I HAVE THE ALCHEMY EMPEROR IN MY HEAD

Chapter 515: The Peak of the Fifth Acquired Stage, Obtaining the Fifth Key

As the students checked the locations of the fake keys one by one, the possibilities slowly dwindled. In other words, it was only a matter of time before the fifth key was found.

There was only one key left. Those who had yet to find the key started getting nervous. To them, this was their last chance.

The owners of the other four keys were no ordinary people. It would be difficult to snatch the keys from their hands.

Another five days later, on a swamp in the dense forest, a figure with a huge sword strapped to his back traveled across the surface of the swamp in a manner that went against the laws of nature. The swamp that could even sink a huge monster could not harm him.

And in the middle of the swamp, atop a reef, was a treasure chest.

‘Looks like I’m the first one here.’ Chu Yunfan smiled to himself. Since no one else was here, he could quickly confirm the authenticity of the treasure chest.

In the past half a month, Chu Yunfan had been through many battles. He himself had sought out more than a dozen places where the keys might be hidden. He had experienced many battles, but luck was not on his side. He had not found a single key.

This thing had nothing to do with one’s strength. It was completely dependent on luck. If one’s luck was good, they would find one early on. If they were unlucky, they would not be able to locate a single key even after another half a month of searching.

‘If I really can’t find a key, I’d have no other choice. I would’ve to snatch one using force,’ Chu Yunfan thought. To others, this was simply an inconceivable thought. But to Chu Yunfan, there was nothing that he could not do.

Chu Yunfan had to obtain the Divine Ability Stage monster’s inner core. He could not possibly give it up. Even if he had to go up against Mei Haiyun or the others, he was not put off.

After some time, all sorts of news had begun to spread. All the top experts were fighting one another. Although they did not kill each other, their strength was more or less tested.

Those who had a reputation and could be recognized by their names were at least in the sixth level of the Acquired Stage. Those who ranked in the top 10 on the leaderboard were at the seventh level or above, and those who were ranked in the top 30 were already at the sixth.

This was a little better than last year. Every year, the quality of human beings improves. The most obvious manifestation of this was the increase in the strength of these top students.

......

Chu Yunfan was only ranked in the top 50 on the leaderboard. And after more than half a month, he had completely absorbed the medicinal efficacy of the previous Blood Origin Pill he had consumed. His cultivation had officially stepped into the peak of the fifth level of the Acquired Stage.

However, this was only the cultivation level. In terms of combat strength, Chu Yunfan was confident that unless it was someone who had stepped into the eighth level of the Acquired Stage, he was confident that he could beat anyone below that.

And now, Chu Yunfan has reached the peak of the fifth level. If he were to take another Blood Origin Pill, he would be able to break through to the sixth in no time. When that time came, he was confident that he would be able to suppress all the powerful enemies. Therefore, he had nothing to fear.

If Chu Yunfan could not locate a key, he would just snatch one. He knew that no one would be willing to watch this inner core just lip past their eyes. There was still the fifth and final key. Everyone was frantically searching for it. Once the last key obtained an owner, the real fight would begin.

No one was willing to give up so easily. When that time came, it would definitely be a bloody battle.

Although he had thought of this, Chu Yunfan had not reached that step yet and did not wish to go that far. After all, only with a key in hand would he take the initiative.

Without the initiative, many things would prove inconvenient.

Thinking about the remaining time before his appointment with Jiang Lingxiao, there was only half a year left. There was not much left. He had to reach the Innate Stage if he wanted to stand a chance against Jiang Lingxiao.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Suddenly, green-colored Poison Frogs appeared throughout the swamp. These poisonous frogs hid in swamps and spat poisonous liquid. Though they were just Acquired Stage monsters, they were troublesome to deal with because they usually numbered in the dozens.

Defending against all of them was an almost impossible feat. However, Chu Yunfan was different. The Ju Que in his hand danced nimbly, forming an impenetrable defense around his body.

Not long after, Chu Yunfan drove away all the Poison Frogs and they soon disappeared without a trace. A layer of True Energy appeared under Chu Yunfan’s feet, allowing him to move through the swamp silently.

Chu Yunfan walked toward the treasure chest. He quickly opened the treasure chest and revealed the pitch-black key lying within it.

“I’ve finally found it!”

Chu Yunfan burst into laughter. He had not expected the last key to really fall into his hands. He picked it up and stowed it away.

However, just as Chu Yunfan was about to leave the scene, he suddenly heard the sound of hurried footsteps coming toward him from the surroundings. Unbeknownst to him, dozens of people had appeared beside the swamp. They blocked off all sides of the swamp.

They had just happened to see Chu Yunfan put the key into his bag and were extremely excited.

When Chu Yunfan reached the shore, they surrounded him.

“Chu Yunfan, hand over the key and we’ll let you go,” the leading youth said. This youth had an imposing aura, and the energy in his body was tightly locked. He was extremely tyrannical as he looked at Chu Yunfan and spoke in a high and mighty manner.

“You are Huang You?” Chu Yunfan recognized the youth. During this period, all sorts of news had been flying around. Some people quickly emerged, and Chu Yunfan got to know what some of them looked like.

There was nothing strange about this. This was an era where virtual networks reached every corner of the world. It was easy to look up information.

Both sides had a certain understanding of each other, but this was the first time they had met.

“That’s right, I’m Huang You. I wasn’t expecting the last key to fall into your hands. I’ve heard some things about you. You’re pretty strong, but that’s it really. The key in your hand doesn’t convince me. On the contrary, it just creates trouble,” Huang You said faintly. His strength indeed topped this group of people. Although he was only in the top ten of the leaderboard, it was already considered extremely impressive.

In fact, none of those ranked at the top of the leaderboard were fighting alone.