He wore a Grade 5 Alchemist badge on his chest, and on the cuffs and hem of his robe was an exquisite Medicine Cauldron emblem representing his identity as part of the Qiu Clan.

He was none other than Qiu Yan, a prominent Disciple of the Qiu Clan's younger generation.

Upon seeing that it was someone from the Qiu Clan, the stall owner's face instantly turned pale, and his lips trembled, not daring to speak.

Zi Yan was immediately displeased; she put her hands on her small waist and said indignantly, "Hey! Are you being reasonable? We saw it first!"

Qiu Yan cast a contemptuous glance at Zi Yan and the plainly dressed Xiao Qing.

As for Yao Chen, he had already quietly blended into the crowd nearby, appearing like an ordinary bystander.

Qiu Yan sneered, "Where did this little girl come from? She doesn't know any rules at all? In this Holy Pill City, if I set my eyes on something, it belongs to me!"

He turned his head to the stall owner and said in an unquestionable tone, "I will pay double the price."

Xiao Qing gently held down Zi Yan, who wanted to jump up, and looked at the stall owner with a calm gaze, saying, "There is always a first-come, first-served rule when buying things. We saw this item first."

He directly took out a jade bottle and poured out a round, plump Medicinal Pill that exuded a rich medicinal fragrance.

"I will exchange this Grade 5 'Clear Heart Pill' with you. How about that?"

That Clear Heart Pill was of excellent quality, with an alluring medicinal fragrance, clearly a High-Grade among Grade 5 Medicinal Pills.

The stall owner's eyes went wide, and he nodded hurriedly, "Enough! More than enough! Thank you, young master!"

Qiu Yan's face instantly darkened, feeling that he had lost face in front of everyone, especially under the gaze of some curious onlookers.

He snorted coldly, his tone laced with sarcasm, "Hmph, what are you showing off a Grade 5 Medicinal Pill for?"

"Who knows if the source of your Medicinal Pill is clean?"

"I, Qiu Yan, offer three times the market price!"

The stall owner looked troubled, glancing at Xiao Qing, then fearfully at Qiu Yan. It was clear he knew reason was on Xiao Qing's side, but he dared not offend the Qiu Clan.

Xiao Qing frowned slightly, his tone remaining calm, "Your Excellency, I saw this item first, and the transaction has already been concluded."

"Just because you saw it first, it's yours?" Qiu Yan sneered, his posture becoming even more arrogant.

"In this Holy Pill City, the rule in some places is that the highest bidder gets it! I now offer three Grade 5 Medicinal Pills!"

He was convinced that Xiao Qing was an Alchemist from out of town with no background, and he was determined to suppress him.

"You're lying!" Zi Yan said, her small face flushed with anger.

"We clearly found it first! You are bullying people!"

Being contradicted in public by a little girl, Qiu Yan felt he couldn't keep his composure. His eyes turned cold as he threatened Xiao Qing,

"Kid, I advise you to be sensible! I am Qiu Yan of the Pill Tower's Qiu Clan! Are you going to yield this Black Jade Ling, or not?"

The onlookers, seeing that it was a Qiu Clan Disciple, lowered their voices even further. Most showed expressions of awe or indifference, and no one dared to speak up.

Xiao Qing's eyes also turned cold, and he no longer wasted words with him.

He reached out and picked up the "Earth Heart Jade Essence," saying to the stall owner, "The transaction is complete, payment and goods have been exchanged."

"How dare you!" Qiu Yan was furious at this sight, feeling his authority had been seriously challenged, and shouted to a guard behind him.

"Take him down! Get the item!"

The guard, who possessed the strength of a Dou Huang, moved in response. His five fingers curled into a claw, whistling through the air as he swiped directly at the Earth Heart Jade Essence in Xiao Qing's hand, intending to snatch it by force.

Xiao Qing didn't even turn around; he simply flicked his hand holding the Earth Heart Jade Essence backward, his movement effortless.

When the guard's palm was still half a foot away from the jade essence, it felt as if it had suddenly crashed into an invisible yet incredibly tough wall.

An irresistible force surged along his arm.

He groaned, stumbling back several steps. His entire right arm felt sore and numb, temporarily unable to exert any strength, and his face was instantly filled with shock.

"soul Power!? You are also an Alchemist?"

Qiu Yan's pupils contracted sharply, and only then did he truly begin to take Xiao Qing seriously.

To be able to so easily force back a Dou Huang guard, the other party must be an Alchemist whose soul Power had reached at least the Mortal Realm Great Perfection, or perhaps even higher!

Xiao Qing glanced at him indifferently, "Are the families of Holy Pill City all this reliant on power to bully others?"

"If you want to force a sale, you must first weigh your own worth."

Qiu Yan's face turned from green to white. He couldn't see through Xiao Qing's background and was wary that the other party might have an extraordinary origin, leaving him in a difficult position.

He could only grit his teeth and, with a fierce but cowardly tone, said, "Good! Very good! I have remembered you! Do you dare to state your name?"

Xiao Qing couldn't even be bothered to answer him.

Zi Yan, however, stepped forward, puffed out her small chest, and said triumphantly in a loud voice, "Listen well! My big brother is named Xiao Qing! Scared now, right?"

"Xiao Qing?"

Qiu Yan felt the name was a bit familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before.

But for a moment, blinded by anger and embarrassment, he couldn't recall it immediately.

The surrounding crowd also whispered, "Xiao Qing? Haven't heard of such a person?"

"Looks like he's a tough nut to crack, daring to go head-to-head with someone from the Qiu Clan."

"Probably an Alchemist from out of town here for the Exchange Conference. Young people, they have such fiery tempers."

Xiao Qing originally didn't want to get too tangled up, so he stopped holding back his aura completely.

A trace of powerful soul Power belonging to the Spirit Realm Middle Stage, mixed with the Qi pressure of a Nine-Star Dou Huang Peak, spread out.

Although the range wasn't large, it precisely enveloped Qiu Yan and his two guards.

In an instant, Qiu Yan felt as if an invisible mountain was pressing down on his heart. His breathing became difficult, and his face instantly turned deathly pale.

The two guards beside him were sweating profusely, their bodies trembling slightly.

Xiao Qing's tone remained calm, but the power in his words made Qiu Yan's heart and gallbladder tremble with fear, "Qiu Clan? Never heard of them. I'm taking this item."

"If you still don't know when to retreat, I don't mind teaching you what manners are on behalf of your elders."

Just then, a knowledgeable passerby finally connected the name "Xiao Qing" with the rumors that had recently shaken the Central Plains.

He whispered in shock, "Could he... could he be that 'Azure Demon Lord' Xiao Qing? The Direct Disciple of the newly promoted Medicine Saint, Lord Yao Chen!"

"What? The Medicine Saint's Disciple!?"

These words were like a boulder hitting water, causing a huge stir among the crowd.

The color on Qiu Yan's face instantly drained away, cold sweat rolled down his forehead like a waterfall, and his legs began to go weak.

The Medicine Saint Yao Chen!

A Dou Sheng powerhouse!

That was a supreme existence that even his Qiu Clan's Old Ancestor would have to bow to politely upon seeing!

Just now... he had actually been provoking his Direct Disciple?

And wanted to forcibly seize the other party's item?

Immense fear instantly drowned Qiu Yan. His previous arrogance vanished without a trace, and his voice trembled uncontrollably:

"So... so it is Grandmaster Xiao!"

"I... I was blind! I have offended the Grandmaster's might!"

"This... this treasure rightfully belongs to the Grandmaster!"

"We... we will get lost now! We'll leave!"

After speaking incoherently, he almost crawled away, dragging the two equally pale guards, and squeezed through the crowd in a sorry state, fleeing for their lives.

This instantly drew suppressed sneers and pointing from the onlookers.

The stall owner was also stunned, his mouth agape. It took him a long time to recover, and he stammered:

"So... so it is Grandmaster Xiao who has graced us with his presence!"

"I was blind and failed to recognize a great person!"

"This... this stone, please take it, consider it... consider it my humble tribute to you!"

Xiao Qing's expression was gentle. He still placed the Grade 5 Clear Heart Pill into the stall owner's hand and said:

"There is no need for this. Fair trade, no cheating the young or old—this is the rule."

This action of his made many people around nod secretly, feeling a sense of goodwill.

Yao Chen, hidden in the crowd, took in the entire process. He nodded slightly, a flash of satisfaction in his eyes.

The way Xiao Qing handled this matter—neither looking for trouble nor afraid of it—was handled with perfect measure.

Revealing his identity at the end to intimidate the opponent, and afterwards maintaining his integrity, he was indeed more mature and steady than before.

However, outside this hubbub, in a private room on the second floor of a tea house across from the market.

A seemingly ordinary Black-robed man, drinking tea alone, looked through the window, clearly observing everything happening below.

The hand holding the teacup paused slightly, and his gaze fell on Xiao Qing, flashing with an imperceptible coldness.

"Target confirmed, Xiao Qing."

"Possesses multiple Heavenly Flames, soul Power is indeed at the Spirit Realm Middle Stage..."

"Accompanied by a cub of the Void Ancient Dragon that has taken human form."

"Yao Chen is highly likely following in secret to protect him."

"This child acts decisively, and his strength far exceeds his apparent Level..."

"Need to send the news back immediately; suggest waiting for an opportunity during the conference."

"If he can be successfully captured, perhaps we can spy on the secret of Yao Chen's promotion, and he will also be an important bargaining chip for dealing with Yao Chen in the future..."

Thoughts raced through the Black-robed man's mind. He then put down a few gold coins, and his figure, like a ghost, silently blended into the crowd in the tea house and disappeared.

Xiao Qing seemed to sense something; his brows twitched imperceptibly, but he didn't show anything, simply putting the precious Earth Heart Jade Essence into his Storage Ring.

Then he ruffled Zi Yan's hair and smiled, "This time, it's really thanks to you, little glutton, otherwise we would have missed this good item."

Zi Yan raised her small face proudly, stuffed the last bite of candied fruit into her mouth, and said indistinctly:

"Of course!"

"From now on, finding treasures is on me!"

Chapter 124: Competing in Alchemy at the Exchange Conference! 【Seeking Monthly Votes!】

Pill Tower Headquarters, deep within the complex of buildings that symbolized the core of power and glory for Alchemists in the Central Plains.

Outside the usually solemn and respectful Welcoming Hall, the atmosphere today was exceptionally different.

There was no grand fanfare, just a slight distortion of space.

The figures of Yao Chen, Xiao Qing, and Zi Yan appeared quietly on the square in front of the hall, as if stepping out from the surface of water.

Yao Chen did not deliberately restrain his aura; that invisible energy field belonging to a Dou Sheng powerhouse, faintly resonating with the heavens and earth.

Like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, it instantly stirred up a subtle tide of energy in the heavens and earth around the Pill Tower Headquarters.

Almost in the next moment, the heavy and ancient doors of the Welcoming Hall swung open with a boom.

Led by the three giants—Xuan Kongzi, Tian Leizi, and Xuan Yi—dozens of figures with powerful auras filed out.

These people were all high-ranking members of the Pill Tower, with the weakest being at the Dou Zong level.

Many of the elders among them had Alchemist badges on their chests that shone with seven or even eight brilliant silver patterns, representing their noble status as Grade 7 or Grade 8 Alchemists.

Their gazes fell squarely on Yao Chen, their eyes filled with complex emotions.

There was deep awe for the Dou Sheng realm, sighs and envy for an old friend reappearing and surpassing themselves, and also a trace of instinctive tension when facing an unknown variable.

Xuan Kongzi, as the President of the Pill Tower, stepped forward first, a gentle and solemn smile on his face, his voice clearly spreading all around:

"Yao Chen, long time no see. Your demeanor is even better than before! With a Saint personally arriving, all of us in the Pill Tower feel deeply honored!"

Yao Chen's expression was peaceful. He cupped his hands in a return salute, his tone indifferent yet carrying an unquestionable weight:

"Xuan Kongzi, old friends, it has been a long time."

"I have come uninvited; I hope I have not disturbed your peace."

Xuan Yi stood slightly behind, her beautiful eyes fixed tightly on Yao Chen, as if she wanted to deeply imprint his figure at this moment into the depths of her heart.