Soul Emperor Martial God

The next day, accompanied by the Northern Mountain County King,

Xiao Yi went to the central square of Northern Mountain City.

The preliminary round of the Alchemy Competition would be held there.

Upon arrival, the bustling excitement and spectacular scene slightly surprised Xiao Yi.

The frenzied shouting and cheering were deafening.

The dense crowd seemed to include nearly half the population of Northern Mountain City.

Squads of elite black-armored soldiers guarded the order strictly.

Within the square, hundreds of genius Alchemists were starting their Alchemy Furnaces.

The various colored flames illuminated the square with a spectrum of overflowing light.

But it was clear they all enjoyed the feeling of being pursued by thousands.

The Northern Mountain County King, noticing Xiao Yi's expression, smiled slightly.

"How so, with your fame and alchemy skills, you should be quite accustomed to such scenes," the Northern Mountain County King said with a chuckle.

Xiao Yi smiled and remained silent.

Compared to the battles between genius Martial Artists, with their deadly clashes and exuberant True Qi, which was also thrilling,

the Alchemist, as the most precious profession on the entire continent, was shrouded in mystery in the eyes of ordinary people.

Usually, it was impossible to see them refining elixirs in public.

Not to mention that now all of them were genius Alchemists.

That was why such a competition was more captivating and attracted even more widespread attention.

Sensing the situation, the Northern Mountain County King suddenly said, "Oh, right, you are also a Demon Hunter."

"Always appearing and disappearing like a ghost, rarely showing up, and when you do, you make a notable impact."

"You must be too busy hunting demon beasts to participate in these competitions."

Xiao Yi nodded and said, "Indeed. May I know what the rules of this alchemy competition are?"

The Northern Mountain County King explained with a smile, "It's simple."

"Within the square, there are three Sixth-grade Alchemists; one is our Sub Hall Master from Northern Mountain County, and the other two are from other counties."

"They are the judges."

"The contestants merely need to refine Elixir Elixirs."

"The three judges will rank the competitors based on the level, difficulty, effects, finish, and a series of other factors of the elixirs."

"The top thirty will pass the preliminary round and enter tomorrow's finals."

Speaking, the Northern Mountain County King glanced at the Alchemists in the square, who were still earnestly refining.

"Ranking is not set in stone. If the ranking is low, one can continue refining."

"As long as by the end of today, an elixir of sufficient quality is refined, that will do."

Xiao Yi nodded, then asked, "What is Ye Ming's current ranking?"

"13," the Northern Mountain County King sighed.

"13, isn't that enough to pass the preliminaries?" Xiao Yi asked.

"What's the use of passing the preliminaries," the Northern Mountain County King said, "After the preliminaries comes the final."

"In the finals, the top 12 must be decided."

"These 12 will go to the Royal Capital and compete with the geniuses from the entire Flame Martial Kingdom."

"Originally, our Six Counties made up one competition zone. It would be best if each county had two geniuses progressing."

"But our Northern Mountain County doesn't have a single one in the top 12, which is quite infuriating."

"I see," Xiao Yi nodded.

"Alright then, Yi Xiao will now go to participate in the competition, and meet with the geniuses from other counties tomorrow."

As Xiao Yi was about to leave,

the Northern Mountain County King unexpectedly said, "What do you mean 'meet'? There are only seven left here among the current top 12."

"The first to fifth places have already left."

"Left?" Xiao Yi was startled.

"Yes, they were from the other Five Counties and have returned to their respective counties," the Northern Mountain County King said.

"Isn't the final tomorrow?" Xiao Yi asked, puzzled.

"That's correct," the Northern Mountain County King explained, "However, according to the rules, the elixirs from the preliminaries can completely be used for ranking in the finals."

"That is to say, the elixirs refined now are just as suitable for deciding rankings tomorrow."

"Such a casual rule?" Xiao Yi was startled. "Who set this rule?"

"I did," the Northern Mountain County King rolled his eyes.

"Casual? I just didn't want to make too many fancy rules. "

"With Alchemy, either you have the skills, or you don't. More rules won't make any difference."

"For the finals, the rule is that the three judges will randomly present a Low-level Sixth-grade pill recipe."

"The contestants must first refine the specified pill recipe to prove they have the standard of a Fifth-grade Alchemist before entering the top 12."

Xiao Yi nodded, "So those five just left like that, quite arrogant."

"But they have the capital to be arrogant," the Northern Mountain County King responded.

"The elixirs they refined are at least of the Mid-grade Fifth-grade, and the first place even achieved the Peak of Fifth-grade."

"They made it clear that this is the strongest elixir they can refine for now."

"Whoever can refine a better one can directly take their ranking."

"Look, they ran off immediately after refining it two days ago."

Xiao Yi suddenly smiled, "So, if I refine a high-level elixir as well, I'd be able to leave right after?"

"You could," the Northern Mountain County King said with a laugh, "provided that you are confident enough."

"That's good," Xiao Yi said with a smile, "My lord, wait for a moment, I'll be right back."

With those words, Xiao Yi's figure flashed and vanished from the spot.

"What's he doing? Stomachache?" the Northern Mountain County King asked in a dazed manner.

From a distance, upon hearing this, Xiao Yi almost stumbled and fell.

It took him about ten minutes to come back.

"Don't be nervous, just focus on your alchemy," the Northern Mountain County King comforted him, "As long as you do your best, whether or not you make it into the top twelve, I won't blame you."

"Got it," Xiao Yi nodded, offering no explanation, and made his way straight to the square.

"Greetings to the County King," said the soldiers and spectators upon seeing the Northern Mountain County King, promptly paying their respects.

"No need for formalities," the Northern Mountain County King waved his hand dismissively, his figure flashed, and he settled next to the three referees to watch the competition contentedly.

Xiao Yi casually picked a spot and began the alchemy process.

Fourth-grade Alchemy Furnace, Gold-Plated Furnace taken out.

One by one, Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures were quickly thrown into the furnace.

The surging Purple Flame burned rapidly.

"Purple Flame?" many people around instantly recognized Xiao Yi's identity.

"Brother, you can't refine elixirs like this," an Alchemist next to him cautioned.

"You haven't even preheated the furnace; throwing in the ingredients haphazardly will only waste them."

Xiao Yi turned a deaf ear.

Several minutes later, the judges' seats also began to take note of his actions.

"That kid, could he be refining..." The Sub Hall Master's face showed a hint of shock.

"Refining what?" the Northern Mountain County King pressed.

"If I'm not seeing it wrong, those are Sixth-grade Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures."

"That kid is making Sixth-grade Elixirs," the Sub Hall Master said, astonished.

"What a joke, making Sixth-grade Elixirs?"

At this moment, a skeptical snort of disbelief rang out.

A figure walked over to the judges' seats.

It was Zhou Long.

"Greetings, Master," Zhou Long bowed to one of the referees.

"Mm," the referee nodded.

This person was Zhou Long's master, a famous Alchemist from Black Jade County known as the "Smiling Saint," a Sixth-grade Intermediate Alchemist.

"Whether it's possible or not, we'll know by just watching," the Sub Hall Master said with a frown.

A few more minutes passed, and the three referees' gazes towards the distant Xiao Yi completely changed.

"He is really making a Sixth-grade Elixir, a Low-level Sixth-grade, Earth Origin Pill," said the Sub Hall Master.

Indeed, from afar, Xiao Yi was in the process of refining an Earth Origin Pill.

He had left earlier precisely to exchange for the pill recipe of the Earth Origin Pill and some Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures from the Demon Hunting Hall.

He himself did not possess a Sixth-grade pill recipe.

The materials were thrown into the furnace one by one.

Under perfect manipulation, the pill would solidify in less than ten minutes.

At this point, the judges' stand erupted into discussion again.

"How could this be?" the Smiling Saint frowned, "If I'm not mistaken, that kid's furnace is just an ordinary Fourth-grade Medicine Furnace."

Zhou Long let out a sneer, "Using a Fourth-grade Alchemy Furnace to make a Sixth-grade Elixir? Has Yi Xiao gone mad?"

"No, he's more like a bumpkin who can't afford a better furnace, no need to pretend to be something big."

Zhou Long's disdainful tone was particularly harsh.

"Shut your mouth."

This time, the speakers were the Sub Hall Master and another referee.

"Perfect, such a perfect technique," the other referee said, unable to take his eyes off Xiao Yi.

"How on earth did he do it?"

"It seems he throws the ingredients randomly, but it's actually well-ordered."

"It appears to be a Fourth-grade Alchemy Furnace, insufficient in power, but actually his Purple Flame's temperature is terrifying, fully making up for those deficiencies."

"Impressive, truly impressive," the Sub Hall Master exclaimed.

"Though the Earth Origin Pill is a Low-level Sixth-grade Elixir, even a Sixth-grade Intermediate Alchemist wouldn't dare attempt to refine it so rapidly."

"And there's also the chance of failure."

"This kid seems to have truly mastered his craft."

After a few more minutes...

A burst of dazzling light shimmered above the square.

This was a sign of a successful pill concoction.

The next second, the rich fragrance of the Elixir spread throughout the square.

A Low-level Sixth-grade Elixir, Earth Origin Pill, had been successfully made.

The three referees had even walked up to Xiao Yi, eagerly inspecting the Elixir.

"The fragrance is so rich, it must be the Earth Origin Pill indeed."

"The color is rounded, and the exterior is clear; it's of the Perfect Level."

...

...

First update.