After nearly half a minute, the square erupted in excitement, with screams and cheers surging. Many gossipers shouted out embarrassing titles, the sound rising to the sky.
Those closest to Chen Guan, on the other hand, were relatively quiet, but that didn't mean they were at peace.
Little Medical Fairy and Yun Yun's eyes flickered, their smiles blooming. This was an honor for Chen Guan, and for them as well!
Cao Ying had always been a rational person, but now she couldn't hide her emotions, her beautiful eyes slightly bewildered.
The scene was even more spectacular than she had expected!
On the high platform, Xuan Kongzi straightened his body, his expression indescribably complex. His grip on the handrail unconsciously exerted force, forming a clear hand seal.
Eight-Colored Pill Lightning?!
As a Danta leader, his pride was undeniable, but only then did he truly understand Yao Chen's earlier joke.
Whose honor was it to be their master and disciple?
In his early twenties, he had already achieved such proficiency; even in his youth, he couldn't match it.
One can only say, the young are truly formidable!
"Old man, you've got a fine disciple."
Tian Leizi glanced sideways, his eyes filled with admiration.
At that moment, he actually felt a twinge of envy for his old friend.
The usually stubborn Xuan Kongzi rarely refuted, nodding with a proud expression.
"He's even more prodigious than Ying'er. Winning the Alchemy Competition championship won't be his limit. I have a feeling this is just the beginning of his glory!"
Xuan Yi glanced sideways at the words, sharing the same sentiment.
Watching the youth soaring freely and full of vigor in the sky, it was the first time she felt someone truly surpass the Yao Chen of yesteryear.
While everyone marveled at the sight, at the edge of the square, someone was unusually sober.
A beautiful woman, smiling, whispered to the young woman behind her, "Unparalleled glory also carries unimaginable risks. After today, I'm afraid both he and Soul Palace will have sleepless nights."
The relationship between Danta and Soul Palace was well known.
As a rival, Soul Palace would certainly not allow them to rise to prominence.
The young woman felt a flicker of worry upon hearing this, but her gaze shifted to the beautiful woman, her mind reassured.
Those who achieve enlightenment often have many supporters. While the Soul Palace may be powerful, it can't completely dominate the heavens.
Somewhere hidden away, a young man carrying a black ruler looked wistful.
"Teacher, can I still catch up to Brother Guan?"
"There's no need to compare myself to such an inhuman being. Looking back, you've improved from yesterday, and that's more than enough. This conference is his stage, and at the next Alchemy Conference, you too can be admired like him!"
The young man carrying the ruler looked embarrassed. Despite the teacher's commanding words, he understood...
Boom!
In full view of the crowd, a bucket-thick elixir thunder descended, its terrifying aura eclipsing the heavens and earth, silencing everyone.
Despite its terrifying power, no one worried. The most challenging part had already been overcome, and they didn't believe Chen Guan, a disciple of a leading figure in the Alchemy Tower, would be incapable of dealing with it.
As expected, Chen Guan's expression remained unchanged. He raised his hand, and a dark shadow sprang from his fingertips, defiantly meeting the mighty thunderbolt.
"Puppet?!"
A wave of astonishment echoed through the square as they saw the figure struck down by the Dan Lei, only to soar back into the sky.
This method of dealing with the thunderbolt was truly beyond their expectations.
Some who knew Chen Guan were slightly puzzled. The puppet before them, both in its spirituality and its power, was clearly different from anything they had seen before.
Under the gazes of countless people, the puppet was like an indestructible cockroach, repeatedly struck down, yet showing no sign of damage.
In just a few minutes, with such a ruthless trick, the Dan Lei's momentum was silenced.
The calamity clouds covering the sky slowly dissipated, leaving the sky a clear, azure blue, and the warm sunlight shone down once again,
as if nothing had happened.
Only the massive, slowly healing black hole hanging high in the sky, and the crisscrossing black cracks, betrayed the terrifying magnitude of the previous thunderbolt.
The calamity clouds dissipated, and the round pill, enveloped in rich energy, transformed into a crimson figure, escaping into the distance like a meteor.
Eighth-grade pills already possessed immense intelligence, and this one, nearing its peak, was practically indistinguishable from a living being, save for its inability to speak.
The pill unexpectedly attempted to escape, but any experienced alchemist would be wary of this.
Chen Guan's lips curled slightly, and immense mental power surged from his brow, transforming into an invisible, tens-foot-long hand that firmly grasped the pill.
From the outside, it appeared to be a nimble, delicate crimson fire fox, now trapped in space, caught between a rock and a hard place. In its despair, it whimpered.
"Chen Guan!"
"Chen Guan!"
Seeing everything stop, the people in the square immediately shouted.
As for the embarrassing titles, Chen Guan automatically ignored them.
Danta hadn't announced the final champion yet, but the outcome was clear.
Clear skies returned, and the sun rose in the east, its light warm but not scorching.
The three giants knew it was their turn. They exchanged glances, then slowly stepped forward. As if teleporting, they were above the stone platform in the blink of an eye.
They gave Chen Guan a unified, affirmative look, then glanced casually and contentedly around the audience.
This was the future of Danta!
With a pleased smile on his face, Xuan Kongzi declared, "Now that everyone has finished refining their elixirs, please bring them out. The three of us, along with the countless spectators, will be the judges!"
This was merely a formality.
With his words, over twenty people, led by Cao Dan, each tossed their elixirs, which hovered in the air, gleaming like night pearls.
Without exception, the lowest elixir was of the seventh rank!
The other alchemists, knowingly, chose to watch from the sidelines.
Elixirs below the seventh rank were unnecessary for inclusion.
An extremely rich medicinal aroma gradually permeated the air, causing the faces of some of the weaker young men to flush, as if they had taken a tonic.
However, most people showed little reaction. After all, having just witnessed the emergence of an eighth-grade elixir, they no longer cared much about seventh-grade elixirs.
Amidst the crowd's anticipation, Chen Guan released the fire fox he had just soothed, unfazed by the thought of it escaping.
The fire fox leaped into the air, firmly occupying the highest position, pacing back and forth in mid-air as if surveying its territory.
Cao Ying, Dan Chen, and the old man Qinghua followed suit, lightly tapping the medicine cauldron. Three streams of light suddenly shot away, finally lingering in mid-air, revealing their true forms.
A red fox...
a small white rabbit...
and a... tortoise...
four "creatures" stood side by side, but a closer look revealed that the other three were half a body length below the red fire fox, darting no further.
Everyone gazed up at the elixir clusters suspended high in the sky, and at the creatures transformed from the four eighth-grade elixirs atop, their eyes burning with desire.
They had the will, but lacked the courage.
"Eighth-grade elixirs, with spirits as their primary concern, needless to say who the champion should be: it's..."
"Chen Guan!!!"
At that moment, the participating alchemists on the stone platform and the spectators in the square all shouted out their champion's name in unison.
Unanimous agreement prevailed.
Xuan Kongzi responded, looking at Chen Guan.
"Since everyone has already decided, I declare the final champion of this Alchemist Conference—Chen Guan!"
"As a reward for the championship, from now on, Chen Guan is a candidate for the title of Danta Titan!"
This reward alone was enough to move countless people. While
envy was present, jealousy was hard to come by.
In the Dou Qi Continent, strength reigns supreme, and this applies equally to alchemy!
Xuan Kongzi glanced around the crowd, a satisfied smile on his face. Without further ado, he flipped his hand and pulled a slightly ancient parchment scroll from his ring.
"This is the ancient soul cultivation method I promised you before the match. Now, it's yours."
With a flick of his wrist, Xuan Kongzi tossed the scroll, which arced and drifted toward Chen Guan amidst countless reddened gazes. Chen Guan
had long possessed the soul cultivation method, but he naturally wouldn't discuss it at this moment.
He chuckled and nodded, reaching out to receive it.
"Thank you, Elder Xuan Kongzi."
Chen Guan didn't address him as "teacher" in such a situation. This was a championship reward, not a gift between master and apprentice. This avoids narrow-minded individuals from making wild assumptions and creating unnecessary gossip.
Xuan Kongzi smiled and nodded, then turned back to the square.
"This alchemy conference has now come to a successful conclusion. Everyone, please disperse in an orderly manner."
As he spoke, he also sent a message to the twenty or so people who had refined seventh-grade and eighth-grade elixirs. They needed to wait for a while until the top ten were determined.
After that, there were tacit rewards. The top ten could go to the star field and have a chance to subdue the Three Thousand Flames.
After watching enough of the excitement, many onlookers felt a sense of emptiness when the conference was about to end.
However, at this moment, something unexpected happened.
A sinister voice was heard from the distant void.
"Hehehe, are you ready to end now? Don't worry, the champion has been decided, why don't you tell everyone what the name of this elixir that triggers the eight-colored elixir thunder is, and what its effect is. I believe everyone is also very interested, right?"