Seeing his granddaughter huddled under the covers, her back turned to him as she sulked, Yan Dangmo shook his head somewhat helplessly.
In truth, he didn’t want to keep bringing up the matter of the marriage alliance in her ear.
After all, she was the precious granddaughter he had watched grow up; naturally, he wanted her to be happy.
But….
Yan Dangmo sighed helplessly, secretly deciding in his heart: “Forget it, I won’t worry about this girl’s mood for now. The priority is to see if I can abduct that kid first. I’ll secure that kid first, and then find a way to have the two of them foster their feelings.”
Yan Dangmo made his silent decision, and so he said no more to Yan Luo, turning around and walking quickly back to the competition grounds.
In the room, hearing her grandfather’s departing footsteps, Yan Luo finally rolled over morosely, burying her face in the soft pillow.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Pill Sect square, Yun Lian was also refining pills.
However, the slightly agitated area not far away, along with the spiritual sense and divine sense fluctuations that had become denser in the air, made it difficult for her to concentrate; she couldn’t help but furrow her elegant brows and look sideways.
“Has something… happened over there?”
Yun Lian wondered secretly.
Why did it seem like everyone’s attention was gathering in that direction.
However, because they were separated by a considerable distance, coupled with the shifting figures and mutual interference of spiritual senses, Yun Lian was not clear on the specific situation.
But that was, it seemed, the direction where Chen Yuyang was located.
Could it be him?
As soon as this thought popped up, it was quickly dismissed by Yun Lian herself.
How could it be!
When she was previously in the Hehuan Sect, she had clearly tested Chen Yuyang’s level of alchemy; while it wasn’t bad, it was definitely not top-tier.
It could even be said that at the Pill Sect Assembly where geniuses gathered, Chen Yuyang’s level was not worth mentioning.
How could he possibly attract so much attention?
Yun Lian shook her head gently, tossing this absurd thought out of her mind.
In any case, regardless of this or that, she had to concentrate on refining her pills; although she was confident in being among the top five hundred, it didn’t mean she could afford to be distracted.
At this moment, the ball of blue Haoyang True Fire in Chen Yuyang’s hand was still burning fiercely, wrapping around the medicinal mass and continuously tempering and purifying it.
Every once in a while, Chen Yuyang would throw the next ingredient into it.
Looking at his actions, some people were confused, while others who knew the craft looked on with solemn and extremely serious expressions.
“This kid, he wants to form the pills in one breath!”
Qi Tian muttered: “Such a technique, even for us…”
“Who exactly is this kid? And who is his master?”
Ling Pozhu’s eyes also carried a strange look.
“It seems that the top spot in this first round is no longer in suspense.”
“Not necessarily. Although this technique is extremely difficult, it doesn’t necessarily mean it can refine higher-level pills. The most important thing for an alchemist is to refine high-quality pills, not to perform these flashy tricks.”
“True, then let’s see the final quantity of pills produced.”
“So far, the one with the best results is my disciple, Mu Qianxi, who refined twenty-three pills at once, all of supreme-grade quality.”
Qi Tian spoke, his words carrying a hint of pride.
The other elders said no more, concentrating intensely on Chen Yuyang’s further performance.
As time passed, the volume of the medicinal mass in Chen Yuyang’s hand became smaller and smaller, but the medicinal fragrance it emitted began to become increasingly rich and pure.
“It’s about to be done!”
“This kid is actually capable!”
“The youth are to be feared, the youth are to be feared indeed!”
Exclamations of surprise rose one after another, and everyone’s gaze was fixed firmly on Chen Yuyang’s hands.
All the other contestants had now become his background scenery.
Chen Yuyang himself remained expressionless, his eyes focused and deep, as if all the discussions from the outside world had nothing to do with him.
However, in his heart, he continued with his own calculations.
Attracting attention was almost done; the reactions of the people around him were mostly within his expectations.
Then next… “Oops, I messed up~”
Chen Yuyang suddenly frowned, a flash of “unnoticeable” panic appearing on his face, and the Haoyang True Fire in his hand also seemed to go out of control, beginning to fluctuate wildly.
The ghostly blue flames flickered, and the temperature became extremely unstable.
Affected by this, the medicinal mass wrapped in the flames suddenly boiled violently, and its surface even began to emit wisps of black scorched smoke; a faint burnt smell mixed with the medicinal fragrance wafted out.
“Hmm?”
“What’s going on?”
The surrounding crowd was stunned, their surprised expressions turning into confusion.
“What a pity…”
Qi Tian couldn’t help but shake his head and sigh: “He was clearly about to succeed, but this kid was still a bit too hasty; he didn’t stabilize the heat.”
“Yes, it’s too bad, he was just a step away from witnessing a miracle….”
“Furnaceless Alchemy is inherently fraught with danger. To be able to reach this step is already quite good. Unfortunately, he fell short at the final hurdle.”
The discussions broke out again, but this time, they were filled with a bit more pity and regret.
However, just when everyone thought this batch of pills would surely be ruined and Chen Yuyang would be eliminated as a result, a sharp glint suddenly flashed in the youth’s eyes. Instead of giving up, he gritted his teeth and growled: “Congeal for me!”
Chen Yuyang’s voice wasn’t loud, but it carried a sense of determination.
The originally chaotic Haoyang True Fire was actually forcibly restabilized under his control.
He carefully guided the flames, tempering the medicinal mass and gradually forcing out the impurities and burnt parts that had been incinerated.
That medicinal mass, which in everyone’s eyes should have been ruined, regained its stability under the wrap of the blue flames and began to emit a pure medicinal fragrance.
Fine beads of sweat broke out on Chen Yuyang’s forehead, and his face turned slightly pale.
Forcibly stabilizing the flames and performing a secondary pill formation clearly consumed a great deal of his mental and spiritual energy.
But the determination in the youth’s eyes did not diminish in the slightest as he continued to steadily control the Haoyang True Fire, guiding the medicinal mass through its final shaping.
In the next instant, the ghostly blue Haoyang True Fire dissipated, sinking into Chen Yuyang’s palm.
Immediately following that, seventeen dazzling rays of light lit up simultaneously, hovering above his palm!
Every single pill was perfectly round and full, presenting a pure pale green color, while the surfaces of the pills were covered with fine, cloud-like pill veins, and there was even a faint flowing light rotating within.
“Su… Supreme-grade pills!”
Ling Pozhu suddenly stood up.
“Furnaceless Alchemy, and under conditions where he almost failed, he actually refined seventeen supreme-grade pills?!”
Qi Tian also stared at the youth with wide, incredulous eyes.
“If it’s like this even with a failure, what would it have been like if no accident had occurred just now?”
“This boy’s future is limitless! He is definitely a talent in the Dao of Alchemy that is rarely seen in ten thousand years!”
Yan Dangmo had just returned to the field when he saw this scene, his eyes also flashing with brilliant light: “Good! Good! Good! I must find a way to get this kid into my Yan family! At all costs!”
Ling Pozhu quickly stepped forward to examine the pills closely at short range. The more she examined them, the more wonderful her expression became.
[How are these pills?]
The other elders had not appeared in person, but they were all closely following the situation here, immediately inquiring via spiritual sense.
[Even among those of the same supreme-grade, the medicinal effect of these pills is the best seen so far. Most importantly, these pills also contain a wisp of the aura of Haoyang True Fire. If used by a cultivator with a fire-attribute spiritual root, the effect would probably be another thirty percent stronger!]
As soon as these words were spoken, the group of Pill Sect elders couldn’t help but suck in a breath of cold air.
“Speaking of which, I haven’t been able to find a suitable personal disciple to this day…. Seeing that my great limit is approaching, in order to leave no regrets, this kid, I shall…”
“To hell with your ‘great limit is approaching,’ you have at least a hundred and fifty years of lifespan left. On the other hand, my Huang branch is suffering from a lack of successors and desperately needs a young generation leader to hold things up.”
“It is also time for me to pass down my ultimate secret technique.”
The elders began to voice their stances one after another.
However, there was one figure who was faster than all of them.
Zhu Tian, with his hands behind his back, appeared in front of Chen Yuyang in an instant, his eyes full of appreciation.
“Kid, I don’t know who your master is, but would you be interested in joining my Pill Sect and becoming my seventh personal disciple!”
“Sect Leader!”
The elders cried out in unison, all coming before Chen Yuyang.
“Sect Leader, didn’t you say before that your lineage would no longer accept disciples?”
“Yes, Sect Leader, look at me, my great limit is approaching….”
“I have no successor….”
“My ultimate secret technique….…”
“Ahem, at this Pill Assembly, talents are emerging in large numbers. If you all want to accept disciples, are you worried you won’t find any? On the contrary, it is rare for this Sect Leader to find a disciple I like, one who is intended to inherit my legacy…”
Zhu Tian’s expression didn’t change as he spoke with a look of regret: “It is this Sect Leader who doesn’t have much time left. If I could obtain such a disciple, I could die content.”
The appearance of the Pill Sect’s Sect Leader, combined with the elders stepping forward, shocked the surrounding onlookers even more.
“Am I seeing this right? The Sect Leader of the Pill Sect has personally come forward to take a disciple!”
“The other elders also seem unwilling to give up; they’re all fighting for him.”
“I’m so envious. With this kid’s talent being so extraordinary, if he also obtains the resources of the Pill Sect…. he’ll soar to the heavens starting today.”
“Perhaps today we will witness the future mainstay of the Pill Sect. Even, with his natural talent, it’s not impossible that he will be groomed as the future master of the Pill Sect!”
The crowd continued their discussions.
“Ahem, now is not the time to talk about these things. The competition is still ongoing. Old Zhu, and all you elders, the matter of taking a disciple can be discussed later. Do not interfere with the refining process of the others.”
Just then, Yan Dangmo stepped forward and spoke in a booming voice.
When Yan Dangmo spoke, his words carried considerable weight.
Since he had spoken this way, Zhu Tian thought for a moment, nodded, and said to Chen Yuyang, “Young man, give it some good thought.”
He then turned and left.
The group of Pill Sect elders followed suit and withdrew.
However—
As soon as the crowd left, Yan Dangmo impatiently leaned in.
“Kid, good kid!”
“I see that we have an affinity. Are you willing to join my Yan family? I will definitely give everything I have to help you become a Peerless Alchemist! In addition, I have a granddaughter who is about the same age as you..”
Zhu Tian: “???”
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