Reaching the pinnacle from Doupo

Chapter 586 Conflict is Imminent
"boom--"

A deep, muffled sound erupted in the space around Xinlan.

Immediately, an invisible soul storm took shape, and as it swept through, the surrounding space became extremely distorted.

Almost everyone in the hall paled instantly, their gazes fixed on the delicate figure in the storm—they could never have imagined that Ye Xinlan could reach such an astonishing level!
Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, the blood-red numbers on the mirror plate in the center of the stone tablet skyrocketed.

Four hundred, five hundred... nine hundred, one thousand... one thousand five hundred... In just a moment, it surpassed the previous four people, exceeded Cao Ying's record, and continued to surge...

An invisible storm of emotions caused an uproar throughout the venue.

After a long while, the storm gradually subsided, and after several tens of seconds, it finally dissipated completely.

Xinlan smiled faintly, withdrew her hand from the stone tablet, and took two steps back lightly. Immediately, all eyes turned to the mirror plate in the center of the stone tablet!
"Three thousand!"

The blood-red numbers, shockingly still, remained on the mirror.

The number caused an instant deathly silence to fall over the entire arena. All eyes were fixed on that number, as if they had been petrified, unable to look away.

Three thousand... This number is more than three times the number recorded by Cao Ying back then.

When Cao Ying first broke the record, she was dubbed a "femme fatale." Now, Xin Lan has broken her record and left her far behind. This achievement is simply astonishing...

More importantly, Ye Xinlan is not a genius who suddenly appeared, but a genius with a clear growth trajectory, a genius who was not outstanding before.

The dividing line between her ordinariness and brilliance is undeniably clear—becoming the disciple of the Medicine Lord is the dividing line!
"Can the Medicine Lord really turn the rotten into the miraculous?"

At that moment, a mixture of doubt and envy arose in the hearts of many people in the know.

Beside the stone tablet, Elder Sheng stared blankly at the blood-red number. After a long while, he slowly nodded, and then his gaze towards Xin Lan became exceptionally fervent…

Three thousand... This number might not be clear to the average person, but as an eighth-grade alchemist, he understood it perfectly. It meant that Xinlan's soul power had reached the upper limit of the stone tablet and reached the Spirit Realm level!
Following Cao Ying, Dan Chen, and Song Qing, the younger generation of the Pill Tower has gained another Spirit Realm expert, another genius who is capable of shouldering great responsibilities in the future.

Once this gets out, it will surely cause quite a stir!

Not far away, Ye Zhong's hands trembled with excitement; the humiliation that had been building up in his heart finally vanished at this moment...

After a century, the Ye family has finally produced an eighth-grade alchemist again.

Elder Sheng glanced at his old friend and laughed loudly, "Hehe, not bad, not bad... The soul test is over."

"The one in first place naturally belongs to Ye Xinlan, representing the Ye family. Congratulations to her for setting a new record. Three thousand soul points... Hehe, this record probably won't be broken in the assessment for a long time to come!"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall smiled wryly to themselves, looking enviously at the graceful young woman in the blue dress. The Ye family was truly incredibly lucky.

The girl in blue remained calm, showing no arrogance whatsoever.

Seeing this, Elder Sheng's expression of satisfaction deepened, and he chuckled, "Next, there are two more tests! The second test—soul manipulation—will be conducted as usual, using soul power to support the Soul Testing Bead."

As he spoke, he flipped his hand and took out a jet-black iron bead from his storage ring.

The surface of this iron bead is extremely smooth and has no luster whatsoever; its dark color gives it an extremely heavy feel.

"This Soul Testing Bead is made of Soul Steel..."

"This object is quite light when held by hand, but if supported by the power of the soul, it is as heavy as a thousand pounds..."

"After the assessment begins, numerous soul-testing beads will be showered down from above, and you will have to rely on your soul power to support them. Your ranking in the assessment will be determined by the number of soul-testing beads you receive... The record for this item, eighty-nine beads, was also left by Cao Ying."

After Elder Sheng finished his introduction, the second test began, and everyone's attention once again focused on Xin Lan.

But at this moment, no one had any curiosity about the outcome.

Anyone could see that Ye Xinlan of the Ye family was not on the same level as the representatives of the other four families... The assessment of the five major families was no longer in doubt.

Next up is the time for the disciples of the Medicine Lord to showcase their talents.

As everyone expected, Ye Xinlan once again stood out from the crowd in the second test—she easily accepted three hundred Soul Testing Beads, four times that of the second-place Dan Xuan's seventy-three beads, and more than three times the record left by Cao Ying.

The third test, a battle of souls, was an absolute crushing defeat.

Facing Xin Lan, who was in the Spirit Realm, Dan Xuan, Cao Xiu, Bai Ying, and Qiu Ji, who were only in the late Mortal Realm, had almost no power to resist and were thrown out of the battle circle one by one.

In a pure battle of souls, the suppression of realm is extremely obvious.

Moreover, as Lin Yuan's disciple, Xin Lan is not lacking in high-level soul skills, and has even mastered several earth-level soul skills.

"Gentlemen, you are too kind..."

Looking at her opponents with their complicated expressions, Xinlan nodded slightly, then smiled faintly with a sense of relief.

She had fulfilled her duties as the eldest daughter of the Ye family, and had not disgraced her master.

On the other side, Danxuan and the others could only return Xinlan's smile with wry smiles. Judging from her composed demeanor, she had clearly not used her full strength just now. Even so, the powerful soul pressure from before was still firmly imprinted in their hearts.

"Hehe, in the third category, Ye Xinlan remains in first place, Dan Xuan in second, Cao Xiu in third, Bai Ying in fourth, and Qiu Ji in fifth..."

"Clap clap-"

As the result was announced, a loud round of applause erupted in the hall, lasting for a long time...

"The Spirit Realm? As expected of Brother Lin... to have trained a disciple of such a high level!" Gu Zhen clapped his hands and sighed softly, "I wonder what realm he himself is at?"

"Hehe, perhaps it's a realm that needs to be looked up to."

Shi Yi shook the empty wine flask, chuckled, and his voice carried a hint of profound meaning.

"In just a few years, that unremarkable Xinlan has actually reached this level?" In a corner of the hall, the black-robed youth gently closed his eyes, withdrawing his gaze from Xinlan. His expression remained unchanged, but he was deeply shocked.

His soul talent was praised by his teacher as excellent, but even so, he had only just broken through to the middle stage of the Spirit Realm.

Does Lin Yuan truly possess the ability to turn stone into gold and transform the rotten into the miraculous?
Whether it's Feng Qing'er or Ye Xinlan... as long as they get involved with him and receive his help, they can improve at an unreasonable speed.

Recalling the alchemy gathering eight years ago, the young man shook his head bitterly, a hint of self-mockery flashing in his eyes.

The war agreement made back then was probably just a whim of the other side!

In the center of the square, Elder Sheng smiled as he looked at Xin Lan, his aged face adorned with an undisguised expression of satisfaction. At his age and in his position, he had become much less concerned with matters of power and influence. What he preferred to see was the emergence of more and more outstanding juniors in the Pill Tower. Only in this way could the Pill Tower's vitality and potential be guaranteed.

With a slight smile, Elder Sheng's expression turned solemn as he prepared to announce the final result.

However, just as he was about to speak, a voice full of arrogance and contempt suddenly came from the upper levels of the hall, echoing throughout the entire hall.

"The disciples of the Medicine Lord are nothing special! And the level of the Pill Tower is truly disappointing..."

"Who?" Upon hearing such disrespectful words to the Pill Tower, Elder Sheng, as one of the eight elders, was instantly enraged and shouted, "Who is this madman who dares to speak so arrogantly here?" His eyes flashed like lightning as he scanned the direction from which the voice came.

The gazes of everyone in the hall followed Elder Sheng's line of sight and landed on a figure high above.

This was a handsome young man with an effeminate appearance, dressed in a gorgeous alchemist's robe. His thin lips revealed a hint of coldness and meanness, and the gourd mark between his eyebrows was particularly striking.

He leaned against the black stone pillar beside him with his arms crossed, his eyes filled with undisguised disdain.

Staring at this arrogant madman who had uttered such insolent words, many people in the hall had their eyes gleaming, their gazes a mixture of curiosity, mockery, and schadenfreude.

To challenge the authority of the Pill Tower in Saint Dan City—what an audacious and brainless act!
Noticing the mocking gazes gathering around him, a hint of displeasure flashed across the young man's arrogant face. He then let out a cold snort, and a mysterious soul voice exploded in everyone's ears like thunder, causing many people to turn pale.

Then, the young man lowered his hands, took a step, and the space around him rippled as his figure disappeared from the spot.

The next instant, he appeared in the center of the hall, standing opposite Elder Sheng and Xin Lan, a powerful aura at the Dou Zun level emanating from him.

Sensing this powerful aura, everyone in the hall immediately became wary.

"Yao Ziyou? What does he want?" Shi Yi raised an eyebrow, a hint of doubt in his eyes. "Is he here to provoke us? Or to gather information?"

"I don't know, but he definitely has ulterior motives." Gu Zhen shook his head, his voice becoming more solemn. He said, "Although Yao Ziyou is an arrogant person, such arrogance... doesn't seem to be his style. He probably has some ulterior motives."

Yao Ziyou, one of the "Ten Outstanding Young Talents" of the Yao Clan, is as famous as Yao Xingji, who is also known as Yao Zi.

Gu Zhen paid more attention to Yao Ziyou than to Yao Xingji!
The reason for this is that Yao Ziyou is, in his opinion, one of the few "intelligent" people among his peers in the Yao clan, rather than simply arrogant.

If this person were not inferior to Yao Tian in terms of bloodline and talent, he might well have been able to compete with him.

Unfortunately, in the Dou Qi Continent, strength is the ultimate foundation... Just like the younger generation of the ancient clan today, Gu Yao is stubborn and impulsive, yet his status remains firmly in third place, second only to Miss Xun'er and Brother Qingyang.

Shaking his head, Gu Zhen put away his thoughts and turned his gaze to the center of the square, gathering a little power in his hand, ready to make a move at any moment.

It seems that Yao Ziyou is somewhat unfriendly towards his friend's disciple.

On the plaza, Elder Sheng's gaze was also quite solemn—this young man's cultivation was extraordinary, even surpassing that of Elder Qiu, a five-star Dou Zun.

More importantly, Elder Sheng knew the significance of the mark between the other party's eyebrows.

"A madman?" Seeing the solemn expressions on everyone's faces, Yao Ziyou did not conceal his arrogance. Instead, he looked at Elder Sheng with disdain and said, "Am I wrong?"

"These people behind you are the so-called 'genius' disciples of the Pill Tower, right?"

"With their level, whether in terms of fighting spirit or soul, they wouldn't even qualify as third-rate among the younger generation of my clan. I must have been out of my mind to waste so much time watching a few frogs floundering at the bottom of a well."

"If the genius disciples of the Pill Tower are only of this caliber, then the Pill Tower, which is hailed as the number one tower in the Central Plains, is nothing but a hollow name."

"Hehe, no wonder that Yao Chen—a mere outcast expelled from my clan—could dominate the so-called 'Dan Gathering' and become a legend of your Dan Tower."

“They are not even as good as the ‘outcasts’ of my clan. The Dan Tower is indeed not worth mentioning.”

These sarcastic remarks immediately provoked the anger of the people from the Dan Tower present, who all glared angrily at the arrogant young man.

However, the opponent's formidable strength deterred anyone from being the first to step forward.

Seeing this, Yao Ziyou's arrogant expression grew even stronger, and he sneered, "Heh heh, thank my clan for their generosity!"

"At this alchemy gathering, you will witness the true power of my clan. The geniuses of my clan will show you what true alchemy is... If you misunderstand my clan's level because of the abandoned people and develop unwarranted delusions, that would be a troublesome matter."

At this point, he shifted his gaze slightly upwards, looking at a figure shrouded in a black cloak, and a mocking smile immediately appeared on his lips.

"A disgraced person has been causing trouble outside, tarnishing the reputation of our clan. In my opinion, he should have been dealt with back then..."

Before he could finish speaking, a furious shout, like a thunderclap, resounded throughout the hall.

"Shut up!" Xiao Yan abruptly ripped off his cloak, revealing his handsome face. He looked down at the young man with an icy expression and said coldly, "I don't know what you want to do, but if your goal is to provoke me, then I'm willing to risk my life to keep you company..."

After saying that, he stomped his foot hard on the ground, and his figure swooped down like a lone goose, landing heavily in front of Yao Ziyou, standing facing him without backing down.

"A boastful and despicable person like you has no right to judge my teacher!"

"If you want to fight, then let's fight..."

Even though there is still a considerable gap in cultivation level, Xiao Yan would not hesitate to draw his sword if anyone insulted Yao Lao, who was like a teacher and father to him.

"It's Chen Yan, Chen Yan, the young master of the Four Directions Pavilion!"

"Is that Chen Yan, the personal disciple of the Medicine Saint? I didn't expect him to be here too..."

"Chen Yan is facing off against that mysterious young man. This is getting interesting."

As the rising young master of the Four Directions Pavilion and a prodigy of the Central Plains, Xiao Yan's false identity as 'Chen Yan' is quite well-known in the Central Plains.

As soon as he appeared, he was quickly recognized.

“Chen Yan… Xiao Yan, so it’s you… Interesting!” Not far away, Gu Zhen looked at the face that had matured considerably but was still recognizable as handsome, and his eyes narrowed slightly. As his thoughts raced, he quickly figured out a lot of things.

Opposite Xiao Yan, Yao Ziyou narrowed his eyes slightly, sensing the intense heat emanating from Xiao Yan's body, and a cunning smile appeared on his lips.

The prey has taken the bait.

Such high-quality flames, such an impulsive young man... It seems that Yao Ziyou's chance to make a name for himself has arrived!
　I don't want to write Danhui as just another iconic scene; I want to write a different story, so I need to do some preliminary setup and introduction.

　　However, the protagonist's current cultivation level is too high, and when writing this exposition, I really couldn't find an opportunity for him to appear. Please forgive me, fellow readers.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)