Sword Points to Green Lotus

I have encountered a bottleneck.

When Su Chen spoke these words, Ya Fei was holding a cup of warm, fragrant tea, preparing to hand it to him.

Her jade-like hand paused in mid-air for a fleeting moment.

Inside the secret chamber, the lighting was soft. The set of precious rosewood tables and chairs had long since been replaced by a massive map depicting the entire territory of the Jia Ma Empire.

For this past month, Su Chen had been consolidating his cultivation, while Ya Fei had been weaving a commercial network for him that covered the entire empire.

The business of the Rock Fire Seed had already radiated from Wutan City to several surrounding cities.

The appearance of the Green Phosphorus Fire Seed had even pried open the doors to the alchemy rooms of second and third-tier alchemists, bringing unimaginable profits and connections to the Mite'er Family.

Everything was developing in the best possible direction.

Yet now, the man who had single-handedly created all these miracles said he had encountered a bottleneck.

Ya Fei set down the teacup and walked over to the map.

For the first time, her captivating peach-blossom eyes held no trace of allure, leaving only pure gravity.

"What kind of bottleneck?"

Su Chen withdrew his gaze from the green region on the map that represented the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

"My fire-control technique originates from analysis and imitation."

From beneath the shadow of his bamboo hat came a voice so steady that no emotion could be discerned.

"Beast fire is, after all, just beast fire. Their structures are too simple, and their energy levels are too low. It is like trying to build a true palace out of nothing but sand and wood."

"I have analyzed hundreds of types of beast fire, and now, I can clearly feel that ceiling."

"I need a higher-level 'reference point'."

Ya Fei's heart skipped a beat.

A reference point of a higher level than beast fire?

What that was, the answer was practically screaming to be spoken.

"You mean..."

Her voice carried a trace of imperceptible dryness.

Su Chen looked up, his eyes hidden beneath the shadows as if piercing through the barriers of space to land upon Ya Fei.

"Strange Fire."

The two words were light, yet they seemed to carry the weight of ten thousand jun, slamming heavily into Ya Fei's heart.

She knew this day would come sooner or later.

From the moment this man refused that 1.35 million gold coins and instead demanded an intelligence network and commercial channels, she knew his ambition was far from limited to selling mere beast fire.

But she had not expected this day to arrive so quickly.

"I need the Mite'er Family's most core intelligence."

Su Chen's voice held no request, only a statement.

"Within the Jia Ma Empire, every legend, secret, or even information that has long been proven false regarding the words 'Strange Fire'—I want it all."

Ya Fei fell silent.

This had already touched upon the deepest secrets of a massive commercial empire.

Intelligence on Strange Fire was something that could drive even the Dou Emperor elders of the family to madness; it was the true foundation the family had built with countless amounts of wealth and human lives.

She looked at the man before her.

His figure remained lean, his aura remained steady.

Yet, beneath that steadiness, she sensed an unprecedented sharpness—a force about to break free from its shackles and soar into the sky.

After a long while.

Ya Fei slowly nodded.

"Very well."

Her answer was but a single word.

From the moment she decided to stake everything she had on this high-stakes gamble, she had already lost the path of retreat.

Three days later.

The deepest secret chamber of the Mite'er Auction House had been completely cleared out.

The antique shelves that once held rare treasures were now replaced by jade slips of various colors, dense and layered, almost filling the entire room.

These jade slips were made of different materials.

Some were warm and smooth like jade, containing official records of the empire.

Others were cold as iron, containing sealed archives from the military.

Most of them were crafted from coarse monster hide, some even retaining a faint, lingering scent of blood—the firsthand intelligence bought with the lives of Mite'er Family explorers.

This place was the essence of the intelligence the Mite'er Family had accumulated in the empire's northeastern province over nearly a century.

Ya Fei wore a tight-fitting purple outfit that outlined her breathtaking curves to perfection, her long hair tied high, giving her a capable and spirited appearance.

She stood before the mountain of jade slips, her expression more serious than ever before.

"Here, there are one thousand three hundred and seventy pieces of relevant intelligence."

"Over ninety percent of them are baseless rumors or hearsay that has long since been debunked."

"The remaining fraction... perhaps there is a sliver of possibility."

Su Chen walked up to the pile of jade slips, reached out, and picked one up at random.

He probed it with his spiritual sense.

"Black Corner Region, Jia Nan Academy, Heavenly Burning Qi Tower... suspected existence of the Fallen Heart Flame."

He set the slip down and picked up another.

"Chu Yun Empire, Poison Sect... the cultivation technique practiced by the sect leader is suspected to be related to a certain Heavenly Flame."

Another one.

"Luo Yan Empire, Golden Goose Sect; it is rumored that their founder once saw traces of a Heavenly Flame at the bottom of a volcano, but it was long ago confirmed to be a Tier 6 fire-attribute monster..."

Intelligence report after report flowed through his hands.

The speed was astonishing.

Ya Fei stood to the side, watching this scene, her heart filled with shock.

Each jade slip contained a massive amount of information; an ordinary person would need half a day just to digest the contents of one.

Yet Su Chen could judge the value of each one with a mere glance.

To what level had his soul perception reached?

Time slipped away rapidly amidst this tedious screening process.

By the first day, ninety percent of the thousand-plus jade slips had been discarded.

By the second day, more than half of the remaining hundred-plus had been filtered out.

By the dusk of the third day.

Only the final three jade slips remained on the wide sandalwood table.

The entire secret chamber fell into an oppressive silence.

The candlelight flickered, casting their shadows against the wall, stretching them in a rhythmic dance of light and dark.

Ya Fei's breathing slowed involuntarily.

She knew the final answer lay within these three slips.

Su Chen reached out and picked up the first one on the left.

It was a jade slip made of black iron, cold to the touch.

"Burning Flame Valley, Flame of Inheritance... intelligence is incomplete, suspected to be related to the 'Nine Dragon Lightning Flame,' ranked twelfth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. However, Burning Flame Valley is powerful, and its Valley Master, Tang Zhen, is a Dou Ancestor. A Dou King elder of our family once attempted to investigate and never returned."

Dou Ancestor.

These two words made Ya Fei's eyelids twitch uncontrollably.

That was an existence standing at the very pinnacle of the Jia Ma Empire, a terrifying powerhouse capable of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Misty Cloud Sect leader Yun Shan.

Attempting to seize a Heavenly Flame from such a faction was nothing short of a pipe dream.

Su Chen's expression remained unchanged.

He set down the black iron slip and picked up the one in the middle.

This was a slip polished from beast bone, still retaining the pressure of some powerful monster.

"Central Plains, Pill Tower. It is rumored that the Pill Tower conceals the 'Nine Nether Wind Flame,' ranked seventh on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, as well as the 'Eight Desolation Destruction Flame,' ranked sixth. However, both belong to the Pill Tower, which is heavily guarded; no one has ever been able to catch a glimpse of them."

Pill Tower!

That was the holy land for alchemists across the entire Dou Qi Continent!

Its foundation was so deep and its strength so terrifying that it surpassed even Burning Flame Valley.

A bitter smile touched the corners of Ya Fei's mouth.

Either choice represented nothing but despair.

Her gaze fell upon the final jade slip.

It was a slip polished from yellow sandstone, looking entirely unremarkable.

Su Chen reached out and picked it up.

The moment his spiritual sense probed inside.

For the first time, his body showed a subtle, imperceptible pause.

Ya Fei keenly captured this detail, her heart instantly leaping into her throat.

This piece of intelligence was different from all others.

It was neither hearsay nor a record from an ancient text.

It was, instead... a firsthand account.

The recorder was a Supreme Elder of the Mite'er Family. A Dou Emperor powerhouse who, decades ago, had ventured alone deep into the Tagor Desert in search of a rare medicinal herb!

"...Deep within the vast desert lies the Snake-Person Tribe. Their people have worshipped gods for generations, honoring the Queen above all. The Queen resides in the Sacred Fire Altar beneath the temple, where a flame burns year-round, emerald green and blooming like a lotus..."

"...I once gazed at the temple from a hundred miles away and could already feel the heat waves rushing toward me; a common Dou King would likely struggle to get within ten miles. The might of that flame far surpassed any beast fire I have ever seen in my life; I suspect it is a wonder of heaven and earth..."

"...Queen Medusa's strength is unfathomable, suspected to have reached the peak of the Dou Emperor realm. Her eight great leaders are all Dou King powerhouses. This place is a forbidden zone of the empire, a place of nine deaths and one life; let future generations remember, never trespass!"

The contents of the jade slip ended abruptly there.

Between the lines, it was filled with a dread and fear that emanated from the depths of the soul.

A handwritten warning from a Dou Emperor powerhouse!

Ya Fei's pretty face had already turned deathly pale.

She knew exactly what was described in this jade slip.

Nineteenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking.

Green Lotus Core Flame!

The entire secret chamber was deathly silent.

Su Chen slowly set down the jade slip in his hand.

He walked over to the massive map of the empire, his gaze lingering for a long time on that vast, boundless yellow region.

The Tagor Desert.

"No!"

For the first time, Ya Fei's voice carried a sharp, uncharacteristic edge.

"Su Chen! You cannot go there!"

She hurried to Su Chen's side, her jade-like hand pressing onto the map, desperately blocking that region.

"That is a warning from a Dou Emperor! Queen Medusa at the peak of the Dou Emperor realm, eight leaders at the Dou King level! You have only just advanced to a Dou Practitioner; if you go there, you won't even qualify to be cannon fodder!"

Her chest heaved violently from her agitation.

She could not watch the partner she had staked everything on walk down a path of certain death.

Su Chen did not look at her.

His gaze remained fixed on the map, as if he had already pierced through the parchment to see the ancient temple deep in the desert, burning with the Green Lotus Core Flame.

He slowly raised his hand.

His slender fingers crossed over the jade hand Ya Fei had pressed onto the map.

Then, in the reflection of Ya Fei's rapidly constricting pupils, he tapped down heavily.

The spot where his fingertip landed was the very center of the Tagor Desert.

The forbidden zone marked in cinnabar, representing extreme danger.

"If one wishes to stand at the summit, one must dare to touch the most beautiful flower on the edge of the cliff."

From beneath the shadow of his bamboo hat came a calm voice, yet one filled with an iron-clad resolve.

"My next target."

"Green Lotus Core Flame."