Chapter 643 - 637: Cyan Dragon Race

"What’s wrong, Brother Shen?" Long Aotian asked, looking puzzled at Shen Haoran’s strange expression.

"It’s nothing. You were right. The Saint Child of Holy Light City will indeed be our greatest rival!" Shen Haoran said, shaking his head slightly and looking away from the Saint Child. ’There isn’t enough evidence yet, so I’m not sure if there’s any connection between those black-robed figures and the Saint Child of Holy Light City.’

Meanwhile, the Saint Child of Holy Light City was still chatting and laughing with the Alchemists around him, a smile fixed on his face, but inwardly he was shocked. ’I only glanced at Shen Haoran for a moment and he noticed me. Shen Haoran’s perception is truly terrifying!’ Knowing that Shen Haoran had noticed him, the Saint Child of Holy Light City didn’t dare make any more conspicuous moves, acting as if nothing had happened.

"Congratulations. All of you who remain have successfully passed the second round of assessment. You may leave now. Good luck in the third round!" Elder Shi said with a light chuckle as he looked at the crowd.

Hearing Elder Shi’s words, the remaining crowd erupted in cheers. Reaching the third round of the competition for the title of Pill Emperor was enough to prove their talent in Alchemy. Although they had no illusions about obtaining the Pill Emperor’s title itself, just entering the third round would surely attract the attention of some powerful families. Their future prospects would be limitless.

But where some were happy, others were disappointed. Some Alchemists hadn’t realized the true purpose of the Medicine Hall’s assessment and had only found the few Spirit Medicines marked on the Sheepskin Scroll, failing to find any others. They could only curse their luck. Having lost their qualification to compete, they had no choice but to withdraw in regret.

Shen Haoran and the others left the Medicinal Garden and returned to the Central Square in front of the Medicine Hall. The moment they appeared, a tidal wave of sound crashed over them, making them all feel dizzy. After spending seven days in the Medicinal Garden, they had grown accustomed to the quiet of the mountain forest. The sudden uproar was a bit disorienting.

In mid-air, Yao Wuchen looked at the contestants returning from the Medicinal Garden and nodded in satisfaction. The caliber of this year’s contestants was several notches higher than in previous years, which showed that the Medicine Hall had developed quite rapidly over the past few years.

"Congratulations! You have successfully passed the second round of assessment. The third round will be held in three days. Prepare yourselves well. I hope you all achieve excellent results. The title of Pill Emperor awaits you!" Yao Wuchen announced loudly. After the second round, the contestants were surely exhausted. The third round would also be high-intensity, so it was necessary to give them time to recover.

Upon hearing Yao Wuchen’s words, Shen Haoran and the others cheered. The seven-day search had left them exhausted. It was time for a good rest.

Afterward, Shen Haoran wanted to return to the Burning Flame City Medicine Hall’s stronghold in the small alley, but he couldn’t refuse the invitation from Long Aotian and Yan Jue and was brought to the Cyan Dragon Race’s residence.

"As expected of one of the Four Great Divine Beast Families. How magnificent!" Shen Haoran exclaimed in admiration as he gazed at the luxurious estate.

"Of course! We Four Great Divine Beast Families are the most powerful families in the Demon Race. Our residences naturally can’t be anything less than worthy of our status!" Yan Jue said, raising his head proudly with a smug look on his face.

"Shouldn’t you be going back to your Black Tortoise Race? What are you doing tagging along with us?" Shen Haoran said, rolling his eyes at the tagalong behind them.

"Can’t I visit my uncle’s house? My mother is Brother Aotian’s paternal aunt!" Yan Jue retorted, giving Shen Haoran a look that screamed, ’Mind your own business.’

At these words, Shen Haoran froze on the spot. ’Aren’t the Demon Race supposed to be extremely particular about bloodlines? Isn’t intermarriage between different races forbidden? So how did the Four Great Divine Beast Families, who value bloodlines the most, end up breaking this rule? And they even produced Yan Jue, someone with a Ninth Grade bloodline purity!’

"It was actually an accident. Both families tried to stand in the way of my aunt and Yan Jue’s father back then, but my aunt is incredibly stubborn. The two families were helpless and could only let them be. But no one expected them to have little Yan Jue, whose bloodline purity reached Ninth Grade. That was a real surprise to both families," Long Aotian explained with a light chuckle as he looked at Yan Jue.

Hearing this, Yan Jue shot Long Aotian a look and said, "Is that any way to talk about your cousin? What do you mean, ’accident’? I’m what you call The Chosen One. Do you understand? The Chosen One!"

Seeing Yan Jue’s smug attitude, both Shen Haoran and Long Aotian shook their heads. They then ignored him and walked into the mansion on their own.

Upon entering the mansion, they found a middle-aged man and several elders waiting for them in the main courtyard. Seeing Shen Haoran and Long Aotian return, the man immediately walked up to them with a smile.

"Father! Elders!" Long Aotian was taken aback when he saw the group standing in the courtyard. He quickly bowed in greeting, not expecting such a grand reception for his return home.

"Well done, Aotian. And this must be Young Friend Shen!" said the middle-aged man—Long Aotian’s father, the Clan Leader of the Cyan Dragon Race, Long Xiaotian!

After offering a single word of praise to Long Aotian, Long Xiaotian turned his gaze to Shen Haoran. Long Aotian had already told him that Shen Haoran was also a Seventh Grade Alchemist. Setting everything else aside, the title of Seventh Grade Alchemist alone was enough to make the Cyan Dragon Race take him seriously.

Seeing his father walk directly toward Shen Haoran, Long Aotian couldn’t help but roll his eyes. ’So this whole grand reception was for Shen Haoran.’

"To reach the rank of a Seventh Grade Alchemist at such a young age, Young Friend Shen is truly a dragon among men!" Long Xiaotian said, looking at Shen Haoran with eyes full of admiration.

In response to Long Xiaotian’s praise, Shen Haoran just gave a light chuckle and said, "You flatter me, Dragon Race Leader. I was merely lucky!" Shen Haoran’s impression of Long Xiaotian was quite good—at least for now. He could see from Long Xiaotian’s eyes that the admiration was genuine and not just an attempt to curry favor with him.

"You’re Aotian’s friend, so just call me Uncle Long!" Long Xiaotian laughed heartily. Shen Haoran wasn’t as conceited as he had imagined, nor was he as arrogant as the rumors claimed. The typical flaws of a genius seemed to be completely absent in him.

"Let’s talk inside. Aotian told me what you encountered in the Medicinal Garden. If what you say is true, then this is a terrifying matter. You must understand, the Martial Artists gathered in Central City for the competition for the title of Pill Emperor represent nearly half of the entire Demon Race. If they are truly being exploited by those black-robed figures, the Demon Race will be headed for decline!" Long Xiaotian said in a grave voice.

"Alright!" Shen Haoran also nodded solemnly. The group then headed towards the study...