106: Heroes from all over the world are as numerous as carp crossing a river!

As the small boat emerged from the spatial wormhole, a bustling scene instantly greeted them.

The wide streets were paved with bluestone slabs, and shops on both sides displayed signs like "Centennial Medicinal Herbs" and "High-Grade Pill Furnaces." Pedestrians crowded the streets, shoulder to shoulder.

Alchemists, the lowest of whom wore fourth-grade badges on their chests, occasionally walked by with their heads held high, sporting seventh-grade badges, drawing glances from those around them.

"Is this Qingling City right before the Pill Gathering? It certainly lives up to its reputation."

Ye Xinlan couldn't help but exclaim, her eyes filled with curiosity.

She had never left Ye City before and this was her first time seeing so many Alchemists gathered together.

Ye Zhong smiled and nodded, "This is just Qingling City, which serves as a 'warm-up venue' for the Pill Gathering. When we reach Holy Pill City, that will be the true grand event for Alchemists, and the time for you to truly show your skills."

He paused, then added, "The Alchemist trade fair in Qingling City is very famous. We can rest here for half a day, then transfer through the spatial wormhole to Holy Pill City tomorrow. We might also be able to find some rare medicinal herbs."

Jiang Luo nodded in agreement.

Although he had reached the level of an eighth-grade Alchemist, he still needed more rare medicinal herbs to solidify his alchemy skills, and Qingling City's trade fair was exactly to his liking.

The three found an inn near the spatial wormhole and settled in, then spent the afternoon browsing the city's medicinal herb market.

With his keen perception, Jiang Luo acquired several stalks of "Profound Ice Grass" and "Flame Flower" that were mature and pure in medicinal properties, at reasonable prices. Ye Xinlan also bought several auxiliary ingredients needed for refining seventh-grade pills, achieving a bountiful harvest.

Early the next morning, the three transferred to the Pill Tower's exclusive spatial wormhole in Qingling City, continuing their journey to Holy Pill City.

Compared to Ye City's old spatial wormhole, the Pill Tower's exclusive spatial wormhole was much more stable; the boat traveled through the spatial passage with almost no turbulence.

After about two or three hours, a dazzling light finally appeared at the end of the silver spatial passage. The moment the small boat emerged, a vast plaza built of crimson rock came into view.

They had arrived at the Outer Domain of Holy Pill City.

The plaza was teeming with people, densely packed with individuals in various Alchemist robes. The clamor, bargaining, and sounds of medicinal herbs clashing rose and fell, almost threatening to lift the plaza's roof.

Ye Zhong pointed to a huge stone monument at the edge of the plaza, carved with the character "Pill," and explained, "The Outer Domain of Holy Pill City has eight such spatial plazas. What we're seeing now is just the tip of the iceberg. Every year during the Pill Gathering, at least tens of thousands of Alchemists gather here; it's incredibly lively."

Jiang Luo gazed at the magnificent scene before him, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

Although he possessed formidable strength, he had never participated in such a large-scale Alchemist grand event. This was a good opportunity to witness the top standards of the Central Plains' alchemy world.

Ye Zhong continued, "There are still three days until the official opening of the Pill Gathering, so there's plenty of time. I'll take you to the Branch Pagoda of the Pill Tower first, to get your Alchemist badges. Without these, you can't even enter the main gates of the Pill Gathering."

The three followed the crowd through the plaza, walking for about half an hour, until an ancient and majestic stone tower finally appeared before them.

The stone tower had nine floors, its body built of dark yellow rock, its surface covered with complex pill patterns. A faint medicinal fragrance lingered at the tip of the tower, detectable even from a hundred meters away.

Outside the tower, Alchemists came and went ceaselessly; some hurried along carrying Pill Furnaces, others gathered in groups discussing Pill Formulas. The waves of sound were even livelier than in the plaza.