Qing Lin / Qing Lin's Qi Refining

He couldn't have come specifically to humiliate him, could he?

"As expected of the Ice Emperor. You really are clever."

Qin Chen chuckled and continued, "I know this fragment of the map is only half of it. Hand over the other half as well. Also, as an alchemist, I'm very interested in the Heavenly Flames within the Tagore Desert. Since you've lived in seclusion here for so many years, you must know where it is."

Hai Bodong's expression changed drastically upon hearing this, but when he heard Qin Chen say that he was an alchemist, a trace of delight flashed through his eyes.

"May I ask what tier your alchemy has reached, young friend?"

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Hai Bodong asked cautiously. He had to confirm the strength of the person before him first; otherwise, he would not dare invest rashly.

"I can refine any Sixth-Grade Pill."

As soon as Qin Chen finished speaking, surging soul power burst violently from between his brows.

Feeling the soul pressure comparable to that of a Dou Emperor expert, Hai Bodong's expression changed abruptly, and the shock in his eyes could no longer be concealed.

A Tier 6 Alchemist! In the entire Jia Ma Empire, Gu He was the only one. Yet this youth before him looked no more than fifteen or sixteen. To have achieved such a level at that age, his talent was simply terrifying.

At this point, Hai Bodong no longer doubted Qin Chen's alchemy skills. However, when he thought of how this pill required Heavenly Flames to refine, he hesitated again.

"Damn it, I'm taking the gamble!"

After the light in his eyes flickered for a moment, Hai Bodong said in a deep voice, "I can give you the map, and I can also provide information about the Heavenly Flames. In exchange, there is something I would like you to help me with."

He took the bait!

Qin Chen understood immediately, then smiled. "It seems you want to make a deal with me. Go ahead. I, Qin Chen, am not someone who likes settling everything through violence."

The world wasn't all about fighting and killing; it was about connections and social etiquette.

"Since you know who I am, young friend, then you must also know why my strength is only at the Dou Ling level, right?" Hai Bodong did not state his purpose directly and instead asked a question in return. He had been sealed.

"Mm."

Qin Chen nodded and said, "You were once a Dou Emperor expert renowned throughout the empire, yet for some unknown reason, you came to the Tagore Desert and unfortunately encountered Queen Medusa. Though you escaped by luck, your strength was sealed down to the Dou Ling level."

"If I'm not mistaken, you want me to help remove your seal, right?"

"That is indeed correct." Hai Bodong gave a bitter smile. He had not expected the youth before him to know even this, then continued.

"To break the seal, I spent the past several decades searching for all kinds of methods. In the end, I found a pill formula. As long as I refine the pill described on it, my strength will be restored."

"What grade is this pill?" Qin Chen asked.

"Tier 6." Hai Bodong licked his lips and smiled.

"Since it's only a Sixth-Grade Pill, why don't you ask Pill King Gu He for help?" Qin Chen asked despite already knowing the answer.

"He can't do it."

Hai Bodong shook his head and explained, "The foremost requirement for refining this pill is that the alchemist must possess Heavenly Flames. As far as I know, he does not have such a thing."

"But I don't have Heavenly Flames either. Why do you think I can help you?" Qin Chen spread his hands.

A sharp gleam flashed through Hai Bodong's eyes as he said with certainty, "Though I don't know where you come from, I know you are definitely no ordinary person. Even without my help, I believe you can find the Heavenly Flames hidden within the Tagore Desert."

At this point, the old man looked helpless. "Besides, even if you hadn't come today, I think I would have left this place in a few years and sought out Gu He to help remove my seal."

Looking at Hai Bodong's hopeful expression, Qin Chen nodded and smiled. "All right, I agree."

Hearing this, Hai Bodong let out a sigh of relief, and a hint of a smile appeared on his aged face.

Just then, Qin Chen said, "You should know the rules of alchemists. Have you prepared all the medicinal ingredients?"

"This..." Hai Bodong smiled awkwardly, his expression embarrassed.

"What? Don't tell me you haven't prepared the medicinal ingredients yet?" Qin Chen raised a brow.

"That is indeed the case." Grasping a few strands of his gray-white beard with his dry hand, Hai Bodong said bitterly, "I've already gathered most of the medicinal ingredients. I'm only missing the final one, called Sand Mandala."

"The growing conditions for Sand Mandala are extremely harsh. It can only be found in places with high temperatures, namely the depths of the Tagore Desert. But that is Snake-People Tribe territory. Since I cultivate an ice-attributed technique, and I also have Queen Medusa's seal within me, she will sense me the moment I enter the depths of the desert, so..."

"So you want me to help you find this medicinal ingredient?" Qin Chen rubbed his chin and asked calmly.

"Yes." Hai Bodong was also rather helpless. The shadow Queen Medusa had cast over him was too great. For more than a decade, he had not dared take even half a step into the desert.

Qin Chen fell silent at first. After a long while, he nodded at Hai Bodong. "All right. For the sake of the Heavenly Flames, I agree."

Qing Lin

"Thank you." A smile appeared on Hai Bodong's face. He then took out a sheet of parchment from his robes and handed it to Qin Chen, saying,

"This is a map I drew after years of exploration. It marks the three places where Heavenly Flames are most likely to exist."

Qin Chen took the parchment and immediately noticed the three flame symbols on it, located respectively in the eastern, western, and northern parts of the Tagore Desert.

Qin Chen nodded slightly and smiled. "In that case, we'll set out after packing our things."

"Huh?"

Hai Bodong froze for a moment, then hurriedly said, "I have Queen Medusa's seal on me. I can't enter the desert!"

"You think too highly of yourself. Medusa is busy right now. Where would she find the time to trouble you?"

Qin Chen rolled his eyes and continued, "Old sir, it's dangerous for me to venture into the depths of the desert alone to find medicinal ingredients for you. Now I'm asking you to come with me to search for Heavenly Flames, and you're still reluctant to put in some effort?"

"Besides, I'm not asking you to go into the depths of the Tagore Desert. If we don't find the Heavenly Flames in the northeast, I'll go search the west myself."

Although Hai Bodong had been sealed by Medusa, he still possessed the strength of a peak Dou Ling. Bringing him along would make things much easier. In the original story, Xiao Yan had not brought this helper because he did not want to expose Yao Lao's existence.

But Qin Chen was different. He liked making full use of everything. As a frail and sickly little alchemist, how could he go without a guard to support his image?

Besides, it wasn't some secret Hai Bodong couldn't know.

"All right." After hesitating for a long time, Hai Bodong nodded helplessly and turned to pack his belongings.

A short while later, the two figures left the shop one after the other and headed toward Stone Desert City to the east.

During the day, the blazing sun hung high over the desert. The yellow sand was scorched until it burned, and even the air warped beneath the heat. Walking here for only a short while would leave one parched. The occasional breeze brought not the slightest coolness; instead, it carried burning grains of sand that scraped painfully against one's face.

Stone Desert City, a human city located within the Tagore Desert.

It was an important military stronghold. Because it faced the Snake-People Tribe directly, a large number of elite soldiers were stationed in the city year-round. Its walls were tall and thick, covered in defensive fortifications, while the guards at the gates had sharp, vigilant eyes.

The residents here had long grown accustomed to this atmosphere. Their gazes carried a hint of wariness, but also a measure of resilience. They were prepared at any moment for surprise attacks from the Snake-People Tribe deep within the desert.

After entering the city gates, Qin Chen handed several bottles of pills to Hai Bodong. "Hai Lao, go gather people to search for the Heavenly Flames first."

"And what about you?" Hai Bodong looked at Qin Chen in confusion.

"Hehe!"

Qin Chen smiled faintly and teased, "I've been stuck with a bad old man like you for so long that I'm already bored stiff. I'm going to find a pretty little maid to feast my eyes on first."

Hai Bodong: "..."

He was one of the ten strongest experts in the Jia Ma Empire, after all. When ordinary people saw him, which one of them wasn't respectful and deferential? Yet now, he was serving as someone else's guard and still being disliked.

Though Hai Bodong grumbled inwardly, he could do nothing about it. After placing the bottles of pills into his Storage Ring, he turned and left.

Watching Hai Bodong depart, Qin Chen grinned and headed into the city. He first went to the Iron Desert Mercenary Group's base in the southern part of the city, but unfortunately, he found no trace of Qing Lin there.

"Could it be that Qing Lin hasn't been taken in by the two Xiao Clan brothers yet?"

Qin Chen thought for a moment, then headed toward the city center. Before long, someone selling slaves caught his attention.

The man was currently spraying saliva everywhere as he continuously boasted about his "goods" to passersby. Beside him stood a large prison cart containing several ragged little girls. They huddled in the cramped space. Though they had been cleaned up fairly well, every one of them looked numb, their eyes dull and lifeless. It was obvious they had suffered prolonged abuse and fright.

Qin Chen stopped before the prison cart, his gaze landing on a slightly smaller girl in the corner.

The clothes this little girl wore were clearly thicker than those of the others. In particular, her slender arms were wrapped tightly, as if she were deliberately hiding something. The little girl had a pair of clear emerald-green eyes, and when Qin Chen looked into them, he actually felt a faint sense of discomfort.

The slave trader also noticed Qin Chen's gaze. When he saw the alchemist badge on Qin Chen's chest, he immediately approached with a wide grin and a lecherous smile. "My lord, you have excellent taste! These are all top-quality goods, every one of them fresh and lovely. Buy them back as maids, or... hehe, it'll definitely be worth it!"

It could only be said that alchemists truly were the most prized group on the Battle Qi Continent. No matter where they went, they were treated as honored guests.

Qin Chen glanced at him indifferently and pointed at the girl in the corner. "How much for her?"

When the man saw the direction Qin Chen was pointing, he was visibly stunned. He had caught this little girl by chance. Because she was a human and snake-person hybrid, no one was willing to buy her, and she had been sitting unsold with him for several days.

Of course, he would not say that. The slave trader's eyes rolled, and the smile on his face grew even broader. "My lord truly has a discerning eye to spot the finest one at a glance. As for her price... hehe, since you are a distinguished alchemist, I'll give you a discount. One thousand gold coins will do."

Qin Chen did not haggle. He directly took out a heavy bag of gold coins from his Storage Ring and tossed it over.

The slave trader caught the bag and weighed it in his hand. The wrinkles on his face blossomed with delight. He hurriedly took out a key to unlock the prison cart, carefully pulled the girl out, then pushed her before Qin Chen. "My lord, take her. This girl belongs to you from now on."

"My lord, do you need more slaves? I have plenty of connections."

The man rubbed his hands together and looked at Qin Chen with a fawning expression.

"No need." Qin Chen ignored him. After throwing him another bag of gold coins, he took Qing Lin's little hand and left.

Human traffickers deserved to die, but so what? What could Qin Chen do? Kill him?

Heh. Even if Qin Chen killed him today, someone else would replace him tomorrow. To solve this problem at its root, one could only become the strongest on the Battle Qi Continent—a Dou Di.

"A Dou Di..." Qin Chen looked up at the azure sky and shook his head helplessly.

The more one knew, the more powerless one often felt. Real cultivation was nothing like what was described on paper. Not every realm existed on the same plane.

Thinking of this, Qin Chen turned to Qing Lin, who was trembling constantly beside him, and smiled. "Little girl, what's your name?"

"R-Replying to... to my lord, I... I'm Qing Lin." Qing Lin's voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz. Her little hands clutched tightly at the hem of her clothes, and lingering fear remained on her face.

Seeing this, Qin Chen revealed a gentle smile, like a spring breeze. "Don't be afraid. From now on, follow me. No one will dare bully you again."

Qing Lin raised her head slightly and looked at the unfamiliar youth before her, who nevertheless carried a trace of warmth. Her pale little face could not help turning red as she responded softly, "Mm..."

"Hahaha, let's go. I'll take you to buy something to eat first. Also, you don't need to call me my lord from now on."

"How can that be? You saved my life..."

Qing Lin Cultivates Qi

Meanwhile, at the Sand Mercenary Group's base.

Hai Bodong kicked open the gates to the Sand Mercenary Group's courtyard. Icy cold air spread from his body, instantly freezing the previously noisy atmosphere in the courtyard.

Several mercenaries who had been wiping their weapons stood up at once, wariness appearing on their faces. One burly man who seemed to be their leader shouted coldly, "Old man, you dare trespass into our Sand Mercenary Group? I think you're tired of living! Take him down!"

As soon as he spoke, several mercenaries beside the burly man picked up their weapons with savage grins and lunged fiercely at Hai Bodong.

"Overestimating yourselves!" Hai Bodong snorted coldly and stomped heavily on the ground. In an instant, a powerful ripple of energy swept outward, sending every one of the men rushing forward flying. The entire courtyard was immediately thrown into chaos.