55: First Arrival in Zhongzhou: The Test of Danta

Through the hidden small spatial wormhole in the Black-Corner Region, Xiao Chen experienced a somewhat turbulent spatial shuttle.

When the distorted light around him gradually stabilized, a surge of Heaven and Earth energy, far denser and purer than that in the Northwestern Continent, washed over him.

He stepped out of the wormhole and found himself in a massive plaza, bustling with people, where various spatial wormholes flickered on and off, disgorging and swallowing streams of people from all over the continent.

This was Tianbei City, a crucial hub city in the Northern Region of the Central Plains.

In stark contrast to the chaotic desolation of the Black-Corner Region, Tianbei City was grand in scale, with majestic buildings, and the aura of passersby on the streets was generally not weak; Dou Ling and Dou King-level experts were ubiquitous, and occasionally, one could even sense the subtle auras of Dou Emperor-level cultivators.

The air was filled with an atmosphere of prosperity under order and fierce competition.

Xiao Chen took a deep breath, sensing this unique environment.

He did not rush to inquire about the specific location of the Pill Tower, but instead found a seemingly ordinary inn to stay in, habitually spreading his Spirit Realm Soul perception quietly to cautiously gather information.

In the Central Plains, although his Late Spirit Realm soul was still outstanding, it was by no means as rare as it was in the Jia Ma Empire.

Here, hidden dragons and crouching tigers abounded, so he had to be even more careful.

Through the inn's waiter and tea house conversations, Xiao Chen quickly gained a preliminary understanding of the Central Plains' power structure.

The Central Plains' forces were intricate and complex, often summarized as "One Hall, One Tower, Two Sects, Three Valleys, Four Pavilions."

Among them, the "One Hall" was the Soul Hall, which he was highly wary of; its strength was unfathomable, and it was one of the overt overlords of the Central Plains.

And the "One Tower" was his destination for this trip—the Pill Tower, the holy land of Alchemists, whose strength and influence were enough to rival the Soul Hall.

In addition, forces like the Flower Sect and the Heavenly Nether Sect each occupied their own territories.

At the same time, he also learned an important piece of news: the Pill Tower was not easy to enter, especially for "outsiders" like him who had no background and came directly with an invitation.

The Pill Tower's periphery was protected by the Pill Realm, and newly promoted disciples or invitees often needed to first pass the trials of the Pill Realm, proving their strength and potential, before they could gain the true recognition of the Pill Tower and obtain the qualification to enter the core area.

"Pill Realm trials, huh..." Xiao Chen pondered for a moment; this was within his expectations.

No top-tier force would easily accept those of unknown origin.

After a day of rest, Xiao Chen left Tianbei City and, guided by the map in the jade slip, headed towards the direction of the Pill Tower.

He did not choose to fly directly but instead blended into a caravan heading to Pill City (the largest city on the outskirts of the Pill Tower), proceeding discreetly.

Several days later, when Xiao Chen stood on a towering mountain peak and looked into the distance, even with prior mental preparation, he was still shocked by the sight before him.

On the distant horizon, five massive mountain peaks stood like fingers reaching the sky, each topped with an incomparably majestic giant tower.

The towers were wreathed in a misty medicinal fragrance and surging energy fluctuations, and the five towers were connected by rainbow-like energy bridges, guarding an even more magnificent central giant tower that seemed to connect heaven and earth!

That was where the core of the Pill Tower—the Starfall Pavilion (not the Starfall Pavilion of Venerable Feng, but the name of the Pill Tower's core)—was located.

The entire area was enveloped by a faint, almost imperceptible energy barrier, which was the boundary of the Pill Realm.

Pill City was located outside the Pill Realm, with a scale comparable to an imperial capital, and its prosperity far surpassed Tianbei City.

Almost everyone in the city was related to alchemy; shops lined the streets, selling various rare medicinal ingredients, cauldrons, flames, and pill formulas.

Xiao Chen entered Pill City and went directly to the Grand Hall—the Guest Welcome Hall—at the entrance of the Pill Realm.

Inside the hall, many people were already waiting, men and women, old and young, all with impressive auras, clearly Alchemists or soul cultivators who had come to participate in the Pill Realm trials.

Xiao Chen presented the invitation jade slip.

He was received by a Pill Tower Deacon, a Dou Emperor-level expert, who, after examining the jade slip, looked at Xiao Chen with some surprise: "Xiao Chen from Jia Nan Academy? Your soul power is indeed extraordinary.

However, the Pill Realm trials are no laughing matter; they contain unpredictable spatial changes, are guarded by powerful energy entities, and even carry the risk of getting lost.

Are you sure you want to participate?"

"I'm sure," Xiao Chen said calmly.

"Good! In three days, the Pill Realm will open; enter with this token at that time," the Deacon handed Xiao Chen a token engraved with a medicinal cauldron pattern.

"The trial content is simple: survive in the Pill Realm for ten days and obtain at least three spirit herbs of seventh grade or above, or the core of a seventh-tier energy entity.

Once completed, an envoy will lead you into the Pill Tower."

Seventh-grade spirit herbs, seventh-tier energy entities (equivalent to human Dou Zong)! The difficulty of this trial was extremely high, enough to weed out most of the unqualified.

Xiao Chen took the token, found a quiet place to stay in Pill City, and calmly adjusted his state.

He could feel several gazes secretly observing him, perhaps from other competitors, or perhaps... someone else.

The shadow of the Soul Hall seemed to have extended even to the vicinity of this holy land of the Central Plains.

Three days later, nearly a hundred participants gathered in the plaza at the entrance of the Pill Realm.

As a Pill Tower Elder opened the spatial gate, everyone stepped in sequence into that independent space full of opportunities and dangers.

Inside the Pill Realm, it was not the imagined medicinal garden paradise, but a vast and boundless world with diverse environments.

There were primeval forests with ancient trees reaching the sky, volcanic areas with rolling lava, and extremely cold ice plains covered in snow...

The air was filled with a rich medicinal fragrance and violent energy, while also hiding countless dangers.

Soon after Xiao Chen stepped in, he encountered an attack from a group of energy entities equivalent to Dou King-level.

He did not use soul combat skills but instead relied on the precise perception of his Spirit Realm Soul and the movement technique of Swimming Fish Steps to easily evade attacks and find the core weakness of the energy entities, dispersing them with a single blow.

The cores of these low-level energy entities were worthless to him.

His goal was clear; he directly delved into the area with the strongest energy fluctuations.

With his powerful soul perception, he could always preemptively avoid large groups of energy entities and dangerous spatial rifts, and accurately locate some deeply hidden spirit herbs.

During this period, he also encountered other trial participants, some struggling to fight energy entities, others fiercely battling over a single spirit herb.

Xiao Chen tried to avoid conflicts and focused on his own goals.

On the fifth day after entering the Pill Realm, in a deep valley, Xiao Chen discovered a nascent eighth-grade spirit herb—a Dragon Blood Ganoderma!

However, guarding this spirit herb was a giant ape energy entity with the strength comparable to a Three-Star Dou Zong!

A fierce battle was inevitable.

Xiao Chen no longer held back; his Late Spirit Realm soul power fully erupted, and the Soul Emperor Bell protected his body, allowing him to withstand the giant ape's furious attacks, while the Soul Emperor Finger continuously struck, targeting its energy core.

The battle was incredibly intense, causing the valley to collapse.

Ultimately, Xiao Chen used a risky move, the Illusory Prison, to disturb the giant ape's mind, and then pierced its core with the Soul Emperor Finger, successfully defeating it.

After collecting the Dragon Blood Ganoderma and the giant ape's energy core, Xiao Chen had overfulfilled his mission.

But he did not rush to leave; instead, he continued to explore the Pill Realm, using this rare environment to hone his soul combat skills and search for other potential opportunities.

On the tenth day, when the guiding pillar of light appeared in the Pill Realm, Xiao Chen calmly crushed his token and was teleported out.

Not only did he successfully pass the trial, but his calm performance and the powerful soul power he displayed throughout the process also attracted the attention of the Pill Tower's upper echelons.

When he reappeared in the Guest Welcome Hall, the Deacon looked at the Dragon Blood Ganoderma and the Dou Zong energy core he presented, his eyes filled with shock.

Soon, an old man wearing light golden Elder robes and possessing a profound aura appeared before Xiao Chen, scrutinizing him with piercing eyes.

"I am Xuan Kongzi, one of the three giants of the Pill Tower.

Xiao Chen, your soul talent is indeed rare.

Come with me; from today on, you are a core disciple of my Pill Tower!"

Xiao Chen's heart settled; he knew that he had finally taken a solid first step in this holy land of the Central Plains.

However, the real challenges had only just begun.

The internal competition within the Pill Tower, the threat of the Soul Hall, as well as the mysterious system and the mission of the Xiao Clan, would all unfold in the coming days.