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**
At the same time, the endless sea of people around the square erupted into an earth-shaking cheer. Countless burning gazes were instantly fixed upon the massive spatial gate suspended in the air. Under the attention of all, the dark gate's spatial fluctuations grew increasingly violent.
Moments later, countless figures of contestants finally began to emerge slowly, like waves spilling out from the void. One after another, they lightly landed upon the ground of the vast square amid a thunderous roar of excitement.
As more and more contestants walked out from within the spatial gate, the cheering only became more intense, shaking the enormous plaza ever so slightly under the terrifying sound waves.
Especially when Dan Chen, Cao Ying, and the other three women—each of them breathtakingly beautiful—stepped out gracefully and were bathed in the warm sunlight, the cheers in the crowd instantly reached their peak.
After all, the name of Cao Ying, the enchantress of the Cao Clan, had long been renowned throughout the Central Plains. Everyone present knew that she and Dan Chen would be the two strongest contenders for the championship of this Pill Gathering.
Lin Feng, upon witnessing the scene, couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth. Although he didn't care much for such fanfare, was there seriously not a single person who noticed him—a genuine eighth-tier alchemist?
While the cheers continued to shake the heavens, on the spectator stands nearby, Ye Zhong finally loosened his tightly clenched fists in relief upon seeing Ye Xin Lan emerge safely from the gate.
"Phew~"
Following another spatial ripple from the black gate, Xiao Yan's figure suddenly shot out, appearing before everyone's eyes.
However, the previously jubilant scene immediately quieted down by more than half at his appearance. Dozens of gazes, filled with varying emotions, simultaneously turned toward Xiao Yan.
"Hm?"
Noticing the sudden shift in the crowd's mood, Xiao Yan frowned. A bad premonition crept into his heart.
"Rumble~"
Just as confusion filled his mind, the spatial gate that had been open for quite some time finally began to close.
The distorted waves of space slowly dissipated. Before long, the dark gate once again fell silent. At that very moment, on the highest viewing platform in the plaza, an elderly man with a long beard hanging down to his chest stood motionless, his face dark and unreadable.
When he saw the gate completely close without the appearance of the familiar figure he was expecting, his hand suddenly clenched the railing before him.
"Crack!"
With a loud snap, the supposedly indestructible railing—capable of withstanding attacks from even a peak Dou Zun—was crushed into pieces in less than two seconds.
"Xiao Yan! You insolent wretch! You dared to harm my disciple within Holy Pill City—today, I will see you pay in blood!"
The long-bearded elder's voice trembled with grief and fury. His eyes burned with killing intent as he stared at Xiao Yan below, his heart twisting in pain upon realizing that his proud disciple, Song Qing, had not returned from the Pill Realm.
That unrestrained killing intent naturally did not escape Xiao Yan's perception. However, when he looked up at the furious elder glaring at him from the high platform, Xiao Yan was utterly baffled.
"What's going on? Why is that old man looking at me like that? And why does everyone else suddenly look so strange?" he muttered inwardly.
At this moment, Xiao Yan had no idea that those cowardly alchemists who fled earlier—unwilling to be labeled as craven—had collectively twisted the story.
They claimed that Xiao Yan, holding a grudge against the Pill Tower for expelling him, had attacked them inside the Pill Realm to take revenge.
"So that's the guy who slaughtered a bunch of Pill Tower disciples inside the Pill Realm?"
"To attack Pill Tower's people right on their own turf… he's got some guts!"
"He already offended the Soul Hall before, and now he's completely offended the Pill Tower. Looks like this guy's done for!"
"..."
The voices in the crowd weren't loud, but with his soul power already at the Spirit Realm, Xiao Yan could hear every word clearly.
A vein twitched at his temple. "I killed Pill Tower disciples? That's nonsense! They're framing me! Why would I come to Holy Pill City for the Pill Gathering just to kill disciples of the Pill Tower—?"
Before he could finish his muttering, his voice faltered.
In that instant, realization struck him like lightning. During the events inside the Pill Realm, when he was being manipulated by Old Mu Gu, he had indeed killed over a dozen Pill Tower disciples!
Now that so many people knew about it, Xiao Yan's expression instantly darkened.
"Heh, looks like he's finally scared. What did he expect? The Pill Tower won't just let it slide after losing so many disciples."
As the center of attention, every change in Xiao Yan's expression was immediately noticed by the crowd, many of whom looked on with gloating amusement.
"Damn it, this has already spread everywhere. This is bad!"
Thinking of the possible consequences, cold dread surged through Xiao Yan, and his scalp tingled.
Even the Three Leaders of the Pill Tower might not be able to protect him this time. After all, he was no longer a minor disciple of the Pill Tower—and he had killed so many of their members.
If those three still dared to defend him now, they would probably lose their positions altogether.
"What should I do? After the Pill Gathering ends, how am I supposed to walk out of Holy Pill City alive?"
Having spent several years within the Pill Tower, Xiao Yan naturally knew its terrifying influence.
As he thought of those many powerful experts, a few drops of cold sweat rolled down his forehead. He knew that even though the higher-ups of the Pill Tower had no concrete evidence—Old Mu Gu himself had none—the truth mattered little.
Those who had lost their disciples or family members would not care for explanations. After all, those chosen to participate in the Pill Gathering were the brightest geniuses of their families or sects.
Now that they were dead, it wasn't hard to imagine how furious their elders would be.
"Yo~ I didn't expect to get such good news the moment we returned from the Pill Realm."
After piecing together the situation, Lin Feng couldn't help but laugh in delight.
"What are you doing? This is a public place!"
Seeing his pleased expression, Cao Ying quickly pinched his waist, warning him in a low voice.
"Brother Lin Feng, don't draw too much attention."
Seeing his overly happy expression, Dan Chen hurriedly reached out her delicate jade hand and tugged gently on Lin Feng's sleeve.
"Ahem, I'll be careful. But hey, you're a girl—don't just go around hurting people's kidneys for no reason."
After receiving the warnings from both women, Lin Feng coughed twice and quickly forced down the grin that nearly stretched to his ears.
As he spoke, he caught Cao Ying's soft, fair hand—the very hand that had been attacking his waist—and moved it away. After all, that part of his body was directly related to the lifelong happiness of his future wives; he couldn't afford to joke around with it.
Cao Ying, however, froze in place, her bright eyes widening slightly as she stared at her delicate hand clasped in his. After growing up, this was the first time she had ever been held so intimately by a man of her generation.
As for Dan Chen, the moment she saw this scene, she didn't even give Xiao Yixian or Ye Xin Lan a chance to react before swiftly reaching out and calmly pulling their hands apart.
Being pulled apart like that snapped Cao Ying back to her senses, and her pretty face flushed red as she quickly turned around, clearly overwhelmed with embarrassment.
Dan Chen glanced at her, quietly pouting her rosy lips for an instant, then turned back toward Lin Feng with a faint smile and said softly, "Lin Feng, President Xuan Kongzi and the others are watching you."
Hearing that, Lin Feng indeed reacted as she expected—momentarily forgetting the awkward scene. He lifted his head and scanned the crowd until his gaze finally paused on the highest seating area of the plaza.
There sat two men and one woman—figures Lin Feng had seen before.
At this moment, an oppressive and vast aura radiated from them, causing even Lin Feng to feel a faint sense of pressure.
"The Pill Tower Three Leaders, huh… tch."
Lin Feng's gaze swept coldly over the three figures, and he snorted inwardly.
These three had once chosen to side with Xiao Yan, even plotting to have him killed. Once he grew stronger in the future, he would definitely not let these bastards off easily.
He cursed inwardly, but on his face, there wasn't the slightest flicker of emotion.
"This brat truly lives up to being a genius who clawed his way up from the bottom," Tian Leizi said in a low, solemn tone as he watched Lin Feng's calm expression below. "Compared to those arrogant Pill Tower disciples who can't even hide their emotions, his composure is on an entirely different level."
With Lin Feng's current talent, the three of them had no choice but to treat him cautiously.
"It's fine," Xuan Kongzi replied lightly. "I've already sent someone to the Flower Sect. I'm certain that Qing Xianzi will lend us her aid to eliminate Lin Feng. No matter how gifted he is, before absolute strength, he'll die all the same."
Hearing the faint concern in Tian Leizi's tone, Xuan Kongzi's voice carried a quiet reassurance.
"That's right," Xuan Yi—the woman in the crimson cheongsam—added with a sneer.
"That woman may be detestable, but in terms of Dou Qi cultivation, even I fall slightly short of her. If not for my status as a nine-colored eighth-tier alchemist, I might not even be able to compare with that vixen."
"Besides, even if that vixen doesn't make a move personally, the number of Dou Zun experts the Flower Sect can mobilize is no small figure.
Add to that the Dou Zun-level powerhouses we can summon without alerting others... With so many experts working together, I refuse to believe that brat can survive."
Her words carried cold confidence, and her tone was dripping with venom.
"You two make a fair point," Tian Leizi said after a pause.
The tension in his heart finally eased, and a faint smile appeared on his face. However, his brows soon furrowed again as his eyes discreetly swept toward a group not far away—more than a dozen Pill Tower powerhouses whose faces were filled with rage.
Were it not for their last shred of reason, knowing they couldn't disrupt the Pill Gathering, they might have already rushed forward to kill Xiao Yan on the spot.
"What about those people? How are we going to deal with them?" Tian Leizi asked quietly, signaling subtly with his gaze.
At his words, both Xuan Kongzi and Xuan Yi's eyes flicked over to the furious Pill Tower experts. Their brows furrowed tightly, just as his had.
"Now that Xiao Yan is no longer a Pill Tower disciple, even if we wanted to speak on his behalf, we can't. It's... troublesome," Xuan Kongzi said after a short silence, shaking his head helplessly.
As for Xuan Yi, she placed her hands beneath her ample chest, her expression equally grim.
"Sigh~"
She let out a soft sigh, then clenched her delicate fists. "I don't believe Xiao Yan would act so recklessly. Those Pill Tower disciples who escaped must be hiding the truth."
"I know that," Xuan Kongzi replied with a bitter smile.
"But those disciples described every detail—their battle, Xiao Yan's techniques, even his trump cards—so precisely that no one can find a flaw.
I also believe Xiao Yan isn't that impulsive, but judging by the evidence, the two sides did fight to the death. Like you said, they've clearly hidden key details... but the problem is everyone else believes them!"
Helplessness colored his voice.
"Forget it. Enough of that. It's about time. Let's begin."
After thinking for a while and finding no solution, Xuan Yi could only focus on the immediate matter at hand.
"You're right. The Pill Gathering takes priority," Xuan Kongzi nodded. With that, he swept his gaze across the vast crowd.
"Ahem~"
His soft cough reverberated clearly in the ears of everyone present, drawing all eyes toward him. When the attention of the thousands of contestants below gathered on him, Xuan Kongzi spoke in a calm, resonant tone:
"First of all, congratulations to all of you who stand here today. You have passed the extremely harsh second round of selection."
Then, his tone suddenly shifted, "However, you should also know that the next and final test will be the most important stage of the Pill Gathering. The one who remains standing at the end of this round will become the champion of this year's Pill Gathering!"
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!"
Xuan Kongzi's short speech was like a spark thrown into a pile of explosives, igniting the excitement of thousands of contestants within the plaza.
At this very moment, the grandest event in the alchemy world was about to reach its ultimate climax!
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