Hai Bo Dong

Su Zhao smiled modestly. "Hehe, you flatter me."

Frank waved his hands repeatedly. "Haha, that's not flattery at all! A sixteen-year-old fourth-tier alchemist! Look at the two of us—we're already old bones, yet we're only fourth-tier alchemists ourselves."

He paused, anticipation glinting in his eyes.

"If possible in the future, I hope we can properly exchange our insights on alchemy, Master Su Zhao."

"Of course. There will be opportunities."

Su Zhao nodded in agreement without refusing.

The group exchanged more pleasantries in the reception hall. Su Zhao then took the opportunity to mention several things he needed and hoped the Alchemist Association could provide.

Otto and Frank naturally agreed at once, patting their chests and declaring that as long as they could produce them, there would be no problem.

What Su Zhao needed was, naturally, a decent alchemy cauldron.

Although he was now a fourth-tier alchemist, he still did not possess a proper medicinal cauldron.

Since he had come to the Alchemist Association, he naturally intended to take this chance to make up for that shortcoming.

Of course, what Su Zhao truly had his eye on was the Myriad Beast Cauldron, a top-tier medicinal cauldron listed on the Heavenly Cauldron Ranking, which was currently in Han Feng's hands.

Once he obtained the Myriad Beast Cauldron, he would no longer need to worry about cauldrons when refining pills in the future.

However, Han Feng was no simple character. This matter would require careful planning.

Su Zhao was equally covetous of the Sea Heart Flame on Han Feng's person.

Before long, Otto personally brought a medicinal cauldron from the storeroom.

The cauldron was blue-gray all over, its body carved with intricate patterns. It had three legs and two handles, with an ancient, weighty design. About half a person tall, it was clearly no ordinary item.

Frank introduced it from the side. "This is a fourth-tier medicinal cauldron called the Azure Fire Cauldron. It has been a treasured collection of our Blackrock City Alchemist Association for many years. Though it cannot compare to those supreme-grade medicinal cauldrons, it is still among the finest within the Jia Ma Empire."

A fourth-tier medicinal cauldron was already an exceptionally high-end tool in Blackrock City.

Su Zhao ran a hand over its surface and nodded in satisfaction.

He wanted to pay for it, but Otto and Frank repeatedly waved him off.

In their eyes, if a single medicinal cauldron could earn the goodwill of such a promising young genius as Su Zhao, then giving it away was more than worth it.

After all, with Su Zhao's talent as a sixteen-year-old fourth-tier alchemist, he was destined to become a giant in the Jia Ma Empire's alchemy world. Forming a good connection with him today would surely bring rewards in the future.

Seeing how resolute they were, Su Zhao did not continue to refuse. He cupped his hands and said, "Then I thank you both. Su Zhao will remember this favor."

After resolving the matter of the medicinal cauldron, Su Zhao purchased another batch of medicinal ingredients in Blackrock City.

Back in the Magic Beast Mountain Range, he had practically swept clean all the medicinal ingredients he could gather from that region. Especially with the help of the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King, the ruler of the Magic Beast Mountain Range, his reserves of medicinal ingredients were exceptionally abundant.

Even so, there were still a few specialized ingredients he lacked. After all, a single Magic Beast Mountain Range could not possibly provide every medicinal ingredient he needed.

He would still have to collect some rare medicinal ingredients himself.

Only after gathering all the medicinal ingredients did Su Zhao and the others prepare to leave.

Three days later, high in the sky.

The massive Purple Crystal Winged Lion King glided steadily across the heavens.

Su Zhao sat cross-legged on the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King's broad back, holding a jade box in his hands, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.

A faint chill seeped from within the jade box. Even through its walls, threads of coolness continued to permeate the air, standing in stark contrast to the dry surroundings.

"This Ice Spirit Cold Spring really is remarkable."

Su Zhao chuckled.

"With this, my chances of devouring the Green Lotus Core Flame will be much greater."

Before leaving that day, he had made a stop at the shop of Gute, Blackrock City's so-called "master collector."

Gute was a well-known merchant of medicinal ingredients and rare curiosities in Blackrock City, with an extensive collection. What Su Zhao wanted was naturally the Ice Spirit Cold Spring.

The Ice Spirit Cold Spring was a spiritual treasure nurtured in lands of extreme cold. To fire-attributed cultivators, it was naturally an opposing substance.

However, when devouring a Heavenly Flame, if one could use the Ice Spirit Cold Spring to protect their meridians and heart meridian, it could lessen the pain of burning the instant the Heavenly Flame entered the body, greatly increasing the odds of success.

In the original story, it had been one of Xiao Yan's most important aids in devouring the Green Lotus Core Flame. Naturally, Su Zhao would not miss it.

Of course, he had already devoured a Myriad Beast Spirit Flame, and with the Fire Spirit Physique's instinctive suppression of Heavenly Flames, he actually had a considerable chance of devouring the Green Lotus Core Flame even without the Ice Spirit Cold Spring.

Still, an extra preparation meant extra security. The Ice Spirit Cold Spring was simply a precaution for the unexpected.

As for Gute...

In Blackrock City, Gute looked at his shop, which had been nearly half emptied, and shed tears of joy.

"Next comes the Green Lotus Core Flame."

As the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King flew westward, everyone could clearly feel the temperature around them gradually rising.

The air grew dry, while the fire-attributed spiritual energy between heaven and earth became increasingly dense. On the horizon ahead, a stretch of yellow-brown gradually emerged.

They had arrived at the Tagor Desert.

It was not until evening that the group finally reached the destination of their journey: Desert City.

Fortunately, the sky had darkened. When the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King landed in an uninhabited area outside the city, it did not cause much of a disturbance. Su Zhao and the others leaped down from the lion's back, instructed the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King to conceal its aura and wait outside the city, then the three of them headed toward the city gate.

The Purple Crystal Winged Lion King was currently only a sixth-tier Magic Beast. Without reaching the seventh tier, it could not assume human form, so it could only act so conspicuously.

Su Zhao did not care. His purpose was clear, and after entering the city, he headed straight for a somewhat shabby map shop within the city.

At that moment, the map shop had not yet closed. A dim oil lamp flickered inside, and a hunched figure could vaguely be seen bent over a desk, drawing something.

Walking in front, Su Zhao could not help teasing inwardly, Hai Bo Dong is quite dedicated.

The three entered the shop one after another.

The shop was not large, but its four walls were covered with all kinds of maps. The air was filled with the scent of ink and the distinctive smell of old paper scrolls.

"Are we here to buy maps?"

After entering the shop, Little Doctor casually took a desert terrain map from the wall and began examining it.

Su Zhao nodded. "We are looking for a map, but not an ordinary one."

The moment he entered the shop, Su Zhao had already released his soul power to scan the surroundings.

He quickly locked onto his target. On a wall deeper inside the shop hung a row of slightly worn maps, among which was one unremarkable scroll.

Su Zhao stepped forward, took down that map, and gave it a light shake.

A yellowed fragment of a map slipped out from the scroll and fluttered gently to the floor.

Su Zhao bent down and picked it up. It felt rough in his hand, and the paper was old. The corners of his lips slowly rose. He had obtained another map fragment. On closer inspection, this appeared to be only half of a fragment; the other half should still be in Hai Bo Dong's hands.