socalfunplaces 512. The Dan meeting begins.
512. The Dan meeting begins.
As the first rays of dawn pierced the darkness that enveloped the earth, the entire city of Saint Dan erupted in a frenzy.
Today, Saint Pill City will be the center of attention, with the eyes of the entire Central Continent focused here, awaiting the emergence of the one who will stand firm until the very end. And the one who can stand out from the alchemy geniuses from all corners of the Dou Qi Continent will undoubtedly be a true prodigy!
Every champion of the Alchemy Tournament has left a glorious mark on the history of the Dou Qi Continent, without exception. It is precisely because of this that the prestige of the Alchemy Tournament is magnified infinitely. Whoever becomes the final champion will undoubtedly add a splendid chapter to the future history of the Dou Qi Continent.
This honor is enough to drive anyone crazy, after all, no one wants to live a mediocre life.
"These clothes are quite nice," Lei Jingxiao's voice echoed in the hall.
He was dressed in a purple alchemist's robe, with a rank badge issued by the Pill Tower on his chest, its six stars shining brightly. The Pill Tower's rank certification had always been the most fair and strict, but now it had been broken because of Lei Jingxiao.
This person is determined to attend the Pill Gathering, and no matter how you look at it, the Pill Tower can't really stop him. So they could only grit their teeth and give Lei Jingxiao a sixth-grade alchemist badge, but they also solemnly explained to Xiao Yan that this was just an exception, and Lei Jingxiao must hand over the badge after the Pill Gathering.
At this moment, Xiao Yan was also dressed up, similar to Lei Jingxiao, except that he had seven stars on his chest. His strength had long been that of an eighth-grade alchemist, but he had never had time to upgrade his badge, because the Pill Association did not care about the alchemist's rank, as long as he could pass the test, Xiao Yan was too lazy to bother.
At this moment, Xiao Yan and Lei Jingxiao, now formally dressed, stood together. Lei Jingxiao exuded confidence and poise, while Xiao Yan was composed and handsome, truly embodying the spirited youth of their time. All three women expressed their admiration, but their attention was primarily focused on Xiao Yan.
"Let's go!" Xiao Yan said proactively after everyone was ready.
The venue for the Pill Gathering was located in the northern part of the inner region. Several days ago, that area had already been occupied by a terrifying sea of people. Therefore, when Xiao Yan and his group arrived, they could only see a dense, endless ocean of heads. The deafening noise rose into the sky and eventually turned into a terrifying sound wave that spread outwards, clearly audible within a radius of a hundred miles.
Xiao Yan and his group stood atop a building and looked around. They then discovered that this area was a vast plaza nearly a thousand feet wide. In mid-air, numerous stone platforms were floating in the air, emanating a faint glow that looked quite mystical.
"Is that the final competition stage?"
The Pill Gathering is, after all, the premier event in Zhongzhou, attracting countless individuals eager to make their mark. Therefore, the Pill Tower has set up two preliminary selection stages. Only those who ultimately ascend the stone platform can be considered true Pill Gathering participants; those whose strength is below that of a fifth-grade alchemist will not be able to occupy the final stone platform.
However, many young people are still eager to try their luck. They have been raised as the pride of heaven since childhood, and now they are serious about making a name for themselves on that stone platform.
Just as the crowd was getting excited, the sound of wind breaking through the air rang out, and dozens of figures slowly appeared in mid-air. They were all alchemists dressed in purple robes, with six at the head. In front of each of the six people were eight dazzling stars. They were all eighth-grade alchemists! Leading the way was Ling Zhuo, a genius trained by the Spirit Clan.
"Young Master Ling!!!"
"That's the little demoness Cao Ying? Yi Xu of the Heavenly Nether Sect!"
"And there's Hua Qingyu from the Flower Sect and Elder Mu Gu from the Soul Palace!"
"We don't know who that girl is, but six eighth-grade alchemists are terrifying."
"The Spirit Clan's power is truly terrifying, having easily gathered experts from the four top-tier forces."
"This lineup is amazing! Who can possibly be a match for Young Master Lingzhuo at this Pill Gathering?"
Ling Zhuo felt the surge of energy that followed him and smiled slightly, displaying his elegant demeanor. His appearance was indeed carefully planned. After more than a year of building momentum and recruitment, he now had talents from four top-tier forces: the Soul Palace, the Pill Tower, the Heavenly Nether Sect, and the Flower Sect. And this was the message the Spirit Clan truly wanted to convey through the Pill Gathering:
The descendants of the Dou Di are simply unstoppable!
The so-called "One Palace, One Tower, Two Sects, Three Valleys, and Four Pavilions" are nothing more than mediocre compared to the Dou Di family. The Spirit Clan is only interested in the first four families; the rest are beneath their notice.
Xiao Yan had already anticipated this lineup, so he wasn't particularly shocked. He simply glanced at his junior sister, Yao Qingyu, a few more times, and was relieved to find her unharmed. If he could, he would rather deal with Ling Zhuo himself than let his junior sister risk her life.
A clear, crisp chime suddenly resounded throughout the land, its powerful sound spreading outwards and suppressing even the deafening clamor.
Then, the three leaders of the Pill Tower appeared under the spotlight. Xuan Kongzi said in a deep voice, "I am Xuan Kongzi, welcome to the Pill Gathering. The time that follows is for you all to show your skills."
After saying that, Xuan Kongzi's gaze unconsciously swept over Xiao Yan and Wei Jiangyuan, who was hiding in the shadows.
"I'm sure everyone has been waiting for quite some time, so I won't waste any more time. This year's Pill Gathering is much larger in scale because of the Strange Flame reward, so there have been some changes compared to the usual rules."
This change was somewhat unexpected, but upon reflection, it made perfect sense. After all, even the time for the Dan Tournament had been changed, so adjustments to the rules were to be expected. A murmur of discussion then arose; given the importance of the Dan Tournament, the contestants couldn't afford to be careless.
Xuan Kongzi continued, "It will still be a three-stage selection process, with the final survivor being the champion of the Pill Refining Competition. The first and third stages remain unchanged, the only difference being that all the pills required for the competition must be obtained from the small world of the second stage. Using your own medicinal materials will result in disqualification!"
The atmosphere at the scene was now incredibly tense. Without the ability to use their own herbs, many people's original plans were completely rendered useless. Even worse, what if things didn't go smoothly in the second step, and the herbs themselves couldn't be collected?
"President Xuan Kongzi, I feel that this rule is very inappropriate." The first person to express his opposition was Ling He, a Battle Saint of the Spirit Clan.