Humiliation

"Hey, did you hear? Yesterday, the Young Sect Master of the Misty Cloud Sect personally came to the Xiao family to break off the engagement. Apparently, they even made some sort of Three-Year Pact..."

"I just heard about it. After something like this happened, I'd really like to see what face Xiao Zhan and his son have left to keep living." After saying that, the man chuckled, his face full of gloating.

"Exactly. If it were me, I'd have killed myself on the spot rather than bring shame to the family."

At the gates of Wutan City, Lin Feng saw this scene and thought, The Misty Cloud Sect came to break off the engagement yesterday? What a pity. I was working the whole time yesterday, or I might have had a chance to witness that famous engagement-breaking scene.

Still, if that's the case, Old Yao should be appearing soon, right?

After returning to the city, Lin Feng heard countless conversations mocking Xiao Yan over the broken engagement on his way to the trading house, and he could not help shaking his head.

From the looks of it, it was basically certain that the Jia Lie Family and the Ao Ba Family were fanning the flames behind the scenes, using this matter to thoroughly disgust the Xiao family.

Still, being mocked by so many people did have a great deal to do with Xiao Yan himself.

Back when Xiao Yan still had his talent, he had relied on the protection of a Dou Master and several powerful Dou Zhe guards arranged by Xiao Zhan to throw his weight around in Wutan City, offending quite a few people.

At the time, Lin Feng had wanted to build a good relationship with Xiao Yan, who was the same age as him. Then, during the three years when Xiao Yan's strength regressed, he could give Xiao Yan some encouraging words every now and then.

That way, once Xiao Yan made it big in the future, he surely would not be left out of any benefits.

Unfortunately, Xiao Yan's cultivation talent had already been publicized throughout the Xiao family by then.

On top of that, he was the son of Xiao Zhan, the Xiao family head. Someone of Lin Feng's status was simply not qualified to even speak to Wutan City's genius.

"Broken engagement? Sucking Palm?"

Lin Feng suddenly recalled that, in the original story, the day after Xiao Yan's engagement was broken off, he seemed to have picked up a Mysterious Tier Low-grade Dou Skill, Sucking Palm, at the Xiao Family Marketplace.

At that thought, Lin Feng's eyes lit up. This was his easiest chance to obtain a Mysterious Tier Dou Skill. He had to seize it properly.

He immediately broke into a run toward the Xiao Family Marketplace.

After arriving at the Xiao Family Marketplace and passing several stalls, he finally found the Black Iron Piece at a small stall by a corner.

"Finally found it."

Lin Feng stared at the Black Iron Piece on the stall. Sensing the faint, concealed soul fluctuation from it, he breathed a sigh of relief.

The Black Iron Piece was extremely old, covered in rust spots and still clinging to some unwashed yellow mud. It looked very much like an item that had only recently been dug out of the earth.

But Lin Feng knew that it contained a Mysterious Tier Low-grade Dou Skill scroll.

Dou Skills, as the name implied, were techniques that, once learned, allowed Dou Qi to travel through the Meridians recorded in the skill and be unleashed in a peculiar manner, multiplying its power!

Naturally, Dou Skills also had ranks, no different from the ranks of Cultivation Methods.

However, compared with Cultivation Methods of the same rank, Dou Skills were somewhat less valuable.

Lin Feng steadied himself. These people were all profiteers. The moment they saw someone show interest in an item, they would jack up the price without mercy. He did not want to be taken for a fool, especially since he truly did not have much money.

Walking up to the stall, Lin Feng did not touch the Magic Cores worth several hundred Gold Coins. Instead, he casually picked up a few shabby odds and ends to inspect.

When he saw a crystal ball for testing Dou Qi attributes, he remembered that he had never tested his own Dou Qi attribute before.

He casually picked one up and smiled at the somewhat shifty-looking mercenary behind the stall. "Boss, how much is this?"

"Ten Gold Coins." The man glanced at the item in Lin Feng's hand, then noticed his plain clothing and saw that he did not look rich, so he gave him a fair price.

"Can it be cheaper?"

The man impatiently waved his hand. "No. Crystal balls for testing attributes cost this much throughout the whole marketplace. If you think it's too expensive, go dig one up from the mines and polish one yourself."

"Fine." Lin Feng nodded with feigned disappointment, then began rummaging all over himself. In the end, he gathered ten Gold Coins and handed them to the man.

The man counted them, then flicked his hand to indicate that Lin Feng could leave.

"My table at home is a little unsteady. Can I use this to prop it up?" Lin Feng suppressed his excitement and casually picked up the Black Iron Piece.

"Sure. Get lost. Don't block my business here." The man glanced at the item in Lin Feng's hand and saw that it was merely an old iron piece he had casually picked up in the Monster Mountain Range. He answered impatiently, then shoved Lin Feng aside.

Lin Feng did not mind. After thanking him, he took his things and prepared to leave the Xiao Family Marketplace.

"Excuse me, are you selling that Black Iron Piece?"

Just as he rounded the corner, a black-clad youth about Lin Feng's age swiftly stopped him, pointing at the Black Iron Piece Lin Feng was about to tuck into his collar.

"Hm?" Lin Feng looked up and found that he recognized the black-clad youth blocking his way. It was Xiao Yan.

After freezing for a moment, he quickly guessed that Old Yao had probably sensed something inside the Black Iron Piece.

However, when his gaze shifted to the girl beside Xiao Yan, a trace of amazement flashed through his eyes.

The young girl was cool and serene, like a lotus blossom just opening. Despite her young age, she already possessed an otherworldly air. Her graceful figure traced enticing curves, and it was hard to imagine just how devastatingly beautiful she would become once she grew up.

Lin Feng thought, Is this Xiao Xun Er? She really is quite beautiful. Unfortunately, it's basically impossible to build a good relationship with Xiao Xun Er now.

He quickly came back to his senses and said to Xiao Yan, "Not for sale."

Xiao Yan looked over Lin Feng's clothes, then said casually, "My table at home happens to be a little uneven, and I need something to prop it up. That iron piece in your hand looks quite suitable. How about this? I'll give you five Gold Coins for it. Sell it to me?"

Hearing those familiar words, Lin Feng's lips twitched. With Xiao Yan's acting, if he had not read the original story, he might really have been fooled. He immediately replied, "No. Not selling!"

Does he know the secret of this Black Iron Piece too? Xiao Yan thought when Lin Feng refused.

But recalling what Old Yao had just said, there was at least a Mysterious Tier Dou Skill inside this iron piece. The highest-ranked Dou Skills of the Xiao family were only at this level, so its value was self-evident.

Furthermore, Xiao Yan had yet to see the vast and magnificent world beyond Wutan City. His horizons had not yet broadened, and the temptation of a Mysterious Tier Dou Skill was simply too difficult to resist.

Besides, Lin Feng was only a teenage boy dressed very plainly. He did not look like someone with any sort of background.

Thinking this, Xiao Yan cleared his throat and said, "Let me introduce myself. I am the son of Xiao Zhan, the Xiao family head and a Five-Star Great Dou Master—the Xiao family's Third Young Master."

Then his tone changed. "Wutan City has been a little unsettled lately. It wouldn't be strange if someone went missing. How about you reconsider carefully?"

Old Yao saw Xiao Yan's actions but did not speak to stop him. After all, the strong preyed on the weak; that was the main theme of the Dou Qi Continent.

Such things were far too common on the Dou Qi Continent. Besides, Lin Feng was merely a ten-stage Dou Power ant with nothing dangerous about him.

Threatened, Lin Feng felt anger rise in his heart, but when he thought of his own strength, he forcibly suppressed it. He then said, "Since the Third Young Master wants to buy it, I bought this for ten thousand Gold Coins. I'll sell it to the Third Young Master at the original price. How about it?"

"Ten thousand Gold Coins? Heh, do you take me for an idiot?" Xiao Yan sneered angrily.

When he had been looking for a Wood-type First-tier Magic Core in the distance, Old Yao had reminded him about the iron piece. Although he had not heard Lin Feng's conversation with the stall owner clearly because he was too far away and the marketplace was so noisy, he could tell from Lin Feng's clothing that Lin Feng could not possibly have produced ten thousand Gold Coins. He was clearly trying to take Xiao Yan for a fool.

Suppressing his anger, Lin Feng asked, "Then what do you want?"

"Here are one hundred Gold Coins. Give me the iron piece."

Upon hearing that, Lin Feng had the urge to punch Xiao Yan to death. A Mysterious Tier Low-grade Dou Skill was worth at least a hundred thousand Gold Coins, no matter what.

Yet Xiao Yan was trying to forcibly buy it for one hundred Gold Coins. He was truly going too far.

But the knife was in another's hand, and he was the fish on the cutting board. Lin Feng could only silently accept the Gold Coins and hand over the iron piece before leaving in humiliation. At this moment, he had never desired strength so badly!

Inside the Storage Ring, Old Yao watched Lin Feng leave and sighed. "To swiftly recognize his situation and give up something already in his hands, this young man is not simple!"

"Xiao Yan, just you wait. You'd better hope I never get the chance, or I'll disgust you to death." After returning to the cave where he had broken through to become a Dou Zhe, Lin Feng's anger still would not fade as he said furiously.

Once his emotions had calmed, Lin Feng took out the crystal ball he had bought earlier, gripped it tightly, and poured Dou Qi into it.

The instant the Dou Qi entered the crystal ball, a blazing red light burst forth from it, dyeing the grayish-white stone walls around the cave a vivid red.

"Fire attribute? That's not bad."

Looking at the blazing red light, Lin Feng was about to put the crystal ball away when he suddenly caught sight of a faint green glow emerging within the fiery red radiance.

Seeing that trace of green, Lin Feng blurted out, "Fire-Wood Attribute?!" His expression immediately turned delighted.

Possessing a Fire-Wood Attribute, combined with the powerful Soul Perception he had gained through transmigration, meant that he had the talent to become an Alchemist!

Alchemists, as the name implied, could use medicine cauldrons to refine all kinds of miraculous medicinal pills.

If a faction possessed a powerful Alchemist, they could help their disciples rapidly increase their strength, heal their injuries, and continuously attract powerful experts to the sect, greatly increasing its overall power.

Therefore, every Alchemist would be vigorously recruited and courted by all sides.