Chapter 145 - 143: Furnace Opening Assembly
It was normal for people to jump a few places on the Hidden Dragon Rankings.
Some even shot up by ten spots at once.
But Chen Yuan had just skyrocketed from forty-ninth to thirtieth place. This was something that hadn’t been seen in decades.
Cui Xuanye, however, felt it was perfectly normal. The Hidden Dragon Rankings had underestimated Chen Yuan before, which was why his rank surged so dramatically after a single battle.
The same was true for Gu Lichuan; his current rank was still a bit low.
If Gu Lichuan were to encounter and defeat a few more significant opponents at the Furnace Opening Assembly, his rank would also skyrocket in the next update.
When Medicine King Valley opened, Danyang Prefecture, once bustling with excitement, seemed to empty out in an instant. Tens of thousands of people swarmed toward the valley.
Chen Yuan and his four companions followed the crowd for about fifteen minutes before arriving at Medicine King Valley.
Before them lay a picturesque valley nestled against mountains and water. A rich, medicinal aroma wafted out from within, invigorating the senses.
Chen Guinong and the disciples of Medicine King Valley were standing at the entrance, verifying the identities of the arrivals and handing out seat tokens one by one.
Besides the young disciples participating in the Furnace Opening Assembly, many other Martial Artists were present.
Some were representatives from powers on good terms with Medicine King Valley, sent to observe the ceremony. Others had brought along their younger generation to participate.
Chen Yuan even spotted the White-clothed Marquis, Zhao Wuji, among the observers.
After submitting their Top Grade Spiritual Medicine for registration, Chen Yuan and his group were led by a Medicine King Valley disciple to a massive plaza in the center of the valley.
The central plaza had been converted into a huge Martial Arts Arena, several hundred yards in both length and width—more than enough space for the younger generation of disciples to display their skills.
Rows of seats lined the left and right of the Martial Arts Arena. The contestants for the Furnace Opening Assembly all took their seats according to their tokens.
The stands to the north were more spacious, furnished with long tables laid out with tea. Seated there were the older generation of Martial Artists invited to observe, as well as representatives from powers friendly with Medicine King Valley.
Chen Yuan narrowed his eyes, surveying his surroundings.
’In the original story, a Divine Pill was successfully created at the Furnace Opening Assembly, but someone caused trouble midway through, exposing some of Medicine King Valley’s secrets. This ended up being the last Furnace Opening Assembly ever held.’
Chen Yuan knew the general outcome of the plot, but the specific details were either missing from the original story or he had skipped over them.
’So, if I want to get my hands on that Divine Pill, I need to prepare in advance.’
"Brother Cui, you’re well-informed. Are there any troublesome figures among the young geniuses here for the Furnace Opening Assembly?" Qin Suguang asked.
Gu Lichuan also glanced around and asked, "How come I don’t see any young geniuses at the Condensing Truth Realm?"
Cui Xuanye explained, "The young geniuses who have reached the Condensing Truth Realm are all in the top twenty of the Hidden Dragon Rankings. They almost never attend the Furnace Opening Assembly.
"It’s an unwritten rule, of sorts. If they came, their higher Realm would give them an overwhelming advantage, and the Divine Pill would inevitably be theirs.
"These geniuses are all from top-tier major powers and aren’t desperate for a single Divine Pill. Showing up would just get them labeled as greedy, so they all stay away.
"Of course, if a Loose Cultivator on the Hidden Dragon Rankings broke through to the Condensing Truth Realm, no one would say a thing if they came.
"To reach the top twenty of the Hidden Dragon Rankings as a Loose Cultivator, without the backing of a major power, means they’ve earned the right to claim a Divine Pill."
Glancing around, Cui Xuanye said, "If we’re talking about tough opponents at this assembly, there are really three people.
"See that person over there in black with the androgynous features? That’s Shen Wugui of the Nine Nether Sect, one of the Five Demonic Sects. He’s ranked twenty-eighth on the Hidden Dragon Rankings. His Nine Nether Demon Technique is bizarre and unpredictable. You must be careful of him.
"And not far from Shen Wugui, that young master in the ornate silver robes holding a Jade Folding Fan—that’s Lu Qingchen from the Divine Feather Sect, one of the Nine Martial Sects. He’s ranked thirty-third on the Hidden Dragon Rankings, and his foundational Cultivation is incredibly deep."
Cui Xuanye then pointed to a plain-looking young Martial Artist in his twenties with delicate features sitting behind them.
"You need to pay special attention to this one. He’s Huangfu Yi of the Huangfu Family from Ming God City, ranked twenty-fifth on the Hidden Dragon Rankings.
"The Huangfu Family is a bit special. While other major powers rely on Divine and Demonic Weapons to secure their status, they primarily focus on cultivating the Martial Dao, with their own martial traditions as their foundation.
"But the Huangfu Family’s power comes entirely from their family’s Divine Artifact. Their Martial Dao Cultivation is secondary, which makes them unreasonably strong.
"So don’t be fooled by the fact that Huangfu Yi’s displayed Cultivation is only at the Sea of Reincarnation Realm Middle Stage. In a true life-or-death battle, he could probably go head-to-head with the prodigies in the top twenty."
The group instinctively looked toward Huangfu Yi. He noticed them looking and, looking somewhat embarrassed, gave them a shy smile.
Chen Yuan froze. ’What’s he got to be shy about?’
By now, almost everyone had arrived. An old man with white hair but a youthful face, dressed in a simple cloth robe, descended from mid-air and walked to the center of the Martial Arts Arena.
This was the current Valley Master of Medicine King Valley, Zong Siyuan, the ’Three Cauldron Medicine King.’ In his prime, he could refine Elixirs in three cauldrons simultaneously, and every one he opened contained a Divine Pill.
"Welcome, everyone, to Medicine King Valley for our Furnace Opening Assembly. Seeing so many young geniuses every time we hold this event fills this old man’s heart with emotion. Truly, each generation brings forth its own talents. It’s about time for a useless old fool like me to retire from the Jianghu and make way for the worthy."
Zong Siyuan looked down at Chen Guinong in the stands and said, "Guinong, are you ready to take charge of Medicine King Valley?"
"With Master here, how could this disciple be qualified to lead Medicine King Valley?" Chen Guinong quickly stood up and replied earnestly.
Zong Siyuan chuckled. "Oh? So you’re just waiting for your master to die so you can legitimately take over?"
Chen Guinong looked helpless. His master was always saying such outrageous things.
After his joke, Zong Siyuan said, "Alright, enough idle chatter. You all know the rules of the Furnace Opening Assembly. Contestants will be paired up by drawing lots based on your tokens. Let the Furnace Opening Assembly officially begin!"
Chen Yuan was a little surprised. ’This Valley Master of Medicine King Valley doesn’t put on any airs. He actually likes to joke around.’
As Zong Siyuan’s voice fell, an intensely scorching heatwave erupted from a small peak jutting out behind the main valley.
Peering into the distance, one could faintly make out a massive cauldron floating in mid-air.
This was Medicine King Valley’s Divine Artifact, the Shennong Cauldron. The Top Grade Spiritual Medicine that Chen Yuan and the others had used as their entry fee had already been placed inside it.
The entire Martial Arts Arena was built over an Array. The Inner Strength True Qi that overflowed during the contestants’ battles would be absorbed by this Array and channeled beneath the Shennong Cauldron to serve as fuel for the Alchemy.
Chen Guinong, acting as the host of the Furnace Opening Assembly, began to randomly draw tokens for the matches.
Chen Yuan’s group wasn’t called in the first few matches. They featured young geniuses from among the Loose Cultivators and Martial Artists from non-top-tier sects.
Chen Yuan watched for a bit. ’Their strength is pretty average, not even on par with Zhu Chengzong.’
The first of their group to be called was Gu Lichuan.
His opponent was a young genius from a Middle-level Sect in Qin Province. He was about twenty-five or twenty-six, with a Cultivation at the Sea of Reincarnation Realm Middle Stage.
Knowing that Gu Lichuan was a genius who had just entered the Hidden Dragon Rankings, the opponent was slightly nervous.
Just as Chen Guinong announced the start, the opponent’s True Qi erupted, and he slashed down with his saber, unleashing a not-insignificant amount of power.
But with a single ring of a sword, the True Qi was torn apart and the saber shattered. Gu Lichuan’s sword was already resting on his opponent’s neck.
The Martial Artist’s eyes were glazed. Only after a long moment did he react, forcing a bitter smile. "I’ve lost."
He knew there was a huge gap between himself and the prodigies on the Hidden Dragon Rankings, but he never imagined the gap would be this large.
"I was lucky."
Gu Lichuan clasped his hands and left the stage.
The crowd was also somewhat surprised.
As a young genius who had just made it onto the Hidden Dragon Rankings, the power Gu Lichuan displayed with that single sword strike was astonishing.
Back at his seat, before Chen Yuan and the others could even praise him, Gu Lichuan gloated, "How was my performance just now? Didn’t I dazzle the whole arena?"
"Your performance wasn’t bad," Chen Yuan joked, "but your strike was too fast and lacked a bit of impact. If you had used the Mountain and Sea Sword Scripture to obliterate him, now *that* would have dazzled the whole arena."
Gu Lichuan shook his head. "Nah. We have no grudge against each other. It would be too cruel to be so ruthless in a tournament match."
He wasn’t the type to be cruel and ruthless. He wouldn’t take things to the extreme when there was no prior animosity.
But by the same token, if anyone truly angered Gu Lichuan, he was fully capable of slaughtering their entire family, just like he did with the Hong Family Castle.
The Furnace Opening Assembly continued for the entire morning, with over a hundred Martial Artists having already competed on stage.
Some matches were quick, like Gu Lichuan’s, ending with a single sword strike.
Others dragged on for a long time, the victor only decided after a battle of attrition.
With over a thousand young Martial Artists attending the assembly, the tournament could easily last for several days, round after round.
In the afternoon, Huangfu Yi of the Huangfu Family—the one Cui Xuanye had warned them about—took the stage. His opponent was also on the Hidden Dragon Rankings: Lu Tianxing of the Lu Family from Celestial Water City. His rank was much lower, however, at seventy-third.
After stepping onto the stage, Huangfu Yi politely clasped his hands in a salute. He seemed awkward and shy, even giving off an impression of timid weakness.
The crowd was puzzled. ’This is the twenty-fifth-ranked genius on the Hidden Dragon Rankings?’
Lu Tianxing was also puzzled, but he showed no mercy in his attack.
’What if he’s just a fraud? If I beat him, wouldn’t I be ranked twenty-fifth on the Hidden Dragon Rankings?’
But the moment that thought appeared, he realized how terribly mistaken he was.
Huangfu Yi didn’t immediately fight back. Instead, he put on a garish mask.
The paint on the mask was a chaotic swirl, looking both divine and demonic, and it emanated a profound and mysterious aura.
The moment he put on the mask, Huangfu Yi’s entire aura changed. It became savage and violent, like a ferocious deity or a malevolent demon. His attacks were ruthless and brutal.
Within a few moves, Lu Tianxing was beaten so badly he was coughing up blood and begging for mercy.
Chen Yuan watched Huangfu Yi’s every move, a sense of wonder growing in his heart.
’The Huangfu Family’s Divine Mask really is something strange.’