Jade Capital

With something on his mind, Zhao Li no longer had any interest in continuing to watch. To him, a competition like this was like watching children play house; there truly was little fun in it.

After saying what he had to say, Zhao Li sent a voice transmission to everyone, invited people from several factions, and then walked through the air and left.

When they saw Zhao Li disappear, waves rose in the hearts of a few sharp-eyed people. They had seen Zhao Li step through the air and vanish—that was a method only a Dou Sect expert possessed.

They had previously treated Zhao Li with respect only because Zhao Li was suspected of having sixth-rank or higher Alchemy Technique, and they wanted to befriend him. A Sixth-Rank Alchemist was still enough for second-rate powers on the continent to take seriously, let alone this tiny Jia Ma Empire.

The method Zhao Li had unintentionally used made them realize even more that Zhao Li himself was also an expert, and their respect toward him deepened by another degree.

Seeing Zhao Li suddenly leave, although no one knew the reason, their thoughts all began to stir.

The Dou Emperor experts in the arena each had different thoughts, yet with tacit understanding, they swept their gazes toward the others and understood. They were equally shocked.

Naturally, the competition would not stop because Zhao Li had left. The final result was just as Zhao Li had expected: Yun Xin'er crushed the many contestants with a Fourth-Grade Medicinal Pill and won the championship.

Naturally, this stirred another wave among the audience.

After Zhao Li left, he naturally knew nothing of these things.

He simply felt that since he had the ability to make some changes, then he would put down roots in this world, become a towering tree, and shelter those upward-growing seedlings from wind and rain.

He recalled the two years he had spent on this journey and began to reflect.

"Everything succeeds if prepared in advance and fails if not. Yet along this journey, I never thought of changing anything. I always thought I would do these things after becoming an expert, but I have clearly already become an expert now—at least in these remote little countries, I already have the strength to make changes."

Zhao Li lay back on a rocking chair, his fingers unconsciously tapping his thigh, his brows sometimes tightly furrowed and sometimes relaxing...

After a long while, Zhao Li pressed his fingers against the space between his brows. The experiences of these two years had made him increasingly deep and reserved, but they had also given him a touch of aged weariness.

"No wonder that even when I show a face in my twenties, I rarely run into provocation from others. Perhaps this aged air makes them all take me for some old monster."

Zhao Li shook his head. He discovered that he seemed not to have the Protagonist's constitution of always having trouble come knocking, and when he interacted with old seniors, he had not been looked down on because of his age.

He had already reached the realm of Returning to Simplicity. Even a Dou Sheng might not necessarily see through his strength, and on ordinary days he did not reveal himself. Naturally, he would not think all this was because of his strength. Presumably, the aura he occasionally revealed was also one of the reasons people avoided him.

He looked at the sky and figured there should still be some time before the Alchemist Competition ended. Alchemy was a complicated matter, though to him, Third-Grade Pills and Fourth-Grade Medicinal Pills could be made with a casual gesture.

"Looks like I'll have to stay a few more days in this Jia Ma Empire."

Zhao Li then left his residence, preparing to find a place to open a school.

No matter what would happen after he left, at least he could guarantee that during his time in Jia Ma Holy City, he would absolutely be able to teach in peace. In the future, little by little, grains of sand piled into a tower—this too was change.

After searching for a long time, Zhao Li found a relatively quiet place in a small village on the outskirts of Jia Ma Holy City, then spent quite a few Gold Coins to buy it.

"As expected of the Imperial Capital. Even outside the fifth and sixth rings, every inch of land is still worth gold. Since I'm going to do it, I might as well do it properly in one step. In the future, I'll open a school wherever I go, a continent-wide chain. That doesn't sound bad."

Before the school had even opened, Zhao Li had already imagined it becoming a continent-wide chain, and he began looking forward to it.

Zhao Li spent some money, and since he had already hired them, he had the brokerage people find some servants to rearrange the courtyard as well. Zhao Li looked it over and was quite satisfied.

"An immortal strokes my head; with bound hair, I receive eternal life. This is my wish. Let the academy be called 'Jade Capital.'"

In Alchemy Square, as the many contestants gradually refined their medicinal pills, a layer of Medicinal Fragrance also spread across the square. This immediately lifted the spirits of the audience, who had been watching for a long time. They knew the final decisive stage had arrived.

Time passed. Fewer and fewer Medicine Cauldrons still burned with flames. As the flame in the final Medicine Cauldron faded, it signaled that this round of alchemy had ended, and the time to reveal the result had come.

"Seventeen people participated this time. Eleven successfully refined Third-Grade Pills, and one failed. Two successfully refined Fourth-Grade Medicinal Pills, and three failed. After the judges' discussion, they unanimously determined that the fourth-grade Spirit Ascension Pill was superior. Congratulations to its refiner, Yun Xin'er. The championship is hers."

Susan announced the result of the competition. In this competition, there had actually been a young person from the Jia Ma Empire who, under pressure, successfully refined a Fourth-Grade Medicinal Pill. He was just slightly inferior, but he accepted his defeat wholeheartedly.

He had participated in the competition to test the results of his studies, as well as to motivate himself. Of course, it would have been even better if he had won the championship and gained fame and success, but at the very least, he was extremely satisfied with what he had gained from this trip.

With their performance, the major factions would naturally contact them and try to recruit them.

Seeing that Yun Xin'er was preparing to leave, Susan's heart stirred, and she invited her to attend Zhao Li's banquet.

She had not forgotten that Zhao Li had viewed this young person in a different light. Of course, even without Zhao Li, she also wanted to absorb this outstanding young person into the Alchemist Guild.

These were already matters of the second day. Zhao Li made a round of inspection through the courtyard he had bought. The preparations for opening classes were almost complete; as soon as there were students, classes could begin.

When Susan found Zhao Li, Zhao Li was chatting idly with an old resident beside the academy. Seeing her come over, Zhao Li ended the topic. "Old brother, a friend is visiting. Let's talk again next time."

After Susan told Zhao Li about the situation at the Alchemist Competition, Zhao Li was not surprised that Yun Xin'er had won the championship. Instead, that little fellow who had exceeded himself and refined a Fourth-Grade Medicinal Pill made Zhao Li feel slightly surprised and a little moved.

"Aside from reputation, the meaning of a competition lies more in this. They're all very good."

"Senior is right. Senior, you don't know this, but those old fellows have long wanted to visit you. But after several Calling Cards received no reply, they were terribly anxious. Today, when they heard your invitation, every one of them smiled so widely their faces nearly bloomed."

Susan expressed her agreement. Thinking of the expressions of those old friends, she could not help smiling.

This could not really be blamed on them. On this continent, awe toward the strong had always been like this.

Zhao Li smiled. It was not that he wanted to put on airs and refuse to see them; he simply did not want too much trouble. It just so happened that he could use this opportunity to meet them all at once.

Seeing that the sky had darkened and the time was about right, Zhao Li brought Susan to Heavenly Fragrance Restaurant.

Zhao Li had only just arrived, and for the moment, he had no way to host guests at home like the major factions did, so he could only invite them to the best restaurant in Jia Ma Holy City.

Zhao Li raised his cup and drained it in one gulp.

"This Zhao has only just arrived in your esteemed land. If this reception is lacking, I ask everyone to be magnanimous."

Everyone smiled along and also drank a cup.

Putting aside Zhao Li's strength, even the food and wine at Heavenly Fragrance Restaurant were among the very best in the Jia Ma Empire. How could holding a banquet here carry any hint of disrespect?

At a dinner party, the point wasn't the dinner but the party, and even in another world, that still held true.

After a few cups of wine went down, everyone loosened up, each chatting away, and the atmosphere grew lively.

Zhao Li spoke with people from several major factions, gaining a better understanding of the current situation.

They all became somewhat familiar with one another and forged a bit of goodwill, without pressing the matter any further.

They weren't fools, of course, and naturally didn't think they had anything that could entice Zhao Li to stay.

Everyone present had weathered half a lifetime of storms, so the scene was quite animated.