The Eternal Saint of Alchemy

He appeared to be in his forties, with a handsome face and an ethereal air, a faint smile playing on his lips. Yet, the aura emanating from him sent chills down Xiao Fan's spine.

The Great Perfection of the Tribulation Realm. No, it seems even more powerful than Jiang Yuanji described.

"Young Master Xiao," Yin Tianyuan's voice rang out, gentle and refined, echoing throughout the hall, "I have heard of you."

Xiao Fan lowered his guard and cupped his hands, saying, "Disciple Xiao Fan greets Palace Master Yin."

Yin Tianyuan smiled slightly, looking Xiao Fan up and down, his gaze landing on Xiao Fan's dantian as if trying to see through his clothes.

"You do not possess the Qiankun Creation Cauldron."

He spoke calmly, as if he were talking about something trivial. However, Xiao Fan clearly felt the temperature in the entire hall plummet at that moment.

Xiao Fan remained calm and said, "Palace Master is joking. I don't know where this cauldron is either."

Yin Tianyuan stared at him for a long time, then suddenly smiled and said, "It's alright. There are still three days until the grand event. Young Master Xiao has come from afar, so please rest for a while. Someone, take Young Master Xiao and his companions to the VIP courtyard."

Two disciples dressed in silver robes came forward and led Xiao Fan and the others to a side hall.

After walking some distance, Yun Ruoxi finally breathed a sigh of relief and said in a voice only Xiao Fan could hear, "Did he know you didn't have the cauldron on you?"

"I know," Xiao Fan said softly, "but he's not worried."

Why?

"Because he believed that I couldn't escape from his territory."

Xiao Fan clenched his fists, his eyes flashing with a cold light.

Is escape impossible? Not necessarily.

The guest house was more spacious and comfortable than Xiao Fan had imagined. He walked in and saw a spacious courtyard.

Each room has its own courtyard, a fireplace, and a table laden with exquisite pastries and tea.

Although the entire mountain lacked spiritual energy, it was clear that the spirit stones and pills prepared by the North Sea Pill Palace were more than sufficient.

Then, Han Fei slipped into Xiao Fan's room and whispered, "I just went to the front and inquired. There are a lot of people coming this time, including those from the East Sea Pill Pavilion, the Southern Frontier, and the Western Region Fire Refining Sect. There are at least two hundred people."

"So, someone from the East Sea Pill Pavilion has come too." Xiao Fan's expression turned slightly surprised. The East Sea Pill Pavilion is the number one power in the Eastern Region's alchemy field, and it has always kept to itself and its counterpart, the North Sea Pill Palace, without a doubt.

Han Fei scratched his head and said, "I heard she's quite pretty, but she has a bad temper."

Xiao Fan wasn't interested in the beautiful women; instead, he continued, "Among these people, who is worth paying attention to?"

"The old woman from the Southern Frontier Medicine Sect is surnamed Miao. It is said that she has perfectly combined Gu techniques with alchemy, and even the Northern Sea Pill Palace dares not easily provoke her."

Han Fei pondered for a moment and said, "There is a bald, burly man named Tie Yan in the Fire Refining Sect of the Western Regions. It is said that his alchemical fire can be used as a weapon, and he has a very volatile temper."

Xiao Fan wrote it down word by word.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Zhao Tieshan followed closely behind: "Young Master! Someone from the Donghai Dan Pavilion has come and wishes to see you."

Xiao Fan and Han Fei exchanged a glance, and the two went to open the door together.

Outside the courtyard gate stood a young girl dressed in a light green dress, her appearance refined and elegant, her brows exuding a commanding presence and an air of authority. Behind her followed two disciples, also dressed in blue robes, their demeanor respectful yet neither servile nor arrogant.

"Young Master Xiao?" The woman looked him up and down. "I am Liu Ruyan from the Donghai Dan Pavilion. I have met you before, Young Master Xiao. I have come here today only to have a private conversation with you."

Xiao Fan stepped aside. "Miss Liu, please come in."

Liu Ruyan went inside alone, leaving only two disciples outside. She sat down at the stone table, poured herself a drink, and took a small sip, saying, "Young Master Xiao, do you know the true purpose of this grand gathering?"

Xiao Fan sat down opposite her and said, "Miss Liu, I hope you can give me some pointers."

"Yin Tianyuan is holding this grand gathering under the guise of exchanging alchemy techniques, but in reality, he wants to select someone to do something important for him," Liu Ruyan said in a low voice. "It is said that he found an ancient alchemy relic deep in the icy sea of ​​the Northern Region. The people he invited this time are all pawns he wants."

Xiao Fan's heart was pounding. Jiang Yuanji didn't mention this.

"Why is Miss Liu telling me all this?"

Liu Ruyan gave him a deep look.

"My master transmitted a message to me, saying that Yin Tianyuan is a very shrewd person, and everything he said is true. All the major forces present are well aware of this; they are just here to test him."

Since Young Master Xiao was able to fight his way all the way from the south to here, he probably won't be easily fooled.

Xiao Fan thought for a moment, then said thoughtfully, "Miss Liu, do you mean we can cooperate?"

"Cooperation is out of the question." Liu Ruyan stood up and said, "I'm just giving you some advice: don't let Yin Tianyuan lead you by the nose. If he tells you to refine pills, you refine pills; if he tells you to enter the ruins, you enter the ruins. You won't even know how you died."

Stepping out of the courtyard, she turned back to look at Xiao Fan and said calmly, "The first round of the competition will be in three days: refining fourth-grade pills. Young Master Xiao, we'll see."

After saying that, she turned and left without ever looking back.

Yun Ruoxi came out from the inner room, looked at Liu Ruyan's back, a faint smile appeared on her lips, and looked at Xiao Fan: "Beautiful lady."

Xiao Fan shrugged: "Just a messenger."

"I know." Yun Ruoxi walked to his side and straightened his clothes, which were a little ruffled by the north wind. "But what she said is right. Yin Tianyuan is a very dangerous person. You must be careful."

"Don't worry," Xiao Fan said, holding her hand.

The grand alchemy gathering is about to begin in three days.

In the Beihai Dan Palace, a huge hall was packed with alchemy practitioners from different regions, divided into four directions: east, south, west, and north.

Xiao Fan sat at the south end, followed closely by Han Fei and Zhao Tieshan, while Yun Ruoxi sat to the side as a family member.

Yin Tianyuan sat upright on the white jade throne, a gentle smile on his face, and announced the rules of the competition.

All materials were provided by the North Sea Pill Palace, and the alchemy furnace was also prepared by themselves. They had three hours to complete the competition; whoever produced the highest quality product would be the winner. The top ten would advance.

As soon as he finished speaking, a disciple dressed in a silver robe pushed in dozens of medicine carts, each cart filled with medicinal materials for refining fourth-grade pills.

Xiao Fan took a look. Although the medicinal materials were complete, their quality varied, with some being good and others bad. Clearly, this was a test of the alchemist's ability to identify medicinal materials.

He walked to the cart and began to select items.

The herbs produced in the cold northern regions are completely different from those in the south; many of them are only known from ancient texts.

However, his experience as a former alchemist played a crucial role at this time, as he could judge the efficacy of medicinal herbs based on their color and smell.

In less than a quarter of an hour, he finished selecting the medicinal herbs and returned to the alchemy furnace.