Very soon, they were brought to a massive plaza atop one of the Medicine Clan's mountain peaks.
At the same time, countless pillars of smoke rose slowly into the air, each carrying an intense pill fragrance.
In previous years, the visiting clans were only here to observe—
after all, in terms of alchemy, the other ancient clans had little worth showing.
But because Lei Qi had expressed interest in alchemy, they remained to watch.
Given their status, they naturally wouldn't be placed among the ordinary crowd.
At the peak of Medicine Mountain, clouds drifted around them as strange medicinal fragrances spread through the air, refreshing one's mind as though one had entered an immortal realm.
At the top, countless medicinal plants gathered like an ocean.
Hovering above this "sea of herbs" was an enormous suspended plaza.
At its four corners stood four gigantic cauldrons, releasing thick streams of pill smoke that shot straight into the clouds.
The floating platform was already filled with people.
Lively conversations echoed from every direction.
Following Mang Tianchi, Lei Qi looked toward the north side of the stone platform, where rows of stone seats had been prepared.
Mang Tianchi found their assigned seats and sat with Lei Qi.
As soon as they were seated, beautiful attendants moved gracefully among the guests like butterflies, filling each jade cup with practiced elegance.
One had to admit — the Medicine Clan's attendants were all extremely attractive.
"Xiao Qi, what do you think? The girls here look far better than the ones in our Thunder Clan, right?" Mang Tianchi said with a teasing smile.
"Mm." Lei Qi nodded honestly.
"I don't know what's wrong with the women of our Thunder Clan. Looks like the outside world is far more pleasant to look at…" Mang Tianchi muttered.
"Elder Mang, you haven't married all these years. Do you… have someone in your heart?" Lei Qi asked.
"Ah… that's all in the past."
Mang Tianchi did not elaborate.
Just mentioning it made the bold, carefree aura he had earlier quietly disappear.
Lei Qi's gaze returned to the plaza below—
and soon, a certain male caught his attention.
A 5th-tier alchemist, with One-Star Dou King strength.
A completely forgettable background character.
But the woman beside him—
Long sky-blue hair, exquisite features, and a cold, icy temperament.
A true "ice beauty."
Such a woman was undoubtedly even more alluring.
After all, melting an iceberg brought its own sense of accomplishment.
But Lei Qi knew very well that for now—
and for the next ten years or even longer—
he didn't stand a chance.
She was one of the Medicine Clan's prodigies.
"That pair are siblings," Mang Tianchi said as he noticed Lei Qi's gaze.
"The boy is Yao Tian, the girl is Yao Ling. Both are top talents of your generation. Oh, and that boy over there is Yao Xingji—good talent as well."
However, in Mang Tianchi's eyes:
Whether it was Yao Tian, Yao Ling, or Yao Xingji—
none of them could compare to Lei Qi.
Not even close.
Under twenty years old—
only seventeen, in fact—
and with a Dou Emperor bloodline that had not even fully awakened,
yet already a Two-Star Dou Huang.
This cultivation speed was terrifying.
Even among the ancient clans, he was top-tier.
The other clans' geniuses, even with massive resources poured into them, would already be impressive if they reached Dou King.
To reach Dou Huang at this age?
That was an entirely different level.
"If I surpass them in alchemy too, that'd be even more interesting." Lei Qi said.
"I don't think that's realistic," Mang Tianchi shook his head.
In the Medicine Clan, 8th-tier alchemists and even 9th-tier Heavenly Alchemists were not rare.
But in the Thunder Clan, they had only one peak 8th-tier alchemist.
The other ancient clans were in the same situation.
Under such circumstances, even with Lei Qi's talent, the gap was enormous.
Besides—Lei Qi planned to cultivate both Thunder and Fire.
Adding alchemy on top of that?
One could not learn everything.
"Too much greed ruins everything."
"Heh, we'll talk about that in the future."
Lei Qi wasn't overly idealistic.
He was mostly speaking casually.
Still—
the Thunder Clan truly needed a 9th-tier alchemist!
But a 9th-tier alchemist was not easy to train.
Across the entire continent, such people were extremely rare.
Every 9th-tier who was not part of the Medicine Clan either belonged to a major family of their own, or preferred solitary wandering.
Most importantly—
the Dou Emperor clans looked down on alchemists without a Dou Emperor bloodline.
They had no interest in grooming outsiders with high alchemy talent.
The sole exception was the Soul Clan.
Unlike the other clans, the Soul Clan did the opposite:
They sent their alchemical genius Hun Xuzi to study at the Dan Tower,
and even created the Soul Hall specifically to recruit strong individuals from across the continent.
Their vision was simply on another level.
No matter how you looked at it,
Hun Tiandi completely crushed Gu Yuan, even though both were peak Nine-Star Dou Saints.
The other clan leaders were even less comparable.
After all—
to a peak Dou Saint, anything below 9-star was practically an ant.
The alchemy demonstrations by the Medicine Clan juniors were only an opening act.
To the important guests here, they were nothing.
The real highlight of the Medicine Ceremony came later.
Whether it was the duel between peak 8th-tier alchemists,
or the battle between 9th-tier Heavenly Alchemists,
those were the truly breathtaking displays.
However, perhaps because no top alchemists came this year,
the one demonstrating was not Elder Wanhuo of the Medicine Clan,
but merely a Heavenly Alchemy Master.
Even so—
though not at the Profound Pill level,
the display still dazzled Lei Qi and the others.
One month passed as they watched the grand competition unfold.
And during this month, Lei Qi had not gained nothing.
From observing the refinements—
he was now able to successfully refine 2nd-tier pills!
When this news spread, not only Mang Tianchi was shocked—
even some of the Medicine Clan's experts were astonished.
He had never learned alchemy before.
Yet after only one month of observation,
he could refine a 2nd-tier pill.
Such frightening talent—
even within the Medicine Clan, few could compare.
The most terrifying part?
Lei Qi wasn't just talented in alchemy.
His cultivation talent was equally monstrous.
A Two-Star Dou Huang at his age—
a true shining star of his generation.