Chapter 213 Winning the Championship
In previous Alchemist Conferences, if one could refine a high-quality pill like the "Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pill", the hope of winning the championship would be extremely strong.
However, this time, Yan Li's achievement was destined to be overshadowed by Xiao Yan's outstanding performance. Xiao Yan's skills were obviously superior, leaving Yan Li inferior to him.
Fa Ma and Hai Bodong, as well as other distinguished guests in the VIP seats, couldn't help but stand up. They were deeply shocked by the elixir refined by Xiao Yan.
Fa Ma stared at the pill floating in front of Xiao Yan and said excitedly: "This energy fluctuation, this fragrance, this 'Tough Vein Spiritual Pill' refined by Xiao Yan has surpassed the limit of the fourth grade and reached the grade of the fifth grade pill!"
Hai Bodong on the side also praised: "Not only is the energy fluctuation strong, the color and fragrance of this pill also show its extraordinary quality. Xiao Yan, this young man, is really impressive."
Jia Xingtian smiled slightly and said, "Being able to refine a fifth-grade elixir at such a young age, Xiao Yan's talent is even better than that of Gu He in the past. His future is undoubtedly full of possibilities."
Xiao Ling, who had been somewhat relaxed at first, was also surprised at this moment. Although he had absolute confidence in Xiao Yan's ability to refine the "Tough Veins and Spiritual Connection Pill", he did not expect that Xiao Yan could refine it to the fifth level in one fell swoop.
However, this was also because Xiao Ling had not paid much attention to the competition before. Otherwise, as long as Xiao Ling made a casual investigation, he would be able to know the approximate grade of the elixir refined by Xiao Yan.
Xiao Ling stroked his chin gently, a hint of admiration flashed in his eyes, and whispered to himself: "Xiao Yan, this kid, can always create miracles inadvertently."
At this moment, Yao Chen's voice, which was full of years of accumulation, sounded slowly, penetrating the surrounding noise and reaching the ears of Xiao Ling and others: "This kid named Xiao Yan does have extraordinary talent. It seems that the opportunities I gave him were not wasted. With his talent in alchemy, if he is trained well, it is not impossible for him to become a master in the future."
Qing Lin and Xiao Yixian looked at each other and nodded, expressing their deep agreement with Yao Chen's evaluation. They knew in their hearts that Xiao Yan had an extraordinary talent in alchemy, and was indeed the best they had ever seen except Xiao Ling.
However, following Xiao Ling, a genius in alchemy, they had long been accustomed to all kinds of extraordinary feats. Therefore, although they admired Xiao Yan's outstanding performance today, they were no longer overly surprised.
Their mentality was like that of sailors who had experienced storms and were able to remain calm in the face of the waves on the sea. Although Xiao Yan's achievements were dazzling, they did not cause any waves in their hearts.
Xiao Ling raised his eyebrows slightly, and said with a hint of ease and amusement in his tone, "Since Yao Lao thinks so highly of him, why don't you take my cousin and I to Xingyun Pavilion when we go to Zhongzhou?"
Xiao Ling knew clearly in his heart that he had no intention of being Xiao Yan's babysitter.
But considering that Xiao Yan was not only his cousin, but also the respect he showed to him and the blood connection between them, he naturally would not ignore Xiao Yan.
Even though helping Xiao Yan might not bring any benefits to himself, since it is just a piece of cake, Xiao Ling is willing to lend a helping hand.
Xiao Ling knew that he would not give away things that were of great importance to him or his close ones. However, Xiao Ling was quite willing to lend a hand to those things that were of little use to him or to help him within his ability.
Xiao Ling's proposal aroused the interest of Yao Chen in the Bone Inflammation Ring. Yao Chen stroked his chin and immersed himself in thought for a moment. Then, he slowly spoke,
"This proposal is not a bad idea. Xiao Yan is your fellow clansman, so you can take care of him. If he can be properly trained and taken to Zhongzhou to broaden his horizons, it will be of great benefit to his growth. And with his talent, he can stand out even in Xingyun Pavilion."
Xiao Ling nodded in agreement and said in a relaxed tone: "Okay, when we are ready to go to Zhongzhou, we will ask Xiao Yan if he is interested in joining. If he is willing to go, we will take him with us; if he doesn't want to, we won't force him."
Yao Chen's voice sounded again in the Bone Flame Ring, with a hint of amusement and deep meaning: "Based on my observation of Xiao Yan, given his personality, he will definitely go to Zhongzhou if he has such an opportunity. Even if you don't invite him, he will go to Zhongzhou by himself when he grows to a certain level. If you invite him, he will definitely go there with pleasure."
Xiao Ling nodded without commenting. He also thought so in his heart. He had long seen Xiao Yan's unwillingness to admit defeat and his desire to become a strong man.
Zhongzhou, as the center of the continent, is full of powerful people and countless opportunities. For a young man like Xiao Yan who is full of fighting spirit, it is undoubtedly a huge magnet.
……
On the high platform, Fa Ma narrowed his eyes slightly. Although he usually remained indifferent, at this moment, even his narrowed eyes could not hide his overflowing smile.
He laughed heartily a few times, and cast his gaze toward the center of the square again, sweeping his eyes over Yan Li, who was sitting on the ground with a pale face, and the two black-robed men beside him who seemed a little at a loss.
Fa Ma smiled playfully, his voice full of ridicule: "Although everyone here may not be familiar with the 'Tough Vein Spiritual Pill' refined by Xiao Yan, I believe there is no need for me to elaborate on the value of the fifth-grade pill and the fourth-grade peak pill."
As he finished speaking, Fa Ma's voice gradually became solemn and clear: "Then, I have the honor to announce that the champion of this Jia Ma Empire Alchemist Conference is none other than Xiao Yan from the Xiao family!"
His voice echoed over the square, and every word was like a hammer, striking everyone's heart.
Following Fa Ma's announcement, the entire square erupted in thunderous applause. The audience cheered for this wonderful alchemy competition and Xiao Yan's outstanding performance. This applause was not only a compliment to the winner, but also a respect for the exquisite skills of alchemy.
Xiao Yan stood in the center of the square, surrounded by waves of applause and praise.
An unprecedented sense of accomplishment surged in his heart, not only because he won the competition, but also because his skills and hard work were recognized.
He knew that this was just the beginning, a starting point towards a higher goal.
Xiao Yan took a deep breath and calmed down his excitement. He thought to himself, "Today's victory is an affirmation of me and also an encouragement to me. I can't be complacent because there is still a long way to go. I must continue to work hard, constantly surpass myself, and climb to a higher peak in alchemy."
At this time, Yaoyue squeezed through the crowd and walked briskly to Xiao Yan. Her eyes were shining with sincere joy and admiration: "Xiao Yan, congratulations on your victory. This is indeed the honor you deserve. However, you hid it really well. You were able to refine a fifth-grade elixir. It's really not good enough."
Hearing this, Xiao Yan smiled slightly. The relationship between him and Yaoyue made his answer more relaxed and friendly: "Haha, Yaoyue, I didn't expect to perform so well before. This time it was just luck."
Liu Ling's eyes passed through the crowd and fell on Xiao Yan's confident smile. He couldn't help but feel a complex emotion in his heart. Before the Alchemy Conference, he called himself a genius, but he didn't expect to be surpassed by a younger alchemist. He knew in his heart that Xiao Yan's victory was not a fluke, but a manifestation of strength and talent.
Liu Ling sighed softly, and that sigh was just like her mood at the moment, with a hint of helplessness and loneliness. He silently sorted out his medicine cauldron and medicinal materials, his movements were slower than usual, as if he was bidding a final farewell for the defeat in this competition.
The crowd around were cheering for Xiao Yan's victory, and no one noticed Liu Ling's departure.
He quietly left the crowd, his steps seeming a little heavy. The noise in the competition square gradually faded away, but Liu Ling's heart was silent.
On the other side, Yan Li's face was as gloomy as iron. He was clear in his mind that his fourth-grade "Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pill" was undoubtedly eclipsed by the "Tough Vein Spiritual Pill" refined by Xiao Yan. In this contest, he was completely defeated and had nothing to say.
Gritting his teeth, Yan Li waved his hand and put the medicine cauldron into his storage ring. Under the gaze of many people, he and the two black-robed men beside him turned around quickly and walked out of the venue in a hurry.
He could feel the cold gazes from Fa Ma and others on the platform. The coldness in their eyes made him understand that if he did not take this opportunity to leave this place quickly, once Fa Ma and others freed up their hands, he would be in a disadvantageous situation.
On the high platform, Fa Ma put his hands behind his back, staring coldly at Yan Li's hurriedly leaving back, a sneer of disdain appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he said lightly: "You only think of leaving now, it's a bit too late."
Hai Bodong chuckled and answered with a hint of teasing in his tone: "Do you need us to follow?"
Fa Ma shook his head slightly and responded calmly: "There is no need to do this. I have already secretly left a soul mark on his 'Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pill'. He can't escape from our grasp."
Jia Lao smiled, and his tone revealed a bit of gloating: "The Izumo Empire Alchemy Guild will be distressed this time. It costs a lot to train a fourth-grade alchemy master."
Fa Ma smiled lightly, as if everything was under control: "Since you are here, you should have this awareness."
At this moment, Xiao Ling smiled softly and suddenly interrupted, his tone relaxed but with unquestionable determination: "Everyone, let me handle those three people." He made up a reason and continued, "I have long disliked them, and this is a good opportunity to deal with them myself."
Xiao Ling's sudden intervention made Hai Bodong and Fa Ma look at him curiously, and the others around him also showed surprise. No one expected that Xiao Ling would take the initiative to volunteer to participate in handling this difficult matter.
Fa Ma and the others actually had doubts about what Xiao Ling said about being dissatisfied with the three people. With Xiao Ling's identity and cultivation, he usually wouldn't waste his attention on such trivial matters.
Although they were not quite sure about Xiao Ling's true intention, since he was willing to help, Fa Ma and the others naturally had no reason to refuse. Fa Ma nodded with a smile, and said with a hint of laughter: "Since Master Xiao Ling is interested in this, then please go ahead. We will naturally not stop you."
Xiao Ling nodded slightly and responded, "Then I won't be polite. I will handle this matter cleanly and neatly."
The reason why Xiao Ling personally took action to deal with Yan Li and his two companions was out of consideration for replenishing the soul body of the Ten Thousand Souls Banner.
Ever since he refined the Earth Demon Puppet for Han Yue last time, his Ten Thousand Souls Banner has been empty, without even a soul body inside.
Although the soul power of these three fourth-grade alchemists was not strong, Xiao Ling had another plan.
He planned to let these souls devour each other within the Ten Thousand Souls Banner. In this way, their power would be condensed and enhanced, and eventually converge into a force comparable to that of an ordinary Dou Huang soul.
Later, Xiao Ling only needed to randomly collect some soul bodies and let them devour each other in the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, and he would hopefully be able to condense a strong enough soul force. This strategy just met the conditions he needed to refine the Heavenly Demon Puppet.
After all, in his plan, there was a Dou Zun-level corpse quietly waiting for his arrival in the Magical Beast Mountains of Luoyan Empire. The potential of this corpse, combined with the powerful soul power, would enable him to refine a more powerful puppet.
Afterwards, Xiao Ling turned around and faced Qing Lin and Xiao Yixian, and said with a relaxed look: "I'll go first and take care of some things. If you feel bored, you can go out for a walk by yourselves, or go back to the Xiao family to rest."
Xiao Yixian and Qinglin had naturally heard what Xiao Ling said before, and knew that Xiao Ling was going to deal with the three fourth-grade alchemists. With Xiao Ling's strength, they were not worried about encountering any danger.
The Little Doctor Fairy nodded gently and responded gently: "Okay, go and do your thing. We will make our own arrangements."
Qing Lin also echoed, "Don't worry, Master. We will take good care of ourselves. You just be careful."
Xiao Ling smiled slightly: "Then I will go. Don't worry about me."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Ling's figure disappeared from the VIP seats like a breeze, leaving only a blurry afterimage that slowly dissipated in everyone's sight.
Xiao Yixian and Qing Lin, who witnessed Xiao Ling's departure, looked at each other, and both of them showed understanding in their eyes. The two talked quietly for a few words, and finally decided not to stay in the lively competition venue any longer.
The little doctor raised a faint smile at the corner of her lips, and she nodded gracefully to the people around her to say goodbye. Qinglin followed closely behind her, and the two of them walked through the crowd together, walking calmly towards the exclusive passage for the VIP seats.
Following the backs of Xiao Yixian and Qinglin, Jia Xingtian commented softly: "The two girls beside Xiao Ling should not be underestimated."
Fa Ma nodded in agreement, with a hint of amazement in his tone: "Indeed, they are so young and have such strength. Their talent is indeed amazing. It seems that only a genius like Xiao Ling can attract people like them to follow."
(End of this chapter)