Fighting: Practice makes it real, start with a poisonous body.

Chapter 167 Xiao Yan: I hope the Medicine Clan won't cause trouble at the Pill Gathering

Xiao Yan calmly glanced around, his gaze sweeping over the bustling crowds on the street, but a sense of unease rose in his heart.

These people all possessed unfathomable auras, some even seemingly shrouded in a thin mist, making them difficult to discern. The lowest cultivation level among the people here was likely Dou Zong; looking around, there wasn't a single weakling.

Beside Xiao Yan, an old man with white hair stroked his long silver beard and said, "After all, this is a grand event called the Pill Gathering. Looking across the entire Dou Qi Continent, almost every alchemist with a reputation has gathered here..."

In this situation, if you want to break through the encirclement, make it into the top ten of the Pill Gathering, and obtain the qualification to refine the Three Thousand Burning Flames... it probably won't be that easy.

Xiao Yan nodded: "Mm."

The white-haired old man beside him was Venerable Tianhuo.

That's right, Venerable Heavenly Fire has been resurrected.

In order to participate in the Pill Gathering, Xiao Yan practiced alchemy diligently. During this time, he refined a Yin-Yang Life Soul Pill. Afterwards, he gathered various materials and successfully revived the Heavenly Flame Venerable, restoring his strength to the level of a one-star Dou Zun.

Thanks to this, Xiao Yan's life was relatively good after leaving the Northern Region of Central State. His experiences over the past six months have been full of ups and downs and unexpected encounters.

He first accidentally fell into a long-sealed ancient ruin, where he found the Yin and Yang Flames deep within the ruin and subdued his own third strange fire.

Later, during his journey, he had a misunderstanding with the disciples of the Flower Sect and was banished to the forbidden area of ​​the Flower Sect. However, he turned misfortune into good fortune and gained the favor of the old sect master, Hua Yu, and received the infusion of his life's cultivation into his fighting spirit...

Xiao Yan subconsciously raised his hand and pressed it to his chest, his fingertips clearly feeling the faint pulsation of the Dou Qi seal.

Within the seal, the battle qi left behind by Senior Hua Yu, like an inexhaustible spring, was seeping into his meridians in a gentle and persistent rhythm, slowly but steadily nourishing his cultivation...

Xiao Yan sighed softly, not knowing how to repay Senior Hua Yu's great kindness.

Venerable Heavenly Fire asked, "There are still several days until the Pill Gathering begins. What are your plans?"

Xiao Yan thought for a moment and said, "The Central Plains Underground Trade Fair will be held tonight."

I've received an invitation, and I'm told that Pregnancy Powder will be available at this trade fair; I absolutely can't miss it.

Despite his arduous cultivation, his alchemy skills remain at the peak of the seventh rank, and the key obstacle preventing him from advancing lies in his soul power.

Xiao Yan's soul power is naturally strong, but he still cannot cross the threshold of the Spirit Realm. If he wants to make a breakthrough in a short period of time, he can only turn to the Spirit-Nourishing Powder.

"Spirit-nurturing powder... The method for refining this stuff was no longer circulating on the continent in my time; it's probably only recorded by ancient races."

During this period, a large amount of spirit-nurturing dust appeared in Zhongzhou, almost driving a group of seventh-grade alchemists crazy.

The person behind it all is clever; instead of selling openly, they've used the black market, and so far, no one with ulterior motives has caught them.

Other ancient races are one thing, but based on my understanding of the Medicine Clan, they probably wouldn't be happy about this..."

Venerable Tianhuo quipped, “The imperial clan may seem respectable, aloof, and detached from worldly affairs, but in reality, they are quite narrow-minded and would not tolerate commoners sharing the same objects with them.”

"The Medicine Clan, it's the Medicine Clan again."

Xiao Yan frowned. He had no interest in the six ancient clans, and he especially loathed the Ancient Clan and the Medicine Clan.

"Never mind, let's find a place to stay first."

Xiao Yan shook his head gently, putting these worries aside for the time being. Right now, preparing for the Pill Gathering was the most important thing.

Just as he turned to look for an inn, a commotion suddenly broke out among the crowd ahead.

A young man walked towards us, surrounded by a crowd. He was handsome and upright, with a retinue of followers behind him, exuding an air of extraordinary elegance.

However, Xiao Yan's focus was not on these things. The moment his gaze fell upon the other person, his pupils suddenly contracted, and his fighting spirit subconsciously tightened.

He clearly sensed a familiar, scorching aura lurking within that person's body.

That's a strange fire!

Just as Xiao Yan was in a daze, Venerable Tianhuo suddenly reached out and pulled him into the shadows on the side of the street.

"What are you doing?!" Venerable Heavenly Fire hissed.

At this moment, the young man had already walked past slowly. His aura was as deep as the ocean, and a faint golden halo flowed around him, yet he never once glanced at Xiao Yan and the other person.
Only after that figure completely disappeared into the crowd did Venerable Tianhuo breathe a sigh of relief, but his expression became increasingly solemn.

"You forgot? In the intelligence we gathered on our way here, this person was clearly mentioned!"
He is the number one prodigy of the Medicine Clan in this generation, Medicine Heaven!

"Medicine Heaven!"

Xiao Yan's expression was solemn. Yao Tian was over thirty years old, which was no longer young by worldly standards.

However, from the perspective of the Central Plains and the ancient races, anyone under fifty is considered a young generation.

"Yao Tian has the strongest Dou Di bloodline concentration among the Yao Clan's generation, and is almost destined to be the future leader."

This person has received the full support of the Medicine Clan, and must have consumed countless pills and the essence of saints. At such a young age, he has already reached the peak of the Dou Zun realm, and will likely break through to the Saint realm soon.

Venerable Tianhuo looked puzzled: "But what is this person doing in the Pill Domain? Could it be that he is going to participate in the Pill Gathering?"

"If that's the case, the competition at the Pill Gathering will be even fiercer."

Xiao Yan took a deep breath and thought to himself, "That was close!"

Fortunately, among the secret fighting techniques that the ancestor had given him, there was a method to conceal one's aura; otherwise, in this face-to-face encounter, Yao Tian would definitely have been able to detect the various strange flames within his body.

"Hopefully, this person won't cause trouble during the Dan Conference."

…………

That night.

Xiao Yan and Venerable Tianhuo, dressed in black robes and wearing black gold masks, quietly appeared in a secluded corner of the Pill Domain.

What brings you here, sir?

Guarding the cold path.

Xiao Yan stepped forward and took out a paper letter that gleamed with a faint light from his pocket.

The guard took the invitation for verification and, seeing that the runes and markings on it were correct, slowly stepped aside to make way for the dark passage leading underground behind him.

"Please come in, guest."

The stairs wound their way down, and the two walked slowly along the passage. After a while, they stepped into a brightly lit space that also exuded an air of secrecy. This was the venue for the underground trade fair.

Xiao Yan raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the figures in the arena, and he noticed that the other participants were dressed almost identically to them.

Some were shrouded in black robes, others wore masks, and still others used secret techniques to conceal their aura, even suppressing their battle qi fluctuations completely. Clearly, they were all deliberately hiding their identities and unwilling to reveal the slightest bit.

Xiao Yan and Venerable Tianhuo took their seats and silently waited for the trade fair to begin.

An hour later, more than a dozen figures in black robes entered, and an old man exuding the aura of a Dou Zun stood on the high platform.

"Welcome everyone! The underground trade fair is now officially open!"

Xiao Yan looked up at the stage and, after seeing the old man's face clearly, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

"The Venerable One of the Yellow Springs?!"

…………

PS: Regarding Yao Tian's strength.

In the original novel, Yao Tian was already a one-star Dou Sheng when he appeared.

But the alchemy competition is still a long way from the pharmacopoeia, so I'll lower my standards a bit here.
(End of this chapter)