For the challenging gaze that came from afar, Xiao Yan merely glanced at it casually before turning it away. The young man had usually been quite reserved, but today he seemed genuinely excited. A seventh-rank peak medicine? As soon as Xiao Yan thought of this, a quiet smirk formed on his lips. With this achievement, entering the top ten might not be difficult—yet that was all. True championship contention? This Song Qing still lacked the qualifications! As this thought passed through his mind, Xiao Yan's focus once again settled on the medicine pot. Within the rising emerald flames, a perfectly round pill was slowly rotating—deep crimson in color, as if condensed from the essence of blood, and subtly glowing, like eyes, giving off an unusually striking impression. "Almost there…" Watching the pill slowly spinning within the flames, a warm glow stirred within Xiao Yan's heart. The clouds above were thick and layered, occasionally splitting like a massive silver serpent tearing through the sky, rushing directly toward Song Qing’s stone platform, only to be fully absorbed by him. Seeing his gaze ignored by Xiao Yan, Song Qing couldn’t help but draw a brief breath of frustration. He scanned the crowd and noticed that, aside from the spectators outside, figures like Cao Ying and Dan Chen had hardly shown any surprise—this lack of reaction left him deeply unsettled. A seventh-rank peak elixir, even for senior elders of the Dan Tower, was typically difficult to produce with high success rates. Yet here, in his own hands, he had successfully crafted one, yet it failed to stir the reaction he had anticipated. Thus, his desire to bask in the admiration and recognition of the crowd remained unfulfilled. Despite the unrest in his heart, Song Qing quickly focused his attention. The thunder generated by the seventh-rank peak pill was no mere trivial matter—should he fail to take it seriously, the pill itself might be shattered, and then he’d truly have to cry. As Song Qing poured all his strength into countering the thunder from the sky, the energy in the heavens also surged violently, clearly triggered by the thunder. Several contestants now observed remarkable energy fluctuations within their medicine cauldrons, indicating that their pills were nearing completion. Noticing this development, these participants grew increasingly serious—any mishap at this stage would truly spell disaster. "Boom!" Above the sky, thick clouds gathered, and a low, continuous rumble of thunder echoed. Suddenly, another powerful surge of energy swept forth, and instantly, the crowd witnessed the dense clouds coalescing into a solid formation above a stone platform. "Another seventh-rank peak-level pill has emerged!" The scene sparked enthusiastic exclamations throughout the plaza. "Boom! Boom! Boom!" Yet before the crowd's excitement had fully settled, several more powerful energy surges erupted consecutively. Thick clouds poured across the sky, forming an endless expanse. Dense silver serpents now swathed the heavens, completely obscuring the sky. Where there had once been bright sunshine, the sky now darkened like night, with flashes of brilliant silver lightning streaking across the heavens, their intense light piercing through. In less than ten minutes, nine seventh-rank premium pills had simultaneously appeared! Thus, nine Pill-Thunder strikes now shimmered in the sky. Such a spectacle was truly something one encountered only once in a lifetime. As a result, the sea of people surrounding the plaza, stirred by the atmosphere of thunderous celestial lightning, roared with passionate excitement, their voices thunderous and blending seamlessly with the booming thunder, forming a powerful wave of sound that spread outwards—so intense that even across the entire Dan Realm, the lingering echoes of this formidable roar could be faintly felt. The sudden appearance of eight Dan Lightning strikes also startled Song Qing. He glanced at the surrounding Dan Lightning, a cold smile passing over his eyes—good, these competitors' Dan Lightning was not as powerful as his, which meant their medicinal quality was likely inferior to his. Crisscrossing the sky, silver lightning surged forth, then surged toward the stone platforms, exploding with force. For a moment, the entire sky resonated with a deep, resonant thunder. Amidst this spectacular spectacle of thunder and lightning, Xiao Yan, Cao Ying, Mu Gu Elder, and the others seemed completely unimpressed, their eyes fixed intently on the medicinal cauldrons within. "Fresh blood stained the elixir, and suddenly within the cauldron, a brilliant, intense radiance emerged—like a sun—bursting forth with a terrifying surge of energy. A powerful wave of energy roared out with a resounding boom, so intense that even the cauldron, which had endured the scorching flames of the strange fire for a long time, shattered into countless fragments! 'Hisss!' A towering green light column, stretching ten zhang in height, erupted from the shattered cauldron and shot straight into the heavens. Under this green column, the silver lightning scattered across the sky suddenly retreated as if encountering something formidable. The previously proud thunderclouds hurried to shrink back, unwilling to even touch the light. The green column surged upward, entering the sky under the awe-struck gazes of onlookers. Immediately, as the column passed through, mist surged up abruptly and, within mere moments, coalesced into a vast thundercloud nearly a hundred meters in size!" Moreover, what struck everyone most profoundly was that the thunderclouds now forming had a clear, silvery hue—two distinct colors! "Two-toned thunderclouds?" As the two-colored clouds emerged in the sky, the entire plaza erupted into excitement! Many had never seen such a phenomenon before—two-toned Dan Thunderclouds. On the dais, Xuankongzi and the others gazed at the clouds with a slightly serious expression. After a brief pause, they exchanged glances and nodded in unison: "This Dan family girl truly stands out. She has not only successfully crafted an Eighth-Rank pill, but also awakened the two-toned thunderclouds." In the world of pills, Eighth-Rank pills already represented the pinnacle of the hierarchy—though only one rank apart from Seventh-Rank, the difference was truly one of heaven and earth. Eighth-Rank pills possessed a sense of vitality, even exhibiting rudimentary intelligence. In essence, they had their own life force. It can truly be said to belong to the realm of living beings! Moreover, the classification of eighth-rank pills is astonishingly strict—the quality of the pills can no longer be discerned by the naked eye, but must be identified by the hue of the pill's lightning. The more distinct lightning colors are manifested during the pill's formation, the higher its quality. It is said that if a pill can summon nine hues of lightning, it has ascended to the ninth rank—endowed with the power of creation—making it no mere "divine pill," but truly a celestial one. Dan Chen has successfully summoned two hues of lightning, which signifies that she has crafted an eighth-rank pill, one that bears two distinct hues of lightning! ... Across the sky, two hues of thunder clouds loom majestically, radiating a vast and resounding thunderous presence. The lightning summoned by the others, such as Song Qing, now appears remarkably insignificant in comparison. Gazing at the two-toned thunder clouds, Song Qing and the others opened their mouths in astonishment, only to find their mouths filled with bitter regret—these two-toned dan thunders had completely subdued them. On the stone platform, Dan Chen wiped the blood from her lips, her pale face fixed upon the two-toned thunder clouds above. A gentle smile played at her lips as she struggled to rise. Though slender and delicate, her fragile frame commanded the utmost respect from even the strongest cultivators at the Dou Zun level—no one dared to slight her. Regardless of the outcome today, the Dan family’s name would now resound throughout Zhongzhou thanks to this young girl. Alchemical refinement—this too was a source of pride for Cao Ying. The reputation of the immortal female was no mere pretense. After years of rigorous cultivation at the Alchemical Tower, today, under the watchful eyes of all, it would finally be fully revealed! A proud, phoenix-like curve spread across Cao Ying’s face as she raised her jade hands, swiftly forming a hand seal. Then, with a soft command, she exclaimed, “Rise!” With the command, a colossal beam of light erupted suddenly from the cauldron before her, surging upward and piercing the heavens! As the light surged, the clouds in the sky rapidly coalesced, and in the midst of countless astonished gazes, two distinct hues emerged—several shades of azure and silver. However, those with keen eyes could discern a faint, delicate hint of pale red subtly blended within the azure and silver tones! “Another eighth-rank alchemical pill!” The entire plaza erupted into a frenzy. People’s eyes were wide with excitement, gazing at the resplendent lightning clouds above, their hearts pounding with exhilaration, their blood surging with fervor at that very moment! This, truly, is the essence of the Dan Assembly! Song Qing stared in astonishment at the thunderclouds above, a sense of frustration rising within him. Compared to Cao Ying and Dan Chen—such prodigies—he realized he still fell far short. "Fortunately, Xiao Yan should be..." As this thought passed through his mind, Song Qing's gaze snapped to the distant stone platform. There, Xiao Yan, who had remained as still as a statue, finally rose slowly. Crack! Crack! Crack! At the very instant Xiao Yan stood up, countless pairs of warm, expectant eyes across the plaza instantly froze, converging upon him. On the elevated platform, Xuan Kung and the others also found themselves instinctively tightening their hands, their attention fixed upon the slender figure beneath the vast expanse of dark clouds. Back then, the man known as Yao Chen had achieved the most radiant honor here—precisely in this manner, with a truly awe-inspiring presence. Today, can this disciple—once hailed as the brightest talent in the realm of pharmaceutical mastery—once again uphold the glory of this lineage?!