At the edge of the Tagor Desert, a figure cloaked in black raced along the ground in a wretched state.
He was covered in blood, his aura terribly feeble, and his unsteady steps threatened to send him sprawling at any moment.
He was one of those who had narrowly escaped Lin Chen that day.
He was no member of a native force in the Jia Ma Empire. He came from a terrifying organization:
the Soul Hall.
At that moment, his fading consciousness remained filled with boundless fear.
That terrifying power that had directly devoured his Soul Origin.
And that seemingly young figure, who was like an ancient demon god...
"Monster... He's an absolute monster!" He clutched the hideous wound on his chest and let out a hoarse roar.
"A Dou Wang around ten years old? No!"
"That was no ordinary Dou Wang... That flame... I've never heard of anything like it!"
Whenever he recalled that eerily beautiful blood-red lotus flame, his body trembled uncontrollably.
That flame could actually burn Soul Imprints directly. Its ability to suppress members of the Soul Hall far surpassed that of ordinary Heavenly Flames!
"Could it be that he has some terrifying ancient legacy behind him, one we don't know about?" The more he thought about it, the more alarmed he became.
"If this boy doesn't fall under the Soul Hall's control, he'll become a grave threat sooner or later!"
"I have to... I have to send word back to the branch hall immediately!"
"Those venerable elders will be extremely interested in such talent and such secrets!"
"Even if we can't bring him under our control, we must kill him at any cost!"
He endured the agony of his body tearing apart and circulated what little Dou Qi he had left to keep himself upright.
He became a staggering black shadow and fled frantically toward a secret contact point.
Lin Chen's appearance was like a massive stone thrown into stagnant water.
It would stir up unpredictable waves across the region and even in higher circles.
Elsewhere, Lin Chen and Hai Bodong didn't head straight for Black Rock City.
"Lin Chen, are we going straight to Black Rock City?" Hai Bodong asked. With his strength about to recover, he was in excellent spirits.
"Let's go to Mo City first," Lin Chen said calmly.
He remembered that two little girls he cared about were waiting there.
The two changed direction and flew toward Shi Mo City.
At their speed, it didn't take long to reach the city at the edge of the Tagor Desert.
They went straight to the familiar map shop where Hai Bodong had once lived in seclusion. The moment they pushed open the door,
two graceful figures hurried over to greet them.
"Lin Chen! You're finally back!" Xiao Yi Xian's voice was filled with excitement, tinged with a hint of grievance.
She still wore her pale dress, her bearing ethereal. The moment she saw Lin Chen, her bright eyes lit up as if filled with stars.
"Brother Lin Chen..." Qing Lin called timidly.
Three tiny flowers turned faintly in her emerald-green eyes. Her little hands unconsciously clutched the hem of her clothes. She wanted to move closer, but felt a little shy.
Lin Chen had left the two of them here to wait, and Hai Bodong had left some people behind to look after them.
But they had spent every day longing for Lin Chen. Now that he had returned, they couldn't hide the joy on their faces.
"Mm. Judging by how well you look, you haven't been slacking off these past few days." Lin Chen's gaze swept over the two girls, and the corners of his mouth curved up.
He could sense that Xiao Yi Xian had made progress in controlling her Woe Poison Body, and the power within Qing Lin had also grown much steadier.
Watching them, Hai Bodong stroked his beard and laughed. "Ha ha, young Lin Chen, you certainly know how to take care of people. These two little girls are doing well under your care, and their talents really are extraordinary."
Lin Chen didn't respond. He simply told the two girls, "Pack your things. I'm taking you somewhere new."
"Sure!" Xiao Yi Xian replied at once and turned to fetch her few belongings.
Her face was full of anticipation.
Qing Lin nodded quickly, then followed after her with light steps.
The two girls didn't have much luggage, so they were ready in no time.
Lin Chen swept Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin up with a gentle wave of Dou Qi and smiled. "Hold on tight. Let's go."
Then he soared into the sky with Hai Bodong, heading toward Black Rock City.
Black Rock City was one of the largest cities in the eastern part of the Jia Ma Empire.
Its Alchemist Guild branch was second in scale only to the headquarters in the imperial capital.
As usual, Black Rock City's skies were bustling that day, with people coming and going.
Suddenly, two vast, powerful auras swept over from the horizon without warning, like dark clouds pressing down on a city!
Countless people in the city looked up in shock. They saw a blue streak and a red streak of light hurtling through the sky.
They stopped above the Alchemist Guild. As their light faded, two figures came into view.
At the head was a black-clad, black-haired youth with handsome features and eyes as deep as a star-filled sea.
He stood with his hands behind his back, his robes fluttering in the wind.
Beside him stood a white-haired old man with a sharp, imposing aura.
Chilling air swirled around him.
Even more astonishingly, behind them, Dou Qi wings beat faintly.
They bore two lovely-looking young women whose faces showed a mix of nervousness and curiosity.
"Dou Qi wings! A Dou Wang expert! No, that old man's aura... It's far beyond a Dou Wang!" someone cried out.
"What are they doing? Stopping right above the Alchemist Guild?!"
"That youth looks so young... Is he a Dou Wang too? How is that possible?!"
The entire city of Black Rock seemed to hit pause at the sudden arrival of these powerful figures.
Countless gazes fixed on the figures in the sky.
The Alchemist Guild erupted into an uproar.
To arrive with such an undisguised aura was nothing less than a challenge to the Guild's authority!
Several figures immediately rushed out of the Guild's main hall.
At the head were two old men wearing fourth-grade alchemist robes.
They looked gravely at Lin Chen and Hai Bodong in the sky. They were the highest-grade alchemists in the Black Rock City Alchemist Guild: both were fourth-grade.
"May we ask who you two are? This is the Alchemist Guild. What brings you here?" asked a fourth-grade alchemist named Otto in a deep voice.
His tone was courteous, but there was a hint of questioning in it. After all, the Alchemist Guild held a lofty position, and few dared to swagger into the airspace above it.
Hai Bodong snorted and released the full force of his Six-Star Dou Emperor aura.
The icy chill made the two fourth-grade alchemists' faces change dramatically. They could barely breathe!
"A... a Dou Emperor expert?!" The two were aghast.
Their attitudes instantly became exceedingly respectful, even fearful.
A Dou Emperor expert was among the strongest fighters in the Jia Ma Empire.
A branch guild like theirs couldn't afford to offend one.
Lin Chen spoke slowly. His voice was calm, yet it reached everyone below with perfect clarity. "I heard the Black Rock City Alchemist Guild can test alchemist ranks. I'm here to take the Sixth-Grade Alchemist test."
Boom!!!
The words exploded in the minds of everyone who heard them like a thunderclap!
What did he want to test for? A Sixth-Grade Alchemist?!
What kind of joke was that?!
The two fourth-grade alchemists nearly thought their ears had failed them.
They stared at the youth in the sky in utter disbelief.
The highest rank in their entire Black Rock City Alchemist Guild was fourth grade. To them, sixth grade was a legendary realm.
"Sixth... sixth grade?" Master Otto's voice was hoarse.
"Sir... You... You can't have misspoken, can you? The Sixth-Grade Alchemist test... It requires an elder from the headquarters to be present, and besides..."
He wanted to say that Lin Chen looked far too young. Even more, their branch didn't have the qualifications to conduct a sixth-grade test at all.
But he swallowed the words before they could leave his mouth, afraid of angering the Dou Emperor and the mysterious youth.
"No need for anyone else," Lin Chen said, still calm.
"I'll refine the pill, and you can evaluate it. Then you can report the results to the headquarters for the record."
With that, he paid no further heed to the crowd's astonishment. His gaze swept across the Guild buildings.
He headed straight down toward the largest testing hall.
Hai Bodong withdrew his aura and followed with Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin.
Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin stayed close behind Lin Chen, their little hands occasionally tugging at his sleeve.
They looked around at the magnificent buildings with curiosity and nervousness.
And at the people in alchemist robes.
Otto and another fourth-grade alchemist, Frank, exchanged glances.
They both saw indescribable shock and absurdity in the other's eyes.
But the youth had a Dou Emperor expert accompanying him, and he didn't look insane...
They gritted their teeth and hurried after him.
The Guild's other alchemists and staff flooded toward the testing hall like a rising tide.
No one wanted to miss what might be the moment they witnessed a miracle.
Inside the testing hall, Lin Chen casually walked over to the finest pill cauldron at its center.
"Sir, what medicinal ingredients do you need? For a Sixth-Grade Pill..." Otto hurried over, his manner exceedingly respectful.
But his heart was full of unease. Their branch had a decent stock of medicinal ingredients,
but they had only ever heard of the rare ingredients required for Sixth-Grade Pills.
"Break Sect Pill," Lin Chen said, naming a pill that made every alchemist present's heart pound.
It was a top-tier Sixth-Grade Pill that could help a Dou Emperor expert increase their chances of breaking through to Dou Zong!
It was among the most difficult Sixth-Grade Pills to refine. They had never even seen one!
With a casual wave of his hand, he brought out a pile of rare medicinal ingredients he had prepared earlier. They appeared on the table beside him.
The types and ages were exactly right, even a little better than the standard requirements.
That made Otto and the others' eyelids twitch again.
Carrying such a complete set of high-grade ingredients on him already said plenty.
Without another word, Lin Chen turned his palm over.
A strange and gorgeous blood-red lotus flame surged up in an instant.
It bathed the entire hall in a mysterious, sacred red glow!
"Heavenly Flame?!" The alchemists who recognized it shrieked, their voices changing pitch!
Countless gazes burned with feverish intensity and madness. A Heavenly Flame! It was a legendary Heavenly Flame!
The Red Lotus Karma Fire entered the pill cauldron, yet the temperature in the hall didn't rise.
Instead, the air filled with an aura of purification and solemnity.
The pill refining began!
Purification, fusion, condensation...
Lin Chen's movements flowed like water, smooth and precise, beautiful to the extreme.
With his Spirit Realm soul power and the Red Lotus Karma Fire bolstering him, the entire process was so fast that it dazzled the eye, yet terrifyingly stable!
Wherever the karmic flame passed, every impurity in the medicinal ingredients was instantly purified and incinerated.
Only the purest essence remained.
The medicinal liquids fused flawlessly, without the slightest clash of energy.
The surrounding alchemists went from disbelief, to staring open-mouthed,
then to watching in a daze, completely enthralled!
They had never seen such exquisite pill-refining techniques in their lives. Even a glimpse of them left them feeling that they had gained a great deal.
"So it's possible to purify them like that..."
"That control over his soul power... It's terrifying!"
"Look! The medicinal liquids have fused perfectly! There's not the slightest rejection! It's miraculous!"
The testing hall fell utterly silent. Only the faint whoosh of the karmic flame and the alchemists' ragged breathing could be heard.
Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin clasped hands tightly, their beautiful eyes fixed without blinking on the figure who ruled over everything in the hall.
Their eyes were full of pride and admiration.
Hai Bodong stroked his beard, smiling as if he shared in the glory.
Time flew by.
When the pill cauldron began to shake violently, letting out roars like dragons and tigers,
everyone knew the crucial moment of pill condensation had arrived!
An overpowering pill fragrance filled the entire hall, then drifted out through the doors and windows.
It reached the entire Alchemist Guild and the surrounding streets, filling everyone with delight and drawing astonished gazes toward the Guild.
"Pill fragrance gathering into clouds! That's a sign of a high-grade pill!" someone with broad experience cried out.
Inside the hall, Lin Chen's hand seals shifted, and his soul power surged into the pill cauldron one last time like a tide.
"Boom!"
The cauldron lid shot into the sky!
A dazzling purple pillar of light suddenly erupted from within the pill cauldron.
Pierced through the hall's roof and shot straight into the sky!
Within the pillar of light, the faint phantom of a dragon circled and roared!
Vast waves of energy swept in every direction!
"Pill energy taking form! A dragon's shadow accompanying it! This... this is a Break Sect Pill of perfect quality!" Master Otto trembled with excitement.
His old face flushed red, and he nearly fainted!
He had never seen such a perfect high-grade pill emerge in his entire life.
Let alone a legendary Sixth-Grade Pill!
Master Frank was even more excited, waving his arms and jumping around like a madman.
He grabbed the person beside him and shouted, "Do you see it? Do you see it? A perfect Pill Pattern! The dragon's shadow is guarding the pill!"
"A miracle! This is a miracle of alchemy!"
Every alchemist in the hall went wild!
They roared, embraced one another in excitement, and wept tears of joy.
As though they had witnessed a legend!
All thoughts of bearing and restraint, in the face of an absolute miracle,
were flung far beyond the clouds!
The violet light slowly faded, revealing three pills the size of dragon's eyes, gleaming purple all over, with natural dragon-shaped Pill Patterns on their surfaces and not a trace of pill energy escaping. They were perfect Break Sect Pills.
They hovered quietly above the medicine cauldron.
Lin Chen casually took out a jade bottle and put two of them away.
Then he handed the last one to Master Otto, who was too excited to speak.
"Assess it."
Master Otto took the pill, his hands trembling. It seemed almost alive.
Feeling the vast, pure energy within it and seeing its flawless Pill Pattern,
he was so moved that tears streamed down his face. "Perfect... flawless perfection! Sir... no, Master!"
"You... you're absolutely a sixth-grade Alchemy Grandmaster! No! Perhaps even higher!"
"We... we're not qualified to assess you at all. We must report this to the headquarters immediately!"
Frank hurried over as well, nodding repeatedly and stumbling over his words. "Exactly! We've never heard of such quality!"
"We... we've never witnessed such divine skill! Master, please stay in Black Rock City for a while!"
"We'll report to the headquarters at once and have them send an elder to certify you!"
Their attitude toward Lin Chen had become utterly reverent, as though they were standing before a god.
Lin Chen nodded indifferently. He had expected as much.
And so, Lin Chen and the others settled in, receiving the highest standard of hospitality from the Black Rock City Alchemist Guild.
Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin had never seen anything like this.
Watching the alchemists who usually held themselves above everyone else treat Lin Chen with such deference,
the two huddled together and whispered.
Their eyes brimmed with admiration.
The news sprouted wings and flew toward Jia Ma Holy City.
A few days later, a team from the Alchemist Guild's headquarters arrived in Black Rock City at top speed.
Leading them was a senior fifth-grade alchemist from the headquarters.
The Black Rock City branch didn't even have an alchemist above fourth grade.
Faced with a Sixth-Grade Pill, they could only rely on someone from the headquarters.
He personally examined the perfect Break Sect Pill over and over.
And after hearing Otto, Frank, and every alchemist present that day,
he became utterly reverent toward Lin Chen.
He solemnly presented a six-star Alchemist Badge, with a special insignia engraved on its back.
He also brought a handwritten invitation from Fa Ma, president of the Jia Ma Empire Alchemist Guild.
"Esteemed Master,"
the fifth-grade elder said respectfully, bowing.
"After a unanimous decision by the headquarters, we recognize that you fully qualify as a sixth-grade Alchemy Grandmaster! This is your badge."
"Additionally, President Fa Ma cordially invites you to visit the headquarters in the imperial capital. Your deeds have already caused a stir among every senior official at the headquarters."
Lin Chen took the badge, a symbol of the highest honor in alchemy throughout the Jia Ma Empire, and casually tucked it into his robe.
As though it were nothing more than an ordinary trinket.
As for the invitation, he only glanced at it indifferently.
"Understood."
His calm response left the fifth-grade elder at a loss.
Hai Bodong watched it all, his heart filled with emotion.
Qing Lin gazed at Lin Chen with shining eyes.
That admiring little look made it seem as though he were the most amazing person in the whole world.
The name Lin Chen, and the miracle he had brought about,
would soon shake the upper echelons of the entire Jia Ma Empire at a terrifying pace!
Before you continue