Battle Through the Heavens: The Alchemist Starting from the Ye Family

Seeing the subtle fluctuations that Hu Tian unintentionally emitted, which made Ye Chen's heart pound, Ye Chen knew that Hu Tian had successfully broken through.

"Young Master, I have fulfilled my mission. I have finally succeeded in breaking through!" Hu Tian was clearly very excited, which caused his aura, which he could not completely suppress, to surge even more violently.

Ye Chen was pushed back three steps by this imposing aura, but he wasn't angry at all. On the contrary, he was very happy.

Hu Tian's breakthrough not only gave him a bodyguard at the Dou Zong level, but also gave the Ye family a Dou Zong-level expert...

This is a significant boost for the Ye family, which is currently experiencing a large loss of powerful figures!

The following day marked the start of the conference.

Ye Chen and Hu Tian left their residence early and headed towards the square in the city center.

Fang Yu, who had disappeared for more than ten days, reappeared in front of Ye Chen's door. He originally planned to go to watch the competition with Ye Chen, but when he saw Ye Chen wearing an alchemist's robe and the alchemist badge on his chest that represented his level, he was surprised.

Although there are many alchemist organizations in the Central Continent, and they also have their own rank badges, just like Xiao Yan's original alchemist badge from the Jia Ma Empire...

However, the ranks represented by these badges are not recognized by the Danta.

Throughout the entire continent, the most prestigious badge is undoubtedly the alchemist badge awarded by the Pill Tower...

The five major families of the Pill Domain, as direct subordinate forces of the Pill Tower, possess the authority to issue badges to alchemists on behalf of the Pill Tower during its assessments.

These qualifications are all recognized by the Danta.

The badge is entirely emerald green, with flames swirling around it. Within the flames is a colossal tower reaching the sky, and on the tower, three dazzling purple-gold stars shimmer.

This is the unique color of the alchemist badges issued by the Ye family. The other four families, Cao, Dan, Bai, and Qiu, also have their own colors, which distinguishes them from the dark gold badges directly issued by the Pill Tower and also indicates the origin of the badges.

Unfortunately, these badges with their unique symbols only grant the highest rank of fifth-grade peak alchemist. To become a sixth-grade alchemist, one must travel to Saint Pill City.

However, Ye Chen wasn't worried about revealing his identity because he was wearing the alchemist badge issued by the Ye family. After all, countless alchemists passed the Ye family's assessment every year, and it was impossible for all of them to be members of the Ye family.

Of course, many people are unaware of these details, just like Fang Yu, who was already stunned at this moment...

To him, alchemists were all respected "adults," completely different from a peasant like himself, and he would never have any interaction with them in this lifetime.

But now he suddenly discovers that a "friend" he knew is actually an alchemist, which he finds hard to accept at first...

"Hehe, Brother Fang Yu, what are you looking at? Let's go." Ye Chen greeted him with a smile.

Unfortunately, upon hearing Ye Chen's address, Fang Yu was not pleased at all. Instead, he immediately appeared trembling with fear and bowed deeply, saying in a flustered manner, "No, no, Master Song... please don't address me like that, I cannot accept it!"

Seeing this, Ye Chen shook his head with a sigh.

It seems that this "friendship" of mine has come to an end...

However, it was just a minor regret, since the two of them came from completely different worlds from the very beginning. Not everyone can treat a highly respected alchemist as an equal.

Especially for someone like Fang Yu, who grew up in a city ruled by two alchemist families, his awe of alchemists is definitely even more pronounced!

After thinking for a moment, Ye Chen took out three Grade 3 cultivation-aiding pills from his storage ring, tossed them to Fang Yu, and said with a smile, "These three Qingyu Pills can help you cultivate. Consider it a reward for your help to me before, Brother Fang. I still need to prepare for the Alchemist Conference, so I'll be leaving now..."

Ye Chen tossed the pill into Fang Yu's arms, who was still in a daze, and then headed directly towards the square.

Only when his figure completely disappeared around the street corner did Fang Yu come to his senses and then see the blue jade bottle in his arms.

Fang Yu was overjoyed when Ye Chen's words echoed in his ears.

"Thank you very much for the generous gift, Master Alchemist Song!"

Although Ye Chen could no longer see or hear, Fang Yu still bowed deeply to the place where he had disappeared.

Perhaps for Ye Chen, the Qingyue Pill, a mere third-grade elixir, is nothing special. As long as he has the medicinal herbs, he can refine as many as he wants...

But for an ordinary person like Fang Yu who has no power, no influence, and no money, a single Qingyu Pill might be a precious medicine that he could not obtain even if he worked hard for a year!

As time gradually passed, the start time of the conference finally arrived amidst the anticipation of everyone...

When a clear bell rang out in the square, the previously noisy commotion in the square suddenly fell silent!

Chapter Fifty-One: The Sound Fairy

When a clear bell rang out in the square, all other sounds in the square completely disappeared.

Two streaks of light flew in from afar and then hovered above the plaza, their battle aura wings each carrying flames of different colors.

"They are the ancestors of the Song and Lu families!"

In an instant, everyone present recognized the two individuals.

Below, Ye Chen also saw all of this. Looking at the badges on their bodies that represented the sixth-grade advanced alchemists awarded by the Pill Tower, he couldn't help but look at the two of them with higher regard.

What Ye Chen didn't know was that these two were also disciples of the Pill Tower when they were young, but only as outer disciples...

Moreover, due to their limited talent, their level remained stuck at the advanced sixth rank, so the two eventually left the Pill Tower and came to Xuantian City to establish their own family.

Although the Song and Lu families of Xuantian City have always seemed to be at odds with each other to outsiders, that's just a facade.

It was all just a way for the two ancestors to put some pressure and motivation on their descendants...

Besides these two, there were many other powerful figures on the viewing platform at the very top. One of them, a woman in a white dress, with a slender figure, ethereal beauty, and a touch of coldness in her beautiful eyes, caught Ye Chen's attention.

It wasn't that Ye Chen had any lustful intentions, but rather that the other party looked quite young, at most around the same age as Lin Yutong, around twenty-four or twenty-five years old, yet her strength far surpassed the latter's!

"Old Hu, can you tell the strength of that woman on the viewing platform?" Ye Chen couldn't help but ask.

Upon hearing this, Old Hu glanced over, but to his surprise, the moment his gaze fell upon the woman, she noticed and followed his gaze...

Hu Tian was startled and quickly looked away, whispering to Ye Chen, "Young Master, that woman's strength is terrifying, far surpassing mine. Her cultivation level is probably above a three-star Dou Zong!"

really!

Ye Chen nodded slightly, his gaze remaining fixed on the plaza, no longer wandering around.

The number of participants in this alchemist conference was quite large, appearing to be over a thousand. After the two patriarchs reiterated the rules, the conference was immediately declared open...

Countless alchemy tables had already been set up in the huge square. There was no order or anything; each person had one, and they could simply walk up to it.

Ye Chen arrived at the alchemy platform and looked around at the people. Each alchemy platform was ten meters apart, enough space for thousands of people, which showed how huge the square was.

The first round of the competition was just a simple selection process to eliminate those who were not strong enough or were just pretending. Therefore, the pills to be refined were not difficult to make. They were grade three pills prepared by the organizers, and everyone received the same ones.

However, this alchemy session had a set time limit...

Only those who successfully refine the pill within one hour can advance to the next round.

Ye Chen glanced at the pill formula that had already been prepared on the alchemy table. It was a Grade 3 Vitality Pill, which could enhance strength when taken, and the difficulty of refining it could only be described as average.

Even so, those who have just entered the third-grade alchemist realm generally need a lot of luck to successfully refine an item within an hour.

After seeing it, Ye Chen didn't delay any longer. He waved his hand to release his crimson medicine cauldron and then ignited his silver starfire.

At the same time, thousands of flames appeared simultaneously on this huge square, like fireworks, creating a spectacular scene that thrilled the spectators around!

On the viewing platform, Song Lian and Lu Chen watched all this with narrowed eyes, their faces beaming with smiles.

"How's it going, Old Monster Song? I heard you released your little devil this time too?" Lu Chen asked his old friend with a hint of envy.

There's nothing we can do. Over the years, the Song family and the Lu family have remained roughly the same. Although some of their children have emerged who can be considered geniuses, they are still far from achieving their goals.

Unexpectedly, this generation of the Song family produced such a prodigy as Song Qing, who at such a young age already possessed an alchemist level comparable to, or even surpassing, that of the family elders…

This surprised Song Lian and made Lu Chen envious.

Hearing his old friend's words, Song Lian stroked his beard and laughed heartily, "Qing'er has come of age this year. It's not right for him to always be confined to the family. This is a good opportunity to let him go out and see the world, so that he won't be too embarrassed when he goes to the Pill Domain in the future..."

Seeing his old friend's smug yet humble expression, Lu Chen was furious and could only give this hypocritical old man a good look of contempt.

The conversation between the two also piqued the interest of many powerful figures nearby.

They had heard about the Song family producing a genius, but in the past they had only heard of him by name and never seen him in person. Now that this old fellow Song Lian had let him out, it was clear that he felt that Song Lian had fully matured.

In that case, they'll have to take a good look...

Let's see if this genius from the Song family truly lives up to his reputation!

Among the crowd, the aloof woman who had caught Ye Chen's attention before the match also heard Song Lian and the other woman's conversation.

Originally, she wasn't interested in this so-called alchemist conference, but it just so happened that she was invited by both Song Lian and Lu Chen at the same time, so she reluctantly accepted.

But now, after hearing what they were saying about the so-called genius of the Song family, the woman was suddenly intrigued.

"Master Song, I wonder what rank of alchemist this genius from the Song family you're talking about is?"

This was a bit abrupt, especially since it was during the conference, but the woman asked the question without any hesitation.

Of course, it's also possible that the other person simply didn't realize that doing so was impolite.

After hearing the question, Song Lian showed no dissatisfaction whatsoever. Instead, his expression became much more respectful, and he even straightened his back.

"Hehe, Fairy Yin, you flatter me. Song Qing is not worthy of the title 'genius' from you! He only has some talent in alchemy. After years of personal instruction from me, Song Qing has now reached the fifth rank, which is nothing to mention!" Song Lian replied with a smile.

The aloof woman known as the "Sound Fairy" showed no reaction to Song Lian's performance, merely nodding and softly remarking, "A fifth-grade alchemist, indeed worthy of the title of genius!"

After he finished speaking, silence returned to normal.

The two elders, Song Lian and Lu Chen, exchanged a glance, both seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes. However, considering each other's status, they could only shake their heads and smile, then turn their attention back to the square.

As time goes by, this first round of assessment is about to end...

Chapter Fifty-Two: First Encounter

With the sound of a gong in the square, it was announced that the first person to pass the first round of assessment had appeared.

Then, the clanging sounds increased, and more and more people passed the first round.

However, this scene inevitably had an impact on some people...

Just like on a refining platform next to Ye Chen, perhaps stimulated by so many people passing by, this young alchemist was obviously impatient, and then Ye Chen caught a glimpse of the black gas rising from his purple cauldron.

Failed!

Although there is still one document left, time is running out.

Seeing the other person's frustrated expression, Ye Chen could only shake his head...

His temperament is not strong enough; he is easily affected by such a simple disturbance. He is clearly too immature. Even though he has become a third-grade alchemist, he is still unqualified.

Hopefully, this incident will teach him a lesson...

It was just a simple grade three pill, which was easy for Ye Chen to obtain at his current level. However, he did not show off too much and only refined it when the time was almost up.

Next, someone will come to check the quality of the pills. As long as they are not defective pills, they can generally be considered to have passed. So, this first round is not too difficult overall.

A middle-aged man dressed in a fourth-grade alchemist's robe approached Ye Chen. Judging from the white fourth-grade alchemist badge on his chest, he was clearly an alchemist who had passed the assessment at the Dan family's assessment point.

The middle-aged man merely glanced at Ye Chen, noticing only the third-grade alchemist mark on the other's chest, and immediately lost interest. He simply picked up the Vitality Pill in front of him, examined it carefully, and then nodded, saying, "Not bad. Although the quality of this Vitality Pill isn't top-tier, it's still quite high. Congratulations, you've passed the test."

Ye Chen nodded slightly to the other party, then walked directly down from the alchemy platform and headed towards the area where those who had passed the test were located.

All they need to do now is wait for the first round to end and then participate in the second round.

Ye Chen didn't have to wait long before a loud bell rang throughout the square, announcing the end of the first round of assessments.

Immediately, the alchemists who had not yet finished refining their products looked as if they had lost their parents, and dejectedly walked off the field.

Unfortunately, although Ye Chen thought the first round was extremely easy, it still eliminated half of the participants...

Under normal circumstances, most of these people would be able to successfully refine the Vitality Pill, but there are always unexpected events in the examination room, so many people feel that they were just unlucky and did not perform to their full potential.

But a loss is a loss, and failing is failing, no matter the reason! After all, luck is often a reflection of ability.

Song Lian, who had been watching from the viewing platform, flew up above the group again and said to Ye Chen and the others, "Congratulations on passing the first round. There are a total of 2,025 participants this time, and 854 of them have passed the first round. Next, you will participate in the second round, the Soul Test!"

The so-called soul test is very simple: everyone lines up and passes through a special array that has been set up in advance. As long as they can pass through it successfully, they pass the test.

Finally, Song Lian added a special reminder: "The matter of the soul is extremely dangerous. Therefore, I remind all young alchemists that if you feel you can't withstand it, you should immediately withdraw, otherwise you may damage your soul, and then it will be too late to regret it!"

These words made Ye Chen frown slightly, while many others had already begun to have second thoughts.

&

"Is this old man just trying to scare people?" Ye Chen muttered to himself, preparing to take a closer look at what was so special about this so-called formation.

Well, when Ye Chen saw this so-called soul formation, he was immediately disappointed.

The so-called array in front of us looks like just an ordinary passage, probably over a hundred meters long.

Ye Chen and his fellow contestants lined up to walk inside. Those who could pass through would be considered successful, while those who failed could leave through the passage next to them.

After the second round of assessments began, Ye Chen slowly walked in with the flow of people...

As soon as he stepped into the passage, he felt a pressure coming from all directions.