Hearing He Shijie's words, a faint smile appeared on Qiu Yufei's face, but still, this Dan Dao conference was hosted by their Myriad Medicine Pavilion, inviting a few people wasn't an issue.
What's more, Su Chen isn't an outsider, though Qiu Yufei didn't see the need to explain this to him!
"I know what I'm doing."
Qiu Yufei said, and seeing her response, He Shijie knew any more words would be futile!
He couldn't understand why Qiu Yufei treated this boy so specially, it seemed to be the case even when they first met!
Now, she's even invited him to attend the Dan Dao conference!
Actually, he has some hostility towards Su Chen, not only because of his naturally prideful nature but also because he harbors some feelings for Qiu Yufei. Seeing her treat him differently naturally made him uncomfortable!
It's no wonder, after all, Qiu Yufei is considered a super beauty in the Ancient Martial World, and often being with her, developing feelings is quite normal!
"Mr. Su, please come in."
Qiu Yufei said with a smile.
Su Chen smiled and then followed Qiu Yufei inside. After entering, he was somewhat surprised to find that there weren't many people in the courtyard.
"There's still an hour before the real Dan Dao conference starts, so everyone is gathered in the hall."
Qiu Yufei noticed Su Chen's confusion and explained with a smile.
"The real Dan Dao conference, what's that about?"
Su Chen couldn't help but ask.
"Mr. Su, you might not be familiar with the Dan Dao forces in the Ancient Martial World, let me give you a brief introduction before we go in." ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⚫𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖⚫𝕟𝕖𝕥
"Sure, I'm quite interested."
Su Chen replied with a smile.
Subsequently, Qiu Yufei gave him a simple introduction, and through her explanation, Su Chen gained a rough understanding of the Dan Dao forces in the Ancient Martial World!
In the entire Ancient Martial World, there are about seven or eight Dan Dao forces. Though the number seems substantial, it's actually quite minimal in the entire Ancient Martial World!
Like the forces of the Evil Path, Dan Dao forces are self-contained and don't align with other orthodox sects.
Whether it be the ranking of elite forces or the selection of the top ten prodigies, Dan Dao forces aren't included!
Though Evil Path forces are self-contained because those orthodox sects disdain to be ranked alongside them, and of course, Evil Path forces also disdain mingling with them!
However, Dan Dao forces are excluded not due to rejection from orthodox sects, but because of their uniqueness. They focus more on alchemy than martial arts, which is the foundation of their heritage!
Therefore, Dan Dao forces are generally quite respected, possessing a distinct pride!
Of course, their martial arts aren't lacking either. Just look at how young Qiu Yufei is, yet she's reached the Kaiyuan Middle Stage and is even advancing towards the Kaiyuan Late Stage!
This makes sense, as elixirs are extremely important cultivation resources, granting them a natural advantage in this area!
However, there are still distinctions between strong and weak among Dan Dao forces.
Among these seven or eight forces, only two are the largest, one being the Myriad Medicine Pavilion and the other the Medicine King Valley. The others are smaller forces, and whether in alchemy or other aspects, they are significantly behind these two major forces!
The so-called Dan Dao conference is held annually, focusing on two main aspects: exchanges and alchemy competitions!
This tradition has lasted for over a hundred years. In the past, alchemy competitions were friendly, with little emphasis on winning or losing, but this changed in the past twenty years!
Everyone now sees these competitions as matters of pride, especially for Myriad Medicine Hall and Medicine King Valley, where the winning side celebrates joyously while the losing side feels disgraced!
"I didn't expect that Miss Qiu comes from one of the two major Dan Dao forces in the Ancient Martial World, the Myriad Medicine Pavilion!"
"Mr. Su, you're quite the jokester!"
Qiu Yufei replied, feeling slightly embarrassed with a smile.
Su Chen also smiled and said:
"Then I'll wish you and your Myriad Medicine Pavilion all the best, to outshine all others and clinch first place this time!"
Upon hearing this, a hint of a wry smile appeared on Qiu Yufei's face:
"I fear it might not be that easy!"
"Miss Qiu might be underestimating yourself."
Su Chen smiled, thinking that since Myriad Medicine Hall is one of the two major forces, they should have a good chance of winning.
"Mr. Su, you might not know that in the past twenty years of competition, most of the time, our Myriad Medicine Pavilion has been overshadowed by Medicine King Valley, often placing second!"
Qiu Yufei replied, slightly embarrassed:
"Especially in the past five years, we've consistently lost to Medicine King Valley!"
Upon hearing this, Su Chen was somewhat shocked, meaning Medicine King Valley is almost solely dominant among the Dan Dao forces in the Ancient Martial World!
"Fortune comes in cycles, maybe it's your Myriad Medicine Pavilion's turn this time!"
Su Chen comforted her with a smile.
"Thank you for your kind words, let's hope so!"
Qiu Yufei also smiled after hearing this:
"It's about time, let's go in."
Su Chen nodded and then went in with Qiu Yufei.
Su Chen hadn't expected his timing to be so perfect, just in time for this Dan Dao competition!
When they arrived in the villa's hall, it was already almost filled with people, with several dozen individuals seated around the hall.
In the center of the hall, four alchemy cauldrons were placed side by side, with some patterns carved on them. These four cauldrons were clearly old, exuding an ancient aura!
Alchemical cauldrons, unlike other things, aren't necessarily better when new, sometimes older ones are better!
Su Chen glanced around and noticed that members of each force were sitting together.
When everyone saw Qiu Yufei bringing in a man, they all showed expressions of surprise.
Of course, the most surprised were those from the Myriad Medicine Pavilion!
Seeing everyone staring, Qiu Yufei's face flushed a little, although nothing was going on between her and Su Chen, she felt quite bashful.
"Grandfather, this is my friend, Su Chen."
Qiu Yufei turned slightly red and introduced him to an elderly man.
The elder, upon hearing this, looked Su Chen up and down and cheerfully said:
Su Chen found the old man quite friendly and replied with a smile:
"Hello, Old Master Qiu!"
"Old Master Qiu, is your Myriad Medicine Pavilion about to celebrate something good?"
"Be sure you don't miss inviting us for a celebratory drink then!"
"How's that even enough, at least a full jar for sure!"
Everyone immediately started laughing and joking, both to enliven the atmosphere and as a way to show goodwill towards the Myriad Medicine Pavilion!
(P.S.: Owed one chapter from yesterday, another today, both will be released before noon!)