Chapter 696: The Alchemy Grand Assembly Begins!

On the distant horizon, a hazy glow of dawn began to emerge. As rays of sunlight fell upon Alchemy City, the entire city seemed to come alive, with a terrifying will rising.

Today was a day of universal attention. The continent's alchemy prodigies had all arrived to participate in this grand alchemy event.

In every session of the Alchemy Grand Assembly, alchemy geniuses would stand out. The champion would even be remembered through the ages—a height every alchemist aspired to reach.

Some prodigies had prepared for years just for this assembly, aiming to achieve fame in one fell swoop, gain supreme glory, and prove their will as alchemy kings.

As early as the day before, the central area of the Alchemy Alliance was already overcrowded. Dense crowds surged like waves, and the noise was deafening.

In the midst of these people was a vast square, where scorching energy flowed. Beneath it seemed to be a world of magma, constantly spewing fire-attributed essence.

High above the square, a massive hall hung in the air, overlooking the vast land, exuding a faint aura of majesty.

Many figures moved within it—all important figures from various races, making the young novices below yearn with admiration.

At the city gate, a young man in black arrived. A glimmer of light flashed in his eyes as he quietly watched the concentrated spirit energy above the Alchemy Alliance, which resembled a massive dragon body swaying.

This was the spirit energy of many alchemy prodigies. If someone won the championship, this spirit energy would forge the will of an alchemy king.

"It's about to begin..." Rubbing his nose, Yang Tian walked inside. The Alchemy Grand Assembly, held once every thirty years, drew the continent's alchemy prodigies—a rare event.

To refine a seventh-rank pill before the age of thirty indicated that one could potentially become an eighth-rank alchemist in the future.

Eighth-rank alchemists were extremely rare on the continent. Even the entire Alchemy Alliance likely had only a handful. Such pills could be called divine pills.

As for the legendary ninth-rank alchemists, they had not appeared in the Tianyang Continent for eons. Alchemists who could touch that realm cultivated the primordial spirit path, making them incredibly formidable.

Arriving at the central area, Yang Tian looked at the sea of people, a hint of surprise in his eyes. There were probably hundreds of thousands of people present, including many with powerful cultivation.

His eyes shifted. When he noticed some youths with extraordinary bearing walking out of a building, Yang Tian frowned slightly. After hesitating for a moment, he approached an old man.

"Old sir, what are these people doing in there? They all seem like figures from major clans."

The old man enthusiastically explained: "This is the testing chamber. Those who pass the test can participate in the Alchemy Grand Assembly. Look, each one is extraordinary, right?"

"Uh..." Scratching his head, Yang Tian asked doubtfully, "There's a test to join the Alchemy Grand Assembly?"

"Of course. What do you think this place is? If some reckless fool messed around during the assembly, it would affect the proceedings." The old man spoke with a scolding tone.

"How do I get in?" Yang Tian rubbed his nose and asked.

"Just go straight in..." The old man said absentmindedly, not really paying attention. He didn't believe that this clueless person would actually go in for testing.

"Youth is wonderful..." The old man sighed enviously, his eyes constantly scanning passersby. When he noticed the young man just now, his expression instantly turned strange.

"Why did that fool go in? If his soul power hasn't reached the Refining Soul level, he'll be punished." The old man's eyes widened, and he muttered inwardly.

"If it weren't for this old man, I would have missed this assembly." Yang Tian muttered to himself. As soon as he stepped into the hall, someone approached him.

It was a middle-aged man, who scrutinized Yang Tian with a critical gaze. Looking at the youth's robes, he asked uncertainly, "Are you here for the Alchemy Grand Assembly?"

Hearing this, Yang Tian nodded, his eyes scanning the interior. There were many secret rooms, presumably where the tests were conducted.

Seeing Yang Tian's indifferent attitude, the middle-aged man's face darkened. "Which clan are you from?"

Shrugging, Yang Tian said flatly, "A rogue cultivator, no sect."

His calm demeanor made the middle-aged man hesitate. This was not a place just anyone could enter. There were very few rogue cultivators; alchemists were usually nurtured with various resources.

"I want to take the test. Where do I go?" Seeing the middle-aged man silent, Yang Tian pursed his lips and asked.

"Follow me!" The middle-aged man said solemnly. As he turned around, he grumbled inwardly, "Kid, if you're lying to me, I'll tear you apart!"

Sensing the man's trace of resentment, Yang Tian couldn't help but grin. He recalled his past狼狈ness, being chased with no escape above or below, but he was no longer the greenhorn he once was.

Entering a secret room, there was a black stone in front, covered with many cracks, clearly left by attacks.

The middle-aged man's eyes fell on the black stone. He said flatly, "This is Black Xuan Gold Crystal. Strike it with all your soul power. If you leave a crack, you pass the test."

As his words fell, a powerful wave of soul power flashed by. The middle-aged man's neck visibly shrank, and his hair stood on end. This soul power fluctuation was extremely strong.

"Done..." A faint voice fell, and the middle-aged man snapped back to attention. When he noticed the Black Xuan Gold Crystal looking the same as before, his face darkened.

Suddenly, just as the middle-aged man was about to explode, with a bang, the Black Xuan Gold Crystal, which had just left his sight, exploded, shattered into pieces.

His body stiffened instantly. Staring in horror at the shattered crystal, he exclaimed, "You broke it!"

"Didn't you tell me to strike? I didn't expect this material to be so fragile." Shrugging, Yang Tian said innocently, "You're not going to make me pay for it, are you?"

"How is this possible?" The middle-aged man quickly came to his senses. Turning to look at the youth, he said with a fawning smile, "It's fine if it's broken. We have plenty of this stuff in the Alliance. No need to pay."

The middle-aged man was drenched in sweat. This Black Xuan Gold Crystal was no ordinary material. Leaving a crack with soul power was already impressive. He never expected this person to shatter it completely.

"He must be a seventh-rank alchemist, definitely..." The middle-aged man looked at Yang Tian with respect, not daring to show any disdain. To reach the seventh rank at this age, and as a rogue cultivator—this talent was too monstrous.

"Oh, are there any other procedures?" Rubbing his nose, Yang Tian said flatly, "If not, I'll be going."

"Senior, wait a moment. I'll be right back to get a token." He nodded frantically, like a chick pecking rice, and hurried out.

"Senior..." Rubbing his forehead, Yang Tian found it amusing. Such was this world.

The middle-aged man returned shortly, holding a golden token engraved with the number 742.

"Hmm, I'm the seven hundred and forty-second. So in this Alchemy Grand Assembly, there are over seven hundred sixth-rank alchemists alone, and that's not all. Truly terrifying!"

Yang Tian muttered as he left the hall and walked toward the central square. As soon as he stepped out, countless gazes converged on him.

"Eh... this kid..." The old man earlier was completely stunned. He hadn't expected that the person who seemed to be fishing in troubled waters had actually succeeded.

Surrounded by envious and jealous looks, Yang Tian shrugged helplessly. His gaze swept over the seated figures.

Yang Tian's eyes scanned. When he noticed that demon woman, his face gradually turned cold.

"That woman is participating in the Alchemy Grand Assembly? What is she up to?" Yang Tian was both shocked and puzzled. But when he recalled Yun'er's origin essence and the divine flame at the top of the Alchemy Tower, he suddenly understood.

His eyes turned icy. If his guess was correct, she intended to use the extreme yin origin essence to devour the extreme yang divine flame atop the Alchemy Tower, thereby breaking through to the Undying realm!