372: Grand Event

As time passed, more and more participants gathered on the platform at the exit of the Pill World.

Some wore joyful expressions, clearly having reaped abundant rewards; some looked weary, with the relief of having survived a great ordeal; and some had gloomy faces, seemingly having gained nothing or encountered setbacks.

The atmosphere on the platform was a mix of the excitement of the successful and the frustration of the defeated.

When the ten-day limit finally arrived, a spatial ripple appeared in the central area of the platform, and an old man, dressed in the unique robes of the Pill Tower, with an austere face and eyes as sharp as an eagle's, silently materialized.

The old man's gaze, like lightning, swept over the bustling crowd on the platform. He said nothing more, but his calm voice, imbued with Fighting Qi, clearly spread throughout the entire platform.

"Time is up. All participants, hand over your mission scrolls and the medicinal ingredients you've found to this old man for inspection. Only those with complete and verified materials will qualify for the final Pill Gathering competition."

The voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable authority.

As soon as his words fell, the participants, who had long been prepared, immediately formed a long queue, stepping forward one by one to respectfully present their jade slips and jade boxes containing medicinal ingredients.

The old man's inspection speed was extremely fast; a sweep of his Soul Power was enough to discern authenticity.

Most people passed smoothly, relieved smiles appearing on their faces.

However, there were also some who tried their luck, attempting to pass off fakes, or substituting medicinal ingredients of insufficient age, or even trying to use other similar ingredients to muddle through.

Towards these individuals, the old man showed no politeness whatsoever.

He didn't even need to move; with just a narrowing of his eyes, a concentrated stream of Fighting Qi shot out like an invisible whip!

"Bang!"

"Ah!"

Several muffled thuds accompanied by screams, as those few attempting to cheat were sent flying backward like they had been struck by a giant hammer, spitting blood and landing embarrassingly at the edge of the platform, drawing looks of disdain and schadenfreude from the surrounding crowd.

Their faces were flushed with shame and embarrassment, yet they dared not voice a single complaint. They could only dejectedly crush their spatial stones and be teleported away, completely losing their qualification.

When it was Jiang Donghua's turn, he calmly walked forward, handing over the jade slip recording the information of the three medicinal ingredients, along with three jade boxes containing a dragon blood ganoderma, a seven-colored moon orchid, and a nine-hearted soul infant fruit, respectively.

The austere old man took the jade boxes and probed them with his Soul Power.

When he sensed the immensely potent medicinal properties of the ingredients within the jade boxes, far exceeding ordinary standards, especially the faint but discernible fierce aura lingering on the seven-colored moon orchid, a subtle ripple finally appeared on his usually placid face.

He looked up and gave Jiang Donghua a deep glance, his eyes filled with a hint of inquiry and understanding. Breaking his usual silence, he spoke proactively, his tone still calm but lacking the indifference he showed to others.

"Your Excellency seems to have found quite a bit of amusement in this Pill World."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Donghua merely smiled faintly, neither admitting nor denying, simply asking calmly,

"Are the medicinal ingredients correct? May I enter now?"

The old man nodded, stepping aside to reveal the passage to the next venue.

"You may. Please!"

Jiang Donghua nodded in acknowledgment, said no more, and stepped through the passage, walking towards the Alchemy Square where the champion would ultimately be decided.

Behind him were countless gazes mixed with awe, curiosity, and solemnity.

Passing through the exit of the Pill World, the view suddenly opened up!

Jiang Donghua stepped into an immense square that defied description.

The ground of the square was paved with a single piece of warm jade, smooth as a mirror and emitting a gentle luster, upon which countless profound runes were inscribed, subtly forming a massive array covering the entire square. This array could both gather the energy of heaven and earth and withstand the impact of Pill Lightning that might be triggered when high-grade pills were born.

Around the square were circular grandstands, stacked like a beehive, extending upwards endlessly!

At this moment, the grandstands were already packed with people, their boisterous voices converging into a huge wave of sound that shot straight into the sky!

A rough estimate suggested that tens of thousands, perhaps even a hundred thousand, spectators had gathered here!

They came from all corners of the Fighting Qi Continent, solely to witness this peak event of the alchemy world, which occurred once every thirty years!

And in the VIP section at the very front of the square, with the best view, a graceful figure had been waiting for a long time.

It was Mu Qingxian, who had arrived here earlier through other channels.

The moment she saw Jiang Donghua's figure appear at the participant's passage, her beautiful eyes immediately lit up. The worry that had been weighing on her heart finally eased, and a relieved smile appeared on her face as she subtly nodded in Jiang Donghua's direction from afar.

Jiang Donghua also saw her, giving her a reassuring look, and then turned his gaze to the center of the square.

In the center of the square, a thousand stone platforms were neatly arranged, each separated by dozens of meters.

On each stone platform sat a standard Medicine Cauldron of uniform quality, clearly the setup for the final competition.

At this moment, Alchemists who had passed the first two rounds of selection were streaming in like rivers flowing into the sea, finding their positions.

Jiang Donghua also followed the crowd, casually choosing a relatively secluded stone platform to stand on.

He looked around. Everyone standing in this final arena was an elite among Alchemists. The weakest was probably at the Sixth-Grade level, Seventh-Grade Alchemist Masters were abundant, and there were even a few figures with obscure and profound auras, clearly Eighth-Grade Alchemy Grandmasters!

Almost all the young generation and many elder alchemy elites of the entire continent were gathered here!

As the last participant stepped into the square, the massive spatial gate behind him slowly closed with a low rumble.

And at the very moment the gate completely shut, the deafening clamor of the crowd around the square was swiftly and eerily silenced, as if choked by an invisible hand.

A venue of tens of thousands of people became utterly silent in a very short time, so quiet that a pin drop could be heard!

An indescribable atmosphere of solemnity, tension, and anticipation permeated the air.

Everyone understood that the first two rounds were merely a screening; now was the true moment to decide the champion of the Pill Gathering!

What was being competed was no longer luck, Soul Power resilience, or treasure-hunting ability, but the purest, most hardcore skill—alchemy!

Just then, high above the square, the space subtly rippled, and three figures silently appeared. They were the three giants of the Pill Tower: Venerable Xuan Kong, Fairy Suxin, and Venerable Yan!

With the appearance of the three giants, their vast, ocean-like auras naturally emanated, causing all the participants below to feel an invisible pressure.

Venerable Xuan Kong, the leader of the three giants, slowly scanned the thousand Alchemists who had finally distinguished themselves in the square below. His voice was calm, yet it clearly reached the ears of every person and all the spectators in the arena.

"All of you who stand here have proven yourselves to be the cream of the crop in the alchemy world of my Fighting Qi Continent. This final round is also the most crucial contest of this Pill Gathering."

"The rules are simple: do your utmost to refine the highest-grade and highest-quality pill you have ever made in your life! The grade, quality, and spirituality of the pill will be judged jointly by us three and the elders of the Pill Tower."

"Whoever can laugh last, that person will be the champion of this Pill Gathering! They will earn the highest honor among the young generation of Alchemists on the continent!"

"Now, the final competition of the Pill Gathering begins!"

"Boom—!"

Venerable Xuan Kong's words were like sparks thrown into a pot of boiling oil, instantly igniting the extremely suppressed atmosphere of the entire arena!

The vast square was once again engulfed by a tsunami of cheers, shouts of encouragement, and discussions!

Everyone's blood seemed to boil at this moment!

The highest grand gathering of the alchemy world, held once every thirty years, the final peak showdown, had finally officially begun!

On the thousand stone platforms, almost simultaneously, blazing flames of various colors and different attributes rose!

The temperature of the entire square began to rise sharply!

Jiang Donghua felt the atmosphere around him instantly become scorching hot and intense. Looking at his competitors who had already started to get busy, the corners of his mouth finally curved into a smile of interest.

"Finally, this is getting interesting."