Bab 300: Chapter 299: The Competition Begins
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, the day of the competition had arrived.
Ye Zhong anxiously waited in the hall where he had previously met with Xiao Ming, occasionally glancing outside with a nervous expression.
After a while, a young man dressed in white walked in from the entrance. His face was handsome, and a gentle smile hung from the corners of his mouth. His long black hair fell down his shoulders, adding a touch of elegance to his appearance. It was, of course, Xiao Ming.
Seeing Xiao Ming, the nervousness on Ye Zhong's face dissipated and was replaced by a bright smile. "Master Xiao Ming, you're finally here."
"Sorry, I was busy with alchemy, and it took some time to recover my energy. I hope I didn't make you wait too long," Xiao Ming replied apologetically.
"No worries, restoring your energy is of utmost importance, and it's natural to take some time. Today is the day of the competition. Let's set off. There are some things we need to discuss on the way," Ye Zhong replied.
As guarantors for Xiao Ming's participation in the competition, someone from the Ye Clan had to be present.
"Alright, then I'll trouble Elder Ye Zhong to lead the way."
Walking on the road, Xiao Ming and Ye Zhong attracted a lot of attention. Especially Xiao Ming, who was young and already had a high-grade seventh-tier alchemist badge on his chest, which made many people speculate about his identity.
Numerous women couldn't help but cast admiring glances at Xiao Ming's chiseled features and strikingly handsome profile, secretly sending flirtatious messages with their eyes.
Yet, to their disappointment, Xiao Ming remained aloof, unfazed by their attention. Despite knowing that he could easily indulge in pleasure with a mere gesture, he showed no interest in them.
Noticing the attention from around them, Ye Zhong smiled lightly and stole a glance at Xiao Ming's composed expression. He couldn't help but think that Xiao Ming was the most exceptional person he had ever encountered, both in talent and temperament.
Xiao Ming's ability to maintain a calm attitude was truly commendable.
After silently praising him, Ye Zhong spoke up, "We have found the Thousand Year Old Green Spiritual Vine, Blood Essence Demon Fruit, and Snow Bone Ginseng that you entrusted us to find, and we have already exchanged them for you in the Pill Tower. They are in this red storage ring." He handed a dark red storage ring to Xiao Ming as he spoke.
Xiao Ming accepted the ring and infused his soul power into it. Looking at the herbs inside, he nodded in approval. The herbs were indeed what he needed, and there wasn't just one of each but two.
These herbs were not cheap, and the declining Ye Clan had to have exerted a lot of effort to obtain them from the Pill Tower.
Seeing Xiao Ming's contentment, Ye Zhong's smile grew even wider. It was worth all the effort and connections he had spent to build a good relationship with Xiao Ming.
"In addition to the herbs Master Xiao Ming requested, there is also a reward to help us the next time the Ye Clan needs your assistance," Ye Zhong said.
Xiao Ming put the storage ring away and nodded slightly. He had seen the reward inside, which was three eighth-tier pill recipes. The Ye Clan had paid a high price for these, and their willingness to do so was clearly to gain his favor.
Xiao Ming didn't refuse either, after all, he wasn't suffering a loss, was he?
...
The venue for the selection of the Eight Great Elders Candidate was located in a dedicated hall in the inner area of the Holy Pill City. This was the exclusive location for the selection of the Elders throughout history, established by the Pill Tower, which showed the importance the Pill Tower placed on these Eight Great Elders.
This competition was not held in secret but had a semi-public nature. Some qualified forces within the Pill Region would rush to this place when the competition began.
The Eight Great Elders could be said to be the true high-level figures of the Pill Tower. As long as one attached oneself to them, the benefits were definitely not small.
Even if one could not form a relationship, the process of a high-tier alchemist's pill refining was not often seen.
This competition was mainly composed of high-grade seventh-tier alchemists, which was also a good opportunity for younger generations to gain experience.
When Xiao Ming followed Ye Zhong to the competition hall, which occupied a vast area and looked extremely magnificent, he found that there were already many people present.
"There are quite a few people here..." Xiao Ming looked at the crowd and felt a little speechless towards the simulator.
In theory, this competition was not a small matter, but it was not mentioned in the simulator. It could have been mentioned, but because there was no important information, Xiao Ming could have ignored it directly
It was also possible that after Xiao Ming had arrived in Holy Pill City in the simulator, he became addicted to refining pills and did not hear the news about the Core Soul Marrow, so he did not participate, and as a result, it was not mentioned.
Or perhaps the simulator simply didn't mention it.
Fortunately, the simulator was sometimes reliable and sometimes not, and Xiao Ming had already gotten used to it, so he didn't dwell on it too much.
"Don't be fooled by the number of people here. In fact, these people are only here to watch the fun from other places. The real participants are inside and will not exceed thirty people," Ye Zhong said, leading the way towards the entrance of the hall. Xiao Ming followed him two steps behind. Because Ye Zhong walked first, they were two steps apart.
Suddenly, Ye Zhong and Xiao Ming, who walked out of the crowd, naturally quickly attracted the attention of the surrounding people. Soon, the crowd's gazes shot towards them.
When they saw the clan emblem on Ye Zhong's chest, whispers broke out outside the hall.
"Quick, look! It's someone from the Ye Clan."
"Hehe, the Ye Clan is declining year by year and has the tendency to fall out of the Five Great Clans. Do they also want to vie for the position of the Eight Great Elders to maintain their family's status? That's too wishful thinking."
"Sigh. Yeah, the Ye Clan was so prestigious back then. Among the Five Great Clans, only the Dan Clan could compete with them. If it were the Ye Clan of that time, it might be possible, but now, it's doubtful..."
"That old man is Ye Zhong, the First Elder of the Ye Clan. Although he is also a high-grade seventh-tier Alchemist, it will be difficult for him to successfully compete for the candidate position of the Eight Great Elders. Moreover, he is not young, so the chance of breaking through to become an eighth-tier Alchemist is not great. Even if he wins, he may not be able to become one of the Eight Great Elders."
"Fortunes change like the weather..."
Listening to the whispers around him, Ye Zhong's eyes also showed a touch of bitterness. The decline of the Ye Clan was undoubtedly the biggest blow to him. He had put in a lot of effort for the rise of the Ye Clan.
However, fortunately, he had now established a relationship with Xiao Ming. With Xiao Ming's strength, the crisis of the Ye family could be easily solved.
Thinking of this, Ye Zhong's mood improved a lot.
Under the gaze of many people, Ye Zhong and Xiao Ming smoothly arrived at the entrance of the hall. The heavy guards at the entrance looked calmly at the Ye Clan emblem on Ye Zhong's chest.
They were different from the people at the entrance. They knew that the Ye Clan did not participate in the selection of the Eight Great Elders this time. Instead, the Ye Clan was acting as a guarantor for another alchemist, who was naturally Xiao Ming.
Upon casually glancing at the badge on Xiao Ming's chest and his youthful face, the guards immediately recognized him.
After all, there was only one young high-grade seventh-tier Alchemist in the Pill Tower, making him easily identifiable.
The guards did not dare to cause trouble and simply waved their hands before stepping aside and shouting towards the interior of the great hall, "Xiao Ming has arrived!"
In fact, when the crowd was whispering about Ye Zhong earlier, many of them had also noticed Xiao Ming and had their own speculations about his identity. But when the guards announced his name, it immediately caused a sensation.
"It is indeed him! Such a young high-grade seventh-tier Alchemist, only Xiao Ming fits the bill."
"As expected, Xiao Ming is as extraordinary as the rumors say!"
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