Alchemist Association

Su Zhao stored them one by one in his storage ring. He then examined the remaining bones and feathers tempered by the flames. They were also excellent materials for forging, so he put them away as well.

He picked up the Magic Beast core, studied it carefully for a moment, then handed it to Su You. "Su You, take a look. What tier is this?"

Su You accepted the core and sensed it carefully, his gaze turning solemn. "Young Master, unless something unexpected happened, this Magic Beast core should belong to an eighth-tier Magic Beast. This Sky Demon Phoenix was likely an exceptionally powerful eighth-tier Magic Beast in life."

An eighth-tier Magic Beast was equivalent to a human Dou Venerate.

This Sky Demon Phoenix had been that powerful in life!

Su Zhao nodded thoughtfully and put the Magic Beast core back into his storage ring.

An eighth-tier Magic Beast core was an exceedingly rare top-grade material, whether used in alchemy or embedded into a weapon.

"That counts as an unexpected windfall."

Su Zhao chuckled.

"A Sky Demon Phoenix corpse appeared here. I wonder if there might be something even better."

The group then searched the cave thoroughly once more, but aside from the Sky Demon Phoenix's corpse, they found nothing else of use.

Clearly, the Sky Demon Phoenix's corpse had been the final treasure hidden within this cave.

With nothing left to find, they naturally did not linger. They promptly left the underground cave and returned to the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King's dwelling through the passage Su You had excavated.

In the blink of an eye, another month passed.

High in the sky somewhere within the Jia Ma Empire, the enormous Purple Crystal Winged Lion King spread its wings and streaked through the air.

Su Zhao and the others sat cross-legged on the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King's broad back. After another month of gathering treasures throughout the Magic Beast Mountain Range, they had finally left the deep wilderness where they had lived for over two months.

Before long, the outline of a city gradually emerged in their view.

Its walls were tall, its buildings densely packed, and its streets teemed with carriages and pedestrians. It was far more prosperous than both Black Wind City and Qing Mountain Town.

The Purple Crystal Winged Lion King's massive body slowly descended as it flew toward the city.

At that moment, a group of guards keeping watch atop Blackrock City's walls suddenly felt the sky darken. Looking up, they saw an enormous purple Magic Beast descending from the heavens, its outspread wings nearly covering half the city wall!

"Magic... Magic Beast! What a huge Magic Beast!"

"Alert! Sound the alert!"

Urgent horn blasts rang out, and the city walls immediately fell into chaos.

The Purple Crystal Winged Lion King was simply too enormous. When standing, it was nearly as tall as the city walls. Moreover, it was a sixth-tier Magic Beast. Though it had restrained most of its ferocious aura, the remaining pressure was still enough to make ordinary soldiers' legs go weak and their hearts pound.

Quite a few experts within the city sensed that aura and turned startled, uncertain gazes toward the city walls.

Blackrock City Alchemist Association.

Otto stood on the terrace atop the association building, enjoying the afternoon sunlight.

As an alchemist, his soul perception naturally far surpassed that of ordinary experts. From a great distance away, he had already detected a massive, savage aura approaching.

He looked up, and his expression immediately changed drastically as he cried out in shock!

"Isn't that the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King?! Wasn't it deep in the Magic Beast Mountain Range? How did it get here?!"

The Magic Beast Mountain Range was thousands of miles from Blackrock City, and Magic Beast incursions were rare here.

Yet the ruler of the Magic Beast Mountain Range, the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King, had actually flown brazenly over Blackrock City!

Boom!

The Purple Crystal Winged Lion King chose a spacious plaza from the air and descended directly onto it. By sheer coincidence, that plaza was right in front of the Alchemist Association.

Given its status and strength as a sixth-tier Magic Beast, it naturally would not obediently enter through the city gates like an ordinary person. Landing directly was the simplest and most straightforward approach.

Su Zhao and the others leaped down from atop the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King's head and landed steadily on the ground.

Only then did the people surrounding the plaza, who had been stunned by the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King's arrival, see that there were actually people atop the Magic Beast's head!

And more than one at that!

The guards, who had already been gripping their weapons in nervousness, were even more horrified. That was the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King—the ruler of the Magic Beast Mountain Range, with strength comparable to a Dou Emperor. It was so proud; how could it possibly allow people to stand on its head?

Yet at that very moment, this unbelievable sight was happening right before their eyes.

Su Zhao looked up at the grand building ahead. The five gleaming words, "Alchemist Association," shone brilliantly on its plaque beneath the sunlight.

He could not help but smile. "Oh? We came straight to the Alchemist Association? That saves us quite a bit of trouble."

Just as he was about to walk forward, the association doors were pushed open from within, and two white-haired elderly men hurried out to greet them.

Both wore alchemist robes and badges on their chests that signified their identities as alchemists.

"Hahaha! Your presence at our Alchemist Association truly honors the Blackrock City Alchemist Association!"

The leading elder wore a broad smile as he cupped his hands in greeting.

"I am Otto, and this is Frank. May I ask what brings you all to our Alchemist Association?"

They had clearly been drawn out by the enormous commotion caused by the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King. When they saw people jump down from the Lion King's head and head straight for the association, they had immediately come outside to welcome them.

Su Zhao returned the gesture with a smile. "Greetings, President Otto, President Frank. I am Su Zhao. I have come today to take the alchemist rank assessment. The commotion just now was a little excessive, and I hope you two will forgive the disturbance."

Otto and Frank exchanged glances. Understanding immediately dawned on them, and they secretly sighed in relief.

So he was here to take an alchemist rank assessment.

Good heavens, did he need to make such a grand entrance just to take an alchemist rank assessment?

The two looked at the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King lying quietly behind Su Zhao in the plaza, their expressions hesitant. "I see. Of course, there is no issue with you taking the alchemist rank assessment, young friend. But this Purple Crystal Winged Lion King..."

Su Zhao understood their concerns and smiled. "Rest assured, you two. Purple Crystal has acknowledged me as its master and will not cause trouble in the city. It can simply wait here."

"Oh! So that's how it is!"

A trace of surprise flashed through Otto's eyes, and his smile became even warmer.

"Please, come in. This way!"

Led by the two men, Su Zhao's group entered the Alchemist Association.

Purple Crystal and Little Purple remained quietly lying in the center of the plaza. As promised, neither made a fuss; they merely closed their eyes and dozed.

The guards who had been so tense gradually relaxed, though they still kept their distance and did not dare approach.

As they walked, Otto glanced back at Su Zhao and could not help praising him. "Young friend, you truly are remarkable. You even managed to subdue the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King, ruler of the Magic Beast Mountain Range. Such a feat is truly admirable."

He then looked toward Little Doctor and Su You, who followed behind Su Zhao, and asked tentatively, "Are these two also here to take the alchemist rank assessment?"

Little Doctor smiled faintly, her tone modest. "I would like to take it as well, but unfortunately, I do not know alchemy. I am merely accompanying him today to broaden my horizons."

Su You, meanwhile, said nothing. With an expressionless face, he followed half a step behind Su Zhao, clearly having no intention of responding to the two men.