บท 301: Chapter 300: Witch of the Cao Clan

Upon entering the hall, the soft light poured down and when the light shone on his body, he became aware of the various gazes with different meanings that were cast towards him.

Lifting his gaze lightly, he scanned the hall and noticed many figures sitting in the seats around the hall. Most of their auras were not weak, apparently coming from some powerful forces or clans.

As for Ye Zhong, he paid no attention to the various stares from all sides. This time, he was just a spectator.

"I have inquired about the participants this time. They will not exceed thirty people, but they are the strongest group of high-grade seventh-tier alchemists, including some who are at the pinnacle of the seventh tier." Ye Zhong said.

The soul realm of the eighth-tier alchemists had already entered the Spirit Realm, so they would not participate in this selection process.

Even in the grandest gathering of alchemists on the entire continent - the Pill Gathering, there were only a few eighth-tier alchemists.

In fact, seventh-tier alchemists were already very rare. If it weren't for the considerable attraction of the Core Soul Marrow this time, there might not be so many high-grade seventh-tier alchemists coming here.

"Except for our Ye Clan, the other four great clans have sent people to participate. Up ahead are the seats of the other four great clans: Dan, Cao, Bai, Qiu..." Ye Zhong whispered as he led Xiao Ming towards a seat.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ming's gaze followed and indeed saw four seats in front of the hall, each with an old man and several young people.

Among them, the most eye-catching was a graceful young girl.

The young girl possessed a seductive and alluring figure, accentuated by her curvaceous body which was adorned with a red dress featuring white accents. Her shoulders were tantalizingly exposed, and her skin was as white as snow. Her long red hair cascaded down her back in perfect waves, with a golden ornament nestled within it, adding an air of regality to her appearance. Her narrow and slightly lazy eyes were a mesmerizing shade of red, seeming to pierce through one's soul.

Despite her cold and arrogant demeanor, her seductive and alluring aura was hard to resist. In the hall, many young people couldn't help but sneak glances at her, mesmerized by her charm.

"That girl is Cao Ying. She was born with powerful spiritual strength. When she was born, she showed a shocking soul power that almost killed her mother with the spreading force. Among the five great clans, her talent is the most outstanding. At the age of seven, she officially became an alchemist. Three years ago, at the age of fifteen, she was selected by the Pill Tower and became a core disciple. According to reason, she should be in seclusion in the Pill Tower, but I don't know why she appeared here," said Ye Zhong, with some doubts towards the end.

Perhaps sensing Xiao Ming's gaze, Cao Ying turned her head. When she saw the badge on Xiao Ming's chest, a faint arc slowly appeared at the corner of her slender lips.

At that moment when the arc was raised, the thin and charming cheeks were filled with an enchanting aura.

"Cao Ying's spiritual strength is indeed strong." Xiao Ming nodded calmly at Cao Ying, then spoke.

"Hehe, no matter how powerful Cao Ying is, she can't compare to you, Xiao Ming," Ye Zhong said with emotion, then began to introduce other people to Xiao Ming. However, he only introduced the older generation of alchemists, who were Xiao Ming's opponents.

He didn't introduce any young alchemists because only Xiao Ming was qualified to participate in this competition among the younger generation of alchemists.

Ye Zhong and Xiao Ming had been discussing other people, while many others were also talking about Xiao Ming.

Xiao Ming was one of the top contenders for the championship, and his previous feat of refining three pills with one cauldron was well-known.

In preparation for this competition, Xiao Ming must have practiced his pill-refining skills in seclusion and improved greatly. Some speculated that he may already be a peak seventh-tier alchemist.

Thinking about this, many of the old men felt extremely depressed. Comparing oneself to others was really a frustrating thing!

The young people had varying expressions as they looked at Xiao Ming, some with admiration and some with envy.

Cao Ying, on the other hand, was very satisfied with him, feeling the pressure he exuded, which proved that his soul power was stronger than hers.

As someone who was interested only in men who were stronger than her in the field of alchemy, she found herself impressed by him.

Of course, this did not mean that she had fallen in love already. It was just that he was the first young man she had met in years who was stronger than her in alchemy, which was why she had traveled all this way to meet him and see him compete.

...

In the main hall, everyone was lost in their own thoughts as more people began to arrive in the next ten minutes.

As the time approached, the ground within the main hall began to shake, causing the neatly arranged seats to move like moving floorboards. At the same time, the roof above the main hall slowly moved back, and in the blink of an eye, a very spacious open-air square appeared in the center of the hall.

An energetic old man with white hair walked out slowly as the square appeared. He stopped in the center of the square, swept his gaze slowly across the field, and smiled as he said, "The time has come. I won't say much. I'll be in charge of this selection. Does anyone have any objections?"

Cao Ying was the only one who chuckled and replied to the white-haired old man's question. "Hehe, Elder Qiu, with your status and position in the Pill Tower, who would dare to question you?"

Due to his status, many people present felt that he was too high above them. Only Cao Ying, who had been accepted as a core disciple of the Pill Tower, was more familiar with him.

"This old man's name is Qiu Ling. He is the Pill Tower's First Elder and his authority within the tower is second only to the three heads..." Ye Zhong whispered in Xiao Ming's ear.

Xiao Ming nodded slightly. When the white-haired old man appeared, he felt a subtle pressure from the depths of his soul. This pressure was undoubtedly from an eighth-tier Alchemist.

"You don't need to flatter me, little girl. These old bones of mine can't afford it..." The white-haired old man smiled slightly, then turned his gaze to the crowd and said, "It's about time. Let me explain the rules for this competition."

As soon as the white-haired old man finished speaking, the whispers in the hall quieted down.

"This competition is very simple. It's just a competition of alchemy, which will last for twenty days. Whoever can refine the highest grade and best quality pill within these twenty days will be the champion of this competition. As for the champion's reward, I won't say much. I believe you all already know."

"Then I announce that the competition officially begins. All participants, please come forward."

The crowd looked at each other and then with a loud bang, figures suddenly shot up from the square.

Among those figures, Xiao Ming stood out among the old men with white hair.

Upon reaching the square, everyone found a corner and sat cross-legged.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The medicinal cauldrons suddenly appeared and fell heavily on the square, making a deep metallic sound that echoed in the sky.

As they watched the appearance of more than twenty medicinal cauldrons, the crowd gasped in amazement. It was not often that so many high-tier alchemists refined pills together!