Reaching the pinnacle from Doupo

Chapter 346: Alchemist's Battle, Goal and Bet (6000 words, should be counted as one extra chapter)
The next day, early morning.

A ray of morning light sprinkled down, and the sound of an ancient bell quietly rang out from the depths of the Tianlei Mountains, and then spread to the entire mountain range.

"Is the martial arts ceremony finally here?"

In various places in the Tianlei Mountains, young heroes with different appearances and temperaments, but all revealing powerful aura, opened their tightly closed eyes almost at the same time. The brilliance mixed with the fiery fighting spirit became more and more intense in the sound of the ancient bell.

Soon, streaks of light cut through the sky, flashing past with majestic momentum.

In a quiet house where the Danta people stayed.

"crunch-"

With a slight sound, the tightly closed door slowly opened, and Lin Yuan pulled Zi Yan and slowly walked out of the somewhat messy room behind him.

At this moment, he, who had mastered the art of subduing dragons, was able to walk like a dragon and a tiger with his every move, and his face was filled with confidence and pride. However, the dragon girl Zi Yan beside him was no longer as coquettish as when she entered the room. Her face was flushed, and there was still a hint of confusion in her eyes that had not yet dissipated.

Lin Yuan exhaled lightly and waved his sleeves, quietly dispersing the soul barrier that enveloped the courtyard.

At this moment, a burst of light footsteps sounded, and in just a few blinks of an eye, the Little Medical Fairy brought Qinglin, Danchen, and Xinlan into the courtyard.

"Have you had a good rest?" Glancing at the charming Zi Yan, the Little Medical Fairy couldn't help but chuckle with her hands covering her mouth - it was quite rare to see this girl showing such an expression. She even set up a soundproof barrier. It seemed that the two of them had a lot of trouble last night.

Lin Yuan did not respond, but turned his gaze towards the direction of the venue and said calmly: "Let's go, watch me win the championship with the power you gave me."

Then, several streams of light rose into the air from the courtyard and flew rapidly towards the central square.
-
In the square where the ceremony was held yesterday, the altars from yesterday have been removed.

In the square, a white arena made of ancient obsidian stone, like a jade wall, was inlaid in the center. Ancient obsidian stone was extremely hard and difficult to destroy by external forces. It was an excellent material for refining weapons and its price was also quite high.

The Thunder Clan actually used ancient obsidian to build such a huge arena, which was extremely arrogant.

On the seats, although the blood-testing and pattern-drawing ceremony had ended, the lively atmosphere in the square had not diminished at all. Instead, it was even more intense than yesterday, filled with a vigorous and uplifting atmosphere.

The profound heritage of the Thunder Clan, the martial spirit of the Thunder Clan... at this moment, they were inadvertently displayed to the fullest.

When Lin Yuan and his group arrived in a low-key manner, most of the seats in the square had been filled.

However, his arrival still attracted many people's attention, and countless glances were cast at him - not only because of the several stunning beauties behind him, but also because he was inadvertently the target of many expectations, although he did not care about such expectations at all.

Of course, among the many gazes, there were a few that revealed obvious hostility... One of the most hostile gazes came from the Medicine Clan.

In the center of the Yao clan, Yao Tian stared coldly at Lin Yuan's back.

With the arrival of Lin Yuan, some eyes began to turn to Yao Tian again and again. At the same time, some noisy discussions also reached his ears. The subtle meanings contained in those discussions made Yao Tian's heart burn with anger, and the coldness in his eyes became even stronger.

Since yesterday, there have been rumors among the crowd, vaguely comparing him with Lin Yuan.

This made Yao Tian, ​​who had been proud since childhood, feel extremely angry.

What made him even more angry was that it was generally believed in these discussions that Lin Yuan, as the number one genius of Danta, had a talent for alchemy that surpassed him, the number one genius of the medicine clan.

The argument of the crowd was that Lin Yuan had refined an eighth-grade, six-color elixir at the age of twenty, while they had only achieved this achievement at the age of twenty-three.

Thinking of this, Yao Tian was filled with anger, but he had no way to refute it.

However, in his heart, he would never and could not accept this conclusion - how could the Medicine Clan's number one genius lose to a mere alchemist from the outside world?

As if he had noticed the gaze, Lin Yuan turned around and looked over, his eyes meeting Yao Tian's.

"He's taken the bait. Things are going quite smoothly! He's so good at using public opinion. The ninth elder of the Thunder Clan, Lei Xuan, is really a wonderful man." With a faint hint of "oh", Lin Yuan met Yao Tian's cold eyes and gave him a provocative look.

"This guy is provoking me." Yao Tian pinched the wooden armrest hard, and it turned into powder in an instant.

"Brother, calm down. Be careful of being tricked." Yao Ling retracted her gaze from Lin Yuan and said softly, "I have investigated and learned a little about that person. Such provocation is not his usual style. He may have some calculations."

"Little sister, I understand what you said! But, I must try to defend the honor of the Yao clan." Yao Tian shook his head and said in a deep voice.

"Wait, why are you investigating him?" Yao Tian suddenly reacted.

"Hmm?" Hearing this, Yao Ling frowned slightly, looked at Yao Tian in confusion, and asked doubtfully: "He is the person that Elder Yao Ying said may become a rival of you and the Yao Clan in the future. Is it strange for me to investigate him?"

"Not strange, it's normal!" Yao Tian breathed a sigh of relief, cursed himself for being suspicious, and said gently: "Thank you, little sister!"

Yao Ling nodded slightly and looked in Lin Yuan's direction again, a hint of curiosity flashing in his delicate eyes.

"That little fellow from the Medicine Clan doesn't have enough concentration!"

Using his soul to block out the sound, Xuan Kongzi shook his head slightly and looked at Lin Yuan beside him with interest: "Your plan succeeded. Judging from Yao Tian's appearance, if you take the initiative to challenge him now, he will definitely not refuse."

After a pause, he sighed, "This person has good talent, but he is easily angered. This kind of personality is not suitable for leading a force!"

In the Douqi Continent, to control a powerful force, strength, wisdom, and character are all indispensable.

At this point, Xuan Kongzi couldn't help but feel somewhat fortunate in his heart - Lin Yuan not only possessed top-level talent, but also had an excellent character and wisdom, making him a perfect successor to the position of the Big Three.

"Haha, people who are overly arrogant are best at finding loopholes!" Hearing Xuan Kongzi's words, Lin Yuan smiled faintly.

"As long as he is a proud member of the Medicine Clan, he can't avoid this challenge! However, the issue of public opinion is not my idea, but the operation of the Thunder Clan. Well, I plan to play a bigger game this time. If he is enraged, he should not refuse."

"Do you want to make it bigger?" Xuan Kongzi raised his eyebrows and said thoughtfully: "Forget it, you are thoughtful, so I won't ask any more questions! Remember, Danta is your solid backing..."

"Thank you, Master Xuan!" Lin Yuan bowed and said seriously.

As the two were talking, people quickly arrived. The seats in the square were soon filled up, and many ancient clans also arrived one by one.

"clang--"

Then, an ancient bell sounded, and two lightning bolts suddenly fell from the sky and landed directly on the center of the arena.

The moment the lightning dissipated and Mang Tianchi and the Ninth Elder showed up, two powerful auras of high-level semi-saints suddenly swept out, instantly silencing the noise in the square.

"The next Martial Arts Ceremony Heaven and Earth Ranking Battle will be hosted by the two of us!"

Mang Tianchi grinned, looked around the quiet square, and nodded with satisfaction: "For those who practice cultivation, winning is their instinct! Cheer up, the purpose of this martial arts performance of my Thunder Clan is to determine the 'number one' among the younger generation."

"First", "First", "First"...

As soon as he finished speaking, the enthusiastic cheers of the younger generation of ThunderClan surged like a tide, echoing over the entire square, filled with ThunderClan's desire for victory.

Among all the ancient clans today, the most warlike one is the Thunder Clan, which has extremely domineering martial arts.

"Haha! Good! Good! Good!"

The ninth elder laughed out loud, shouted "good" three times, and said with satisfaction: "Desire for victory - people of my Thunder Clan must do so! That's how it should be! In this case, I won't say any more nonsense, and will perform the martial arts ceremony..."

After a brief pause, the Ninth Elder glanced around the room, exchanged a subtle glance with Lin Yuan, and nodded imperceptibly.

And wherever his eyes went, all the Thunder Clan members fell silent, looking at him expectantly, waiting for the moment when he announced "start".

The Ninth Elder smiled slightly and was about to speak when a clear voice suddenly came and interrupted his declaration.

"Senior Lei Xuan, wait a moment, can you postpone the word 'start' for a moment?"

The Ninth Elder looked towards Lin Yuan who had stood up, and as if possessed by a spirit of drama, he asked in confusion: "It turned out to be my friend Yaojun. You stopped me because you have something to say? I hope you can give me a good reason, otherwise... hehe!"

There seemed to be a clear warning in the faint voice.

As the Ninth Elder finished speaking, many eyes at the scene focused on that elegant figure, and many of them had obvious doubts in their eyes.

In a corner of the square, at the seats where the ancient tribe members sat.

"Lin Yuan, what does he want to do?" Xun'er stared at Lin Yuan, her eyes narrowed slightly: "What else is he planning?"

“This guy…what tricks is he playing again!” The ancient demon’s cold eyes became more serious, and then he clenched his fists confidently: “Forget it, no matter what tricks he plays, it doesn’t matter! I have made another breakthrough in my cultivation, and I will never lose to him…”

"I was able to completely refine the Nine Skies Frost Jade yesterday. It was a blessing from the ancient times and also a revelation from heaven. It allowed me to completely avenge my previous shame this time!"

The ancient monster seemed to have completed its transformation overnight.

At this moment, not only did the coldness on his body undergo a qualitative change, emitting a terrifying and breathtaking low temperature, but even his aura was much stronger than the day before, reaching the peak level of a two-star Dou Zun.

It turned out that the ancient demon did not watch the New Year's Eve ceremony yesterday, but was in seclusion to refine the ice treasure - Jiuxiao Hanliu Jade, and use it to greatly improve his cultivation.

Under Lin Yuan's butterfly effect, the ancient demon at this moment has far surpassed itself in its original trajectory.

Noticing Lin Yuan's playful glance, Yao Tian snorted coldly and said, "Hmph, a jumping clown... You are making such useless noise and don't know your own worth." But in his heart, he felt a strong sense of uneasiness.

Under everyone's gaze, Lin Yuan smiled calmly, took a step forward, and instantly disappeared from the spot. The space in the center of the ring suddenly fluctuated slightly, and the next moment, Lin Yuan's tall figure emerged and stood straight in front of Mang Tianchi and the Ninth Elder.

"Good body movement." In a corner, Lei Dong, who was leaning against a pillar with his arms crossed, raised his eyebrows and looked at Lin Yuan with interest.

"As expected of Xun'er's rumored lover, he is indeed quite capable! There are rumors in the ancient clan that only by defeating him can one be qualified to date Xun'er. Now it seems that it is not groundless! This person is indeed somewhat qualified..."

Thinking of this, his eyes brightened with a bit more fiery fighting spirit: "Good opponent! There is one more enemy I need to defeat personally, hahahaha..."

On the other side, on the stage.

"Two seniors, please forgive me for my impoliteness!"

Lin Yuan clasped his fists and bowed, saying in a deep voice: "I just spoke because I wanted to use the martial arts ceremony stage to do something, and at the same time, I also wanted to add to the fun of this event!"

"Add to the fun? How?" the ninth elder asked cooperatively.

Lin Yuan looked around the square, and his gaze finally fell on the seat of the Medicine Clan and on Yao Tian in the center.

"Just now, I heard some friends discussing, between the first genius of Danta and the first genius of the Medicine Clan, who is the most talented alchemist of the contemporary era? I am very curious about this question. Are you curious about Yao Tian, ​​the first genius of the Medicine Clan?"

“Arrogant!” Upon hearing this, everyone in the Medicine Clan was immediately furious… This guy created this scene just to provoke the Medicine Clan.

"Medicine Lord Lin Yuan, do you want to fight me here?" Yao Tianyi slowly stood up and said in a cold voice.

"Of course!" Lin Yuan nodded slightly and said calmly: "Since this is the stage for competing for the first place, and you and I are both here, the 'first place' for the alchemist should also be decided here, so as not to let down such a grand gathering of the Thunder Clan, such a great opportunity."

"So that's how it is. You are really... arrogant!" Upon hearing Lin Yuan's confirmation, Yao Tian shouted coldly.

Before he finished speaking, he tapped the ground with his toes, and under the gazes of countless people, he swept into the spacious square and stood opposite Lin Yuan.

Yao Tian looked at Lin Yuan who was not far in front of him, and a cold arc appeared on his face.

"You are just an outsider alchemist, and you dare to show your teeth to my medicine clan. Regardless of your ability, your courage is beyond my expectation! Have you forgotten? An outcast from my clan can take the title of the number one alchemist in Zhongzhou..."

"Are you talking about Senior Yao Chen?"

Lin Yuan raised his eyebrows and said playfully, "He is indeed an extremely good alchemist. In terms of his talent and ability in alchemy, he should be much better than you."

These words were spoken sincerely by Lin Yuan - having used the method of spiritual ascension, he could make this conclusion without hesitation.

"What did you say?"

Yao Tian, ​​who had always been proud of his talent and bloodline, became furious when he heard Lin Yuan say that he was not as good as the outcast of the Yao clan.

A ray of faint light flashed across Yao Tian's eyes, and then a light black flame emerged from his palm. A strange wind sound came from it, shaking everyone's mind like a ghost's howl, making people feel a little strangely irritated.

Looking at the light black strange fire, the gazes of everyone present immediately shifted to it, with some strangeness in their eyes.

"Nine Nether Wind Flame, ranked tenth on the Strange Fire Ranking..."

In the middle of the Yan Clan's seats, the red-dressed woman's bright eyes showed a slight fluctuation: "This strange fire is quite good! If there is a chance, I can spar with it and see what a beautiful scene it would be when the Nine Nether Wind Flame and my Red Lotus Karma Fire fight against each other."

Beside her, a man in a white robe rubbed his forehead helplessly and sighed, "Huo Zhi, you are only interested in these."

Huo Zhi shook his head: "Huo Xuan, you are wrong. In addition to Jiuyou Fengyan, I am also interested in that person." The slender jade finger pointed straight at Lin Yuan.

Hearing this, Huo Xuan looked at her in shock: "What, Huo Zhi, you..."

Seeing Huo Xuan's shocked expression, Huo Zhi narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of imperceptible playfulness flashed in his eyes, and added: "My Karma Fire Spirit Body can feel that there is an extremely powerful strange fire hidden in that person..."

When Huo Xuan heard this, his expression was slightly stunned, and then he realized that he had been teased.

Rubbing his forehead, he tilted his head to look at Lin Yuan, his eyes slightly focused: "Medicine Lord Lin Yuan, when we came out, Elder Huo Lie told me to contact him. He does have a strange fire on him. If I remember correctly, it should be the Azure Lotus Earth Core Fire..."

"It's not the Azure Lotus Earth Core Fire!" Huo Zhi shook his head and said firmly: "The Azure Lotus Earth Core Fire ranked 19th cannot be as powerful as I feel..."

"Hmm?" Huo Xuan's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, "So, he got another kind of strange fire? Can you feel what kind of fire it is?"

He had no doubt at all about Huo Zhi's words - the Lord of Red Lotus Karma Fire's talent in fire was beyond doubt!

Shaking her head, a trace of confusion flashed in Huo Zhi's eyes: "I don't know either, but the conflict between him and Yao Tian has already begun, we will know soon..." After that, she turned her head and looked at the center of the square with interest.

"That's right, don't be anxious!" Huo Xuan muttered, and then looked over.

Scenes like the one happening in the Yan Clan were being played out everywhere in the square... Everyone watched Lin Yuan and Yao Tian with interest, looking forward to the tit-for-tat confrontation between the two.

It is quite rare for the top talents from the two major alchemy holy places, Danta and Yao Clan, to clash with each other.

In the arena.

"Nine Nether Wind Flame?"

Lin Yuan took a look at the pitch-black flame and said with interest: "It is indeed a good flame. I hope you don't disgrace it."

"hehe--"

Hearing Lin Yuan's words that seemed to be above the clouds and looking down at him, Yao Tian laughed in anger and said coldly: "You are the first person who dares to look down on me like this! Tell me, how do you want to fight? I will completely defeat you!! "

Hearing this, Lin Yuan clapped his hands and chuckled: "Very good! I have been looking forward to seeing the level of the genius of the Medicine Clan for a long time..."

Afterwards, he and Mang Tianchi exchanged a glance and said sternly, "You two, do you mind adding an entertainment program before the martial arts ceremony begins?"

The Ninth Elder and Mang Tianchi looked at each other and laughed loudly, "Haha, I have no reason to refuse the competition for the 'first' position among alchemists as a show to entertain the audience! We agree, but don't compete in alchemy, it takes too much time."

If Lin Yuan and Yao Tian competed in refining medicine, it would probably be impossible to determine the winner without more than ten days.

As a livelier program, it cannot take up so much time.

“Thank you very much.” Lin Yuan clasped his fists and said in a deep voice, “Please rest assured, our competition will not take too much time…”

The Ninth Elder and Mang Tianchi nodded slightly, then moved and disappeared on the stage.

As the two elders left the stage, the atmosphere on the stage suddenly became more solemn.

“Tell me, how do you want to compete?” Yao Tian pinched his palms repeatedly, and the dark flames surrounding him fluttered, making a series of soul-stirring ghostly howls, like a vicious beast choosing its prey.

"Let's fight fire!" Lin Yuan smiled calmly and said thoughtfully: "Apart from directly refining medicine, this is the best way to test the skills of a pharmacist."

"Fighting fire?" Upon hearing Lin Yuan's proposal, Yao Tian raised his eyebrows, with a hint of mockery on his face.

If they were to fight with fighting spirit, this Lin Yuan might be able to fight with him, but if it was a fight with fire, it would involve flame quality, soul power, and fire control ability, all of which were areas that were strongly related to alchemy and were also the areas he was best at.

Thinking of this, Yao Tian said proudly: "Haha, you ignorant person! As you wish, let's use this item to decide the winner between you and me..."

Seeing this, Lin Yuan's eyes flashed with a cunning look, and his tone was heavy with an inexplicable temptation: "You look so confident, if you are not bluffing, why don't we bet a little more this time, do you dare?"

Hearing the words "dare" and "gamble", Yao Tian's eyes froze, and he suddenly felt like he was being set up and trapped.

His eyes swept across the stands and saw the people on the stage who were full of interest—the ancient ancestors and the powerful clans in Zhongzhou, all gathered here, waiting for his answer.

At this moment, Yao Tian understood that once he stepped onto the stage, he had no way out.

If he refused, his reputation and that of the Medicine Clan would be tainted.

Taking a deep breath, he looked at Lin Yuan solemnly and said in a deep voice: "I'll take it if it's my Yao Tian's honor! Tell me, how do you want to bet?"

"I want a copy of the Yao clan's ninth-grade alchemy inheritance! It should be in your storage ring, right?" Lin Yuan smiled faintly, then reached out to the storage ring in Yao Tian's hand, and gently squeezed it as if he was grabbing something.

The Medicine Clan's alchemist heritage is extremely complete, but they are a very closed clan, and their alchemy skills have always been passed down only to people of their own clan.

If you steal their alchemy skills, you will be hunted down by the medicine clan.

There are not many opportunities to "legally" obtain the medicine clan's alchemy skills, and even fewer opportunities to "get it for free" through strength. Yao Tian, ​​who has a very high status but some character weaknesses, is undoubtedly the most suitable target... Lin Yuan designed and lured him step by step, just for this moment!
Since he wanted to have a fight and a competition, it would be Lin Yuan's style to maximize the benefits from it.

“How dare you!” Yao Tian also understood everything. His face suddenly changed and he shouted sternly: “Medicine Lord Lin Yuan, you actually covet my clan’s alchemy heritage…”

"Isn't it enough for you to just win?" Lin Yuan interrupted him.

"As for the so-called bet, as long as you win in the end, you don't have to pay any price! Not only can you become the real 'first', but you can also get my bet, a bet that will not let you and the Medicine Clan down..."

Lin Yuan smiled slightly, then moved his fingers lightly, and a loud "click" sounded.

"Dry blue ice flame, appear!"

(End of this chapter)