Word Count: 2,592 Words
******
The Medicinal Ceremony was the most important event within the Yao Clan. Its date was not entirely fixed and could shift depending on various circumstances. Broadly speaking, it bore some resemblance to the Pill Tower's Pill Gathering, and in a sense, it was a grand assembly of the continent's truly top-tier alchemists.
Through this gathering, the world would learn who the number one alchemist on the Dou Qi Continent truly was!
Those qualified to participate were not limited to members of the Yao Clan. A handful of alchemy grandmasters, past or present, who possessed immense fame across the Central Plains and exceptionally high attainments in alchemy could also receive invitations. Such invitees were always few in number, however. After all, any alchemist capable of catching the Yao Clan's eye was as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.
Even so, none of this diminished the grandeur of the Medicinal Ceremony, and for one reason alone: the title of the continent's number one alchemist!
In a sense, the Medicinal Ceremony had no strict entry requirements. Age did not matter, and one could participate any number of times. Of course, any alchemist below tier 9 would only be coming to humiliate themselves.
…
The Beast Region lay extremely far from the Shenglong Mountain Range where the Yao Clan resided, but with Xiao Yan's Ancient Phoenix Wings at full speed, even such a vast distance took only an hour or two. Around noon, the mist-shrouded Shenglong Mountain Range came into view.
'What rich natural energy. The Yao Clan certainly picked a fine location...'
Even Xiao Yan could not help but let out a murmur of admiration at first sight. The rolling clouds and mist above the mountain range were no ordinary vapors; they had formed from gathered natural energy. Cultivating here would be considerably faster than in most other regions.
That said, he did not believe this was a natural phenomenon. According to intelligence Ya Fei had provided, the mountain range had been nurtured into such fertile abundance by a Yao Clan ancestor who had devoted several hundred years of effort to the task.
In ancient times, herb cultivators had been an extremely sought-after profession.
'So this is where Master once lived...'
Xiao Yan gazed at the unfamiliar mountain range with complicated emotions. This was the birthplace of Venerable Yao, Yao Chen. Although Yao Chen's inheritance had never spoken of his life within the Yao Clan, Xiao Yan had heard Xuan Kong Zi mention some of it back at the Pill Tower.
Yao Chen had been framed by his own clan and expelled on baseless charges. It was also said that in his youth, he had sworn an oath: one day, he would astound the Yao Clan as the number one alchemist and carve his name onto the clan monument.
The clan monument was the Yao Clan's tablet of merit. Only those who had achieved great distinction within the clan were permitted to inscribe their names upon it. Every member of the Yao Clan regarded earning a place there as a lifelong ambition, and Venerable Yao had been no exception.
Xiao Yan let out a soft sigh and shook his head. His figure began a slow descent, eventually coming to rest above a deep ravine hidden in the heart of the mountain range. On the far side stood an enormous stone archway, several thousand feet tall, silent and imposing. An ancient, primeval aura radiated from its weathered surface.
At the center of the arch lay a distorted patch of space. This was the spatial gate leading into the Yao Clan. Figures continuously flew in from the sky or emerged from the depths of the forest, landing outside the archway before presenting jade slips to the guards in Yao Clan robes. Only after inspection were they permitted entry.
The Medicinal Ceremony resembled the Gu Clan's coming-of-age ceremony in one fundamental regard: its deepest purpose was to display the Yao Clan's strength. Because of that, the visitors were not limited to alchemists like Xiao Yan who had come to compete.
This was the grandest gathering in the Yao Clan. Nearby factions attached to the clan were also permitted to enter and observe. During this period, the Yao Clan would be livelier than at any other time.
Xiao Yan's figure flickered like a ghost, and he appeared outside the archway in an instant. The guards standing there like statues immediately turned sharp gazes on him and barked, "This is sacred ground of the Yao Clan! No trespassing! Who are you?!"
Their eyes were keen. At a glance, they could tell Xiao Yan was not from any of the nearby dependent factions, for even when those factions' leaders came in person, they always wore humble, deferential expressions.
Xiao Yan, by contrast, stood calm as still water. The moment they noticed that composure, the guards sensed something was off.
Not that it would have mattered. Even if the Yao Clan's own Clan Head had stood before him, Xiao Yan would not have shown much awe. He was now the Clan Head of the Xiao Clan, a Dou God Clan!
Around the ravine, the figures arriving in steady streams slowed their approach and turned curious eyes toward the lone figure who had come by himself.
"Xiao Yan of the Yan Alliance. I was invited to attend the Medicinal Ceremony."
When the Yao Clan had sent its invitation, the Xiao Clan had not yet officially announced its return. Naturally, the invitation had been addressed to Xiao Yan of the Yan Alliance.
"That's Grandmaster Xiao Yan of the Yan Alliance?! I heard he made it out of the Demon Flame Space. So it was true."
"How old is that news of yours? The Xiao Clan has formally returned. Even the Gu Clan and the Hun Clan have acknowledged its status as a Dou God Clan. Xiao Yan is the Xiao Clan's Clan Head now. His standing is equal to the Yao Clan's own Clan Head."
Sharp intakes of breath sounded from every direction.
This was the Clan Head of a Dou God Clan!
There were only six Dou God Clans left in the world. That meant Xiao Yan stood among the six most exalted figures on the entire continent!
"I didn't expect even Xiao Yan would come."
"I heard he once won the Pill Tower's Pill Gathering. His alchemy attainments must be extraordinary."
"More than just a Pill Gathering champion. Haven't you heard the rumors? Xiao Yan once publicly refined a Tier 9 Treasure Pill inside the Small Pill Tower. He's a genuine Treasure Pill Guru!"
"A Tier 9 Treasure Pill?! You can't be serious."
"Heh. Why else would the Yao Clan invite him? The highest holy land of alchemy on the Dou Qi Continent isn't the Pill Tower anymore. It's the Yan Alliance. Grandmaster Xiao Yan... no, Great Grandmaster Xiao Yan isn't just the founder of the Yan Alliance's charter. He's the man in charge of its Medicine Hall. Even geniuses like Cao Ying and Dan Chen joined the Yan Alliance to pursue higher attainments in alchemy. What does that tell you?"
"Isn't it obvious why the Yao Clan is holding the Medicinal Ceremony? They want to proclaim themselves the true orthodox authority of alchemy. But Xiao Yan is publicly recognized as the most talented and strongest alchemist on the continent right now. If they can't defeat him in alchemy, what right do they have to call themselves number one?"
The whispers reached the guards' ears and their expressions shifted. Xiao Yan's name rang loudly even among the ancient clans. For the once-declining Xiao Clan to produce such an astonishing talent, one who had singlehandedly revived the entire clan, was nothing short of a miracle.
What stung the Yao Clan most was that rumors across the Dou Qi Continent claimed Xiao Yan's alchemy surpassed their own, as though the Yao Clan were nothing special at all.
Xiao Yan spared them a passing glance, too indifferent to bother with words, and casually tossed over his jade slip. The guards hurriedly caught it, inspected it, and only then let out a breath of relief. One of them waved a beam of light toward the giant gate, and ripples of spatial distortion immediately cascaded across its surface.
"Clan Head Xiao, please enter. Someone inside will be waiting to guide you to the clan proper."
This time, the guards' tone was considerably more respectful. In this world, strength reigned supreme. Xiao Yan's power and position were both comparable to their own Clan Head, Yao Dan. Offending a man like that and getting themselves killed would be no one's fault but their own.
Xiao Yan nodded. His figure shifted, and he swept into the distorted space.
The instant he passed through, his vision blurred. The mountain terrain before him gave way to a vast, lush green plain. Scattered across it stood enormous bird-type magical beasts, each with wings that spanned several hundred feet when fully spread.
"Clan Head Xiao, this way please."
No sooner had Xiao Yan steadied himself than an armored Yao Clan member hurried over and led him onto the back of one of the giant birds. Hundreds of figures already crowded its broad back, making for quite the lively scene.
The moment Xiao Yan's name was announced, every head on the bird turned his way. Some of the bolder clan heads came forward at once with flattering smiles, thick-skinned enough to try and ingratiate themselves with him.
Others were bolder still. They actually dragged their clan's beautiful young women forward and presented them to Xiao Yan as though selecting concubines for a monarch, clearly hoping he might take a liking to one of them. Even a position as a concubine would be perfectly acceptable.
The sight left Xiao Yan speechless. Many of the women before him were undeniably stunning and graceful, but to the current Xiao Yan, beauty was the thing he valued least.
With Cai Lin, Xun Er, and Little Fairy Doctor already by his side, he had long since grown numb to mere appearances. No matter how beautiful another woman might be, could she truly surpass those three?
Besides, he had no intention of taking concubines. The women tied to his life were already more than he could count on both hands. Spreading one's branches and scattering one's leaves was not supposed to work like this!
Once they realized he had no interest, those clan heads could only sigh inwardly and retreat, not daring to pester him further.
When things finally quieted down, Xiao Yan gazed out over the vast plain. The scene felt similar to the first time he had entered the Gu Realm, yet his state of mind was entirely different now.
The giant bird beat its massive wings and rode the fierce wind skyward, whistling through the air as it sped toward the depths of the Yao Clan's space.
The flight continued for roughly half an hour before Xiao Yan felt the bird gradually slowing. He looked into the distance and saw the clouds and mist part to reveal a colossal mountain soaring into the heavens. Clusters of grand halls and buildings were faintly visible along its slopes, while countless pillars of smoke curled upward into the sky, each one rich with the fragrance of medicine.
The giant bird circled the mountain once before descending onto a broad plaza. With the surrounding crowd respectfully parting to make way, Xiao Yan stepped down at a leisurely pace. The whole spectacle gave him the strange feeling of a head of state disembarking from a plane before a formal reception, leaving him unsure whether to laugh or cry.
"Xiao Yan?! It's you!" A somewhat familiar elderly voice drifted into his ears.
The crowd on the plaza parted like flowing water as a group clad entirely in Yao Clan robes drew near in a slow procession. Their gazes swept over Xiao Yan with a mixture of curiosity and undisguised disdain. At their head walked a thin-lipped old man whose gloomy expression was as sharp as a blade's edge. This was the very same Yao Clan elder Xiao Yan had encountered outside the Demon Flame Space, the man who oversaw the clan's punishments and bore a deep, festering grudge against Venerable Yao.
Xiao Yan spared the newcomer a glance and said flatly, "Your name is... Yao Wangui, was it?"
The moment Yao Wangui laid eyes on Xiao Yan, his expression darkened. It had been under his direct orders that Yao Chen was expelled from the clan all those years ago. Yao Chen himself might be dead, but the disciple who had inherited his legacy had risen to such terrifying heights in alchemy that it gnawed at him endlessly.
Xiao Yan's very existence was a relentless slap across his face, a living reminder that what he had done had been wrong. Like a thorn lodged deep in his pride, it never stopped pricking.
"Hmph!" One of the disciples at Yao Wangui's side sneered loudly enough for the entire plaza to hear. "Won some Pill Gathering championship and now he thinks he can measure up to our Yao Clan? Pills refined with the alchemy of the lower world are inferior by nature."
Another disciple curled his lip. "So this is Yao Chen's inheritor? Tch. Wasn't Yao Chen just a useless castoff who got himself thrown out of the Yao Clan?"
"Elder Yao Wangui was absolutely right to do what he did back then."
Xiao Yan had long since grown familiar with the Yao Clan's towering arrogance. He could not help but wonder whether it was some kind of side effect of their Dou God Bloodline.
The entourage surrounding Yao Wangui quickly grasped how deeply their elder despised Xiao Yan. At once, fawning remarks rose one after another in a shameless chorus. Yao Wangui held immense status within the Yao Clan, and winning his favor meant a swift rise through the ranks, so men like these were never in short supply at his side.
Yao Wangui, for his part, clearly relished the adulation. Wherever he went within the clan, a pack of bootlickers trailed in his wake. Some of them did not even know who they were mocking. They simply read the room. The moment Yao Wangui's expression soured, their tongues loosened accordingly. After all, within the Yao Clan, who would dare touch them?
Unfortunately for them, this time their flattery had carried them straight into the jaws of a tiger.
BOOM!
Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed. His half-step Emperor State soul erupted without warning, and in an instant two invisible soul blades slashed outward, aimed squarely at the two disciples who had dared insult Yao Chen.
A sharp whistle cut through the air. Both disciples lurched forward and spewed mouthfuls of blood. Their severed tongues tumbled out amid the crimson spray.
"You...! Xiao Yan, don't push your arrogance too far!" Yao Wangui roared, his face contorted with fury.
"A pack of imbeciles. Get lost." Xiao Yan's expression did not so much as flicker. He raised a hand almost lazily, and the terrifying Dou Qi of a 6-star Dou Saint condensed into a torrent of raw power that crashed into Yao Wangui and his entourage like a collapsing mountain and an overturning sea.
Even at 4-star Dou Saint, Yao Wangui scrambled to throw up a defensive Dou Technique, but it crumbled like wet paper. Xiao Yan had not even bothered with a proper technique. A single wave of unrefined Dou Qi was enough to shatter the defense and send Yao Wangui hurtling backward, blood spraying from his mouth.