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**
On the high platform under the gaze of the entire crowd.
The three giants of the Pill Tower were also sweeping their eyes over the vast plaza below. But for the other contestants, their eyes merely skimmed past.
In the end, their gazes all locked onto Wei Yang and his group of four. The beautiful woman in the cheongsam fixed her gaze tightly on Wei Yang and Xiao Yan.
After a moment, she suddenly spoke softly, "So they are Wei Yang and Xiao Yan? Yao Chen's student and disciple?"
"Hehe, yes, those two. The one at the peak of Dou Zong is Wei Yang, and the slightly weaker one is Xiao Yan," Xuan Kongzi chuckled, nodding.
As his eyes swept once more over the four, Xuan Kongzi's expression suddenly shifted, the hand stroking his beard froze, and a voice of surprise slipped from his lips.
"You see it too? The soul fluctuations of these four seem rather peculiar, different from ordinary people. If I'm not mistaken, they should have all touched upon the Spirit Realm!" The beautiful woman's face gradually revealed both shock and solemnity as she spoke slowly.
"There is indeed some aura of the Spirit Realm." Beside her, the dark-skinned, stern-looking elder also nodded, his tone heavy.
"All four… in the Spirit Realm."
The three giants exchanged glances in silence, the corners of their mouths twitching. This lineup…they weren't leaving any chance for the other contestants at all!
Even the three giants could not help but feel shaken in the face of four Spirit Realm cultivators. For a long time, Xuan Kongzi finally muttered bitterly, "That old fellow Yao Chen… just what has he been doing all these years?"
Was this the return of a king?
"Four in the Spirit Realm… even those two little girls, Cao Ying and Dan Chen, will probably stand no chance this time." The beautiful woman let out a wry smile.
"Sigh, is it really that difficult just to beat that old guy once?"
Directly throwing down four trump cards, how was anyone supposed to play?
Down in the plaza, the spatial ripples of the great gate gradually subsided. The spatial gate also slowly calmed, and then closed.
At this moment, the number of contestants in the plaza had once again increased significantly. These were all outstanding alchemists from every corner of the Dou Qi Continent.
Looking around, the number had already exceeded a thousand. So many people, spanning across three generations—young, middle-aged, and old.
If something were to happen to all these alchemists here, the entire alchemy world of the continent might very well suffer a complete break in inheritance.
Now, with the spatial gate closed, the once deafening plaza instead grew much quieter. Everyone knew that what came next would be the true highlight of this Pill Gathering.
On the high platform.
Xuan Kongzi took one deep glance at Wei Yang and his group of four, then collected his thoughts, moving his gaze away to sweep across the whole field.
A light cough echoed in every ear.
Instantly, all eyes focused upon him.
Xuan Kongzi slowly spoke.
"First, congratulations to all of you who now stand here. You have successfully passed the first two rounds of selection and entered the final round. However, you should all know that it is this last round that is the most important part of the Pill Gathering."
"Whoever can stand until the very end of this round shall be the champion of this Pill Gathering. The stone platforms in the sky are your stage. Up there, I hope you will shine with the brightest moment of your lives. Glory shall be born among you!"
As his words fell, it was like a spark igniting explosives. In an instant, the entire world boiled over. Watching the plaza being completely ignited with passion, Xuan Kongzi couldn't help but smile.
"All contestants, ascend the platforms. For the final contest, there are no restrictions. Give your all, and refine the best pill you can."
Hearing Xuan Kongzi's aged voice reverberating through the heavens, the blood of the countless contestants began to surge with excitement.
They exchanged glances, and then with a thunderous boom, vast auras erupted one after another. Silhouettes shot upward like streaks of light, rushing toward the stone platforms.
For a time, the sky was filled with figures, so many that even the sunlight pouring down from the heavens was dimmed.
The number of stone platforms in the sky was immense, enough to accommodate all the contestants in this third round.
Although less than one-tenth had remained after the elimination of the first two rounds, the number still left was by no means small. Over a thousand people raised their cauldrons at the same time, the sight was truly magnificent.
Swoosh!
Amid that vast sea of figures, Wei Yang was among them.
In the end, he landed on a stone platform near the center, his aura faintly radiating. Those dark red, demonic eyes swept across coldly with domineering intent, instantly making no one dare approach.
Swoosh swoosh swoosh!
Xiao Yan, Xian'er, and Ah Da also landed nearby, each taking a stone platform, the four forming a circle. Some people saw this and could only leave reluctantly, shifting their targets. Countless figures streaked across the sky above the plaza.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
On some of the stone platforms, people even started fighting fiercely to seize them. To this, Wei Yang only gave a casual glance before withdrawing his eyes.
Looking down, the stone platform beneath his feet was five zhang wide, looking grand and imposing.
He sat cross-legged, and with a wave of his hand, a crimson cauldron landed with a bang. He did not rush to ignite the flame, but instead cast his gaze toward the distance, at a slightly smaller stone platform. There, a black figure sat cross-legged, eyes closed in meditation.
"The sub-flame of the Nihility Devouring Flame hides Mu Gu's aura quite well."
Wei Yang narrowed his eyes, staring at Old Man Mu Gu.
At this moment, Old Man Mu Gu's aura appeared ordinary, blending into the crowd, his presence very low. The corner of Wei Yang's lips curled, and then he closed his eyes.
But just as Wei Yang closed his eyes, Old Man Mu Gu suddenly opened his, staring over. In the depths of his gaze, a trace of sinister light flickered.
"Wei Yang." Mu Gu muttered in his heart.
Even though he was a four-star peak Dou Zun, when facing Wei Yang, who was only at the peak of Dou Zong, his heart still grew heavy.
Compared to Xiao Yan, Wei Yang's existence undoubtedly brought him far greater pressure.
From just that brief clash the other night, Mu Gu already understood that this Wei Yang was far from simple, even more troublesome than intelligence had suggested.
When facing Xiao Yan, Mu Gu could scoff, speak arrogantly, and spout threats. But in front of Wei Yang, he couldn't help but restrain himself.
Because this man was a thorough and complete danger. The number of Dou Zun who had died in his hands was already beyond counting. That was a reputation forged through blood.
Even the Hall of Souls treated him cautiously.
After suffering heavy losses, while the Hall of Souls burned with anger, they also placed great importance on Wei Yang. As long as it wasn't about critical interests, they chose to avoid conflict with him whenever possible.
Because it wasn't worth it. This wasn't surprising. The world was just that realistic, and the Hall of Souls even more so.
When you are weak, everyone shouts to kill you. But when you become strong enough, even your enemies must show you respect.
All the more true for a benefit-driven force like the Hall of Souls. If there were no interest conflicts, they would never provoke someone like Wei Yang on purpose.
Mu Gu himself didn't want to clash with Wei Yang either. There was no benefit in it, only life-threatening risk.
But.
Mu Gu slowly withdrew his gaze and closed his eyes again. In his heart, he understood that because of Yao Chen and Xiao Yan, sooner or later, they would end up clashing.
"As long as I enter the top ten, I'll have a chance to subdue the Three Thousand Burning Flames. Those two disciples of Yao Chen are surely here for that flame too. Perhaps I should look for an opportunity to get rid of them once and for all."
"Hmph, Yao Chen's disciples, his students? Then let this old man test your worth, and teach you a good lesson in alchemy first."
Mu Gu sneered coldly in his heart, quite confident. After all, if one were to speak of lineage, he was technically their senior uncle.
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