They could lose to Prodigies like Liu Ling and the Little Princess, but they absolutely could not lose to an old fogey.
And those who were even more relieved were the Little Princess and Liu Ling, who both had the potential to win. With Chen Yang stepping in to deal with Yan Li, who had ruined the fairness of the competition, the two of them now had a chance to win the championship.
"Thank you, Great Master!"
"Thank you, Great Master!"
Before Fa Ma could reply, Liu Ling and Princess Yao Yue shouted from below, followed by all the Alchemists shouting in unison.
"Everyone, focus on the competition!" Chen Yang laughed softly, but his voice resounded in every corner of the Royal Plaza. The Alchemists couldn't help but admire Chen Yang's strength even more.
After speaking, Chen Yang turned to Fa Ma. Fa Ma nodded and beckoned to Chelsea beside him, instructing him to take Chen Yang to a quiet room. (Original content note: It should actually be Qie Mi Er, Princess Yao Yue's teacher!)
Seeing Chelsea leading the way, Chen Yang casually picked up Yan Li. Xiao Yi Xian and Xiao Yan followed, while Hai Bodong remained at the scene, though this time he did not continue to hide his presence.
"Great Master, it is very quiet in here. I will wait outside!" A moment later, Chelsea brought Chen Yang and the others to a quiet room and spoke respectfully to Chen Yang.
"Thank you, Great Master Qie Mi Er!" Chen Yang nodded with a smile, then carried Yan Li into the quiet room, with Xiao Yi Xian and Xiao Yan following.
"Creak!" After Xiao Yan closed the door, Yao Lao shot out from the ring with a flash.
"Kid Chen, are you planning to get information about the Netherworld Poison Flame from this kid's mouth?" Yao Lao was very shrewd. Seeing that Chen Yang hadn't killed Yan Li and had previously expressed interest in the Izumo Empire, he guessed Chen Yang's thoughts.
"Although I know the hiding place of the Netherworld Poison Flame, that was a very, very long time ago. The Izumo Empire has changed drastically since then. This fellow is the Vice Chairman of the Izumo Empire Alchemist Guild and has a background with the Myriad Scorpion Gate; he should be very familiar with the Izumo Empire."
Yan Li was someone Chen Yang had long planned to capture for interrogation. He just hadn't expected the guy to have a Myriad Scorpion Gate background, which was an unexpected surprise!
"Wise!" Yao Lao nodded to Chen Yang. Even if Chen Yang wasn't a Disciple from a great Family, with this kind of Heart-Nature, he would surely have a place among the experts of the Fighting Qi Continent in the future.
"Xian'er!" Chen Yang smiled and turned to gesture to Xiao Yi Xian.
Xiao Yi Xian raised her hand to dispel the poison on Yan Li's body. When Yan Li regained his senses, he was still shouting loudly: "Kill me! I beg you, kill me! Kill..."
Yan Li suddenly realized his five senses had returned, and his shouting stopped abruptly.
"Yan Li, Vice Chairman of the Izumo Empire Alchemist Guild!"
"I have two questions for you. If your answers satisfy me, I will give you a quick death. Otherwise..."
Chen Yang looked at him coldly.
"I'll talk! I'll tell you everything! Ask, hurry and ask..."
Yan Li now only wanted to die a quick death. That feeling of having his five senses sealed—unable to see, hear, smell, or feel—was truly too painful!
"Very well. Do you know where the Netherworld Poison Abyss is?" Chen Yang nodded and asked.
"Netherworld Poison Abyss? Where is that? I... I've never heard of it!" Yan Li shook his head somewhat blankly. Seemingly afraid that Chen Yang wouldn't believe him, he added, "I really haven't heard of this place. Perhaps it's no longer called by that name. If you know its characteristics, describe them to me."
Chen Yang exchanged looks with Xiao Yi Xian and the others. Then, Xiao Yi Xian took out the nether poison codex from her storage ring and opened it. Chen Yang took it, opened the map inside, and pointed to the location in front of Yan Li.
Yan Li was confused at first, then fell into thought. After a dozen seconds, his pupils suddenly dilated: "This... isn't this the Forbidden Land of the Myriad Scorpion Gate?"
Hearing this, Chen Yang frowned. If it was the Myriad Scorpion Gate's Forbidden Land, then he would have to make a trip to the Myriad Scorpion Gate!
Yan Li looked closely and nodded again: "Sir, this is indeed the Myriad Scorpion Gate's Forbidden Land. I won't mistake it!"
Chen Yang nodded and then asked the second question: "Who is currently the strongest in the Izumo Empire?"
Yan Li didn't hesitate at all on this question: "It should be the Grand Elder of the Myriad Scorpion Gate, Xie Bi Yan. But I'm not sure of his exact strength. The current Sect Leader Xie Shan is a Seven-Star Dou Huang, but as for the Grand Elder, I don't know if he has achieved a Breakthrough to Dou Zong!"
Chen Yang nodded again. Like the Cloud Mist Sect, the Myriad Scorpion Gate had the shadow of the Hall of Souls behind it. Many years ago, Xie Bi Yan was no match for Jia Xingtian, but in the original story, after Xiao Yan broke through to Dou Huang, that old fellow had jumped to become a Four-Star Dou Zong. No one would believe the Hall of Souls wasn't involved.
After all, the Northwest Region was only so big, and the development of the major Empires' forces had always been balanced. If the Hall of Souls hadn't been stirring up trouble in the Northwest Region, Queen Medusa would have been the one with the highest talent among these Empires and the first to break through to Dou Zong.
"Very well, I am satisfied with your answers!" Chen Yang nodded and waved his hand to take Yan Li's storage ring. Using his Soul Power, he found that besides three sets of medicinal herbs for the Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pill, there were only three or four bottles of Medicinal Pills. There was nothing related to the Izumo Empire.
"It seems you were very careful coming to the Jia Ma Empire!" Chen Yang had originally thought he could get some poisonous insects or herbs that Xiao Yi Xian needed, but he didn't expect this storage ring to be surprisingly 'clean'.
"You promised me a quick death!" Yan Li looked at Chen Yang, terrified that he would go back on his word.
"Of course, I am always a man of my word!" Chen Yang nodded and waved his hand, extinguishing Yan Li's life force.
Seeing this, Xiao Yan flicked a wisp of Green Lotus Core Flame, and in the blink of an eye, Yan Li's corpse vanished from the quiet room.
"Let's go!" Chen Yang smiled, then reached out to take Xiao Yi Xian's soft white hand and walked out of the quiet room. Yao Lao returned to the bone ring, while Xiao Yan looked at Chen Yang and Xiao Yi Xian with a 'toothache' expression.
"Once I get to Jia Nan Academy, I'll hold hands with Xun'er every day too, hmph..." Compared to the original plot where Xiao Yan was somewhat slow regarding the feelings between them, the current Xiao Yan wished he could take Xun'er in his arms and kiss her fiercely. He had truly had enough of Chen Yang showing off his affection in front of him!
"Tsk tsk tsk... Young people will be young people after all..." Yao Lao's teasing voice rang in Xiao Yan's ear.
"Teacher..."
...No one asked where Yan Li had gone. After Chen Yang returned to his seat, he watched the Alchemists below refining pills, occasionally explaining a few points to Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian beside him.
Soon, the first two rounds of the Alchemist Convention were over.
Because there was no 'kind' reminder from Xiao Yan as in the original plot, after the second round, fewer than a hundred Alchemists entered the final round. Clearly, the extra Thick Earth Mushroom in that Wind-Walking Pill had caused many Alchemists to fail.
"I have to say, you people really know how to play!" Xiao Yan looked at Fa Ma beside him and spoke with a playful expression. With his current eyesight, he could naturally see that something was wrong with the formula for the Wind-Walking Pill.
"They're just small tricks, useful for bullying these juniors. For you, Young Brother Xiao Yan, it's purely showing off before a master!" Fa Ma chuckled.
On Chen Yang's side, while playing with Xiao Yi Xian's small hand and watching those failed Alchemists walk out of the arena in low spirits, he suddenly called out loudly: "Everyone!"
As soon as the voice came out, the Alchemists who were walking out immediately stopped. They recognized that the speaker was the Great Master who had performed cauldronless Alchemy earlier and the one who had brought fairness to their competition.
"Everyone, remember to come here again tomorrow. After the Alchemist Convention ends, I will set up my cauldron in the plaza to refine a Sixth-Rank Huangji Pill. I hope it will be of some help to your future prospects!" Chen Yang had a sudden inspiration and thought of this.
"Sixth-Rank???"
"That Great Master is actually a Sixth-Rank Alchemist?"
"Nonsense! If he wasn't Sixth-Rank, why would he be sitting even more centrally than Great Master Fa Ma?"
The crowd broke into a flurry of discussion.
Seeing this, Fa Ma couldn't help but show a look of gratitude toward Chen Yang, then turned his head toward the area below the high platform:
"What are you all standing there for?"
"Why haven't you thanked Great Master Chen Yang???"
The crowd reacted to the voice and immediately gave a deep bow to Chen Yang:
"Thank you, Great Master!"
"Thank you, Great Master!!"
"Thank you, Great Master Chen Yang!!!"
The sounds of gratitude resounded through half of the Imperial Capital...
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