Reaching the pinnacle from Doupo

Chapter 606 The Second Round Ends
"A simplified version of the Ascension Technique?"

Hearing Lin Yuan's words, Cao Ying frowned slightly, a determined glint in her eyes, and nodded emphatically, "I understand, I will succeed in my cultivation within these ten days..."

After saying that, she walked gracefully towards the area where the medicinal herbs were placed, and began to search for the herbs on the task list.

After meeting the ten members of the Medicine Clan who came to participate in the competition, Cao Ying felt a greater sense of crisis. Each of them was exceptionally strong, and to defeat them, she would indeed need some unconventional methods.

Lin Yuan patted his two disciples on the shoulders: "Xinlan, Danchen, you two go too!"

"After finding the necessary medicinal materials for the assessment, continue to practice fire control step by step according to the training plan I previously devised for you... You have only recently changed to a new flame, so you must complete the process of getting used to the new flame in the next few days."

"Yes, Master!" the two women replied in unison, and walked to the area where the medicinal herbs were placed to find the herbs they needed.

"Brother Xiao, Senior Yao has entrusted your matter to me." Lin Yuan shifted his gaze from the two women and turned to Xiao Yan. "Absorbing that stuff will take a few days. There's a decent cave over there; once you've gathered the medicinal herbs, go there to cultivate in seclusion..."

As he spoke, he pointed to the northwest corner of the square, where a towering stone gate stood.

"Thank you very much, Brother Lin! Xiao Yan is deeply grateful!"

Xiao Yan glanced at the stone gate, then solemnly cupped his hands in a salute to Lin Yuan. If it weren't for the help of the person in front of him, he would have been in great danger in the Pill Realm, let alone going into seclusion.

Lin Yuan waved his hand and said calmly, "It was just a small thing, no need to worry about it."

"I will remember this kindness!" After solemnly leaving these words, Xiao Yan did not linger. He quickly gathered all the medicinal herbs on the assessment list, then flew into the stone gate, leaving only a fleeting afterimage that gradually dissipated in the air.

Time is of the essence, we can't waste any time!
In this alchemy competition, whether for his own sake or for the sake of Elder Yao and the Four Directions Pavilion, he cannot afford to lose to Yao Ziyou of the Yao Clan.

Before long, waves of soul energy emanated from the depths of the stone gate…

Lin Yuan casually set up a barrier to conceal the aura, then turned around and looked at the three women, Dan Chen, Xin Lan, and Cao Ying, on the square.

They had all found the necessary medicinal herbs and were now fully focused on their respective cultivation practices.

Lin Yuan glanced at the remaining medicinal herbs on the square, pondered for a moment, then flicked his finger, sending a wisp of battle qi flying from his fingertip. It then suddenly expanded and swirled, transforming into a massive battle qi storm that swept many of the medicinal herbs into the air above the mountaintop.

Then, he waved his sleeve, and the large amount of medicinal herbs that had been swept into the air shot off in all directions like shooting stars...

"That's fine. The other examinees can also complete their tasks."

After releasing these unusable medicinal herbs, Lin Yuan pondered to himself.

When he came to the Pill Realm before, he specially enhanced Xiong Zhan's strength, making it strong enough to dominate the Pill Realm, so that he could collect many medicinal herbs in the Pill Realm in this medicinal herb plaza, so that he wouldn't have to look for medicinal herbs after he came.

That's why many of the medicinal herbs needed by the participants are actually piled up in this medicinal herb plaza.

If Lin Yuan hadn't released these medicinal herbs, many participants in the second round would likely have been eliminated because they couldn't find all the necessary herbs.

For Lin Yuan, this outcome was utterly uninteresting.

The Danta has been preparing for the Dan Tournament for a long time, so it should be quite grand. And a grand competition needs enough "green leaves" to embellish it!
Afterwards, Lin Yuan set up several defensive formations in this area and then left the Ten Thousand Medicines Mountain Range.

For him now, pure cultivation has little meaning!

With nine days left until the end of the third round, Lin Yuan decided to go find the Medicine Clan first.

Although he had already set up methods within the bodies of the Medicine Clan members in the previous illusionary space, there was still room for improvement in those hastily set-up methods. In the Pill Realm, where there is a world that blocks the view of the outside world, many things can be done more calmly.

In addition, these few days can also be used to explore the local environment of the Pill Realm, in preparation for the subsequent restoration of the Pill Realm...
-
Eight days later, at the Wanyao Mountain Range.

On the medicinal herb plaza, Xiong Zhan, who was about to leave, glanced over the Ten Thousand Herbs Mountain Range, his eyes carrying a hint of reluctance.

He has lived here for who knows how many years!

"Xiong Zhan, it's time to leave." Lin Yuan, seemingly sensing his thoughts, patted him on the shoulder and said calmly, "Your strength has exceeded the limits allowed by the Pill Tower to remain in the Pill Realm. If you don't leave, you'll be cleared out later..."

Xiong Zhan already possessed strength comparable to a three-star Dou Zun, and after taking Lin Yuan's pills twice, his strength had reached the level of a six-star Dou Zun.

This level of strength surpasses even that of Qiu Ling, the Grand Elder of the Pill Tower, who is only a five-star Dou Zun.

Under these circumstances, it is impossible for the Pill Tower to allow Xiong Zhan to remain in this realm—the Pill Realm is the Pill Realm of the Pill Tower, not the Pill Realm of magical beasts!
Approximately every ten years, the Pill Tower would conduct a cleanup of the Pill Realm.

The next clearing time will be after the second round of the Pill Gathering assessment... The Pill Tower will clear out the powerful magical beasts in the Pill Realm, as well as the contestants who attempt to remain there.

"Although the Pill Realm is good, it is ultimately a bit narrow... The Pill Realm has its own abundance, and the outside world has its own wonders."

After a pause, Lin Yuan looked at Xiong Zhan and said meaningfully.

"Yes, Lord Medicine Master!" Xiong Zhan scratched his head and asked cautiously, "After I leave the Pill Realm, can I serve under you?"

"Serve me? That's possible." Lin Yuan glanced at him in surprise and said, "If you are willing to do so, after you leave, you can go to Saint Pill City to report to Elder Ye Zhong... After that, you can stay in Saint Pill City or go to Canaan Academy in the Northwest."

"I obey your orders, thank you, sir!" Xiong Zhan quickly cupped his hands in thanks, saying obsequiously, "It's a bit of a distance from here to the exit, but I've already prepared a means of transportation..."

After saying this, he looked up at the sky and suddenly let out a strange whistle.

A moment later, the clear chirping of birds echoed through the Wanyao Mountains, and a huge figure soared from the distant mountains, hovering in the air above the peak.

"This is the Xuan Bird Beast. It's extremely fast and very comfortable to ride!" Xiong Zhan gave Lin Yuan a simple and honest smile, introduced it, and then stomped his foot on the ground. He then leaped up and landed steadily on the Xuan Bird Beast's broad back.

Lin Yuan waved to Cao Ying, Xin Lan, Dan Chen, and Xiao Yan, who were ready, and then leaped onto the Xuan Bird Beast.

Seeing this, Cao Ying and the other three followed closely behind.

Then, the Xuan Bird Beast let out a sharp cry, flapped its giant wings, and created a gust of wind as it sped towards the exit of the Pill Realm... The exit of the Pill Realm was located in the northern region.

It was some distance from the Wanyao Mountain Range, but fortunately, the Xuan Bird Beast was extremely fast and could reach the exit in just one day.

Along the way, riding on their black bird beasts, they encountered many contestants rushing towards the exit... According to the rules, if they did not reach the exit before the Pill Realm closed, they would lose their qualification to continue participating.

The following morning, atop the soaring Xuan Bird Beast, Lin Yuan and the others looked down upon the earth, where a vast plaza constructed of white giant rocks came into view.

When the Xuan Bird Beast landed, many eyes turned to it, and they paid their respects.

Lin Yuan led the four of them down from the Xuan Bird Beast, with Xiong Zhan following behind. The group landed steadily on the plaza.

The appearance of this group attracted the attention of many people in the square.

With the alluring and graceful Cao Ying, the delicate and fragile Dan Chen who evoked a protective instinct, and the exquisitely beautiful and aloof Xin Lan by his side, Lin Yuan was particularly eye-catching.

Lin Yuan ignored these gazes, scanned the square, found a spot, and sat down to meditate and wait.

Over the next half day, people continued to arrive at the square.

Many of them were people Lin Yuan knew, such as Song Qing and other disciples of the Pill Tower, Elder Huo, Gu He, and the members of the Medicine Clan who had arrived after scouting the area.

After witnessing the vastness of the Pill Realm, these people's arrogance subsided somewhat... They were very proud, but they weren't fools. They understood that the forces capable of creating a space like the Pill Realm were far beyond the reach of ordinary sects.

However, they had no recollection of ever encountering Lin Yuan in the Pill Realm, and were even unaware that they had been trapped in an illusion.

For those who lack the strength, the power of Nightmare Mist is simply too much!
After everyone had been waiting for a long time, the space in the square suddenly distorted slightly, and an old man in white robes appeared, holding a cane, exuding a powerful aura.

Upon seeing this old man, even Yao Tian and Yao Ling felt a little more awe.

Both of them were already intermediate-level half-saints, but the old man's aura was faintly stronger than theirs—undoubtedly, he was an advanced-level half-saint.

"Even Elder Wan Qing has been sent out?" Lin Yuan, standing to the side, noticed the old man and a strange look flashed in his eyes. "It seems that the Pill Tower really doesn't want to lose face when facing their rival, the Medicine Clan!"

Lin Yuan recognized the old man; he was a senior elder in the Grand Elder Council, the decision-making body of the Little Pill Tower, whose seniority was second only to the Grand Elder.

Currently, there are six powerful individuals in the Great Elder's Hall of the Little Pill Tower who have reached the Saint Realm.

Two-star Dou Sheng, Elder Lin Molin; High-level Half-Saint, Elder Wan Qing; Intermediate Half-Saint, Elder Xu Zhi, Elder Qin Zhen; Beginner Half-Saint, Xuan Kongzi.

However, apart from Elder Lin, who is at the Dou Sheng level, the others have not yet reached the ninth rank.

People like Lin Yuan and Yao Lao are extremely rare to be able to touch a ninth-grade person at the half-saint level; they must be individuals with exceptional talent in alchemy.

However, the elders of the Grand Elder Council are quite supportive of Lin Yuan... Lin Yuan himself also plans to lend a hand to these senior members of the Pill Tower when he has more time after the Pill Gathering, so that they can break through their current realms.

As the strongest force he openly holds, Danta definitely needs to be strengthened!
As a grandmaster, Lin Yuan was very confident about this.

After Elder Wanqing came out, he ignored the various noises in the square, nodded to Lin Yuan, and then closed his eyes as if he were in deep meditation.

At a certain moment, a bell rang from the void, and he slowly opened his eyes, announcing, "The time has come! Hand over your prescriptions and the medicinal herbs for your mission to me, then leave this place to participate in the final alchemy competition..."

As soon as he finished speaking, he slashed his cane across the distorted space at the exit, and a pitch-black spatial rift slowly appeared.

Upon hearing the old man with the cane's words, a stir broke out in the square.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Lin Yuan led Dan Chen and the other two women over, handed the prescription and medicinal herbs to Elder Wan Qing, and then asked him to open a spatial passage for Xiong Zhan before leading everyone out of the Pill Realm.

After they left, Xiao Yan followed closely behind, and the others began to stir...

In the Medicine Clan's group, Yao Ziyou narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at Xiao Yan who was handing over medicinal herbs in the distance, a cold and mocking smile curving his lips.

"Xiao clan brat, so you were hiding with that person! No wonder we couldn't find you!"

"But it doesn't matter... You can't hide forever! You've managed to hide in the Pill Realm, but in the final competition of the Pill Gathering, in front of countless people, let's see how you hide then? I want your Strange Fire."

As he pondered, Yao Tian's voice reached his ears, "Let's go out too!"
-
Saint Dan City, Saint Dan Square.

The magnificent square was already packed with people.

After a slight slump in the past few days, the square is now bustling with activity. Today marks the opening of the Pill Realm, where alchemists who have emerged from the Pill Realm will begin their final competition!
Countless gazes were fixed on the center of the square, where a massive black stone gate stood.

Within that colossal gate, space itself was distorted and twisted; this was the exit of the Pill Realm. Soon, the contestants who had passed the second trial would emerge from here…

On a high platform in the square, Mang Tianchi yawned and idly surveyed the four directions of the square.

To the left of Mangtian Ruler, a girl dressed in a light green dress stared intently at the spatial gate, her delicate eyes gleaming with a strange and captivating pale green light.

To the right of the Mangtian Ruler, Elder Su Qian stared intently at the stone gate, his expression slightly tense.

Is Old Man Huo alright?

Not far behind the three, Han Yue, Wu Hao, Hu Jia and other Canaan Academy students were also staring intently at the center of the square. However, whenever their gaze swept over Qing Lin, their eyes unconsciously became a mixture of awe and curiosity.

One of the inner court's legends, the fleetingly prominent top of the rankings, and the most mysterious "Azure Queen," is she truly such a brilliant and extraordinary talent?!
Lin Yuan wasn't the only graduate of Canaan Academy who was terrifyingly strong.
According to Dean Mang Tianchi, this young "Green Queen" has already reached the same level of strength as him.

Dean, you are a half-saint!
"Little Su, don't worry... Lin will take care of him in the Pill Realm..."

Seeing Su Qian's worried expression, Mang Tianchi smiled and waved his hand. Just as he was about to say something, his gaze suddenly turned to the center of the square... There, in the center of the black spatial gate, a violent spatial fluctuation suddenly erupted.

(End of this chapter)