Hidden Dragon Ranking

After saying that, Yao Feng sat down cross-legged and began circulating the Flame Mantra to recover. He had left the family in too much of a hurry and had not even brought essential pills like Qi Returning Pills. Although he was only a Second Grade Alchemist at present, and Qi Returning Pills were third-grade medicinal pills that he could not yet refine, there were quite a few second-grade pills that could restore Dou Qi. It seemed he needed to refine some pills when he had the time.

A quarter of an hour later, Ge Ye returned with Nalan Yanran. Yao Feng slowly opened his eyes, having recovered sixty to seventy percent of the Dou Qi within his body.

It seems the Flame Mantra's grade is still too low. Its rate of absorbing Dou Qi is somewhat slow. Devouring Heavenly Flames has to be put on the agenda. The Tagore Desert is quite close to here, so I should take a trip there if I get the chance.

Yao Feng pondered inwardly. As for stealing Xiao Yan's opportunity... sorry, Yao Feng was the protagonist now.

"Young Master Yao, shall we set off now?"

"Alright."

Seeing this, Zhou Tong let out a whistle. The Griffin Beast suddenly flew over from the distance, flapped its wings several times, and landed before Yao Feng.

"Let's ride the Griffin Beast. It'll be faster."

Yao Feng leaped onto the Griffin Beast's back first, then beckoned to Nalan Yanran and Ge Ye.

"A Third-tier Demonic Beast, a Griffin Beast? And it's merely a mount?"

Ge Ye was shaken speechless. What kind of strength did one need to ride a Griffin Beast? This kind of Demonic Beast possessed remarkable endurance and flying speed. Since they were riding one, this young man before him had likely come from a very distant place...

"Then we'll trouble you, Young Master Yao."

Nalan Yanran smiled shyly and leaped to Yao Feng's side. Ge Ye hurriedly followed.

Seeing this, Old Zhou chuckled and shouted, "Hold on tight, we're taking off!"

The Griffin Beast shot into the sky. The sudden movement caused Nalan Yanran to sway, a flash of panic appearing on her face as she began to fall backward.

Standing beside her, Yao Feng swiftly caught her. Looking at Nalan Yanran's lovely face from such close range, he suddenly became distracted. Her flawless features and intoxicating fragrance made it easy to sink deeply in and lose oneself. Nalan Yanran turned her gaze toward him, and their eyes met. Embarrassed, they both turned away at the same time. Yao Feng cursed himself inwardly and hurriedly released the hand that was holding Nalan Yanran.

Yao Feng, you really are a shameless bastard. How embarrassing!

The moment Nalan Yanran turned away, a blush crept onto her face again. Her bashful appearance stirred a powerful urge to protect her.

"Thank you, Young Master Yao."

"It's... it's nothing. Miss Nalan, just call me Yao Feng."

"Mm, Young Master Yao... Yao Feng, don't call me Miss Nalan either. It feels rather awkward. Just call me Yanran."

"Alright."

Yao Feng smiled faintly. He realized that ever since coming to this world, his skin had grown thicker and thicker. Back then, he would blush just from holding a girl's hand. Yet now, he had already emerged from that awkward atmosphere and was chatting as though nothing had happened.

Behind them, Ge Ye witnessed everything, a complicated look flashing through his eyes.

Ah, that boy Liu Ling probably has no chance now. And that discarded genius from the Xiao Family—even if his talent remained, he might not necessarily compare to this young man.

Meanwhile, Old Zhou wore a smile as though his scheme had succeeded.

"Yao Feng, are you heading to the Imperial Capital for the Hidden Dragon Ranking?"

"The Hidden Dragon Ranking? What's that?"

Yao Feng scratched his head and asked in confusion. There had been no mention of this in the original work. Could the course of this world's story have changed because of him?

"The Hidden Dragon Ranking is a competition organized by the Jia Ma Imperial Family. Anyone below the age of fifteen can participate. At first, it was meant to select fresh talent for the imperial family, but it later evolved into a grand event for the entire empire. Its influence is no less than that of the Alchemist Conference. Those who rank highly on the Hidden Dragon Ranking can not only receive generous rewards, but may also catch the eye of major sects and gain their support, soaring to great heights from then on."

A glimmer flashed through Nalan Yanran's eyes. She had turned fifteen this year, and she had coveted the Hidden Dragon Ranking for a long time. With her cultivation, claiming first place would not be difficult. Yet after meeting Yao Feng, she suddenly felt an intense sense of crisis. He looked about her age, but with that Earth-tier Dou Technique alone, she likely would not be able to withstand him. It dealt a blow to her ever-proud heart.

"What's the reward for first place?"

Yao Feng asked with interest. Nalan Yanran was already considered one of the finest geniuses among her peers in the Jia Ma Empire, yet she was only a Three-star Dou Zhe. If he participated in the Hidden Dragon Ranking with his strength as a Five-star Dou Zhe, wouldn't first place be his for the taking?

"I heard the reward for first place is a Mid-grade Profound-tier Dou Technique, but there has been no news yet of what specific Dou Technique it is."

Nalan Yanran rubbed her chin, thought for a moment, then answered.

"A Mid-grade Profound-tier Dou Technique? That's not bad!"

Yao Feng nodded. A Mid-grade Profound-tier Dou Technique was just right for his current realm. It seemed the Hidden Dragon Ranking was worth making a trip for.

"By the way, Snow Spirit Grass is an extremely yin and cold thing. What do you need it for? Alchemy?"

Yao Feng asked. Though he had nearly guessed the answer, he still wanted to confirm it.

"Not for alchemy. It's for my grandfather. He was once injured by a fifth-tier Demonic Beast, a Burning Iron Poison Mark Python, and an incredibly terrifying Brand Poison was left inside his body. Every day, he has to endure the agony of his body being scorched by flames. So I want to find Snow Spirit Grass to ease some of Grandfather's pain." Nalan Yanran told him everything without reservation, seemingly unaware that she had known Yao Feng for less than an hour.

Just as I thought. In the original work, Nalan Jie would collapse from the Brand Poison two or three years later. If Xiao Yan had not appeared, Nalan Jie would likely have died when the Brand Poison flared up.

Yao Feng thought to himself.

But since I'm here, I'll change all of this!

Yao Feng pondered for a moment but did not immediately reveal that he possessed Heavenly Flames. Though he was a transmigrator, he did not yet know whether the Nalan Family was worth his intervention. He was not some fool ruled by lust; he would not save someone he knew nothing about merely because of Nalan Yanran.

"Snow Spirit Grass is yin and cold by nature, so it can suppress the pain caused by the Brand Poison. But that only treats the symptoms, not the root cause. If the Brand Poison is not removed, its accumulation will make it increasingly difficult to deal with in the future."

"We've sought out quite a few alchemists, but all of them were helpless. Left with no other choice, we can only use this method to temporarily suppress the Brand Poison."

Nalan Yanran's gaze dimmed slightly. She naturally understood this as well, but even Alchemist King Gu He had no solution. There was little she could do.

"Yao Feng, do you understand medicinal theory?"

As though she had thought of something, Nalan Yanran suddenly turned to look at Yao Feng's profile and asked curiously.