A simple sound-isolation array was set up inside the inn's room, but even so, early in the morning, Shi Yu was still awakened by the deafening din of drums and gongs.
Fortunately, she had gone to sleep early last night and rested well, so she felt no drowsiness now, only completely refreshed.
Getting out of bed, she walked to the window and pushed it open a crack. When she saw the sight on the street outside, Shi Yu couldn't help but be startled.
The street was a bustling sea of people, filled with loud noise. Innumerable figures formed a massive human tide that filled every gap in the street, moving slowly in the same direction toward the square where the grand competition was to be held. From time to time, impatient cultivators used movement techniques to thread through the crowd, kicking up clouds of dust and drawing outbursts of cursing.
Looking further into the distance, there was an equally dense sea of heads, seeming as though it had no end at all.
“It seems nearly the entire city's population is heading this way.” Shi Yu clicked her tongue inwardly. People who loved a good spectacle existed everywhere; even cultivators were no exception, to say nothing of the fact that this Alchemy Exchange Conference grand competition was a major event for the entire Changyuan Prefecture.
She closed the window and walked out of the room to meet up with President Song and the others.
When President Song saw her, he looked rather nervous. Pulling her over, he looked her up and down before asking, “Did you get a good rest?”
Shi Yu knew President Song was particularly anxious about her condition, fearing she might not perform well once she took the stage.
Real skill came from everyday practice; there was nothing to worry about right before stepping up. She gave President Song and the others a reassuring smile. “Rest assured.”
Seeing her calm composure, President Song's heart gradually settled.
The inn where they were staying was quite close to the competition square, but... thinking of the densely packed crowds outside, Shi Yu realized that even this short distance wouldn't be easy to squeeze through. She hesitated before asking, “President, how are we getting over there?”
President Song replied, “Don't worry. The flight ban is lifted today for participating alchemists. We can just take a cloud boat over.”
Saying that, he pulled his cloud boat from his sleeve.
Shi Yu breathed a sigh of relief.
Everyone boarded the cloud boat one by one. After President Song planted a banner representing the Lingtai Prefecture Alchemist Association at the prow, he drove the cloud boat toward the competition square.
On the way, a gentle breeze brushed against her face. Shi Yu watched the approaching square, smoothing her messy bangs back behind her ears.
Beside her, Master Ji spoke up: “For this grand competition, a total of over fourteen hundred alchemists have registered.”
So many? Shi Yu was slightly surprised and asked, “Was it usually this many in previous years?”
Master Ji shook his head. “In past years, it was usually around a thousand. Slightly more or less, but roughly that number.”
“There are more people this year. First, because this decennial grand competition naturally has a larger scale. Second, due to the rumors concerning the Yanyang Xuancang Flame, it's heard that alchemists from even beyond Changyuan Prefecture have made a special trip here.”
Shi Yu nodded thoughtfully.
A Heavenly Fire like the Yanyang Xuancang Flame was naturally coveted by countless people. If one wished to subdue and refine it, one needed mastery over the Intent of Fire to win its recognition.
Unfortunately, the Yanyang Spiritual Realm was a realm-restricted place that limited the cultivation level of those entering. According to what President Song and the others had said before, only Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators could enter. Cultivators with such cultivation levels possessed shallow comprehensions of intent forces, making it naturally difficult to win the recognition of the Yanyang Xuancang Flame.
However, the variable lay in Yin Wenzhou.
From a young age, he had been able to take advantage of the Hengze Prefecture Alchemist Association to frequently enter the Yanyang Spiritual Realm and ponder the Intent of Fire. The rumors had started because of him as well, claiming that Yin Wenzhou might fully gain the recognition of the Heavenly Fire and subdue it during this grand competition.
“However...” Shi Yu frowned slightly. “The Hengze Prefecture Alchemist Association has flourished more and more by leveraging the momentum of the Heavenly Fire. Could they really just allow Yin Wenzhou to subdue it?”
If the Heavenly Fire was gone, the Yanyang Spiritual Realm would cease to exist as well.
Master Ji sighed softly. “Secret realms like that inevitably have a time when they collapse. Decades ago, the Hengze Prefecture Alchemist Association likely realized it was showing signs of breaking down, which was why they nurtured Yin Wenzhou.”
Shi Yu understood. Ultimately, it was keeping the spoils within the family.
As they spoke, the cloud boat reached the entrance of the square.
After landing slowly, everyone presented their identity jade tokens to the heavily posted guards at the entrance, who let them pass after confirming everything was in order.
Shi Yu also produced her custom identity jade token, Guanji. The guard responsible for the inspection stole several extra glances at her upon seeing how young she was. Upon taking the jade token and realizing that the patterns on its two sides were different—one side representing the Alchemist Association and the other representing the Refinement Association—his expression turned odd.
The guard stopped Shi Yu. “You wait to the side. The rest of you can go.”
Seeing his precious gem stopped, President Song frowned. “What is it?”
The guard glanced at them, and seeing they were merely from a small place like Lingtai Prefecture, said with considerable impatience, “Her jade token isn't right. She needs to wait for questioning.”
President Song snapped crossly, “Our girl holds a dual capacity; she is both an alchemist and a weapon refiner! As long as the jade token's imprint is correct, it cannot be forged. Let her in quickly, don't delay things.”
The guard checked it once more, and the identity imprint was indeed genuine.
Custom identity jade tokens made by the associations contained special source runes inside, which truly could not be fake. The guard tossed the jade token back to Shi Yu and waved his hand. “Go on.”
Not forgetting to mutter with mockery in his eyes, “Grandstanding.”
Hearing this, anger flared in President Song's heart. Fearing it might affect Shi Yu's mood, he suppressed it with effort, cursing inwardly: Ignorant fool! Just wait until Little Yu shows her skill, that'll make your eyes pop!
Shi Yu glanced at the guard and stepped forward.
The guard's cultivation wasn't low, already at the seventh layer of the Qi Refining Realm. But as Shi Yu passed by his side, a faint pressure emanated from her body.
His expression changed, and shock filled his heart: This young girl's cultivation is actually higher than mine...
Unable to gauge her background, he already regretted his rude remarks just now.
Meanwhile, on Shi Yu's side, she saw the massive square divided into concentric rings. The raised platform at the innermost center was naturally the grand competition venue.
Beyond the platform, concentric rings of spectator seats were arranged according to status. The innermost ring, closest to the platform with the best view, was occupied by several major factions led by the City Lord's Mansion. The setup here was luxurious, with an endless stream of maidservants serving wine and tea, along with cooling arrays installed—exceptionally comfortable.
The further outward one went, the lower the status of those seated.
Though the square was colossal, it still could not accommodate all the spectators. Those without the qualifications to enter and watch could only gather outside the square, catching glimpses from afar via massive shadow-recording stones.
“For ordinary alchemists, the Yanyang Spiritual Realm is out of reach, but there are plenty of other benefits. Apart from interacting with peers, whoever manages to stand out here will have an immeasurable future,” President Song whispered, looking toward the front of the spectator seats at the powerful figures whose auras were frightening.
Among them was no shortage of the formidable presence of Golden Core experts.
Every edition of the Alchemy Exchange Conference attracted attention from various factions, including major organizations with transcendent status. This decennial grand competition was especially grand, and the factions appearing recently in Hengze Prefecture's main city were each more staggering than the last.
Golden Core experts, who were few and far between in Lingtai Prefecture, were so numerous here that a slight sweep of divine sense revealed no fewer than ten of them.
Alchemists who performed remarkably and stood out at the conference would undoubtedly become targets for recruitment by these factions. At that time, their fame and status would surge rapidly, making a name throughout Changyuan Prefecture a given.
Even those with slightly lesser performances would always gain the favor of smaller factions.
Shi Yu accompanied the crowd to the waiting area. Seeing the alchemists bustling around in uniform Daoist robes of various colors and styles, she couldn't help asking Master Ji in a low voice, “Do you know what format the grand competition will take later?”
Master Ji replied, “The grand competition is divided into several rounds and operates on a point-scoring system. The difficulty increases with each round, and any alchemist who fails to reach the baseline score in a round is directly eliminated.”
“In the end, the remaining alchemists are ranked according to their total scores.”
It was like peeling an onion, winnowing away those who were not outstanding layer by layer. Those who managed to endure until the end were all top talents among their peers, and whoever emerged victorious among these top talents would become the ultimate champion.
“Something to pay special attention to,” President Song interjected from the side, his expression solemn as he emphasized once more, “there are no rest breaks between rounds in the grand competition. Therefore, try your best to conserve your physical energy and mental focus early on—it doesn't matter if you hide a bit of your strength.”
“The subsequent rounds will be harder and worth higher points, so focus on the later stages. Got it?”
Competing through round after round would take several full days, serving as a severe test of stamina, divine sense, and spiritual power.
Shi Yu agreed, “I understand.”
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