Chapter 1095: Heavenly Performance

Chapter 1095: Yan Tian

Boom!

As Ye Chen was conversing with Nian Wei, a sudden boom echoed from below, drawing the attention of the surging crowd of onlookers.

On an alchemy platform, someone had caused a furnace explosion. It was an alchemist wielding beast fire, though no one knew how it happened. He was in the midst of refining when he was suddenly blasted into the air, his posture ridiculously awkward.

Buzz!

Soon after, another person produced a pill. It was a young man in white robes who had taken a full half hour longer than Ye Chen.

Following that, more people continued to produce pills one after another. Although they drew attention, no one was particularly astonished. Compared to Ye Chen’s extraordinary performance, their pills seemed like mere child’s play.

Time passed slowly, drawing ever closer to the one-hour limit.

Perhaps because the deadline was approaching, many alchemists grew flustered, leading to frequent furnace explosions. The sounds were like strings of firecrackers, making the onlookers instinctively cover their ears.

Stop!

At some point, Yue Zhen’s deep voice echoed through Wang Tian Ge.

Upon hearing this, the alchemists still refining on the platforms all wore bitter expressions. None of them had produced a pill within the allotted time, meaning they had lost their chance to advance.

The eliminated alchemists trudged down from the platforms, some of them even wielding true fire.

Witnessing this scene, the onlookers began to sigh in disbelief. Alchemists with beast fire and earth fire had advanced, yet those with true fire had been weeded out. They were all here to refine pills, so how could the gap be so vast!

Those remaining, step forward!

Yue Zhen’s voice rang out again, his icy gaze sweeping toward Ye Chen.

Do you think I’m easily intimidated?

Ye Chen sneered inwardly. If this weren’t in You Du, he would have struck without hesitation, wiping out all six of Ku Yue’s disciples.

The second round of selection began, but the number of participants had been halved or more.

As before, each had their own alchemy platform, with the required pill recipes and materials already placed on them. This time, however, the time limit was extended to three hours, as they were to refine five-pattern spirit pills, which were on a completely different level from four-pattern spirit pills.

Ye Chen had already opened the pill recipe. Seeing the pill’s name, he raised an eyebrow, as he had refined this type before.

But when he examined the formula, he let out a cold laugh. Just like the Xuan Yang Dan in the first round, this formula had serious issues, and they were cleverly hidden.

You’re far from scheming against me!

Ye Chen glanced at Yue Zhen, then summoned his golden xian fire and skillfully added the spirit herbs.

“Yue Zhen, I hope this time you won’t disappoint us.”

From the high seat, Yue Hai spoke gravely.

“Rest assured, senior brother. He won’t escape this second round.” Yue Zhen smiled faintly, his eyes full of malice. “This time, not only will he fail to refine a pill, but I’ll make sure he explodes into pieces.”

“Excellent.”

“Look, look—if Tian Xuan Yu is spitting blood again.”

As they spoke, Yue Jin glanced mockingly toward the nearby reincarnated Xie Yun.

Hearing this, Yue Zhen and the others turned their heads, their gazes fixed on reincarnated Xie Yun.

Reincarnated Xie Yun’s condition had deteriorated badly. Blood kept overflowing from his mouth, his face was pale and bloodless, his breath chaotic, and he looked in excruciating pain. The mysterious force within him was acting up again, beyond his control.

“If Tian Xuan Yu is truly a joke.” Yue Mo laughed the most viciously. Back in the day, reincarnated Xie Yun had injured him, which had enraged Ku Yue and led to the creation of a Shi Dao Blood Dan.

“Master was indeed far-sighted, wasting him early on.” Yue Jin chuckled darkly. “With his former talent, he would have surpassed if Tian Zhu Que one day. Since he always clashed with Master, how could he let us be?”

“That’s the consequence of opposing Master.”

“Watch—just wait, and he’ll become a complete waste soon enough.”

“Damn.” As they gloated, the crowd erupted in a chorus of vulgar exclamations, because someone had already produced a pill, and it had taken less than the time of one incense stick.

“How is that possible?” Yue Zhen and his group, who had been gloating moments before, shot to their feet, staring in disbelief at Ye Chen’s direction.

“That guy must be cheating!” Below, the crowd boiled with shock, cries of astonishment rising one after another.

“In less than the time of one incense stick, he refined a five-pattern spirit pill—what incredible talent!”

“A Tian Jing cultivator, only over a hundred years old, with such mastery in alchemy—he might even surpass Ku Yue Zhen Ren!”

“Verify the pill.”

Ye Chen casually flicked the refined pill toward Yue Zhen and his group, then swaggered down from the platform.

“I don’t believe it.” Yue Shan was the first to act, snatching the pill Ye Chen had tossed. Yue Zhen and the others crowded around, eager to check if it was genuine.

After examining it, shock flashed in their eyes once more. The pill Ye Chen had refined was undoubtedly a top-grade five-pattern spirit pill—perfectly round, crystal clear, and radiating immense energy.

Ye Chen returned to his private room, as high-profile as ever.

As for the other alchemists still refining, they were all tense and focused. Ye Chen’s sudden emergence as an alchemy prodigy was beyond everyone’s expectations, especially the purple-robed youth who had explained the alchemy selection to him on the registration day—his expression was the most priceless.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

More furnace explosions followed, one after another. People were sent flying everywhere, and some nearly died on the spot, making the cultivators below shudder. Alchemy was clearly a technical and dangerous profession—one wrong move, and you could be reduced to ashes.

While many exploded their furnaces, few succeeded in producing pills. Over an hour passed without anyone else finishing.

Ye Chen paid no mind to all this; his focus was on the reincarnated Xie Yun in the high seat.

Reincarnated Xie Yun’s state was extremely poor, with blood still seeping from his mouth, as if he were on his deathbed.

“Holy Lord, can’t your holy blood save Ninth Imperial Brother?” Nian Wei asked, her face full of worry.

“It seems not.” Ye Chen pondered. “The damage to his dao principles’ foundation should have been addressed early. Now, his condition is far beyond what holy blood can handle.”

“Then what can we do?” Nian Wei said anxiously.

“There’s a way, but it depends on whether he has the resolve.”

“What way?”

“Dissipate all his cultivation and rebuild his dao root.”

“This…” Nian Wei frowned slightly. Dissipating cultivation was easy, but rebuilding it was another matter entirely.

“It’s the only method I can think of.” Ye Chen took a deep breath. “And right now, it’s the only option. If we let the Shi Dao Blood Dan continue to backlash, it’s not just about losing cultivation—it could threaten his life.”

“Poor Ninth Imperial Brother.” Nian Wei clenched her jade hands, her gaze toward Yue Zhen and his group growing even colder.

“That’s…” As they spoke, cries of surprise came from below, drawing Ye Chen and Nian Wei’s attention.

Down below, a person entered Wang Tian Ge. It was an elderly man with white hair, leaning on a cane topped with a bagua disc. Around him swirled black and white divine energies, like yin and yang, giving off an eerie aura.

At the elderly man’s side stood a young man in white robes—upon closer inspection, it was Du Chuan, the one Ye Chen had defeated repeatedly in the gambling house just yesterday, once hailed as a gambling god.

“So it’s Daoist Yan Tian—my respects.”

“I’ve seen Senior Yan Tian.”

Many cultivators in the hall stood up, bowing respectfully to the white-haired elder.

“Hmm!” The white-haired elder nodded characteristically, adopting the demeanor of a senior expert, his turbid eyes indifferently scanning everything around.

“Du Chuan actually brought Yan Tian here.” In the high seat, Yue Zhen’s eyes gleamed with a sharp light, and he couldn’t help glancing toward Ye Chen’s private room, a sinister smile playing on his lips.

“What a strange aura.” Ye Chen murmured, narrowing his eyes at the white-haired elder.

“That’s Yan Tian Dao Ren.” Nian Wei said softly. “The young man in white at his side is his disciple, named Du Chuan.”

“What’s the background of Yan Tian Dao Ren?”

“It’s an ancient lineage, and a very mysterious one. Legend has it that their ancestor was a sage who could divine the heavens and the earth, creating his own divination divine abilities, profound beyond measure.”

“Divination…” Ye Chen stroked his chin. “No wonder he’s called Yan Tian Dao Ren.”

“Yan Tian Dao Ren is renowned in the Zhu Que Tian Yuan Star Domain. His divination techniques are masterful, and he’s unraveled many heavenly secrets. Many renowned experts seek him out to divine their fortunes. There’s no denying his skill—his predictions are accurate nine times out of ten. This has earned him connections with many powerful figures, and his influence is considerable. Even the Zhu Que family head treats him with respect.”

“He’s up to no good!” Ye Chen chuckled lightly. “It looks like he’s here for me.”

“If possible, Holy Lord, avoid a direct confrontation with him.” Nian Wei looked at Ye Chen with concern. “He not only possesses divination abilities but is also a genuine Huang Jing cultivator.”

“I can’t avoid it.” Ye Chen shook his head with a smile, because Yan Tian Dao Ren had already looked up in their direction. Their eyes met, and Yan Tian Dao Ren’s gaze held a cold, sinister light.

“Ye Chen! Get out here!”

Du Chuan began barking like a mad dog, heedless of the situation.

“I—”

“Chuan’er.”

Du Chuan had just started to speak when Yan Tian Dao Ren interrupted him. This wasn’t the place for them to cause a scene. Although if Tian Xuan Yu had fallen from grace, he was still a prince of the Zhu Que family, and that alone warranted caution. After all, You Du was ultimately the Zhu Que family’s territory.

With that, Yan Tian Dao Ren glanced toward Ye Chen’s side, his aged eyes flickering with bagua symbols.

Ye Chen’s eyes were calm as a still pond, meeting the gaze while chatting casually. In terms of divination, he didn’t think he was inferior to Yan Tian Dao Ren. If it came to a fight, he might be outmatched in raw power, but in a desperate battle, he wouldn’t necessarily lose.