Chương 83: The Peerless Pill Venerable (Part 11)

Su Chen narrowed his eyes. He had heard every single word spoken by the disciple from the Yang Pill Sacred Land. Among the five great domains of the Heavenly Profound Realm, the Central Continent stood supreme, the Southern Barbarian Lands were the weakest, and the Eastern Wasteland ranked just above it.

After the devastating war between the Southern and Western Regions, the Southern Barbarian Lands had fallen into utter decline—barely able to produce even a handful of participants worthy of attending a grand alchemy event. The Eastern Wasteland had quietly taken its place as the new weakest. Bai Qingyu clenched his teeth so hard his jaw ached. He wanted nothing more than to smash his fist into the face of the Yang Pill disciple. For the first time, he truly understood Su Chen.

Sometimes, raw martial power proved far more useful than pill dao. Yang Pill Sacred Land was a supreme orthodoxy of the pill path; its inheritance in alchemy far surpassed that of any martial sacred land. Bai Qingyu had no confidence that he could defeat their genius. He decided to withdraw and search for opportunities elsewhere. As he turned to leave, a familiar figure appeared like a ghost at his side.

"Su Chen?" Bai Qingyu recognized him instantly. Su Chen ignored Bai Qingyu entirely. His gaze settled on the disciple from the Yang Pill Sacred Land. The look was light, almost casual—yet it made the Yang Pill disciple's heart tighten. The leader among them unconsciously took several steps back. Realizing his own embarrassment a moment later, the young alchemist from the Yang Pill Sacred Land flushed with shame and fury.

"Another Eastern Wasteland barbarian? Do you dare compete against me? The loser must withdraw from the alchemy conference!" The Yang Pill genius wanted to crush Su Chen. Bai Qingyu hurriedly grabbed Su Chen's arm.

"Su Chen, he is a peak sixth-grade alchemy genius from Yang Pill Sacred Land… you are no match for him." Su Chen turned a expressionless stare on Bai Qingyu. Did he really look that weak?

"Bai Qingyu, step aside. The Eastern Wasteland may be weak, but it is not so weak that no one can stand against them." Seeing Su Chen's resolve, Bai Qingyu felt a surge of genuine respect rise in his chest. He, Bai Qingyu, had always prided himself on being a noble alchemy genius—yet he lacked the courage to risk bringing shame to Azure Jade Sacred Land. But this man, whom he had once dismissed as a reckless brute, was stepping forward to represent the entire Eastern Wasteland.

Bai Qingyu leaned in and whispered urgently, "Su Chen, you must not use force. This place forbids any display of cultivation. Victory can only come through alchemy. If you rely on martial power to defeat your opponent, you will violate the rules set by the ten supreme alchemy sacred lands. The punishment will be severe." Su Chen: "…" He could not be bothered to respond.

News had reached him that a seventh-grade herb had appeared in Blazing Valley—one of the main ingredients he needed for the pill he intended to refine. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. A layer of fiery red light enveloped the Yang Pill disciple. At the same moment, a faint deep-blue glow rose around Su Chen.

"Heavenly Fire! No wonder you had the guts to step forward!" The Yang Pill genius sneered coldly. A rift tore open in the space, swallowing both of them. Inside the sealed area, shelves upon shelves of rare herbs appeared. Su Chen did not even glance at them. He reached out, grabbed a set of sixth-grade ingredients, and began to refine without hesitation. Four days later. Outside the Ancient Pill Domain, among the crowd of eliminated participants.

The young genius from the Yang Pill Sacred Land stood in stunned silence. He… had been eliminated? Su Chen stepped out from the spatial rift. The disciples of the Yang Pill Sacred Land felt their hearts sink.

"Senior Brother Yang… actually lost to this youth!" Senior Brother Yang was the foremost genius beneath that true monster. And now he had been eliminated just like that? The Yang Pill disciples instinctively retreated several steps. They feared being targeted by Su Chen next. If even Senior Brother Yang was no match, what chance did they have against this terrifying young man? Su Chen ignored the Yang Pill group entirely and strode straight into Blazing Valley.

When Bai Qingyu saw Su Chen enter the valley, he gritted his teeth and followed right behind. The moment the Eastern Wasteland alchemists realized no one from the Yang Pill Sacred Land was blocking the way anymore, they surged forward in a crowd, trailing after Su Chen into the valley and leaving the Yang Pill disciples staring at one another in stunned silence.

"They're entering Blazing Valley… they're courting death!" … Inside Blazing Valley, flames danced everywhere amid rivers of red rock. A single misstep could mean death in this place. Yet precisely because it was such an extreme environment, heaven-and-earth treasures grew in abundance. Crimson fruits wreathed in fire, blossoms that drank in the flames, fire bamboos dripping with magma-like sap—all of them fifth- or sixth-grade rarities, the very targets most people came for.

Bai Qingyu noticed that Su Chen showed zero interest in these treasures; he did not even glance at them. Unable to hold back, he spoke up.

"Su Chen, don't tell me your goal is a seventh-grade herb? If that's the case, I advise you to give up the idea. Yang Pill Sacred Land is far more formidable than you imagine. This generation produced a true pill-dao monster who stepped into the seventh-grade realm not long ago. She is one of the top favorites to win this entire conference." After speaking, Bai Qingyu immediately regretted his words. He gave a wry smile and continued, "Su Chen…

the heritage of a true pill-dao sacred land far surpasses anything our martial sacred lands can offer. I just want to remind you—getting eliminated over a momentary clash of pride isn't worth it." Su Chen cast a sidelong glance at Bai Qingyu. The man talked a lot, his backbone was a little soft, and he backed down quickly. But he still carried the bearing of a true prodigy. Su Chen replied calmly, "And how do you know I'm still only a sixth-grade alchemist?" Bai Qingyu froze for a moment.

When he recovered, Su Chen had already vanished from sight. He thought back carefully. He had not misremembered—Su Chen's alchemist badge really had been sixth-grade. Bai Qingyu: "…" … The deeper one ventured into Blazing Valley, the more terrifying the flames became. Su Chen reached the very center. Here, the flames burned a brilliant golden hue. With every flicker, they released horrifying heat, as though they could melt anything in existence.

At the heart of the golden inferno rested a palm-sized lingzhi mushroom, its surface covered in dazzling golden patterns. Every inch of it was exquisitely perfect, like a flawless work of art carved from solid gold. Su Chen knew this was his target. Blazing Sun Golden Lingzhi. Beside the lingzhi sat a woman in meditation. Her features were refined and striking. Unlike the traditional white robes of most alchemists, she wore a vivid crimson gown.

Seven brilliant stars shone on her chest, and her long red hair was tied into a high ponytail that trailed down her back. Yan Zhaoxi also noticed Su Chen's arrival. When she saw the six stars on his badge, her brows furrowed slightly.

"What happened to Yang Wang? He actually let a mere sixth-grade alchemist reach this place?" Her expression quickly smoothed. She addressed Su Chen directly.

"No matter who you are, since you made it here, Yang Wang must have already been eliminated by you. Your pill-dao attainment is clearly not limited to sixth grade. But if you intend to compete for the Blazing Sun Golden Lingzhi, I advise you to think carefully. You are no match for me. You should not stop your journey here."