Chapter 376: The Abandoned Youth

After a moment, an old man slowly walked out from the back hall and sat down in the central seat.

Everyone stood up at that moment, bowed, and said, "Greetings, Star Abyss Emperor!"

The old man nodded slightly and said, "Sit down, all of you. I'm just here to see which talented juniors have emerged in my royal city these years. I won't participate in the judging; you can decide among yourselves. I will take one person as my disciple based on the performance of everyone present today."

As soon as Star Abyss Emperor said this, everyone showed expressions of joy.

"What did I hear? Star Abyss Emperor is taking a disciple! I must have misheard, right?"

"Star Abyss Emperor hasn't taken a disciple in decades, and today he's breaking precedent to take one. What's going on?"

"An emperor's disciple! As long as you connect with him, you'll soar to great heights!"

Ye Yuan's expression also tightened slightly when he saw Star Abyss Emperor. This was the first emperor-level expert he had ever seen!

When a martial artist reaches the Divine Travel realm, they can be titled an emperor, that is, an emperor-level expert!

The significance of an emperor-level expert is extraordinary; in the lower realm, they are almost the pinnacle of existence.

And reaching the emperor level is considered truly entering the hall of mastery for a martial artist!

This old man was clearly a Divine Travel realm expert, and more importantly, he was also an Alchemy Emperor!

An Alchemy Emperor, in the path of alchemy, is also considered to have entered the hall of mastery.

Only an Alchemy Emperor-level expert barely qualifies to catch Ye Yuan's eye!

Due to the huge gap in strength between Ye Yuan and Star Abyss Emperor, he simply couldn't see through the other's depth.

However, Ye Yuan had a feeling that this old man was not simple!

As if sensing Ye Yuan's gaze, Star Abyss Emperor's gaze also turned to Ye Yuan. That profound gaze almost made Ye Yuan lose control and collapse.

Ye Yuan quickly averted his gaze and sighed inwardly.

His soul power was still too weak now; just a faint sweep from the other party almost made him lose his composure.

"Rufeng, Ruyan, you two must perform well this time. Even if you lose, you must gain Star Abyss Emperor's favor! As long as you become his disciple, our Xiao family can still preserve our estate!" Xiao Changfeng said happily in a low voice.

Both nodded slightly, but Ye Yuan sighed inwardly.

Xiao Changfeng was clearly a shrewd man, yet on such an important matter, he was too conservative. It might not end well!

First of all, this method of 'Tian Ji's horse racing' was actually a very passive response, equivalent to admitting that one's own side was not as strong as the opponent.

Giving up on fighting the opponent's strongest and having one's own strongest face the Tong family's second-in-command—even if they ultimately won, no one would cheer for the Xiao family.

The Xiao family would gain victory but lose the respect of others.

And Xiao Changfeng's instruction for his children to perform well to attract Star Abyss Emperor's attention was also a way of losing their own edge.

The Xiao family was already at a disadvantage, yet they didn't know to fight with their backs against the wall, instead placing their hopes on others. Ye Yuan did not agree with this approach.

Moreover, Ye Yuan had a feeling that Tong Wenhui and Tong Wenshou were not necessarily easy to deal with.

Truly, the more experienced one becomes in the martial world, the more timid one grows.

"Alright, the Alchemy Tournament, held once every ten years, is about to begin. Most of you here know me, but I'll still introduce myself. I am Yang Xiu, the Grand Elder of the Alchemist Guild, and I will be presiding over this tournament."

With that, Yang Xiu cleared his throat. Xiao Changfeng and Tong Fangshuo both rose and said, "We appreciate the efforts of Star Abyss Sovereign and Elder Mo."

Yang Xiu nodded slightly and continued, "The Star Abyss Sovereign has spoken. The juniors of the Xiao and Tong families are truly blessed. The Sovereign hasn't taken a disciple in nearly fifty years—this is practically unprecedented! Enough idle talk. The Xiao and Tong families have submitted their match lists to me, and I will now announce the order of matches."

As he spoke, Yang Xiu glanced at the match list in his hand, his eyes inadvertently sweeping over Xiao Changfeng.

Xiao Changfeng's heart skipped a beat, but he said nothing. He knew well that this was improper, yet it was the only option left.

Yang Xiu paused for a moment, then continued, "First match: Xiao Ruyan of the Xiao family versus Tong Wenhui of the Tong family!"

At these words, the crowd erupted in uproar.

"What? Xiao Ruyan is facing Tong Wenhui, the weakest of the Tong family? What's going on?"

"Heh, I never expected Xiao Changfeng to resort to such petty tricks. It seems the Xiao family's fortunes are exhausted."

"Indeed, it appears the Xiao family has given up on the match against Tong Wenchang, letting Xiao Rufeng and his sister take on the weaker Tong Wenshou and Tong Wenhui."

Tong Fangshuo was momentarily stunned, but then burst into laughter. "Hahaha, Xiao Changfeng, you're regressing with age! It's only natural that the Xiao family has declined under your leadership! But if you think this guarantees victory, you're far too naive!"

Knowing he was in the wrong, Xiao Changfeng ignored Tong Fangshuo, staring straight ahead as if looking at nothing.

Yang Xiu cleared his throat again and said, "Silence, silence! Second match: Xiao Rufeng versus Tong Wenshou; third match: Ji Qing versus Tong Wenchang!"

"That kid is truly pitiful, having to face Tong Wenchang. He'll probably end up dead."

"Heh, that's not the worst of it! I heard he's quite skilled—a mid-level Grand Alchemist who can refine third-grade top-quality pills. He joined the Xiao family in their time of crisis, only to be abandoned by Xiao Changfeng. That's the real tragedy."

"Even if they win this way, it's a hollow victory. It's a shame for that young man."

Many felt sorry for Ye Yuan. A mid-level Grand Alchemist against a quasi-Pill King—what chance did he have?

Many were also disappointed. They had hoped to see a peak showdown between Xiao Rufeng and Tong Wenchang, but that opportunity was lost.

Although Tong Wenchang was a quasi-Pill King, he had only recently broken through and couldn't yet refine many quasi-fourth-grade pills.

If Xiao Rufeng could produce an exceptionally powerful third-grade pill, he might still have a chance to win, though slim.

Xiao Rufeng had enjoyed the Xiao family's boundless resources, and with his talent, he had kept pace with Tong Wenchang over the years.

But Tong Wenchang had stepped into the quasi-Pill King realm ahead of Xiao Rufeng, putting the latter at a disadvantage.

Now, the Xiao family's retreat without a fight truly disappointed many in the audience.

Yang Xiu continued, "The rules of the Alchemy Tournament are the same as in previous years, so I won't repeat them. Now, let the first match begin: Xiao Ruyan versus Tong Wenhui!"

On the field, the Xiao and Tong families faced each other from a distance, with various alchemy herbs, utensils, and cauldrons placed between them.

Xiao Ruyan took a deep breath and stepped forward.

For some reason, before stepping onto the field, Xiao Ruyan's gaze unconsciously drifted toward Ye Yuan.

And at that moment, Ye Yuan was also looking at her, giving her a gesture: "Miss Ruyan, go for it!"