Chapter 208 Goodbye Medusa

Chapter 208 Goodbye Medusa

Fa Ma, the host of the conference, stood up calmly. His sharp eyes slowly swept across the faces of each contestant.

His voice was calm and powerful, penetrating the noise in the square and reaching everyone's ears clearly: "Everyone, today's conference has come to a successful conclusion. All the advanced alchemists please have a good rest tonight, get enough energy, and prepare for the final competition tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," Fa Ma's voice sounded again, "will be the last round of this conference, and it will also be the crucial moment to determine who will be the champion. Every contestant has a chance, and every alchemist has the potential to become the final winner. I hope you will be in the best condition to meet the challenge and show your talents."

As Fa Ma finished his words, everyone in the VIP seats stood up and prepared to leave.

Xiao Ling also stood up from his seat. He nodded gently to Hai Bodong, Jia Xingtian and others, saying goodbye. Then, he took Xiao Yixian and Qinglin and slowly walked out of the VIP seats.

The three of them slowly walked towards the exit of the square, where Xiao Yan and Xiao Zhan had been waiting for a long time. Beside Xiao Yan, the little princess of the Jia Ma Empire, Yao Yue, was talking to him softly, and the interaction between the two was full of ease and pleasure.

As soon as Xiao Ling appeared, the two of them stopped talking tacitly. Xiao Yan waved his arm and beckoned to Xiao Ling, "Cousin, you're here."

Yaoyue bowed slightly with an elegant gesture and saluted Xiao Ling, her voice soft and respectful: "Master Xiao Ling."

Xiao Ling nodded slightly in response, and walked towards them at a leisurely pace. His eyes were deep, as if he was exploring something, and he glanced at Xiao Yan and Yao Yue meaningfully, as if he could see through their little thoughts.

Xiao Yan felt Xiao Ling's gaze, and a hint of embarrassment involuntarily appeared on his face. He turned his head slightly, not daring to look him in the face.

After bidding farewell to Yaoyue, everyone got into the Xiao family's carriage together amid the awe and admiration of the people around them.

As the carriage slowly started, the wheels rolled on the stone road, making a steady sound, accompanying them on their journey back to the Xiao family.

On the carriage, Xiao Yan's heart gradually calmed down. He turned his gaze to Xiao Ling, and asked with a hint of curiosity and inquiry: "Cousin, who do you think is better, my alchemy skills or the first-place alchemist in the first round?"

Xiao Zhan also cast a curious look, obviously wanting to know what Xiao Ling thought of the two. From the previous competition, it can be seen that the mysterious man in black robe is his beloved son, the number one enemy in the fight for the championship of this Alchemist Conference.

Xiao Ling took a sip of tea, the fragrance of the tea lingering in his mouth. He replied calmly, "In my opinion, from the perspective of alchemy experience, you are indeed not as good as him. Even many elders in the Alchemist Guild may not be able to match him. But your soul power is stronger, and your alchemy techniques and fire control skills are more sophisticated."

After a slight pause, he continued, "In terms of alchemy skills, you are fully capable of surpassing him. In tomorrow's competition, as long as you perform at your best and nothing unexpected happens, I believe the quality of the pills you refine will definitely be higher than that person's. It will not be difficult for you to win the championship."

Xiao Yan heaved a sigh of relief when he heard this, but a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. He asked in disbelief, "Cousin, is that man really that powerful? I have vaguely seen his face before. Judging from his appearance, he seems to be about the same age as us, definitely no more than 20 years old. How could he have such rich experience in refining medicine as you said?"

Xiao Yan's question echoed in the air, and Xiao Ling just smiled gently. That smile seemed to contain deep meaning, but he did not answer directly.

His voice was a little mysterious. "There is a hidden story behind this matter. I can't say more now, but they hid their identities and real ages, which gave them such an advantage. You just need to know that everything will be revealed after the conference ends."

After listening to Xiao Ling's explanation, Xiao Yan suddenly realized that he had hidden his real age. Under that young face, there must be an old soul. However, this unknown challenge ignited his fighting spirit even more.

As the carriage slowly drove away from the square, the afterglow of the setting sun sprinkled on the streets of the holy city of Jama, covering the city with a layer of golden veil.

The buildings of the Gama Empire appear particularly majestic under the reflection of the setting sun. Every stone brick and every sculpture seem to be given life, telling ancient legends and glorious history.

On both sides of the street, the shop signs flickered with warm light in the setting sun. The vendors ended a busy day and began to pack up their stalls with satisfied smiles on their faces.

Children are chasing and playing in the streets, their laughter echoing in the afterglow of the sunset, adding vitality and vigor to the city.

The carriage moved slowly along the cobblestone street. The gentle friction between the wheels and the ground echoed in the quiet street like a low and melodious nocturne.

Xiao Ling looked out the car window at the Holy City of Gama under the setting sun. The golden light spread across the entire city, filling his heart with tranquility and peace.

At this time, Xiao Yixiang gently leaned her head on Xiao Ling's shoulder, and the two figures intertwined in the afterglow of the setting sun, creating a warm and intimate atmosphere.

The air in the carriage seemed to become softer because of the tranquility, making people forget the fatigue of the day.

Afterwards, the carriage drove into the Xiao family's mansion, passed through the exquisitely carved gate, and the wheels rolled gently on the path inside the mansion, finally stopping steadily in front of the main house.

The afterglow of the setting sun shines on the eaves and walls of the mansion, adding a soft golden edge to this magnificent building.

After the car stopped, Xiao Ling, Xiao Zhan and Xiao Yan exchanged words of farewell to each other. Then Xiao Ling took Xiao Yixian and Qing Lin out of the car and walked towards his own courtyard.

As they gradually went deeper into the mansion, they passed through several quiet paths, with lush bamboo forests and flowers on both sides. The fragrance of flowers and bamboo leaves intertwined together, making people feel relaxed and happy. At the end of the path was Xiao Ling's courtyard.

As they got closer to the courtyard, Xiao Ling suddenly sensed the presence of Zi Yan, whom he had not seen for many days.

However, along with Zi Yan's breath, there was also a feeling that was both familiar and a little strange.

The familiarity was because Xiao Ling had identified the owner of this aura, and the unfamiliarity was because the owner of this aura was much stronger than when Xiao Ling had met her before. Xiao Ling couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, thinking to himself: "Why did Zi Yan bring Medusa back? Is there something wrong?"

Following the footsteps of Xiao Ling and the other two, they passed through several winding paths in the mansion, with lush bamboo forests and flowers on both sides. The fragrance of flowers and bamboo leaves intertwined together, making people feel relaxed and happy. At the end of the path was Xiao Ling's courtyard.

As the three of them gradually went deeper into the courtyard, they gradually heard the sounds of conversation in the courtyard, and the sounds became clearer from vague.

One of the voices is like a spring stream, delicate and lovely; the other is like a hum in the night, mature and magnetic.

When Xiao Ling and the others turned the last corner, the scene of the courtyard came into view.

In the pavilion in the center of the courtyard, two figures, one big and one small, were sitting there. The petite figure on the left was Zi Yan, and the tall and graceful figure on the right was naturally the famous queen of the snake people, Medusa.

What was different from what Xiao Ling had seen before was that Medusa this time no longer had a snake tail, but instead had a pair of slender beautiful legs, which made her look more elegant and extraordinary.

Hearing the approaching footsteps, Zi Yan and Medusa stopped their conversation at the same time and turned their eyes in the direction of Xiao Ling and the others.

When Zi Yan saw Xiao Ling, her eyes lit up. She stood up lightly and flew to Xiao Ling like a happy butterfly. She hugged Xiao Ling's arm affectionately and said in a soft voice, "Xiao Ling, you are finally back. I haven't eaten the pills you made these days, and my mouth is a little uncomfortable."

Xiao Ling smiled slightly, patted Zi Yan's head lovingly, and said, "Haha, I'll make a few more bottles for you later so you can have enough."

When Zi Yan heard Xiao Ling's answer, her eyes widened with smile. She said happily, "That's great. I'll be waiting for you." Then, she rolled her eyes, pointed in the direction of Medusa, and continued, "By the way, Sister Medusa said she wanted to discuss something with you. So I brought her back."

When Zi Yan mentioned Medusa's name, Xiao Yixian and Qing Lin were surprised. They were curious about the extraordinary woman who suddenly appeared in the courtyard, but they never thought that she was the famous Queen Medusa.

Although they had heard of Queen Medusa's name a long time ago, and knew that Zi Yan had a good relationship with her, and also knew that Xiao Ling and Queen Medusa had had mutually beneficial transactions, this was the first time they saw Medusa in person.

Xiao Ling's curiosity was aroused, and he turned his gaze to Medusa, and began to carefully examine this snake-man queen who was famous for both her beauty and her viciousness.

The afterglow of the setting sun sprinkled on the courtyard, giving Medusa's figure a soft golden edge.

Medusa stood in the pavilion, her figure was tall, and every line of her body revealed the elegance and charm of a mature woman. Her skin was fair and smooth, reflecting a faint luster, and her black hair fell to her waist like a waterfall, dancing in the wind, with a few strands of golden hair interspersed in between, adding a bit of nobility.

She wore a well-tailored red dress, which was embroidered with complex and delicate patterns in golden silk thread, showing her nobility and taste. The hem of the skirt fell gracefully, swaying gently with her slight movements, exuding a calm temperament.

Her slender and straight legs are wrapped in a pair of smooth black stockings, which not only highlight the smoothness and elegance of her leg lines, but also emit a faint luster under the sunset, highlighting the mysterious charm of a mature woman. She is wearing a pair of red high-heeled shoes with slender heels and golden buckles on the uppers, which add a touch of nobility to them.

While Xiao Ling was carefully examining Medusa, Medusa was also looking at Xiao Ling, who was standing in front of everyone, with the same concentration.

Although the snake people are naturally wary and distant towards humans, it has to be admitted that Xiao Ling's handsome appearance and calm demeanor still stirred subtle waves in Medusa's eyes.

Her gaze lingered on him for a moment, and a hint of admiration that was difficult to conceal appeared in her eyes. Such a handsome face was completely different from those ugly ones among the snake people, and it made people feel happy just by looking at it.

After three years of hard work, Xiao Ling's figure has become taller and more slender, like a pine or bamboo, and his temperament has also changed from the immature and tender to the calm and reserved. Every move he makes reveals a calm and confident attitude, as if everything in the world is under his control.

However, what caught Medusa's attention more was the aura emanating from Xiao Ling. This aura was so strong that it even surpassed her own, which surprised Medusa.

Although she had heard Zi Yan mention before that Xiao Ling's cultivation had reached the Dou Zong realm not long ago, seeing it with her own eyes still made her feel unbelievable.

Medusa knew that Xiao Ling's cultivation had not only broken through to the Dou Zong realm, but was even stronger than her. In the Dou Zong realm, he was obviously not a weakling.

Thinking back to the first time I met Xiao Ling, he was just a young alchemist with the cultivation level of a Dou Wang. If he wasn't a sixth-rank alchemist, I wouldn't have paid too much attention to him.

However, in just three years, Xiao Ling's cultivation had broken through to the Dou Zong level and surpassed himself.

She had practiced for hundreds of years, taking precious elixirs such as Pozong Dan, to reach her current state. However, Xiao Ling easily surpassed her in such a short time, which made her sigh at the advantage of human beings in cultivation talent.

Medusa's thoughts drifted away, and she couldn't help but think of the secret method of evolving bloodline that was passed down among the snake people. She knew very well that if she wanted to pursue a higher realm and surpass the current upper limit of her talent, that ancient secret method might be the key.

As this thought echoed in her mind, she once again turned her gaze to Xiao Ling, with an inexplicable light flashing in her eyes.

After taking a look at Medusa, Xiao Ling was the first to break the silence and asked calmly, "Queen Medusa, what do you want to talk to me about?"

Medusa came back to her senses from her contemplation. Her eyes regained their firmness. Without any unnecessary nonsense, she went straight to the point: "Recently, the three surrounding empires have been active and their communication with each other has become increasingly close. I'm afraid they are plotting something. Although I have now broken through to the Dou Zong realm, I cannot face the pressure of the three empires alone. In order to protect ourselves and seek a longer-term peace, my Snake People intend to form an alliance with the Gama Empire."

Medusa paused and continued, "However, due to various historical disputes, the relationship between the Snake People and the Gama Empire is not harmonious. I know that you play an important role in the Gama Empire, so I hope you can come forward to mediate and build a bridge for our alliance."

(End of this chapter)