Alchemist Grand Meeting's End

--- Chapter 56 ---

[Ding! You have finished the "Alchemist Grand Meeting." quest]

[Rewarding 2x Random Skill and 1x Random Elemental Soul]

"I can't accept this?!" Yan Li shouted to everyone's faces.

"Don't you realize how ridiculous it was for a kid like him to make a 5-Tier Pill? It doesn't make sense."

Baek Ain smiled and commented, "Are you saying I'm cheating in the Alchemist Grand Meeting? How funny because I put the Miteer Family's reputation on the line when entering this competition."

"And cheating isn't my style."

"You, on the other hand." Baek Ain frowned at Yan Li.

"Is very suspicious..."

Under everyone's eyes, Baek Ain grabbed a handful of black crystals from the 1st round and threw them at Yan Li. It caused Yan Li to panic and use his Dou Qi, breaking all the worthless crystals into dust.

Baek Ain grinned and flicked his finger, triggering the wisp of Gnome's Flame within those crystals. A fireworks-like explosion occurred and washed over the area where Yan Li stayed.

BOOM!

"D-Did he just kills him?" A male audience was speechless.

"No way, Baek Ain is a winner. He couldn't be so brave." The other audience commented solemnly.

The charmed female audience cannot accept such slander toward her star. "There is no way Hero Ain would do such a thing. There must be a reason behind it."

"You people are just too blind!"

"Yeah, booo~!!" The other female audience agreed immediately.

Every male audience witnessed this with complicated feelings. They are awed and jealous because Baek Ain could gain such massive popularity and followers in just five hours. But again, he's the winner of the 8th Alchemist Grand Meeting.

'Damned Baek Ain! You lucky bastard!'

Baek Ain's hazel-gold eyes shone with a dim redness, seeing the real Yan Li appear in the cloud of dust. Even though Yan Li consumed a pill to alter his appearance, he couldn't hide from Baek Ain's Cinder Eyes.

As the explosion and dust swept over, everyone could see Yan Li in his new appearance. Or precisely, his actual appearance.

The former young man with an arrogant bearing is "suddenly." replaced by a white-haired elder with a crooked smile. It seems like Yan Li has aged more than fifty years in one breath.

The surroundings become increasingly hot as Yan Li's cultivation bursts from 7-Star Dou Grandmaster to 7-Star Dou Spirit in one swoop, shocking everyone in the Alchemist Grand Meeting.

"Good, good... Brats these days don't know how high the sky is."

"I might die today, but I'll bring at least half of the people here to Yama Realm alongside myself!"

"Catch him, quick!" Fa Ma warned all the powerhouses nearby. He could feel something horrible was about to happen, and his instinct was never wrong.

Hai Bodong and Jia Xing Tian jumped from the altar's edge and approached Yan Li quickly. They watched the wretched man moving toward Baek Ain, widening the audience's eyes.

"No, Ain!" Several female shouts echoed on the altar.

Yan Li clearly has an absolute advantage against Baek Ain, who is just a 5-Star Dou Grandmaster. He released a thick poisonous gas from his body and charged Baek Ain.

"Die, BRAT!"

Baek Ain smiled because a familiar presence appeared, passing through the wind and countering Yan Li.

BAM!

To everyone's surprise, a mysterious lady in black appeared. She wore a yaksha mask and let her long bluish-silver hair sway like a mysterious river.

She stood before Baek Ain and faced Yan Li with a cold aura around her body. "How brave of you to attack Ain..." Her voice is unbearably cold, making every male's heart in the area sink for some reason.

"Hmph!" Yan Li noticed Hai Bodong and Jia Xing Tian's silhouette coming closer, lifting his right hand.

"Green Heart Devouring Life Poison Activate! DIE ALL OF YOU!" A burst of green smoke appeared from Yan Li's body.

Lan Rou sneered and stepped forward, leaving a breeze of fresh flowers for Baek Ain. He chuckled inside because Lan Rou successfully broke into 1-Star Dou King Realm.

A pair of energy wings resembling butterfly's wings appeared on Lan Rou's back, allowing her to reach Yan Li quickly.

She grabbed a thick gray-colored mist and formed a one-bladed sword, slashing through Yan Li's body. It went through Yan Li's body and sealed his Dou Qi.

COUGH!

Yan Li heavily smacked against the hard floor and coughed a mouthful of blood. He fearfully stared at Lan Rou with a disbelief expression and said, "D-Dou King."

"How is that even possible?"

"I didn't sense your presence at all..."

"Shut your mouth for interrogation." Lan Rou stabbed Yan Li's chest with her mist sword, preventing the disgusting man from talking.

Even so, Yan Li didn't care and shouted, "HAHAHA, You can kill me, but I've planted poison pills across the Colosseum!"

"Given the time, the miasma will spread and kill everyone within a mile radius."

"What poison?" Baek Ain questioned him.

"Don't you see that everyone is fine?"

"What a foolish fellow we have here."

"Huh??" Yan Li hardly looked around because of Lan Rou's restraint and discovered his poison pills didn't explode. No, there is not even a residue appearing in the audience seat.

"Don't tell me..."

Hai Bodong and Jia Xing Tian arrived at Baek Ain's side, staring at Yan Li furiously.

"Hoho looks at this miserable bastard." Hai Bodong commented indifferently.

"You want to swallow our Jia Ma Empire? Dream on, Yan Li." Jia Xing Tian said with venom. "With this, we can declare war against the Chu Yuan Empire. Let's see how you people survive..."

Yan Li's eyes widened because the Jia Ma Empire had grown steadily over the past twenty years. Even though the Chu Yuan Empire is strong, they don't possess enough Dou Emperor Powerhouses to compete with these people.

"I-I still have a backup... Soon, they will attack the city." Yan Li threatened them for the last time.

"Oh, those Poison Masters on the city gate? I finished them before going here." Lan Rou stated casually. "They are strong, but a person with high poison resistance could easily defeat them."

"..." Yan Li.

Hai Bodong laughed and commented, "Look at his face."

"Well, Old Monster, I'll bring this guy to our place for a small talk."

"It should be alright, no?"

"Go ahead." Jia Xing Tian nodded his head. After all, he knew the Miteer Family's Shadow Guard was well-versed in information gathering.

Hai Bodong told Lan Rou to bring Yan Li away, to which Lan Rou responded with a nod.

"See you soon." Lan Rou disappeared with Yan Li, leaving a scattered breeze behind. No one except people from the Miteer Family knows her last words directed to Baek Ain.

"That was dangerous..." Fa Ma sighed in relief because Yan Li neutralized before it was too late. He cleared his throat and declared, "Yan Li from Chu Yuan Empire is "directly." disqualified for posing a harmful act against the audience and other contestants."

"Don't worry. We'll question Yan Li's origin and plan so the public will be fine." After giving his reassurance, the audience sighed in relief too.

Fa Ma moved his gaze to the altar and continued, "Let's start the last ceremony."

"Hell Yeah!" Excited shouts echoed across the audience seats.

Fa Ma shook his head and announced, "3rd Place tied between the Royal Princess and Liu Ling. They will get rewarded with 4th Tier Alchemist Pill Recipes and one 4-Tier Medicinal Ingredient of choices."

"2nd Place is Yan Xiao. The association will reward him with the 5th Alchemist Pill Recipe and 4-Tier two Medicinal Ingredients of choices."

"or 5-Tier Medicinal Ingredients from our treasury."

"And lastly, 1st Place."

"Bael Ain will be rewarded with a 6-Tier Alchemist Pill Recipe and two 5-Tier Medicinal Ingredients from our treasury."

"Congratulations, young alchemists!"

"You have shown us your talents. I hope you'll become even better in the future!!"

Baek Ain shrugged and accepted the reward without much question. He walked down from the altar with shouts of his name echoing in the back.

"BAEK AIN!"

"BAEK AIN!"

"BAEK AIN!"

As Baek Ain walked to the corridor, the Royal Princess and Liu Ling bowed before him. "Hmm?" He was confused by their sudden act.

"Congratulations on being the 1st Place, Alchemist Baek." Liu Ling praised him with a smile.

"Mm. You're so cool back then." Royal Princess added with a blush.

"It's nothing much." Baek Ain waved his hand casually, showing his humbleness.

They walked together to the preparation hall and heard a shout from behind.

"Wait!" Xiao Yan stopped them.

Baek Ain lazily glanced back and responded, "Yes. Do we know you?"

"I..." Xiao Yan felt a weird sensation when those hazel-gold eyes land on him. "I just want to congratulate you for winning the Alchemist Grand Meeting."

"Oh? Many thanks." Baek Ain smiled faintly. Of course, he knows this guy is Xiao Yan, but he doesn't bother to expose him.

"Then... Goodbye."

Baek Ain knew someone close to Xiao Yan is 1st Singularity, but he couldn't touch the annoying protagonist. He should have laid a better plan and waited for the right moment.

Royal Princess and Liu Ling gazed at Xiao Yan weirdly, following Baek Ain shortly after.

Standing alone in a dark corridor, Xiao Yan watched Baek Ain's back disappear into white light.

He clenched his hands and mumbled, "I won't lose next time..."

Unknown to Xiao Yan, Baek Ain has placed a tracker on him.

...

...

Within a VIP room, Baek Ain stretched his body a little.

[Ding! The system has placed a tracker on Xiao Yan] Alicia reported calmly.

Baek Ain maintained a poker face and replied internally, 'Report his location to me per week.'

[Noted]

'I might leave you alone, but that doesn't mean you are free, Xiao Yan...'

'I'll lure 1st Singularity with your presence.'

'And finish my quest.' Baek Ain closed his eyes while sitting on the sofa.