Revealing the Heavenly Flame, Nalan Yanran's Joy

"You used to have to look up to me. Now, you still have to look up to me, and in the future, you'll have to look up to me as well."

"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, remained unforgettable to this day.

Whenever she broke through to a new realm or gained another star, just as a trace of pride began to rise in her heart, Xiao Yan's words would echo in her mind.

Even now, she could clearly recall the tone and inflection of Xiao Yan's words.

When it came to familiarity with Xiao Yan's voice, she was undoubtedly among the very best.

That was why she instantly caught that trace of familiarity in this Sixth-Rank Alchemist's voice.

Compared to the youthful voice he had possessed when she first broke off the engagement, this voice had become more mature. It also carried a touch of cool clarity and an exceptional magnetism.

Nalan Yanran looked at Xiao Yan, carefully examining every detail.

His height, bearing, and the cadence of his speech.

She silently compared them, then suddenly felt that they were not quite so similar after all.

The physique of this Sixth-Rank Alchemist before her differed somewhat from the Xiao Yan in her memories.

Strictly speaking, it was more perfect.

The proportions of his body, the width of his shoulders, the length of his arms—even through his robes, Nalan Yanran could tell that this Sixth-Rank Alchemist's physique was far better proportioned than Xiao Yan's as she knew him.

A person's height could change, but the proportions of their body could not.

The person before her absolutely could not be Xiao Yan.

And thinking about it further, 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, he could not possibly have reached such a level by now.

After considering every aspect, 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 Second-Rank Alchemists, while even the Third-Rank Alchemists looked at Xiao Yan with ingratiating expressions.

Surprisingly, two girls without even a rank were mixed among these Alchemists.

One was bright and adorable, while the other was cool and elegant. Both were rare beauties.

"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 and uninhibited personality, while the other was as refined and graceful as a lotus.

In terms of appearance, neither of them 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, optimized in every respect. Xiao Yan was willing to give her an extra hundred points.

Thinking of Xiao Yi Xian, Xiao Yan lost interest in admiring beauties. He casually waved his hand, telling everyone to quietly observe, then began refining the pill on his own.

After positioning the Medicine Cauldron 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 phantoms of countless beasts emerged within the fire.

The moment this flame appeared, everyone present felt their bodies grow heavy and was seized by an inexplicable fear.

Some tried to transform their Dou Qi into flames, yet found themselves unable to maintain them no matter what they did.

"What kind of flame is this? It's so strange! I can't even trigger Dou Qi flame transformation!"

"A special flame capable of suppressing other flames?! Could it be a Heavenly Flame?!"

"A Heavenly Flame?"

"This flame is crimson, and its form resembles countless magical beasts. Could it be the legendary Myriad Beast Spirit Flame?" an experienced Alchemist said.

"The Myriad Beast Spirit Flame! Yes, this is definitely that Heavenly Flame!"

"I never expected that today, not only would I be able 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 differed somewhat from everyone else's.

She was delighted because she had actually encountered an Alchemist who possessed a Heavenly Flame!

She recalled the message her clan had sent her some time ago.

The Nalan Clan had informed her that the Brand Poison which her grandfather, Nalan Jie, had suppressed within his body for years was showing signs of erupting soon.

Once the Brand Poison truly erupted, the grandfather who loved her dearly would lose his life within a few months, and the Nalan Clan would lose its pillar.

Even after the Nalan Clan paid a considerable price to invite Gu He to help, the Brand Poison remained beyond treatment.

They had only received a despairing message from Gu He.

The Brand Poison within Nalan Jie's body had already seeped into his bones. It had to be completely burned away by an overwhelmingly powerful flame, and this also required powerful soul perception and control over fire.

Moreover, 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 despaired.

Those who possessed powerful soul perception and fire control were already few in number. Almost only Alchemists met those requirements.

And Alchemists themselves were exceedingly rare.

On top of that, the Alchemist had to possess a Heavenly Flame.

That was a Heavenly Flame. Among the Alchemists of the entire Jia Ma Empire, let alone those who possessed one, few had even heard of one, and almost none had ever seen one.

The Nalan Clan could only hold on day by day now. They had posted a reward: whoever could cure Nalan Jie could take one of the Nalan Clan's greatest treasures.

But this was merely a desperate measure, an attempt to try their luck.

Almost everyone in the Nalan Clan had already assumed that, in a few months, Nalan Jie would be unable to suppress the Brand Poison any longer and would thus end his lifetime 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 sheer coincidence, she had encountered someone who possessed a Heavenly Flame.

And this Heavenly Flame wielder was a Sixth-Rank Alchemy master!

An Alchemy master like this 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 and glanced at her. Remembering that her eyes had only become so heated after he summoned the Heavenly Flame, he immediately thought of the Nalan Jie whose Brand Poison had erupted in the original story.

Judging by the timeline, Nalan Jie should not yet be as weak as he had been in the original story, but he probably would not be able to suppress the Brand Poison for much longer.

Xiao Yan did not dwell on the matter and soon cast it aside.

Unless Nalan Jie truly reached the point where the Brand Poison erupted and death was imminent, he likely would not be willing to hand over the treasure known as Seven Illusion Green Spirit Saliva.

Before then, there was no need for Xiao Yan to rush over and help. After all, he had no ties to the Nalan Clan. He only needed to consider how to obtain the greatest 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 definitely break through to the Dou Wang realm.

This Dou Ling Pill had been prepared for his future self, with the goal of making it the finest possible.