"Cough... well..."
Xiao Ling coughed lightly. Looking at the little girl in his arms, he spoke with a serious expression on his still-youthful face.
"Xun'er, I need to tell you that there is a distinguished Alchemist right in front of you."
"Do you believe me?"
There was a reason he had decided to tell Xun'er about his identity as an Alchemist.
He planned to use Xun'er's background to inform Xiao Zhan and the others of his identity as an Alchemist, saving himself the trouble of explaining it.
After all, he intended to refine a batch of healing pills to sell, accumulating resources for his breakthrough to Fourth-grade Alchemist.
Besides, he could not really rely on Xun'er to support him forever.
Although the girl certainly would not say anything about it, he himself could not get over that hurdle.
As for what he had thought just now, that had merely been a little fantasy.
After all, anyone with a little rich woman like this would be the same as him.
Hearing this, Xun'er tilted her little head. Her large, expressive eyes blinked as she stared at him, her willow-leaf brows lifting slightly before she broke into a smile and said in a crisp voice.
"Xun'er believes everything Brother Xiao Ling says. What grade Alchemist is Brother Xiao Ling?"
Looking at the petite yet exquisite little girl before him, Xiao Ling felt warmth in his heart. He reached out and pinched her cheek, smiling gently as he said,
"A Second-grade Alchemist, though I'm close to the third grade."
Xun'er: "???"
"Brother Xiao Ling, what grade did you say?"
Shock appeared on Xun'er's exquisite, porcelain-doll-like face. Her little mouth nearly formed an O as she looked at the young man so close before her.
"Second-grade."
Xiao Ling repeated himself, secretly delighted. It was not easy to surprise this little rich woman.
"Phew~"
Xun'er let out a soft breath. Her lovely eyes curved into crescents as she repeatedly looked the White-robed Youth up and down, then gave a mischievous smile.
"Brother Xiao Ling, then if Xun'er needs pills in the future, I'll come to you."
"Of course, no problem."
Xiao Ling replied with a smile.
Ling Ying, who had been acting as a third wheel the entire time, finally came back to his senses. A look of shock appeared on his old face, as smooth as a baby's.
A ten-year-old Da Dou Shi and a Second-grade Alchemist?
That combination could no longer be described as genius. Even monster was insufficient to describe it.
This was simply terrifying beyond reason. Only then did he recall what the clan chief had said when he had left the clan...
As Xiao Ling chatted with Xun'er, his heart suddenly stirred. A flash of realization passed through his eyes so quickly that he could not seize it, yet it made him clearly realize that he was not far from becoming a Da Dou Shi.
After various thoughts flashed through his mind, Xiao Ling decided to calm himself through alchemy, allowing his accumulation to reach the utmost limit before naturally breaking through to Da Dou Shi. He then smiled at the little girl before him and said softly,
"Xun'er, I need to refine pills now. Please stand guard for me. Do not let anyone in, no matter who it is."
"When I come out of seclusion, I'll give you a surprise."
With that, Xiao Ling picked up the little girl and placed her on a chair before walking toward the room.
"Rest assured, Brother Xiao Ling. Xun'er definitely won't let anyone disturb you."
Xun'er turned her head and replied, her little face full of solemnity.
Although she did not know the exact reason, she could guess that he had experienced a sudden flash of inspiration.
Such an occurrence was something that could only be encountered by chance, whether for Alchemists or cultivators. She turned to the old man beside her and said,
"Elder Ling, please help stand guard for Brother Xiao Ling. Do not let anyone enter the courtyard."
"Rest assured, Miss," Ling Ying said.
As Ling Ying looked toward the room, a thoughtful glint appeared in his old eyes.
He did not know whether Xiao Ling was about to break through to the realm of a Third-grade Alchemist. Though a Third-grade Alchemist was not much on the Dou Qi Continent,
what if one added a single word before it? A ten-year-old Third-grade Alchemist—let alone the Jia Ma Empire, there was not one even on the Dou Qi Continent.
If Danta's three giants learned of this, they would definitely rush over to fight for the chance to take him as a disciple.
Meanwhile, Xun'er rested her little hand beneath her fragrant cheek, swinging her pair of jade-white little feet as she lazily lay across the table.
From time to time, she glanced toward the room before quickly looking away. A captivating blush surfaced on her exquisite, porcelain-doll-like cheeks.
Xun'er: "..."
Inside the room, Xiao Ling sat cross-legged on a cushion. Before him stood a black Pill Cauldron with three legs and two handles.
Its patterns alone revealed its extraordinary nature. This was the Pill Cauldron he had traded for with the system.
Fifth-tier Pill Cauldron: Anyou.
He looked at the slowly burning flames inside the cauldron, picked up a second-tier wood-element magic core placed beside him, and tossed it into the cauldron.
As the magic core entered, the flames that had long been prepared opened like a gaping abyss and instantly swallowed it.
At this sight, Xiao Ling's soul power spread like an immense net, thoroughly permeating every inch of flame. Under his control, the dark-yellow dou qi flames transformed into a flaming Pill Cauldron, creating a cauldron within a cauldron.
If those alchemy masters saw this, they would be scared to death.
Even if they personally attempted it, they absolutely could not achieve such control over flames. After all, not everyone was Yao Lao.
It could only be said that the world of geniuses was beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
As the flaming Pill Cauldron refined it, the hard magic core began to melt after only a few short minutes. That speed was practically on par with those great figures who possessed Heavenly Flames.
Xiao Ling flicked his finger lightly, and a crystal-clear drop of green liquid was spat out by the flaming Pill Cauldron. It spun in midair before falling into a jade bottle prepared in advance, after which a wisp of flame sealed the bottle's mouth.
The entire sequence flowed as smoothly as water, leaving no room for criticism.
While Xiao Ling was refining pills, in another courtyard of the Xiao Clan, a youth in green hurried inside, shouting as he ran.
"Big sis... brother-in-law is back... Big sis... brother-in-law is back..."
What a voice. It could be heard from far away. The Xiao Clan youths in the nearby courtyards all shook their heads and thought to themselves.
"Why don't I have an older sister? Look at how smug Xiao Ning is...
Every day, he brags to us about his older sister and brother-in-law... our ears are practically callused from hearing it."
Inside the courtyard, Xiao Yu had been practicing the coordination between Phantom Nine Steps and Sword Finger.
But when she heard her younger brother's words, she angrily jabbed out with a Sword Finger.
"Damn... Big sis, are you trying to murder your own little brother?!"
Xiao Ning shrank his head back in shock like a turtle, then reached up to touch his free middle part and threw back his neck as he shouted,
"Hmph! Xiao Ning, you've gotten bold, haven't you? You actually dared to spread rumors outside and smear Brother Xiao Ling's name. Looks like I need to loosen your bones!"
Without another word, Xiao Yu stepped forward, actually using Phantom Nine Steps. She clearly did not hold back at all. Xiao Ning was so frightened that he turned and ran, shouting as he fled.
"Brother-in-law, save me... my sister wants to murder your brother-in-law..."
"Xiao Ning, shout that again and I'll cripple you!!!"
At that shout, all the younger members of the Xiao Clan erupted into excitement.
Xiao Yu was so enraged that she kicked out, sending Xiao Ning tumbling face-first onto the ground.
She had been cultivating these past few days and had not paid attention to such trivial matters. Who would have thought that her little brother would cause her such enormous trouble?
How could she not be angry? What if Brother Xiao Ling blamed her for it?
Before you continue