Reaching the pinnacle from Doupo

Chapter 611 Frequent Occurrences of Dan Lei
A dark cloud appeared in the sky at some unknown time, and a deep rumble of thunder came from it.

"Danlei? Seventh-grade pills are starting to appear!"

Upon seeing the strange phenomenon in the sky, a commotion arose in the square, and countless eyes immediately turned to the stone platform beneath that sky.

On the stone platform, the middle-aged man gazed joyfully at the thunderclouds in the sky; he was the first to draw out the thunder.

The task assigned inside the tower has been successfully completed!

The first lightning bolt of this year's Pill Gathering was summoned by Gu He, which can be considered a good omen for the victory of the Pill Tower.

Although his ability limit was to refine high-grade seventh-rank pills, the mid-grade seventh-rank pills that the tower had given him were no less difficult to refine than high-grade seventh-rank pills due to their rapid pill-forming characteristics. He had done his best!
Hopefully, this auspicious omen will bring some good fortune to Yaojun's glorious victory. After all, I owe my success today to his guidance and support.

Guhe was greatly surprised when he learned that Yaojun came from the Jia Ma Empire!
Gu He was very grateful to Lin Yuan, because it was because of the position of candidate elder arranged by the latter that he was able to stand out quickly and receive key training in the Dan Tower's "Pillar" program.

Of course, Lin Yuan was unaware of this.

Now that he holds such a high position, the petty tricks his subordinates devise are not worthy of his attention.

The appearance of this first bolt of pill lightning only caused Lin Yuan to slightly open his squinted eyes and glance at the thundercloud in the sky... With a pill lightning of this scale, the pill that was born must be at the mid-grade of the seventh rank.

He then glanced at the direction of the two members of the Medicine Clan, closed his eyes again, and continued to complete his fusion pill process.

Precisely integrating the power of 1,542 kinds of medicine is no easy task!

Just one hour after the first bolt of lightning appeared, thunderclouds began to gather in the sky again, but the strength of these thunderclouds was weaker than that of the first bolt of lightning.

In the days that followed, the competition venue became incredibly lively.

Almost every so often, several instances of pill lightning would appear, causing thunderous sounds to resound continuously above Saint Pill City... The intensity of these pill lightning bolts varied, and the highest-grade pills were several high-grade seventh-rank pills.

Elder Huo also completed the refining process in the past few days, and his result was a high-grade seventh-rank pill called the Zongyuan Pill!

The Saint Dan Square became unusually lively due to the occasional appearance of Dan lightning, and the slightly gloomy atmosphere of the previous days gradually dissipated.

After the fifteenth day, even peak-grade seventh-rank pills began to appear occasionally.

"Boom!" "Boom!"...

During the Dan Gathering, the Dan Lei, which was extremely rare to see in the past, has become commonplace, which has broadened the horizons of many people.

If you look closely, you'll find that most of the main players these days are alchemists from the Central Plains sects, who came for soul combat skills and even more so for soul cultivation techniques.

Soul cultivation techniques are the key to their breakthrough to the Spirit Realm and advancement to the eighth rank!

However, these pills that had the potential to be among the top twenty or even the top ten in previous years seem destined to play a supporting role in this year's pill gathering.

As time went by, the number of stone platforms in the square that still emitted the cinnabar fire gradually decreased.

By the twentieth day, only twenty-eight people remained who had not yet completed the refining process.

At this point in time, the Pill Refining Competition has entered its decisive stage. Currently, those still refining pills on the stone platform are generally of two types: either those with genuine abilities or those who are merely pretending.

Of course, most of them are truly capable people. After all, there aren't many people in the world who are thick-skinned enough not to care about making a fool of themselves in such a situation.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the champion of this Dan competition will be chosen from among the remaining participants!

The remaining contestants were clearly divided into two groups—the spirited young geniuses in the center and the mature and experienced seniors on the periphery.

Gazing at the rising flames of alchemy on the dozens of stone platforms, the atmosphere in the entire plaza, and even in Saint Pill City, subtly became heavy and tense. Everyone understood that the most intense clash of the Pill Gathering was about to begin!
In the days that followed, six of the remaining twenty-eight people successfully refined peak-grade seventh-rank pills.

Of course, one person failed to refine it.

On the twenty-fifth day, a much louder explosion rang out on a stone platform at the edge.

Upon hearing this, many people felt a chill in their hearts and quickly looked over, only to see an old man staring blankly at the medicine cauldron in front of him, with chaotic and powerful energy surging within it... Clearly, a small accident had occurred in his refining process.

However, this small accident caused the old man's efforts of more than twenty days to be in vain just as he was about to succeed.

"Damn it... How is this possible?!"

The old man stared blankly at the medicine cauldron for a moment, and when he came to his senses, his eyes instantly turned blood red.

Seeing this, everyone sighed inwardly, feeling a bit sorry for the old man—the residual energy fluctuations in the medicine cauldron were clearly the fluctuations of the ability to refine eighth-grade pills. Once successful, he would occupy one of the top twenty spots.

As long as you successfully enter the top twenty, you will receive at least one Xuan-rank soul cultivation technique, one Xuan-rank soul combat skill, and one Rank 8 four-color pill.

Such a reward would be immensely beneficial to the vast majority of alchemists.

After all, aside from ancient races and the Pill Tower, the number of forces that possess treasured soul cultivation techniques and soul fighting skills is still extremely small...

Some are happy, some are sad; Danhui is never a stage for comedy.

"boom--"

Just as everyone was filled with emotion, a deep voice rang out again.

Everyone quickly turned to look, and saw ripples of energy constantly emanating from a stone platform, with a fiery red medicine cauldron trembling in the center of the ripples.

Standing up with high spirits, Song Qing took a deep breath and clenched his fist tightly over the medicine cauldron.

In an instant, the medicine cauldron exploded, and a blue beam of light shot out, heading straight for the sky. Wherever it passed, a vast cloud of mist suddenly appeared, and in just a few blinks of an eye, a thundercloud nearly a hundred meters in size condensed and appeared.

Unlike before, this enormous thundercloud actually has two colors: blue and silver!

"Two-colored thunderclouds...it's an eighth-grade elixir!"

Looking at the thunderclouds that displayed two colors in the sky, the entire square erupted in excitement at that moment!

On the high platform, the higher-ups of the Pill Tower looked at the two-colored thunderclouds and nodded.

"Qiu Ling, you've trained your disciple quite well!" Xuan Kongzi turned to look at Qiu Ling beside him and said with a smile, "Song Qing's temperament is good, but he was somewhat lacking before. My expectation for him this time was that he would reach the peak of the seventh rank..."

The difference between the eighth rank and the peak of the seventh rank is only one step, but it is as vast as heaven and earth. Xuan Kongzi was very pleased that an ordinary genius like Song Qing had reached this level.

This means that his reforms to Danta have achieved some success!

Qiu Ling dared not take credit and quickly cupped his hands in thanks, saying, "Qing'er's good fortune is all thanks to your kindness, President."

"If you hadn't taken him to the First Thunder Ceremony and shown him the vastness of the world, he would probably still be like a frog in a well, complacent about his insignificant achievements. Without the resources provided by the tower, he wouldn't have been able to reach the Spirit Realm..."

"With the implementation of the reform strategies you have set, our Dan Tower will surely produce a continuous stream of younger geniuses who are no less talented than Qing'er." As he said this, there was a hint of emotion in his voice.

As the Grand Elder of the Pill Tower, he was responsible for carrying out many of the three giants' decisions, so he understood even better how correct Xuan Kongzi's decisions were.

Because of Xuan Kongzi's reforms, although there are currently no geniuses like Cao Ying and Dan Chen among the alchemists who come from the border regions to study at the Pill Tower, he has already discovered four or five promising talents whose alchemy talents are no less than, or even surpass, Song Qing's.

If this situation continues, it's not impossible that the Pill Tower could completely surpass the Medicine Clan and become the number one alchemy group on the Dou Qi Continent!

As the two were talking, another unexpected event occurred in the square.

"rise--"

A low shout rang out, and a huge beam of light rose from a medicine cauldron in front of an old man on a stone platform at the edge of the arena.

The beam of light streaked past, and the vast clouds quickly condensed, instantly transforming into a blue and silver thundercloud. However, compared to the thundercloud summoned by Song Qing, the blue and silver colors of this thundercloud were significantly more intense and uniform.

"Another Grade 8 pill! Is this what the Pill Gathering is all about? It certainly lived up to my expectations, it's so satisfying!"

The entire square erupted in cheers at that moment.

Gazing at the brilliantly colored thunderclouds in the sky, countless people were filled with excitement, their eyes burning with fervor in that instant.

This is the style that the Dan Association should have!
It was precisely to see such a scene that they patiently waited for nearly a month.

Amidst the cheers and murmurs, Xinlan calmly stood up. Her delicate face was pale, but even so, the curve of her lips revealed an unprecedented confidence and high spirits.

With the blessing of the "Demon Soul Holy Technique" and the "Spirit Ascension Minor Technique", she has finally achieved what she once dreamed of!

She finally fulfilled her master's expectations of her.

With a soft exhale, Xinlan slowly raised her eyes, gazing wistfully at Lin Yuan's retreating figure. Her jade-like hands formed a mystical seal, and then she uttered a soft shout: "Rise!"

The moment the delicate shout fell, a pillar of fire, interwoven with black and white, shot into the sky, piercing through the clouds. Wherever it passed, strange mist rapidly condensed, forming thunderclouds in a few breaths, and then began to churn violently.

"That one is Ye Xinlan of the Ye family, a disciple of Medicine Lord Lin Yuan... The rumors are true, she has indeed advanced to the eighth-grade alchemist!"

"Unbelievable! I've heard this woman's talent wasn't this outstanding!"

"Two colors, also two-colored thunderclouds!"

Under the expectant gaze of the crowd, the thunderclouds churned and rolled, and the colors of blue and silver slowly emerged from them!

"Two colors... no, the thunderclouds are still churning... now they're three colors!"

Amidst the astonished discussions of the crowd, beneath the blue and silver of the thunderclouds, a touch of red began to surge and gradually emerge, growing increasingly rich and vibrant. Before long, the intensity of the red was only slightly less than that of the other two colors…

"As expected of the tri-colored thunderclouds, worthy of being the Medicine Lord's disciple!"

"Yes, I wonder what level the alchemy skills of the Medicine Lord's other genius disciple, as well as the Medicine Lord himself, have reached."

The entire huge square erupted in uproar at that moment.

In a corner of the seating area, Ye Zhong looked at Xin Lan, who stood proudly under the tri-colored thunderclouds, and tears streamed down his face—the Ye family had produced another eighth-grade alchemist, and the great cause of revival was declared complete!
These successive appearances of eighth-grade pill lightning seem to have heralded the start of the decisive battle.

"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"...

As the thunder roared, six beams of light shot into the sky from the stone platform at the edge of the arena.

Then, the colorful thunderclouds that are usually extremely rare to see appeared one after another in the sky in a short period of time.

Of these six thunderclouds, two were two-colored, three were three-colored, and one was four-colored... Numerous colorful thunderclouds covered the sky, turning almost the entire sky into a kaleidoscope of colors.

Nine colorful thunderclouds stretched across the sky, making the eyes of countless spectators red; such a sight is truly a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle.

At this point, the scale of this alchemy gathering began to reach an unprecedented level.

On the square, countless burning gazes began to move slowly, eventually converging on the young people in the center.

The older generation who attended the meeting have all completed their refining; now it's the younger generation's turn.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the aloof young man behind Yao Tian slowly rose to his feet. His gaze swept indifferently around the room, lingering for a moment on the nine thunderclouds in the sky. Then, a slight smile appeared on his lips, a haughty and mocking expression.

"Heh, so this is all the alchemists outside are capable of... Frogs in a well, come and see the alchemy skills of my race!"

With a cold laugh, the young man looked at the medicine cauldron and then flicked his finger.

In an instant, a purple beam of light, like a pillar piercing the heavens and earth, swept straight into the sky with its immense power.

Those mocking words caused the faces of many alchemists present to darken.

However, considering that Yao Wangui was watching the game from who-knows-where and felt the immense energy of the beam of light, no one dared to accept this challenge.

At the end of the beam of light shooting into the sky, a terrifying and mysterious energy fluctuation spread out, and a vast cloud of mist emerged, then rapidly condensed towards the center, forming a thundercloud in a short time.

Then, the thunderclouds churned rapidly, and five colors—blue, silver, red, gold, and purple—emerged, transforming the thunder into a five-colored spectacle.

Five colors! Five-colored thunderbolts!
At this moment, the Dan Conference finally reached its climax!
However, this scene was triggered by a guy who mocked everyone, leaving many contestants and viewers feeling like they had a bone stuck in their throat.

As if in response to the emotions of the crowd, several members of the Medicine Clan stood up, clenched their hands in unison, and released the energy that had been condensed in the cauldron.

"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"...

Six beams of light shot straight into the sky, summoning one enormous thundercloud after another, which churned and transformed into colorful shapes.

One four-colored thundercloud, four five-colored thunderclouds, and one six-colored thundercloud—the one summoned by Yao Xingji. Although the blue that appeared after the five colors of cyan, silver, red, gold, and purple was not conspicuous, it was indeed real.

It must be said that although the attitude of the Medicine Clan was unpleasant, their alchemy skills were indeed powerful and amazing.

So far, at least they have demonstrated a level of skill that is at least one level above the others!
"Hehe, the Medicine Clan's alchemy skills are indeed profound, I admire them, but to look down on the world with such a level of skill is a bit arrogant..."

Just as countless people were marveling at the scene, a sweet laugh suddenly rang out.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Cao Ying gracefully stand up, her black skirt swaying in the wind. Her alluring face was pale, but the smile on her lips was still as charming and confident as ever.

　Correction: The original text seems to have a time limit of more than twenty days for the third round, so we have slightly revised the setting here, changing the time limit for the third round from twenty days to thirty days.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)