"Once, you had to look up to me. Now, you still have to look up to me, and in the future, you will have to look up to me just the same."
"Work hard. Don't end up unable to even see my back."
Xiao Yan's almost dismissive gaze and his calm tone, as though he did not take her seriously at all, were things she had never forgotten.
Whenever she broke through to a new realm or advanced another star level, the moment a trace of pride and complacency arose in her heart, Xiao Yan's words would ring in her mind.
Even now, she could clearly recall the tone and inflection of those words.
When it came to familiarity with Xiao Yan's voice, she was definitely among the best.
Thus, she instantly recognized that faint sense of familiarity in this Sixth-Rank Alchemist's voice.
Compared to the youthful voice from when she had first called off the engagement, this voice had grown more mature. It also carried a hint of crisp coolness and was exceptionally magnetic.
Nalan Yanran looked at Xiao Yan and carefully observed every detail.
His height, bearing, and the rise and fall of his speech.
She silently compared them in her heart, then suddenly felt that they were not quite so alike.
This Sixth-Rank Alchemist's physique was different from the Xiao Yan in her memories.
More precisely, it was more perfect.
The proportions of his body, the breadth of his shoulders, the length of his arms—though he was clad in robes, Nalan Yanran could tell that this Sixth-Rank Alchemist's bodily proportions far surpassed those of the Xiao Yan she knew.
A person's height could change, but their bodily proportions could not.
The person before her absolutely could not be Xiao Yan.
Thinking of it that way, how could Xiao Yan possibly be a Sixth-Rank Alchemist?
Xiao Yan was even younger than she was, only a little over seventeen.
Even judging by the talent he had displayed in his youth, it was impossible for him to have reached such a level by now.
Taking every factor into account, Nalan Yanran completely ruled out the possibility that this Sixth-Rank Alchemist was Xiao Yan.
While Nalan Yanran was deep in thought, Otto and Frank had already returned with a group of Alchemists.
At a glance, there were at least a dozen of them. The lowest-ranked among them were Tier 2 Alchemists, while even the Tier 3 Alchemists looked at Xiao Yan with flattering expressions.
Rather unexpectedly, two girls without even an Alchemist rank had mingled among them.
One was bright and adorable, while the other was cool and elegant. Both were beauties rarely seen.
"Master, these are my and old Otto's respective disciples, Xue Mei and Lin Fei."
Frank introduced the two beauties and specifically mentioned their identities, lest Xiao Yan be displeased.
Xiao Yan glanced at the two women. From their attire alone, he could tell that one had a passionate, uninhibited temperament, while the other possessed an elegance as pure as a lotus.
In terms of appearance, neither lost to Xiao Yi Xian.
Though that was Xiao Yi Xian before her Woeful Poison Body awakened.
After her Woeful Poison Body awakened, Xiao Yi Xian had directly transformed into a white-haired beauty, with every aspect optimized to perfection. Xiao Yan was willing to give her an extra hundred points.
Thinking of Xiao Yi Xian, Xiao Yan lost interest in looking at beauties. He casually waved his hand, telling everyone to quietly observe, then began refining the pill on his own.
After setting the Medicine Cauldron in place and checking the medicinal ingredients once more, Xiao Yan manipulated his Dou Qi and tossed the herbs into the cauldron one by one.
Then, crimson flames sprang from his palm, and phantom images of countless beasts appeared within the fire.
The instant this flame emerged, everyone present felt their bodies grow heavy, seized by an inexplicable fear.
Some attempted to transform their Dou Qi into fire, yet found themselves unable to maintain it no matter what they did.
"What kind of flame is this? It's so strange! I can't even draw out my Dou Qi to form fire!"
"A special flame that can suppress other flames?! Could it be a Heavenly Flame?!"
"A Heavenly Flame?"
"This flame is crimson, and its shape resembles countless magical beasts. Could it be the legendary Myriad Beast Spirit Flame?" an experienced Alchemist said.
"Myriad Beast Spirit Flame! Yes, this must be that Heavenly Flame!"
"I never thought that today, not only would I get to observe a Sixth-Rank Alchemist refining pills, but I would also be fortunate enough to see a Heavenly Flame! Heavens, what kind of luck is this?"
The room immediately erupted into discussion, filled almost entirely with shock and surprise.
Nalan Yanran was no exception. Her eyes widened, brimming with joy.
However, the reason for her surprise was somewhat different from everyone else's.
She was delighted because she had actually encountered an Alchemist who possessed a Heavenly Flame!
She recalled the message her family had sent some time ago.
Her family had informed her that the Brand Poison which her grandfather, Nalan Jie, had suppressed in his body for years had recently shown signs of erupting.
Once the Brand Poison truly erupted, within a few months, her grandfather, who had always doted on her, would lose his life, and the Nalan Clan would lose its pillar.
Even after the Nalan Clan had paid a considerable price to invite Gu He to help, the Brand Poison had remained untreatable.
All they received from Gu He was a despairing message.
The Brand Poison in Nalan Jie's body had already seeped into his bones and marrow. It had to be completely burned away by an extremely powerful flame, and this also required formidable Soul Perception and control over fire.
Furthermore, the flame could not be an ordinary one. It had to be a Heavenly Flame.
Once this method was proposed, the entire Nalan Clan had nearly fallen into despair.
Those who possessed formidable Soul Perception and control over flames were already few in number, and almost only Alchemists met those requirements.
Yet Alchemists were exceedingly rare as well.
On top of that, the Alchemist was required to possess a Heavenly Flame.
That was a Heavenly Flame. Among the Alchemists of the Jia Ma Empire, let alone those who possessed one, few had even heard of one, and virtually none had ever seen one.
The Nalan Clan could now only endure one day at a time. They had posted a reward: whoever could cure Nalan Jie could take away one of the Nalan Clan's greatest treasures.
But this was merely a desperate measure, nothing more than trying their luck.
Almost everyone in the Nalan Clan had already resigned themselves to the belief that in a few months, Nalan Jie would be unable to suppress the Brand Poison and would thus end his life of military service.
Though Nalan Yanran was extremely unwilling to accept it, she believed the same in her heart.
But now, a turning point had appeared!
By chance, she had encountered someone who possessed a Heavenly Flame.
And this possessor of a Heavenly Flame was even a grand Alchemist of the Sixth Tier!
Such a master Alchemist could not possibly lack Soul Perception or control over fire. He could definitely remove the Brand Poison!
Xiao Yan noticed Nalan Yanran's overly fervent gaze. He glanced at her, then recalled that her eyes had only turned passionate after he summoned the Heavenly Flame, immediately thinking of the Nalan Jie whose Brand Poison had erupted in the original story.
According to the timeline, Nalan Jie should not yet be as weak as he had been in the original story, but he likely would not be able to suppress the Brand Poison for much longer.
Xiao Yan did not dwell on the matter and quickly cast it aside.
As for the treasure, Seven Illusion Green Spirit Saliva, Nalan Jie would probably only be willing to hand it over when the Brand Poison truly erupted and he stood on the brink of death.
Before then, there was no need for Xiao Yan to rush over and help. After all, he had no friendship with the Nalan Clan. He only needed to consider how to seize the greatest possible benefit.
With that in mind, Xiao Yan focused on refining the medicinal pill.
As a Tier 6 Medicinal Pill, the Dou Ling Pill was not something he would take lightly.
On his journey to the Tagor Desert, he would surely break through to the Dou Wang realm.
This Dou Ling Pill had been prepared for his future self, and he sought nothing less than the best.
Before you continue