385: The conference begins

Lu Xingchen sprang up from the bed with a carp jump and opened the door.

"Thank you, Elder of Medicine King Valley, for the reminder. Let's set off now!"

"Okay!"

Elder of Medicine King Valley nodded slightly.

Immediately, Lu Xingchen and the other three followed Elder of Medicine King Valley to the Sect Plaza of Medicine King Valley.

This was a very open and flat space. In the center of the Plaza stood a stone pillar, densely arranged with over a thousand small stone platforms, with the highest reaching straight into the clouds.

Elder of Medicine King Valley smiled at Lu Xingchen and said, "My task is complete. Please, little friend Xu Qing and little friend Lu Dazhuang, choose a stone platform and take your places! In another quarter of an hour, the Valley Master will personally preside over the Alchemist Convention. As for the other two little friends, you can watch the battle from below the stone pillar."

Xu Qing cupped her hands to Elder of Medicine King Valley and said softly, "Thank you, Elder of Medicine King Valley, for your guidance!"

The other three also bowed.

Elder of Medicine King Valley exchanged a few polite words, then spread his Dou Qi Wings and flew to the judge's stand.

Xu Qing patted Lu Xingchen's shoulder and said softly, "Junior Brother, let's go!"

"Okay!"

Lu Xingchen nodded heavily.

Immediately, the two flew towards the stone pillar.

Because Zuoqiu Qingluo, that girl, overslept, everyone arrived at the Sect Plaza a bit late. The stone platforms above had already been taken, leaving only spots at the bottom.

This was because Medicine King Valley held the Alchemist Convention precisely to discover and recruit young Alchemist Geniuses.

It wasn't necessary to achieve a high ranking to be recruited by Medicine King Valley; as long as one performed well during the convention, there was a chance to gain the favor of many Elders, thus entering this Ninth-Rank Sect and soaring to greatness.

The higher the stone platform, the more conspicuous it was and the more attention it attracted. Therefore, young Alchemists participating in the convention vied to choose higher stone platforms.

Xu Qing said softly, "Junior Brother, it seems we're late. All the good spots have been taken."

Lu Xingchen shrugged and chuckled, "It doesn't matter. Our goal is the championship, so we'll definitely make it to the final round. It doesn't matter if we're not conspicuous now. In the finals, there will naturally be fewer people, and then it will be impossible to keep a low profile."

Xu Qing said softly, "You're right."

So, the two each stepped onto two stone platforms close to the ground.

A quarter of an hour passed quickly, and Lu Xingchen finally saw the legendary Valley Master of Medicine King Valley: Peng Yue.

He wore a black robe, with white hair, but his eyes were bright and piercing, giving him a very energetic feeling.

But that wasn't the main point. The main point was that he was a One-Star Martial Saint, and his Soul Power had reached the Heaven Realm Mid-stage. He was also Peng Yu's grandfather.

That's right, Peng Yu was a Genius rarely seen in the Peng Family in a hundred years. Although her Realm was not as high as her father Peng Yang's, her Alchemy had already surpassed his.

Her identity as the Saintess and one of the eight prodigies of the central province were all earned through her own strength.

Peng Yue, along with Peng Yang and nine other Elders of Medicine King Valley, stood together on the highest platform at the top of the stone pillar.

Peng Yue cleared his throat, then used Dou Qi to amplify his voice, allowing it to spread throughout the entire Sect Plaza.

"Thank you, young friends, for gracing us with your presence at the Alchemist Convention hosted by our Medicine King Valley. As the organizers of the convention, we will offer generous rewards to encourage everyone."

"All those who enter the top hundred will be rewarded with a self-selected earth rank high grade Spiritual Artifact. Those who enter the top ten will be rewarded with a self-selected low-grade heaven rank Spiritual Artifact."

"As for the champion of the convention, they will not only receive the title of 'Pill King' recognized by our Medicine King Valley but also a ninth-grade elixir personally refined by me."

"Everyone here is intelligent and should understand the purpose of our Medicine King Valley hosting the Alchemist Convention. Therefore, please give your all. Even if you don't make it into the top hundred, if you perform exceptionally, you will still have the opportunity to be taken in as a Disciple by me and the ten Elders."

"To demonstrate the sincerity of our Medicine King Valley, I will personally preside over and serve as the chief judge for the upcoming competition. This convention will consist of three rounds. We will issue different tasks; those who complete them will advance, and those who fail will be eliminated."

"Now I will announce the rules for the first round of competition: based on the Pill Formula and Materials provided by our Medicine King Valley, refine a specific Medicinal Pill within six hours. We will only provide two sets of Materials, so everyone only has one chance to make a mistake."

"Running out of Materials or time will result in elimination."

"As for this Pill Formula and the successfully refined Medicinal Pill, everyone is free to keep them, as a gift from Medicine King Valley."

"Now I declare, the competition begins!"

With that, Peng Yue flicked his sleeve, and over a thousand copies of the Pill Formula and refining Materials flew out from Peng Yue's Storage Ring, landing precisely on the stone platforms of over a thousand participants.

Upon receiving the Materials and Pill Formula, many participants immediately began to study them carefully, and the audience below also started to discuss animatedly.

"Holy cow, the champion actually gets a ninth-grade elixir! You know, ninth-grade elixirs are precious items that defy the heavens and snatch creation from the earth. Even for a Ninth-Grade Alchemist, refining a ninth-grade elixir is extremely difficult; not only is the success rate low, but the consumption is also enormous. And this ninth-grade elixir is from the Valley Master's hand, so its quality must be extremely high!"

"Save it! The probability of one champion being chosen from over a thousand participants is simply too low. Do you see that woman at the peak of the stone pillar? She is Peng Yu, the Saintess of Medicine King Valley. This ninth-grade elixir will most likely fall into her hands."

"That's not necessarily true. I heard that a young Prodigy named Zi Chen has also appeared in Qingyang Kingdom. At only 25 years old, he has Cultivated to the Martial Venerable Realm and is also an Eighth-Grade Alchemist. He might be able to contend with Peng Yu."

"And there's Lu Dazhuang! He is the fourth Personal Disciple of Jiang Taishen. Yesterday, I saw him fight Peng Yu to a draw. So, if they compete in Alchemy, he might also have a chance."

"Medicine King Valley is really rich! They give away Pill Formulas freely, and the successfully refined Medicinal Pills can also be taken away. I wonder what grade this Pill Formula is? It couldn't be seventh-grade, could it? The first round shouldn't be that difficult. Moreover, a Pill Formula for a seventh-grade Medicinal Pill, even Medicine King Valley wouldn't easily part with it."

It was seventh-grade!

Lu Xingchen picked up the Pill Formula and looked at it. The Pill Formula for this first test was indeed a seventh-grade Medicinal Pill, and it was an old acquaintance of his: the seventh-grade calamity breaking pill.

When he first met Peng Ling, he had mentioned that Medicine King Valley also possessed the Pill Formula for the calamity breaking pill, but he hadn't expected them to bring it out at this time.

For Lu Xingchen, refining the calamity breaking pill was no difficulty at all, but it might not be the same for other contestants.

However, the words "seventh-grade" alone could eliminate half the people.

Moreover, the calamity breaking pill was top-tier among seventh-grade Medicinal Pills, and its refining difficulty was also top-tier.

Passing the first round of tests would not be so easy for ordinary Alchemists.

Medicine King Valley is truly ruthless, pulling out such a big move right from the start!