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

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Upon hearing about Song Qing from Dan Xuan, Ye Chen smiled.

As fellow disciples of the Pill Tower, the two naturally saw each other quite often. However, each time Song Qing saw Ye Chen, he would experience a significant improvement, leaving Song Qing in a nightmare of being dominated by Ye Chen.

Every time the two met, this guy would leave in a huff, followed by a long period of seclusion.

It must be said that this intense competition has led to a rapid increase in Song Qing's strength and alchemy skills.

"I heard this guy went into seclusion a year ago. Now that he's out, could he have also advanced to the level of an eighth-grade alchemist?" Ye Chen wondered, somewhat uncertainly.

Danxuan was stunned upon hearing this, and said with some surprise, "This... really? When I saw him a couple of days ago, he didn't reveal any information about it. Is he planning to surprise everyone?"

If you think about it carefully, given Song Qing's personality, it really is possible!

With this skepticism in mind, Danxuan began participating in the assessment.

Ye Chen returned to Cao Ying and Dan Chen's side and silently watched the assessment proceed.

Ye Chen originally thought that the Ye family would fall to last place this time, but Xin Lan was indeed very competitive and hardworking. She actually surpassed Qiu Ji of the Qiu family and Bai Ying of the Bai family in the assessment and won third place, second only to Cao Xiu. This shocked everyone around her.

Unexpectedly, besides the prodigy Ye Chen, the Ye family has produced another girl with such talent. Is it really the heavens that are destined to elevate the Ye family to the pinnacle?

Chapter 363 Dan Meeting

Time flies, and after the assessments of the five major families concluded, the Pill Gathering followed.

Xiao Yan, who was in seclusion, finally opened his door and heard the news that the Pill Gathering would begin tomorrow.

"Here you go, I have the medicinal herbs you need, but because of the tight schedule, I couldn't get too many, just enough for two doses."

Ye Chen tossed Xiao Yan a low-level storage ring as he spoke.

His words surprised and delighted Xiao Yan. He hadn't expected the Ye family to be so powerful that they had managed to obtain the ingredients for two sets of Bone Regeneration and Blood Fusion Pills!

"Thank you very much!" Xiao Yan said with deep gratitude.

Although these medicinal herbs were not free, it would probably not be easy for Xiao Yan to gather a whole set on his own, so he was still full of gratitude towards Ye Chen.

Faced with Xiao Yan's gratitude, Ye Chen simply nodded and then said, "Although there are quite a few people at this alchemy gathering, there aren't many well-known alchemy masters present, so your real opponents aren't strong, and getting into the top ten shouldn't be too difficult."

Without the Three Thousand Burning Flames, the Pill Gathering became far less attractive to the older generation of alchemists. Master alchemists like Elder Mu Gu of the Soul Hall and Old Ghost Qinghua, who was a contemporary of Yao Chen, were absent from the original story.

Based on Ye Chen's understanding, there are probably only two women, Cao Ying and Dan Chen, and one other person, Song Qing, who is suspected to be an eighth-grade alchemist, participating in this alchemy gathering...

Aside from these three, Ye Chen felt that with Xiao Yan's strength and luck, achieving a high ranking wouldn't be difficult.

"Eighth rank, huh..." Xiao Yan nodded silently.

Although he had many fortuitous encounters during this period and his soul power had increased significantly, he still had no confidence in facing a true eighth-grade alchemist.

The location of the Pill Gathering is in the northern part of the inner region, a place Ye Chen is very familiar with, because it was there that he passed the Pill Tower's assessment and was accepted as a disciple by Xuan Kongzi.

However, the place had already been packed with a terrifying crowd several days ago, and when Ye Chen and his group arrived, all they could see were surging crowds.

Ye Chen had already explained the details of the Pill Gathering to Xiao Yan. After arriving at the venue, Ye Chen left the group and went to the Pill Tower's main stage to wait for his teacher to appear.

"Boom!"

The clear chime of the bell resounded throughout the land, its powerful sound spreading outwards and even suppressing the originally deafening clamor.

Shortly after the bell rang, a series of whooshing sounds suddenly arose, and then the space on the stone platform slightly distorted, and more than a dozen figures slowly emerged...

All eyes turned to them.

Amidst the intense scrutiny of the crowd, these figures gradually came into focus.

The three leading figures were naturally the three giants of the Pill Tower, and following closely behind was a young man who looked only twenty years old, whose position was even above the eight elders, which caused an uproar among many people who were unaware of the truth.

Although Ye Chen had already secured his position as a candidate for a leader in the Pill Tower, this was the first time he had appeared so openly and honestly in front of everyone.

This can be considered a formal response from Danta to the outside world.

"Hehe, I am Xuan Kongzi, and I here on behalf of the Pill Tower welcome all the alchemists who have come here. In the days to come, this will be your stage to show your skills!"

With a smile on his face, Xuan Kongzi slowly stepped forward. His gentle voice completely drowned out the noise of everyone present, ringing clearly in everyone's ears.

.

Seeing that everyone had quieted down, Xuan Kongzi's voice continued: "Since you have all traveled thousands of miles for the Pill Gathering, I will not waste any more time here. The rules of the Pill Gathering remain the same, consisting of three steps, the first..."

Xiao Yan listened quietly to Xuan Kongzi's introduction to the Pill Gathering selection and found that it was indeed roughly the same as what Ye Chen had said.

However, this is not surprising, as these rules have been the standard format for successive alchemy gatherings.

"Whoever survives these three selection processes will become the champion of this year's Dan Competition..."

Upon hearing the name of the champion, the alchemists who were preparing to participate in the Pill Gathering were clearly excited.

To win the top prize amidst the spotlight is something that's incredibly exciting to even think about!

"The time has come. All participants of rank five and above, please proceed to the first stage: the Soul Illusion!"

Xuan Kongzi suddenly turned his finger towards the vast plaza, where the dark gray space rapidly distorted, forming strange worlds that displayed many mysteries.

"boom!"

Upon hearing Xuan Kongzi's words, figures flashed out from the crowd, like locusts in a plague, sweeping across the sky and then all entering that distorted space...

Looking at the figures rushing into the distorted space like a torrential rain, Ye Chen's gaze was indifferent. Don't be fooled by the large number of people at this moment; probably only one in ten will be able to pass this first test!

On the other side of the square, Xiao Yan also took a deep breath and slowly stepped out.

Beside him, Ye Xinyue and the others who had come to watch the excitement also encouraged him, saying, "Junior Brother Xiao Yan, keep it up!"

Xiao Yan nodded and flew away as well.

……

……

On the high platform, looking at the overwhelming number of contestants, Xuan Kongzi couldn't help but smile.

"Every time there's a pill gathering, seeing so many alchemists gathered here always fills me with immense joy..."

Don't be fooled by the fact that the Pill Tower offers countless rare treasures as rewards for each Pill Gathering, and that not all alchemists who win a prize will join the Pill Tower. It may seem like a thankless task, but its true significance far exceeds what those treasures can measure.

Otherwise, the Pill Tower in the original work would not have been able to offer a rare flame of the level of the Three Thousand Burning Flames as a reward!

"Are there any noteworthy figures at this Pill Gathering?" Unlike Xuan Kongzi, Xuan Yi didn't express his feelings with any sentimentality and asked directly.

Xuan Kongzi chuckled softly and said, "Apart from those few children, there's nothing else particularly noteworthy. After all, they're all young people..."

At this moment, Ye Chen suddenly spoke up, saying, "However, if we're talking about something worth noting, I do know of one..."

"Oh? Who could possibly catch your eye, little guy?" Xuan Yi asked, somewhat pleased.

At the same time, Xuan Kongzi and Tian Leizi, who had been silent all along, also looked over.

"Xiao Yan, the disciple of the former Medicine Venerable Yao Chen!"

“Xiao Yan? Yao Chen’s disciple?” Tian Lei Zi, with his dark skin, was slightly taken aback when he heard the name, but then his gaze turned to Xuan Yi beside him.

"Yao Chen... what an ancient name."

Xuan Yi was also slightly taken aback, and then a complex look flashed across his mature and composed face.

Chapter 364 The Real Purpose

Upon hearing the name Yao Chen, not only Xuan Yi, but also the other two members of the three giants had different feelings.

After all, that name was so dazzling back then that even they had to admit defeat.

This is exactly the same as Xiao Yan in the original novel; Cao Ying, Song Qing, and others, the most talented young people in the Pill Tower, were all completely suppressed by him...

It's a pity that Xiao Yan is a bit "out of touch" now.

"How is that old fellow Yao Chen doing now?" Xuan Kongzi asked.

Ye Chen saw that although it was Xuan Kongzi who asked the question, Xuan Yi pretended to be indifferent, but the concern in her eyes betrayed her true feelings.

"Ugh……"

Ye Chen sighed inwardly.

It's unbelievable that after all these years, this senior sister in black robes still harbors such feelings for Yao Lao. It seems that she truly loved Yao Chen back then.

"Judging from what Xiao Yan said, it seems that the Medicine Venerable has fallen into the hands of the Soul Palace..."

Ye Chen's words caused the expressions of Xuan Kongzi and the other two to change, and then their faces darkened.

Although the Soul Palace has been searching for the souls of alchemists, it is very difficult to capture alchemists who are truly at the eighth rank or above.

Putting aside the strength of these alchemists themselves, every eighth-grade alchemist is protected by a Dou Zun-level expert. Therefore, unless they have accurate information about how many combatants are around them, the Soul Palace would not dare to easily take action against an eighth-grade alchemist.

As for someone like Yao Chen, who is powerful and whose alchemy skills are hailed as the best in Zhongzhou, even though the Soul Palace was able to turn Han Feng, one of his closest relatives, against him, he still managed to escape in the end...

"I never imagined that this old fellow, after disappearing for so many years, would still end up in the hands of the Soul Hall. Back in the Pill Tower, I warned him many times..."

Xuan Kongzi sighed and shook his head.

"However, if possible, perhaps we could help this old guy. After all, he did my Pill Tower a great favor back then..."

Ye Chen nodded silently. He knew about the connection between Yao Chen and the Pill Tower back then, which meant that the Pill Tower would not stand idly by in this matter.

"Hmph, in my opinion, that old bastard deserved it! Who told that old guy to act recklessly back then, knowing that the Soul Palace was after him, yet still daring to wander around..." Despite saying this, Ye Chen and the others present could still feel the ripples in his heart.

"Teacher and Uncle-Master, rest assured, I have already made arrangements for this matter. If nothing unexpected happens, we should receive news of the Medicine Venerable after the Pill Gathering ends..."

Ye Chen chuckled lightly.

Upon hearing that Ye Chen had already arranged for people to prepare for the rescue, Xuan Yi looked at him again, her eyes softening even more.

“Very good, but this matter still requires Yao Chen’s disciples to take the lead. At most, we can only offer some assistance…” Xuan Kongzi smiled as he looked at Ye Chen.

Ye Chen understood the meaning behind the teacher's words, so he simply nodded slightly.

The Pill Tower is not currently inclined to wage war against the Soul Palace for any other reason. If Yao Chen were a member of the Pill Tower, then without a doubt, the Pill Tower would unleash its strongest forces to retaliate against the Soul Palace.

Unfortunately, he rejected Danta back then, so now Danta has no direct reason to stand up for Yao Chen.

<

However, what none of the three knew was that Ye Chen's true purpose was not just to help Xiao Yan rescue Yao Chen; what he actually wanted was the terrifying soul essence collected within the Soul Palace...

Ye Chen's soul power has now reached a terrifying level, even slightly inferior to his teacher Xuan Kongzi, but he is still a little short of the Heavenly Realm.

The saying "so close yet so far" perfectly describes this point, and Ye Chen felt that it would become a huge obstacle restricting him.

The gap between realms cannot be bridged simply by relying on soul power. Therefore, in order to prevent his soul realm from stagnating, the soul essence collected by the Soul Palace is essential for him!

However, Ye Chen did not want the Soul Palace to focus its attacks directly on him, so Xiao Yan's appearance was crucial at this time.

"By the way, how is Yao Chen's disciple's talent?" Xuan Kongzi suddenly asked.

Ye Chen pondered for a moment, then said, "I'm afraid she's no weaker than Junior Sister Cao Ying..."

With Xiao Yan's talent, if he had received the same full support from the Pill Tower as Cao Ying, he might already be able to rival Ye Chen. Therefore, Ye Chen greatly admires Xiao Yan in this respect.

"Oh? Is that so! I didn't expect this old fellow to be so lucky, managing to find such a successor under these circumstances!"

Xuan Kongzi was also taken aback by his disciple's words.

Similarly, Xuan Yi was also developing a great interest in the little guy named "Xiao Yan"...

at the same time.

With his hands behind his back and his feet lightly stepping on the void, Xiao Yan calmly walked through this soul space, following the path probed by his soul power.

This distorted space is unexpectedly vast, and the numerous overlapping spatial folds make it resemble a maze...

If anyone is careless and wanders into those distorted spatial folds, they will lose their qualification to continue the competition and be eliminated directly.

This group posed no difficulty for Xiao Yan; he only needed to pay attention to one thing, and passing through it was very easy.

Of course, when faced with the illusionary trap that was the second difficulty in this level, Xiao Yan still felt a little nervous. He realized that this space was not as simple as he had imagined, so he became much more vigilant in the following days.

And so, without any major incident, Xiao Yan finally emerged from the exit of the spatial passage.

What appeared before him was a rather spacious open space. The space around the open space was distorted and obviously a spatial resting point forcibly constructed by the Dan Tower experts.

At this moment, there were already quite a few people sitting or standing on this open space, each with a strong aura, clearly the first contestants to pass the illusionary realm challenge.

Most of these figures were scattered, wary of each other, with only a very few gathering together in twos and threes.

However, their gazes towards the others were also filled with wariness. At this moment, there were no friends present, only competitors!