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As the thick black thunderclouds in the sky gradually dispersed, the warm sunlight once again poured down from above.
Shining on the land that had just been ravaged by Pill Lightning, that faint warmth made many people feel as if they were being reborn.
After fully enjoying the bath of sunlight, every gaze in the arena simultaneously turned toward the high platform where Xuan Kongzi and the others were standing. The Pill Gathering had now completely come to an end, and next it was time to announce the final result.
Under the attention of the entire audience, Xuan Kongzi on the high platform gave a slight smile. He then slowly stepped forward, his eyes sweeping across the sky before finally resting on the two young figures standing on the grand stone stage in the center.
"At a time like this, there is no need for extra words. The Pill Lightning has dispersed, so I ask all contestants to display the pills you have refined."
Hearing Xuan Kongzi's words, the dozen or so people still on the stone platform paused slightly, then one by one the perfectly round, lustrous pills slowly floated out from their hands, suspending themselves in front of them.
As soon as these pills appeared, the fragrance of medicine in the air immediately grew much stronger. Countless eyes focused together. Among the floating pills were ten that shone like bright pearls.
Although these pills looked excellent and would normally cause a frenzy even for high-grade Tier 7 or peak Tier 7 pills, at this moment they failed to attract much attention.
Because above these ten pills, seven pills wreathed in faint spiritual mist were floating.
These seven were Tier 8 pills!
Their quality ranged from two-colored to five-colored.
The moment these seven Tier 8 pills appeared, they each instinctively separated from one another.
Among the seven pills, the spiritual aura of the ones belonging to Cao Ying and Dan Chen was slightly weaker, with faint mist curling on the surface of their pills, vaguely forming the shape of a fox and a rabbit.
Countless curious, heated gazes locked on those seven Tier 8 pills suspended in midair. Such a spectacle was something most of those present were seeing for the first time. The quality of this year's Pill Gathering was truly rare throughout history.
Not far from the pills of Cao Ying and Dan Chen were two relatively stronger ones. Qing Hua Old Monster and Xian'er each had a three-colored Tier 8 pill. Old Qing Hua's pill condensed into the form of a bear, while Xian'er's formed the shape of a deer.
They showed no sign of fighting, merely guarding their own territory. They knew very well that if they clashed, they would not be a match for the three even fiercer existences.
The remaining three pills were the ones truly contending for dominance.
Among them, the pill of Old Mu Gu, which had drawn Four-colored Pill Lightning, overflowed with spiritual energy and condensed into a tiger with a fierce aura, continually letting out low growls toward the other two five-colored pills.
It seemed extremely unwilling, as though the glory that should have been his had been stolen. However, though the spirit-tiger was fierce, it was clearly outclassed.
Just as its roar faded, dense spiritual energy suddenly surged around the First Start Pill and the Bone Growing Blood Fusing Pill.
In an instant, it transformed into two small dragons, each about half a meter long. With a flick of their tails, they lashed viciously at the tiger-shaped pill.
The strike made the tiger emit a miserable whimper, and it quickly tucked its tail and floated back some distance, no longer daring to provoke the two five-colored overlords.
It was obvious that between five-colored and four-colored, the difference was a whole tier. Having driven off the tiger, the two little dragons immediately turned on each other, neither willing to yield.
Aooo—Aooo—
For a moment, the sound of dragon roars echoed through the sky and earth.
While the two five-colored giants fought for supremacy, the remaining five Tier 8 pills of two-colored to four-colored quietly retreated far away, not daring to interfere.
Then, beams of light suddenly shot out from these pills, arranging themselves in the sky in the shape of a pyramid.
At the pyramid's peak, the two small dragons brimming with dense spiritual energy faced each other, and almost simultaneously raised their heads and let out long, resounding roars.
Brilliant light burst forth, dazzling like two blazing suns erupting across the heavens.
At that instant, everyone clearly sensed the terrifyingly pure energy contained within those two small pills.
The two five-colored pills faced each other, their auras evenly matched. How could anyone tell which was superior?
All eyes turned toward the high platform.
Everyone wanted to see how the Pill Tower would handle this. Some people also glanced toward the grand stone stage in the center.
There, unlike the tense standoff of the two pills, their owners were chatting and laughing, looking as if they had no concern at all about who would ultimately take the championship.
"You really have some skill. With that mysterious method you actually forced the pill's spirituality up by two full levels," Wei Yang said with a light smile.
"This is the Spiritual Enhancement, the technique master is most proud of. The other is Spirit Nourishment Powder, a clever method that stores spiritual energy in advance," Xiao Yan explained with a grin.
There was nothing to hide about this. Besides, Wei Yang had watched the entire process of him raising the pill's spirit and already knew most of it.
"Such a method is truly brilliant, worthy of being the technique Senior Yao Lao prides himself on. To actually raise a three-colored pill all the way to five-colored!" Xian'er couldn't help but sigh in admiration after hearing Xiao Yan's explanation.
"If Brother Wei and Sister-in-law are interested, after the Pill Gathering I can share these two methods with you to study," Xiao Yan offered proactively.
He could tell that Wei Yang and Xian'er were clearly intrigued. That was no surprise. Any alchemist would pay attention to a way to forcefully increase a pill's quality by two colors.
So, Xiao Yan, perceptive as ever, volunteered to share it.
Not to mention that he already owed Wei Yang many favors; when it came time to compete for the Three Thousand Burning Flame, he would need the help of both Wei Yang and Xian'er. And since neither of them were outsiders, Xiao Yan naturally wouldn't be stingy.
"Good," Wei Yang nodded, taking the offer without ceremony.
Xian'er's face was full of expectation. To her, this method of adding two colors out of thin air was a true treasure.
After a few more casual words—
"You two still have the mood to chat? Right now is the moment to decide the champion, yet you, the key contenders, don't seem to care at all," Xian'er said with a small laugh.
"Eh, if the championship goes to Brother Wei, I'm convinced," Xiao Yan shrugged and smiled. "Brother Wei's alchemy is stronger than mine. My five-colored pill was refined with a bit of clever trickery. So, I already expected the championship would land with Brother Wei."
"You don't need to belittle yourself like that. What you call trickery is also a form of strength and technique," Wei Yang said with a casual wave of his hand. "As for the championship, at our level it's just a title. Whether it falls to you or me, it's all the same pot of meat."
"That's true," Xiao Yan replied with a slight nod and smile.
Both of them carried a completely indifferent attitude toward the outcome. For Xiao Yan, if the championship ended up in Wei Yang's hands, he was sincerely convinced.
After all, whether in alchemy, soul realm, or strength, Wei Yang surpassed him—something he knew well. And for Wei Yang, if the championship went to Xiao Yan, he could accept that too.
At his level, the so-called title of champion no longer held much weight.
With his strength as a five-colored Tier 8 alchemy grandmaster, even without the champion's name, who would dare look down on him?
What he truly enjoyed was the process of competition, not the final result. Moreover, he had little interest in the position of Pill Tower's next leader anyway.
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