When You're Out and About, You Give Yourself Your Own Identity

It was finally time... Hearing that sigh, Ning Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, making it impossible for anyone to read his expression.

As the voice faded, the black ring detached itself from Xiao Yan's finger and floated in mid-air. Immediately after, amidst swirling white mist, an aged, translucent figure emerged from within.

Yao Chen's expression was incredibly complex. He looked at the young man before him, whose aura was unfathomable and whose demeanor was calm, and after a moment of hesitation, he finally lowered his posture significantly and bowed solemnly to Ning Chen.

"This junior, Yao Chen, pays his respects to the senior. I do not know where you hail from, nor why you recognize this lingering soul of mine... Now that I have appeared, I only hope the senior will show mercy."

"Regardless of whether I, in my younger years, was blind and offended you, I shall bear all the karma myself. Young friend Xiao Yan and the Xiao Clan here have nothing to do with this matter; I implore you, senior, not to implicate them."

"Mr. Ning, you... you knew all along that the reason for my declining Dou Qi was because of this old guy?! And you've known him for a long time?!"

Xiao Yan looked at everything unfolding before him, shocked.

At this moment, even if he were a fool, he would have understood: from the very first time Ning Chen met him, he knew that his loss of Dou Qi was entirely due to this old guy!

He even knew the true identity of this old guy!

Ning Chen ignored Xiao Yan's question. Looking at Yao Chen, who was bowing to him, he kept his face deathly straight, trying his best not to laugh out loud.

"Rise."

Ning Chen waved his hand casually, his tone flat and waveless, revealing neither joy nor anger.

"I have traveled far and wide, and I have always had little interest in the infighting and struggles of the sects and factions in the Central Plains. However, I have heard of the name Starfall Pavilion. I am also somewhat aware of your reputation from years past, Yao Chen."

He paused, then continued, "Calling you out today was merely a whim. I wanted to hear what a former master alchemist like you encountered to end up in such a state. If I truly had malicious intent..."

Ning Chen's voice remained calm, yet it sent a slight chill through Yao Chen's soul body.

"You wouldn't have lived long enough to speak this moment."

"The senior is right." Yao Chen nodded in agreement.

Just as Ning Chen said, if he wanted him dead, he wouldn't have waited until today. In his current state, he had no power to resist whatsoever.

To be able to call him a "little guy" so nonchalantly, and to be so familiar with the landscape of the Central Plains, could he be... some reclusive Dou Sheng powerhouse?

Yao Chen's brain worked at high speed, secretly guessing Ning Chen's identity.

As for the three-star Da Dou Shi cultivation the other party was displaying?

Don't make a Yao Zunzhe laugh. Would a three-star Da Dou Shi from your family dare to call a dignified nine-turn Dou Zun a "little guy"? Is your entire clan looking to be wiped out?

"The senior's eyes are like torches. My meager skills and past embarrassments are truly not worth mentioning."

Yao Chen gave a bitter smile, then tentatively asked, "I wonder, besides asking about the past, does the senior have any other instructions for calling me out today? Although my remnant soul is weak, I still have some insights into alchemy and might be able to offer a little help."

Xiao Yan, standing to the side, felt his heart surging. On one hand, he was shocked by the old guy's former illustrious status, and on the other, he was even more stunned by Ning Chen's transcendent posture, which seemed to look down upon all living beings.

He couldn't help but interject, filled with grievance and resentment, "Mr. Ning, since you knew all along that he was absorbing my Dou Qi, why didn't you tell me sooner? Do you know that these past few years I..."

"And what if I told you?" Ning Chen glanced at Xiao Yan indifferently, cutting off his complaint.

"With your strength and state of mind at the time, what would you have done other than throw the ring away on the spot? Fortune and misfortune are intertwined; if not for the humiliation of those few years, would you be able to meet Pavilion Master Yao Chen now?"

Xiao Yan was left speechless. Upon reflection, he felt there was some truth to it.

But everyone understands the logic of "bitter first, sweet later," yet no one can guarantee that if you start with bitterness, you won't be eating it for a lifetime.

Starting with bitterness doesn't necessarily lead to sweetness, but starting with sweetness is definitely sweet.

Seeing this, Yao Chen quickly cast an apologetic and complex look at Xiao Yan, then turned respectfully back to Ning Chen.

"The senior's reprimand is correct. This matter is indeed where I owe young friend Xiao Yan much. I have long intended to take young friend Xiao Yan as my disciple; if he is willing, I will certainly do my utmost to cultivate him."

Ning Chen nodded slightly; as long as the framework of the plot didn't change, it was fine.

He stopped beating around the bush and stated his purpose directly, "It's not a matter of ordering you around. I am indeed looking for you today to ask one thing."

His gaze became a bit more profound. "When I was traveling in the Chu Yun Empire, I happened to encounter a young girl whose Woeful Poison Body had already awakened. You should be no stranger to this constitution."

Upon hearing this, Yao Chen's soul body trembled slightly, and he blurted out, "Woeful Poison Body?!"

A look of gravity and realization flashed in his eyes. As a former master alchemist, he naturally understood the horror and tragic ending of this constitution.

If it weren't Ning Chen saying this, Yao Chen would definitely have chosen to offer kind advice, telling the other party to stay as far away from the Woeful Poison Body as possible, or even, if that person were of poor character, to eliminate the root of the trouble.

But if the other party might be a Dou Sheng... then Yao Chen could only say, whatever makes you happy, senior.

"Correct." Ning Chen nodded.

"I observed that her nature is pure and kind, not one of great evil, and I cannot help but feel a sense of pity that she is tortured by this constitution."

"I have heard that you possess a method that uses Heavenly Flames as a foundation, supplemented by specific materials, to condense a 'Poison Pill' for the Woeful Poison Body, thereby controlling the backlash of the poison?"

Yao Chen was even more suspicious in his heart.

The control method for the Woeful Poison Body should be known to no one but me. How could he know?!

"The senior's insight is brilliant." Yao Chen dared not hide anything and answered truthfully, "In my early years, I did indeed study the Woeful Poison Body by chance and deduced a concept for condensing a Poison Pill to balance the toxins."

"But this method remained only in theory. It requires three types of Heavenly Flames as the lead, the materials are extremely harsh, and the process is incredibly dangerous. I have never actually practiced it..."

"Theory is enough." Ning Chen waved his hand dismissively. "I need this method, and in exchange..."

He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over Yao Chen and the eavesdropping Xiao Yan, and said indifferently, "I can promise that if you two master and disciple encounter a life-or-death crisis in the future and I happen to be present, I will intervene once. This promise is limited to when either you, Yao Chen, or your disciple Xiao Yan are in mortal danger."

A promise of intervention from someone suspected to be a Dou Sheng!

Yao Chen's soul body fluctuated violently. The value of this promise, let alone for him in his current, incredibly weak state surrounded by powerful enemies.

Even for him at the peak of the Nine-Star Dou Zun, this promise would be considered priceless!

With almost no hesitation, Yao Chen made a swift decision and bowed deeply once more, "Thank you for your great kindness, Senior! I am deeply grateful! I shall immediately inform you of the detailed derivation process and the required materials for the Poison Pill method!"

This senior's strength was unfathomable, yet he was willing to go to such lengths to trade for a girl with the Woeful Poison Body he had encountered by chance; perhaps he was not a cold and heartless person.

Establishing a good relationship with him might be an immeasurable opportunity for me and for Xiao Yan's future! Yao Chen thought to himself.

Xiao Yan listened from the side, his heart racing with excitement. A promise of intervention from a mysterious powerhouse! This was practically an extra life-saving talisman!

As for what Yao Chen had said earlier about taking him as a disciple, although he was furious about Yao Chen absorbing his Dou Qi, Xiao Yan did not let his anger cloud his judgment.

A master alchemist who came from Zhongzhou and held a significant reputation there—trading a few years of humiliation to be taken as a disciple by such a person was not a bad deal after all.

Ning Chen was quite satisfied with Yao Chen's promptness and nodded slightly, "Very well. You may engrave the method onto a jade slip. As for the materials, I will keep an eye out for them myself."