Teacher

Early in the morning, the three of them changed into windbreakers and left the inn. A layer of white frost coated the streets of Black Rock City. The roadside vendors had already begun sweeping it away, and whenever they accidentally bumped into the small trees by the street, the scattering frost flowers and frozen leaves made them curse under their breath.

"Brr—ha!" Xiao Yan exhaled a cloud of white mist, shrank his neck, and shivered. "It's a little cold! The Magic Beast Mountain Range was clearly quite warm!"

"Thank you, sir!" Huo Yuhao thanked an elderly vendor, then returned and gestured to Xiao Yan and Little Fairy Doctor.

"I've already asked. Follow this road, turn left at the intersection, and the Alchemist Association will be at the end!"

"Why does that weird old man insist on making me take the first-tier alchemist examination?" Xiao Yan complained. He had thought he could rest a little after leaving the Magic Beast Mountain Range, but Yao Chen had dragged him out of bed at the crack of dawn.

"Because alchemists can ride flying magical beasts for free, and they don't need to queue." After explaining, Huo Yuhao shot him a sideways glance.

"You can't even handle this little cold?" As he spoke, he took two scarves from his storage ring and handed them to Xiao Yan and Little Fairy Doctor.

"Thank you, Brother Yuhao!" Little Fairy Doctor smiled happily, immediately taking the scarf and wrapping it around herself.

"I just got out of bed." Xiao Yan looked like he did not want the scarf. "Yuhao, you're getting more and more like a dutiful wife and mother. Why are you even carrying this stuff around? Don't tell me you really were a girl in your past life?"

"Hehe!" Huo Yuhao withdrew the scarf with a smile.

"Ah! Who stabbed me?" Xiao Yan suddenly covered the back of his neck as a chilling cold spread down his neck all the way to his tailbone.

"Huo Yuhao!"

"Get moving." Huo Yuhao lightly kicked Xiao Yan in the butt. "If we don't go to the Alchemist Association now, it'll close."

"Brother Yuhao?" Little Fairy Doctor tugged on Huo Yuhao's sleeve.

"What is it?"

"You weren't really... Ah! Brother Yuhao!"

In the same spot, with the same chill, Little Fairy Doctor and Xiao Yan were both struck at once.

"Huo Yuhao! Why did you stab me again?!"

"Shut up! Move!"

In the sky, a giant bird flapped its wings through the air. Strands of wind-attributed energy curled beneath it, and even while carrying a wooden house on its back, it did not seem strained in the slightest.

"Haha! I never thought becoming a first-tier alchemist would be this easy!" Xiao Yan tugged at the collar of his new robe, deliberately displaying the alchemist badge on his chest as he circled around Huo Yuhao and Little Fairy Doctor.

"And you said your teacher didn't teach you properly? Only by learning the techniques and mastering the properties of medicinal ingredients can you achieve twice the result with half the effort in alchemy." Yao Chen emerged from the Ancient Flame Ring, hands on his hips, looking rather pleased with himself.

Just then, the flying magical beast seemed to encounter an air current and jolted slightly. Yao Chen's floating soul body lost its balance and fell directly onto the floor.

"Little Yan, your teacher is afraid of heights. I feel like throwing up!"

"Can you act a little more like a soul body?!"

Little Fairy Doctor glanced enviously at the alchemist badge before complaining, "Can you stop spinning around?"

"Ha!" Xiao Yan laughed, finally stopping his restless legs, then looked at Huo Yuhao, who had not spoken since boarding the flying magical beast. "Yuhao, what are you doing?"

"Cultivating."

"Look at Brother Yuhao, then look at yourself. You really are a bad student." Little Fairy Doctor seized the chance to mock him.

"Tch, you aren't cultivating either." Xiao Yan retorted before finding a place to sit and beginning to circulate the Burning Incantation.

Seeing that Xiao Yan had finally stopped wandering around, Little Fairy Doctor also hurriedly began cultivating.

After both of them entered meditation, Huo Yuhao opened his eyes, stood up, and walked over to Xiao Yan. He pulled the alchemist badge from Xiao Yan's robe, studied it carefully for a while, then put it back on him.

Afterward, Huo Yuhao took out a piece of refined steel and a small piece of mithril from his storage ring. He condensed an ice carving knife in his right hand and began marking the metal.

"Yuhao!" Yao Chen's voice rang out.

"Teacher, don't worry. I haven't stopped cultivating." Huo Yuhao continued moving his hands, while the Heavenly Cycle Art within him continued circulating without pause.

"I know. That isn't what I mean." Yao Chen said, "Little Fairy Doctor can become an alchemist through her own ability in the future. Even if she does not reveal her soul tool medicine cauldron, once her spiritual power improves, she will be able to control flame temperatures."

Yao Chen did not try to stop him. He only stared into Huo Yuhao's eyes.

"If you give it to her ahead of time like this, she won't be happy."

Huo Yuhao's hand paused. He looked at Yao Chen, confusion appearing on his face.

Yao Chen said nothing further, his gaze toward Huo Yuhao carrying conflicted concern and resolve.

Feeling emotions from Yao Chen that he could not understand, the confusion on Huo Yuhao's face deepened. Looking at Yao Chen, he said in a lost voice, "Teacher, I..."

"Little Fairy Doctor has always worked hard at cultivating the Spirit Condensation Formula. She wants to become an alchemist, to become one through her own ability. If you do this, wouldn't that..." —Wouldn't you be denying her efforts? Yao Chen swallowed the latter half of the sentence and did not say it aloud.

"Yuhao, think about it yourself. You're a good child. You'll definitely understand." Yao Chen's voice was gentle.

After a long silence, Huo Yuhao stared at the badge whose outline had already been carved into his hand, not knowing what he was thinking.

Just as Yao Chen's heart began to rise, Huo Yuhao said, "Teacher, it's been quite a while since I last made a soul tool. I'll make her a soul tool shield instead."

"Whew—" Yao Chen let out a long breath, obvious delight showing in his crimson eyes as he looked at Huo Yuhao. "Good. I never expected you to crack the anti-counterfeiting technique of an alchemist badge at a glance. Once we reach the Central Plains, we must go to the Pill Tower and mock those old fogeys. Hahaha!"

Seeing that Huo Yuhao had already immersed himself in making the soul tool, Yao Chen did not disturb him further. Instead, he found an empty room on the flying magical beast, set up a soul barrier, took out the Black Demon Cauldron, and began refining pills.

Three days later.

"Huh? Where's Master? Master's gone!" Xiao Yan finished cultivating and was just about to stretch his limbs when he discovered that the Ancient Flame Ring hanging around his neck was gone. Yao Chen was nowhere near Huo Yuhao or Little Fairy Doctor either.

"The ring is gone too!"

"Stop shouting. Teacher is refining pills next door." Huo Yuhao reached out, and as if they had arranged it beforehand, Xiao Yan's forehead came right into range of his hand, earning him a sharp flick.

"Ow!"

"I didn't expect Little Yan to care so much about your teacher!" Yao Chen's soul body appeared and handed Xiao Yan a pill.

"The separated portion of the Spirit-Restoring Pill has been refined, but I estimate the commotion when combining the pills won't be small. We'll return to the Magic Beast Mountain Range to refine it then." Yao Chen paused and pointed at the blood-red pill in Xiao Yan's hand. "This is a Blood Lotus Pill for absorbing a Heavenly Flame. Once we find the Ice Spirit Cold Spring, all preparations for absorbing a Heavenly Flame will be complete."

"With Yuhao here, we don't need the Ice Spirit Cold Spring, right?" Xiao Yan asked.

"What if something unexpected happens? What if I'm not by your side, but you happen to find a Heavenly Flame?"

After explaining, Huo Yuhao took out a badge from his storage ring.

"Xian'er, this is for you."

"Thank you, Brother Yuhao. This is?" Little Fairy Doctor took the badge from Huo Yuhao. She could see an alley carved onto it, with the back of a graceful girl standing within the alley.

After carefully identifying the familiar clothes, Little Fairy Doctor realized: wasn't that her own back? Her face instantly flushed crimson, and her voice became as soft as a mosquito's.

"Brother Yuhao..."

"This is a soul tool shield." Satisfaction tinged Huo Yuhao's voice, satisfaction in his creation. "It has no fixed tier. Once activated, the shield's defensive power depends on the user's Dou Qi strength, and it can raise their defense by one rank."

"In other words, if Xian'er uses it now, it can withstand attacks from a Da Dou Shi. However, due to material limitations, its limit is only being able to withstand attacks at the Dou Wang level."

"Damn, you have something this good? Do you have one for me?" Xiao Yan was extremely interested in the soul tool shield.

"Yes."

Hearing that this was not a gift exclusive to her, an almost imperceptible trace of disappointment flashed through Little Fairy Doctor's eyes. However, when she saw Xiao Yan's soul tool shield, that faint disappointment instantly vanished, and the corners of her mouth could not help curving upward.

"Why is mine a monkey?!" Xiao Yan pinched the badge and protested as he looked at the monkey on it scratching its ears and cheeks.

"Haha, it suits you perfectly, Xiao Yan!"

"Mm, your teacher thinks so too."