“The current Cangwu Alchemy Conference has now come to a successful conclusion! I thank all fellow Daoists for traveling from afar to participate in this grand event. Our journey ahead is long; we shall meet again in a hundred years!”

The moment the Presiding Elder’s voice fell, the entire venue erupted.

Thousands upon thousands of cultivators stood up from their seats and cheered; the entire square vibrated slightly.

But soon, the nature of these sounds transformed into a more fanatical restlessness.

“Go! Get down there quickly!”

“The one in the blue clothes, yes, yes, that’s the one who refined a high-tier Fourth-Grade pill! Don’t you dare fight me for them!”

“I’ve got my eye on that rogue cultivator! None of you move!”

The cultivators in the stands were like racehorses hearing the starting gun, swarming toward the center of the field.

They were fighting over people.

In addition to competing in Alchemy Dao attainment, the Alchemy Conference had an unwritten tradition: various factions would often take this opportunity to recruit promising alchemists.

Securing talent early was a profit; who cared about decorum?

The contestants ranked outside the top ten hadn’t even had time to put away their alchemy cauldrons before they were completely surrounded by crowds.

“Fellow Daoist! I am an External Affairs Elder of the Heavenly Balance Sect. I sincerely invite you to join our sect’s Alchemy Peak; the benefits will be excellent!”

“What does the Heavenly Balance Sect count for? Fellow Daoist, come to my Azure Sky Palace! Your monthly spirit stones will be doubled, you will have an independent alchemy room, and unlimited spiritual herbs!”

“Don’t listen to them! Come to me, and you’ll immediately receive the treatment of an inner disciple!”

A young female cultivator was surrounded by a dozen people. She clutched her alchemy cauldron, at a complete loss, her face flushed so red that she couldn’t even speak clearly.

The male cultivator beside her fared even worse; two brawny Golden Core cultivators had each grabbed one of his arms and were pulling him in opposite directions like a game of tug-of-war, making him grimace in pain.

Those on the spectator stands who hadn’t had the chance to rush down yet stomped their feet in anxiety. “Wait for me! Don’t take them all!”

Of course, most people were there for the top three.

The names Ruan Se, Shao Jiao, and Meng Qiuran had already spread throughout the plaza. Any one of them was a figure capable of shaking the Cangwu Realm.

Ruan Se, in particular, had become the most sought-after target in the entire venue.

“Fellow Daoist Ruan Se! On behalf of the Cloudglow Sect, I sincerely invite you—”

“Miss Ruan! Our Fallen Blossoms Valley has the finest alchemy legacy—”

“Move aside! I’m from the Celestial Jade Pavilion1. Our Pavilion Master said that as long as Fellow Daoist Ruan is willing to come, she can name any terms she wants!”

A dozen figures pounced toward Ruan Se from various directions in the stands, looking as if they were trying to snatch a rare treasure.

Ruan Se stood her ground, but before she could speak, a hand reached out from behind her and pressed down on her shoulder.

“Scram, all of you.”

Ruan Qin simply gave the rushing crowd a cool glance, and their figures were instantly pinned as if by an invisible hand, coming to a dead halt, unable to advance another inch.

The pressure of the Late Golden Core stage was no joke.

“S-Senior Ruan Qin…” The leader’s forehead broke out in a cold sweat, and he gave a sheepish smile. “We were just…”

“She isn’t going anywhere.”

The group looked at each other in silence, none of them daring to say another word.

In the Alchemy Dao of the Cangwu Realm, Ruan Qin’s reputation carried more weight than that of most sect leaders. Offending her meant that, let alone poaching her sister, one would likely find it impossible to make any further progress in the world of alchemy.

And so, they tactfully withdrew and turned to pounce on other targets instead.

It was even more lively over on Meng Qiuran’s side. As a core disciple of the Alchemy Sect branch and a fifth-grade alchemist, he already had significant backing, but that didn’t stop people from trying to poach him.

Elders from several major sects had personally stepped onto the field, surrounding Meng Qiuran with solicitous inquiries. They handed over calling cards and stuffed storage bags into his hands, so enthusiastic that they seemed ready to kowtow and beg him to join them on the spot.

Trapped in the center, Meng Qiuran’s smile was beginning to fray. “Seniors… This junior… this junior has no plans to switch sects for the time being… Seniors, please stop pushing, I can’t breathe…”

Shao Jiao also had many people gathered around him. Though the Misty Moon Sect wasn’t particularly famous, he himself was a genuine genius.

However, he paid no mind to the inquiries of others, merely standing there quietly, lost in thought.

Standing at the back of the crowd, Lai Li’an took in all the commotion.

All he wanted now was to get the Azure Profound Root as quickly as possible, return to save Su Wan’er, and then find a secluded spot to have a long, peaceful sleep.

“Will the top three finishers please follow me.”

Yin Zheng’s voice then rang out. “The awarding process must be conducted privately.”

Ruan Se, Shao Jiao, and Meng Qiuran walked toward Yin Zheng simultaneously. Ruan Qin naturally followed behind her younger sister, and the other judges also began to move.

Lai Li’an stood where he was, waiting for someone to call him. After all, he was a judge too. Yin Zheng had only said, “Will the top three finishers please follow me,” without mentioning the judges, but logically, shouldn’t the judges be present during the awards?

However, no one even looked at him.

Yin Zheng rose into the air as spiritual power condensed into a mist beneath his feet, drifting toward the distance. Pei Changjing casually performed a hand seal and followed him.

Within a few breaths, the group disappeared behind the upturned eaves of the square.

Lai Li’an stood there, dumbfounded.

“…Wait, what about me?”

The surrounding cultivators were still scrambling over the young alchemists, and no one noticed him. He stood there all alone, like a scarecrow forgotten in the middle of a field.

A breeze blew past, swirling a fallen leaf in front of him, adding a touch of desolation to the scene.

Lai Li’an’s lip twitched.

He didn’t know how to fly.

Walking from here to the awards ceremony would take at least half an hour. By the time he arrived, the party would be long over.

He took a deep breath and was about to resign himself to the walk when he suddenly sensed something approaching from behind.

Whatever it was brought a slight breeze with it. Lai Li’an spun around abruptly.

A white crane was standing behind him. Its bead-like black eyes stared straight at him with a condescending, judgmental look, as if saying: You’re the one?

Lai Li’an froze. He recognized this crane; it was Ruan Se’s. He had seen it a few times before.

He felt a little unnerved by its stare. “What are you looking at?”

The White Crane tilted its head and let out a clear, high-pitched cry before slowly lowering its body.

Its long, slender neck bowed down as its body descended, fully presenting its broad back to Lai Li’an.

Lai Li’an stared blankly at the crane, a sudden, indescribable warmth surging in his heart.

Ruan Se must have sent it. Before she was escorted away by the crowd, she still remembered him, remembered that he couldn’t fly, and that he would get lost if left behind alone.

Lai Li’an’s Adam’s apple bobbed; his nose suddenly felt a bit prickly.

He stepped forward, rested his hand on the crane’s neck, and swung his leg over. The White Crane’s back was very broad and its feathers were soft; sitting on it was a hundred times more comfortable than Su Wan’er’s flying sword.

The White Crane carried him over several layers of pavilions before finally landing slowly in front of a palace hall.