The inner tower is located on the upper level of the Pill Tower in Dading City, with the central hall of the Pill Tower below it.
On several exquisitely carved armchairs, some martial artists with extremely powerful auras were seated.
"I didn't expect Miss Lingyan to come in person. I wonder how your master is doing lately?"
A middle-aged man dressed in a dragon robe picked up a teacup and looked at Luo Lingyan, who was wearing a thin veil, with a smile on his face. His somewhat powerful voice echoed throughout the inner tower.
"My master is well, thank you for your concern, Prince Ding."
Luo Lingyan did not move, but smiled slightly, showing great politeness to the middle-aged man in front of her.
The middle-aged man in the dragon robe was none other than Ding Dan, the king of the Ding Dynasty. He was already sixty years old, but his appearance was no different from that of someone in his thirties. His strength at the Core Formation Realm also made him the strongest person in the entire Ding Dynasty.
"I've heard that Lingyan has achieved great things at a young age. I have several sons who are of marriageable age. I'll introduce them to you another day, since young people have common topics to discuss."
Ding Dan spoke to Luo Lingyan very politely, seemingly because of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion behind her.
As one of the four major powers in the Eastern Wilderness, Baihua Pavilion is rooted in the Ding Dynasty. Although it never interferes in worldly affairs, it has maintained a good relationship with the Hundred Flowers Pavilion through the rise and fall of countless dynasties.
"Thank you for your kindness, King Ding."
After uttering a few simple words, Luo Lingyan turned her gaze to the central hall below.
"That……".
Although Ding Dan sensed that Luo Lingyan was not interested, he did not want to give up. He was interrupted by Liu Jue, the tower master of the Pill Tower, who said, "King Ding, the competition has already started. I will go down and preside over it."
After Liu Jue finished speaking, he turned and left his seat, leaping lightly down from the inner tower and slowly standing in the central hall.
Ding Dan was suddenly interrupted. Although he looked somewhat displeased, he didn't say anything to Liu Jue and instead focused his gaze on the central hall.
The patriarchs of the other four major families also knew that there was no place for them to speak here, so they all focused their attention on their respective families' contestants.
"cough……!"
After landing, Liu Jue coughed lightly and calmly surveyed the entire arena. The noisy sounds immediately quieted down, and his aged yet gentle voice resonated in everyone's ears: "Everyone, the rules of the Alchemy Competition are very simple. You are free to refine your own pills. The one with the higher grade and better quality will be the champion of this competition."
"I won't go into the champion's reward, but anyone who makes it into the top ten will receive a Five Elements Condensing True Pill and the pill formula."
"The top three will receive Fuling Qingdan and the formula!"
Before Liu Jue could finish speaking, the entire central hall erupted in chaos.
"A high-grade sixth-rank elixir! Fuling Qingdan!"
"This time, the Great Cauldron City Pill Tower has brought out all its most treasured possessions!"
Upon hearing this, Qin Xin's face lit up with joy. He already had the recipe for the Five Elements Condensing True Pill and didn't need it now. However, this sixth-grade high-level pill, the Poria Green Pill, would be of great use to him. Although he didn't know the specific effects of the pill, he knew that Zhan Sheng's injuries could be healed quickly under its influence, and he wanted to try it on his third grandfather, Qin Lin.
"So, let's give it our all today!"
Liu Jue's aged yet calm tone completely blocked out the noise in the room, and once again entered everyone's ears. Then, he waved his hand lightly, and orange flames were injected into a vessel in the center of the hall. In an instant, the array in the entire central hall was activated, slowly covering every refined iron furnace.
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
The excited shouts almost overturned the entire Dan Tower.
Qin Xin rubbed his ears, which were ringing from the shock, and looked at Ding Sheng not far away and Ding Sen behind him with a strange smile. He murmured softly, "It seems that this time we have to fight hard!"
Amidst excited shouts, some of the alchemists who had passed the test had already gathered before the refined iron furnace.
Qin Xin casually found a fine iron alchemy furnace and sat down cross-legged. Only then did he realize that the array activated by Liu Jue seemed to have the function of protecting alchemists from disturbance. As soon as he stepped into the area where the fine iron alchemy furnace was located, he could clearly feel the flow of somewhat hot spiritual energy around him.
Qin Xin was slightly amazed by this method, so he immediately calmed his mind and prepared to refine the Yellow Dragon Profound True Pill.
"Alas, I wonder if this Yellow Dragon Profound True Pill is good enough..."
With a soft sigh, Qin Xin looked up and glanced around. He noticed that many contestants had their iron furnaces burning brightly with true fire, and that spiritual herbs had been taken out and placed in front of them.
"Purple flames! What kind of flames are these?"
Just as Qin Xin was about to begin circulating his true energy to start a fire in the refined iron furnace in front of him, a surprised clamor suddenly arose around the central hall.
Looking up in confusion, Qin Xin was stunned by what he saw near the center of the hall. A pale purple flame was rising from the palm of the surging hand, and strangely, black light, like lightning, was emanating from it, making it look quite peculiar.
"This flame is rather peculiar." Staring at the purple flame in astonishment, Qin Xin was somewhat curious.
~~~~~~
"I didn't expect the eldest prince to actually refine this Heavenly Thunderwood Flame. It seems he was holding back during the test!"
After announcing the start, Liu Jue returned to the inner tower. Looking at the flames rising from Ding Sheng's hand in the arena, he glanced at Ding Dan with some surprise and said softly.
Ding Dan looked at his son in the arena with a hint of pride on his face. He deliberately glanced at Luo Lingyan, as if trying to attract her attention, and said, "It's just a acquired fire. It's a pity we can't find a different kind of fire."
The Heavenly Thunder Wood Flame in Ding Sheng's hands is different from beast fire, but it belongs to the category of acquired fire. This is because the flame is produced after lightning strikes a tree. After a period of nurturing, alchemists can subdue it and turn it into a fire seed for their use.
"Huh? Who is this kid? He actually has red flames!"
Just as Ding Dan's voice fell, an old man with a sword-like eyebrow, exuding a chilling aura, exclaimed in surprise.
"It's neither a fire acquired later in life, nor some strange fire; it must be due to the cultivation technique!"
Upon hearing the old man's voice, Liu Jue immediately looked over, but then shook his head and said, "If I remember correctly, this young man is the son-in-law of the Zhan clan, right?"
After Liu Jue spoke, all eyes in the inner tower turned to Zhan Sheng.
"No wonder the Zhan clan was unwilling to form a marriage alliance with the royal family; it seems they've found a promising young man," the old man with the sword-like eyebrows said leisurely.
"Jiang Bairong, what's there to be so sour about?" Zhan Sheng looked at the old man, shrugged, and replied to the old man with sword-like eyebrows.
"Oh, I almost forgot, if the Zhan Clan still fails to make it into the top four this time, they will lose their elder positions in the Pill Tower, right?"
Ding Dan raised an eyebrow, glanced at Zhan Sheng, and said with a smile in his eyes.
"yes!"
The other three clan leaders all replied respectfully.
Zhan Sheng faced Ding Dan with a blank expression, seemingly harboring many grievances against the person before him, but for various reasons, he had not yet expressed them.
However, no one noticed that when Luo Lingyan turned her gaze to the man who was conjuring red flames, her delicate body trembled slightly, and the expression on her face beneath the veil was unknown.
A soft murmur escaped his lips, "Are you the son-in-law of the Zhan clan?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com