Xiao Yan’s gaze remained firmly fixed on the void within the Saint Dan City domain, only gradually shifting as time passed. He gently rubbed his forehead, still feeling a bit dizzy from the powerful roar he had just heard. “Indeed, the Dan Tower is no ordinary place—there are truly formidable beings here…” He sighed, a faint smile playing on his lips. The master who had issued that roar had not even appeared in person, yet with a single utterance, he had shattered the soul of the opponent. Such a capability likely required at least an eighth-rank alchemist to achieve. Xiao Yan furrowed his brows. He clearly remembered that earlier in the day, this place had been a patchy, neglected mess of overgrown weeds—yet now it appeared so dramatically transformed. "Could it be due to what happened earlier?" His thoughts turned as he suddenly felt a sense of clarity. Earlier, drawn by the pull of this starry expanse, he had seemed to enter a subtle, profound state. With that realization, Xiao Yan closed his eyes, then suddenly opened them again, his gaze filled with unmistakable astonishment and delight. "The spiritual essence within my soul seems noticeably richer and more abundant than before..." Though he was entirely unfamiliar with the concept of the spiritual realm and had no clear understanding of how to enhance the spiritual energy within his soul, he had only managed to gather it through occasional, rare states of heightened awareness. Such states were elusive and unpredictable—having occurred only once before, during his frenzied time refining pills—and now, this was the only time in recent memory. Nevertheless, regardless of everything, the growing spiritual qi within his soul proved to be a good thing for Xiao Yan. "At this pace, if he were to enter several more times, he might truly reach the so-called spiritual realm—then this session of the Dan Conclave would indeed be well on its way to a decisive victory..." Feeling the pleasant flow of spiritual qi within his soul, Xiao Yan slowly stretched, thinking with a sense of slight dissatisfaction, as if he were a person with ambitions exceeding the capacity of a snake swallowing a giant. "No, but this person's spiritual prowess is quite impressive—by my estimation, they may have reached the eighth rank of the Spiritual Realm among the alchemists...” "Could it be someone from the Spirit Pavilion? They've shown considerable interest in the Three Thousand Scorching Flames. According to some reports, the Spirit Pavilion will also send representatives to this gathering. If they secure one of the top ten spots, I suspect they'll surely move to act against the Three Thousand Scorching Flames..." A quiet, thoughtful voice echoed softly. "I'm not certain. Although I shattered the spiritual essence of the observer, that was only a fragment of their soul—so the original should not have sustained significant harm." "Let's strengthen the seal a bit more. The three thousand flames of Yan Yan absorb the light of the stars and grow stronger each day. We can't keep them sealed forever, but they harbor deep resentment toward us. Once the seal is broken, the entire Sacred Dan City might be destroyed. So if someone can tame them, that would be ideal. Of course... that person must absolutely not be someone from the Spirit Pavilion. Many of the continent's alchemists' souls have already fallen into their hands." "As for the Spirit Pavilion—what exactly do they want? They've captured so many soul bodies. I feel increasingly uneasy..." With these words, the space around them fell into a profound silence. "It's said even Yao Chen has been taken by them." The silence lasted for a while before a deep, resonant, and elderly voice finally emerged. "Yao Chen... such a distant name, isn't it? Alas, back then, among the three pillars of Dan Tower, he should have rightfully held one of those positions—yet he chose otherwise. The souls of the Hall, these people, have truly gone too far." "Regarding the great battle in the Dan Realm not long ago, I'm sure you've heard of it. It's said that one of the participants was a disciple of Yao Chen's." "Hmm, a disciple of Yao Chen's... I'd love to meet someone who could be chosen by that exceptionally discerning elder. Surely, such a person must possess notable talents. But I wonder how they'll measure up against the two from the Cao and Dan families." "Those two are truly prodigies. With this momentum, they will surely qualify as the next pillars of Dan Tower within a century." "Well... never mind the rest. With the Dan Festival approaching, we should focus on making that happen. As for the Soul Temple—they may be strong, but they certainly can't control everything. If there's any grand scheme brewing, the ancient clans and those remote, long-forgotten powers wouldn't let them run amok. Right now, all we need to do is ensure the Three Thousand Flames of焱Inn are not in their hands. Let's disperse for now. And during this time, keep a sharp eye out..." "Understood." With these words, the conversation among the leading figures of the Dan Tower gradually faded into stillness within this ethereal space... The young physician smiled gently, stood up, and as she did so, her black robe slipped gracefully to the ground. At the sight, she paused briefly, bent down to pick up the robe, and with her jade hands gently brushing it, a soft warmth shimmered in her gray-purple eyes. "Has Doctor Xiao awakened?" an elderly voice echoed from outside the courtyard, and soon, Ye Zhong appeared at the gate, gazing at the two inside—Xiao Yan—and smiled warmly. Xiao Yan leapt down from the stone bench, chuckling, "Shall we be setting off?" Ye Zhong nodded. "Then let's go. I'll take you to the testing site of the Dan Tower. We'll first obtain an official rank badge. The young physicians will stay here—no need for you to come along this time." Hearing this, the young physician hesitated, looking toward Xiao Yan. When he gave her a gentle nod, she spoke softly, "Then please take care." Xiao Yan smiled, exchanged a glance with Ye Zhong, and then turned, walking toward the outer courtyard. After leaving the Ye's courtyard, Xiao Yan followed Ye Zhong for nearly fifteen minutes before finally stopping outside an ancient stone tower located in the outer region of the Sacred Dan City. At this moment, countless alchemists were bustling in and out, their lively chatter forming waves of sound that spread throughout the area. "This is the branch tower established by the Dan Tower—similar to the branches of alchemical guilds in various empires," Ye Zhong said softly, leading Xiao Yan through the crowd and introducing the place. "However, things here are usually not very impressive. In two days, the Holy Dan City will host a special auction—this one is exclusively for transactions among alchemists. Only alchemists with certification from the Dan Tower are eligible to participate. Perhaps we should make the trip; such auctions often feature rare and valuable items." Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow, finding it quite rare to have an auction dedicated solely to alchemist-to-alchemist trade. Still, he was genuinely interested, and even if they didn't find exactly what he needed, it would certainly be an eye-opening experience. "Heh, follow me," said Ye Zhong, smiling and turning toward the southern section of the Tower. Xiao Yan quickly followed. When Xiao Yan and the other two arrived at the assessment area, they found a long line already forming. Seeing this, Ye Zhong furrowed his brows and said to Xiao Yan, "You wait here a moment. I'll make some connections. Otherwise, we won't finish the assessment today." Xiao Yan nodded and watched as Ye Zhong walked away. Subconsciously, he stepped back a little, and then felt his back collide with a soft body. "Ah—" a light gasp echoed behind Xiao Yan, who promptly turned around to see the young woman sitting down with a sudden crash on the ground. With swift motion, he extended his hand and grasped her firmly. "Don't!" the young woman exclaimed, startled to see Xiao Yan reaching for her. But her voice came a little late—Xiao Yan’s hand had already nearly flashed to grasp her arm. Yet before he could press down, her face suddenly turned pale with shock, for he noticed the spiritual energy swirling at the center of her brow seemed to be surging forth, then flowing into the girl’s body. Biting hard into the tip of her tongue, Xiao Yan’s hand went numb and released, then stepped back two paces with a sense of startled awe, gazing in astonishment at the pale-faced girl before him. On her chest, there was a badge, bearing a circular emblem that looked like a pill. “Someone from the Dan family?”