Ambition Knows No Age

At Shen Fei's words, Ye Hong raised an eyebrow. A flash of suppressed anger flickered in his eyes. Shen Fei was being far too domineering! He had taken things too far!

If Shen Fei tried to lay a hand on Xiao Ninger, Ye Hong would definitely step in!

Ye Hong snorted and walked straight away.

Watching Ye Hong's retreating figure, Shen Fei's lips curled into a sinister smile. Don't think our Sacred Family is afraid of your Wind Snow Family. You think having a Legendary Demon Spirit Master makes you so impressive? One day, the Sacred Family will take your place!

On the street.

"Nie Li!" A clear voice rang out.

Nie Li looked toward the voice and saw Xiao Ninger standing prettily in the distance, dressed in an elegant silk gown. Her starry eyes held a hint of reproach, and her delicate face was lightly powdered. She was breathtakingly beautiful!

"Hey, Ninger. I haven't seen you in a few days, and you're even prettier!" Nie Li smiled faintly. Remembering Hu Yan Lanruo, he felt a little awkward.

At Nie Li's words, a hint of delight flashed in Xiao Ninger's eyes, and her cheeks flushed slightly. She took out a Spatial Ring and handed it to Nie Li. "I sold all the Purple Mist Grass you asked me to sell. Here's the money."

Hearing Xiao Ninger, Lu Piao and Du Ze exchanged glances. They had no idea what kind of love potion Nie Li had given Xiao Ninger. From the way she acted, she was practically at his beck and call. She had just finished arguing with Hu Yan Lanruo, yet instead of coming over to question Nie Li, she had eagerly brought him the money from selling the Purple Mist Grass.

Th-this... Lu Piao and Du Ze truly didn't know what to say. Was this really the same Goddess Ninger as before? In front of everyone else, Goddess Ninger was still as aloof and noble as ever, impossible to approach. Only Nie Li was different.

"Thanks." Nie Li accepted it without hesitation. There was no need to be formal with Ninger.

"Goddess Ninger, did you really fight Hu Yan Lanruo?" Lu Piao blinked and gave Xiao Ninger an inquisitive look.

Xiao Ninger glanced up at Nie Li, then said, a little bashfully, "Nothing like that happened. I only argued with her a little. Nie Li, do you really like that woman?"

"Of course not. That woman is such a nuisance. Just ignore her from now on!" Nie Li waved a hand.

"Oh!" Xiao Ninger replied, though she felt a little relieved. After all, Hu Yan Lanruo was so sexy that she made Xiao Ninger feel threatened.

"We've been sweating buckets while training these past few days. We're all stinking, so we're going to the bathhouse to wash up. Goddess Ninger, want to come along?" Lu Piao asked with a grin.

"I-I wouldn't go!" Xiao Ninger glared at Lu Piao.

"You can go with Nie Li. We won't get in your way!" Lu Piao chuckled.

At his words, Xiao Ninger's face instantly turned bright red.

"That Lu Piao can't say anything decent. Don't mind him!" Nie Li said to Xiao Ninger, smacking Lu Piao on the head.

"Mm." Xiao Ninger nodded. Her shy expression was captivating in a way that was hard to describe.

"Nie Li, that's too disloyal of you! You actually said I can't say anything decent in front of Goddess Ninger. You're choosing beauty over your friends! It's not like I'd compete with you!"

Watching Nie Li and Lu Piao bicker and joke around, Xiao Ninger couldn't help feeling envious. It had been a long time since she'd had friends like that. A figure suddenly crossed her mind: Ye Ziyun. When they were young, she and Ye Ziyun had been very close friends. It was a shame that the distance between them had grown wider and wider.

Besides, Nie Li liked Ye Ziyun!

Xiao Ninger thought to herself that she definitely wouldn't lose to Ye Ziyun!

A group of a dozen or so people strolled past in the distance, dressed in fine clothes. At their head was a tall young man of about thirty. His slightly yellow hair concealed most of his face, and his sharp, falcon-like eyes held a trace of sinister malice.

The young man's gaze swept over Nie Li. A flicker of surprise passed through his eyes, then they returned to normal. He continued talking with a few others as he brushed past Nie Li and the rest.

Nie Li raised an eyebrow slightly. He had caught the odd flicker in that man's gaze and wondered to himself, Have I met him before?

As the young man passed by, Nie Li suddenly caught a trace of his aura. These people were the very same members of the Dark Guild whom they had encountered at the Ancient Orchid City Ruins.

Nie Li calmly continued walking, showing nothing on his face. If he let even the slightest trace of surprise show, the young man might notice, and then they might be killed to silence them.

In the distance, the young man turned and glanced back at Nie Li.

"Boss, that kid probably didn't recognize us!" one of his subordinates said.

"Mm." The young man nodded slightly. He was Deacon Yun Hua, and given their identities, they had to be extremely careful inside Ancient Orchid City.

"Should we take him out?" another subordinate asked.

"No!" Deacon Yun Hua shook his head. Killing someone in the City of Brilliance would be troublesome if the City Lord's Mansion investigated.

Nie Li, Xiao Ninger, Du Ze, Lu Piao, and the others walked down two streets. Only after the group had disappeared from sight did Nie Li let out a sigh of relief.

"Ninger, who were those people just now?" Nie Li asked with a faint smile.

"Those people?" Xiao Ninger thought for a moment, then smiled brightly. "They work for the Star-Picking Restaurant. I think the restaurant is owned by the Sacred Family!" Xiao Ninger had no idea why Nie Li was asking.

The Star-Picking Restaurant? A Sacred Family business? Nie Li nodded slightly, committing it all to memory.

The City of Brilliance really was full of dangers. It seemed he would have to reveal some of his abilities and find more ways to protect himself.

"Let's go to the Alchemist Association first!" Nie Li said after a moment's thought. The situation in the City of Brilliance was far more complicated than he had imagined. With an unknown number of Dark Guild members lying low, he would have to be extremely careful. Nie Li thought carefully back to his past life. In the final battle for the City of Brilliance, those who had fought the demon beasts to the end and died heroic deaths had, for the most part, been people he could trust.

Nie Li needed to get his hands on as many resources as possible!

Although the Alchemist Association had fallen somewhat from its former glory, it was still a colossal force in the City of Brilliance, second only to the three Peak Families.

Nie Li had all kinds of knowledge about alchemy in his mind. If he used it well, he might be able to help the Alchemist Association regain its former strength. A stronger Alchemist Association would strengthen the City of Brilliance, and that would be Nie Li's contribution to the city.

The Alchemist Association was a sprawling complex of buildings, with courtyards and pavilions stretching far behind it and covering a vast area. A hall stood at the front, with alchemists in robes of various colors coming and going.

Though the Alchemist Association had fallen into decline, one look at the magnificent complex was enough to imagine how glorious the Alchemist Guild had once been.

Alchemists were divided into apprentices, masters, and grandmasters, each rank further divided into junior, intermediate, and advanced levels. Apprentices wore gray robes, masters wore white, and grandmasters wore silver. Those who generally came and went at the Alchemist Association were apprentice-level alchemists. Master-level alchemists were very rare, with only one or two appearing from time to time.

The art of alchemy had declined somewhat, so the exceptionally gifted young talents weren't willing to spend time on it. Most focused on cultivation instead, leaving the Alchemist Association short on successors and with few young alchemists.

After entering the Alchemist Association, Xiao Ninger, Du Ze, Lu Piao, and the others looked around curiously. They didn't quite understand what Nie Li was doing here.

Nie Li carefully recalled what he knew. At this point in time, the Alchemist Association's highest authority lay with its Council of Elders, made up of six old men. The lowest rank among them was Intermediate Alchemy Master, and two were Advanced Alchemy Masters. As for grandmasters, the Alchemist Association apparently had none at the moment. Besides the six elders, there was also an Administrator Yang, who handled the Association's various administrative matters.

In the final battle for the City of Brilliance in Nie Li's past life, the Alchemist Association had contributed a great deal. In the end, everyone had died heroically in that battle. At the very least, he could be sure they weren't on the Sacred Family's side.

"Hello, may I ask what brings you here?" A young girl in a gray robe walked over to greet them. She was in charge of reception in the Alchemist Association's main hall.

"I'd like to take the alchemist exam!" Nie Li looked at the tall girl in front of him and smiled faintly. "May I ask your name?"

Xiao Ninger, Du Ze, Lu Piao, and the others looked at Nie Li in surprise. They had thought he had come to meet someone, not take the alchemist exam. Could Nie Li be highly skilled in alchemy too?

After spending so much time with Nie Li, Du Ze, Lu Piao, and the others no longer found anything he did surprising.

The young girl looked at Nie Li in some surprise. Very few young people still came to take the alchemist exam, so the Alchemist Association was certainly happy to welcome fresh blood.

"You can call me Xiao Lan. You're here to take the Junior Apprentice exam, right? Did you prepare beforehand? To become a Junior Apprentice, you have to study more than ten basic alchemy texts!" Xiao Lan smiled faintly. Those thick books on alchemy basics contained hundreds of thousands of words, enough to intimidate countless people. But there was no other way. If someone wanted to become an alchemist, they had to know the most basic pill formulas and principles. Otherwise, someone could die.

"Miss Xiao Lan, can I take the Junior Alchemy Master exam?" Nie Li asked, looking at Xiao Lan.

Xiao Lan froze at his words, then laughed in spite of herself. "It's not impossible, but do you know what's required to reach the Junior Alchemy Master level? Besides those ten-odd books on alchemy basics, you'd also have to read hundreds of reference books on all kinds of medicinal herbs!" Xiao Lan glanced at Nie Li, thinking that he was just a child. Even if he'd started reading in the womb, he probably couldn't have finished all those books, let alone mastered them. Besides, even an ordinary Junior Alchemy Master had decades of experience as an apprentice. Nie Li probably hadn't even touched an alchemy furnace before. Even if he passed the first round, there was no way he'd pass the second round, the actual alchemy test.

Nie Li was being far too ambitious, trying to reach the heavens in a single bound instead of learning his craft step by step!

Nie Li blinked at Xiao Lan. "Ambition knows no age, doesn't it? Please take me to the Junior Alchemy Master examination room!"