Alchemy Hall

Blue-gold flames churned within the medicine cauldron. Xiao Yan focused intently, letting strands of flame flow from his ten fingers as he deftly controlled the Heavenly Flames inside the cauldron. Seeing that several fiery red, fire-element energy plants within were about to be completely dissolved into powder by the blue-gold flames, Xiao Yan casually dripped in a small vial of Amethyst Source and Seven-Colored Heaven-Swallowing Python saliva.

A moment later, when Xiao Yan's soul power sensed that the medicinal energies beneath the cauldron lid had completely merged, he reached out with his right hand and lightly touched the medicine cauldron. The blue-gold flames immediately flowed back into his body along his right hand.

Xiao Yan flicked the cauldron lid open with a burst of qi. In an instant, more than a dozen red pills flew from within into his palm.

"Yan brat, what exactly did you refine?"

Yao Lao, who had been floating nearby after Xiao Yan called him out to watch for quite some time, finally spoke.

"This? I call it the Purple Flame Pill. It allows one to temporarily use the Amethyst Winged Lion King's companion Purple Flame. It's an indispensable treasure for Alchemists without Heavenly Flames when refining medicine."

Xiao Yan rubbed his chin as he looked at the red pills in his hand, making it all up as he went.

"Oh? Then what use does it have for you? Don't you already have Heavenly Flames?" Yao Lao suddenly cut straight to the point.

"Uh..."

"So isn't refining this thing nothing but a pointless waste for you? And you've squandered these precious materials for nothing: the Amethyst Source gifted to you by the Amethyst Winged Lion King, and the saliva gifted to you by Queen Medusa."

"..."

Just as Yao Lao was about to continue "denouncing" his unreliable disciple, he suddenly looked outside the room, then flashed back into the Storage Ring.

"Hehe, I'll let you off this time for the sake of those two little girls, Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin."

"Hm? Have those two little girls arrived?" Xiao Yan turned toward the door.

"Brother Xiao Yan, how are you feeling?"

The door to Xiao Yan's room suddenly swung open, and two little girls tumbled inside.

Hm, the adorable one must be Qing Lin.

"Brother Xiao Yan, I heard from Sister Xun'er that you were nearly beaten to death by her a couple of days ago."

A little girl in a white gauze dress stepped closer, grabbed Xiao Yan's hand, and looked up at him with tearful eyes.

Hm, the soft and adorable one must be Xiao Yi—

"Wait! Xiao Yi Xian, explain this clearly to me! What do you mean I was nearly beaten to death by Xun'er?!"

Xiao Yan flicked his sleeve and glared at Xiao Yi Xian in mock fury.

"Hehe."

As if remembering something, Xiao Yi Xian adorably covered her mouth with one small hand, indicating that she had said nothing. Yet the amusement in her large, rolling eyes clearly betrayed her.

"Hmph!"

With nowhere else to vent his anger, Xiao Yan snorted and could only direct it outside the door.

"You there at the doorway! Don't squat there and block my sunlight. You should know that at this time of day, the fire elements in the light are at their most active."

Xiao Yan said this nonsense with a perfectly serious expression.

"Hiss, hiss, hiss."

A certain magical beast, coiled at the doorway and peering timidly into the room, looked innocently at Xiao Yan with its pair of cartwheel-sized snake eyes.

What is this foolish human talking about? Why is my little master secretly laughing? The mentally limited Twin-Winged Flame Snake pondered deeply.

"Hmph, you're not allowed to bully Xiao Qing, Brother Xiao Yan."

The little girl in green reached out and lightly punched Xiao Yan with her tiny fist.

"Qing Lin, Xiao Yi Xian, the two of you shouldn't play with that little rascal Xun'er anymore. And don't believe anything she says."

Xiao Yan said angrily.

"Hehe."

The two little girls merely smiled without answering.

Xiao Yan looked at them with a slight headache. Now that these two little troublemakers had gotten together with Xun'er, things would surely become lively from now on.

"Did you two come to visit me today?" Xiao Yan asked with a smile.

"That's right, Brother Xiao Yan."

At this moment, Xiao Yi Xian seemed to remember why she had come.

"A couple of days ago, I heard Sister Xun'er say that Brother Xiao Yan had been recuperating in your room, so whenever I needed to absorb poison these past two days, I had to trouble Uncle Xiao Yun, the third-grade Alchemist and elder of the clan's Alchemy Hall, to prepare it for me."

"But I still want Brother Xiao Yan to prepare it personally for me. Is that okay, Brother Xiao Yan?" Xiao Yi Xian said, tugging Xiao Yan's arm and gently shaking it.

"Alright, alright!"

The moment Xiao Yi Xian acted cute, Xiao Yan immediately agreed.

"But the clan's Alchemy Hall? I haven't been there in quite a while. It's time to take a look. Hehe, Teacher said these Purple Flame Pills were useless, but aren't they coming in handy now?"

"Come on, Xiao Yi Xian. Let's visit the clan's Alchemy Hall today. I'll prepare your medicine personally tomorrow. Qing Lin, you should come too."

Xiao Yan stood, put away the medicine cauldron, and led Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin outside.

On the way to the Alchemy Hall, Xiao Yan recalled its recent history.

Before Xiao Yan was born, the Xiao Clan had not possessed any Alchemists of its own. They had not even recruited any, since Wutan City was merely a remote little city in the empire's interior.

At that time, the clan only had Xiao Yun, a self-taught Alchemist apprentice. He could only make simple medicinal salves for bruises and injuries, not even true pills. Rather than an Alchemist apprentice, he was better described as a low-status pharmacist on the Dou Qi Continent. It was only after Xiao Yan was born and Yao Lao awakened that the Xiao Clan began formally cultivating its own Alchemists with Yao Lao's help.

Under the meticulous tutelage and resource support of Yao Lao, a grandmaster Alchemist of the Ninth-Grade Profound Pill rank, the Xiao Clan had, three years after Xiao Yan's birth, produced one second-grade Alchemist—Xiao Yun—and seven first-grade Alchemists. Two of those first-grade Alchemists had been recruited from outside the clan as Guest Elders. Only then did the Xiao Clan's Alchemy Hall truly begin to take shape.

Later, after Xiao Yan returned from a year and a half of training away from home with Yao Lao, the Xiao Clan's Alchemy Hall had already grown and expanded on its own. By then, it had one third-grade Alchemist, three second-grade Alchemists, and eleven first-grade Alchemists. There were even more Alchemist apprentices being cultivated independently, so the Xiao Clan's Alchemy Hall now had more than a hundred people.

The Alchemy Hall elder and third-grade Alchemist Xiao Yun mentioned by Xiao Yi Xian was the current person in charge of the Xiao Clan's Alchemy Hall. He was also the self-taught Alchemist apprentice from back then. Rising from an Alchemist apprentice who would have had almost no hope of advancing in his lifetime to become a third-grade Alchemist was inspiring enough, even with the help of the clan and Yao Lao.

Xiao Yan's primary purpose in visiting the Alchemy Hall this time was to meet Xiao Yun, whose experiences were rather legendary. As far as he knew, Xiao Yun's life as an Alchemist apprentice had not been easy.

After walking for some time, Xiao Yan and the two girls arrived before a cluster of magnificent, imposing buildings.

Looking at the two enormous gilded words, "Alchemy Hall," above the thirty-foot-tall gates, as well as the tightly guarded perimeter and the capable guards constantly patrolling nearby, Xiao Yan gazed at the scene before him with some pleasant surprise.

"It seems the clan's Alchemy Hall has been run quite well. It's really taking shape."