Ye Xinlan was a little nervous about Xiao Yan's arrival.
After all, it was her first time meeting Xiao Li's family.
Xiao Yan didn't have much of an attitude towards Ye Xinlan either; at most, he just sighed that Xiao Li had found him another beautiful sister-in-law.
He, of course, knew that Xiao Li had many women around him.
Long ago, in the Jia Ma Empire, whether it was Yun Yun, Nalan Yanran, Yao Ye, or Yao Yue, although Xiao Yan hadn't met them, he had heard about them during his training.
Then, not long ago, in the Tianmu Mountain Range, he also met Han Yue, Han Xue, and Medusa.
Now there was also Ye Xinlan.
There were probably others Xiao Yan hadn't heard of or met.
Xiao Yan had long grown accustomed to such matters.
"Xiao Yan, you can stay here for the next few days. Once the Pill Gathering begins, we'll go together."
"Okay."
...
The day for the Pill Gathering to begin was drawing nearer.
Holy Pill City also welcomed its peak flow of people, with dense crowds filling all eight squares of Holy Pill City.
Such a grand occasion, looking across the entire Central Plains, only the Pill Gathering could achieve it.
Whether Alchemists or non-Alchemists, all came to join in the excitement.
After all, such a grand event was only held once every thirty years.
Most people might only get to see it once or twice in their lifetime, so they couldn't miss it.
And now, the long-anticipated Pill Gathering had finally begun!
...
On this day, the sun rose in the east, scorching like fire.
Early in the morning, countless people wearing Alchemist robes emerged from the streets and alleys of Holy Pill City, all heading towards the central square of the Pill Tower.
The crowds surged like a tide, and the clamor rushed straight into the sky, even dispersing the clouds above.
Xiao Li and Xiao Yan were also ready.
"Little Yanzi, let's go. We two brothers are about to show off our skills at this Pill Gathering," Xiao Li said with a smile.
"Hmm, it's also time for the people of the Central Plains to witness the abilities of us two brothers."
With the two of them ready, Ye Zhong and Ye Xinlan also joined them, and the four walked with the crowd towards their destination.
Soon, they arrived at the trial square.
In the square, stone platforms floated in mid-air, numbering in the thousands!
"Those stone platforms up there are the seats for the true contestants," Ye Zhong said, pointing to the platforms.
"That's not many. Can it accommodate so many people?" Xiao Yan was a little puzzled.
Ye Zhong chuckled and explained, "There are so many people who want to participate in the Pill Gathering, but only a small portion can truly compete for the championship."
"Therefore, before the final competition, there will be other stages to filter out most of the people."
This was a very realistic situation.
All Alchemists knew the high value of the Pill Gathering and wanted to shine brightly at it.
However, the positions in the Pill Gathering were limited, and to truly stand on the highly anticipated stage required a certain level of strength.
Dong!
An ancient bell chime echoed throughout the square, drawing everyone's attention.
Dong!
The second chime sounded, and the crowd began to quiet down.
Dong!
With the third bell chime, the entire venue fell silent.
At this moment, from a tall tower in front, figures flashed out, finally lining up and floating in the air around the square.
From the top of the tall tower, three figures slowly emerged.
They were precisely the current Pill Tower Three Giants—Xuan Kongzi, Xuanyi, and Tianleizi!
These three were all renowned Grandmaster Alchemists, enjoying immense fame, known to all.
These three figures, rarely seen on ordinary days, now appeared, immediately drawing countless fervent gazes.
"I, Xuan Kongzi, on behalf of the Pill Tower, welcome all of you to the Pill Gathering, held once every thirty years."
"This is a stage for you to showcase your talents. I hope you can all display your best abilities and shine brightly."
"Without further ado, the rules for this session of the Pill Gathering remain the same, divided into three stages."
"Only those who successfully pass the first two stages and claim first place in the third stage will be the champion of this Pill Gathering!"
"Without further delay, the first stage—Soul Illusion!"
Xuan Kongzi pointed a finger towards the other side of the square.
Over there, a deep gray space was slightly distorted, faintly exuding a profound aura.
"Within the illusion, your Soul Power will be greatly restricted. Only by successfully exiting the illusion within the allotted time can you proceed to the next stage."
"So, starting now, all contestants who have reached Fifth-Grade, begin the challenge!"
As Xuan Kongzi's impassioned words fell, the crowd went wild, surging towards the Soul Illusion.
Xiao Li and Xiao Yan also entered...
Upon entering the Soul Illusion, Xiao Li immediately felt his Soul Power being greatly restricted.
His naked eyes couldn't see the situation ahead; it was pitch black.
"An illusion created with Soul Power? This is essentially a form of Soul Power."
"It should be an illusion personally set up by the Pill Tower Three Giants."
Xiao Li quickly saw through the essence of the Soul Illusion.
After all, only Soul Power could suppress Soul Power.
And in the entire Pill Tower, the strongest in Soul Power were naturally the Three Giants.
This suppression was not very strong; even a Fifth-Grade Alchemist, as long as he concentrated and pondered a bit, would have a chance to get out.
Moreover, the stronger the Soul Power, the easier it was to see through.
Therefore, in Xiao Li's eyes, this layer of Soul Illusion was practically nonexistent.
He possessed Heavenly Realm Soul Power!
Far stronger than the Pill Tower Three Giants!
To try and suppress him with this level of Soul Power was a bit too wishful thinking.
Thus, Xiao Li quickly found his direction and walked swiftly.
Along the way, he also saw many contestants, like him, who had seen through the essence of the Soul Illusion and successfully found the direction of the exit.
After all, this layer of Soul Illusion was not very strong; basically, anyone who could reach Seventh-Grade Alchemist could quickly see through it.
And many of those participating in this Pill Gathering were some old monsters.
Some had even participated in the Pill Gathering before and were extremely familiar with the Soul Illusion, making it easy for them to get out.
In a short while, Xiao Li exited.
Many of the older generation also came out with him.
The few of them arrived at a spacious area, with the entrance to the second stage ahead.
At the entrance, a Pill Tower Elder was guarding.
However, because not many people had passed yet, he hadn't opened the entrance to the second stage.
As time passed, slowly, more and more people successfully passed the stage.
The second batch to emerge included Xiao Yan, Cao Ying, and others.
They were among the most talented, but a level below Xiao Li.
Compared to the older generation, they lacked experience.
As more and more people passed the first stage, the Pill Tower Elder finally spoke,
"The second stage is about to begin."
"Everyone, come here to receive your mission slips and enter the Dan Realm to find the corresponding mission materials, and you can pass."
...