Storm Clouds Gather Over the Jama Empire

Xiao Xun'er hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "I went to the Miter Auction House today and heard some news."

"What news?" Xiao Yan asked casually.

"That Master Xuan... has left Wutan City."

"What?"

Xiao Yan's movements suddenly froze. He looked up, a complicated expression appearing on his face.

That mysterious Sixth Grade Alchemist had actually left?

For a moment, Xiao Yan felt an indescribable sense of emptiness in his heart, along with a trace of regret.

"Could it be... that I really missed out on a heaven-sent opportunity?"

For the first time, Xiao Yan felt something called regret.

Seeing his dejected appearance, Xiao Xun'er sighed inwardly as well.

Wasn't she equally regretful?

Misty Cloud Sect.

Inside Yun Yun's chambers, the atmosphere was somewhat heavy.

News of Nalan Yanran returning after breaking off the engagement and making the Three-Year Pact with the Xiao Family had ultimately spread throughout the sect.

"Yanran, you..." Yun Yun looked at her disciple, her tone somewhat helpless.

"Teacher, this disciple has no regrets." Nalan Yanran knelt on the floor, her back straight as an arrow.

"Forget it." Yun Yun sighed.

"The matter has come to this. There is no use saying more. Since you have made the Three-Year Pact, then work hard! Win it!"

"This disciple understands!" Nalan Yanran knocked her head heavily against the floor.

"For these three years, this disciple will cultivate with everything she has and never disappoint Teacher's expectations!"

Yun Yun nodded, then remembered something else. "You said before that you encountered an extremely young Sixth Grade Alchemist in Wutan City?"

"Yes."

Nalan Yanran raised her head, and that black-robed figure involuntarily surfaced in her mind.

"He was very strong, and... he refused this disciple's offer."

She recounted everything that had happened at Tianxiang Tower to Yun Yun in full detail, including his words: "The Jia Ma Empire is too small."

After hearing it all, Yun Yun fell into a long silence.

After a long while, Yun Yun slowly spoke.

"Someone like him is not someone the Misty Cloud Sect can force to stay. His world truly does not lie within the small Jia Ma Empire."

"Yanran, cultivate diligently."

Yun Yun had always been detached by nature and believed in letting things take their course.

Since he had no interest, she would not force the matter.

"Yes, Teacher!"

Fighting spirit flared anew on Nalan Yanran's face.

Her goal was no longer as simple as defeating Xiao Yan three years from now.

She wanted to see the broader world reflected in that man's eyes.

At the same time, in the Imperial Capital of the Jia Ma Empire.

The imperial palace, the Alchemist Guild, the Nalan Family, the Mu Family...

Nearly every top-tier power received a secret report from the Wutan City branch of the Miter Auction House at the same time.

"A mysterious young alchemist has appeared in Wutan City. His grade is suspected to be... Sixth Grade!"

"This man is closely associated with Ya Fei of the Miter Auction House and once helped her bring all the forces around Wutan City under her control."

"Nalan Yanran, the Young Sect Leader of the Misty Cloud Sect, personally visited him, only to be turned away!"

Each piece of news was like a massive boulder smashing into the tranquil lake of the Imperial Capital, stirring up towering waves.

A Sixth Grade Alchemist!

And an exceptionally young Sixth Grade Alchemist at that!

Everyone present knew exactly what that meant.

It meant limitless potential. It meant a supreme expert who could one day affect the entire continent's balance of power!

"Prepare the carriage! We leave for Wutan City immediately!"

"Pass down the order! No matter the cost, find out this master's origins!"

"The Mite'er Family... Hmph, they hid him well enough!"

For a time, undercurrents surged throughout the entire Imperial Capital.

The eyes of countless powers all turned toward that remote northwestern city.

Carriage after lavishly decorated carriage carried representatives from every major power, along with countless rare treasures, as they set out grandly from the Imperial Capital and headed straight for Wutan City.

They had only one goal.

Find the mysterious Master Xuan, then recruit him into their camp at any cost!

An unprecedented storm was quietly gathering over Wutan City.

Yet Xuan Jin was still cultivating in seclusion within Xiao Yi Xian's valley in the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

On the path of cultivation, if one did not advance, one fell behind.

Of course, taking shortcuts was not bad either.

But some of the resources on the Northwest Continent were no longer worth much in Xuan Jin's eyes now that he was already a Dou Zong.

Still, the Green Lotus Core Flame and the Core Earth Flame Lotus Seed were excellent treasures.

In stark contrast to the peace of the valley, Wutan City was now undergoing an unprecedented upheaval.

Three days later.

Several exquisitely decorated carriages slowly entered Wutan City, surrounded by groups of elite guards.

On the leading carriage, a golden royal emblem gleamed brilliantly beneath the sunlight, displaying the supreme status of its owner.

Following closely behind were the carriages of several other major powers of the Jia Ma Empire, each representing a colossal force.

Pedestrians on the streets hurriedly stepped aside, their faces filled with awe and curiosity.

"Heavens, that is the Royal Family's dragon carriage!"

"The one behind it seems to bear the Mu Family's emblem!"

"Why have so many important figures come to our little Wutan City?"

The Xiao Family, Jia Lie Family, and Ao Ba Family within the city had long since been alarmed by this sudden display. The three family heads stood at the entrances of their respective estates, staring at the approaching convoys from afar as turmoil churned in their hearts.

Before these colossal powers, their meager foundations were not even worth comparing to ants.

Yet the targets of these convoys were astonishingly consistent.

Every carriage stopped before the Miter Auction House.

The carriage doors opened, and an elderly man clad in luxurious brocade robes, possessing a dignified bearing, was the first to step down. At his side was a young princess with beautiful features and a noble temperament.

They were none other than the Old Ancestor of the Jia Ma Royal Family, the Dou Emperor Jia Xing Tian, and his most beloved granddaughter, Princess Yao Yue.

Immediately afterward, the Mu Family head, a steady-faced middle-aged man, stepped down from his own carriage as well.

Finally, an elderly man wearing clothes similar to those bearing the Mite'er Family emblem, though with an even more imposing presence, appeared at the entrance. He was the Mite'er Family's grand patriarch, Mite'er Teng Shan.

The various parties met before the auction house. After exchanging glances, each guessed the others' purpose from their actions.

For a moment, the atmosphere became somewhat delicate.

As the host, Mite'er Teng Shan forced a smile and was about to step forward with some pleasantries.

But the auction house doors creaked open.

Ya Fei emerged slowly, her graceful steps light, dressed in a brand-new crimson brocade robe.

Today, she was even more dazzling than usual.

A perfectly measured smile hung upon her bewitching, alluring face, yet it carried a sense of distance that made others unable to underestimate her.

She first gave Mite'er Teng Shan a slight bow.

"Family Head Teng Shan, you have arrived."

Then she turned toward Jia Xing Tian and bowed once more, her voice crisp and pleasant.

"Ya Fei greets Your Majesty and Her Highness the Princess."

Finally, she merely nodded to the Mu Family head in greeting.

Her every action was neither servile nor overbearing, her etiquette impeccable, yet it clearly demonstrated her current standing.