The Winds of Wutan City

Stepping out of the dilapidated shack, Su Chen took his first proactive step into the bustle of Wutan City.

The sunlight was somewhat blinding.

Unlike the lifeless, black-and-white abandoned courtyard from his memories, the world before him was vivid, three-dimensional, and filled with brilliant colors and clamorous sounds.

On the wide bluestone street, the flow of people was like a loom.

Burly mercenaries with giant swords slung over their shoulders brushed past others, their bodies radiating a fierce aura.

Rich young masters, dressed in finery and surrounded by attendants, arrogantly drove away pedestrians who blocked their path.

Street vendors shouted themselves hoarse hawking their wares, ranging from ordinary grain and cloth to low-level magical beast cores that shimmered with a faint, energetic glow.

The air was a mixture of the charred aroma of roasted meat, the cloying sweetness of cheap cosmetics, and a faint scent of blood.

All of this left Su Chen with a sense of fragmentation that was both novel and extremely uncomfortable.

He subconsciously pulled up his threadbare collar, his thin frame moving through the crowded throng like a blade of wild grass that could be trampled at any moment.

He dared not meet anyone's gaze, only keeping his head down and scanning his surroundings with the corner of his eyes.

Every passerby wore an expression of natural ease, as if they were born and raised right here.

Yet he felt like an ant that had stumbled into a kingdom of giants, walking with extreme caution at every step.

His soul came from a completely different world, but his body belonged to this jungle where the strong preyed upon the weak.

The first step to survival is understanding the rules.

Su Chen told himself in his heart, forcibly suppressing the panic rising from his body's instincts.

He had no destination, simply following the flow of people and walking aimlessly, like a sponge greedily absorbing all the information this world had to offer.

He saw a guard wearing the Xiao Clan emblem kick a commoner to the ground simply because the man had accidentally bumped into him; the result was not sympathy, but the awe-filled and evasive gazes of those around them.

He also saw a plainly dressed youth exchange a heavy purse of coins at a weapon shop for a long sword that shimmered with a cold light, his face filled with undisguised excitement.

Power.

Money.

These were the two most fundamental laws of passage in Wutan City.

Su Chen's footsteps came to a halt at the entrance of a marketplace.

It was even more bustling than the main street, with various shops lined up like fish scales; the shouting, the haggling, and the clanging of weapons merged into a wave of heat that rushed toward him.

His gaze finally settled on an inconspicuous tavern.

The tavern's sign had already faded, the storefront was narrow, and most of those entering and exiting were mercenaries with rugged appearances and weather-beaten faces.

Such places were a mix of dragons and snakes—the most well-informed spots and the easiest places to gather intelligence.

Su Chen gripped the few remaining copper coins hidden in his sleeve; they were all the assets he had left after selling the bait meat from the Flame Rat.

He took a deep breath, as if preparing to face death, and stepped inside.

The light inside the tavern was dim, and the air was filled with a pungent mixture of sour, fermenting ale and the stench of sweat.

Su Chen found the most inconspicuous corner to sit in, hiding himself completely within the shadows.

He spent one copper coin to order a cup of the cheapest ale.

The murky liquid emitted a strange odor; he merely held the wooden cup without taking a single sip.

His ears, however, were like radar, capturing every sound in the vicinity.

"Did you hear? That kid from the Jialie Clan, Jialie Ao, broke through to the eighth stage of Dou Disciple two days ago! Damn, that guy is only sixteen, right?"

"Heh, he has the clan's resources piled onto him, eating medicinal pills like meals—how could he not be fast? Unlike us, risking our lives in the Magical Beast Mountain Range for a bit of coin, not even enough to buy a bottle of healing medicine."

"Speaking of which, the Xiao Clan has been getting worse lately. I heard that genius of theirs, Xiao Yan, can't even maintain the third stage of Dou Disciple now. It's truly laughable."

"Shh! Keep your voice down! No matter how much the Xiao Clan declines, they aren't people we can gossip about. Have you forgotten how that guy who ran his mouth at the city gate last time had his legs broken by the Xiao Clan guards?"

The conversation of several mercenaries at the neighboring table drifted into Su Chen's ears in fragments.

The Jialie Clan, the Xiao Clan... and the Aoba Clan in the west of the city.

These were the three great clans of Wutan City.

They controlled the vast majority of the city's marketplaces, mines, and resources, making them the true rulers of this small city.

Su Chen silently committed this information to memory, and his understanding of this world began to shift from blurry, fragmented memories to something clear and concrete.

He continued to listen.

"Boss Wang, how was the harvest from the Magical Beast Mountain Range this time?"

"Don't even mention it! Damn, we ran into a peak first-order Iron-Armored Rhino and almost lost the whole squad there! If it weren't for Li Mo in our team being a three-star Dou Practitioner, we would have been finished!"

"A three-star Dou Practitioner! Hiss... that's someone capable of condensing Dou Qi into armor!"

Dou Practitioner.

Su Chen's heart skipped a beat.

Beyond the ninth stage of Dou Qi, one becomes a Dou Practitioner.

That is an entirely new realm, capable of coating the body in Dou Qi to form armor, vastly increasing defensive power; in the eyes of ordinary people, this is a true powerhouse.

Yet he, he did not even possess a single stage of Dou Qi.

The massive gap, like an invisible mountain, pressed down on him until he could barely breathe.

He picked up a wooden cup, forcing himself to take a sip of the strangely flavored ale.

The icy liquid slid down his throat, allowing his chaotic thoughts to settle slightly.

"No need to rush."

"One must eat a meal bite by bite, and walk a path step by step."

His greatest reliance now was not Dou Qi, but that mysterious stone platform—the ability to purify and replicate flames.

His target customers were not these mercenaries who licked blood off the edge of a blade.

It was...

Just then, a slightly sharp complaint drifted over from a table not far away, instantly capturing his full attention.

"It's infuriating! Failed again!"

A young man wearing a pale green robe was slamming his wine cup onto the table with a look of irritation.

On his chest was pinned an exquisite badge, engraved with a small medicine cauldron, and above the cauldron, a single silver star.

A first-grade alchemist apprentice!

Su Chen's pupils contracted slightly in the shadows.

Alchemists, the most noble and respected profession on the Dou Qi Continent!

Even as a mere apprentice, their status was far beyond that of an ordinary Dou Practitioner.

"Brother Liu, don't be angry. Alchemy is nine failures out of ten; keep a calm heart, keep a calm heart," a companion beside him offered comfort.

The apprentice known as "Brother Liu" looked indignant.

"A calm heart? How can I be calm! The Flame Rat beast fire the teacher gave me has too many impurities and is too volatile; it's impossible to control! Every time I reach the stage of condensing the pill, the medicinal power is simply scattered by that damn flame! This is the third time this month!"

The more he spoke, the angrier he became, slamming his fist onto the table.

"I've finally realized it—without a good beast fire, wanting to become a true alchemist is nothing but a pipe dream!"

"But a high-quality beast fire isn't easy to come by," another companion sighed. "A few days ago, the Miteer Auction House did auction off a beast fire from a second-order Wind Wolf. I heard the fire was mild and perfect for apprentices like us, but it was snatched up by the Jialie Clan for the sky-high price of three hundred gold coins!"

"Three hundred gold coins..."

A collective gasp echoed through the surroundings.

Three hundred gold coins were enough for an ordinary family in Wutan City to live comfortably for several years.

And this was merely the price for a single second-order beast fire.

The face of the apprentice surnamed Liu was filled with unwillingness and envy.

He picked up his cup and drained the wine in one gulp, as if to extinguish the fire in his heart.

"Sigh..."

He let out a long, heavy sigh, his voice filled with a sense of powerlessness.

"A good flame is worth a thousand gold, yet impossible to find!"

This sentence, like a thunderclap, exploded in Su Chen's mind!

All his previous vague thoughts, all his uncertainties, were completely shattered in this moment, coalescing into an incredibly clear and firm goal!

Market!

Demand!

This was the market he had been struggling to find! This was the most real, the most urgent demand!

Ordinary beast fire was impure and difficult to control.

But the flames purified by his mysterious stone platform were pure and stable—they were simply the perfect tools tailored for these alchemist apprentices!

Su Chen's hands, hidden under the table, clenched into fists uncontrollably, his knuckles turning white from the force.

He could even feel the sound of his heart beating wildly in his chest.

He had found it!

He had found the broad, smooth path leading to survival, and perhaps even to power!

He ignored every sound in the tavern, downed the remaining half-cup of ale, tossed down his last copper coin, and stood up to leave.

Stepping out of the tavern, it was already dusk.

The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the entire Wutan City in a layer of warm gold.

The clamor of the streets, to Su Chen's ears now, was no longer a threat, but a symphony filled with opportunity.

He raised his head, his gaze passing through layers of eaves, looking toward the most magnificent and imposing building in the center of the city.

The Alchemist Guild.

It was the gathering place for every alchemist and apprentice in all of Wutan City.

That place would be the starting point of his future business empire.

Before, he had been a survivor in the darkness, looking westward in bewilderment, unaware of the path ahead.

But now, a flame named "hope" was already burning fiercely within his chest.

The corners of Su Chen's mouth slowly curled upward.

It was not the gentle smile of his past life, but an arc carrying sharpness and ambition.

"The winds of Wutan City..."

He whispered to himself.

"Are about to change."