The Pill Concoction Tournament would begin in seven days.
Three days ago, Yan Luo had followed her master, Nie Qi, and arrived at the Pill Sect.
The two of them received a warm welcome from the Pill Sect, and were given their own courtyard to rest in.
It was a considerate arrangement, but Yan Luo couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed.
She was disappointed because, like this, she wouldn’t be able to see the other competitors.
More precisely, she wouldn’t be able to see him…
As for her feelings toward him, toward Chen Yuyang, Yan Luo herself couldn’t quite make sense of them now.
At first, she’d absolutely hated him, resented him for humiliating her in public.
But later, not only did he let go of their past grudges and save her, he even faced swarms of Jindan Demonic Beasts with nothing but his Foundation Establishment cultivation.
After that, to save her again, he agreed to duel with that Hua Shen Fox Woman who was at least at the Nascent Soul Realm.
If it had only been these things, what she felt for him would be no more than gratitude.
But…
He won.
With his Foundation Establishment cultivation, he slaughtered the Jindan Demonic Beasts with ease.
And as for that duel with the Hua Shen Fox Woman—even though she hadn’t witnessed it herself, she only needed to recall his relaxed demeanor the next time they met, and the fact that he didn’t have a single scratch on him.
He had won, and it hadn’t even been particularly difficult.
That was what truly shook Yan Luo, what made her give that young man the label “unbelievable.”
While she felt grateful and respectful, deep in her heart, there was an even stronger sense of unwillingness.
He was younger than her, came from a small sect like Hehuan Sect, and yet was so much more powerful than she was, so much more powerful it defied imagination.
Why…?
But when she remembered the way he’d soared through the sky so resolutely… that unwillingness simply couldn’t turn to jealousy.
Still, she wanted to surpass him.
To outdo him.
I, Yan Luo, will not be the one who is always protected—I should be the one standing in front, blocking everything behind me.
As she was thinking this, the door to her room was knocked upon.
Nie Qi entered, holding a list.
“Most of the sects participating in the Pill Concoction Tournament have already registered.”
Nie Qi didn’t elaborate, but he knew exactly what his disciple cared about.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have specially gone to the Pill Sect organizers to request this list.
Yan Luo’s eyes instantly lit up as she took the list to check.
On it, hundreds of sect names were densely packed, each followed by a number.
These were the names of the participating sects, along with the number of contestants each would send.
Of course, the list Nie Qi obtained was only for the younger generation.
Among them, the Pill Sect had the most participants, up to three thousand.
Next was the Qian Kun Sect, specializing in artifact forging.
Though Qian Kun Sect focused on forging, the fire used for forging could also serve as pill fire, so their number of alchemists was not small—over fifteen hundred.
After that came the various other big and small sects.
Altogether, disciples from all sects participating in the first round numbered nearly thirty thousand.
Besides them, the contestants from all the great clans and rogue cultivators totaled another hundred and ten or twenty thousand.
After all, the threshold for the first round was very low.
Any Grade One Alchemist could take part.
Even if they knew their own abilities were lacking, many people still wanted to give it a try.
“So many!”
Seeing such huge numbers, Yan Luo was shocked.
The scale of this Pill Concoction Tournament was truly unprecedented.
In the past, this tournament was basically a game between the Pill Sect and a handful of large sects.
“This time, the prizes are generous, the entry bar is low, and there’s no discrimination—of course, countless people will join.”
Nie Qi chuckled.
“The Yan Family is also participating, and sent over three hundred people.”
“Three hundred—that’s just about all the young alchemists our Yan Family has.”
Yan Luo nodded, knowing her family’s situation well.
Although this number seemed large, it was a necessary investment for the Yan Family.
Such a big clan had plenty of people and expenses to manage.
Besides, the younger generation were mostly low-grade alchemists.
Even those with little talent could be trained up to a decent level with enough resources and practice.
So, at the tournament for the younger generation, the numbers were the highest.
But the competition for the middle-aged and older generation, because there was a minimum grade requirement, saw the number of participants plummet.
After a brief sigh, Yan Luo’s eyes scanned the paper closely.
Hehuan Sect, Hehuan Sect…
But from top to bottom, Yan Luo never found Hehuan Sect’s name.
Could it be that Hehuan Sect wasn’t participating?
Just as she was feeling disappointed, Nie Qi let out a helpless sigh and added, “Hehuan Sect is quite far from here. Maybe they haven’t arrived yet, or perhaps they don’t plan to compete, just to watch from the sidelines.”
Yan Luo nodded, but there was still clear disappointment on her face.
“But Master, if they do come, where will they be arranged to stay?”
Yan Luo asked.
Nie Qi couldn’t help but give a wry smile.
“Arranged a courtyard?”
How could Hehuan Sect have such privilege?
If every sect were given quarters, there would be no way to house all these thousands.
Shaking his head, Nie Qi continued,
“I doubt the Pill Sect has enough courtyards for so many. If Hehuan Sect comes, most likely they’ll stay at the town at the foot of the mountain, and only come to the square in front of the main hall on the day of the competition.”
“I see…” Hearing this, Yan Luo lowered her head and nodded.
“Then, Master, may I go walk around that town at the foot of the mountain?”
“Of course, there’s no problem. But that town is, after all, part of the mundane world. While there’s no danger, you mustn’t stir up trouble.”
“Unless someone deliberately provokes you, you must never draw your sword or kill.”
The cultivation world and the mundane world, though they existed in the same realm, were as if they were two separate worlds.
The cultivation world had its own rules—don’t meddle in mundane affairs, don’t kill innocents—this was a principle everyone tacitly accepted.
After all, didn’t every cultivator start from a mundane life before their cultivation?
And who among them didn’t have family or friends still living in the mundane world?
Hearing this, Yan Luo was overjoyed and quickly nodded her agreement.
Seeing his disciple’s eager excitement, Nie Qi said nothing more.
The town at the foot of the Pill Sect mountain was called Lingyao City.
This city existed entirely because of the Pill Sect.
Most of its residents were alchemists.
For hundreds of years, they had tended the spirit fields, growing spiritual herbs, hoping to trade with the Pill Sect for money or an opportunity.
Many had passed this on through generations, guarding their herb gardens.
Because of their stable trade with the Pill Sect, even though the city was part of the mundane world, it was quite used to cultivators.
The news of the Pill Concoction Tournament had reached Lingyao City months in advance.
The city had prepared well, building many new houses, all to make a fortune off the cultivators traveling to the tournament.
Because of Tai Lingxuan’s delay, Chen Yuyang and his group arrived a bit late.
By then, the city was already bursting at the seams.
The number of cultivators had even surpassed the native mortals.
Yet, despite this, there was no disorder.
All seven major sects valued this grand event, each sending people to keep order and prevent trouble.
After all, with the entire Northern Domain’s alchemists gathered here, nothing could be allowed to go wrong.
After searching the whole city and paying three times the normal price, Chen Yuyang’s group finally found two rooms in a remote inn in the western corner of the city.
Though simple, the rooms were clean and tidy.
Given the circumstances, there was nothing to complain about.
Tai Lingxuan wasn’t someone who feared hardship or acted unreasonably.
She paid a month’s rent upfront, and the group moved in.
However, with three people and only two rooms, it was tricky to arrange.
“Master will have her own room; Senior Brother and I will just share the other,” Ling Xi was the first to suggest.
“That won’t do. Yuyang is going to compete in the Pill Concoction Tournament, he needs a good night’s rest.”
Before Chen Yuyang could say anything, Tai Lingxuan immediately frowned.
“How about this: Ling Xi, you sleep with me, and Yuyang gets his own room.”
“It’s fine, Master. My brother and I can share a room, no problem at all.”
Ling Xi hurriedly shook her head.
It wasn’t that she wanted to share a room with Chen Yuyang, but being in the same room as her master would be too much pressure.
“You’re our master, how could you sleep with a disciple? That wouldn’t sound good if word got out, would it, Master?”
Ling Xi quickly added.
Tai Lingxuan pursed her lips; she had to admit, the girl had a point.
As the Sect Leader of Hehuan Sect, staying at such a humble inn was already somewhat embarrassing.
Squeezing into one room with her disciples would be even worse.
But…
She looked at the young man and woman.
Tai Lingxuan felt a bit worried.
A young man and a young woman, alone in a room—if sparks flew…
“But there’s only one bed. How will you arrange things?”
“You two aren’t kids anymore—there should be some separation between men and women…”
Tai Lingxuan reminded them.
“That’s easy. I’ll sleep on the bed, and my junior sister can have the floor,” Chen Yuyang replied with a laugh.
As soon as he said this, Ling Xi’s eyes nearly popped out.
“Senior Brother, do you have any gentlemanly manners at all?”
“I’m a woman! Shouldn’t you let me have the bed and take care of me?”
“I wish I could, Junior Sister, but I need a good rest for the Pill Concoction Tournament~ If you really want the bed, I suppose I could let you have it.”
Chen Yuyang threw up his hands, feigning helplessness, which only made Ling Xi grit her teeth in anger.
But she couldn’t refute him.
They had come here for her senior brother’s participation in the tournament—anyone else could make do, but not him.
If his condition was affected, and it cost him his ranking…
Thinking of this, the girl pouted in grievance and mumbled, “Then, I get to pick the best spot on the floor. I don’t want to catch a chill.”
“Of course, my dear junior sister, pick anywhere you like—except for the bed,” Chen Yuyang replied with a beaming smile, causing blue veins to twitch on Ling Xi’s forehead again.
How had she never noticed before?
Senior Brother could be this infuriating. If only Master weren’t here…
If only she could beat him…
Otherwise, she’d have taught her Senior Brother a lesson—show him how to behave… how to be a proper person.