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As his words came to an end, the Elder slowly lifted his eyes, gazing at the crowd gathered in the open field. Upon hearing his words, everyone present nodded slightly to show that they understood.
Seeing this, the Elder continued, "Within the Pill Realm, due to its desolation, it's not suitable for humans to remain for long. Therefore, you all only have ten days to search for the medicinal ingredients listed on your list."
After a brief pause, the Elder added in a warning tone, "Although the Pill Realm isn't suitable for human habitation, it is filled with rare and precious herbs. Because of that, to many magical beasts, it's a paradise. Over the years, the beasts within have grown extremely powerful by feeding on those herbs."
"If you encounter them inside, be cautious. Don't end up losing your life before the Pill Gathering even begins. Inside the Pill Realm, no one will be there to save you."
"Alright, I won't waste any more time. Prepare yourselves mentally. Those who wish to continue competing, step forward and collect your items. If you believe it's too dangerous, you can still withdraw from the competition and leave through that exit."
After speaking, the Elder riding the tortoise waved his hand casually.
Not far away, a pitch-black spatial passage suddenly materialized in the open area. Even though everyone knew the passage led to countless dangers, no one stepped back.
After all, anyone capable of passing through the Soul Fantasy Realm was no ordinary figure. How could they possibly be frightened into quitting by just a few words?
Soon after the tortoise-riding elder's voice faded, an old man wearing the robe of an eighth-tier alchemist stood up calmly. His figure flickered as he moved through space, arriving before the elder and taking the item handed to him.
Then, with a firm step forward, he strode straight into the slowly rotating spatial passage. In the blink of an eye, his figure disappeared from everyone's sight.
Lin Feng recognized that man — he was one of those who had arrived earlier than him at this place. After that eighth-tier alchemist entered the passage, more and more people began to step forward one after another.
Each received their items, then quickly vanished into the swirling space tunnel.
"We should go together. That way, we can look out for each other on the road," Lin Feng said, turning toward the girls beside him.
"Hehe, then you, alchemist grandmaster, must take good care of this little lady," Cao Ying's crisp, teasing voice rang out beside them.
"Sure," Lin Feng replied with a smirk. "Not only will I take care of you during the day, but at night I'll hold you while you sleep, keep you warm, and make sure you're well cared for—inside and out."
Cao Ying's cheeks flushed crimson as Lin Feng rolled his eyes.
This woman — she was already an Eight-Star Dou Zong with a spirit at the early Spirit Realm. Coming from one of the most renowned alchemist families in Central Plains, she surely had no shortage of powerful techniques and trump cards.
Her true combat strength could easily rank within the top fifteen among all contestants, yet she still pretended to be some weak little girl. If anyone needed looking after, it would be Ye Xin Lan and Dan Chen.
After all, Ye Xin Lan's Dou Qi cultivation was only at the Dou Huang level, and Dan Chen was just a low-level Dou Zong with a soul of the same level.
"Pah! You scoundrel," Cao Ying snapped, her face burning even redder. "You're just like all those other men—only after my body!"
As she spoke, she recalled what her father had once mentioned about Lin Feng, and her beautiful face grew even more flushed.
While the others were still chatting, Xiao Yan silently walked away on his own toward the elder, preparing to enter the Pill Realm first.
"Alright, let's not waste any more time. We should go," said Xiao Yixian, standing up swiftly and glancing at Lin Feng.
As she spoke, she subtly gestured to him when the others weren't paying attention.
"Hmph~"
Hearing that, Cao Ying, completely unaware of the hidden signal, assumed Xiao Yixian was trying to mediate between them. She turned her head away with a light huff, no longer looking at Lin Feng.
Lin Feng merely shrugged, then reached out to hold the delicate hands of Dan Chen and Ye Xin Lan.
Seeing this, the two women each extended their other hand to grasp the fair hands of Xiao Yixian and Cao Ying, forming a chain to make sure no one got separated inside the spatial passage.
Together, the five of them stepped forward. They each received an item from the tortoise-riding elder and stored it into their spatial rings.
Afterward, not long after Xiao Yan had disappeared into the passage, the five of them also entered the swirling tunnel of space.
Their figures gradually faded from sight.
When their vision cleared, they found themselves suspended high above an immensely barren plain. The boundless earth below stretched endlessly, covered in a dull yellow hue.
Here and there, a few patches of greenery could be seen, barely injecting a hint of vitality into the otherwise lifeless land.
From time to time, magical beasts darted across the plains in search of food, kicking up trails of yellow dust before vanishing into the distance.
The desolate silence lingered for a while before the air in one spot began to distort and ripple. Moments later, five figures — one man and four women — flashed out from the distorted space, appearing above the barren plain.
These five were naturally Lin Feng and his companions, who had just passed through the spatial passage.
When the vast yellow wilderness appeared before Lin Feng's eyes, a flicker of astonishment flashed within his gaze.
"This Pill Realm is truly immense. I doubt even a Dou Sheng alone could carve out such a vast small world within the void," Lin Feng murmured in awe as his gaze swept toward the outline of distant mountain ranges.
Though he had long known about the existence of the Pill Realm, its sheer scale far exceeded his expectations.
Xiao Yixian's beautiful eyes also wandered across the surrounding scenery, her expression mirroring his amazement.
"Of course it's vast," Cao Ying said proudly, lifting a strand of her crimson hair.
"The creator of the Pill Realm was none other than the first Tower Master of the Pill Tower. According to ancient records, that person was a peak Nine-Star Dou Sheng and a ninth-tier Mysterious Pill Alchemist — a truly heaven-defying existence.
It's said that only a handful of people in the world could rival him. When he created the Pill Realm, more than a dozen Dou Sheng experts from Central Plains and ancient clans volunteered to assist him."
Dan Chen then stepped forward and added, "That's right. I also heard that during that time, the Pill Tower itself housed more than ten Dou Sheng experts.
When our Five Great Clans joined the first Leader in founding the Pill Tower, each clan was at its peak — every clan had at least one Dou Sheng who was also a ninth-tier Treasure Pill Alchemist."
Her tone, however, dimmed as she spoke, and a trace of sorrow surfaced on her face.
"Unfortunately, in the later wars against the Hall of Souls, nearly all of those Dou Sheng experts of the Pill Tower perished. From that point on, neither the Pill Tower nor our Five Great Clans ever regained their former glory."
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