Cultivation of immortality begins with an eighty-year-old eunuch.

Chapter 588 Scared? No! We'll choose alchemy and formations!

"I came to Zhao to participate in the selection process with the intention of obtaining a tribute token and leaving. However, since I've encountered you, it's become an unexpected pastime. Aren't you known as the number one expert of the Great Yu? Then come and compete with me in the cultivation selection, and let me see if you are as formidable as the rumors suggest. Of course, if you dare not, you can go back to the Great Yu now, lest I lose control on the arena and annihilate you completely."

As Song Tianren finished speaking...

The demonic cultivators behind him burst into unrestrained laughter.

The white-haired old demon from the Boundless Sea merely stroked his beard and did not stop him, clearly tacitly approving of Song Tianren's provocation.

All eyes turned to Chen Fan, some with schadenfreude, some with curiosity, and a few with subtle worry.

Qin Zhan stood in front of Chen Fan, his brows furrowed. He was about to block him when he saw Chen Fan walk out from the crowd.

He remained expressionless, not even lifting his eyelids, and slowly walked to the front of the crowd, standing ten steps away from Song Tianren.

All eyes were on him, awaiting his response. Would he accept the challenge, or retreat?

However, Chen Fan didn't say anything.

He merely nodded slightly to Song Tianren, the gesture as casual as if he had just encountered a familiar stranger on the street, before turning around and walking toward the Zhao State steward in charge of registration at the post station.

He completely ignored Song Tianren's provocation.

The entire audience erupted in uproar.

"What does he mean by that? Is he scared?" someone from the Great Yan side shouted sarcastically.

"The mighty Great Yu Kingdom is competing for first place, yet they don't even dare to accept the challenge. It's truly shameful." People from the Chu Kingdom also joined in the commotion.

"Qin the Madman, isn't your Da Yu, the top of the list, a bit too cowardly? He was challenged by name and didn't even dare to fart?" Yan Yunfei was so happy that he couldn't stop laughing and shouted at Qin Zhan.

Qin Zhan's face remained ashen, and he did not respond.

He did have some concerns.

After all, he knew Song Tianren's strength better than anyone else. If Chen Fan were to face Song Tianren head-on in the ring, his chances of winning would indeed be slim.

However, if Yu the Great were to remain completely silent after being publicly provoked like this, he would indeed lose face.

He looked at Chen Fan's back, his lips moved, but he ultimately didn't say anything.

Song Tianren stood there, a hint of surprise appearing in his usually indifferent black eyes for the first time.

He had seen opponents who were afraid of fighting before, but he had never met anyone like Chen Fan who could remain calm and composed when provoked in public and who didn't even bother to say a word of politeness.

This deepened the playful smile on his lips, but a hint of genuine coldness crept into that smile.

Chen Fan walked up to the registration officer.

The steward was a middle-aged cultivator in the late stage of Core Formation, dressed in a blue official robe. In front of him was a long table with three jade tablets on it, each engraved with one of the three ancient seal characters: "Martial", "Core Formation", and "Array".

The candidate selects a particular selection method, and then takes the corresponding jade tablet, infuses it with spiritual power, and registers it.

"Chen Fan, a candidate from the Great Yu Cultivation Kingdom." Chen Fan introduced himself and his background.

The steward looked up at him, his gaze filled with curiosity and scrutiny, but he was still polite, gesturing for him to choose a jade token.

Chen Fan reached out and, in full view of everyone, picked up both the jade tablet with the character "Dan" and the jade tablet with the character "Zhen".

He infused the two jade tablets with spiritual power, registered them, put them back in their original places, and then turned around and walked towards Qin Zhan.

The entire room fell silent.

Yan Yunfei was the first to react.

His fleshy face was filled with disbelief, and his voice shrilly: "Alchemy? Formations? This old eunuch knows alchemy and formations?"

Chu Nanfeng's folding fan stopped in mid-air, and a hint of surprise flashed in his narrow eyes.

Jiang Yuanxiu, who had been silent and reserved in Qi, couldn't help but glance at Chen Fan a few more times.

Although the cultivators from the boundless sea and the vast desert grasslands remained expressionless, their gazes toward Chen Fan held a different glint.

With their discerning eyes, they could naturally see that Chen Fan was by no means the kind of person who would try to gain popularity by making a fuss!

But this very person chose both alchemy and formation techniques in front of everyone. What does that mean?

This means that the person has considerable confidence in both areas.

The most shocked person was Qin Zhan.

The Eighth Prince, who was decisive on the battlefield and calm and experienced in the court, was stunned at this moment.

He watched Chen Fan walk back to him step by step, opened his mouth several times before finally speaking, his voice filled with barely suppressed surprise and joy:

"Chen Fan, you...you also know alchemy and formations?"

Chen Fan stopped in front of him, nodded slightly, and said in a calm tone, "I know a little bit."

I know a little bit about it.

These four words carried a weight heavier than a thousand pounds in Qin Zhan's ears.

He suddenly remembered that on the Yuwang Boat, he had been analyzing the pros and cons of the three selection methods for Chen Fan, earnestly advising him not to go head-to-head with Song Tianren.

But from beginning to end, Chen Fan never told him that he was also proficient in alchemy and formations.

It turns out this kid's hidden talents were even deeper than he had imagined.

Qin Zhan was stunned for a long time, then suddenly threw his head back and burst into laughter.

The laughter was so hearty and unrestrained that it made the roof tiles of the post station tremble slightly.

He patted Chen Fan's shoulder hard, so hard that Chen Fan almost stumbled.

"Good! Good! Good!" Qin Zhan said "good" three times in a row, then turned to look at Yan Yunfei and Chu Nanfeng, his face full of pride.

"Fatty Yan, Scholar Chu, didn't you just say that Yu the Great had no one to choose from? I'd like to see how many of the people you sent this time can apply for both selections simultaneously!"

Yan Yunfei's face turned pale and then red, while Chu Nanfeng remained silent, fanning himself with his folding fan.

Although the candidates they brought this time included many experts, most of them were cultivators specializing in one particular field. It was truly difficult to find someone who could participate in both selections simultaneously and be confident in both.

Song Tianren stood not far away, and a hint of genuine interest finally flashed in his dark pupils.

He stared at Chen Fan for a long time, the playful smile on his lips slowly fading, replaced by the seriousness that only a hunter would show when he encountered prey worth fighting for.

"Interesting." He uttered two words in a low voice, then turned and returned to the Boundless Sea team without saying anything more.

Chen Fan didn't look at Song Tianren, nor at anyone around him.

He walked straight behind Qin Zhan and stood still, his face remaining calm, but his mind was racing, calculating his next move.

The reason he didn't choose the cultivation selection wasn't because he was afraid of Song Tianren, but because he knew his goals better than anyone else.

Moreover, the arena was filled with powerful cultivators, and Song Tianren was just one of them. None of those cultivators in the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm were easy to deal with.

Making it into the top three in the cultivation selection is extremely difficult and time-consuming.

But alchemy and formations are his true trump cards.

If you rank in the top three in both categories, you will have the opportunity to obtain the Gold Medal Offering Order and directly escape the confines of Tiannanxing to go to Daqin.

As for Song Tianren's provocation, he saw it as nothing more than a childish squabble, not worth a second glance.