Battle Through the Heavens: Who put Laozi in my storage ring?

It's actually true!

……

Chapter 57 Nalan Yanran: Take me as your slave, then whip me mercilessly...

Memories from the past flooded back into my mind.

The boy's unnaturally calm tone, his composure in the face of imminent collapse, and all the past events all struck her like a heavy hammer blow.

Two years ago, the contract with her was terminated, and now...

He then made a name for himself in the Gama Empire, even marrying Medusa, the legendary and stunningly beautiful queen of the snake people, whom countless people could only dream of.

A sense of absurdity welled up in her heart. She even had the illusion that Xiao Yan was deliberately pretending to have lost all his cultivation in order to get her to go there in order to break off the engagement.

The next instant, the handsome young man turned his head, his gaze falling on her, and they met eyes.

His face still wore a warm smile, but compared to before, it was mixed with a hint of distance and coldness.

Nalan Yanran parted her red lips slightly, but didn't know what to say.

The young man's gaze returned to the arena, chatting and laughing with Ya Fei beside him, and even joining in a few witty remarks with Yao Ye behind him. Only she... sat alone in her seat, somewhat forlorn and at a loss.

If you've broken off the engagement, then you should be prepared for it; it's all your own responsibility...

As for what happens after the three-year agreement, they will be treated as slaves or servants at will.

The beauty glanced at Xiao Yan in front of her, biting her lip lightly. Since she couldn't beat him anyway, she was actually looking forward to how he would humiliate her after she became his slave.

A whip? Or perhaps, locking oneself in a dark room and subjecting one to severe torture...

The young man's figure seemed to grow even taller as he forcefully pressed her onto the bed, coldly and mockingly sizing her up: "I'll make you annul the engagement! I'll make you humiliate the Xiao family, and today I'll torture you mercilessly..."

Nalan Yanran's throat bobbed, a hazy look appearing in her beautiful eyes before returning to their usual coolness. Her pretty face flushed slightly, and she bit her lip lightly, a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance in her heart. "Nalan Yanran, just how shameless can you be! To think of something like this, even hoping the three-year agreement will arrive quickly? You should..."

The girl blushed, her expression a mixture of emotions.

This guy is far beyond her reach. He's already a Dou Wang, or even a Dou Huang, a powerful figure. How strong will he be in a year? And she, who was so complacent after breaking through to the Nine-Star Dou Shi, now looks like a frog in a well, a laughingstock.

Even recalling what he had told Xiao Yan that day—that no matter what realm Xiao Yan was at, he would suppress himself to the same realm to fight him—made his face burn with embarrassment…

Xiao Yan enjoyed being fed tea by a beautiful woman while leisurely glancing down at the competition below.

Flames of various colors rose, and pills gradually took shape.

The most eye-catching among them were naturally Liu Ling and Yao Yue, but there was another person who also caught Xiao Yan's attention. He was shrouded in a black robe and exuded a rather extraordinary aura...

He had the appearance of a sixteen or seventeen-year-old, but his strength was at least at the level of a fourth-grade alchemist.

"That guy is quite interesting..." Xiao Yan revealed a kind smile, tapping his fingertips lightly on the table, and looked with great interest at the black-robed man who was huddled in the corner, concentrating on refining pills.

"You noticed it too?" Fama's old face twitched, and he turned his head, revealing a smile as he slowly spoke.

"What?" Hai Bodong and the others were somewhat bewildered.

After all, they were not alchemists, and their soul power was far inferior to that of the two.

Famag waved his hand: "Chelsea, check it out!"

A middle-aged man approached, quickly flipping through the file in his hand. After a short while, he said, "President, I found it. He is an alchemist from the Izumo Empire, only seventeen years old. It says he is a second-grade alchemist."

Upon hearing this, everyone around turned pale. Given the current hostile relationship between the Gama Empire and the Izumo Empire, anyone could guess that the newcomer had ill intentions.

"The Izumo Empire, a fourth-grade alchemist, skilled in using poison, who did Guild Master Fa Ma think of?" Xiao Yan asked leisurely, playing with the storage ring in his hand with a smile.

"Poison?" A look of surprise flashed across Fa Ma's eyes, but when he thought that this person was a sixth-grade alchemist whose soul perception was far stronger than his own, he suddenly understood.

He appeared deep in thought: "The Izumo Empire is more skilled in poison making, and the number of fourth-grade alchemists is not large... at least compared to the Gama Empire, which only has two, both of whom are vice presidents of the Izumo Empire's Alchemist Association. One is Yan Li, and the other is Cheng Ling. However, even the slightly younger Yan Li is at least thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old, while this young man..."

Upon hearing this, both Ya Fei and Yao Ye nodded in agreement, noting the significant age difference between them.

"A seventeen or eighteen-year-old fourth-grade alchemist?" Hai Bodong scoffed, about to mock him, but then suddenly remembered that the person beside him was a seventeen or eighteen-year-old sixth-grade alchemist master. His expression stiffened, and he glanced at Xiao Yan with some suspicion: "Could it be... that this guy is really?"

"It's fake," Xiao Yan said calmly.

"It's just that he took a fifth-grade pill called the Rejuvenation Pill. Its effect is to restore his appearance to that of twenty years ago and maintain it for three months. Yan Li is still Yan Li now, but with the appearance of a seventeen-year-old."

"I see!" Fama exclaimed in surprise, then with a hint of astonishment, "How did you know he was Yanli?"

"Just a guess," Xiao Yan said calmly.

“Hmm…” Fama choked for a moment, but did not dare to ask any further questions. This was his duty, after all, it involved the old grudges between the Gama Empire and the Izumo Empire.

His face was slightly embarrassed as he stared at the figure in black robes.

The Izumo Empire's intentions were clear: to impersonate someone else and enter the Gama Empire, win the championship at the age of seventeen, and thoroughly mock the Gama Empire's alchemists. However, their methods were indeed somewhat dirty.

After all, there is an age limit for this alchemist competition; participants must be under twenty years old.

This old man is thirty-seven years old and he's here frying fish; he's really shameless.

Although Yan Li must have other Rejuvenation Pills in his possession, it is clear that he cannot leave them for them. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, it is not appropriate to force them to take the pills. So, he must either produce another Rejuvenation Pill and force them to swallow it.

But the problem is... where can I get the Rejuvenation Pill?

"Do you have the formula for the Rejuvenation Pill?" Hai Bodong asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I do have the formula, but the Rejuvenation Pill is considered a high-grade pill among the fifth-rank pills. I tried it once a few years ago, and only succeeded once out of seven attempts. The only one that succeeded was a semi-finished product." Fa Ma smiled bitterly.

Although he was a fifth-grade alchemist, compared to Gu He, who was at the peak of his career, he was nearing the end of his life and could hardly exert even half of his former strength.

Not to mention refining a fifth-grade pill, which can't be done in minutes or even days. It would take at least half a month or even a month. By the time he finished refining it, the competition would be over.

"That……"

Hai Bodong scratched his head, looking somewhat troubled.

"Give me the formula." Xiao Yan tapped the table, his expression calm, and looked at Yan Li, who was completely unaware of the danger, with a hint of indifference: "Daring to cheat openly on my home turf, you don't take me, the referee, seriously."

Chapter 58: The truth revealed, alchemy performed on the spot!

Since I've taken on the role of referee for this major competition, I naturally can't tolerate such a fly.

“But the competition will end in half a month at the latest, so refining pills now is probably…” Fa Ma hesitated and said tentatively.

"Stop talking nonsense. Just prepare the materials I told you to. If you don't have any, my Mittel family will help you gather them." Hai Bodong glared at Fa Ma, who quickly nodded. "In that case, I'll have to trouble Master Xiao Yan."

Both Yao Ye and Ya Fei looked at them with surprise. Alchemists already held a high status in the Jia Ma Empire, and now that they could see this alchemist in person, they were naturally quite excited.

Several days passed in the blink of an eye.

In the vast square, the number of alchemists in the center is dwindling.

From the initial thousands of applicants, only four or five have been selected so far. However, even the least qualified are at least third-grade alchemists. The youngest and most extraordinary among them has displayed overwhelming talent, even surpassing the disciples of the Pill King Guhe.

"Om..."

As a buzzing sound spread outwards, the almost solidified purple fragrance of the pill slowly permeated the air. "Hehehe, my fourth-grade peak pill, the Purple Heart Breaking Miasma Pill, is comparable to an ordinary fifth-grade pill. Who can compare? Who can rival it?"

The little princess and Liu Ling looked embarrassed. The pills they had refined were also of the fourth grade, but their quality and grade were far inferior to this Purple Heart Breaking Miasma Pill.

Such a rich fragrance of cinnabar says a lot.

The entire hall fell silent, then erupted in cheers.

A seventeen-year-old fourth-grade alchemist is already a feat worthy of being recorded in history. Even the competition held by the Pill King Gu He back then did not have such a grand occasion.

Only Fama, Haibodong, and the others looked embarrassed.

The Izumo Empire won the championship, and because of its champion status, they dared not touch it rashly. They could only watch helplessly as the Izumo Empire rose to power by stepping on the Gama Empire and then left in a blatant manner.

Fa Ma glanced at Xiao Yan, a hint of regret in his eyes. Had he really failed?

Even Xiao Yan, a sixth-grade alchemy master, could not possibly refine such a pill in just a few days. Of course, he couldn't blame Xiao Yan either, because even if the other party made a boast, his original intention was for the alchemist association of the Jia Ma Empire.

We have no choice but to accept our fate...

Fama slowly stood up, rang the bell, and the entire arena gradually quieted down, waiting for the birth of the champion of this competition. Yanli licked his dry lips, looked up at Fama, and his eyes were full of arrogant and unrestrained smiles.

He looked at Fama defiantly. After today, the Alchemist Association of the Gama Empire would be nothing but a joke.

Just as Fama sighed inwardly, preparing to announce the champion...

A calm voice slowly echoed throughout the hall: "Wait..."

Xiao Yan stood up, walked to the referee's table, and looked down at Yan Li, whose expression had changed, with a smile: "You really have the nerve to take this championship back?"

The scene suddenly fell silent.

Countless people looked on in astonishment, glancing left and right. One was surprised that the young man was sitting in the referee's seat at such an unbelievably young age, and the other was that there seemed to be some objection to the title of champion.

"And what do you mean by this!" Yan Li sneered, looking around, his voice clear: "Could it be that your Jia Ma Empire cannot tolerate another country winning the championship? If so, I will withdraw from the competition myself, why bother you?"

Fama's face twitched, and a murderous glint flashed in his eyes.

"Yan Li, the vice president of the Alchemist Association of the Izumo Empire, is thirty-seven years old. Your age seems to be inconsistent with the rules of this competition. If the age limit were relaxed, even Gu He could participate. You, a mere fourth-grade alchemist, are you worthy of competing?" Xiao Yan said with a smile, his expression unchanged.

"..."

Yan Li's throat bobbed, and a look of astonishment flashed in his eyes. How did this guy know his identity?

But he quickly calmed down and realized that the person was bluffing him. He sneered, "What, a seventeen-year-old fourth-grade alchemist has touched a nerve with some people's pathetic pride? They actually fabricated such a despicable lie. Well, he's lived to a ripe old age and only just broke through to the fifth grade. He's really a waste."

"You want evidence?" Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow.