Alchemy Hall

Inside the Medicine Cauldron, cyan-gold flames were churning. Xiao Yan was concentrating intensely, using thin threads of flame flowing from his ten fingers to nimbly manipulate the Heavenly Flame within. Seeing that the fire-attribute energy plants inside, which were red throughout, were about to be completely melted into powder by the cyan-gold flames, Xiao Yan casually dripped a small bottle of Amethyst Source and the saliva of the Seven-Colored Heaven-Swallowing Python into the mixture.

A moment later, when Xiao Yan's soul power sensed that the energy of the medicinal materials under the cauldron lid had completely neutralized, he extended his right hand and tapped the cauldron lightly. The cyan-gold flames crawled back into his body along his right arm.

Xiao Yan flicked his finger, using a burst of energy to pop the lid open, and instantly, over a dozen red pills flew into his palm.

"Little Yan, what is this thing you've refined?"

Floating to the side, Yao Lao, who had been called out by Xiao Yan to watch for a long time, spoke up.

"This? I call it the Purple Flame Pill. Through it, one can briefly utilize the companion purple flame of the Amethyst Winged Lion King. It is an essential item for alchemists who do not possess a Heavenly Flame."

Xiao Yan looked at the red pill in his hand, rubbing his chin as he spouted nonsense.

"Oh, so what use is it to you? Don't you have a Heavenly Flame?" Yao Lao suddenly hit the nail on the head.

"Uh..."

"So, isn't refining this thing just a waste of effort for you? You've also pointlessly squandered these precious materials: the Amethyst Source gifted to you by the Amethyst Winged Lion King and the saliva given to you by Queen Medusa."

"..."

Yao Lao was just about to continue "scolding" his unreliable disciple when he suddenly looked outside the room and then dove 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? Are those two little girls here?" Xiao Yan turned his head to look outside the door.

"Brother Xiao Yan, how are you?"

The door to Xiao Yan's room was suddenly pushed open, and two little lolis tumbled inside.

Hmm, someone this cute must be Qing Lin, Xiao Yan thought.

"Brother Xiao Yan, I heard from Sister Xun'er that you were almost beaten to death by her two days ago."

A little loli dressed in white gauze leaned in, grabbing Xiao Yan's hand with teary eyes.

Hmm, someone this soft and adorable must be Xiao Yi Xian, Xiao Yan continued to think.

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

Xiao Yan flicked his sleeves and "glared" at Xiao Yi Xian.

"Giggle."

As if remembering something, Xiao Yi Xian suddenly raised her small hand to cover her mouth, indicating she hadn't said anything. However, the amusement in her large, rolling eyes clearly betrayed her.

"Hmph!"

With nowhere to vent his frustration, Xiao Yan let out a cold snort and had to direct his anger toward the doorway.

"Who's that at the door? Don't squat there blocking my sunlight. You should know that the fire elements in the light are at their most active at this time of day."

Xiao Yan spoke nonsense with a straight face.

"Hiss, hiss, hiss."

The magical beast currently coiled at the door, peering into the room with a timid head, looked at Xiao Yan innocently with eyes the size of carriage buckets.

What is this stupid human saying? Why is the little master giggling? the Twin-Winged Flame Snake pondered with its limited brain capacity.

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

A certain little loli in green reached out her small hand and gently tapped Xiao Yan.

"Qing Lin, Xiao Yi Xian, don't play with that clever little devil Xun'er in the future. Don't believe a word she says."

Xiao Yan said "angrily."

"Heehee."

The two little lolis smiled without a word.

Xiao Yan looked at the two of them with a slight headache. These two brats had gotten together with Xun'er; it looked like things would be lively from now on.

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

"That's right, Brother Xiao Yan."

At this moment, Xiao Yi Xian seemed to recall the purpose of her visit.

"I heard from Sister Xun'er these past two days that Brother Xiao Yan, you were in your room recovering from your injuries, so for the last two days, I've had to trouble Uncle Xiao Yun, a third-rank alchemist and elder of the Alchemy Hall, to prepare the poisons I need to absorb."

"But I still want Brother Xiao Yan to prepare them for me personally, okay? Please, Brother Xiao Yan?" Xiao Yi Xian tugged on Xiao Yan's arm and swayed it gently.

"Fine! Fine!"

Xiao Yan immediately agreed after being coaxed by Xiao Yi Xian.

"But the Alchemy Hall in the clan? I haven't been there in a long time. It's time to go take a look. Hehe, Teacher said this Purple Flame Pill was useless, but look, it's coming in handy."

"Let's go, Xiao Yi Xian, we'll go check out the clan's Alchemy Hall today. Tomorrow, I'll prepare your medicine personally. Qing Lin, you come too."

Xiao Yan stood up, put away the Medicine Cauldron, and walked out while pulling Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin along.

On the way to the Alchemy Hall, Xiao Yan recalled the recent state of the hall.

Before Xiao Yan was born, the Xiao Clan did not have its own alchemist. They didn't even have any recruited ones; after all, Wutan City was just a remote little city in the interior of the Empire.

Back then, the Xiao Clan only had one self-taught alchemy apprentice, Xiao Yun, who could only concoct simple salves for bruises and injuries, not even qualifying as medicinal pills. Rather than an alchemy apprentice, he was more of a low-status apothecary on the Dou Qi Continent. It wasn't until Xiao Yan was born and Yao Lao awakened that the Xiao Clan began to formally cultivate its own alchemists with Yao Lao's assistance.

Under the meticulous guidance and resource allocation of Yao Lao, a grandmaster alchemist of the Ninth-Rank Profound Pill level, the Xiao Clan already boasted one second-rank alchemist—Xiao Yun—and seven first-rank alchemists three years after Xiao Yan's birth. Among them, two first-rank alchemists were guest elders recruited from outside the clan, which was when the framework of the Xiao Clan's Alchemy Hall was officially established.

Later, after Xiao Yan returned from a year and a half of training abroad with Yao Lao, the Xiao Clan's Alchemy Hall had developed and expanded on its own. By this time, the Alchemy Hall already had one third-rank alchemist, three second-rank alchemists, and eleven first-rank alchemists. As for the alchemy apprentices they had begun training themselves, there were even more, bringing the total number of people in the Xiao Clan's Alchemy Hall to over a hundred.

The third-rank alchemist Xiao Yun, whom Xiao Yi Xian mentioned as an elder of the Alchemy Hall, was the current head of the Xiao Clan's Alchemy Hall and the very same self-taught alchemy apprentice from back then. To achieve such a comeback from an alchemy apprentice who seemed destined to never break through in his entire life—even with the help of the clan and Yao Lao—was truly inspiring.

Xiao Yan's main purpose in visiting the Alchemy Hall this time was to meet this Xiao Yun, whose life story was quite legendary; as far as he knew, Xiao Yun's days as an alchemy apprentice had been far from easy.

After walking for a while, the three of them arrived before a grand and imposing complex of buildings.

Looking at the two massive gilded characters "Alchemy Hall" on the three-zhang-high gate, as well as the vigilant, patrolling guards, Xiao Yan looked at the scene before him with some pleasant surprise.

"It seems the family's Alchemy Hall is doing quite well; it's really flourishing."