The Plan Begins

The sun rose and the moon set; flowers bloomed and withered. A dead leaf spun through the air, slowly drifting past my window.

I quietly opened my eyes, raised a hand to catch it before me, and gently rubbed it between my fingers. "It's autumn again."

A year had passed since I broke through to Dou Zhe. As expected, after the elders' assembly, I successfully obtained permission to cultivate the Geng Xin Vast Thunder Skill.

Unfortunately, I couldn't become an alchemist. What a waste of my abundant soul power. Even the Small Supplement Pill recipe I had obtained from the cliff cave in the Monster Mountain Range was now useless to me, so I could only offer it to the family once more.

Of course, combined with the rewards for handing over the Poison Manual twice, the family would provide me with an unlimited supply of Small Supplement Pills until I broke through to Dou Master.

I casually released the dead leaf and closed my eyes again, calming my mind and focusing my spirit. Today was the great day I broke through from an Eight Star Dou Zhe to a Nine Star Dou Zhe!

After slowly adjusting myself into peak condition, I placed a Small Supplement Pill into my mouth.

Same familiar taste, same familiar formula.

I couldn't help smiling. Over the past year, I had lost count of how many Small Supplement Pills I had swallowed. I could only count myself fortunate to have such a large family—and quite a few alchemists.

Otherwise, if I had to gather medicinal herbs and fire up a cauldron to refine pills by myself, how much time would it take? How low would my efficiency be?

A breeze blew in from beyond the city. Several Eagles circled high in the sky, while a few dead leaves drifted onto my robes before silently crumbling into dust.

I suddenly opened my eyes and let out a long howl toward the heavens. Slapping the ground, I flipped to my feet. I casually dusted off my clothes and left the room with a smile.

I had succeeded!

Looking at the flowers, trees, and stone table in the courtyard, I burst out laughing. I was now a Nine Star Dou Zhe!

A seventeen-year-old Nine Star Dou Zhe... terrifying indeed!

"Young Master, there is a letter from Miss Yanran."

Before I could celebrate for long, someone came to report and presented me with a letter.

I took it, dismissed the man, and only then opened it for a closer look.

Over the past year or so, I hadn't spent all my time cultivating. At the very least, I hadn't neglected my relationship with Yanran Jie. We exchanged letters often.

I read through it carefully. Most of it concerned everyday matters, nothing worth noting. The only thing was... her master was planning to go to the Monster Mountain Range!

Nalan Yanran's master was naturally the current Sect Leader of the Yun Lan Sect—Yun Yun!

Counting on my fingers, I realized that the timing was almost exactly when Yun Yun would meet Xiao Yan! In other words, Yun Yun was heading to the Monster Mountain Range this time for that Amethyst Winged Lion King!

I drew a deep breath. Was it finally beginning?!

Unfortunately, I lowered my head and looked at myself. I had originally planned to act only after breaking through to Dou Master. But my talent was simply too poor. Even after eating so many Small Supplement Pills, I had only just broken through to Nine Star Dou Zhe.

But Yun Yun wouldn't wait for anyone. She was already preparing to move—how could I fall behind?!

I pondered for a long time, carefully reviewing the plan I had worked out over the past year. After going through it again, I found no flaws. Then this was how I would proceed!

I turned to look toward the northwest. There lay the Tagor Desert, home to the Medusa Queen who drove men across the world mad—and the Exotic Flame that drove alchemists across the world mad!

I took a deep breath and burst into laughter. "Medusa, I, Nalan Ye, am coming. Do you know that?"

After collecting a horse, I rode out through Gama City's western gate and headed straight for one of the Nalan Family's estates in the western outskirts.

Upon reaching the estate gates, I used my core family member token and was led into a hall.

Inside sat a middle-aged man. He smiled at me and said, "It's Ye Er. You haven't visited your uncle in a long time."

I smiled back. This man was Nalan Qing, my biological uncle. In other words, his father was my grandfather.

There was nothing much for us to talk about. After exchanging a few pleasantries, I stated my purpose. "Uncle, I have come to see Grandfather. Please inform him."

Nalan Qing hurriedly asked what was going on, but I didn't tell him and brushed it off. His expression turned somewhat unpleasant, but he didn't dare delay me. After all, my father was a family elder, while he was merely the steward of this estate.

Before long, I met my grandfather in a pavilion—Seven Star Dou Ling Nalan Tie!

My grandfather did not normally live at the Nalan Residence. It couldn't be helped; a Dou Wang lived there. No one wanted someone constantly looming over them, especially since my grandfather and Nalan Jie did not get along particularly well.

So he simply tossed his elder position to my father and came to live at this estate himself.

He wore plain gray robes, his face aged, his messy hair hanging loose behind him. He sat cross-legged on a cushion.

I stepped forward and bowed. "Your grandson, Nalan Ye, greets Grandfather."

Nalan Tie opened his eyes. They were filled with the weight of countless years as he looked at me and asked in a somewhat hoarse voice, "Nalan Ye? You... how old are you this year? How is your cultivation?"

I was speechless. Was that any way to be a grandfather? But this old guy spent all his time cultivating and had so many grandsons and granddaughters. It seemed normal enough that he couldn't remember...

"Grandfather, I am seventeen this year, and I am already a Nine Star Dou Zhe."

My grandfather raised his brows slightly, looked me over, and nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad. If you continue working hard in the future, you may have a chance of reaching Dou Ling!"

Then he asked, "What brings you to see this old man today?"

I looked around. He frowned, but still motioned for everyone else to leave. Soon, only grandfather and grandson remained in the room.

I stepped forward and bowed. "Grandfather, I have news of an Exotic Flame."

"An Exotic Flame?!"

Nalan Tie's body trembled. Though he lived at an estate outside the city, he naturally knew about Nalan Jie's condition. He knew Nalan Jie had been poisoned, and that Pill King Gu He had said nothing but an Exotic Flame could eradicate it completely!

He muttered to himself, closed his eyes to ponder for a moment, then sighed. "Nalan Jie... First Brother... I have always been inferior to him. The family still needs him to hold it up."

"You little brat, tell me. What news do you have about the Exotic Flame?"

I nodded. "Grandfather, this is what I heard. At the edge of the Tagor Desert, the Exotic Flame known as the Azure Lotus Core Flame has appeared."

"Heard?"

Nalan Tie immediately furrowed his brows. His cold gaze swept over me as he fired off questions. "Who did you hear it from? Is that person reliable? Is the information accurate?"

I gave a bitter smile inwardly. There was simply no way to answer that. I couldn't exactly say I had read it in a book, could I?

I could only force myself to say, "Grandfather, this information is absolutely reliable. Please believe your grandson!"

Nalan Tie's gaze immediately grew heavy. The pressure of a Dou Ling began spreading through the room, bearing down on me.

My face slowly turned red, my breathing grew rapid, and my legs trembled. But I was a Nine Star Dou Zhe now, after all. I could barely endure it.

Same familiar taste, same familiar formula!

I tried to amuse myself through the hardship. It seemed that more than a year ago, in Wu Si City, Nalan Jie had treated me in exactly this way, hadn't he?

Fortunately, Nalan Tie was my biological grandfather and not as ruthless as Nalan Jie. He soon withdrew his pressure.

Yet his gaze remained cold as he said faintly, "Little brat, you may be my grandson, but you expect this old man to believe you based on nothing but empty words?"

I took a deep breath and slowly calmed myself. Under Nalan Tie's pressure, I looked straight into his eyes. Our gazes met, and only after a moment did I speak firmly. "Grandfather, you must believe me in this matter!"

Nalan Tie stared back at me impassively without saying a word.

The invisible pressure of a Dou Ling weighed upon my heart, making my breathing quicken, but I could not give up. The Nalan Family possessed immense power. If I could obtain the Nalan Family's full support, the chances of my plan succeeding would undoubtedly rise greatly!

Enduring the old guy's pressure, I stubbornly and proudly glared back at him without saying a word. For a time, the room held only the sound of my labored breathing.

After a long, long time—so long that despair rose within me and I was nearly ready to give up—the old guy finally relented.

"You little brat... come with this old man."

Nalan Tie shook his head, rose to his feet, gave me another look, and left the room.

The pressure vanished abruptly. I followed after him while gasping for breath.

On the way to the Nalan Residence in the city, a line of guards rode outside the carriage, while Nalan Tie and I sat within it.

We sat facing each other. I pursed my lips and took the initiative to speak. "Grandfather, the news about the Exotic Flame is absolutely reliable! But there is someone else who knows about it as well. We will have to... compete with that person!"

"Who?"

Nalan Tie narrowed his eyes slightly and asked casually. But after I uttered three words, the old guy's entire body jolted. He snapped his eyes open and stared at me, unable to speak for a long time!

After entering the Nalan Residence and meeting Nalan Jie, my grandfather and I rested with our eyes closed to the side, waiting for the other elders to arrive.

Very soon, the family head and the eight great elders arrived one after another. Two other old immortals also came—neither were elders like my grandfather, yet both possessed Dou Ling cultivation. Including me, there were fourteen people in total.

The other thirteen took their seats. I alone, as a junior, was unqualified to sit and could only stand pitifully behind my grandfather.

To begin, my grandfather briefly explained the matter. Everyone was immediately shocked and exclaimed in amazement, especially the Alchemy Elder!

He stared fixedly at my grandfather and gritted his teeth. "Nalan Tie, is it truly an Exotic Flame?!"

My grandfather snorted. "Old guy, do you think I have nothing better to do than joke around with you?"

Alchemy Elder Nalan Dong paid no attention to my grandfather's barbed words. He lowered his head, suppressing his excited breathing, then looked directly at Nalan Jie. "Family Head—no, First Brother—this, we must go and investigate. Whether it is true or false, we must see it for ourselves!"

"First Brother, I... I will personally lead the team. I must personally go to Stone Desert City and see..."

Nalan Dong was so excited that his words came out in a jumble.

Yet I could completely understand. Exotic Flames were not useful only to Xiao Yan and Gu He. Every alchemist in the world coveted them immensely!

How could Nalan Dong, a Fifth-Rank Alchemist, possibly be an exception?!