Chapter 363: A First Glimpse at the Five Elements (1/2)

Chapter 363: A First Glimpse at the Five Elements

Inwardly, Zhou Dekun was constantly cursing, although he wasn’t sure exactly who he should be cursing. He was filled with consternation and regret.

The man named Yan frowned. He was starting to think that this Holy Snow City was really annoying. All he wanted to do was take a look at that medicinal pill. And yet after all this time, he hadn’t been able to lay eyes on it for even a second.

Face grim, he turned slowly to look at the young man.

Hanxue Zong had been watching everything that was happening. He gave a slight smile, and then his body flickered; a moment later, he was standing directly in front of Zhou Dekun.

First Elder suddenly said, “Hanxue Zong, I don’t know why you’re not dead yet, but….”

“But what?” he said with a laugh, cutting off First Elder. “The reason I’m not dead is because the old man was soft-hearted. However, his soft-heartedness hasn’t influenced my cultivation. I have nothing to do with the Frigid Snow Clan now. I’m a vassal of the Five Moons Tribe of the Western Desert, and I’m responsible for eradicating Holy Snow City! Furthermore, I’ve heard of this Grandmaster Zhou, and I’m interested in seeing for myself what his Dao of alchemy is like.”

The surrounding Cultivators immediately broke out into an uproar. The four Grand Elders’ faces were unsightly. After all, the old man among the group of three was at the great circle of the late Nascent Soul stage. His aura was threatening to the extreme, causing great pressure to bear down on everyone.

“Oh, don’t worry,” said Hanxue Zong with a slight smile. “Nobody understands Holy Snow City and its resources better than me. But I’m not here today to fight. I just want to see this Grandmaster Zhou in an alchemy duel! The stakes are a grand bit of good fortune! Or maybe you could say the difference between life and death. Whoever wins, I promise that the Western Desert Cultivators won’t attack the city for three months. That should give you plenty of time to prepare. Although, if you refuse, well….” It was at this point that shouts suddenly rang out from beyond the city walls. Prismatic beams of light shone in the air as a sea of wild animals appeared.

Spell formations glittered in the sky, surrounding everything with an intense pressure.

The Cultivators in the square were all shocked by the sight. Everyone in all of Holy Snow City looked up, minds reeling. The four Grand Elders’ faces were extremely unsightly.

Hanxue Zong’s appearance meant that all their previous preparations were now flawed. They would definitely need time to make adjustments. They weren’t sure why he was giving them three months’ time, but even if it was a trap, the Frigid Snow Clan had no choice but to leap into it. They needed those three months.

Hanxue Zong laughed as he looked at the Frigid Snow Clan Grand Elders. “However, it seems circumstances are a bit different now. Grandmaster Zhou isn’t willing to produce his medicinal pill. If Mr. Yan is willing, then why not first have a little competition with this youngster. That way, Grandmaster Zhou will be able to see if Mr. Yan’s Dao of alchemy can be taken seriously.”

First Elder looked a bit embarrassed, and was already quite irritated at Zhou Dekun. Second Elder was thinking the same thing. They had taken Zhou Dekun at face value, and determined that he was truly a Grandmaster. But now, it seemed he wasn’t willing to show off any of his skill, and was instead pushing someone else to do so.

They weren’t sure how to handle the situation.

First Elder frowned as he considered the situation. Finally, he sighed and looked over at Meng Hao. “Young friend, we would like to request that you concoct a pill. Regarding the matter of the Frigid Snow Larva, we can renegotiate after the current matter is settled. What do you say?”

Meng Hao smiled. He really didn’t want to cause Zhou Dekun to lose face. But as far as anyone else was concerned, he wouldn’t hesitate to humiliate anyone when it came to the Dao of alchemy, especially some self-proclaimed Eastern Lands alchemist.

So, he responded to First Elder with a nod.

Before he could even finish nodding, a flash of irritation could be seen on Yan’s face. Obviously, he thought Grandmaster Zhou suspected his Dao of alchemy and wanted to use this method to probe him out.

With a cold harrumph, Yan glanced over Meng Hao and then looked back toward Zhou Dekun. With clasped hands, he said, “I am Yan Song, of Mount Alchemy in the Eastern Lands.” This, of course, was the formal introduction before an alchemy duel. However, despite competing with Meng Hao, Yan Song obviously took it as a duel with Zhou Dekun. [1]

Zhou Dekun gave a bitter laugh in his heart. He was even more nervous and perturbed now. As far as he was concerned, everything on this day was a huge misunderstanding. However, there was no way to resolve the issue now.

Meng Hao’s expression was the same as usual. Seeing that this was an official alchemy duel, he took a deep breath and was about to introduce himself in the formal way when Yan Song flicked his wide sleeve.

“There’s no need for you to speak,” he said. “I’m not interested in your name or where you’re from. Just make the best medicinal pill you can make, alright?”

The disregard made Meng Hao frown.

Yan Song lifted up his hand, hovering above which was a pill furnace. Suddenly a flame emerged from his palm. This was no ordinary flame, but rather Nascent Soul fire. Only Nascent Soul Cultivators with a Fire-type Nascent Soul can produce such a flame.

The flame was reddish-orange and sent ripples out through the air. It took only a moment for the pill furnace hovering above his palm to turn bright red. Yan Song slapped his bag of holding to produce several small white bags, each of which was filled with various powders.

He measured out various portions of powder and then fed them into the pill furnace. Meng Hao narrowed his eyes at the sight of this, and Zhou Dekun took a deep breath.

“He’s not concocting pills with plants….”