Chapter 19

It must be said that Bai Chen's arrogance was quite overbearing, but his arrogance left Qin Youwei speechless.

Qin Youwei lowered his head, hiding his venomous gaze deeply.

Two disciples of the Danqi Sect carried Qin Kelan off the stage, and only then did Bai Chen slowly descend.

Long Tuxiao also approached at this moment, clasping his fists and saying, "My friend, you have broken my Wutu Array, Qianjibian. If you have time, why not come to our Longhu Gate for a visit?"

Was this an invitation?

Or was it a gesture of goodwill?

Bai Chen narrowed his eyes, maintaining a polite demeanor, and smiled, "If I have time, I would like to meet the top sect of Qingzhou."

Bai Chen did not think the other party would truly look up to him.

Even Qin Youwei of the Danqi Sect was haughty, and as the leading sect among the five major sects, the Longhu Gate, no matter how courteous, would not likely show a good face.

Most likely, they saw some value in him, but since he had no connection with the Longhu Gate, there was no need to put on a smiling face.

Bai Chen did not notice that on the other side of the stage, someone was also watching him.

Mu Sansheng!

At this moment, Mu Sansheng's feelings were indescribable.

He had misjudged, had their encounter that day been to jointly deal with the Danqi Sect?

Thinking of this, Mu Sansheng shook his head dismissively.

Even if Bai Chen defeated Qin Kelan, he still did not have the qualifications to ally with the Tiejian Sect.

Not to mention that the Tiejian Sect and the Danqi Sect had not yet reached the point of open conflict.

Even if they were at the point of irreconcilable differences, what qualifications did this unknown young man have to ally with the vast Tiejian Sect?

The Danqi Sect was not just Qin Kelan, and it was not a sect primarily focused on martial arts.

However, Mu Sansheng still whispered to someone beside him, "Investigate that young man's background."

There were others who made similar decisions, with disciples from other sects whispering to each other.

After a few moments, when the crowd's excitement had calmed down somewhat, the Danqi Sect's people finally stepped onto the stage.

Qin Youwei was among them, and once on the stage, he appeared quite smug.

His gaze swept over the crowd below, and upon seeing that Bai Chen had not left, he smiled even more smugly, his eyes filled with disdain.

Qin Youwei adjusted his clothing slightly, stepped forward, and said in a high-pitched voice, "Fellow villagers, this is Qin Youwei. It is now time for the Danqi Sect to show its skills."

Seeing the expectant gazes from the crowd below, Qin Youwei's face became even more smug.

"I believe everyone knows that the Danqi Sect is not primarily focused on martial arts." Qin Youwei's gaze deliberately fell on Bai Chen, as if telling him not to think that winning against the Danqi Sect once meant he could oppose it.

"Enough talk, let's see what you can do. Talking is just a waste of time."

Pfft—

Bai Chen's words immediately caused the surrounding audience to burst into laughter. Qin Youwei's face stiffened, not expecting Bai Chen to disrupt him at this moment.

Qin Youwei's eyes glinted with a fierce light, wishing he could flay Bai Chen alive, but he suppressed his anger.

However, thinking that it was now his time to perform, Qin Youwei's mood immediately improved.

I am a dan master of the Danqi Sect. Why should I be angry with this punk?

Once I reach the Grandmaster level, I can easily command a few experts to make this young man regret it.

"Fellow villagers, I have recently comprehended a dan formula called the Three Yang Dan. I wonder if any of you have heard of it?"

The originally noisy audience instantly fell silent, everyone staring wide-eyed and in shock at Qin Youwei.

"Three Yang Dan? The Fifth Rank Three Yang Dan?"

"I didn't hear wrong, did I? The Dan King of the Fifth Rank, the Three Yang Dan?"

Even Long Tuxiao showed a look of shock. The Three Yang Dan, also known as the Lesser Dan King, was the most precious and hardest to refine among Fifth Rank dan, with a market price even higher than Sixth and Seventh Rank dan.

The Three Yang Dan was not just difficult to refine and had scarce materials, which is why it was called the Lesser Dan King.

The Three Yang Dan could open the qi gates in advance. Anyone with a cultivation level above Fifth Rank who consumed the Three Yang Dan could use internal energy like a先天 (Xiantian) expert.

Qin Kelan had previously taken the Three Yang Dan, which is why she could release her internal energy at the Eighth Rank.

Because of this, she became one of the two top young experts in Qingzhou, far surpassing the so-called Four Young Lords of Qingzhou.

The Danqi Sect, a sect primarily focused on refining dan, relied on the Three Yang Dan for its survival.

Others needed to reach the Xiantian realm to release internal energy, but the Danqi Sect could do so without reaching the Xiantian realm, which alone made the disciples of the Danqi Sect more powerful in combat than those of other sects.

Of course, not every disciple of the Danqi Sect had this opportunity, as the materials for the Three Yang Dan were extremely precious.

Moreover, the refining process was extremely complex. Even within the Danqi Sect, only five dan masters could refine the Three Yang Dan, and they could not guarantee success.

"Everyone, please be quiet! I cannot guarantee success, as I have only mastered the formula for three months and have only successfully refined a few after over a hundred attempts."

Qin Youwei humbly spoke, but his face was filled with pride. Refining a few after over a hundred attempts was indeed lower than the achievements of the sect's masters, but he was younger and had practiced fewer times.

Qin Youwei unfastened a tripod furnace from his waist. The tripod was as green as jade, smooth and reflective, and a faint medicinal fragrance wafted through the stage.

"Jade King Tripod!" Long Tuxiao exclaimed. No wonder Qin Youwei was so confident; he had the Jade King Tripod!

The Jade King Tripod was a treasure of the Danqi Sect, increasing the success rate of refining Fifth Rank dan by thirty percent, known to everyone in Qingzhou.

No wonder Qin Youwei dared to demonstrate the refining of the Three Yang Dan on the stage, with this treasure, he had at least a fifty percent chance of success.

Long Tuxiao's face darkened. Was the Danqi Sect going to take the lead this time?

In fact, the stage had become a platform for the young disciples of the five major sects to showcase their talents. The disciples of the five major sects would each display their strengths, and the one with the highest acclaim would be considered the winner.

This was not just about surface glory; there was another reason they had to vie for the top spot.

Whoever earned the title of the top young expert in Qingzhou would have a great opportunity waiting for them, and even their sect would benefit.

Qin Youwei then took out another item, a red sphere. The sphere was smooth and lustrous, with what seemed like flowing blood inside.

"Fire Crystal!" Long Tuxiao drew a sharp breath.

When Qin Youwei took out the Fire Crystal, Long Tuxiao's face became even more serious, even a bit angry.

"Danqi Sect, do you really think the other sects have nothing to show?" Long Tuxiao gritted his teeth and muttered, and the faces of his fellow disciples also darkened.

The Danqi Sect was clearly cheating. Although there were no explicit rules against using external items, the five major sects generally adhered to unwritten rules and did not overly rely on external items, as it would be embarrassing to win with external help.

However, Qin Youwei was clearly breaking this unwritten rule. The Jade King Tripod was one thing, but taking out the Fire Crystal was too much.

The Fire Crystal was made from refined firestone, and then a person who had cultivated fire-based internal energy would infuse it with pure internal energy. Once the firestone was fully infused, the Fire Crystal was complete.

For alchemists, the Fire Crystal was an excellent auxiliary tool, as ordinary flames were often ineffective in refining dan.

However, the Fire Crystal could reach any desired temperature with a single infusion of true qi.

Not only did it simplify and smooth the refining process, but it also increased the success rate by at least ten percent.

Qin Youwei, on the stage, ignored the gazes of others, placed the Fire Crystal on a stand, and then placed the Jade King Tripod on top, beginning the refining process.

Qin Youwei pressed his hands against the Fire Crystal, infused it with internal energy, and immediately let go. The Fire Crystal immediately emitted a deep red glow.

A wave of heat spread from the Fire Crystal, and Qin Youwei's face brightened. A fellow disciple handed him a bag of herbs, and he grabbed a handful of Chiyang Grass.

Long Tuxiao's eyes widened, his teeth clenched, and his face was filled with anger.

Just by his posture, it was clear what "furious to the point of hair standing on end" meant.

"Too much! Too much!!" Wang Yutian also roared in anger.

The faces of the disciples from other sects were also dark, clearly resentful of Qin Youwei or the Danqi Sect's actions.

The Jade King Tripod and the Fire Crystal were one thing, but now he was using ten portions of materials to refine the dan. If he still failed, it would be a miracle.

Although refining too many dan at once would reduce the success rate due to mutual interference, it would not be less than one.

Qin Youwei was clearly taking advantage of the audience's lack of knowledge about alchemy. The audience thought alchemy was impressive, but how many knew the intricacies?

Seeing Qin Youwei continuously adding large amounts of materials, Bai Chen couldn't help but sneer, "Nothing special."

He had thought he could learn some techniques from Qin Youwei, but this young man's alchemy skills were even worse than his.

There were no techniques at all, and there was no sign of a fire shield. If the success rate could be high, it would be a miracle.

Bai Chen had automatically acquired some alchemy techniques and control methods after his upgrade.

Long Tuxiao's gaze fell on Bai Chen in the crowd, his eyes flickering. Finally, his gaze steadied, and he walked over.