Chapter Seventy-Seven: Identity Exposed, Hunted by All (1)

As soon as the words were spoken, cries erupted that soared straight up to the sky.
They were witnesses to history and legend; not a soul among them was unmoved.
This was a story they would boast of for a lifetime.
Xiao Yan found it hard to accept the outcome. Lin An... How could he possibly refine a seventh-grade pill? Even if it was cheating, Xiao Yan refused to believe Lin An was already a seventh-grade alchemist.
He recalled that he himself had invited Lin An to participate in the Alchemist Tournament.
Now, Xiao Yan felt the urge to slap his own face.
Had he not extended that invitation, Lin An might not have joined the tournament at all. With his own sixth-grade alchemist skills, victory would have been within easy reach.
But now... all his efforts had been wasted. He didn’t care about the tournament ranking or the prizes; what truly mattered was the reward from the system.
The Power of Yama: thirtyfold increase in strength for a week at the cost of weakness—such a terrifying boost could only be granted by the magical system, offering him abilities that defied the heavens.
Facing Lin An, Xiao Yan’s confidence was no longer what it had been at the start.
Thus, the reward of the tournament champion—the Power of Yama—was vital to him.
But now... it was too late for regrets.
Lin An looked around at the thunderous cheers, yet his heart remained calm.
After all he had experienced, he could now maintain serenity no matter the occasion.
Under the gaze of the crowd, Lin An stepped in front of Xiao Yan.
“The Alchemist Tournament is over. There are only a few days left until our three-year appointment. I look forward to seeing your performance then,” Lin An said with a smile.
His words were enough to reveal the true identity of Yan Xiao to everyone.
“When did you know it was me?”
Xiao Yan’s expression was grim; he had not expected Lin An to have seen through his disguise, nor to expose him so openly before so many.
“From the very beginning, I knew who you were. Yan Xiao, Xiao Yan—next time you want to hide your identity, don’t use such petty tricks!”
With that, Lin An led Nalan Yanran and the others away from the scene.

Lin An’s words were hardly concealed, and those around him were left stunned after hearing them.
Xiao Yan—a name nearly everyone in the imperial capital knew, especially given his connection to Nalan Yanran of the Nalan clan, who was renowned for her beauty.
Countless young men across the capital considered her their ideal woman.
Now, with Lin An’s subtle hint, the truth of Xiao Yan’s identity was instantly clear.
“Yan Xiao is Xiao Yan? Impossible! Was the final of the Alchemist Tournament actually a showdown between two prodigies of our Jia Ma Empire?”
“No, if Yan Xiao is Xiao Yan, doesn’t that mean the military strategist of the Cloud Empire—the one who attacked Jia Ma Empire and caused such heavy losses—was Xiao Yan as well?”
“I can’t believe Xiao Yan was so depraved, betraying his country and colluding with the enemy! Where is he now? Arrest him immediately!”
...
The news that Yan Xiao was actually Xiao Yan spread through the crowd like wildfire.
After a moment of shock, anger surged among many, and they began searching for Xiao Yan.
A sixth-grade alchemist, likely appearing alone and unguarded, presented the perfect opportunity for capture.
Thinking of the countless soldiers who had died because of Xiao Yan, fury filled every heart.
They wished nothing more than to find Xiao Yan and tear him apart.
Yet, at that very moment, many realized that Xiao Yan had already vanished, slipping away unnoticed.
Soon, not only did the royal family of Jia Ma Empire issue a warrant for his arrest, but many nobles also tried every means to hunt him down.
“This is the so-called prodigy alchemist Xiao Yan? With such vile conduct, you still recommended him to me?”
Fa Ma glared furiously at Otto, who had come from the Alchemist Guild in Wutan City.
“Please calm yourself, President. I had no idea Yan Xiao was Xiao Yan. Had I known, I would have captured him myself and handed him over to Jia Ma Empire for punishment.”
Master Otto never imagined that the genius alchemist from Wutan City would commit such acts of treason.
Because of this, countless families suffered devastation in Jia Ma Empire—tragedies that should never have happened.
...
“I didn’t expect you to pull one last trick on Xiao Yan before leaving,” Nalan Yanran said with a sigh.

“You can’t say it like that. What he did was real; I simply revealed the truth to everyone.”
“Don’t worry. I know that Xiao Yan won’t be found by Jia Ma Empire’s people. When the time comes... he’ll be there as promised.”
Lin An smiled.
He simply disliked Xiao Yan’s attitude of always thinking he controlled everything.
Losing the Alchemist Tournament would surely make him suffer for a while.
After the tournament ended, Lin An and his companions rested for several days before returning to the Cloud Sect.
In those days, news that Yan Xiao was actually Xiao Yan had spread throughout Jia Ma Empire—even neighboring empires had heard of it.
The Xiao clan in Wutan City immediately stripped Xiao Zhan of his position as clan leader, expelled Xiao Yan, and declared that Xiao Yan’s life or death had nothing to do with them.
If they failed to take action, the Xiao clan might soon vanish from Wutan City altogether.
Nevertheless, everything the clan had was affected.
It would be impossible to recover in the short term.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yan seemed to have disappeared from the world—no matter how hard people searched, they found no trace of him.
With the three-year appointment drawing near, everyone’s attention shifted to it.
Many wondered whether, with his identity exposed, Xiao Yan would dare to appear at Cloud Sect, or simply flee Jia Ma Empire.
The thought that such a prodigious young alchemist might hide away somewhere unsettled many hearts.
The influence of an alchemist was far from trivial.
Xiao Yan himself never expected that, in such a short time, he would fall from the peak of fame to become a traitor despised by all.
All of it was thanks to Lin An.
“So what if my reputation is ruined? Even without the reward of the Power of Yama, defeating you will still be easy for me.”
Xiao Yan had already left the imperial capital of Jia Ma Empire and was now hiding in the woods outside the city.