Chapter 248: Center of Attention

At the sudden change, a look of astonishment appeared on Yang Tian's face. His gaze, tinged with shock, swept over the fallen crowd, and he couldn't help but smack his lips.

"As expected of the Dan Valley, ruthless in action—anyone who breaks the rules is shown no mercy!" Yang Tian's throat rolled slightly as he sighed repeatedly. Cultivators were like weeds, but they had brought it upon themselves.

Many of the onlookers were instantly petrified, their lips trembling uncontrollably. Dozens of alchemists had been beaten to death on the spot—these were all highly talented alchemists. Though they had harbored some hope, their alchemy skills were certainly not low.

"I said, anyone who violates the rules will be executed!" The Grand Elder spoke softly from outside. He had been holding in a bellyful of anger, and now he was even more furious, thoroughly enraging this nearly mad lion.

Sizzle! At that moment, the void suddenly trembled, the space quivered slightly, and dozens of flames descended, incinerating the corpses below into ash.

"Such ruthless methods." Yang Tian smacked his lips, then quickly felt relieved. This was a world where the strong preyed on the weak; rules were established only by the powerful, and only absolute strength could break them.

Some youths who had been on the verge of retreating now broke out in a cold sweat, feeling a sense of relief at having escaped disaster. If they had rushed out in a moment of hotheadedness, they would have ended up like those others—burned to ashes.

"Ah—" The little girl beside him turned pale with fright. It was her first time witnessing such a bloody scene, and she couldn't help but cry out, feeling nauseous.

"Heh, these are just people fishing in troubled waters; their deaths are not worth regretting." Seeing the girl's pale face, Yang Tian shrugged and said with a faint smile.

"Oh..." The girl's face regained a bit of color, and she smiled at Yang Tian. "Young master, the first test of the Alchemy Conference is to check soul power. You need to lift the Heavy Gravity Ball for thirty breaths to pass."

With that, the girl waved her hand, and a black iron ball the size of a human head appeared on the empty ground. Its weight was astonishing, causing the ground to tremble slightly. The black iron ball gleamed with a cold metallic luster, clearly indicating its heaviness.

"The difficulty of this test is really high. I reckon this round will eliminate half the people." Scratching his head, Yang Tian murmured. This Heavy Gravity Ball weighed about five hundred jin. Without reaching the Soul Forging stage in soul cultivation, one couldn't lift it at all.

Noticing that some had already lifted the Heavy Gravity Ball, Yang Tian refused to be outdone. His soul power surged within him, lifting the ball from the ground.

He did it with extreme ease. The girl beside him widened her eyes, watching Yang Tian's relaxed demeanor, and felt a surge of awe. This youth, only a year or two older than her, possessed remarkably strong soul power.

From time to time, cries of anguish came from the field. Some who were overly ambitious even damaged their soul origin, their legs going weak, and they withdrew in defeat.

"The people from the Alchemy Dao Alliance are indeed formidable!" At this moment, Yang Tian's gaze fell on a youth dressed in spotless white robes. He could sense that the other's soul cultivation was even stronger than his own.

"This person should be from the Heavenly Dao Alliance." After watching for a while, Yang Tian shifted his gaze to a youth in black robes. His face was somewhat gloomy, and a faint, chilling aura emanated from him.

"This constitution..." At this point, Yang Tian's gaze landed on a girl who seemed only fifteen or sixteen. Her big eyes were very bright, but the aura she exuded gave Yang Tian a strange feeling.

Yang Tian observed his surroundings for a while and noticed that the formidable figures in the void were all around his age, and the soul power they emitted was extremely terrifying—none of them were simple characters.

"It seems this Alchemy Conference has attracted many talents with terrifying abilities." After observing for a while, Yang Tian withdrew his gaze. After thirty breaths, he directly set down the Heavy Gravity Ball.

After the first round, which lasted only thirty breaths, the ten thousand alchemists had been reduced by more than half, leaving only a few thousand on the field.

"The second round—testing the control of alchemical flame—begins now." The Grand Elder's voice echoed throughout the venue.

At this moment, the petite and delicate girl took out a ten-inch-long black rod from her spatial ring. It looked like it was forged from steel, but it emitted a medicinal aura.

"Young master, this is Ironwood, a first-grade high-level spiritual herb. You need to melt it within half an hour." The girl obediently handed the Ironwood to Yang Tian, smiling playfully.

"Ironwood!" Hearing this, Yang Tian rolled his eyes and couldn't help muttering, "These old bastards really know how to pick spiritual herbs..."

Ironwood, though a spiritual herb, was widely regarded in the cultivation world as a useless herb. Moreover, its material was extremely hard, comparable to third-grade spiritual herbs. Melting it within half an hour was no small challenge for some alchemists.

Many cries of complaint arose from the field, with people deriding the Dan Valley for being too stingy. But they only grumbled for a moment before sitting down to begin refining—half an hour was not long.

Yang Tian sat cross-legged on the ground, his gaze wandering around. When he noticed the colorful alchemy furnaces around him, he couldn't help but curl his lips. His own furnace was on the verge of cracking, and the high-quality furnace he had couldn't be shown to others easily.

A Xuan-grade alchemy furnace appeared before him. Yang Tian rubbed his hands together and tossed the Ironwood directly inside.

Although Yang Tian's red furnace looked quite beautiful on the outside, the cracks on it did not escape others' notice. In an instant, Yang Tian became the center of attention.

The petite girl beside him also showed a hint of surprise in her eyes. She couldn't understand why this youth didn't have a decent furnace. After all, a good furnace symbolized an alchemist's status.

Inside the palace, clouds and mists swirled, and the interior was resplendent with colorful lights and auspicious vapors. The decorations were extremely luxurious, as if carved from a giant piece of jade.

At this moment, when Yang Tian took out his furnace, Meng Yunxi was momentarily stunned. She looked at the furnace with a surprised expression, pondered for a moment, and then a look of sudden realization appeared on her face.

"This little guy is really stingy." Meng Yunxi pouted. Yang Tian's own foundation was no weaker than that of a holy son, yet he couldn't even get a decent furnace.

If Yang Tian knew what she was thinking, he would surely be on the verge of tears. The holy sons he had robbed simply didn't know how to refine alchemy...

Noticing the gazes converging on him, as if expecting an explosion, Yang Tian curled his lips. He fell silent for a moment, suddenly remembering that his alchemical flame was vastly different from others'.

"The origin of lightning—if it's exposed, I'll be in big trouble!" His gaze wavered, and Yang Tian clenched his fist. If a powerful figure discovered it, even the people of the Dan Valley would likely try to seize it.

As one person in the field fell silent, many eyes turned toward him, wondering why he hadn't made a move. Being able to pass the first round clearly meant he was no ordinary person.

"What's wrong with this kid?" Meng Yunxi frowned slightly. A piece of Ironwood shouldn't be too much of an obstacle for him, right?

Xing Hao's gaze also converged on him. His eyes flickered for a moment. Yang Tian's participation in the Alchemy Conference was already surprising enough, and now he had stopped moving.

"This guy, Shan Qu said I'm no match for him. What's going on now?" At this moment, a youth in white robes fixed his gaze on Yang Tian, muttering inwardly.

The people around began to murmur. Yang Tian's expression shifted for a moment, then he gritted his teeth and thought to himself, "I don't believe the people of the Dan Valley would be so shameless."

Chi! As his words fell, a purple light flickered at his fingertip, flashed briefly, and then entered the furnace. The lid of the furnace fell shut in an instant.

Although Yang Tian's movements were extremely fast, they did not escape the eyes of some old monsters. What did they see? Lightning! Yang Tian was actually using lightning to refine alchemy—this exceeded their understanding.

"My goodness, Yang Tian's alchemical flame has also mutated!" Seeing this, Qing Yuan smacked his lips hard. Using lightning fire to refine alchemy—he had indeed never heard of it.

At that moment, two old men who had been resting with their eyes closed inside the palace suddenly sensed a faint, unsettling feeling in their hearts—very uncomfortable, even repulsive.