The square at the exit of the Dan Kingdom.
It was a relatively safe place, free from senseless slaughter. The alchemists waited silently, even Mu Gu did not dare to make unnecessary movements.
The alchemists who knew each other briefly conversed, but most closed their eyes, resting and gathering their strength.
Liu Xi did the same.
This continued throughout the night, until noon the next day, when a strange distortion suddenly occurred in the center of the square.
Then an old man appeared, wearing the robe of the alchemist Dante, leaning on a cane. His expression was calm, his face was furrowed with wrinkles and marks of time.
On his chest was a badge of bright purple and gold. Upon seeing it, the alchemists' faces changed.
For this badge represented one of the eight most powerful elders of Dante.
The old man stood motionless in the square, not saying a word or making unnecessary movements, simply saying:
"Time is up. All alchemists, hand over the herbs you have collected to me. You may now leave here and participate in the third round."
With these words, the old man casually waved his cane, and a dark crack suddenly appeared, widening until it formed a spatial passage.
At that moment, a middle-aged alchemist stood up, walked up to the old man, and handed him the recipe and herbs.
After the old man examined them and nodded, the alchemist sighed in relief and headed towards the spatial passage. The first alchemist
led, and the second and third quickly stood up, handed the old man the herbs they had collected, and after receiving his approval, headed towards the spatial passage.
Of course, among the many alchemists, some tried to take advantage of the situation by blending in with the crowd and handing the old man the herbs they had collected at random to slip through.
However, nothing could escape the old man's seemingly cloudy but actually poisonous gaze, and the result was a blow from the cane.
Under the strange gazes of the crowd, Cao Ying blushed and ran away in shame, covering her face with her hands.
Cao Ying slowly stood up, adjusted her dress, and said to Liu Xi, who was sitting next to her: "Master, it's time for us to go."
Liu Xi muttered something, then stood up, carefully brushed himself off, and headed towards the old man.
After handing the old man the herbs he had collected, he smiled. "There is no problem with the herbs, please!"
Liu Xi smiled slightly, bowed, and said, "Thank you very much," before heading toward the spatial passage.
The northern square of Shengdan City
was already full of people. The agonizing wait did not cool the people's ardent enthusiasm, but rather inflamed it.
Above the square, countless suspended platforms served as final refining platforms for the alchemists selected after the first two stages of selection.
In the center of the square was a space portal built from a massive black stone. Every now and then, figures would emerge from it. They were the alchemists who had just passed the second stage of selection.
The next moment, another figure appeared. Tall and handsome, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, it was Liu Xi.
After leaving the spatial portal, Liu Xi took a deep breath and looked around. A dense crowd filled his field of vision.
Hearing the gazes of so many people and the roaring cheers, Liu Xi felt his heartbeat quicken. He sighed:
"Really? Everyone is looking!"
When Liu Xi appeared, the figures on the other side of the square breathed a sigh of relief.
Among them were the Little Immortal Physician, Yao Tianhuo, and the others; the Master of Luo Valley, his mother and daughter, Luo Yinzhu; the Master of Tang Valley, and his father and daughter, Tang Huo'er; Lei Zunzun and his teacher and disciple, Feng Qing'er…
They were all close or familiar to Liu Xi. They had all traveled thousands of miles to support him at the alchemist conference.
Quietly, Liu Xi's presence and connections had spread throughout Zhongzhou, and he no longer felt isolated and powerless.
If Glacier Valley dared to cause trouble again, it would only take a few minutes to destroy it!
Another figure immediately appeared. She was dressed in a black dress, her figure was sculpted, with a delicate yet strikingly seductive face.
It was Cao Ying.
The crowd's cries grew louder. Although both Liu Xi and Cao Ying were favorites to win, Liu Xi was slightly stronger, but beauty always had the advantage.
The spatial passage remained open for over an hour. When alchemists stopped appearing, it gradually closed, and the dense spatial fluctuations slowly dissipated.
At this point, over a thousand alchemists still occupied the center of the square, all of them high-level alchemists of at least rank six.
These alchemists were to fight in the third round to determine the absolute champion. However, just appearing at such an event guaranteed them the status of honored guests wherever they went.
At this moment,
Xuan Kongzi stood up, sweeping his gaze over the square with authority. His old voice echoed throughout the square.
"Now, please be quiet,"
he said, and the noise in the square suddenly died down.
Seeing this, Xuan Kongzi smiled and addressed the alchemists:
"First of all, congratulations on passing the first and second rounds. You are now qualified to participate in this grand competition and fight for the absolute championship."
Hearing these words, the eyes of thousands of alchemists lit up and their faces filled with excitement. When they arrived at this arena, each of them harbored a glimmer of hope for the championship! Dreams
must come true!
Liu Xi could even smell the faint scent of gunpowder smoke floating around them. A fierce battle was about to begin, and only the strongest could claim the crown.
However, Liu Xi's lips curled into a slight smile. The best alchemists in the world had gathered here, but who could compare to him?
Seeing the atmosphere heating up, Xuan Kongzi smiled. Such a grand event could only be seen at the Alchemy Conference.
"Now, all participants, come on stage.
This is the final round, no limits. Give it your all and refine your most exquisite elixirs.
Glory will be born among you."
As soon as he finished speaking,
The alchemists who were eager to fight soared into the air almost simultaneously, rushing towards the numerous stone platforms with a huge, overwhelming force.
Nearly two thousand stone platforms, which was enough to accommodate more than a thousand people present, but with so many platforms, it was inevitable that there would be a division between good and bad.
Many alchemists fiercely fought for a single platform, creating chaos like a market.
Fortunately, Liu Xi could choose a platform with just a facial movement.
Wherever Liu Xi passed, the other alchemists silently parted to show respect for the eighth-level alchemist.
However, Liu Xi did not care too much about the situation, and randomly chose a place in the middle, where no one dared to compete with him.