Imperial Capital

The Jia Ma Empire's Imperial Capital stood upon the Jia Ma Plain. It was a fine place, with fertile land stretching for thousands of miles, all of it rich farmland that sustained an enormous population. It could be called the foundation of the empire.

After more than ten days of flight, Liu Xi and the others finally caught sight of the towering city walls of the Jia Ma Imperial Capital—ancient, imposing, and heavily guarded.

They had originally planned to ride the Thick-winged Bird here, but its flight was simply too slow, earning the unanimous disdain of Liu Xi, Lü Man, and Hai Bodong. Qing Lin cared even less. The adoring look on her little face made it clear that being able to remain in Liu Xi's arms the whole way was happiness enough for her!

"Sure enough, not every flying Magical Beast can compare to the griffins of the Inner Court." Liu Xi sighed when he decided to abandon the Thick-winged Bird.

Although Liu Xi could fly by forming Dou Qi Wings himself, in the ancient mythological traditions of China, immortals either rode the clouds and mist or traveled atop rare and exotic beasts. They looked elegant without losing their bearing. As for flying horizontally like he did now, that was basically something only other people's mounts did. It looked utterly unimpressive.

If Heavenly Snake Manor had not already become half an ally, Liu Xi truly would have wanted Qing Lin to capture that Eight-winged Black Snake Emperor and bring it back as his mount. It might have been somewhat ugly, but it was still mighty and imposing, worthy of his status as a Sixth-grade Alchemist.

As Liu Xi landed and withdrew the Dou Qi Wings behind his back, a wild thought suddenly surfaced in his mind and rapidly swelled beyond his control.

One day, I have to catch an Ancient Void Dragon or a Sky Demon Phoenix as my mount. That would be insanely cool!

As he thought about it, Liu Xi realized his little arms could not twist a thigh thicker than his own, and cold sweat nearly began to run down his face.

How could I have such a crazy thought? Forget it, hurry up. That's far too risky!

The observant Lü Man noticed Liu Xi's constantly changing expression and suddenly asked, "Sir, your complexion did not look very good just now. Is there some problem here?"

Hearing this, Liu Xi immediately composed himself and returned to his usual calm demeanor. "It is nothing. I simply have not returned to see my teacher for many years, so I am somewhat excited."

When Lü Man heard him mention his teacher, curiosity appeared on her lovely face as well. She gave a soft laugh and said, "Sir's teacher must also be an Alchemy Master. I should certainly pay him a visit!"

Hai Bodong, standing nearby and listening to their conversation, was also quite curious about the teacher who could produce someone like Liu Xi.

"Could it be that old fellow Fa Ma? No, that cannot be right. Back then, that old fellow had only barely become a Fifth-grade Alchemist. Could he really have taught a Sixth-grade Alchemist?"

Liu Xi recalled how his teacher had personally taught him to identify medicinal ingredients, refine their essence, and control the heat of alchemy. His smile became gentler as he said, "There is no need to guess. My teacher was a Third-grade Alchemist back then. Now, he may be a Fourth-grade Alchemist... or perhaps not. My teacher was the first person to bring me into the world of alchemists. I respect him deeply!"

His voice was firm when he spoke the last sentence, clearly directing it at Lü Man and Hai Bodong. He was giving them a warning in advance. Liu Xi did not want either of them to show any disrespectful expression when they met Xuan Hao.

Then, ignoring the astonished expressions on their faces, he took Qing Lin's little hand and walked toward the city gate.

Liu Xi was handsome and dressed in luxurious clothes. He stood out sharply among the crowd, like the Young Master of some great clan returning from an outing. Whether it was the guards at the gate or the passing pedestrians, everyone who saw Liu Xi greeted him with friendly smiles. Those who managed to get by in the Imperial Capital truly had sharp eyes.

After passing through the dim city gate, a tremendous din suddenly crashed into his ears, making Liu Xi's head ache. He muttered, "Let's go to the Alchemist Guild first and see whether my teacher is there. This place is really noisy!"

He casually stopped a passerby. When the man turned around and saw the noble air about Liu Xi, his originally impatient expression instantly became a smiling face.

"Young Master, what can I do for you?"

With a casual sweep of his hand over his Storage Ring, Liu Xi took out a bag of Gold Coins, containing perhaps several hundred coins. He tossed it directly into the man's arms and said, "Take me to the Alchemist Guild, and all these Gold Coins will be yours!"

The lavish Master Liu never begged anyone for help. He simply threw money at them until they cried and begged to help him. Refusing was not an option.

If they were unwilling, it only meant he had not thrown enough money at them. With the mountain of several million Gold Coins in Liu Xi's Storage Ring, this was nothing more than pocket change!

Just like now, the man weighed the bag that had been tossed into his arms. As the delightful clinking of Gold Coins rang out, the way he looked at Liu Xi changed completely. He respectfully led Liu Xi all the way to the Alchemist Guild.

The Alchemist Guild's headquarters stood at the intersection of several of the busiest streets in the Imperial Capital. Liu Xi looked at the enormous building before him, wreathed in the fragrance of pills and drifting smoke. Above its towering entrance, the five ancient, boldly written characters for Alchemist Guild gleamed with a faint silver light.

As the alchemist headquarters of the Jia Ma Empire and a holy place in the hearts of every alchemist in the empire, noble alchemists who were rarely seen in other cities gathered here in droves.

Had Liu Xi not gone to Jia Nan Academy back then, he would probably have come here as well. But now...

Liu Xi smiled faintly and stepped forward, only to be stopped this time. Even he was somewhat bewildered.

Two guards with proud expressions blocked his path. However, perhaps because Liu Xi's noble bearing marked him as no ordinary person, one of them explained, "Young Master, only alchemists may freely enter and leave our Alchemist Guild. Others who wish to enter must be recommended by an alchemist!"

Liu Xi suddenly understood. No wonder everyone he had seen entering and leaving through the entrance just now wore alchemist robes of various colors.

Hai Bodong asked in confusion, "Little friend, since your teacher belongs to the Alchemist Guild, have you never registered with the Alchemist Guild?"

Liu Xi explained, "After studying under my teacher for five years, I ran off to Jia Nan Academy. I really never registered with the Alchemist Guild."

Liu Xi paused, then said with what seemed like a sigh, "Come to think of it, I was young back then. After I became his disciple, my teacher bought a residence near my home and settled there in order to look after my feelings. It was only when I returned recently that I learned he had already gone back to the Imperial Capital!"

This was also the first time Hai Bodong had heard Liu Xi speak of his background. He exclaimed, "So little friend is actually from Jia Nan Academy! Jia Nan Academy has always enjoyed great renown across the continent. No wonder it could nurture a monstrous genius like you!"

Lü Man also nodded to herself and said gently, "I was wondering how an Alchemy Master like Sir could have remained unknown for so long. Before long, Sir's name will surely resound throughout the Northwest Continent!"

Thanks to reader Nine-Fingered Keyboard Immortal Is Me for the reward.