Douluo Traversal, I Pull Out a Dou Technique and You Don't Explode? Part 42

"How was that? Do you still remember my original proposal? From now on, you'll follow me. I happen to know the location of a Heavenly Flame in the Tagor Desert. The greatest goal of this journey is that Heavenly Flame!"

"Is it the Nether Poison Flame?"

Liu Bai rolled his eyes.

"Of course not. If I knew where the Nether Poison Flame was, I would've told you just now. It's another Heavenly Flame from the Heavenly Flame Ranking. Besides, don't even think about the Nether Poison Flame yet. Even if you found it, you couldn't devour it. To devour the Nether Poison Flame, you'd need to at least reach Dou Emperor or Dou Zong. Even if I know some places where it might appear, all you could do upon finding it is stare at it."

Xiao Yi Xian nodded at his words.

"That's right. I need to increase my strength too! I, Xiao Yi Xian, will never let fate manipulate me!"

Liu Bai smiled.

"Now that's more like the Xiao Yi Xian I know. If no one before has been able to completely control the Woe Poison Body, then you'll become the first person in history to do it!"

"Pfft."

Xiao Yi Xian couldn't help but laugh at Liu Bai's string of words.

"Enough, stop flattering me. First person in history, really?"

Liu Bai smiled.

"Alright, then it's happily decided. From now on, you'll follow me. With me by your side, you won't need to worry about your poison body erupting, and you can help me out too. If I had to collect Heavenly Flames alone, wouldn't I be exhausted to death?"

Xiao Yi Xian rolled her eyes.

"I haven't even agreed, and you're already deciding for me?"

Although she said that, she clearly had no intention of refusing.

"I'll take that as agreement, then. Could you possibly have somewhere better to go?"

Xiao Yi Xian clasped her hands behind her back, bent forward, and revealed a faint smile.

"Alright, then I'll have to cling to someone. But before that, I still need to visit the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion. I've stayed there for so long; I can't just leave without saying goodbye."

Liu Bai nodded.

"That makes sense. Then I'll go with you."

He was still somewhat worried that Boss Yao from the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion might give Xiao Yi Xian trouble. As long as he was there, no matter how many extra guts Yao had, he definitely wouldn't dare make a move.

His aura alone could suppress the man until he couldn't move.

Unless he no longer wanted to live, Xiao Yi Xian leaving with him would definitely go without a hitch.

"Alright."

Xiao Yi Xian readily agreed.

Liu Bai took the Storage Ring he had prepared earlier and handed it to her.

"As agreed, I'll only take two items from it. Everything else is yours. It's all inside this Storage Ring now."

Xiao Yi Xian accepted it and directly put it on her middle finger.

"Thank you."

Liu Bai smiled.

"We're on the same side now, so there's no need to thank me."

With that, he walked outside.

Setting Off for Black Rock City

"Let's go. We've taken everything already. It's time to leave. I don't want to spend the night in this gloomy cave."

Xiao Yi Xian smiled and shook her head before following him.

When they reached the cave entrance, Liu Bai spread his arms.

Xiao Yi Xian's face reddened slightly, but she still walked over.

Liu Bai swept her into his arms. Xiao Yi Xian wrapped her arms around his neck and said fiercely,

"Behave yourself. If you dare touch me anywhere you shouldn't, I'll poison you to death."

"Hahahaha, alright. Then hold on tight. If you fall, you'll be smashed into Xiao Yi Xian paste."

As he spoke, he suddenly pushed off with his feet!

The ground shattered beneath him as his body shot upward. He tapped off the cliff several times, his body light and nimble, and easily returned to the top of the cliff.

He gently set Xiao Yi Xian down.

"Whew, that scared me to death. It's terrifying every time."

Liu Bai patted her shoulder.

"This is nothing. Your talent is so good that you might even break through to Dou Wang faster than I do. Then you'll be able to fly. That'll be much more thrilling than this."

"Hmph hmph, just wait. Once I break through to Dou Wang, the first thing I'll do is beat you up. By the way, what realm are you in?"

"Me? I just broke through to Dou Ling. I'm a One-Star Dou Ling now."

Xiao Yi Xian was surprised. So Liu Bai was actually a Dou Ling expert!

This was a Dou Ling! The strongest person in Green Mountain Town was only a Dou Master, and Liu Bai looked so young.

He was even an Alchemist, with such incredible talent.

Seeing her expression, Liu Bai couldn't help saying,

"You're already surprised? Then you're surprised too early. With the Woe Poison Body's rate of growth, you'll probably break through to Dou Ling in less than a year. By then, I'll definitely still be at the Dou Ling stage, and you'll surpass me in no time. I'm so jealous."

Xiao Yi Xian shook her head.

"What's there to envy? I'd rather not have this constitution. What use is fast strength growth when I could die at any time, not knowing when my poison body will erupt and kill me?"

Liu Bai shook his head.

"Can't you be a little more optimistic? At least it can still be controlled, right? This is an opportunity that leads straight to Dou Saint. Countless people would envy you beyond measure."

"Hahaha, alright! Then you can be my little brother. Queen Xiao Yi Xian will protect you well."

"Yes, yes, Queen Xiao Yi Xian."

The two chatted and laughed. By the time the sky gradually brightened, they had returned to Green Mountain Town.

After returning to the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion, Xiao Yi Xian packed some of her belongings, wrote a letter, and then directly pulled Liu Bai away.

Liu Bai had thought they would have to argue with that Yao fellow for a while. He hadn't expected Xiao Yi Xian to settle it with just one letter. He had overthought things.

After leaving Green Mountain Town, the two changed direction and continued onward.

Although Liu Bai had obtained the Purple Cloud Wings, he had not yet cultivated them. Even if he had, he couldn't possibly take Xiao Yi Xian and fly directly to the Tage Desert. The Jia Ma Empire was far too vast.

As a Dou Ling, flying openly through the sky with someone in tow would inevitably draw attention. He had no desire to cause trouble.

After reaching a neighboring town and resting briefly, they hired the fastest carriage available there and hurried nonstop toward Black Rock City.

Though they were no longer very far away, it still took nearly a full day of travel before they could vaguely see Black Rock City's enormous outline.

Standing atop the carriage, Liu Bai looked at Black Rock City's massive walls and tapped the carriage roof below him.

"Xian'er, we've reached Black Rock City."

Xiao Yi Xian pulled open the carriage curtain and poked half her head out.

"So this is Black Rock City? Xiao Bai, this is our first stop. It really does look magnificent."

Looking ahead, they saw that Black Rock City's enormous walls were actually built from whole blocks of black rock. It was said that even the full-force attacks of two Dou Wang experts had failed to shake these walls, showing just how sturdy they were.

Beyond the city walls, the view suddenly opened up.

"Let's find a room and stay the night first. Tomorrow, we'll head for Graphite City."

Xiao Yi Xian nodded, and the two casually found an inn to stay at.

Inside the inn, Xiao Yi Xian sat by the table while Liu Bai cultivated nearby.

From the window, they could faintly see the Alchemist Guild in the city center.

Xiao Yi Xian turned back to look at Liu Bai, who was cultivating behind her.

"Xiao Bai, aren't you an Alchemist? Have you ever taken the Alchemist assessment? Why haven't I seen your Alchemist Badge?"

Liu Bai replied while cultivating.

"I never took that test at all. But I can refine third-grade pills, so I count as a Third-Grade Alchemist."

"I see. Then why don't you go take the Alchemist assessment?"

"It's too troublesome. Having an extra badge doesn't really do anything. As long as I can refine pills, that's enough."

Xiao Yi Xian nodded thoughtfully.

"Come to think of it, I've never seen you refining pills before. What do Alchemists look like when they refine pills?"

Liu Bai exited his cultivation state and stood up.

"What, do you want to see me refining pills?"

He walked over to Xiao Yi Xian's side and looked toward the Alchemist Guild.

"Fine, then tomorrow we'll take the Alchemist assessment and get an Alchemist Badge while we're at it. Once we have the Alchemist Badge, we'll head to Graphite City. With an Alchemist's status, things will be more convenient for us."

"Sure, sure! But if you're taking the Alchemist assessment and I'm not an Alchemist, can I go inside?"

"Don't worry. If I say you can go in, then you can go in."

The next day, as the first faint rays of dawn spread across the land, Liu Bai and Xiao Yi Xian left the inn and headed toward the Alchemist Guild.

On the Dou Qi Continent, Alchemists were unquestionably the most respected profession. Whenever ordinary people mentioned the word Alchemist, they would feel a yearning in their hearts. The noble status of Alchemists had long been deeply ingrained in the hearts of everyone on the Dou Qi Continent.

The two strolled through several long streets. Only after walking for quite a while did they reach the Alchemist Guild. Before them stood a grand and imposing building with a unique design, resembling an enormous pill furnace.

The guild's windows resembled the fire vents of a pill furnace. Their gazes fell upon the light-purple sandalwood plaque outside the building, where five ancient characters, slightly blurred with age, glimmered with a faint sheen.

"So this is the Alchemist Guild? It looks so impressive!"

A trace of reverence appeared in Xiao Yi Xian's eyes.

Liu Bai chuckled.

"Let's go."