenly Flame Venerable and Little Fairy Doctor not to attack. Then he walked to a gazebo in the courtyard and said, "Sit down, it's tiring to talk standing up."
Mu Gu smiled coldly, not panicking at all. He stepped over and sat on the other side of Xiao Yan. Qing Lin very obediently brought tea.
Xiao Yan first poured a cup of hot tea for Mu Gu, then poured a cup for himself. In terms of etiquette, he was worthy of being the Young Clan Leader of the Xiao Clan, very proper.
"Someone wants to attack me?" Xiao Yan took a sip of the hot tea and asked casually.
In fact, even if Mu Gu didn't say it, he could roughly guess who it was. After all, he had been in Holy Pill City for so long, and the only person he had offended seemed to be one, and that person was indeed the 'crown prince' of a large force.
Mu Gu was not afraid of Xiao Yan poisoning him, so he also took a sip of the hot tea, glanced at Xiao Yan, and said slowly, "Don't you know?"
"Profound Nether Sect."
Mu Gu smiled, his expression already telling Xiao Yan that it was Chen Xian, the Young Clan Leader of the Profound Nether Sect.
It was estimated that Chen Xian never dreamed that he originally planned to use the Soul Palace to hunt down Xiao Yan, this Alchemist, but Xiao Yan himself was a Venerable of the Soul Palace! This was a case of the flood washing away the Dragon King Temple!
Xiao Yan rotated the teacup with his fingers, and a cold, fierce light flashed in his eyes. He wasn't afraid of thieves stealing, but he was afraid of being targeted by thieves. This time he was lucky that the guy stupidly sought out the Soul Palace to deal with him. If he sought out experts from the Nine Serene Earthly Underworld Serpent Race, the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Race, or the Heaven Nether Sect next time, then he would be in danger.
Obviously, this Chen Xian and even the Profound Nether Sect had entered Xiao Yan's blacklist.
His blacklist was like the Yama's book of life and death, only entry, no exit.
"You didn't come just to find out how I offended Chen Xian, did you?" Xiao Yan refilled his cup with tea and asked with a smile.
"Jie jie jie, that old thing's Bone Spirit Cold Flame is on you, right?" Mu Gu grinned.
Xiao Yan touched the Bone Flame Ring on his finger and said in a calm tone, "You and that Han Feng plotted against him, you wouldn't want to ask me for it so shamelessly, would you?"
Hearing this, a fierce look flashed in Mu Gu's eyes, as if recalling the events of that day, and he said with a strange laugh, "Jie jie jie! In that case, all of that old thing's belongings should be this old man's spoils of war!"
"Okay, here you go." Xiao Yan took off the Bone Flame Ring and threw it to Mu Gu without any hesitation.
Seeing Xiao Yan actually throw the Bone Flame Ring over, Mu Gu instantly felt something was amiss. It wasn't until the Bone Flame Ring fell on the table that he realized he was overthinking it, and he quickly grabbed the ring, his Soul Power sweeping into it.
Naturally, it was empty. Xiao Yan had already put everything into the Void Space.
His pupils shrank. When Mu Gu's Soul Power swept into the Bone Flame Ring, he naturally noticed the Soul traces inside.
"He really is dead." A very faint look of dimness flashed in Mu Gu's eyes, this dimness disappearing quickly.
Back then, it was he and Han Feng who had worked together. Han Feng was responsible for poisoning and backstabbing, and he was responsible for making the move. Otherwise, with Medicine Venerable's Dou Zun strength, how could Han Feng have assassinated him?
At that time, he and Han Feng had both personally seen the severely injured Medicine Venerable's Soul Body escape into the Bone Flame Ring, so he and Han Feng had never known whether Medicine Venerable was dead or not.
But now, he knew that the senior brother who had come from the same master as him had indeed been reduced to ashes.
With a whoosh, a wisp of pale white Strange Flame enveloped Xiao Yan's entire body. Mu Gu looked over, his eyes widening. At this moment, Xiao Yan actually bore some resemblance to that Medicine Venerable!
"Bone Spirit Cold Flame is in my body, what, you want to attack me?" Xiao Yan smiled coldly, his eyes filled with mockery.
Mu Gu's face became contorted, his fists clenched tightly. He snorted coldly and planned to leave. When he won the Pill Gathering Champion and Xiao Yan lost his value, that would be Xiao Yan's death date. At that time, everything on Xiao Yan would be his!
"Hey, Storage Ring."
Mu Gu glanced at the Storage Ring in his hand, flicked his hand, and with a whoosh, it was steadily caught by Xiao Yan.
"You should enjoy the rest of your days. After the Pill Gathering, I will definitely retrieve the Bone Spirit Cold Flame and that Cultivation Method!"
Putting the Bone Flame Ring back on his hand, a smile hung on his face, Xiao Yan said indifferently, "You may not have that chance."
"Is it okay not to kill him now?" A figure in white clothes walked over. Little Fairy Doctor looked at the place where Mu Gu disappeared. With Little Fairy Doctor's current strength, killing Mu Gu was not difficult.
"Little Fairy Doctor, when did you become so fierce? You can't just kill people." Hearing Little Fairy Doctor's words, Xiao Yan teased with a smile.
Little Fairy Doctor was surprised and angry! With her hands on her hips, her small chest heaved, and she said a little angrily, "Didn't I learn it from you?"
"You can't blame me for this. I only taught you Pill Refining, I didn't teach you these things."
Just as Xiao Yan and Little Fairy Doctor were bickering, suddenly a Space Power emanated from the room next door. The two were stunned for a moment, and then they knew that Zi Yan, that girl, had finally woken up.
"This girl has finally woken up. Let's go and see. I wonder how much she will improve this time." Xiao Yan was also a little curious, because the Magical Beast's strength improvement was different from that of humans.
Magical Beasts had ranks, and not many stars, referring to the growth of the body and bloodline.
It was just that cultivators equated the growth of the Magical Beast's body with the number of stars according to its strength, for easy comparison. After all, the cultivation system of Magical Beasts was still somewhat different from ordinary Dou Qi, and their bodies were much stronger.
With a creak, the door was pushed open, and a ray of sunlight shone in from the outside, dispelling the darkness in the room.
"Zi Yan, your current strength..."
Suddenly, Xiao Yan's voice stopped abruptly, his eyes widened, and he was dumbfounded, because in front of Xiao Yan, a stunningly beautiful body had just gotten off the bed.
A head of smooth purple hair, long to her hips, draped down her shoulders. Her snow-white skin reflected a little light under the sunlight. Her figure was slender, her Willow Waist was slender, and her legs were white and straight like ivory. That mature body made Xiao Yan's eyes go straight.
Little Fairy Doctor on the side was also shocked speechless.
"Oh, Xiao Yan, hehehe, my strength is stronger than yours now!" Zi Yan put her hands on her hips, and showed off to Xiao Yan with a smile, her strength had become stronger, and she had grown up a bit.
Xiao Yan knew that he should turn his head at this time, but his neck turned, but his head didn't turn! Xiao Yan was shocked for a hundred years!
She really had grown up.
He had forgotten that Zi Yan could transform after taking the Transformation Pill. Even for the Void Ancient Dragon Race, the Seventh Order was already entering adulthood, and the body was already mature. The Eighth Order was the complete body.
It was just that Zi Yan usually didn't transform according to her body's maturity, but suppressed it to the original appearance. Xiao Yan had seen it once before, and Little Fairy Doctor was also there that time.
What a coincidence.
Xiao Yan murmured, "Ultimate form..."
Little Fairy Doctor quickly covered Xiao Yan's eyes, and then spat out a mouthful of gray Dou Qi, wrapping Zi Yan's body, blocking Zi Yan who was moving towards the ultimate form.
"Zi Yan! Put your clothes on quickly!" Little Fairy Doctor said with a flushed face.
Zi Yan looked down, scratched her head and said, "Hehehe, I forgot."
Dragons originally had scales and no clothes. Zi Yan was in a shrunken body shape when she was asleep, and forgot when she woke up.
Xiao Yan, who had his eyes covered, said, "Little Fairy Doctor, get her a piece of clothing, no, Qing Lin! Get a set of your clothes."
"Get out!" Little Fairy Doctor, who was accidentally 'seriously injured', directly pushed Xiao Yan out of the door, and closed the door with a bang, and also sealed the room with Dou Qi.
What does Qing Lin want my clothes for, not her own!
"Young Master Xiao Yan? Do you need clothes?" Qing Lin, hearing Xiao Yan's call, trotted over, looking puzzled. Why would Xiao Yan want her clothes?
Seeing Qing Lin approach, Xiao Yan sized her up, stroked his chin, compared her, and nodded, muttering to himself, "Indeed, almost the same. This Magical Beast's physique is indeed impressive. But Zi Yan seems a bit taller."
Not long after, with a creak, the door was pushed open, and Zi Yan, who had transformed back into her child form, walked out with a smile. Little Fairy Doctor's expression was a bit off, she glanced at Qing Lin, then glared fiercely at Xiao Yan.
Little Fairy Doctor finally knew that Xiao Yu hadn't lied to her!
Zi Yan walked up to Xiao Yan with a smile, giggling, "Pretty, right?"
Xiao Yan gave Zi Yan a thumbs up, saying, "Very good."
"Cough!" Little Fairy Doctor looked at the two with a hint of ferocity in her eyes.
Xiao Yan quickly changed the subject, asking, "By the way, what's your approximate strength now?"
"Um... equivalent to your human Eight Star Dou Zong's Dou Qi cultivation, I guess." Zi Yan converted her physical strength into Dou Qi cultivation.
Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed. This fellow, as expected of the Void Ancient Dragon Race, as long as there were enough Medicinal Herbs, her body and bloodline would grow quickly, leaping forward.
With Xiao Yan and the Flame Alliance's current wealth, raising a Seventh Order Void Ancient Dragon was not a problem at all. Zi Yan's supply of Medicinal Herbs had basically never stopped.
In the following days, Xiao Yan waited patiently for the Pill Gathering to begin.
Time flowed by, and just a few days before the Pill Gathering, Xiao Yan suddenly received an invitation from the Pill Tower giants, asking him to visit the Pill Tower.
This made Xiao Yan sweat a little. After all, he and Zi Yan had once broken into the Star Region and used a Soul Robe to hide in front of a certain giant. If he were discovered, the consequences... However, Xiao Yan had no way to refuse. After all, this was an invitation from the Pill Tower giants. If he wanted to participate in the Pill Gathering, he would have to meet these Pill Tower giants sooner or later. Refusal would arouse suspicion.
"I shouldn't have been discovered. My Soul perception range is so large, and that place's perception was distorted by the power of the Three Thousand Yan Flame. Those Pill Tower giants shouldn't know." Xiao Yan nodded. Knowing he couldn't avoid it, he followed Elder Sheng to the Holy Pill City Inner City.
The Pill Tower was located in the center of the Holy Pill City Inner City. This area was the sacred ground in the hearts of countless Alchemists. Because the Holy Pill City was now crowded with people, the Inner City's defenses were quite strict, ready to deal with any sudden changes.
Xiao Yan followed Elder Sheng around the Holy Pill City for nearly half an hour before gradually entering the Inner City. As Xiao Yan stepped through the Inner City gate and passed through the barrier, the noisy clamor suddenly weakened a lot.
The Holy Pill City Inner City was generally reserved for forces related to the Pill Tower or high-level Alchemists, so the quality of the Alchemists in the Inner City was incomparable to that of the Outer City.
Stepping into the Inner City, Xiao Yan looked up, his gaze fixed on the center of the Inner City. There, a black tower nearly a hundred meters high stood tall, like a small mountain, giving people a sense of majestic grandeur.
"That is the Pill Tower... the Alchemist's sacred ground that can rival the Soul Palace."
Looking at the black giant tower like a pillar of the sky, even with Xiao Yan's composure, he couldn't help but be filled with amazement. The meaning represented by this black tower was different!
Elder Sheng smiled and nodded, leading Xiao Yan into the crowd on the street, heading straight for the Pill Tower.
With Elder Sheng's guidance, Xiao Yan passed the strict and heavy scrutiny extremely smoothly and entered the massive Pill Tower.
Entering the Pill Tower, Elder Sheng took Xiao Yan straight to the upper levels of the giant tower, finally stopping outside an extremely spacious Great Hall after a long time.
"Xiao Yan, President Xuan Kongzi is inside. I won't go in." Elder Sheng smiled.
"Thank you for leading the way, Elder Sheng." Xiao Yan nodded slightly and slowly walked in.
His face didn't show anything, but Xiao Yan was a little uneasy inside.
Could this be considered infiltrating the enemy's core as an undercover agent?! Xiao Yan's footsteps fell lightly on the stone slabs, his eyes swept around, and after a moment, he stopped in front of a bookshelf. There, an old man in white was carefully cleaning the dust on the bookshelf.
This old man in white didn't emit any aura at all. He was just like an extremely ordinary old man, but when Xiao Yan used his Soul perception, he was shocked to find that there was nothing in front of him. The old man in white seemed not to exist.
Could it be Heaven Realm?!
"No, it shouldn't be. If it were Heaven Realm, I should have died that night." Xiao Yan thought to himself.
"Hehe, you must be Xiao Yan, right? Truly amazing. To be an Eighth Grade Alchemist at such a young age, you are much more impressive than this old man was back then." With a slow smile, Xuan Kongzi's old voice sounded.
He slowly sat down and poured Xiao Yan a cup of clear tea. Xiao Yan sat down with a calm expression, but in his heart, he was thinking of crushing the Soul Token to save his life at any moment.
"Senior is joking. I'm just lucky. I wonder why Senior has called me here this time?" Xiao Yan slowly took a sip of tea to calm himself.
Xuan Kongzi also took a sip of tea, cleared his throat, and slowly said, "The reason I called you here this time is to talk to you about the Soul Palace."
Pfft! Cough cough.
Xiao Yan choked on the water and coughed. His heart sank suddenly.
Is he testing me!!!
-----------
This high quality machine translation is powered by: https:// randomtranslator.com/
To read the full translation, as well as more than 130+ full translations or to request new translations, check out: https:// randomtranslator.com/
You can also join the Random Translator Community on Discord to connect with other readers: https:// discord.gg/NSWvfN7vua
-----------