The Eternal Saint of Alchemy

The two elders from the Three Flames Hall and the Ice and Fire Pavilion looked at each other and stepped forward.

Xiao Fan condensed three different colors of spiritual energy, each forming a beam in his palm. Using this beam as a reference, he slowly circled the two elders.

The two elders understood and adjusted their spiritual energy output frequency to match the calibration standard.

The three streams of spiritual energy aligned rapidly within a single breath, and at the same time, a steady ripple of resonance spread out from the surface of the hidden door.

The hidden door slowly opened, revealing a wide stone staircase. Dark red crystals were inlaid on both sides of the staircase, casting a crimson glow over the entire passage. Xiao Fan led the way down, followed by the others.

Below the stone steps was a huge circular underground hall with a dome several meters high, in the center of which stood a bronze three-legged cauldron.

The cauldron was surrounded by twelve bronze pillars engraved with runes, and the tops of the pillars were inlaid with fire-attribute crystals of varying sizes, ranging in color from crimson to dark purple.

Xiao Fan walked towards the bronze cauldron and stopped. The cauldron was engraved with a circle of characters, which were identical to those displayed by the guardian spirit within the square stele.

He read the text word by word. This cauldron was the core of the ancient Myriad Fires Gathering's spiritual energy, and all participants in the assessment would store this spiritual energy in the cauldron.

Over thousands of years, this cauldron has accumulated a vast amount of spiritual energy. To activate it, the crystals on the twelve pillars must light up simultaneously.

He turned around and recounted what had happened. Two elders from the Three Flames Hall and the Ice and Fire Pavilion stepped forward, while Xiao Fan stood in front of the large cauldron in the center, where three different types of spiritual energy converged.

As soon as the beam of light touched the giant cauldron, the crystals on the twelve giant pillars lit up simultaneously, and the various colors of light intertwined, illuminating the entire hall with a dazzling array of colors.

When all the crystals lit up, the bronze cauldron emitted a deep hum.

A surge of pure spiritual energy erupted from the cauldron. This energy did not dissipate but instead formed a sphere of light on the cauldron, with flowing gold and silver patterns on it.

The sphere of light slowly descended, landing precisely on Xiao Fan's dantian. The moment the spiritual core touched the sphere, it suddenly expanded, and the newly generated spiritual energy surged into his meridians at an unprecedented speed.

The golden light cluster merged with the spiritual core, instantly increasing the concentration of spiritual energy within the entire dantian.

Seventh-Rank Tribulation Realm.

A hush fell over the hall, followed by a collective gasp. The elders who were nearby could clearly sense the changes in Xiao Fan, their eyes filled with shock.

Although the people in front of the fire-observation mirror could not sense the change in aura, they all erupted in excitement when the presiding cultivator uttered the words, "Xiao Fan has successfully activated the ancient nexus and broken through his cultivation level."

Xiao Fan stood before the alchemy furnace, sensing the spiritual energy within. The spiritual core in his dantian had expanded to the size of a fist, with golden patterns faintly visible on its surface.

He turned around and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to the people in the hall. "The array's core has been activated. You can take turns absorbing the remaining spiritual energy to cultivate. The energy within this cauldron can sustain you for a long time; you can use it in shifts."

One cultivator couldn't resist stepping forward and indeed felt the spiritual energy continuously surging from the alchemy furnace. Then came the second, third, fourth… soon, the hall was packed with people queuing to absorb spiritual energy.

Xiao Fan stopped absorbing the energy, retreated to a corner of the hall, leaned against the wall, and carefully circulated the newly generated spiritual energy in his dantian through his meridians twice. After confirming that there were no problems, he opened his eyes.

After reaching the seventh rank, his physical condition was completely different. Both the density and speed of his spiritual energy were much faster than before, and the faint obstruction in his meridians had completely disappeared.

He stayed in the main hall for a while longer, until his spiritual energy stabilized slightly, before turning around and walking up the stone steps.

The Ten Thousand Fires Tournament concluded on its final day. The host announced the final rankings, with Xiao Fan in first place. His mark on the Ten Thousand Fires Ranking shone brightly, like a star.

After leaving the arena, he walked to the stone tablet and wrote his name on it.

The spiritual energy within the mark flowed into his meridians through his palm, achieving a similar effect to the spiritual energy within his body, but it was purer and gentler.

After absorbing this energy, he felt his spiritual core become more solid. Although he had not yet broken through to the next realm, it made his foundation more solid.

When he stepped out of the archway, a large crowd had already gathered in the camp.

The scene in the fire-watching mirror had changed to the scene in the camp. The reactions in various squares of Daqing had not yet completely subsided. Several deacons of the Federation stood in front of the mirror, making a final summary of the scene.

Just as Xiao Fan passed by a fire-observation mirror, he heard a voice say, "The final of this year's Ten Thousand Fires Gathering has concluded. Congratulations, Xiao Fan, for winning first place!"

He nodded slightly, crossed the camp, and headed towards his tent. The group of young cultivators watched him leave until his figure disappeared into the tent before they came to their senses and began to whisper among themselves.

Someone in the camp handed him a sealed brown paper bag. This was a spirit energy imprint specially made by the Federation for the arena, recording his performance in the competition and the total amount of spirit energy he received. This would become his personal file in the future.

Xiao Fan put the paper bag into his backpack without looking at it, and instead sat in the tent and took a sip of water.

After reaching the seventh rank, the dantian continues to operate automatically, generating high-intensity spiritual power stably without deliberate guidance.

The ley line map of the third level of the arena was still vivid in my mind, and the marked unknown valleys matched the terrain described on the old woman He's scroll perfectly.

He sat in the tent for a while, then got up and stepped out. The setting sun had painted the Cangwu Mountains a deep red. Several eagles circled on the distant ridges, and the night wind blew through the valleys, carrying the scent of dry grass and the smoke from the campfires.

Master Gu Yuan walked over from the other end of the camp, carrying two bowls of freshly served hot soup, and handed them to Xiao Fan. The two leaned against a low rock next to the tent, slowly drank the soup in the twilight, and then stacked the empty bowls at their feet.

"What does a seventh-grade rank taste like?" Gu Yuan asked.

Xiao Fan shook his wrist and felt the spiritual core in his dantian pulsating steadily and fully. "It's much wider than a sixth-grade one. I feel like my meridians have been opened up, and my spiritual energy isn't blocked anymore."

Gu Yuan nodded slightly and said nothing more. The two sat on the low rocks for a while, the twilight turning from dark red to deep blue, and the campfire and spirit lamps lit up one after another, illuminating the valley in a warm yellow light.

Xiao Fan stood up, dusted himself off, and walked toward his tent, but then stopped and looked toward the entrance to the arena.

The stone gate stood silently in the setting sun, the flame patterns on the door frame shimmering dimly in the afterglow.

He turned around, returned to his tent, sat down, closed his eyes, circulated his spiritual energy, and checked his cultivation level again, which had increased that afternoon. The spiritual energy layer in his dantian had perfectly merged with the original one.

The Ten Thousand Fires Gathering has ended, and the records of the Ten Thousand Fires Ranking have been released. He is gradually starting to plan how to utilize the newly discovered route on the ley line map.