Chapter 123 - 121: Furnace Opening Assembly
Seeing the name "Chen Jiutian" on the list sent a chill down Chen Yuan’s spine.
It felt as if fate itself was at work, constantly tying him to the Martial Arts Alliance Hierarch from the original plot.
The question was, why had his name on the Hidden Dragon Rankings been changed to Chen Jiutian?
Only Luo the Thirteenth Lang had ever mentioned that name. Chen Yuan certainly hadn’t since arriving in Ning Province.
As if reading his mind, Liu Suifeng smiled. "Now that you’re on the Hidden Dragon Rankings, your name ought to have a certain gravitas.
You haven’t taken a courtesy name yet, so I took the liberty of giving you one: Jiutian. It signifies lofty ambitions, the will to soar through the nine heavens.
You don’t find it presumptuous, do you, Young Friend Chen?"
In terms of age, Liu Suifeng was his senior.
In terms of status, he was one of the three highest-ranking Controllers of the Zhenwu Hall.
Furthermore, Liu Suifeng had been the one to bring Chen Yuan into the Zhenwu Hall in the first place, and he was renowned throughout the Jianghu for his profound knowledge. For such a man to bestow a courtesy name upon Chen Yuan was hardly a major affair.
But Chen Yuan couldn’t reveal the name’s true significance to him. He could only give a wry smile inwardly as he cupped his fists at Liu Suifeng. "Of course not. My thanks, Military Advisor Liu."
’Chen Jiutian it is, then. If I can’t escape this name, I might as well make a name for myself in the Jianghu with it.’
"Also, the Medicine King Valley will be holding its Alchemy Convention in three months’ time, and I’ve recommended you to represent the Zhenwu Hall," Liu Suifeng added.
Chen Yuan was aware of the Alchemy Convention, a grand event held by the Medicine King Valley.
The convention’s origins could be traced back to the Medicine King Valley’s Divine Soldier, the Shennong Cauldron.
As one of the Fish and Dragon Six Sects, the Medicine King Valley possessed its own Divine Soldier. However, it wasn’t a weapon of aggression; its purpose was to enhance the grade of Spiritual Medicines.
Before refining elixirs, the Alchemists of Medicine King Valley only had to place Spiritual Medicines into the Shennong Cauldron, and it would remove impurities and raise their grade, resulting in much more potent elixirs.
As for why they didn’t use the Shennong Cauldron to refine elixirs directly, it was because each refinement required an astronomical amount of Top Grade Spiritual Medicines and Heavenly and Earthly Treasures—a cost that not even the Medicine King Valley could bear.
Moreover, the amount of True Qi Power consumed when using the Shennong Cauldron for alchemy was simply astonishing. It was said that every time they did so, several of the Medicine King Valley’s Alchemy Masters would perish.
The problem was, the Shennong Cauldron had to be used for alchemy once every ten years, otherwise it would become volatile and uncontrollable.
In the beginning, the Medicine King Valley would scour the Jianghu, purchasing Ultimate Spiritual Medicines and Heavenly and Earthly Treasures. Every ten years, they would use the Shennong Cauldron to refine a batch of Divine Pills.
The Alchemists they assigned were always elderly, their lifespans nearing an end, and they were prepared to sacrifice themselves for the Medicine King Valley.
But gradually, even with its vast resources, the Medicine King Valley could no longer sustain this expenditure.
Later, a certain generation’s Valley Master had a flash of genius. He announced the creation of the Alchemy Convention, inviting the major Jianghu Forces to participate in a tournament.
The winner would receive an Ultimate Divine Pill refined by the Shennong Cauldron.
The prerequisite, however, was that each participant had to contribute one Top Grade Spiritual Medicine as an entry fee to be placed in the Shennong Cauldron, just to qualify for the tournament.
Beneath the arena was an Array connected to the Shennong Cauldron, which directly fueled the alchemy with the excess True Qi Power radiating from the Martial Artists battling above.
This way, the Medicine King Valley no longer had to sacrifice several of its experienced Alchemy Masters every time they used the cauldron.
That generation’s Valley Master was an absolute genius. With this one strategy, he completely resolved the crisis surrounding their Divine Artifact.
Although a Top Grade Spiritual Medicine was worth a fortune, an Ultimate Divine Pill was a treasure one might never even have the chance to encounter.
Gambling a Top Grade Spiritual Medicine for a chance at an Ultimate Divine Pill was a trade many were willing to make.
By now, the rules of the Alchemy Convention were well-established. Participants had to be Martial Artists of the younger generation, under thirty years of age.
If just anyone could participate, there was a risk they would destroy the Array, and besides, it would be unfair.
The number, quality, and effects of the Divine Pills produced during each convention were never certain.
Sometimes there were as few as one or two, other times as many as five or six. The most ever refined in history was six Divine Pills at once.
So, no matter how many Divine Pills were produced, they were distributed according to rank. The first-place winner would choose first, followed by the others.
Moreover, the Alchemy Convention wasn’t just about fighting for Divine Pills. Many of the young talents on the Hidden Dragon Rankings participated simply to make a name for themselves in the Jianghu.
It could be said that after every Alchemy Convention, the Hidden Dragon Rankings would undergo a major update.
As a prominent young talent of the Zhenwu Hall, Chen Yuan was naturally qualified to participate in this Alchemy Convention.
When the time came, the Zhenwu Hall would provide him with a Top Grade Spiritual Medicine for the entry fee.
Yun Zhaolan spoke up. "I had originally intended for you to directly represent the Zhenwu Hall at the Alchemy Convention.
However, the Hall Masters of the other halls, as well as people from the Celestial Martial Guard, also have their eyes on this spot.
So, even though Military Advisor Liu recommended you, there must be an internal competition within the Zhenwu Hall.
We at the Zhenwu Hall value fairness above all else. You may have the accomplishments and combat record to back it up, but we can’t just give you the spot with a single word."
Chen Yuan nodded. "That is only right. If I were simply given the spot, others would not be convinced."
Chen Yuan was quite interested in the Alchemy Convention.
In the original plot, this Alchemy Convention had produced a Divine Pill with an extremely potent effect.
Of course, that was just the original plot. Now, with his participation, Chen Yuan couldn’t be sure if the Divine Pill would be the same.
However, any Divine Pill was guaranteed to have heaven-defying effects.
Moreover, he still had the Crimson Gold Waist Token left behind by Pang Xizhen, the Hall Master of the Celestial Fire Hall also known as "Fire Phoenix Burning the Land." He would have to find time to claim her inheritance.
The Medicine King Valley was in Ping Province, one of the Nine Provinces of the Central Plains. Pang Xizhen’s inheritance was located at the border of Ping Province and Qing Province, which was conveniently on the way.
Because he had to compete for the spot in the Alchemy Convention, Chen Yuan waited at the Main Hall for three days. The Hall Masters of the other three halls also arrived with the young talents they had recommended.
Feng Wushang naturally came as well, even though he wasn’t the one who had recommended Chen Yuan.
Seeing Chen Yuan, Feng Wushang smiled broadly and clapped him on the shoulder. "I was actually planning to recommend you for this Alchemy Convention myself.
But who would have thought Military Advisor Liu would beat me to it? No matter. You are representing my White Tiger Hall now. You must display the might of the White Tiger Hall for all to see."
Chen Yuan sneered inwardly.
’If it weren’t for Liu Suifeng’s recommendation, Feng Wushang would never have done such a thing.’
’Even if he had, he would have surely dropped hints and pressured me to offer him numerous benefits before he would have put my name forward.’
But aloud, Chen Yuan said, "Rest assured, Hall Master. I will not disgrace you."
Feng Wushang nodded. This time, he was surprisingly meticulous in introducing the people recommended by the other three halls to Chen Yuan.
"The one from the Cyan Dragon Hall is Cui Wenzhong’s personal disciple, Dai Bin. His Saber Technique is exquisite, and he has already grasped thirty percent of Cui Wenzhong’s essence.
From the Vermilion Bird Hall comes Ling Baiyan’s disciple, Shen Xinmei. You don’t need to worry about her; her strength is limited.
The Black Tortoise Hall sent Wei Yuanlong’s adopted son, Lin Poyan. He possesses Innate Divine Strength, and his Horizontal Training Techniques are on par with those of the monks from the Vajra Prajna Temple. Like you, he also became an Inspector while only at the Sea of Reincarnation Realm.
The Celestial Martial Guard also sent a Captain, Qiu Sheng. The Celestial Martial Guard reports directly to the Grand Commandant, and I’m not too familiar with some of their talents, so you should be careful.
Lastly, there’s Jiang Xibai of the Po Jun Guard. You rescued him from Bo Gudun, so you should already know his capabilities."
Feng Wushang’s meticulous introduction of the other opponents showed that he genuinely wanted Chen Yuan to win the spot.
The other three halls all had noteworthy young talents to put forward; only his White Tiger Hall had none.
Therefore, in the past, whenever an event required a young talent, his White Tiger Hall was almost always left out.
This time, with a young talent like Chen Yuan finally appearing under his command, Feng Wushang was eager to hold his head high for once.
However, the lack of young talent under his command was his own fault.
Feng Wushang was insatiably greedy, only taking and never giving. He was stingy with his subordinates and offered no rewards. It would have been a miracle if he had managed to cultivate any young talent.
At the same time, the members of the other three halls were sizing up Chen Yuan.
Before Chen Yuan’s arrival, they had been the standout talents of the Zhenwu Hall’s younger generation.
Who would have thought that Chen Yuan, just days after joining the Zhenwu Hall, would steal all their thunder, leap onto the Hidden Dragon Rankings, and become a famous figure in the Jianghu? How could they accept his superiority?
A combat record was just a record. Without a real fight, no one would be truly convinced.
At that moment, Chao Hongtu strode into the main hall, and everyone present bowed their heads in greeting.
"Greetings, Alliance Leader!"
Chao Hongtu waved a hand and said in a deep voice, "Dispense with the formalities. You are all aware of the upcoming Alchemy Convention in the Medicine King Valley. It is quite a major event in the Jianghu.
Of the Four Halls and Three Guards, only the Shadow Guard is uninterested in the Alchemy Convention and has chosen to forfeit.
That being the case, the remaining Four Halls and Two Guards will pair off and compete. The final victor will represent our Zhenwu Hall at the Alchemy Convention."
With that, Chao Hongtu gestured, and a box was brought forward for the six contestants to draw lots and determine their opponents.
Chen Yuan drew number one. The other person to draw number one was Cui Wenzhong’s disciple, Dai Bin.
Although the main hall was spacious, it was no place for a duel, so the group moved to the Martial Arts Arena outside.
Dai Bin was nearly thirty years old. He wielded a Nine-Ringed Saber and had a cultivation at the late-stage Sea of Reincarnation Realm.
Of the contestants present, only Chen Yuan and Jiang Xibai were in their early twenties. The other four were all nearly thirty, just barely meeting the Alchemy Convention’s age requirement.
Of course, there were certainly people who would lie about their age for the Alchemy Convention, but if discovered, their faction would also suffer great embarrassment. Generally, no one would do such a thing.
Just then, Dai Bin suddenly spoke up. "Grand Commandant, although this is just a sparring match, blades have no eyes. How much force should we hold back?
After all, some moves can’t be taken back once they’re used. We are all comrades of the Zhenwu Hall. Surely we won’t be punished if we accidentally injure our opponent?"
Chao Hongtu waved his hand. "Go all out. With so many Grandmaster-level experts present, you wouldn’t even have the chance to fight to the death if you wanted to."
"With the Grand Commandant’s assurance, I am relieved."
Saying this, Dai Bin cupped his hands toward Chen Yuan and revealed a chilling smile. "Brother Chen, blades have no eyes. Be careful."