Returning to the Imperial Capital

Buzz! Half an hour later, Xiao Yuan came out of the house.

"Uh, Third Brother, you advanced again?"

Xiao Yan looked at Xiao Yuan's slightly fluctuating breathing and said with a blank expression.

"Well, I guess I benefited a little from Hai Lao's influence."

Xiao Yuan smiled and nodded upon hearing this.

Hai Bodong's pure Icy Douqi was a great tonic for Xiao Yuan.

"This cultivation speed!"

Xiao Yan shook his head helplessly upon hearing this. Everyone said he cultivated quickly, but compared to his Third Brother, what was his speed? "Then what about Hai Lao?"

Immediately afterwards, Xiao Yan changed the subject and asked another question.

"It will take some time. He should be able to recover to the level of Four Star Dou Huang. There's no way around it. He was sealed for too long, and the seal was forcibly broken with pills, which depleted some of his Dou Qi foundation. Although the Po E Dan Pill is good, for someone like Hai Lao who has been sealed for many years, those pills are probably not enough."

Xiao Yuan stroked his chin and speculated.

"Yes, Xiao Yuan is right. Among Sixth Grade Pill, the difficulty of refining this Po E Dan is not that high. Although it has the miraculous effect of breaking most seals, after taking it, it can also form a resistance to the seal in the body. If you encounter the seal again in the future, you will have a certain chance of being exempt from it."

However, this exemption comes at the cost of sacrificing some of his Dou Qi aura. Whether it's worth it depends entirely on the individual's choice. For Hai Bodong, restoring his former strength might be more important. After all, judging from his appearance, he probably wouldn't dare to appear before Medusa again, so he naturally doesn't need any chance of exemption from the seal.

The Yao Lao's voice slowly echoed in their hearts, and there was a hint of appreciation in his words.

"No wonder Hai Lao had so much energy remaining in his body. It seems that the reason why this Po E Dan Pill is ranked sixth is entirely due to its miraculous effect of breaking the seal!"

Xiao Yuan nodded in understanding upon hearing this.

"However, for him, being able to regain some of his former strength is already a good thing. After all, having his Dou Qi sealed for twenty years is not an easy experience for a Dou Huang expert!"

Then the Yao Lao's laughter rang out.

Xiao Yuan nodded in deep agreement after hearing this, and then changed the subject, saying, "Well, by the way, teacher, after I enter Jia Nan Academy and advance to the Dou Ling level, I might be able to try combining wood energy with Fire Attribute Douqi and start learning alchemy."

"Oh, by then, you'll be confident in controlling the flow of your internal Dou Qi?"

Upon hearing this, the Yao Lao asked thoughtfully.

"Well, to perfectly control the flow of the five types of Dou Qi, one must at least reach the Dou Wang realm. However, if it's only two types, it should be enough after advancing to the Dou Ling."

Xiao Yuan pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke.

"Well, that's fine. I also want to see how far you can go in the art of alchemy, given that you possess five different Dou Qi attributes. Among the people I've seen, the soul power of you two brothers is among the strongest. What I can teach you will always be the most basic things. Ultimately, an alchemist needs to have their own alchemy techniques. Simply imitating others will make it difficult to reach a higher level."

The Yao Lao smiled with some satisfaction and said.

"Well, I'll have to ask the teacher to give me some extra lessons then."

Xiao Yuan nodded upon hearing this, and said with a smile.

"By the way, before that, Xiao Yan could teach me some basic knowledge of alchemy, which would also help you improve your skills."

Immediately afterwards, Xiao Yuan put his arm around Xiao Yan's shoulder and said with a smile.

"Huh? Brother, shall I teach you?"

Xiao Yan was somewhat surprised to hear this, after all, the person in front of him was his own brother, which made it a little awkward.

"What? You don't want to?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly, and his voice became a bit stern.

"Uh, no, bro, would it be inappropriate for me to teach you?"

Xiao Yan scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, and said.

"Hmm, Xiao Yuan's suggestion is not bad. Although you are brothers, Xiao Yan started learning alchemy from me earlier. Logically speaking, he is indeed Xiao Yuan's senior brother. How you two brothers address each other is not important."

But Xiao Yan, you really should explain some of the basic knowledge to your Third Brother properly; consider it a test for you!

The Yao Lao smiled and finalized the matter. Then, he suddenly said, "Hmm? It seems that Hai Bodong is going to succeed."

As soon as he finished speaking, a small but powerful aura broke through the seal of Yao Lao's soul power and leaked out, causing the air to become much colder.

"A peak Four Star Dou Huang, and with a rather solid foundation, Hai Bodong is not bad."

The Yao Lao's voice rang out softly.

"He actually went straight to the peak of Four Star Dou Huang? I underestimated Hai Lao a bit before!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan clicked his tongue in surprise and said in a low voice.

It should be noted that even a single star difference in the Dou Emperor level is enormous. Many Dou Emperor cannot advance even one star in a year. Hai Bodong was able to reach the peak of the Four Star Dou Huang this time. With further cultivation, he may be able to recover to the level of the Five Star Dou Huang within half a year!

In addition, Xiao Yan's promise to give him the Rejuvenating Spirit Purple Pill will increase his strength by two stars. This is an epic boost for Hai Lao!

But before Hai Bodong could even come out, the house began to shake violently.

Xiao Yuan was only slightly taken aback before realizing that the flying magical beast had probably been frightened.

"Really, I expected this to happen, and I made special preparations, but I still couldn't avoid it."

Xiao Yuan released his Dou Qi from his feet, which crystallized into ice, freezing his feet to the floor beneath him. He then said with a helpless expression.

Xiao Yan, who was standing to the side, was thrown out because he was caught off guard. Although he quickly regained his balance, his face still darkened.

This time, they were really screwed over by Hai Bodong.

Soon, the door opened, and Hai Bodong walked out of the house, which was being carried by a swaying flying magical beast. Seeing the helpless Xiao Yuan and the dark-faced Xiao Yan, he immediately realized what was happening, his old face flushed, and he coughed twice:

"I'm sorry, the strength you've recovered this time really surprised me. I got too excited, I'm so sorry!"

Hai Bodong naturally wouldn't put on airs in front of an alchemist who could refine Sixth Grade Pill, nor would he act aloof in front of Xiao Yuan, his successor. So he immediately smiled obsequiously.

"Hai Lao, don't just apologize. Look how scared our flying magical beast is. It's about to crash to the ground."

Xiao Yuan spread his hands, looking helpless.

"Ahem, it is indeed my problem. I'm good at this, I'll take care of it."

Hai Bodong smiled awkwardly upon hearing this, and then whistled a series of whistles.

Immediately afterwards, Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yan sensed that their footing had become stable, and the flying magical beast had regained its composure.

"Wow, Hai Lao can do this too?"

Xiao Yan wasn't about to get angry with a Dou Huang expert over such a trivial matter, so he immediately changed the subject.

After all, the ability to control magical beasts is an extremely rare skill.

"Hehe, my progress in cultivating Dou Qi has been too slow these past few years, so in my spare time while making maps, I've learned some miscellaneous things, and this is one of them."

Hai Bodong said with a sigh upon hearing this.

"Wow, is it easy to learn? I want to learn too!"

Xiao Yuan chimed in, echoing Xiao Yan's words.

"It's not difficult. I'll organize some of my experience later, and you can follow along. It should be about the same."

Hai Bodong pondered for a moment upon hearing this, and then spoke.

"Okay!"

Xiao Yuan nodded with a smile upon hearing this.

The rest of the journey went without incident, and after a full seven days of flying, Imperial Capital finally arrived at their destination: the Imperial Capital of the Jia Ma Empire, the Jia Ma Holy City!

Standing on the back of the flying beast, Xiao Yuan and the other two looked down at the magnificent city that appeared beneath the clouds, their expressions varied.

Hai Bodong's gaze fell upon a rather conspicuous cluster of courtyards in the Imperial Capital city, which was the headquarters of the Mittel Family.

Xiao Yan, on the other hand, immediately noticed the headquarters of alchemists in the Imperial Capital. The huge, inverted medicine cauldron-shaped building was indeed very eye-catching.

Xiao Yuan didn't even look at where the Nalan Residence was. Instead, he looked towards the north of the Imperial Capital, where a magnificent mountain range lay like a giant dragon, faintly exuding a soaring spiritual Spiritual Energy.

That place is the behemoth of the Jia Ma Empire, the Misty Cloud Sect! Hopefully, the Soul Hall guys haven't made any moves against the Xiao Clan family yet!

Xiao Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of killing intent flashing in his mind.

Once our strength is increased, we must eliminate that guy from the Soul Hall as soon as possible, otherwise he will always be a hidden danger for the Xiao Clan!

After stepping off the flying magical beast, Hai Bodong took a few breaths of fresh air and said with a hint of disdain, "This flying magical beast is too slow."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yan exchanged a smile.

After all, flying to the Imperial Capital was not difficult for Hai Bodong, but for the two brothers, it was a matter of life and death.

I'm so tired! And the speed of my crucial Flying Dou Technique isn't fast enough either.

Xiao Yan simply didn't want to constantly deplete Yao Lao's soul power, a point that Xiao Yuan had repeatedly advised him on.

Speaking of which, when Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yan left the Imperial Capital with the Xiao Clan, they were still young and had limited energy. At that time, they basically slept all day and grew up, so they didn't have much opportunity to see the prosperity of the Imperial Capital. Now that they have returned to the Imperial Capital, it feels like the first time they have been there, and they feel quite novel.

"Where do we go next?"

Hai Bodong glanced at the two brothers in front of him and asked.

"I plan to go to the auction house. As I said before, I came to the Imperial Capital to see Sister Ya Fei."

Xiao Yuan smiled slightly.

"Hmm, how about Third Brother helps me collect some Medicinal Herbs for Hai Lao? You can go to the auction house and find Sister Ya Fei, and collect them there while you're at it. I'll go directly to the headquarters of the Alchemist Guild and look for the Medicinal Herbs for the Rejuvenating Spirit Purple Pill. I've also signed up for the Alchemist Tournament, so we can split up and save some time. After I finish here, I'll go to the auction house to find you."

Xiao Yan suggested with a smile.

"Yes, that's good, it will definitely save more time this way."

Xiao Yuan nodded in agreement, then smiled and said, "Hai Lao? Why don't you come with me? It's a good opportunity to go back to the Mittel Family for a visit?"

Upon hearing this, Hai Bodong remained silent for a moment, then nodded. "Okay!"

After agreeing on the action plan, the three split into two groups. Although Hai Bodong had not returned for many years, he was still very familiar with the location of the Mittel Family's businesses. Soon, he brought Xiao Yuan to the outside of the Mittel Family's auction headquarters.

Looking at the massive building and distinctive signage before him, Xiao Yuan nodded and chuckled, "As expected of the Mittel Family's headquarters. Its scale far surpasses that of the branch in Wutan City."

"Of course. The Mittel Family has a long history and profound heritage. Although the Mo Clan, relying on the prestige of the Misty Cloud Sect, is a powerful force in Salt City, compared to the Mittel Family, they are nothing more than nouveau riche!"

Perhaps because he had basically recovered his former strength, Hai Bodong's words were clearly tinged with arrogance.

"Hehe, let's go. Hai Lao can take a look and see how much the Mittel headquarters auction house has changed after so many years of development."

Xiao Yuan said with a smile, then lifted his leg and stepped into the auction hall first.

Upon hearing this, Hai Bodong stood there for a moment with a slightly complicated expression before quickly following Xiao Yuan's footsteps.

Upon entering the auction hall, soft light poured down, and the noise from the outside world seemed to be shut out at this moment. The short distance of just a few meters felt like two different worlds.

The hall was magnificent, with a constant stream of customers and a dazzling array of goods.

Fully armed figures were scattered throughout the hall, each wearing the Mittel Family crest on their chest; clearly, they were Mittel Family's direct subordinates.

"This is just an outer sales area, and the items sold here aren't particularly valuable... At the Mittel Family headquarters, the auction house is divided into four levels, like the levels of cultivation techniques: Heaven Earth Black Yellow. However, the Heaven-level auction house is rarely opened, even once every year or two. Once it is opened, it is always a high-profile event!"

Earth-level auction houses are rarely open; Xuan-level auction houses are more common, while Yellow Tier auction houses are open all day.

Hai Bodong introduced them from the side as if they were his own treasures.

Then, he changed the subject. "However, we probably won't need the items in the Yellow Tier auction house. To enter the Heaven, Earth, and Profound-rank auction houses, you need to be recognized as a person of high social standing. Oh, right, you have Purple-Gold Card, so you can skip this step."

To Hai Bodong's words, Xiao Yuan smiled and shook his head, "Hai Lao, we're not strangers, you know."

Halfway through his sentence, Xiao Yuan suddenly caught a glimpse of a commotion in a corner of the hall as a graceful figure in bright red slowly descended the steps.