Alchemist Guild

Although Xiao Zhen was still riding high on excitement, he had not forgotten his main purpose this time: choosing suitable cultivation techniques and Dou Techniques.

Under Elder Xiao Shan's introduction, he directly chose a Profound-tier, Mid-grade Fire-attribute Cultivation Technique, a Profound-tier, Mid-grade Fire-attribute Dou Technique, and a Profound-tier, High-grade Lightning-attribute Dou Technique.

As the son of the Xiao Clan Patriarch, Xiao Zhen had plenty of privileges. His father was simply too domineering; any so-called checkpoints gave him the green light without question.

This left Xiao Zhen somewhat uninterested. When he had come before, his cultivation had been low, and with his father personally leading him, he had only been given a few Yellow-tier, Low-grade Dou Techniques.

Xiao Zhen had thought that, like the Xiao Clan disciples in the original story, he would need to break through some kind of protective barrier before obtaining the cultivation techniques and Dou Techniques inside.

Xiao Zhen's talent was good enough to justify such treatment. If he had merely been an ordinary cultivator, he would probably have faced criticism from the clan members.

The reason Xiao Zhen had chosen a Lightning-attribute Dou Technique was that he possessed Lightning Affinity. Even though he cultivated a Fire-attribute Cultivation Technique, he could not waste his talent for lightning.

Even if he could not fully unleash the power of this Lightning-attribute Dou Technique, learning one more Dou Technique was never a bad thing.

What was somewhat sad was that this Profound-tier, High-grade Lightning-attribute Dou Technique was currently one of the two highest-ranked Dou Techniques in the Xiao Clan.

"Alas!" Xiao Zhen sighed inwardly. Thinking of the Xiao Clan of old, it had once been so powerful, with who knew how many Heaven-tier cultivation techniques and Dou Techniques.

Unlike now, when the Xiao Clan Patriarch, the elders, and even himself—the Xiao Clan's most talented disciple—could only cultivate these Profound-tier cultivation techniques and Dou Techniques.

Now that he thought about it, if he remembered correctly, most of the Xiao Clan's cultivation techniques and Dou Techniques should be with the Ancient Clan. It seemed the Old Ancestors, Xiao Xuan, had entrusted them to the Ancient Clan for safekeeping, yet now there was not even a trace of them to be seen.

The Soul Clan had gotten the worst deal. They had worked so hard and suffered heavy losses to defeat the Xiao Clan, their greatest enemy, only for most of the benefits to end up in the hands of the Ancient Clan.

Things were actually not too bad right now. After all, there was no worst, only worse.

In the original future, ten or twenty years later, even his elder brother Xiao Zhan, the clan patriarch, only cultivated a Profound-tier, Mid-grade Dou Technique.

After Xiao Zhen had chosen suitable cultivation techniques, Elder Xiao Shan even instructed him on the spot, explaining some key points and precautions. Having guarded these cultivation techniques and Dou Techniques for years, he knew them like the back of his hand.

After a round of practice, Xiao Zhen bade Elder Xiao Shan farewell and went to find his father. When it came to taking a master, the sooner the better.

When Xiao Zhen found Xiao Lin, he explained that he wanted to become an alchemist.

Xiao Lin did not object. Becoming an alchemist was no small matter. Among the Xiao Clan's thousand or so members, only a few with mediocre talent had barely become First-grade or Second-grade Alchemists.

Although the clan had hired a Third-grade Alchemist as a guest elder, an old fellow surnamed Wang, that old man was terribly arrogant. If higher-grade alchemists had not been so difficult to hire, Xiao Lin would have thrown him out long ago.

Now, Xiao Lin wanted to find an outstanding alchemist to serve as his precious son's teacher.

The first person to exclude was Old Man Wang, the alchemist hired by the clan. Though he was considered among the best of Third-grade Alchemists, Xiao Lin still wanted to find a higher-grade alchemist for his son—at the very least, a Fourth-grade Alchemist.

Xiao Lin was confident about this. As a Dou Wang, he had often dealt with the Alchemist Guild and had gotten to know quite a few alchemists there.

Xiao Lin believed that as long as he was willing to swallow his pride and offer some benefits, surely he could find a good teacher for his son.

Early the next morning, Xiao Zhen, who had originally planned to sleep in, was dragged out of bed by his diligent father, Xiao Lin.

Xiao Zhen glanced at the sky outside. The sun had not even risen yet, and he complained, "Father, the sun isn't even up yet. Why are we leaving so early?"

The moment Xiao Lin heard that, his temper flared. Here he was, running around early in the morning for his son's sake, and this boy still wanted to sleep in? What a joke.

Xiao Lin simply grabbed Xiao Zhen by the ear and dragged him outside, saying as they walked,

"I've put in a great deal of effort to get you a good master. If you don't study hard, I'll beat your backside into a flower when we get back."

Xiao Lin looked exactly like those parents on Earth sending their children off to school.

Seeing Xiao Lin's stern expression, Xiao Zhen, who had been an orphan in his previous life, suddenly felt a warmth he had never experienced before.

Thus, Xiao Lin took Xiao Zhen into a specially prepared carriage. The skilled coachman cracked his whip, and the horse-type magical beast with sharp fangs raced at top speed toward the Alchemist Guild.

Since the Xiao Clan was not far from the Alchemist Guild, and this horse-type magical beast was quite fast, they arrived outside the Alchemist Guild in the time it took to burn two sticks of incense.

Standing outside the gates, Xiao Zhen looked up at the Alchemist Guild headquarters, which radiated an imposing grandeur. He could not help shaking his head in admiration. Such presence truly befitted the leading position of the Jia Ma Empire's alchemists.

It was Xiao Zhen's first time here. He had often heard clan members talk about how grand the place was, but hearing about it was nothing compared to seeing it in person. Only after seeing it with his own eyes did he understand its prosperity.

Xiao Lin patted Xiao Zhen on the back and said in a low voice, "Well? It's big enough, isn't it? Come on, I'll take you inside for a look. It's even more incredible in there."

"Mm, mm!" Xiao Zhen nodded hurriedly. He was also eager to go inside and see what it looked like.

Xiao Zhen followed Xiao Lin through the doors of the Alchemist Guild. A rich medicinal fragrance washed over him, making him instinctively take a light breath as he looked around in delight.

The Alchemist Guild was extremely spacious and roughly divided into eastern, southern, and western areas. In the eastern hall stood many neatly arranged counters made of bluestone. Behind them sat alchemists in long robes, while all sorts of medicinal ingredients, jade bottles, scrolls, and other items were displayed atop the counters. Judging by the scene, that area seemed to be for trading and treasure hunting.

In the southern hall, many cauldrons burned fiercely. Alchemists stood behind them with solemn expressions, carefully controlling the flames. Around them gathered low-grade alchemists, pointing things out to one another and quietly exchanging experiences in pill refining.

Compared with the other two halls, the western hall was undoubtedly much quieter. Guards even stood in the corridor, and it seemed that only alchemists who had reached a certain rank were qualified to enter. Whenever some low-grade alchemists passed by, they would cast looks of reverence and envy inside.

Standing at the entrance, Xiao Zhen stared blankly at the bustling hall. Only after a long while did he gradually come back to himself.

In terms of prosperity, this place was no less impressive than the busiest districts on Earth. The only difference was that none of the people here were ordinary.

Xiao Lin patted Xiao Zhen's little head and whispered, "Have you seen enough? Time to snap out of it."

Xiao Zhen scratched his head awkwardly. He had been so engrossed that he had lost himself in the sight.

Xiao Lin took Xiao Zhen's hand and said as they walked, "Come on, I'll take you to meet your future teacher. When we get there, you'd better be respectful."