The tiger's roar rang in their ears, leaving Lin Fei's mind utterly blank as she sat frozen on the ground.
Sigh... Of all times to take a fall, it had to be now. We're almost out of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
Otto was full of complaints, but when he saw his disciple's expression, he swallowed them before they could leave his mouth.
In the face of danger, there was no point in laying blame.
Besides, Lin Fei was the daughter of Black Rock City's lord. Even as her teacher, he had to weigh his words carefully.
The biggest problem now was how to escape the tiger's jaws.
Otto was a Nine-Star Great Dou Master, only a hair's breadth from breaking through to Dou Ling. But his strengths lay in alchemy, and he was far less capable in combat.
Facing a Fourth-Order Red-Striped Tiger, Otto weighed his chances and estimated he wouldn't last more than three moves before it defeated him.
At best, he'd be severely injured. At worst, he'd die.
They were so close to the edge of the Magical Beast Mountain Range. Was there any chance they might run into other mercenaries?
The thought flashed through Otto's mind, only for him to extinguish it at once.
Mercenaries? They'd probably run for their lives the moment they saw a Fourth-Order Red-Striped Tiger.
Was he really going to die here today?
Huh? Wait...
Suddenly, Otto noticed the Red-Striped Tiger trembling. It slowly lowered itself to the ground, its ferocious expression fading.
What's going on? Why does it seem afraid?
The thought that flashed through his mind left Otto dumbfounded.
What had he ever done to make a Fourth-Order Magical Beast afraid of him?
"Hey, old man, hurry up and run!"
Otto suddenly heard a voice. He turned and saw a figure scoop up Lin Fei and hurry toward the edge of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
Run!
Otto reacted at once. Without time to wonder why, he hurried after them.
The two figures, one behind the other, quickly disappeared from the Red-Striped Tiger's sight.
It still didn't dare move.
Whoosh!
A purple flame fell from the sky and slammed into the Red-Striped Tiger.
"Little brother, thank you."
A mile or two from the Magical Beast Mountain Range, Otto looked at Xiao Yu with heartfelt gratitude.
"Don't mention it. I just happened to lend a hand. But you two—facing a Red-Striped Tiger, you didn't fight back or run. Are you tired of living?"
Xiao Yu's words left Otto's old face flushed with shame. Beside him, Lin Fei lowered her head, worried that he might see her embarrassment.
She had been in Xiao Yu's arms the whole time. Once she recovered from the shock, she had kept her eyes on him.
From his face, Lin Fei could easily tell that he was younger than her.
And yet this little boy had been brave enough to flee from the Magical Beast, while she had been scared senseless.
He probably hadn't noticed.
Remembering how Xiao Yu had held her just now, Lin Fei's legs suddenly went weak. Facing death so closely for the first time, she hadn't been able to control herself—she had wet herself in fear.
"Lin Fei? Lin Fei?"
Hearing her teacher call her name, Lin Fei came out of her daze and raised her head. Her pretty face was red enough to drip blood.
Otto frowned. "This young man, Xiao Yu, just saved your life. Can't you even thank him?"
"Thank you for saving me."
Lin Fei looked at Xiao Yu. Faced with his handsome, sunny face, she met his eyes for a moment before quickly lowering her head.
"Xiao Yu, Lin Fei isn't usually like this. The Red-Striped Tiger probably scared her today."
Otto sighed, making excuses for his disciple.
As the lord's daughter, Lin Fei had always been very particular about etiquette. This was the first time he'd ever seen her lose her composure like this.
Xiao Yu didn't mind. He had chosen to come down and help only because he'd noticed that this woman met the system's requirements.
After a brief chat with Otto, he already knew who the two of them were.
"Xiao Yu, you're looking for the Alchemist Guild? What for?" Otto asked, changing the subject.
"Just a personal matter."
Before Xiao Yu left Wutan City, Ya Fei had told him that anyone wishing to apply for an Alchemist Guild branch in a city needed to speak with the head of the local Alchemist Guild.
He remembered that Black Rock City's Alchemist Guild president wasn't called Otto, so he didn't reveal anything further.
"Conveniently, Black Rock City has one. I'm an alchemist there. Come with us."
Otto didn't press him for details. It's just a personal matter. Maybe I can help when we get there. Xiao Yu saved my life; I can't forget that debt.
"That's right, Xiao Yu. You saved me. I'll have my father thank you."
Now that she had calmed down, Lin Fei joined the invitation.
Xiao Yu had only been looking for a city with an Alchemist Guild, so he naturally agreed.
Before long, the three of them arrived in Black Rock City.
Lin Fei invited Xiao Yu to her home, saying she wanted to thank him, but Xiao Yu wanted to settle the matter with the Alchemist Guild first, so he declined.
He followed Otto to the Alchemist Guild.
"I'm Frank, president of the Black Rock City Alchemist Guild. Otto told me you wanted to see me. Young man, I don't believe we've met before?"
An old man entered the room accompanied by Otto and looked at the youth seated in a chair.
Xiao Yu stood and smiled. "This is our first meeting, President Frank."
Frank asked curiously, "What do you want with me?"
His brows drew together slightly. If not for Otto, he wasn't the sort of president whom just anyone could ask to meet.
"President Frank, I'd like to apply for an Alchemist Guild branch in Wutan City."
Xiao Yu got straight to the point.
"Apply for a guild branch?"
Frank looked surprised, then turned to Otto, his expression troubled.
Before meeting Xiao Yu, Otto had told him that Xiao Yu had saved his life. If Xiao Yu's request wasn't too much trouble, he hoped Frank would agree if possible. Even if it cost something, Otto was willing to pay out of his own pocket.
But applying to establish an Alchemist Guild branch was no small matter.
The Alchemist Guild was an organization for alchemists. It had strict requirements for the cities it chose, and every city had to be inspected and meet certain conditions.
The first requirement was the city's economic strength. A strong economy meant a thriving population. The Alchemist Guild usually bought various medicinal ingredients to make them readily available to alchemists.
If a city barely had any people, establishing an Alchemist Guild there would be pointless.
The second requirement was the branch president. An Alchemist Guild branch generally needed a president who was at least a third-tier alchemist.
Usually, they wouldn't assign a third-tier alchemist to a branch without good reason.
Put simply, if you wanted to apply for an Alchemist Guild branch in your city, you needed to be a third-tier alchemist yourself.
"President Frank, take a look at this."
Xiao Yu took out the badge that represented Pill King Gu He's identity.
Seeing Frank's reaction, he knew that applying for a guild branch would be troublesome, so he didn't waste time.
"This is Pill King Gu He's badge! How did you get it?"
Frank stared in shock at the item Xiao Yu had handed him.
In recent years, Pill King Gu He had been the most famous alchemist in the Jia Ma Empire. He was also a source of pride for Black Rock City.
After all, Pill King Gu He had once left Black Rock City to make his name.
This badge represented Pill King Gu He's identity. It was as good as having Gu He vouch for Xiao Yu.
"President Frank, with this, there shouldn't be any problem applying for a branch, right?"
Xiao Yu asked.
He didn't know what the badge meant, but since Yun Yun had given it to him, it had to be useful.
However...
Frank shook his head. "Young man, with this badge, you can indeed skip the city-inspection process. But there's still one strict requirement for applying to establish an Alchemist Guild branch in a city."
Before you continue