"The Dan Gathering! Could it be the Dan Gathering held by the Pill Tower?" Xiao Li asked in surprise.
"That's right, it's the Dan Gathering. With your current ability, refining Rank 7 Pills shouldn't be a problem, right? The Dan Gathering is the most grand and influential Alchemy event on the Fighting Qi Continent, held every thirty years. And the power with the qualifications to host it... is called the Pill Tower. I wonder if you understand the powers of the Central Plains. The general public divides them into one Hall, one Tower, two Sects, three Valleys, and four Pavilions.
This Tower is the Pill Tower. The Pill Tower can be said to be the strongest Alchemist organization in the Central Plains. Even I wouldn't dare to provoke them. Let me put it this way, the Pill Tower has the existence of Dou Saints!"
Mang Tianchi gave Xiao Li a crash course on the Pill Tower.
"Hmm, I know. I've heard of these Central Plains powers. It's just, why does the Dean want me to participate?
I am merely a Seventh-Rank Alchemist. In this Northwest Continent, I'm considered top-notch, but in the Central Plains, I'd be nothing special.
At such a grand event, how could a mere Seventh-Rank Alchemist like me win the championship? Getting into the top ten would already be quite good."
Xiao Li didn't understand why the Dean wanted him to participate in the Dan Gathering. He wasn't Xiao Yan. He already had a Heavenly Flame, so this Three Thousand Burning Flame was useless to him.
The Three Thousand Burning Flame seemed to have complete sentience, with intelligence no different from humans. To subdue it, one would need to be at least a Dou Venerate.
"Who said this old man wants you to win the championship? You actually want to win the championship? This old man is telling you to go gain some experience and make a name for yourself. With your age and such impressive Alchemy, even the Pill Tower wouldn't find many like you.
As my, Mang Tianchi's, student, you naturally have to bring honor to this old man. You must participate in the Dan Gathering, otherwise, this old man will make you regret it!"
Mang Tianchi raised his fist. If Xiao Li dared to say half a 'no,' he would give him a good beating!
"Uh, I'll listen to the Dean's orders." Xiao Li temporarily succumbed to Mang Tianchi's oppressive power.
"A wise man submits to circumstances, hehehe, ahem, I shouldn't laugh like that, it makes this old man sound like he ate a Soul Clan member.
Ahem, kid, let this old man tell you why I want you to participate in the Dan Gathering. One is to bring honor to this old man, and the other is to pave the way for yourself," Mang Tianchi said indifferently.
"Please elaborate, Dean," Xiao Li inquired.
"This Dan Gathering is a rare grand event on the Fighting Qi Continent. Countless Alchemy prodigies from all over the continent will compete here, and the successful ones will naturally become famous throughout the world.
I have a friend, Venerable Yao. He once won a Dan Gathering championship. Before that, Venerable Yao's reputation wasn't that great, but after winning the Dan Gathering, he became a hot and popular figure on the Fighting Qi Continent.
So, this old man isn't asking you to win the championship. As long as you can get a ranking in the finals, that's good. The Dan Gathering doesn't restrict age, and most of those competing with you will be old monsters.
And you are so young. If you can achieve a good ranking, your name will be established. Then, when you're in the Central Plains, you'll have enough reputation. You, kid, certainly won't stay in a barren place like the Northwest Continent your whole life."
Mang Tianchi slowly said, after all, it was not easy to find such a good seedling, and it would be a pity not to let him bring honor to himself.
Moreover, the Pill Tower has Soul Cultivation Techniques. In Mang Tianchi's opinion, Xiao Li's talent is very good. His Soul Realm is already at the Peak of the Mortal Realm. If he doesn't have a Soul Cultivation Technique, he would have to rely on himself to improve his cultivation and then feed back his Soul Power.
It would take too long for Xiao Li's Soul Realm to reach the Spirit Realm. The best way is to go to the Pill Tower.
Mang Tianchi felt that with the Pill Tower's nature, seeing Xiao Li's talent, they would definitely invest in him, and then Xiao Li's path would be smoother.
What if! What if Xiao Li becomes a Rank 9 Alchemist in the future? He would profit greatly!
"Uh, about that, Dean, I can indeed refine Rank 7 Pills now. Refining Intermediate Rank 7 Pills is also not a problem, it's just this Pill Lightning, I can't deal with it.
Does the Dan Gathering allow outsiders to help resist the Pill Lightning?" Xiao Li asked. He vaguely remembered that in the Dan Gathering, participants seemed to have to resist the Pill Lightning themselves. How could he possibly withstand it?
"This... that does seem to be a problem. Let this old man think about it." Mang Tianchi closed his eyes in thought, contemplating how to resist the Pill Lightning.
"Aha! I've got it!" Mang Tianchi stood up and came before Xiao Li. With a wave of his hand, a dark silver figure appeared. This figure had no trace of life but possessed an extremely powerful aura!
This Puppet actually had the might of a Dou Sect expert!
"What is this? A Puppet?" Xiao Li scrutinized the silver humanoid from top to bottom. Its eyes were hollow, and its body was exceptionally solid.
"Hmm, it is indeed a Puppet. It's the Demon Puppet method passed down from ancient times. This Puppet should be called an Earth Demon Puppet, and above it, there should be a Sky Demon Puppet!
The strength of this Earth Demon Puppet is probably around a Nine-star Dou Sect. The Materials used to create this Puppet were probably the corpse of a One-star Dou Venerate.
It's a pity the creator couldn't refine it into a Sky Demon Puppet. This Earth Demon Puppet was found by this old man in a Secret Realm. It could withstand this old man's attacks, so this old man brought it back.
Consider yourself lucky, kid. This Earth Demon Puppet should be able to help you resist the Pill Lightning."
Mang Tianchi gifted this Earth Demon Puppet, equivalent to a Nine-star Dou Sect, to Xiao Li.
"Thank you, Dean." Xiao Li clasped his fists. Then Xiao Li was confused again: "How do I make this Puppet recognize me as its master?"
Mang Tianchi: "A drop of blood containing your Soul imprint will do. Just drip it on the Earth Demon Puppet's glabella."
"Understood."
Xiao Li gently bit the tip of his tongue, and a drop of fresh blood containing a faint Soul imprint slowly floated out, finally landing accurately on the Earth Demon Puppet's glabella, slowly seeping in, and eventually transforming into a thumb-sized dark red bloodstain.
As this drop of blood entered the Earth Demon Puppet's mind without obstruction and left an indelible mark there, a faint trace of life slowly appeared in the Earth Demon Puppet's black, hollow eyes. It twisted its still somewhat stiff neck, lowered its head to gaze at Xiao Li, then its feet landed on the ground, kneeling on one knee, its head also slowly bowing towards Xiao Li.
"How amazing," Xiao Li exclaimed.
When the Soul blood entered the Earth Demon Puppet's glabella, Xiao Li distinctly felt as if his Soul had been split into two parts: one part controlled his own body, and the other part controlled the Earth Demon Puppet before him.
At this moment, Xiao Li had a vague feeling that the Earth Demon Puppet before him would obey his every command, even if that command was to attack Mang Tianchi, it would probably launch an attack without hesitation.
With the Soul imprint, this Earth Demon Puppet was Xiao Li's most personal guard, because it would never harbor thoughts of betrayal.
"Thank you, Dean. Let me test the quality of this Earth Demon Puppet. I'll go refine a few Elixirs to practice." Xiao Li was already eager to start Alchemy.
"Hehe, go ahead. There's still more than half a year until the Dan Gathering begins. With this old man's speed, taking you to the Central Region will be very fast," Mang Tianchi said with a laugh, stroking his beard.
Xiao Li then left and went to find the Grand Elder, telling Grand Elder Su Qian that he was preparing to refine zong yuan pills and applying for the academy's Medicinal Materials.