Rise to Power from Canaan Academy

The petite figure needed no introduction—it was Zi Yan. She stood beside Su Qian, the white-haired Grand Elder clad in coarse robes, her little face filled with deep reluctance.

Qin Chen handed a storage ring to Zi Yan and said with a smile, "Zi Yan, it contains the food I made for you—medicinal meals, pills, and snacks. After I leave, listen to the Grand Elder and don't cause trouble for him."

Zi Yan took the storage ring and clenched it in her palm, her tone carrying a hint of stubbornness. "I won't cause trouble. You're the one who needs to be careful out there."

"Don't worry."

Qin Chen ruffled her long purple hair, then turned to Su Qian and bowed slightly. "Grand Elder, thank you for taking care of me all these years. Qin Chen will always remember it."

Su Qian waved a hand, stepped forward, and patted Qin Chen on the shoulder. "No need for such courtesy. The outside world is nothing like the academy. Be extra careful on this journey."

"Rest assured, Grand Elder. I have my own plans. Farewell!"

Under Zi Yan's reluctant gaze, Qin Chen slowly rose into the air before finally disappearing...

After half a month of travel, Qin Chen finally arrived at Ghost-Suppressing Pass, the border fortress of the Jia Ma Empire.

Ghost-Suppressing Pass was the forward line of defense against forces outside the Jia Ma Empire. Its walls were as massive as small mountains, stretching beyond sight. The gray-brown bricks bore countless marks from blades, swords, and energy blasts. A faintly murderous air filled the atmosphere, while the orderly sounds of drills echoed continuously from within the city.

The guards at the gate were all Dou Masters clad in dark armor, inspecting travelers entering the city one by one. Qin Chen wore the distinctive robes of an alchemist and used a secret method to suppress his aura to the level of a Grand Dou Master as he slowly approached with the crowd.

This was a necessary procedure for entering an empire. Qin Chen was not afraid of trouble, but he did not want to stir up unnecessary complications or draw unwanted attention. Relying on his identity as a "second-tier alchemist," he passed the inspection without issue.

After making a few adjustments, Qin Chen began asking around Ghost-Suppressing Pass.

As everyone knew, refining a Heavenly Flame required three essential items: the Blood Lotus Pill, Ice Spirit Cold Spring, and a Spirit-Absorbing Stone.

Of course, if one's strength far surpassed that of the Heavenly Flame, one could forcibly subdue it. Although Qin Chen was far stronger than Xiao Yan had been in the original story, he was not yet strong enough to confront a Heavenly Flame head-on. These supporting items were therefore still indispensable.

Before leaving Canaan Academy, Qin Chen had already prepared the Blood Lotus Pill. Now, only the Ice Spirit Cold Spring and Spirit-Absorbing Stone remained. It was not that the academy lacked these two items, but the price was too steep. It would be more cost-effective to simply go to the Jia Ma Empire and "take" them directly.

Thus, his first target upon arriving in the Jia Ma Empire was Gu He's older brother—the Pill King's brother, Gu Te.

Weak yet wealthy—people like that were the easiest targets for robbery. If he did not rob Gu Te, Qin Chen would feel as though he had let himself down.

After some inquiries, Qin Chen arrived at the flying transport station in Ghost-Suppressing Pass and boarded an alchemist's exclusive ride toward the interior of the Jia Ma Empire.

Blackrock City was a large city in the eastern province of the Jia Ma Empire. It was equipped with the empire's civilian transport network, making travel convenient for its people. Without any mishaps, Qin Chen smoothly entered this bustling city.

After continuing to ask around, Qin Chen soon arrived at a remote area in the south of the city. Before him stood an odd building. Others might not have seen anything special about it, but Qin Chen knew that it had been specially built by Gu Te to store his treasures.

However, now was not the right time to act. He would come calling after nightfall.

Night quietly descended, and the clamor of Blackrock City gradually gave way to silence. Only scattered lights flickered throughout the city.

Yet, one strange building in the south of the city was different. It remained brightly lit. In a room on its top floor, a slovenly old man was staring obsessively at a blood-red lingzhi mushroom in his hand.

"Treasure~ My treasure~"

Judging by that lecherous appearance, no one would have imagined that the man before them was related to the Pill King Gu He—his own older brother, no less.

Whoosh!

At that moment, a jade bottle traced a graceful arc through the air and smashed heavily against the wall.

Bang!

The jade bottle shattered on impact, and dense emerald-green smoke instantly filled the entire room.

"Damn it! Which bastard was that?" As the scene before his eyes began to spin, Gu Te frantically rummaged through his storage ring, trying to find a pill that would keep him conscious.

Before he could find one, however, a hand chop struck the back of his neck like lightning. Gu Te's eyes rolled back, and his body instantly went limp as he collapsed to the floor.

My treasure... This was Gu Te's final thought.

Looking at the unconscious, lecherous old man, Qin Chen chuckled. He pulled the storage ring from Gu Te's hand, tied him up tightly with rope, and finally stuffed a rag into his throat.

A Refreshed Hai Bodong

"Hehehe... All the treasures are mine." Looking at the dazzling assortment of rare treasures in the room, Qin Chen could not help rubbing his hands together before packing everything up and taking it away.

Gu Te was an alchemist, after all, yet instead of studying alchemy, he spent every day tinkering with strange and bizarre things. Setting traps outside was one thing, but he had even filled his own room with traps.

Fortunately, Qin Chen's soul power was powerful enough to clearly sense the hidden mechanisms. If it had been anyone else, they would probably have had to spend quite some effort dealing with them.

Qin Chen knew there was a hidden passage in the walls of this room. Moreover, the wall covering itself was an extremely precious material with a certain insulating effect. So, rather than slowly probing with his soul power, he stripped away all the wall covering and placed it into his storage ring.

After stuffing every valuable item in the room into his storage ring, Qin Chen stepped into the hidden passage and soon arrived at a small stone chamber.

Several wooden racks stood in the stone chamber, covered with precious medicinal herbs and heavenly treasures. One jade box was leaking threads of cold air. Inside it was the Ice Spirit Cold Spring!

"What's this?"

Qin Chen raised a brow and picked up a palm-sized jade box from one of the racks. The moment he opened it, his face filled with shock.

Inside the jade box lay a thumb-sized gray stone. It was smooth as jade, without the slightest flaw. At its center, a faint blue glow slowly wriggled like a tiny living insect.

"I didn't expect it to be a Spirit-Absorbing Stone. That makes things much easier."

"I thought I would have to rob Gu He to gather all three essential items. I never expected Gu Te to give me such a surprise. This guy really is a good person!"

After sighing in appreciation, Qin Chen closed the jade box and placed it in his storage ring.

Qin Chen's original plan had been to rob Gu Te and then find a way to rob Gu He. The Pill King had always been searching for Heavenly Flames, so he was bound to possess the necessary items for refining one. Now, however, he had been spared quite a bit of trouble.

Gu Te truly deserved his reputation as the treasure vault of the beginner's village. Despite being only a third-tier alchemist, he was richer than Qin Chen, a sixth-tier alchemist.

Others were merely filthy rich. This old man was rich enough to drip oil!

Since that was the case, it was time to pay a visit to that refreshed angel investor.

After thoroughly searching Gu Te's room again and confirming there was not a single scrap of profit left to squeeze out, Qin Chen carefully departed and vanished into the night.

"Ahhh... My treasures!!!"

No one knew how much time passed before an incomparably miserable cry swept through all of Blackrock City. It was enough to make those who heard it grieve and weep...

But Qin Chen could no longer hear those cries, because he had already boarded a flying magical beast and was on his way to Desert City.

Desert City lay on the eastern border of the Jia Ma Empire and was the empire's closest city to the Tagore Desert.

Although it was not as large as a major city like Blackrock City, its defenses were far stricter because it bordered the Snake-People Tribe.

Its special location also drew merchant caravans from all over the empire and even from other empires. Shouts and haggling frequently rang out from the shops lining the streets. Pedestrians in all manner of clothing moved through the city—both local residents and traveling merchants.

Hai Bodong's map shop was famous throughout Desert City. Qin Chen learned its location simply by asking a passerby. At first, the man had not wanted to pay him any attention, but the instant he saw the alchemist badge on Qin Chen's chest, he immediately put on a fawning smile.

Following his directions, Qin Chen quickly arrived at the map shop called "Gu Tu." The shop carried an ancient air that did not quite match its reputation.

Choosing a moment when no one else was around, Qin Chen slowly entered the shop. At a glance, he spotted the old man making maps. He wore a plain gray robe, and his fingers were dry yet unusually strong. He used a sharp bone pen to draw complicated lines onto yellowed beast hide, with several half-finished maps scattered around him.

Though the old man looked kind, the scar on his face lent him an air of menace. Perhaps that was why no one dared cause trouble here lightly.

Without paying him any attention, Qin Chen looked around before walking straight toward the most inconspicuous wooden rack. He rummaged through a pile of yellowed maps and soon found the Pure Lotus Demon Flame Fragment Map.

At that moment, Hai Bodong's calm voice sounded beside him. "Customer, do you recognize that fragment map?"

Qin Chen smiled faintly and directly placed the fragment map in his storage ring. Then he teased, "Not only do I recognize this fragment map, I also know that the Ice Emperor Hai Bodong, one of the Jia Ma Empire's ten strongest experts, is standing before me."

Boom!

Hai Bodong's face instantly darkened. Fierce ice-attributed Dou Qi erupted from his body, and a vicious killing intent quietly spread through the room.

His dry hand tapped a spot on the table. With a boom, the open front doors closed by themselves, completely cutting the shop off from the outside world.

Staring at the youth before him, who radiated the aura of a Grand Dou Master, Hai Bodong said coldly, "How do you know all this?"

Sigh!

Though he had expected it, Qin Chen still felt somewhat helpless. Unless people like this were beaten into submission, they would never speak properly. Someone already knew all their secrets—shouldn't they talk first?

Qin Chen shook his head and said evenly, "Believe me, Hai Bodong. If I told you the true nature of this fragment map, you would definitely regret it."

Qin Chen was not wrong. Not to mention the current Hai Bodong—even Hai Bodong at the end of the story would not have been qualified to take part in the struggle for the Pure Lotus Demon Flame.

Though Qin Chen had meant it as kind advice, Hai Bodong took it as blatant mockery. His voice turned grim. "It doesn't matter if you refuse to speak. This old man has his own ways of making you talk!"

A flash of killing intent crossed Hai Bodong's face. His aged figure instantly vanished from where he stood, and an icy mist enveloped the entire house, completely obscuring Qin Chen's vision.

This move was effective not only against Dou Spirits but even against ordinary Dou Kings. However, Qin Chen's soul power was extraordinarily strong, and Hai Bodong's figure hidden in the mist could not escape his perception.

"You overconfident brat!"

Hai Bodong had not expected Qin Chen to be so careless, and the anger in his heart flared even hotter. He stomped off the ground, his dry hand shooting toward Qin Chen's throat.

Even if I've been sealed, dealing with a soft-skinned alchemist should still be—

Pfft!

Hai Bodong's rapidly moving body suddenly shuddered. Like a cannonball, he shot through Qin Chen's afterimage and crashed violently into the base of the wall. The entire shop shook from the impact.

Qin Chen shook his leg and looked in slight surprise at the fading afterimage in the distance. As expected of a Dou Emperor, his body was quite tough.

A Deal

"Good boy, so you were hiding your strength!"

Hai Bodong sprang out of the shattered wall with lightning speed. Expressionless, he stared at Qin Chen with the bearing of a true expert.

As expected of a former Dou Emperor, he had slammed face-first into a wall without leaving even the slightest mark on his face. Still, the materials used to build this shop were truly sturdy. If it had been one of the wooden cabins on a flying magical beast, it would have been smashed through long ago.

Qin Chen grinned. "When traveling outside, one naturally has to keep a low profile. Aren't you hiding your strength too, old sir? Though yours is out of necessity."

Hai Bodong's mouth twitched slightly. Qin Chen's words had undoubtedly struck a sore spot. If Medusa Queen had not sealed him, who would be willing to hide their identity in a place like this?

"Brat, don't think that becoming a Dou King means you can defeat me!"

Hai Bodong could no longer maintain his expert's composure. The cold air around him suddenly surged. His dry right hand clenched lightly, and a snow-white ice spear appeared in his grasp. His left hand rapidly formed a seal, and in an instant, a thick layer of ice armor covered his body.

This person isn't simple. I must go all out—

Bang!

Before Hai Bodong could attack, Qin Chen appeared before him like a ghost. A flaming fist slammed viciously into Hai Bodong's chest. Hai Bodong only felt an overwhelming force crash into him like a tidal wave. The ice armor around him shattered instantly, and his body flew backward out of control.

Boom!

Hai Bodong's aged face had another intimate encounter with the wall. This impact was even fiercer than the last, and cracks spread across the wall like a spiderweb.

"Well? Do you still want to keep fighting?" Qin Chen smiled as he looked at Hai Bodong, who had risen to his feet once more.

"You win, brat. Tell me, what exactly do you want?"

Having cultivated to the level of a Dou Emperor in a barren place like the Jia Ma Empire, Hai Bodong was naturally no fool. After taking the map, the youth before him could have simply left—or even killed him with a single slap. Yet he had deliberately stayed behind to fight him. He clearly had another objective.