"...A call?"
Ye Feng narrowed his eyes. He knew—this was the result of the drop of dragon blood suspended in the void.
Above the skies of Shengdan City floated the legendary Three Thousand Sealed Flames. These flames were first discovered by an elder of the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan. In a bid to ensure his descendants could refine them, the elder left behind a restriction forged from his own blood essence. As the flames matured, the bloodline of the Taixu clan would allow their kin to suppress and absorb them.
Zi Yan, princess of the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan, carried the noblest lineage. The blood of her race was exceptionally sensitive to such things—so it wasn't surprising her spirit reacted to that ancient drop of dragon blood.
Meanwhile, the Little Medical Fairy sat quietly atop the stone platform. Ye Feng had temporarily entrusted her with two extraordinary treasures: the Chaos Sacred Cauldron, ranked first on the Medicine Cauldron List, and the Netherworld Poison Flame, twentieth on the Heavenly Flame List. When she released them, the sky lit up—countless cauldrons and flames filled the heavens. But none could compare in brilliance or awe to the divine aura of her cauldron and flame.
Only one other person present possessed a Heavenly Flame—Xiao Yan.
That fact alone made Ye Feng glance at him with newfound respect.
"Wind and Thunder Fury Flame, ranked eighteenth on the Heavenly Flame List," Ye Feng murmured.
This flame, born in the core of a fire tornado in the ancient desert, had no fixed dwelling. It only emerged during the desert's hottest days, roaring across the land in blazing cyclones. Once released, it fused wind and fire into a towering dragon of flame, tearing through everything in its path.
Ye Feng's presence may have altered the original flow of fate, changing Xiao Yan's path—but the boy still held onto a Heavenly Flame. That, at least, remained unchanged.
As for the others, their flames were commendable. A rare few neared the peak of beast flames, but in the end—beast flame was still beast flame. No matter how refined, it couldn't compare to the destructive might of a Heavenly Flame.
Alchemy was a time-consuming art. Refining even a single elixir could take ten days, or even half a month. On the platform, while most alchemists were busy preparing medicinal ingredients, Little Medical Fairy had already summoned her cauldron and flame... and then, surprisingly, sat cross-legged and entered meditation. Within moments—she was asleep.
Most watched her curiously at first. But as the hours passed, her presence faded from notice.
This grand Alchemy Conference drew not only the legendary elder Mu Gu, but also the brightest young stars of the five major clans—Cao Ying, Dan Chen, and others. It was a battlefield of genius and legacy—a clash of dragons and tigers.
Suddenly—
Boom.
A low thunder rolled across the sky. Everyone looked up. A storm cloud was gathering, lightning dancing within.
"Dan Thunder... a seventh-grade elixir," Ya Fei whispered.
Seventh-grade pills contained traces of fortune, enough to summon the judgment of heaven. The stronger the pill, the more severe the test from nature itself.
Mu Qingluan narrowed her eyes. "The cloud's color isn't deepening. No intensifying signs either. It's still a low-grade variant."
Boom. Boom. Boom.
As time passed, more Dan Thunder erupted across the sky. Thunderclouds blossomed like lotus petals in a storm—silver arcs streaking across the clouds, heralding success... or failure.
Bang!
A cauldron exploded.
Some succeeded. Others faltered. The unlucky ones suffered minor failures—just a muffled boom inside their cauldron. But a few had their cauldrons detonate, the shockwave knocking them back as blood spurted from their mouths.
As the competition approached its peak, Dan Thunder became less frequent—but each appearance grew in power.
Boom!
This time, the lightning wasn't silver—it was tinted with color.
"Colored Pill Thunder... an eighth-grade elixir!" Mu Qingluan gasped.
Previously, the highest grade had only reached seventh. But now, colored lightning announced the birth of an eighth-grade pill—something near-living, spiritual in nature. Such elixirs could grow, breathe, and even exhibit basic thought. They had life.
"Old Man Qinghua," someone muttered from the high platform.
Shock rippled through the crowd.
Old Man Qinghua was a peak alchemy master from the Central Continent, once Yao Chen's peer. Though the Alchemy Conference had no age restriction, it was rare for elders to participate—making his success even more astonishing.
Soon after, the younger elites of the five major clans also refined eighth-grade pills—but none summoned as many colors in their Dan Thunder as Qinghua.
Cao Ying looked at her creation—only a two-colored pill—and sighed. "Defeated."
Still, her name would now echo across the Central Plains.
After all, an eighth-grade alchemist was a treasure any force would fight to recruit.
Suddenly, a loud, grating laugh echoed from another platform.
"Hehehe… Xuankongzi, looks like the champion will fall into this old man's hands. Hahaha! So much for the disciples of Yao Chen..."
A gust of wind tore away the man's cloak, revealing a wizened face.
"Old Man Mu Gu," someone hissed in shock.
Mu Gu—one of the Soul Palace's most dangerous figures. A sworn enemy of Danta, the very organization hosting the Dan Conference.
And now, he had refined an eighth-grade pill that summoned...
"Four-colored pill thunder," someone breathed.
A hush fell over the field. No one else could match that. Not even Old Man Qinghua.
Victory... seemed decided.
But then—
"What's the rush?" a voice said calmly.
Xiao Yan stepped forward. He'd already refined a pill that triggered three-colored thunder. Now, with calm confidence, he slapped the black medicinal cauldron, drawing out the embryonic pill. Then, he began channeling an ancient secret technique—Spirit-Enhancing Refinement—to raise the pill's grade even further.
The crowd turned to watch, silent.
Then—
"It's so noisy," a new voice cut in lazily.
The Little Medical Fairy opened her eyes, stretching like she'd just woken from a nap.
Dan Chen frowned. "It's too late for her. Even with the Chaos Sacred Cauldron and Netherworld Poison Fire, what can she do now? There's only half an hour left. All we can do is hope Xiao Yan succeeds in enhancing his pill's spirit."
Little Medical Fairy smiled faintly. "Half an hour? That's more than enough."
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