The petite figure was naturally Zi Yan. At this moment, she stood beside Grand Elder Su Qian, who wore a hemp robe and had white hair and beard, her little face filled with deep reluctance.
Qin Chen handed a Storage Ring to Zi Yan and smiled. "Zi Yan, it contains the food I made for you—medicinal cuisine, pills, and snacks. After I leave, listen to the Grand Elder properly. Don't cause trouble for him."
Zi Yan took the Storage Ring and clenched it in her hand, her tone somewhat stubborn. "I won't cause trouble. You should be careful out there."
"Don't worry."
Qin Chen rubbed her long purple hair, then turned to Su Qian. He bowed slightly and said respectfully, "Grand Elder, thank you for taking care of me these past years. Qin Chen will always remember it."
Su Qian waved his hand, stepped forward, and patted Qin Chen's shoulder with a smile. "No need for such formalities. 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 the Jia Ma Empire's border fortress—Ghost-Suppressing Pass.
Ghost-Suppressing Pass was the frontline defense against forces beyond the Jia Ma Empire. Its walls were as massive as small mountains and stretched beyond sight. The grayish-brown bricks were covered in marks from blades, swords, and energy impacts. A faintly solemn killing intent filled the air, while the sound of orderly drills continuously echoed from within the city.
The guards at the gate were all Dou Shi-level experts clad in black armor, inspecting travelers entering the city one by one. Qin Chen wore an alchemist's distinctive attire and used a secret technique to suppress his aura to the Da Dou Shi level 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 create unnecessary problems or attract unwanted attention. Relying on his status as a "Tier 2 Alchemist," Qin Chen passed the inspection smoothly.
After making a few adjustments, Qin Chen began asking around Ghost-Suppressing Pass.
As everyone knew, refining a Heavenly Flame required three essential items: a Blood Lotus Pill, Ice Spirit Cold Spring, and a Spirit-Absorbing Stone.
Of course, if one's strength vastly surpassed that of the Heavenly Flame, it could be forcibly subdued. However, although Qin Chen was far stronger than Xiao Yan had been in the original story, he had not yet reached the point where he could directly contend with a Heavenly Flame. These auxiliary items were therefore indispensable.
Before leaving Jia Nan Academy, Qin Chen had already prepared the Blood Lotus Pill. Now, he only lacked the Ice Spirit Cold Spring and the Spirit-Absorbing Stone. It was not that the academy did not have those two items, but the cost was too great. It was more worthwhile to simply go to the Jia Ma Empire and "take" them.
Thus, his first target upon arriving in the Jia Ma Empire was Gu Te, the older brother of the Pill King Gu He.
Weak and wealthy—people like that were the easiest targets for robbery. If he did not rob him, Qin Chen would feel as though he had wronged himself.
After asking around, Qin Chen arrived at Ghost-Suppressing Pass's aerial transport station and boarded an alchemist's exclusive vehicle toward the Jia Ma Empire's interior.
Blackrock City was a large city in the eastern province of the Jia Ma Empire. It had the empire's civilian transport fleet, making travel convenient. Without any surprises, Qin Chen smoothly entered the prosperous city.
After continually asking around, Qin Chen soon arrived at a secluded area in the south of the city. Before him stood a strange building. Others might not see anything special about it, but Qin Chen knew that Gu Te had built it specifically to store treasures.
However, it was not convenient to act yet. He would pay a visit after nightfall.
Night quietly descended, and Blackrock City's clamor gradually gave way to silence. Only scattered lights flickered throughout the city.
Yet the strange building in the south of the city was unusual. It remained brightly lit. In a room on its highest floor, a slovenly old man was lovingly playing with a blood-red ganoderma in his hand.
"Treasure~ My treasure~"
Judging by that lecherous appearance alone, no one would have imagined that the man before them was related to the Pill King Gu He—and was even Gu He's biological older brother.
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 spinning, Gu Te frantically rummaged through his Storage Ring, trying to find a pill that would keep him conscious.
However, before he could find one, 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... That was Gu Te's final thought.
Looking at the unconscious lecherous old man, Qin Chen chuckled and directly stripped the Storage Ring from his hand. He then tied him up tightly with rope and finally stuffed a rag into his mouth.
"Treasure... All the treasures are mine now." Looking at the dazzling array 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, yet instead of researching alchemy, he spent his days tinkering with all sorts of strange things. Setting traps outside was one thing, but he had even filled his own room with traps.
Fortunately, Qin Chen's soul power was strong enough to clearly sense the mechanisms hidden in the darkness. If it had been anyone else, they would likely have needed to expend considerable effort.
Qin Chen knew there was a concealed passage within the room's walls. Moreover, the wall coating was an extremely precious material with a certain isolating effect. So rather than slowly probing it with his soul power, he stripped off all the wall coating and stored it in his Storage Ring.
After putting all the valuables in the room into his Storage Ring, Qin Chen stepped into the hidden passage. Before long, he reached a small stone chamber.
The stone chamber contained several wooden racks covered with precious herbs and natural treasures. One jade box emitted wisps of cold air. Inside it was the Ice Spirit Cold Spring!
"What's this?"
Qin Chen raised an eyebrow and picked up a palm-sized jade box from one of the racks. When he opened it, shock immediately appeared on his face.
A thumb-sized gray stone lay quietly inside the jade box. It was smooth as jade, without the slightest flaw. At its center, a faint blue gleam slowly wriggled, like a tiny living insect.
"I never expected it to be a Spirit-Absorbing Stone. This 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 pleasant surprise. This guy really is a good person!"
After sighing emotionally, Qin Chen closed the jade box and placed it in his Storage Ring.
Qin Chen's original plan had been to rob Gu Te, then find a way to rob Gu He. The Pill King had always been searching for Heavenly Flames, so he was certain 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 trove of the beginner village. His alchemy had only reached the third tier, yet he was richer than Qin Chen, a Tier 6 Alchemist.
Other people were merely filthy rich. This old man was made entirely of oil!
Since that was the case, it was time to visit that refreshingly generous angel investor.
After thoroughly checking Gu Te's room again and confirming that there was not a single drop 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 across all of Blackrock City. It was enough to make those who heard it mourn 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 city closest to the Tagore Desert.
Although its size could not compare to a large city like Blackrock City, its defenses were far stricter due to its proximity to the Snake-People Tribe.
Its special location also meant that Desert City attracted merchant caravans from all over the empire and even from other empires. Hawking cries and the clamor of bargaining regularly came from the shops lining the streets. Pedestrians in all kinds of clothing moved through the crowds, including locals as well as traveling merchants and laborers.
Hai Bodong's map shop was extremely famous in Desert City. Qin Chen only needed to ask a random passerby to learn its location. That person had initially been unwilling to pay him any attention, but the moment he saw the alchemist badge on Qin Chen's chest, he immediately adopted a fawning expression.
Following his directions, Qin Chen soon 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 and immediately spotted the old man making maps. He wore a simple gray robe. His fingers were withered yet unusually strong as he used a sharp bone pen to draw complex lines across yellowed beast hide. Several half-finished maps lay scattered around him.
Although the old man looked amiable, the scar on his face added a hint of ferocity to his appearance. Perhaps that was why no one dared cause trouble here lightly.
Ignoring him, Qin Chen looked around before walking directly toward the most inconspicuous wooden rack. He then began searching through a stack 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 slightly and directly put the fragment map into 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."
Rumble!
Hai Bodong's face instantly darkened. Fierce ice-attributed Dou Qi erupted from his body, and a savage killing intent quietly spread through the room.
His withered hand tapped a spot on the table. With a boom, the open doors shut on their own, completely isolating the shop from the outside world.
Looking at the youth before him, who emanated the aura of a Da Dou Shi, Hai Bodong said coldly, "How did you know all that?"
Sigh!
Although it was within his expectations, Qin Chen still felt somewhat helpless. People like this would not speak properly unless they were beaten into submission. Since someone already knew their background, should they not at least try talking first?
Qin Chen shook his head and said calmly, "Believe me, Hai Bodong. If I tell you the origins of this fragment map, you will definitely regret it."
Qin Chen was not wrong. Forget the current Hai Bodong—even Hai Bodong at the end of the story would not have been qualified to participate in the struggle for the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame.
Though Qin Chen had spoken with good intentions, Hai Bodong saw it as pure mockery. In a grim tone, he said, "It doesn't matter if you don't want to talk. This old man has ways to make you speak!"
A fierce glint flashed across Hai Bodong's face. His aged figure instantly vanished from where he stood, while a freezing mist enveloped the entire building and completely obscured Qin Chen's vision.
This move was effective not only against Dou Ling experts, but even against ordinary Dou Wang experts. Yet Qin Chen's soul power was exceptionally strong, and Hai Bodong's figure hidden in the mist could not escape his perception at all.
"You ignorant brat!"
Hai Bodong had not expected Qin Chen to be so arrogant. His anger immediately intensified as he pushed off hard with both feet, his withered hand shooting toward Qin Chen's neck.
Even if I'm sealed, dealing with a delicate alchemist should still be...
Puff!
Hai Bodong's rapidly moving body suddenly trembled. Like a cannonball, he passed through Qin Chen's afterimage and smashed hard into the base of the wall, making the entire shop shake.
Qin Chen shook his leg and looked with slight surprise at the fading afterimage in the distance. As expected of a Dou Emperor expert—his body was quite tough.
"Good boy, you actually hid your strength!"
Hai Bodong shot up from the shattered wall debris like lightning. He stared expressionlessly at Qin Chen, carrying himself with the bearing of an expert.
As expected of a former Dou Emperor expert, he had slammed face-first into the wall without leaving a single 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 already been smashed through with a huge hole.
Qin Chen chuckled. "When traveling outside, of course one should keep a low profile. Didn't you hide your strength as well, old sir? Though yours was out of necessity."
Hai Bodong's mouth twitched slightly. Qin Chen's words had undoubtedly struck a sore spot. If Queen Medusa had not sealed him, who would be willing to hide their name and live in obscurity here?
"Brat, don't think that being a Dou Wang means you can defeat me!"
Hai Bodong could no longer maintain his expert demeanor. The cold aura around him surged sharply. His withered 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 is not simple. I must go all out...
Bang!
Before Hai Bodong could attack, Qin Chen appeared before him like a ghost. A fist wrapped in flames smashed heavily into Hai Bodong's chest. Hai Bodong only felt an overwhelming force crashing into him like a tidal wave. The ice armor around his body shattered instantly, and he was sent flying uncontrollably.
Boom!
Hai Bodong's aged face came into intimate contact with the wall again. 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 watched Hai Bodong stand up once more.
"You win, brat. Tell me, what exactly do you want?"
Hai Bodong had managed to cultivate to the Dou Emperor level in a barren place like the Jia Ma Empire, so he was naturally no fool. The youth before him could have left immediately after taking the map, or even killed him with a single slap. Yet he had deliberately remained to fight him, so he clearly had another purpose.
Before you continue