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"Medicine Elder, you know where a Heavenly Flame is? Something this important—why didn't you tell me sooner?!"
But Xiao Yan's expression immediately darkened.
[Learning from Medicine Elder that Canaan Academy possessed the Heavenly Flame Fallen Heart Flame, you were shocked, delighted, and frustrated.] [Though you only knew its name, obtaining a Heavenly Flame from Canaan Academy certainly would not be easy.] [Could Medicine Elder, as a soul body, rely on his reputation to make Canaan Academy surrender its Heavenly Flame?] [Faced with this situation, you chose...] [A: Since Medicine Elder was no stranger to theft, you decided to become his disciple, loudly boasting of Medicine Elder's greatness—daring to covet Canaan Academy's possessions even as a soul body.] [B: Knowing the pain of having things stolen and having suffered from it yourself, you loudly condemned Medicine Elder's bandit-like behavior.] [C: You remained silent, thinking that you might have to steal something and falling into a dilemma.]
Looking at the three choices, Xiao Yan sighed inwardly. He had thought of that very problem.
A Heavenly Flame was wonderful, but it belonged to Canaan Academy.
Given Medicine Elder's current condition, stealing it was probably the only option.
Was Medicine Elder some famous thief-alchemist of the Dou Qi Continent? Xiao Yan could not help grumbling inwardly.
After reading the three choices, Xiao Yan immediately ruled out B.
Medicine Elder was no kindly old grandpa. Even as a soul body, he was not someone an ordinary person could handle.
It was too dangerous! Xiao Yan had learned that with his life.
After another look at A and C, Xiao Yan ultimately chose C.
Making him boast about Medicine Elder's thievery made him deeply uncomfortable. He simply could not act it out.
Choosing C better matched his state of mind and was safer as well.
Having cultivated the Flame Mantra, Xiao Yan could not resist the temptation of a Heavenly Flame, yet he did not want to steal from others.
He could only take things one step at a time and wait until he reached Canaan Academy.
[Remaining silent, you waited until Medicine Elder returned to the ring, then slowly left the cave.] [After descending the mountain, you encountered Xiao Xun'er. With one glance, she saw that you had become a Two-Star Dou Zhe.]
The warm, fragrant breeze that met him brushed against his face. Thinking of the question Medicine Elder had raised, he was briefly distracted before rubbing the girl's little head and nodding in confirmation.
At that, Xun'er's eyes curved like a pair of lovely crescent moons. She stretched out her fair, delicate little hand and, as usual, carefully smoothed out Xiao Yan's slightly wrinkled clothes.
[Occasionally, clan members passed by the path. Seeing Xun'er, like a little wife, arranging Xiao Yan's clothes, they could not help but look on with envy and jealousy.]
Lowering his head to look at that exquisite little face without the slightest flaw, Xiao Yan watched a strand of black hair drift over her smooth forehead. Now and then, the breeze lifted it, revealing a pair of limpid, lively eyes. The shifting glances in those eyes were utterly captivating.
Staring blankly at Xun'er, Xiao Yan's breathing gradually became a little rapid, and a trace of heat rose in his gaze.
[The girl gave an adorable huff. As though recalling something, Xiao Xun'er asked about the cultivation technique you practiced and took out a High Xuan Tier technique, the Flame Manipulation Formula.]
Xiao Yan was genuinely shocked. Medicine Elder had indeed been right—Xiao Xun'er's background was anything but ordinary. She could casually produce a High Xuan Tier cultivation technique.
Back then, Jia Lie Bi had spent well over several hundred thousand gold coins just to bid for a technique of that grade.
[Having cultivated the Flame Mantra, you were already destined to walk this path to the bitter end. Now that you knew the location of a Heavenly Flame, there was even less reason to turn back.] [Making Xiao Xun'er believe that you had deeper reasons for doing so, you learned from her that something had happened to the clan.] [The Jia Lie Clan had somehow hired an alchemist to refine and sell Spring Return Powder for them. It was cheap and produced in large quantities, causing the Xiao Clan's market district to suffer severe losses.] [After finding an excuse to part ways with Xiao Xun'er, you went to the Jia Lie Clan's small market district and purchased a dose of Spring Return Powder for inspection.] [Medicine Elder found it far too low-grade. When you asked about a better healing formula, he decided to let you become an alchemist ahead of schedule and have you refine medicine yourself.] [At the Mittel Auction House, you auctioned off much of the Foundation-Building Spiritual Liquid you had acquired, but it was still not enough for you to spend freely. Fortunately, Medicine Elder agreed to refine a Qi Gathering Powder for the auction house.] [After obtaining a medicinal cauldron, a Storage Ring, and a great deal of medicinal ingredients, you began learning alchemy.] [Your talent had already been good, and the eighth-grade pill Primordial Origin Pill had nourished and strengthened you. To Medicine Elder's disbelief, you completed your initial studies in only half a day.] [One had to know that even Medicine Elder himself had spent half an hour merely searching for wood energy, while you took only three minutes.] [What was more, in half a day, without wasting many medicinal ingredients, you successfully refined Blood Coagulation Powder.] [Back then, Medicine Elder had put considerable effort into merely extracting a single medicinal ingredient.] [All the signs showed that your talent was utterly terrifying.]
Upon realizing that he was actually this capable, Xiao Yan did not regret the decision to let Medicine Elder absorb his Dou Qi.
Otherwise, even a major clan like the Xiao Clan would have a headache when faced with a first-grade alchemist.
Now, he too possessed the ability to refine medicine.
[Your talent for alchemy was also exceptional, but cultivating the Low Yellow Tier Flame Mantra left you with poor endurance.] [However, cultivation was most effective when your Dou Qi had been exhausted. While refining medicine, you had not neglected your cultivation either.] [After accumulating a sufficient quantity of Blood Coagulation Powder, you donned a black robe to conceal your identity and sought out Xiao Zhan. You resolved the Xiao Clan's crisis, and before leaving, he praised you.] [Afterward, you and Medicine Elder went to the Mittel Auction House, where Medicine Elder handed over the refined Qi Gathering Powder.] [In exchange for five Qi Gathering Powders, the Mittel Auction House agreed to stop supplying medicinal ingredients to the Jia Lie Clan.] [With your Blood Coagulation Powder, business at the Xiao Clan's market district soon returned to its peak and even showed faint signs of surpassing it.] [A few days later, just as you were delivering Blood Coagulation Powder to Xiao Zhan in your own identity, Ya Fei came to the Xiao Clan.]
Not long after a clan member announced her arrival, a graceful, alluring figure slowly appeared in Xiao Yan's field of vision. Her coquettish laugh, enough to make one's bones go soft, drifted into the hall.
"Hehe, Clan Leader Xiao has truly been riding high lately."
Even though he had met Ya Fei several times, Xiao Yan's eyes were still filled with amazement.
The mature woman stood smiling in a red cheongsam. The tight-fitting garment perfectly outlined her exquisite, voluptuous curves, while her willow-like waist swayed in a bewitching arc that stirred desire. A slit at the hem of the cheongsam extended straight up to her thigh. As she walked, flashes of snowy-white skin dazzled the eye, hints of springtime beauty appearing and vanishing, tugging at one's heart.
[While serving Ya Fei tea, the sharp-eyed Ya Fei recognized you.] [As you saw Ya Fei out of the clan, you led her all the way to a small grove.] [Faced with Ya Fei, who had recognized your identity, you chose...] [A: Violate her first, then kill her. This would both avoid wasting a temptress like Ya Fei and keep your identity secret.]