In the quiet room, a strange, intangible ripple surged suddenly at the very moment Xiāo Yīn's eyes opened. This ripple spread out gradually. Xiāo Yīn took a deep breath, then suddenly moved his hands—thereafter, a series of unusual imprints appeared, their movements creating cascades of faint afterimages. As his hand gestures changed, an intangible spiritual force swiftly coalesced at the center of his palms, forming within a blink into a shapeless palm seal. With a simple finger tap, he dispersed the seal, then continued shifting his gestures, bringing forth two more intricate, intangible palm seals. Three distinct palm seals emerged in his hands, seamlessly integrated with perfect fluidity—so smooth and natural that the transitions were nearly imperceptible, and the proficiency matched precisely that of Cáo Yǐng's performance on the day it occurred. Finally, all three seals were gently dissolved, and a thick breath escaped through his throat. The turbid energy was expelled, and a gentle luminescence shimmered on Xiao Yan's face, resembling warm jade. However, this glow quickly faded. As his body moved, he leapt off the bed, standing upright like a spear on the ground, eyes closed... After a brief moment, Xiao Yan suddenly opened his eyes, a subtle sense of joy evident. He noticed that the spiritual qi circulating within his soul had grown more abundant than before, almost imperceptibly. Even more, he sensed a subtle obstruction within his soul. "Is this the spiritual realm barrier?" Xiao Yan mused. He had a strong intuition that whenever he overcame this sense of obstruction, his soul would truly be able to step into that supposed spiritual realm. Only then would he be able to fully attain the status of a master alchemist. "It's almost time..." Xiao Yan's face broke into a smile. With this pace, he was confident of truly breaking through that barrier. With a smile in his heart, he straightened his robes and stepped out. As his gaze swept the room, he spotted the young physician seated in meditation outside. Due to the incident last time, she had grown hesitant to leave Xiao Yan's side, even now, while residing in the Dan Tower, she remained by his side as soon as he entered his meditative state. As Xiao Yan stepped out, the young physician quickly opened her eyes, turned her head, and upon seeing him, exhaled in relief, offering a light smile. "Have you finished your meditation?" "Indeed. Thank you for staying so patient," Xiao Yan replied, knowing well that the young physician had been waiting beside him for several days. "If you're truly going to thank me, mere words won't be enough...” The young physician smiled gently, then sensing the ambiguity in her words had grown too deep, her cheeks flushed slightly as she quickly changed the subject. "You've been in seclusion for several days now. Gao Ying came to see you once, but I stopped her. Won't you mind me interrupting your good fortune?" As she finished, her bright eyes shifted to land on Xiao Yan's face. Hearing this, Xiao Yan couldn't help but chuckle softly. "I don't really know her well—what could possibly be a good thing between us? Besides, she's not exactly a quiet person. I'd rather not get too close to her." Satisfied with this response, the young physician nodded with a pleased expression, her eyes gently curved like crescents. "When does the herbal gathering begin?" Xiao Yan glanced around the hall, then asked casually. "Tomorrow?" "That's quite fast." Xiao Yan was instantly startled, not expecting time to pass so swiftly—already it was the time when the Dan Conference was set to begin. "If you don't awaken by now, I'll enter and wake you up myself, no matter how late it gets," the young physician smiled. Xiao Yan nodded slightly, then furrowed his brows. "I still haven't gathered one more herb yet. It seems I'll have to find a way to secure it today." Since receiving two herbs at the Pharmacist's Exchange Meeting, the final herb—the Wanyuan Qing Ling Vine—had remained completely silent. Now, with the Dan Conference approaching, Xiao Yan found himself growing increasingly anxious. After all, without this key ingredient, he simply couldn't successfully concoct the elixir. "Actually, you needn't worry about the herbs at all," the young physician said, as Xiao Yan was still frowning. At that very moment, the main doors of the hall suddenly swung open, and Ye Zhong, Xin Lan, and Tian Huo Master entered slowly and gracefully. Ye Zhong smiled warmly and approached Xiao Yan, then with a simple gesture, several jade boxes infused with cold energy appeared on the table. "Here are two thousand-year-old green spirit vines and one blood-essence immortal fruit. Combined with the herbs you already possess, this will just suffice to prepare two sets of pills. Even if one batch fails, you'll still have a second chance." "This isn't something we've managed to secure—it was merely a brief mention to a senior elder at Dan Tower that you needed these herbs. The very next day, they sent them over on their own initiative..." Ye Zhong said with a smile. Xiao Yan blinked, then suddenly realized: there must have been a directive from Xuan Kongzi. Otherwise, given his reputation, Dan Tower wouldn't have treated it with such importance. Having silently thanked Xuan Kongsu in his heart, Xiao Yan didn't show off much. With a simple gesture, he stored the herbs before him into his storage scroll—these were precisely what he needed most, and naturally, he couldn't refuse. It was as if he had accepted Xuan Kongsu's kindness, and would repay him someday when the opportunity arose. Xiao Yan's lips curled slightly, yet a subtle, hard-to-hide passion flickered in his dark eyes. Though he remained composed, he was still a young man, and the youthful fervor and determination flowed just as naturally through his very bones. Seeing Xiao Yan's warm smile, Ye Zhong and the others exchanged glances, each offering a smile. This year's Dan Assembly was truly going to be something special. In fact, they were genuinely curious—could this fierce tiger, Xiao Yan, truly encounter a worthy opponent who could stand in his way during this assembly? This year's Dan Assembly would surely be a true clash of titans! …The next day, as the first rays of morning light poured across the horizon, piercing through the night shroud that had draped the land, the entire city of Shendan instantly surged to life. Today, Shendan City would truly be the center of universal attention, with the entire Zhongzhou region gathering its eyes here, waiting for the one who would stand firm until the very last moment. That one, emerging from among the prodigious alchemical talents from across the Qi Continent, would undoubtedly be the true heir apparent. Every champion of the Dan Conference has left an indelible mark in the history of the Qi Continent—without exception—and precisely because of this, the prestige and value of the Dan Conference have been magnified beyond measure. Who emerges as the final champion will surely etch a distinguished chapter into the future history of the Qi Continent. This honor is enough to drive anyone mad—after all, who wouldn't wish to stand out from the ordinary crowd throughout a lifetime? Xiao Yan smoothed his robe and then looked at the young physician and others before him, offering a gentle smile. "Let's go," he said. As he spoke, he stepped forward toward the hall's entrance, and the young physician and others exchanged warm glances, quickly following suit.