True or False Bone Spirit Cold Flame?

The next morning!

At the heart of the Pill Tower, deep within the Little Pill Tower.

At the residence of Xuan Yi, one of the Three Great Heads of the Pill Tower.

A fiery red figure appeared before the residence gates.

The burly Tian Leizi did not dare enter directly and could only raise his voice and shout toward the door:

"Xuan Yi, Xuan Yi, I have some news here that you'll definitely be curious about."

"Tian Leizi, if you can't give me a good reason today, I'll make sure to have words with you."

A voice came from within the house. Then, the space before Tian Leizi twisted, and a cold, aloof, strikingly beautiful woman emerged.

Xuan Yi, who had been about to refine pills, showed a rare trace of anger in her cool eyes.

"It's true. I guarantee that you'll definitely want to know what I just found out."

Tian Leizi spoke with a solemn expression, utterly confident.

"Oh? May I hear this news as well?"

Xuan Kongzi, who lived nearby, stepped through the air and suddenly appeared before the two of them.

He had been wondering why hot-tempered Tian Leizi was not investigating the Soul Hall's forces and had instead suddenly come to find Xuan Yi.

"Old Xuan, you'll definitely want to know too."

Tian Leizi's gaze lingered on Xuan Yi before turning to Xuan Kongzi.

Xuan Kongzi stroked his beard. This was the first time he had seen Tian Leizi so excited.

"I heard that the Bone Spirit Cold Flame seems to have appeared in the Pill Region."

Tian Leizi's words made both Xuan Kongzi and Xuan Yi widen their eyes.

Xuan Yi in particular showed a rare lapse of composure the instant she heard those four words.

Even Xuan Kongzi's eyes were filled with shock.

This Heavenly Flame was connected to an old friend from long ago.

Yao Chen!

A figure who had once become one of the Three Great Heads of the Pill Tower, he had also been of their generation.

Especially the woman beside him; it was said that she and Yao Chen had been quite close.

"Are you certain?"

Xuan Yi was somewhat agitated, but she still wanted to confirm it once more.

"It's true, but that Heavenly Flame appeared in the Ye Family."

"Could it be that he isn't dead yet? Or perhaps it belongs to a disciple he took in before his death?"

Xuan Kongzi's deep, aged voice slowly rang out.

This truly was major news, but there were still many questions surrounding it.

"Did you ask about the details?"

Seeing the two of them talk without getting to the point, Xuan Yi, who had remained silent until now, could not help asking.

"Why was it in the Ye Family? And was it truly the Bone Spirit Cold Flame? Did anyone see Yao Chen?"

Xuan Yi's string of questions left even Xuan Kongzi afraid to speak.

Seeing how serious Xuan Yi was, Tian Leizi scratched his hair and spoke softly.

"Well... well, I heard from my subordinates that they didn't see any strangers."

"As for why it was in the Ye Family, it was because the Black Fire Sect attacked a Ye Family genius, which exposed the Bone Spirit Cold Flame. Oh, right, I heard that the Heavenly Flame didn't look like the Bone Spirit Cold Flame either. It was dark blue."

"As for anything else, I don't know."

After Tian Leizi finished speaking, he looked at Xuan Yi and finally added another sentence.

Xuan Yi frowned. In her memories, the Bone Spirit Cold Flame had been a ghastly white.

As for the grudge between the Ye Family and the Black Fire Sect, she had not paid attention to it. At her level, such matters normally never reached her ears.

Seeing Xuan Yi's expression, Xuan Kongzi no longer wished to ask about those matters.

He was more curious about why Tian Leizi knew.

"Didn't I tell you to investigate the Soul Hall? How did you find out about this?"

Tian Leizi suddenly slapped his hand, as if recalling something, and said in realization:

"The Soul Hall! According to the current rumors, the Black Fire Sect belongs to the Soul Hall."

"What's the basis for that?" Xuan Kongzi asked with furrowed brows.

"There's no definite proof. This information came from the Ye Family, so it can't be ruled out that the Ye Family is framing them!"

After Tian Leizi finished, he continued, "But..."

"During this time, I also investigated and found that whenever a force in the Pill Region disappears, the Black Fire Sect grows stronger!"

"If it weren't for this rumor, I probably wouldn't have connected the two..."

As Tian Leizi explained his analysis, he suddenly noticed Xuan Kongzi staring at him with a face full of astonishment.

His eyes were filled with disbelief, as though he were looking at an entirely different person.

"Old Xuan, why are you looking at me like that?"

Tian Leizi stroked his beard, utterly baffled.

But after recalling what he had said, he added, "Oh, right. This is just my guess."

Stroking his white beard, Xuan Kongzi said in surprise, "Since when did you learn how to use your brain?"

At this,

Tian Leizi sighed and said gloomily, "I had no choice. I investigated for four or five days and found nothing. Now that I finally have some information, of course I have to get to the bottom of it."

"I also looked into it. The Black Fire Sect's reputation in the Pill Region is indeed terrible, so I'd be delighted if they really were people from the Soul Hall."

Xuan Kongzi smiled.

"Since you're sure the Black Fire Sect has a problem, go investigate it. While you're at it, bring Ye Zhong of the Ye Family over for questioning."

"Old Xuan, you really do understand me. That's exactly what I was thinking."

Tian Leizi was extremely interested in the Black Fire Sect and planned to go take a look in the coming days.

Xuan Kongzi turned to Xuan Yi again. "Xuan Yi, when Ye Zhong arrives, ask him about it in detail."

Xuan Yi was rather absentminded. She merely nodded, seemingly lost in thought.

At noon!

Sacred Pill City, at the boundary between the outer and inner regions.

This was where many Pill Tower elders lived, and Sheng Yao, whom Ye Yan and the others had come to visit, resided here.

Sheng Mansion, main hall.

"That old bastard really doesn't send letters unless something's happened."

The vigorous white-haired elder seated at the head of the hall looked at the letter in his hand and cursed Ye Zhong irritably.

Below the hall, Ye Jingheng could only lower his head awkwardly.

Even Ye Yan could only stand there blankly, unable to say anything.

"Alright, Jingheng, you haven't come here in decades. Since you're at the Pill Tower now, there's no need to worry so much."

Sheng Yao walked down from the hall and patted Ye Jingheng on the shoulder, then turned toward Ye Yan, who looked like an ordinary twelve- or thirteen-year-old boy.

"You must be that talented disciple of the Ye Family."

Sheng Yao looked Ye Yan up and down before adding, "You're quite a cautious lad."

"You flatter me, Elder. This disciple was merely lucky." Ye Yan cupped his hands slightly.

"A two-star Dou Zhe at such a young age cannot be explained by luck alone."

Sheng Yao narrowed his eyes slightly and stroked his beard.

Ye Yan cupped his hands again. "You praise me too highly, Elder."

Seeing Ye Yan's composed manner, Sheng Yao suddenly smiled.

This made both Ye Yan and Ye Jingheng raise their heads to look at him.

"It's nothing!"

Sheng Yao raised a hand and said, "That boy Ye Zhong wrote in his letter that you, this genius, are extremely arrogant and unruly, and told me to be more tolerant."

"Now that I see you, that letter was not entirely accurate!"

At those words,

Ye Yan's mouth twitched, unsure whether he should say what was on his mind.

He was only uninhibited around his own people, alright?

In front of outsiders, without strength or connections, what was the point of acting arrogant?

That would be like bringing a lamp into the latrine—looking for death!

Even Ye Jingheng glanced at Ye Yan, leaving him even more helpless.

After the joking exchange, the atmosphere became much more cordial.

Watching from the side, Sheng Yao could not help nodding.

This boy was cautious enough, talented enough, and even had decent character. He was worth investing in early!

"Oh, right! It's indeed impossible for you to take one of the Great Heads as your master at this stage. After all, neither your strength nor your alchemist rank has reached the standard yet."

"And even if you meet the standard, you will still need sufficient talent to make the three Great Heads think highly of you."

Sheng Yao finally came to the main subject.

Ye Jingheng frowned, somewhat worried.

Ye Yan had expected this already, so he did not have much of an emotional reaction.

Just as Sheng Yao was about to say something else,

Hurried footsteps came from outside, followed by an anxious voice.

"Elder Sheng Yao, Elder Xuan Kongzi wishes to see you, as well as the honored guests in your residence."

The three exchanged looks, surprise flashing in their eyes.

They had only been here for a few hours, yet the Pill Tower had already received word?

And they had specifically summoned them???

This couldn't be trouble, could it?