Letter

With the Little Blue Bottle, becoming a powerhouse was inevitable.

"Hoo..."

Hearing Wu Yan's answer, Cao Ping felt an immediate sense of relief, his tone filled with excitement.

"You guy, you finally agreed. Here, take all the medicinal pills in this Storage Ring. From now on, if your little brother gets bullied, you have to help me beat them back!"

"You're an Alchemist, and you still get bullied?"

Wu Yan did not stand on ceremony. He took the Storage Ring Cao Ping handed over and took a look, discovering that it contained at least Fifth-Rank Medicinal Pills, with over a hundred bottles in total.

Most of them were for cultivation, though there were a few pills with various other functions. It was clear that Cao Ping had been very thorough in his considerations.

"Of course I do. This Dou Qi Continent doesn't just have me as an Alchemist. Those guys who won't beg me for help certainly won't be polite to me."

"Besides, even among Alchemists, there are some powerhouses you can't afford to provoke. If you find someone to help and still can't win, you just have to endure it."

"Not to mention, the relationships between Alchemists aren't exactly set in stone..."

The profession of an Alchemist appeared incredibly glamorous and noble.

But in reality?

The bitterness within was something only they understood themselves.

"Of course, I'm not talking about myself. I'm a member of the Cao Clan. So far, besides you, no one has ever bullied me..."

Cao Ping changed the subject, his tone sounding somewhat resentful.

Wu Yan narrowed his eyes and asked in his usual calm voice:

"By the sound of it, do you want to try again with me?"

"No, no, no! Can you have a little humanity? I just gave you so much protection money, and you want to beat me up?"

Cao Ping hurriedly shook his head in refusal. Was he crazy? He actually wanted to spar with this monster.

Two lessons were enough to make him remember the pain; he had no desire to be frozen into an ice cube.

"I just think that if you experience it yourself, you'll have a clearer understanding of my current strength."

"No, no, no, I believe you! You are the strongest at the Dou Zong level!"

Although a long time had passed, Cao Ping's impression of Wu Yan's strength remained very clear.

A Two-Star Dou Spirit could crush a Half-Step Dou King like him, and a Peak Dou Wang could instantly kill a Tier 6 Magical Beast.

With such combat power, aside from those old monsters who had remained at the Peak Dou Zong level for years, he truly couldn't think of anyone else who could defeat him.

"Right, I haven't told you about the Cao Clan behind me yet, have I?"

To steer Wu Yan away from that dangerous idea, Cao Ping hurriedly changed the subject and began introducing the Cao Clan and the landscape of the Central Plains.

"The powerful forces on the surface of the Central Plains can be simply summarized as one Hall, one Tower, two Sects, three Valleys, and four Pavilions."

"The one Hall is the Soul Hall, a group of disgusting guys who go around capturing soul bodies. It's said they even target Alchemists. Fortunately, the existence of the one Tower, the Pill Tower, keeps the Soul Hall in check."

"The two Sects refer to the Heavenly Nether Sect and the Flower Sect. The members of the Flower Sect are all women, and every single one of them is beautiful~"

Speaking of this, Cao Ping winked and made faces, looking extremely lecherous.

"The three Valleys are the Burning Flame Valley, the Ice River Valley, and the Sound Valley. The Sound Valley remains reclusive, and no one knows why. The Burning Flame Valley has a heritage spanning a thousand years and a deep foundation. My old man says the true strength of the Burning Flame Valley should only be below the Soul Hall and the Pill Tower."

"The four Pavilions refer to the Wind Lightning Pavilion, the Yellow Springs Pavilion, the Myriad Sword Pavilion, and the Starfall Pavilion. The strongest among them should be the Starfall Pavilion, because their Pavilion Master, Venerable Yao, was an Eighth-Rank Alchemy Grandmaster and the champion of the continent-wide Alchemist Tournament. He possessed immense influence, even more than the Ice River Valley."

"It's just a pity that the senior Venerable Yao is said to have suddenly fallen because his cauldron exploded while refining pills, causing the Starfall Pavilion's strength to plummet."

"If you ask me, there's definitely something fishy going on there. That disciple of Venerable Yao must be up to no good."

"Ahem... but this is just a simple summary. Many powerful forces are not included."

"For example, our Cao Clan. Although we are part of the Pill Tower, the Cao Clan has produced more than one Eighth-Rank Alchemy Grandmaster over the years and possesses an extremely deep foundation."

"Furthermore, with the Pill Tower as our backing, aside from the Soul Hall, the Cao Clan fears no one among those other factions."

"How about it? The Cao Clan didn't disappoint you, did it?"

Cao Ping smiled at Wu Yan, a rare look of confidence appearing on his face.

Wu Yan nodded. The strength of the Cao Clan was definitely not as simple as it appeared on the surface.

With so many generations, and in this extraordinary world, an Eighth-Rank Alchemy Grandmaster was basically a Dou Zun powerhouse; living for a century or two was not a problem.

Through such constant teaching, accumulation, and reproduction...

The foundation of the Cao Clan was bound to be astonishing.

Moreover, from Cao Ping's words just now, it could be analyzed that the Cao Clan's practice of investing in geniuses had started a long time ago!

Wu Yan did not stay at the academy for too long. He left a bracelet for Cao Ping and then departed.

Furthermore, judging by Cao Ping's tone, the Cao Clan's investment in him had not yet begun; what had just occurred was merely his personal investment.

In a while, one of his elders would come to meet Wu Yan.

Regarding this, Wu Yan naturally had no objections.

Half a month later...

After replenishing the Magic Cores that had been running low along the way, Wu Yan finally returned to Mittel City.

His appetite was growing larger and larger; what actually suited Wu Yan now were Tier 7 Magic Cores. However, Tier 7 Magical Beasts were truly scarce in this Northwestern Continent, and their tracks were difficult to find.

By comparison, it was much more convenient to hunt for Tier 5 or Tier 6 Magical Beasts.

Mr. Wu Yan:

I hope this letter finds you well.

I wonder if you still remember that previous investment; you once said you owed me three favors.

There is a matter now that requires your assistance, and regardless of the outcome, it shall count as one favor.

If you are willing, please come to the Xiao Clan in Wutan City of the Jia Ma Empire to meet.

--Gu Xun'er.

"When was this letter delivered?"

After putting the letter away, Wu Yan fell into deep thought.

Ya Fei counted on her fingers and confirmed, "Seven days ago, one afternoon. That old man in black handed the letter to the clan head, and then the clan head gave it to me, asking me to pass it on to brother Xiao Yan."

"Seven days already?"

Wu Yan had already guessed what Gu Xun'er wanted his help with. If nothing unexpected happened, this would be an open-book exam; how could he have any reason not to go?

He lowered his head, embraced Ya Fei's exquisite, delicate body, and whispered something into her ear.

Afterward, he gently kissed her shy, flushed cheek, and with a flash, Wu Yan left Mittel City.

At this moment, the news of the fall of the Xiao Clan's once "in a century" genius could no longer be kept hidden, and many people were speculating behind the scenes.

That "genius" who used to boast grandly every time he broke through a stage of Dou Qi had no reason to suddenly become low-key after becoming a Dou Zhe; it did not fit his character.