A somewhat familiar voice, one he could not immediately identify, rang out.
Xiao Yan looked toward the source of the voice, surprised.
Nalan Yanran? Why was she here?
Frank had been interrupted and was somewhat displeased, but when he saw the Misty Cloud Sect robes worn by Nalan Yanran and the elder beside her, he temporarily suppressed his anger.
"I am the president of the Alchemist Guild here, Frank. What business do you two have with me? Please be quick."
Nalan Yanran and Yun Jing saw the Tier 4 Alchemist robes Frank wore and exchanged a glance before nodding.
Yun Jing stepped forward and said with a smile, "President Frank, greetings. I am Yun Jing, an elder of the Misty Cloud Sect. This is our young sect mistress, Nalan Yanran."
Upon hearing their identities, Frank's anger gradually faded, and he revealed a smile. "So you are Nalan Yanran, the genius renowned throughout the Jia Ma Empire."
"Just an undeserved reputation." Nalan Yanran did not wish to dwell on it.
Because whenever she was praised, she remembered the day Xiao Yan had defeated her with ease.
The higher she was praised, the more formidable Xiao Yan seemed to become.
Before defeating Xiao Yan head-on, she did not want to hear such praise.
"President Frank, Elder Yun Jing and I have come for only a small matter. We will not take much of your time," Nalan Yanran said. "Please just take us to Alchemist Gute's residence."
Frank frowned, glanced at Xiao Yan beside him, and said to Nalan Yanran, "I do not have the time for that at present. I can arrange for someone else to take you there."
Yun Jing was somewhat surprised.
Frank was merely a Tier 4 Alchemist. While he would not bow and scrape before the Misty Cloud Sect, he should not have been so unwilling to show them any respect, should he?
"President Frank, do you have something urgent to attend to?" Yun Jing asked.
Frank looked at Xiao Yan. Seeing that Xiao Yan had no objections, he introduced him, "This senior Yan Xiao wishes to assess his alchemist rank here and refine a Tier 6 Medicinal Pill, the Dou Ling Pill."
"Watching a high-ranked Alchemist refine pills will benefit my own alchemy, so please do not waste this old man's time or Senior Yan Xiao's time," Frank said, growing increasingly impatient.
After saying that, he ignored Nalan Yanran and Yun Jing. Afraid of delaying Xiao Yan and displeasing him, he led Xiao Yan away to find a place to refine the Dou Ling Pill.
"Senior Yan Xiao, please come this way," Frank said ingratiatingly.
Xiao Yan nodded without saying a word, not even allowing his gaze to rest on Nalan Yanran.
It was merely a chance encounter.
It would be better to settle all their grievances at the Three-Year Agreement. Now was not the time.
Xiao Yan followed Frank away.
Nalan Yanran and Yun Jing exchanged glances and spoke in turn.
Nalan Yanran said, "Elder Yun Jing, an unfamiliar Alchemist who is suspected to be Sixth Tier..."
Yun Jing said, "As far as I know, all Sixth-Rank Alchemists throughout the Jia Ma Empire and even several neighboring empires are known figures. I have never heard of this Yan Xiao. Perhaps Frank has been deceived. We should investigate further."
"Then let us go and see. If he truly is an unfamiliar Sixth-Rank Alchemist, the Misty Cloud Sect must take action!" Yun Jing said solemnly.
Testing hall.
Frank specially cleared out ample space for Xiao Yan and prepared a medicine cauldron, then obediently stood to one side like a young apprentice.
Xiao Yan glanced at the medicine cauldron Frank had prepared. Its quality was not bad, but it was still not quite sufficient.
He used Heavenly Flames to refine pills. An ordinary medicine cauldron could not withstand the terrifying heat of Heavenly Flames.
"Teacher." Xiao Yan transmitted through his soul, saying no more than that.
Yao Lao replied, "Just take it yourself. Must you inform your teacher every single time?"
Xiao Yan chuckled, then took a medicine cauldron from his Storage Ring.
The medicine cauldron was entirely black, with few decorations. Ancient and steady in appearance, it seemed extraordinarily remarkable with only a simple flame totem upon it.
If one sensed it carefully, one would discover that the flame totem was not a useless ornament. It was a special totem capable of naturally absorbing fire-attributed energy from its surroundings.
If an Alchemist used this cauldron to refine pills, the quality of the resulting medicinal pills would improve by at least half a rank.
This cauldron was Yao Lao's personal medicine cauldron from when he was alive: the Black Demon Cauldron, ranked eighth on the Heavenly Cauldron Ranking.
After obtaining the Heavenly Flames, ordinary medicine cauldrons had found it difficult to endure their terrifying heat, so Yao Lao had taken out this cauldron for him to use.
His confidence in refining a Tier 7 Medicinal Pill also came from this cauldron's assistance.
"This cauldron truly is extraordinary," Frank praised.
Xiao Yan merely smiled and did not respond, beginning to take out the necessary Medicinal Herbs from his Storage Ring.
One Blood Python Branch... one Sixth-Rank Magical Core... and several other Medicinal Herbs.
The higher the rank of a medicinal pill, the more numerous and varied the Medicinal Herbs it generally required.
The Medicinal Herbs for a single Dou Ling Pill completely filled every open space on both sides of Xiao Yan.
Looking at these Medicinal Herbs, some of which he recognized and some he did not, but all of which were clearly precious at a glance, Frank became even more convinced that Xiao Yan was a Sixth-Rank Alchemist.
"Old Frank, I heard a Sixth-Rank Alchemist came to our guild to refine a Dou Ling Pill?! Why did you not call this old man? Do you know how long I will regret it if I miss this?!" An old man suddenly entered and complained to Frank.
Frank frowned, glanced at Xiao Yan, and said to Otto, "You are being so reckless. If you disturb the master's pill refinement, can you bear the responsibility?!"
Otto also realized this and hurriedly turned to Xiao Yan. Even with his old bones, he bowed deeply. "My sincerest apologies. This old man was simply too anxious and wished to observe your pill refinement process. I hope you can forgive me."
Xiao Yan casually waved a hand and did not pursue the matter.
He shifted his attention back to the medicine cauldron, preparing to begin refining the pill.
Yet just then, two more figures entered.
They were Nalan Yanran and Yun Jing.
The moment Nalan Yanran entered, she spoke to Frank and Otto. "We would also like to observe a Sixth-Rank Alchemist's pill refinement. Forgive our intrusion."
Frank could not directly drive out the young sect mistress and an elder of the Misty Cloud Sect, so he could only look toward Xiao Yan and ask for his opinion.
Xiao Yan had come precisely to display his abilities before others, so naturally he did not mind having spectators. He even said generously, "It is merely pill refinement. There is nothing to hide. If you wish, you may even call all the Alchemists of your Alchemist Guild to observe together."
Upon hearing Xiao Yan's words, both Frank and Otto wore expressions of gratitude and admiration.
He was willing to display his entire pill refinement process. He was simply a wonderfully generous person.
"Then please wait a moment, Master. We will call some Alchemists over at once to observe your alchemy," Frank and Otto said in unison.
Frank and Otto left to call people over.
Xiao Yan counted the Medicinal Herbs and confirmed that nothing was missing.
Not far away, however, Nalan Yanran had frowned tightly the very instant she heard Xiao Yan speak.
This Sixth-Rank Alchemy master's voice was unexpectedly so young.
And why did it somehow sound so similar to that voice in her memories?
Before you continue