Chapter 311: Xiao Yan: A Bunch of Weaklings and Fools!
"Senior, why would you say that?" Lu Bu replied with a humble smile. "I am but an ordinary alchemist."
"Hehe… You young rascal," the elder on the turtle chuckled softly, saying no more. In his lifetime, he had seen all kinds of people those with limited talent striving forward with great effort, and prodigies who became arrogant in their youth.
Take Song Qing, for example. His talent was indeed remarkable an alchemist at the peak of the seventh tier, with a soul that had already begun to touch the Spirit Realm. Advancing to the eighth tier was only a matter of time. But his temperament… truly left much to be desired.
As for Cao Ying, while she wasn't as arrogant or narrow minded as Song Qing, she had a playful, carefree attitude toward life, lacking the reverence necessary for someone in her position.
Only Dan Chen showed promise, but her soft and timid nature made her ill suited to take charge.
Among the younger generation of the Pill Tower, each of these three had their flaws. Lu Bu, on the other hand, seemed different.
At such a young age, he had achieved impressive accomplishments yet remained grounded, composed, and neither overbearing nor servile. Furthermore, he was equally adept in both combat and alchemy. Not only did he outshine the likes of Song Qing and Cao Ying, but even the elder himself, in his youth, could not compare in temperament.
"Take care of the threats outside the Celestial Realm, and I'll leave the safety of those kids inside to you," the elder said.
"It's my duty, Senior," Lu Bu replied with a respectful bow and a smile. "I'll head in now."
"Go on…"
On the eastern side of the competition grounds, as Xiao Yan approached a patch of dark gray, distorted space, the alchemist badge on his chest suddenly emitted a strange fluctuation. The ripple spread across his body, and before Xiao Yan could react, the distorted space erupted with suction power, pulling him inside.
When he came to his senses, he found himself surrounded by a gray mist. The air was heavy with distortion, and the swirling fog blurred his vision, making it impossible to discern direction.
"So this is the Soul Illusion Trial of the first round?" Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow in curiosity. He had already prepared himself after reviewing detailed information about the competition's stages, courtesy of the Starfallen Pavilion's intelligence network.
With that preparation, Xiao Yan closed his eyes and let his soul power seep out. Moments later, he sensed a path forward.
"The Pill Gathering… is nothing extraordinary," Xiao Yan sneered, his figure flickering as he sped off.
The illusion formation before him, though impressive, was ultimately a man made array that twisted space. It was no match for the natural formations he had encountered at Tianmu Mountain, which were far stronger and more intricate.
With a faint flash of silver beneath his feet, Xiao Yan darted forward at lightning speed, leaving only afterimages in the mist.
Tap!
Suddenly, Xiao Yan came to an abrupt halt. He felt a strange presence ahead and turned his gaze forward. Through the gray mist, a familiar figure emerged.
"Lu Bu?" Xiao Yan blinked in surprise, then frowned in confusion. "Weren't you not participating in the Pill Gathering?"
"Hehehe… Not participating doesn't mean I won't show up," the figure sneered. The familiar, handsome yet punchable face of Lu Bu twisted into a sinister and venomous expression. "Xiao Yan, take a look at what I've brought for you!"
With a wave of his hand, black mist erupted, carrying with it the sound of mournful wails. The mist formed a cage, and within it was a shriveled, transparent soul, its hair disheveled.
"Teacher!?" Xiao Yan's pupils shrank, and he gasped in shock.
"Hehehe… That's right. I betrayed all of you! I'm a spy for the Hall of Souls! Hahaha…" The figure of Lu Bu threw his head back and laughed maniacally, his sharp cackling sending chills down anyone's spine.
At first, Xiao Yan's face darkened, but then he froze. Slowly, his expression shifted to one of disbelief. Then, as if watching a clown, he looked at the figure before him.
"You're a spy for the Hall of Souls?"
"Of course! Why wouldn't I be?" 'Lu Bu' cackled.
"But you could just crush me with one hand. Why bother being a spy?" Xiao Yan scratched his head, genuinely puzzled.
'Lu Bu': "…"
Right. Why indeed?
Boom!
With a wave of his sleeve, Xiao Yan unleashed a blast of energy that struck the figure. It shattered into gray mist, dissolving along with the image of Yao Chen. Behind them, the distorted space revealed faint black wisps of energy.
"What a dumb illusion…" Xiao Yan muttered, shaking his head in disdain. Lu Bu would never be that stupid. If he were, Xiao Yan would almost wish it were true it would make his life much easier. Unfortunately, the real Lu Bu was a cunning schemer, capable of outwitting even Xiao Yan's teacher, Yao Chen.
Still, why was Lu Bu the first person to appear in this illusion?
Frowning, Xiao Yan pondered for a moment. Shouldn't it have been Xun'er, Yao Chen, or even his father or elder brothers?
Why was Lu Bu the first?
"Must be a broken illusion," Xiao Yan muttered, brushing it off. "Who in their right mind would seek him out?"
With that, he extended his soul power once more and darted forward. Along the way, the illusions shifted Xun'er, Nalan Yanran, Yao Chen, Xiao Zhan, Xiao Ding, and Xiao Li all appeared one after another. Xiao Yan ignored them all, vanishing in a series of flashes.
Soon, the gray mist thinned, revealing a wide clearing.
In the clearing, several figures had already gathered men and women, young and old, scattered in small groups or standing alone.
As Xiao Yan stepped out of the mist, all eyes immediately turned to him, their gazes filled with suspicion.
The warning about Hall of Souls spies hadn't been forgotten. With the competition already tense, the knowledge that one of them could be a spy only heightened everyone's vigilance.
Xiao Yan glanced around, noting the absence of Lu Bu among the crowd. He exhaled softly, a faint smile curling his lips as a flicker of disdain flashed in his eyes.
"A bunch of weaklings and fools, barely worth mentioning," he thought. "I, Xiao Yan, could crush them all with a flick of my wrist."
In one corner of the clearing, Cao Ying noticed Xiao Yan but quickly averted her gaze. Under normal circumstances, she might have considered forming an alliance, but given the current situation, it wasn't worth the risk.
Nearby, Song Qing fidgeted nervously, occasionally stealing glances at Cao Ying. He wanted to approach her, but the two stocky women standing guard at her side made him hesitate. They looked like bodyguards, and judging by their expressions, they wouldn't hesitate to break his bones if he made a move.
Indeed, the two women were Cao Ying's bodyguards high level Dou Zongs and sixth tier alchemists, also participating in the competition. However, their primary task was to ensure Cao Ying's safety, not to compete for the championship.
This was common practice. With the dangers of the Celestial Realm, many factions sent protectors to safeguard their younger generation, especially given the presence of Hall of Souls spies among the contestants.
It was almost ridiculous that Cao Ying didn't have protection in the original story. After all, even Mu Gu, a high ranking member of the Hall of Souls, had openly appeared in Holy Pill City and even clashed with Xiao Yan.
Even that trash Chen Xian from the Xuanming Sect had a Dou Zong protector, yet Cao Ying, a delicate young woman, had no one, and nearly perished at the hands of Mu Gu.
Time passed, and fewer people emerged from the Soul Illusion Trial.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the elder riding the turtle at the twisted spatial black hole coughed lightly. "Alright, everyone, the time has come. It's time to prepare to enter the Celestial Realm…"
Xiao Yan's spirit lifted. Finally, it was about to begin!
In the Celestial Realm, beneath a vast and gray sky, Lu Bu's eyes narrowed slightly as his immense soul power surged from the center of his brow.
Between heaven and earth, violent storms of soul power howled and rumbled, as if threatening to split the skies apart.
After a while, the storm began to subside. At the eye of the storm, Lu Bu let out a helpless sigh. "As expected, I'm not the protagonist. No protagonist's aura for me…"
He had spent so much effort and unleashed his full soul power, yet he couldn't find the Heart Soul Marrow he was looking for. He had planned to intercept Xiao Yan before the latter could get it, but the result? He couldn't intercept anything at all. Truly infuriating!
"Forget it. There's no point in continuing. It's getting late anyway, and the contestants should be arriving soon…" Lu Bu muttered, shaking his sleeves as he slowly retracted his soul power.
Raising his hand, a dark golden dragon mark began to glow faintly. Narrowing his eyes, Lu Bu's consciousness sank into the mark. Moments later, his figure blurred, and a golden light burst forth from his body.
After a moment, the Lu Bu left standing there began to dissipate in the wind it was nothing more than a lifelike remnant image. His real body had vanished without a trace.
The Myriad Medicine Mountain Range
Located in the center of the Celestial Realm, this towering mountain range was teeming with energy. The entire mountain was covered with lush, verdant forests, and the fragrant aroma of medicinal herbs wafted through the air, clean and refreshing.
Suddenly, a faint purple light shimmered in the sky as a petite figure stepped out.
"Ah… What a nice smell. This must be the place!" Zhu Yan wrinkled her little nose, her delicate, doll like face lighting up with satisfaction.
She had wandered through countless places and finally found the Celestial Realm created by the Pill Tower. Lu Bu was outside in Holy Pill City. Once she collected some goodies here for her elder sisters, she would go meet up with them and Lu Bu.
"Who dares trespass on my Myriad Medicine Mountain Range!?"
A deafening roar suddenly erupted, accompanied by a surge of ferocious and violent energy that shot into the sky.
In an instant, countless magical beasts across the mountain range whimpered and dropped to the ground, trembling under the oppressive aura, unable to even lift their heads.
The next moment, a burly, shirtless man with a savage expression appeared in the sky. He carried a dirt yellow wooden club in one hand, occasionally gnawing on it as if it were a snack.
However, when his gaze fell on Zhu Yan, he froze. A little girl?
No, that's not right!
This is the Celestial Realm, only alchemists high level ones, at that can enter. How could there be a little girl here?
His yellow eyes narrowed as a thought struck him. Something was off!
"What are you yelling for?" Zhu Yan covered her ears, frowning in irritation.
"Who… Who are you?" Xiong Zhan's expression shifted. Despite the soft and innocent voice, which carried no power or threat, he felt an overwhelming sense of pressure emanating from her.
"Hmph! Lead the way and bring me some good food!" Zhu Yan crossed her arms and tilted her chin upward. She had received intel from her clan before arriving this Dragon Bear could be put to use.
"How dare you…" Xiong Zhan roared, his fury erupting.
But before he could finish, Zhu Yan's large, watery eyes flashed with purple gold light, and an extraordinary aura radiated from her petite form.
Xiong Zhan felt an invisible weight press down on him, as if a towering mountain had pinned him in place. Even his very soul seemed to tremble. "You… Who are you!?"
Impossible! I'm a descendant of the ancient Dragon Bear clan! Other than the Taixu Ancient Dragon, no magical beast can suppress me not even those feathered freaks, the Sky Demon Phoenixes!
"Stop babbling. Hurry up! Once I've had my fill, maybe I'll take you out of this place," Zhu Yan pouted.
Hearing this, Xiong Zhan's eyes immediately lit up. The shock and displeasure in his heart vanished instantly, replaced by a fawning grin. "Of course, of course! My lady, please follow me. I'll bring you the best herbs the Myriad Medicine Mountain Range has to offer!"
Anyone who can suppress my bloodline and traverse the void like this must be a Taixu Ancient Dragon! A benefactor!
Xiong Zhan's mind raced. He didn't care much about forging ties with the Ancient Dragon clan, but he was very interested in leaving the Celestial Realm. Having been trapped here for so long, he was utterly sick of it!
"Hmph, that's more like it!" Zhu Yan clasped her hands behind her back and raised her little head, nodding in satisfaction.
"You little rascal, so you really were here…"
At that moment, a gentle voice echoed behind her.
The space behind Zhu Yan rippled like a curtain being pulled aside, and Lu Bu, clad in a black alchemist's robe, stepped out.
"My lady, be careful! There's an enemy!"
Xiong Zhan's face darkened as his imposing aura flared up once more. An alchemist!?
The ones who trapped him in this place were alchemists!
To appear so silently and manipulate space to such a degree, this alchemist was no ordinary foe!
"Roar!" Without hesitation, Xiong Zhan let out a deafening roar and clenched his right fist. Earth yellow energy surged violently as he launched a punch straight at Lu Bu's head.
Boom!
Though the punch hadn't yet landed, the howling wind from the strike distorted the surrounding space, forming a massive imprint of energy that barreled toward Lu Bu.
"Stop, you idiot!" Zhu Yan shouted in anger, her violet gold aura erupting like a tidal wave. Her ponytail unfurled behind her, glowing with radiant light.
However, she was just a moment too late. Xiong Zhan's fist, brimming with overwhelming force, was already inches from Lu Bu's face.
Smack!
With a casual lift of his arm, Lu Bu stopped the attack in its tracks. Tiny, dark golden scales shimmered faintly beneath his skin.
"What the…?" Xiong Zhan froze, his mind reeling. Someone had just blocked his punch?
"Your cultivation is decent, but your strength… a bit lacking," Lu Bu said with a faint smile, his fingers tightening slightly.
"Ahhh, it hurts! Let go! You're going to break it!" Xiong Zhan cried out in pain as a sharp, bone deep ache radiated from his wrist.
Before he could finish his plea, a small foot glowing with purple gold light suddenly struck his chin.
Boom!
Xiong Zhan let out a pitiful wail as he tumbled down, crashing into the dense forest below.
"Lu Bu, are you okay?" Zhu Yan's worried expression softened as she rushed to him, her small hands patting him all over to check for injuries.
Lu Bu's face darkened. Was she actually checking for injuries or just taking advantage of him?
Below, Xiong Zhan clutched his jaw, his face full of tears. "My lady… why are you asking if he's okay? I'm the one who got hurt!"
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