Inside the VIP room, the air seemed to have solidified into amber, trapping every sound and movement within.
The three-colored flame burned quietly in Su Chen's palm. It gave off no astonishing waves of heat, yet it seemed like a bottomless black hole, swallowing every ray of light and every thought in the room.
Liu Ling had collapsed to the floor, his posture utterly disheveled.
The well-tailored robe of a fourth-tier alchemist was now dust-covered, wrinkled, and comical.
His face, usually taut with arrogance, had lost all its color and was as pale as a sheet of rice paper. His lips opened and closed soundlessly, his legs trembled uncontrollably, and the once disdainful, appraising eyes that had held such contempt were now hollow and bewildered, utterly crushed.
A fraud?
Putting on an act?
Those two words now pierced his mind again and again like a pair of red-hot iron spikes, each thrust bringing a burning pain more intense than any physical wound.
What had he just seen?
A miracle.
A living miracle that trampled upon and kneaded the ironclad laws revered by the entire alchemical world, then recreated them in a way beyond all comprehension!
He had spent his entire life mastering his craft, yet even a preliminary fusion of two slightly incompatible flames would take months of work, with less than a thirty percent chance of success. But the man before him had effortlessly melded the sources of three flames with completely opposing attributes into a perfect whole! And he had done it while chatting casually—no, he hadn't even smiled.
This was no longer a difference in skill.
It was a crushing disparity in the very level of their existence.
Like an ant, forever unable to understand how an eagle could soar through the highest heavens.
Nearby, Ya Fei's jade hand gripped the Flame Pattern Ring so tightly that it was already slick with cold sweat. She looked at Liu Ling, collapsed on the floor and utterly dejected, then at the black-robed figure, still as tranquil as a statue. After her initial shock, her sharp and perceptive heart was instantly filled with an unprecedented joy.
She knew she had wagered right.
And she had won far more completely and gloriously than she had ever imagined!
Su Chen moved his hand slightly, and the three-colored flame, powerful enough to overturn everything the Jia Ma Empire's alchemical world believed, silently faded from view.
As if it had never appeared.
But the mark it left behind had been etched deep into Liu Ling's soul.
That small gesture was like a signal, instantly shattering the room's frozen air.
Liu Ling's body jerked as if he had just awakened from a nightmare.
His hollow eyes refocused.
The fear remained.
But a flame called "opportunity," even stronger than his fear, roared to life in his eyes.
What was the Guild President's mission?
Investigate the man's true abilities. If he really had talent, treat him with respect and do everything possible to befriend him.
But this man before him—what did "really had talent" even begin to describe?
He was clearly a god of flame walking among mortals!
If Liu Ling could invite such a figure back to the Imperial Capital, what an extraordinary achievement that would be! What did being Pill King Gu He's personal disciple or the Empire's brightest rising star in alchemy matter? Beside such a feat, all of that would pale into insignificance!
At that thought, a powerful, instinctive drive to survive burst through Liu Ling's body.
He didn't even bother to brush the dust off himself. Scrambling with both hands and feet, he clambered up from the floor.
His pallid face strained to form a smile more painful than a grimace.
He bowed deeply to Su Chen, bending at a full ninety degrees.
His manner was supremely respectful, even tinged with a servile flattery.
"Mr. Yan... Mr. Yan! No—Master Yan!"
His voice broke with excitement, turning sharp and hoarse.
"This junior failed to recognize Mount Tai! I was blind and looked down on you! Master, your skill is divine, and your flame-fusion technique has reached perfection. My words just now were those of a frog at the bottom of a well, gazing at the sky from its own little patch of water! Please, Master... please be magnanimous and don't hold this junior's foolishness against me!"
He stumbled over his words, cold sweat running down his temples and cheeks.
Su Chen said nothing.
Beneath the bamboo hat, all was silent.
To Liu Ling, that silence was more frightening than any furious roar. He gritted his teeth, as if making some momentous decision, and cautiously took a refined long box made of rosewood from inside his robe.
His hands trembling, he opened the box.
A soft cushion woven from golden-threaded brocade lay inside.
A scroll rested quietly upon it.
It was not made of paper, but of some unknown white jade, ground so thin it was almost as delicate as a cicada's wing. A gentle luster suffused its surface. At the seal was the lifelike emblem of Pill Tower, which radiated a vast, surging soul force and seemed to raise the temperature of the entire room.
"Master!"
Liu Ling held the wooden box in both hands and lifted it high above his head, humble to the point of groveling.
"I came here this time under the orders of my master, President Fa Ma of the Alchemist Guild!"
"My master said that the Empire is full of talented people. He heard that a grandmaster of flame-fusion had appeared in Wutan City and longed to meet him, regretting that he could not come in person. So he specifically ordered this junior to deliver this invitation as a token of his respect!"
His voice grew solemn, imbued with a sacred sense of ceremony.
"The Jia Ma Empire Alchemist Conference, held once every three years, will officially begin in Saint Jia Ma City, the Imperial Capital, three months from now!"
"By then, every renowned alchemist in the Empire, the experts of the great sects, and even members of the Imperial Family will gather there! This is a grand occasion rarely seen in our Jia Ma Empire, even once in a century!"
"My master, Fa Ma, and all the Guild elders sincerely invite you, Master, to attend the conference as its... specially invited chief guest, and grace the Imperial Capital with your presence to observe and offer your guidance!"
Boom!
Specially invited chief guest!
Those six words exploded beside Ya Fei's ear like a thunderclap.
Her charming, peach-blossom eyes widened, filled with disbelief.
What level of event was the Jia Ma Empire Alchemist Conference?
Ordinary fourth-tier alchemists weren't even qualified to get an entry ticket!
Yet Su Chen—a mysterious man who had never even gotten his alchemist rank certified—had received an invitation as the "chief guest," personally signed by President Fa Ma!
This was more than just respect.
It was the highest honor imaginable, one that placed him almost on equal footing with them!
Ya Fei's heart began pounding uncontrollably.
She looked at the jade invitation, glowing with a faint radiance, then glanced out the window at the caravan already assembled and ready to depart for the vast desert.
One road led to an unknown, perilous wasteland, where danger lurked at every turn and death was all but certain.
The other was a broad, shining avenue paved with flowers and glory, leading straight to the pinnacle of the Empire's power!
Without warning, the crossroads of fate had appeared before Su Chen.
What would he choose?
Everyone in the room fixed their gaze on the black-robed figure.
At last, Su Chen moved.
He slowly reached out.
His movement was unhurried, yet possessed an unshakable steadiness.
Under Liu Ling's gaze, brimming with delight and anticipation, and Ya Fei's tense, hopeful stare,
his long fingers gently picked up the weighty jade invitation.
He said nothing.
He asked no questions.
He didn't hesitate for even a moment.
With calm composure, he accepted the invitation that could change the course of his future.
Liu Ling trembled with excitement. He knew his mission was complete.
And in a way far beyond his expectations—the most perfect way possible!
Su Chen casually slipped the jade invitation into his robe.
The gesture was so nonchalant, as though he had merely put away a worthless scrap of paper.
Then he said nothing.
He turned and walked.
He headed straight for the VIP room's door.
Everyone was stunned.
The elation froze on Liu Ling's face. He opened his mouth and hurriedly called out, "M-Master! Your carriage is ready. This junior will escort you..."
His words abruptly stopped.
Su Chen's footsteps had not faltered in the slightest.
He opened the door, walked down the long corridor, and passed the awestruck Mittel guards to reach the Black Ironwood Carriage, which was about to depart for the Great Desert.
He didn't look back.
He simply raised his foot and resolutely climbed aboard the caravan's carriage.
His back was solitary and determined.
It was as if he were not embarking on an easy road into the heart of the Empire, but setting out on a journey that belonged to him alone.
Liu Ling stood rooted to the spot, his face full of disbelief.
He couldn't understand.
He simply couldn't understand.
The Alchemist Guild had prepared its most luxurious, comfortable, and secure Amethyst Carriage for this master. Why had he chosen the caravan's carriage instead—a vehicle that looked utterly ordinary, even shabby?
Only Ya Fei understood Su Chen's intentions after her brief astonishment.
Her red lips curled into a complicated smile, tinged with bitterness, pride, and boundless admiration.
He had never changed.
Whether he was heading to the desert of yellow sands or to the sacred city of the Imperial Capital, to him, it was just another journey.
The only road he would ever walk was his own.
Su Chen's figure disappeared behind the carriage curtain.
The heavy curtain blocked every view from outside.
"Move out!"
The caravan's Dou Shi captain came back to his senses and gave a shout, his excitement barely restrained.
Hyah!
A whip cracked sharply through the air.
Rumble...
The heavy wheels began to turn slowly, carving a deep track across the hard flagstones as they rolled toward the distance.
At last, the caravan rumbled into motion like a steel flood.
Its destination was no longer the remote sands.
It was Saint Jia Ma City, at the heart of the Empire, where power gathered and the winds of change were already stirring!
Ya Fei and Liu Ling stood side by side on the auction house steps, watching the massive caravan raise clouds of dust as it rolled away in the faint light of dawn.
One man's arrival had changed the caravan's destination.
And what kind of terrifying storm would this man's presence bring to the Imperial Capital, where the grand conference was soon to be held?
No one knew the answer.
Inside the carriage, the light was dim.
Su Chen sat quietly.
He took the jade invitation from his robe and laid it across his knees.
At the same time, he took out the jet-black Flame Pattern Ring, engraved with a flame design, and slipped it onto his finger.
His gaze moved slowly between the two items.
The ring represented everything he had accumulated in the past, the foundation on which he had built his life.
The invitation led to a future full of unknowns and challenges.
He slowly raised his head. Through the carriage window, his gaze settled on the radiant sun rising over the horizon.
The story of Wutan City was over.
A broader, grander, and more dangerous stage was slowly opening before him.
(The End of Volume One: Storms over Wutan)
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