Xiao Chen put away the Dragon-Tiger Pill, brushed the dust off himself, and prepared to leave.
A flicker of confusion crossed Yao Yue's face.
Xiao Chen glanced at her but said nothing. He walked around her and started to leave.
"Stop."
Yao Yue suddenly called out.
Xiao Chen stopped and turned his head to look at her.
"What is it?"
Xiao Chen asked coolly.
Yao Yue bit her lip and hesitated.
"The pill you just refined—what grade was it?"
Yao Yue asked.
Xiao Chen looked at her and fell silent for a moment.
"In terms of quality, it counts as a Seventh-Rank pill."
Xiao Chen said coolly.
Yao Yue's eyes widened instantly.
"Seventh-Rank?"
Xiao Chen said nothing more and turned to leave.
Yao Yue stood rooted to the spot, completely stunned.
A Seventh-Rank Alchemist.
Xiao Chen was actually a Seventh-Rank Alchemist.
The strongest alchemist in the Jia Ma Empire was Gu He, and he was only a Sixth-Rank Alchemist.
What was more, Master Gu He was already middle-aged, and his success rate refining Sixth-Grade Pills was still low.
But how old was Xiao Chen?
Barely over twenty, and he could already refine Seventh-Rank pills?
What did it mean to be a Seventh-Rank Alchemist?
There wasn't a single Seventh-Rank Alchemist in the entire Jia Ma Empire.
Even across the whole continent, a Seventh-Rank Alchemist was someone the major factions would eagerly try to recruit.
A single Seventh-Rank Alchemist could make a sect prosper.
Yet Xiao Chen, a Snake-Person, was actually a Seventh-Rank Alchemist.
A Dou Zong powerhouse.
A Heavenly Flame.
A Seventh-Rank Alchemist.
Any one of those three was enough to leave countless geniuses in the dust.
And Xiao Chen had all three.
Someone like him was a top-tier genius—not just in the Jia Ma Empire, but across the entire continent.
A thought suddenly surfaced in Yao Yue's mind.
She looked up in the direction Xiao Chen had gone.
"Xiao Chen."
Yao Yue called out.
Xiao Chen stopped but didn't turn around.
"You bullied my sister last night. I haven't even made you answer for it yet."
Yao Yue said, her voice carrying a hint of anger.
Xiao Chen turned around and looked at her.
"And?"
Xiao Chen asked coolly.
"And..."
"Never mind. I'll bully you tonight."
Xiao Chen said.
Yao Yue's face turned red at once.
The blush reached her ears.
"You... You jerk."
Yao Yue stood there, stamping her feet in anger.
Without looking back, Xiao Chen raised a hand in farewell and disappeared at the end of the corridor.
Yao Yue was furious, her chest rising and falling sharply.
But even as she fumed, the image of Xiao Chen refining the pill just now resurfaced in her mind.
Blue-green flames danced in his palm as the medicinal ingredients slowly melted within them.
The way he'd remained so composed really was charming.
Yao Yue shook her head again.
No, no.
What was she thinking?
He was a Snake-Person, an enemy.
And yet she couldn't help thinking about it.
A Seventh-Rank Alchemist.
Even Master Gu He, the strongest alchemist in the Jia Ma Empire, was only a Sixth-Rank Alchemist.
Xiao Chen was so young, yet he could already refine Seventh-Rank pills.
His talent was simply heaven-defying.
If she married him...
Yao Yue took a deep breath and headed back to her quarters.
When Yao Yue returned to her room, Yao Ye was sitting on the edge of the bed.
Seeing her younger sister come in, Yao Ye looked up.
"Yue'er, where did you go?"
Yao Ye asked.
Yao Yue sat down beside her sister, her expression complicated.
"Sister, I saw Xiao Chen just now."
Yao Yue said.
Yao Ye frowned slightly.
"Did he bully you?"
Yao Ye asked.
"No."
Yao Yue shook her head. "I saw him refining a pill."
Yao Ye froze for a moment.
"Refining a pill?"
Yao Ye asked. "Is he an alchemist?"
"More than just an alchemist."
Yao Yue said. "Sister, guess what rank he is?"
Yao Ye thought for a moment.
"Third-Rank?"
Yao Ye ventured.
Yao Yue shook her head.
"Fourth-Rank?"
Yao Ye tried again.
Yao Yue still shook her head.
Yao Ye's expression changed.
"Don't tell me he's Fifth-Rank?"
Yao Ye asked, her voice tinged with shock.
"Seventh-Rank."
Yao Yue said.
Yao Ye shot to her feet.
"What did you say?"
Yao Ye exclaimed in disbelief. "A Seventh-Rank Alchemist?"
"I saw it with my own eyes."
Yao Yue said. "He admitted it himself, too."
Yao Ye stood frozen, unable to speak for a long time.
A Seventh-Rank Alchemist.
Xiao Chen was actually a Seventh-Rank Alchemist.
Gu He, the strongest alchemist in the Jia Ma Empire, was only Sixth-Rank.
And Master Gu He was far older than Xiao Chen.
"How is that possible..."
Yao Ye murmured. "He's so young. How could he possibly be a Seventh-Rank Alchemist?"
"Sister, I couldn't believe it either."
Yao Yue said. "But I saw him refine the pill myself. There's no way his technique was a mistake."
"And he has a Heavenly Flame, too."
Yao Ye froze again.
"A Heavenly Flame?"
Yao Ye asked.
"A blue-green flame, extremely hot. It should be the Green Lotus Core Flame from the Heavenly Flame Ranking."
Yao Yue said.
Yao Ye fell silent.
The two sisters both fell silent.
The atmosphere in the room grew rather strange.
"Sister, do you think if we married him, it might..."
Yao Yue bit her lip and trailed off.
"Might what?"
"Might actually be pretty nice..."
Yao Yue had been the one most opposed to marrying Xiao Chen.
And now she was saying it might be pretty nice to marry him?
"Yue'er, you..."
Yao Ye looked at her younger sister, astonishment filling her eyes.
"I was just saying."
Yao Yue hurried to explain. "Don't read too much into it, Sister."
Yao Ye looked at her sister's slightly flushed face and understood.
She didn't call her out, merely nodding gently.
The sisters fell silent again, each lost in her own thoughts.
Inside the main hall.
Queen Medusa sat on her throne, resting with her eyes closed.
Footsteps sounded outside the hall.
Xiao Chen walked in.
Queen Medusa opened her eyes and looked at him.
"You're here?"
Queen Medusa said coolly.
Xiao Chen walked to the center of the hall and took the Dragon-Tiger Pill from his robes.
"Your Majesty, I prepared this for you."
Xiao Chen said.
Queen Medusa looked at the pill in Xiao Chen's hand, surprise flashing in her eyes.
"The Dragon-Tiger Pill."
Xiao Chen said. "It's a Sixth-Grade Pill that can help a Dou Zong powerhouse increase her strength by one star."
"But after I refined it, its quality reached Seventh-Rank."
Queen Medusa's expression changed.
Queen Medusa glanced at him and popped the Dragon-Tiger Pill into her mouth.
As the pill entered her stomach, a vast surge of medicinal power erupted in an instant.
Queen Medusa closed her eyes and guided the medicinal power with her Dou Qi.
The medicinal power surged through her meridians, battering against the bottleneck.
A moment later, Queen Medusa suddenly opened her eyes.
A powerful aura burst from her.
Her strength had increased by one star.
Queen Medusa felt the Dou Qi within her grow even more potent, and a glimmer of delight flashed in her eyes.
As Xiao Chen watched Queen Medusa, a mechanical voice sounded in his mind.
[Queen Medusa's favorability increased by 10%.] [Current favorability: 25%.]
Xiao Chen looked at the prompt on the system panel, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
Another ten percent.
Before you continue