Uninvited Guest

The wheels rolled on, kicking up the dust of the early morning.

Su Chen was just about to lift his foot to step onto the black iron carriage.

The path ahead was suddenly cut off by a convoy so ornate it was almost blinding.

These guards were a stark contrast to the grim, battle-hardened style of the Mite'er caravan. They wore luxurious soft armor inlaid with silver cloud patterns and rode majestic Wind-Walking Horses, each of them wearing a look of deep-seated arrogance.

The lead carriage was crafted from rare Amethyst Wood, and the curtain was embroidered with the emblem of the Pill Tower, shimmering brilliantly in the morning light.

This level of grandeur belonged to the Imperial Capital.

The captain of the Mite'er caravan, a Seven-Star Dou Shi, saw his expression shift and immediately stepped forward, only to be unceremoniously blocked by one of the guards.

The atmosphere at the scene froze in an instant.

The smile that had just bloomed on Ya Fei's face had not yet faded, but a trace of deep suspicion and vigilance had already surfaced on her beautiful features.

The curtain of the Amethyst carriage was slowly lifted by a hand wearing a white jade thumb ring.

A young man with a fair complexion and a delicate, feminine temperament stepped down from the carriage.

He appeared to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, dressed in a moon-white Second-Grade Alchemist robe, the two silver ripples on his chest marking his incredibly noble status.

His chin was tilted slightly upward as his gaze swept over the Mite'er caravan guards, who were acting as if facing a great enemy, before finally landing on Ya Fei.

That look carried a condescending scrutiny, as if he were appraising a piece of merchandise.

"You are the person in charge of the Mite'er Family in Wutan City, Ya Fei?"

The young man's voice was clear but devoid of any warmth, filled with the unique sense of superiority held by the elites of the Imperial Capital.

Ya Fei's willow-leaf brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, but she maintained a proper smile and bowed slightly.

"That is indeed Ya Fei. May I ask who you are?"

"My name is Liu Ling."

The young man stated his name with an indifferent tone, as if the name itself represented everything.

"I am here on the orders of Master Fa Ma, President of the Jia Ma Empire Alchemist Guild, to meet someone in Wutan City."

His gaze moved past Ya Fei, piercing like a sharp sword toward the figure behind her, shrouded in a black cloak and bamboo hat.

"The 'Flame Supplier' who has recently risen to fame at the Mite'er Auction House."

Mite'er Auction House, top-floor VIP room.

The precious beast-head incense burner was filled with "Calm Heart Incense" meant to soothe the mind, yet the atmosphere in the room was as taut as a string about to snap.

Ya Fei personally served Liu Ling tea, her face wearing an impeccable business smile.

"Master Liu Ling has traveled a long way, and our Wutan City branch failed to welcome you properly. I hope you will forgive us."

Liu Ling did not touch the tea.

He leaned back against the soft sofa, legs crossed in a lazy posture, yet his eyes were as sharp as a hawk's, locked firmly onto Su Chen across from him.

"Miss Ya Fei is too polite."

He spoke slowly and deliberately, every word dripping with stinging arrogance.

"It's just that I didn't expect a 'Master' capable of alarming our President to be hiding in a border town like Wutan City. It is truly... unheard of."

He emphasized the word "Master" heavily, the sarcasm and disdain within it undisguised.

The jade hand holding the teacup tightened slightly.

"Master Yan prefers to keep a low profile and dislikes being in the spotlight."

She spoke calmly, trying to smooth things over for Su Chen.

"Oh? Is it a low profile, or... is he afraid to show his face?"

Liu Ling sneered, leaning forward slightly, his feminine eyes seemingly trying to pierce through the bamboo hat on Su Chen's head.

"Since you are a flame master, you must have unique insights into fire control. I happen to have a few questions I would like to ask for your guidance."

He gave Su Chen no chance to refuse, throwing out his first question immediately.

"For instance, the beast fire of the Third-Grade Magical Beast 'Lava Lizard' is explosive in nature and contains internal fire poison. If one wishes to strip away the fire poison while retaining its high-temperature properties, conventional methods require at least seven days of tempering. I wonder, does Your Excellency have a method for a quick result?"

This was an extremely tricky question, involving the core field of "Flame Purification" in alchemy.

Even an ordinary Third-Grade Alchemist might not be able to answer it.

He was testing him, but more importantly, he was humiliating him.

Ya Fei's heart jumped into her throat.

Under the shadow of the bamboo hat, Su Chen remained silent for a moment.

Then, a voice so steady that no emotion could be detected slowly sounded.

"Fire poison is also a form of fire."

"Why would one want to strip it away?"

The sneer on Liu Ling's face froze abruptly.

What kind of answer was that?

If the fire poison wasn't stripped away, how could one refine pills? This was simply common knowledge in the world of alchemy!

As expected, he's just a fraud pretending to know what he's talking about!

He sneered inwardly, just about to open his mouth to refute.

However, Su Chen's voice continued, unhurried and steady.

"For the fire of the Lava Lizard, utilize its explosive nature. For its poison, utilize its penetrative power. Using spiritual energy as a guide, construct a dual-layer rune structure: the outer layer to control the fire, the inner layer to lock the poison. During alchemy, first use high heat to break the walls, then use the fire poison to penetrate and stimulate the medicinal properties. The two run parallel without conflict; why would there be any need to strip it away?"

The words flowed like a stream, smooth and effortless.

Every single syllable seemed to contain some strange, profound truth.

The smile on Liu Ling's face solidified completely.

For the first time, a flicker of uncertainty and shock appeared in his feminine, narrow eyes.

A dual-layer rune structure?

Outer layer to control fire, inner layer to lock poison?

What kind of theory was this? He had never seen such a heretical claim in any alchemy tome!

Yet, strangely enough, the words sounded as if they might... actually be feasible!

"Absurd!"

Liu Ling suppressed the shock in his heart and let out a cold snort, attempting to regain the initiative.

"Flames are violent and spiritual energy is fragile; how could one construct such a delicate structure? It's simply a fantasy!"

"Just because your spiritual energy cannot do it, does not mean others cannot."

Su Chen's reply was simple and direct, yet it struck Liu Ling's face like an invisible slap.

Liu Ling's complexion instantly flushed a deep red.

As a proud son of heaven from the Imperial Capital, when had he ever been contradicted like this!

"Good! A very sharp tongue you have!"

He laughed out of extreme anger, cold light flickering in his eyes.

"Since you are so confident in your own spiritual energy, then let me ask you this! If one were to fuse the heaviness of 'Rock Fire', the corrosiveness of 'Green Phosphorus Fire', and the agility of 'Wind Wolf Fire'—three completely distinct beast fires—into one, how would you do it?"

As soon as this question was posed, even Ya Fei, standing to the side, turned deathly pale.

This was no longer just making things difficult.

This was an open provocation!

Any alchemist knew that forcibly fusing three flames with completely conflicting attributes had only one result—a furnace explosion!

At best, one would be severely injured; at worst, one would die on the spot!

Liu Ling stared fixedly at Su Chen; he wanted to see this mysterious, hidden figure panic and reveal his true, pathetic colors.

However, he was disappointed.

Su Chen did not answer.

Beneath the bamboo hat, there was dead silence.

To Liu Ling, that silence was proof that the man had reached the end of his wits.

"What? Can't answer?"

The mockery on Liu Ling's face grew thick once more. He stood up, looking down at Su Chen from his superior position.

"I actually thought a place like Wutan City might have produced some hidden talent. In the end, you're nothing but a... fraud who likes to play mysterious!"

He flicked his sleeves and turned to leave.

"Miss Ya Fei, it seems your Mite'er Family has misjudged the situation this time. I will report this matter truthfully to the Guild President."

He was leaving.

With the posture of a victor, he intended to bring this farce in the border town to a complete end.

Ya Fei's fingernails had already dug deep into her palms. She opened her mouth, but did not know how to argue.

Just then.

The figure who had remained silent all this time moved.

Su Chen slowly raised his hand.

No words.

No fluctuations of Dou Qi.

He simply, calmly, spread his slender palm open in front of Liu Ling.

Liu Ling's footsteps stopped instinctively.

He furrowed his brows, looking at that palm with eyes full of confusion and contempt.

"Playing god and acting like a ghost!"

The next moment.

Hum—!

A flame, without any warning, rose out of thin air in the center of that palm!

Liu Ling's pupils constricted violently.

It was a flame only the size of a thumb.

It was small, and it was quiet.

But the moment Liu Ling saw that flame clearly, his entire being felt as if it had been struck squarely on the crown of his head by a bolt of divine lightning from the nine heavens!

His body shuddered violently!

That face, flushed red with anger, drained of all blood in an instant, turning deathly pale!

He saw it!

He saw it clearly!

That tiny flame was actually displaying three distinct, different colors!

Its outer flame was the thick, solid orange-red of Rock Fire, as stable as a piece of glowing hot iron!

And within the orange-red inner layer, a wisp of emerald-green light flickered, slowly slithering like a venomous snake, radiating a corrosive aura that made one's heart tremble!

Most incredible of all was the very core of the flame!

A cyan speck of light, only the size of a grain of rice, was dancing nimbly within, as if it were a gale imprisoned, filled with a rhythm of swiftness and change!

Heaviness!

Corrosion!

Agility!

Three completely opposing, incompatible characteristics were, by some unimaginable great power, forcibly twisted, blended, and finally, in a way that could be called a miracle, perfectly coexisted within a tiny flame!

They were independent of each other, yet mutually dependent, forming an unprecedented, stable cycle!

Boom!

Liu Ling's mind went blank.

His pride as a Rank-West Alchemist, his alchemical knowledge that he took such pride in, and every ironclad rule of the alchemy world he believed in were, at this moment, shattered and collapsed by the impact of this tiny three-colored flame!

This was not the art of refining fire!

This was... this was the great power of creating rules that only gods possessed!

The arrogance, contempt, and mockery on his face vanished completely at this moment.

Replacing them was a massive, uncontrollable horror and... fear, originating from the depths of his soul!

"Monster!"

"This is a true monster!"

He finally understood that the other party's words just now were not arrogance, nor were they bragging.

They were a statement.

A statement of a cold, hard fact that he couldn't even begin to comprehend.

His spiritual power really could achieve this!

"Th-th-this..."

Liu Ling's lips trembled, his throat making a "clucking" sound, yet he could not utter a single complete word.

His legs went weak.

Unable to support his own weight any longer, he collapsed in a pathetic heap, falling onto the ground.

In those eyes that were once filled with arrogance, there now remained only a deathly, ash-gray silence and... endless regret.

He knew exactly what he had missed.

And he knew even better exactly what kind of terrifying existence he had offended.