Battle Through the Heavens: The Road to Rise Begins at Canaan Academy — Section 24

As for Qin Chen, he stood some distance away watching him, with an exquisite medicine cauldron placed beside him.

"So he was refining pills. We were rather presumptuous this time."

As an alchemist himself, Yao Lao could not help but feel somewhat rueful at having rashly disturbed someone else while they were refining pills, shameless old man though he was.

At Yao Lao's signal, Xiao Yan slowly stepped forward, about to say something.

But before Xiao Yan could speak, Qin Chen waved a hand. "No need for introductions. I know who you are."

"You know me?"

Xiao Yan could not help feeling surprised. He was certain he had never met the person before him.

"Heh, more than just know you." Qin Chen smiled, a teasing glint flashing through his eyes. "Xiao Yan, your great reputation is truly thunderous."

'Thirty years in the east of the river, thirty years in the west. Never bully a poor young man.' Hearing those words had set my blood boiling. If it were me, I definitely would not have had the nerve to say something like that."

"You flatter me..." He had been filled with passion when he said it, but hearing it repeated now made Xiao Yan so embarrassed he could practically dig out a three-bedroom apartment with his toes.

Before he could finish, however, Qin Chen continued, "An outstanding student of Canaan Academy who took a full year of leave immediately after enrolling—you're the first in Canaan Academy's history."

"I was wondering why you had refused to come to Canaan Academy for so long. So you had taken Venerable Yao as your master."

Xiao Yan merely smiled and said nothing.

After seeing his teacher's abilities, how could he possibly hurry off to Canaan Academy for further study? Besides, his only reason for going there was because Yao Lao had said there might be a Heavenly Flame there.

Oh, right. And Xun'er...

Qin Chen looked toward Yao Lao and said with a smile, "As for how I learned of Senior's identity, please take a look at this first."

As he spoke, Qin Chen rummaged through his storage ring and took out an exquisite jade token, handing it to Yao Lao.

"So you are from Canaan Academy. No wonder you know so much about my disciple."

The moment he saw the jade token, Yao Lao's suspicion of Qin Chen largely faded. After all, Canaan Academy's recruitment team had arrived in Wutan City several months ago.

The reason this person had appeared here was probably for training. Still, the fellow had quite some nerve. He had only reached the Dou Wang realm, yet he dared venture so deeply into the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

After returning the token to Qin Chen, Yao Lao asked in a probing tone, "Then how did you recognize my identity?"

"Canaan Academy's name really is useful. It solved quite a few problems for me."

Taking the token from Yao Lao, Qin Chen sighed inwardly before chuckling. "The reason this junior recognized Senior is as follows."

"A few months ago, I happened to hear about Xiao Yan's experiences. His battle qi had vanished for no apparent reason, only to mysteriously return three years later, and his cultivation talent had become even greater than before. At the time, I wondered what the reason was. Today, after seeing Senior's Bone-Chilling Spirit Flame, I immediately guessed the general truth."

"Then why did you decide it was me? Couldn't it have been someone else?" Yao Lao's gaze remained calm. Clearly, Qin Chen's explanation was not enough to convince him.

Heavenly Flames were rare, but aside from the top three Heavenly Flames, the rest were not unique.

Qin Chen remained unhurried. He had long anticipated that Yao Lao would ask this. "First, Xiao Yan possesses a wood-within-fire affinity, making him a natural-born alchemist. Second, near Canaan Academy lies a city called Maple City."

"And the city lord of that city is a sixth-tier alchemist named Han Feng!"

Boom!

The instant the name "Han Feng" left Qin Chen's mouth, a powerful surge of soul force erupted uncontrollably from Yao Lao, instantly sending Xiao Yan, who had been watching from the side, flying.

Just as he was about to hit the ground, a gentle force caught him steadily in midair.

Xiao Yan stared at his teacher, his eyes filled with shock. He had never seen his teacher like this before. Who exactly was Han Feng?

Qin Chen stood quietly where he was. Though the pressure was formidable, it was not enough to affect him.

Yao Lao's figure warped slightly amid the turbulent soul force, but he soon calmed down, and the aura he had released slowly receded as well.

Seeing that Yao Lao had regained his composure, Qin Chen continued, "According to Han Feng, his teacher, Venerable Yao, accidentally perished while refining pills. The reason he came from the Central Plains to the Black-Corner Region was to search for his teacher."

"However, judging by what Han Feng has done in the Black-Corner Region over the years, I never believed it. Now it seems this junior's guess was correct."

Yao Lao remained silent, but that silence was enough to confirm Qin Chen's speculation.

That traitorous disciple—this old bag of bones had already fallen so low, yet Han Feng still refused to let him go!

If it were not for him, why would Han Feng have traveled thousands of miles to the northwestern region instead of searching elsewhere on the Battle Qi Continent?

Bluffing

"Uh... could you tell me what happened?"

The scene remained silent for a long time before Xiao Yan was finally unable to hold back. He cautiously moved closer to Qin Chen.

"I will explain it to you later." With a sweep of his illusory sleeve, Yao Lao forcibly ended the topic.

"Since Senior is unwilling to say more about this matter, let us change the subject." Qin Chen turned his gaze toward Yao Lao, a faintly mischievous smile on his face.

"What do you wish to say?" Yao Lao raised a brow and asked in surprise.

"I simply feel that Senior and I are rather fated. I would like to make a few trades with Senior."

Qin Chen chuckled softly and said slowly, "I possess a treasure others can only dream of obtaining. Senior should be very interested in it."

"Oh?"

Yao Lao stroked his illusory beard and examined the youth before him curiously. "What could make you so confident? You should know that ordinary heavenly treasures are not enough to catch my eye."

"Rest assured, the item in this junior's possession will certainly satisfy Senior."

Qin Chen's smile grew increasingly mysterious. Then, with a flip of his wrist, a yellowed piece of parchment appeared in his hand.

"Please take a look, Senior. What is this?"

No one knew what material the parchment was made from. Strange patterns were drawn across it, while at its edge sat a lotus-like object.

This lotus was vastly different from any real lotus. A thin layer of black flame clung to its surface, making it resemble an eerie flame. It faintly radiated an indescribably ancient and mysterious aura.

The moment Yao Lao's gaze fell upon the lotus-shaped pattern, his previously casual expression froze. His illusory figure actually swayed slightly, and the hand stroking his beard stopped in midair as disbelief flashed through his eyes.

"This is?" Staring fixedly at the eerie black lotus, Yao Lao asked in a deep voice.

"It is the Pure Lotus Demon Flame Fragment Map left behind by the former peak expert, the Pure Lotus Demon Saint!" A sly glint flashed through Qin Chen's eyes as he answered proudly.

"The Pure Lotus Demon Saint? A Dou Sheng expert?" Xiao Yan did not possess Yao Lao's composure. His expression changed drastically at once.

Anyone who could use the word "Saint" as part of their title, whether bestowed by others or claimed by themselves, had reached the pinnacle of cultivation.

On the present-day Battle Qi Continent, where Dou Di had vanished over ten thousand years ago and battle qi had gradually grown thinner, Dou Sheng experts had long become legendary existences. They possessed terrifying power capable of overturning seas and rivers and opening up space itself!

"That's right."

Qin Chen grinned and explained patiently, "He was a heaven-reaching expert at the peak of the nine-star Dou Sheng realm, only one step away from the legendary Dou Di. He was called the Pure Lotus Demon Saint because he was the master of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame."

"The purpose of the map he left behind before his death was to find a fated successor on the Battle Qi Continent. In other words, as long as you gather all the fragments, you can obtain the Pure Lotus Demon Saint's inheritance—the Pure Lotus Demon Flame!"

"The Pure Lotus Demon Flame is ranked third on the Heavenly Flame List and possesses the ability to purify all things. Even Dou Sheng experts deeply fear its terrifying power."

"Th-this... this..." Xiao Yan was stunned speechless, unable to form a complete sentence for a long while.

Qin Chen secretly laughed as he watched Xiao Yan stammer.

This was exactly the effect he wanted!

"You are actually willing to use such a treasure in a trade with me?" After pondering for a moment, Yao Lao narrowed his eyes slightly, his voice low.

Although he had never seen such a fragment map before, he could still be certain that it was genuine.

The higher one's realm, the more one could sense the shocking power contained within the immense soul force on this fragment map.

Xiao Yan also looked at Qin Chen, curiosity and scrutiny in his eyes.

He asked himself honestly: even if he could not uncover the secret of this fragment map, he would never trade it away.

Even if the cultivation method he practiced was not the Flame Mantra!

Qin Chen smiled. "With my current insignificant strength, even if I obtained the Pure Lotus Demon Flame, I would be unable to refine it. Worse still, it might bring about my death. Compared to something so illusory, I care more about tangible benefits."

"Even if I had not met Senior, once I reached the Central Plains in the future, I would still find a way to trade away this fragment map."

"Mm."

Hearing this, Yao Lao nodded slightly.

What Qin Chen said was indeed reasonable. His concerns were not unfounded.

Though Heavenly Flames were powerful, they were also like scalding hot potatoes. Without sufficient strength to protect one, it would only bring disaster. Choosing to exchange the fragment map for practical benefits seemed far more rational.

With that thought, a trace of approval appeared in Yao Lao's eyes.

He had lived for many years and met all sorts of people, but he had rarely seen someone like Qin Chen, who possessed such steady judgment and clear understanding at such a young age.

The temptation of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame was enough to drive anyone mad, yet this youth could calmly weigh the pros and cons, abandon such an immense but illusory temptation, and choose more reliable "tangible benefits."

Such maturity was truly rare.

Yao Lao was silent for a moment before slowly asking, "What do you wish to exchange it for?"

Though Qin Chen's words had been somewhat exaggerated, there was no doubt that this fragment map had indeed come from the hand of a peak expert.

Judging from the soul force upon it, the map's creator had very likely reached the legendary Di realm in soul power!

As a renowned peak expert, the man naturally had his own pride. Why would he leave behind a useless map for no reason?

Since this fragment map was real, he absolutely could not let it slip away.

For Xiao Yan, who cultivated the Flame Mantra, the height he could reach in the future depended on Heavenly Flames—high-ranking Heavenly Flames!

After all, even if he succeeded in reviving, Yao Lao was not certain that he himself could reach the Dou Sheng realm. Some matters in his heart might still need this disciple to accomplish.

Xiao Yan's heart stirred as well, his burning gaze fixed on Qin Chen.

"My cultivation has already reached the nine-star Dou Wang realm. Once I advance to Dou Huang, I can attempt to refine seventh-tier pills. But due to my lack of a systematic alchemy inheritance, my alchemy skills are bound to progress very slowly."

"Therefore, I wish to exchange this fragment map for an inheritance in eighth-tier alchemy techniques, along with matching high-tier pill formulas."

At the end, Qin Chen added, "Senior should understand that I can obtain an alchemist's inheritance through other means, but this Demon Flame Map Fragment is something that can only be encountered by chance!"

"Fine. This old man will make this trade with you!" After a long silence, Yao Lao's aged voice slowly rang out.

Qin Chen was right. Though alchemy inheritances were precious, they were ultimately only knowledge that could be copied. In comparison, the Pure Lotus Demon Flame Fragment Map was a rare treasure beyond measure.

To become a true grandmaster of alchemy, what one truly relied on was powerful soul force and robust battle qi cultivation.

As for those ninth-tier grandmasters, even without pill formulas, they could create them themselves. It would merely cost them some effort and time.

But if one's own strength could not keep up, what use would it be to possess every alchemy inheritance and pill formula in the world?