This Blame Isn't on Me!

"You seem to be in a good mood; you must have found something great."

"You've gained something. Here, your Blood Essence Demon Flame is. Are you relieved now?"

Qin Yu flipped his hand, and a ball of flame, shimmering with an eerie blood-red light, floated in his palm.

As the flame tip leaped, it still faintly exuded a captivating aura.

"If you had given it to me sooner, I would have been relieved."

Cao Ying immediately took the Blood Essence Demon Flame, held it in her hands and examined it carefully for a while, as if she had found a treasure.

"I'm telling you, you're a young lady of the Cao Family, and this is just an ordinary Beast Flames. It's not that serious, is it?"

Seeing Cao Ying like this, Qin Yu finally couldn't help but ask the question that had been bothering him:

"The Cao Family is considered a prominent family in the Pill Tower. After all these years, have they really not found a single clue about the Heavenly Flames?"

"Don't mention it, it makes me angry."

Unexpectedly, these words seemed to strike a nerve with Cao Ying. She quickly stored the Blood Essence Demon Flame into her Storage Ring, and sighed deeply.

"Over the years, our family has indeed found some information about the Heavenly Flames."

"But when I'm concocting medicine, I lose track of time and often mess things up at crucial moments, thus missing the opportunity to seize the Heavenly Flames."

Qin Yu immediately understood. He knew it! How could a family like the Cao Family have not found any information about a Heavenly Flames in all these years?

Cao Ying was also angry at her bad luck, as she always missed the opportunity to seize the Heavenly Flames because of her alchemy.

Alchemist medicine, nor can they be interrupted abruptly; this is common sense.

The Cao Family's actions also reflected their choice to prioritize Cao Ying's safety over acquiring the Heavenly Flames.

"Wrong..."

Just then, Cao Ying frowned slightly, as if she had thought of something.

"And what kind of flame are you using? Is Beast Flames like Blood Essence Demon Flame just 'ordinary' to you?"

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Cao Ying, and she finally found the loophole in Qin Yu's words.

The Eighth-Rank Beast Flame was described as "ordinary" by Qin Yu, so what kind of flame does Qin Yu himself use?

Even though the answer was obvious, Cao Ying was still unwilling to give up and wanted Qin Yu's personal confirmation.

"Hiss..."

Qin Yu remained expressionless, but his heart tightened.

A mistake was made.

The girl spotted them.

"You already know the answer, don't you?"

Knowing there was no point in hiding it any longer, Qin Yu raised his hand and revealed the Green Lotus Core Flame.

Volcanic Rock Flame: Why not me!

Green Lotus Core Flame: Because I've been with the boss the longest.

Sea Heart Flame:...

Unlike the Volcanic Rock Flame and the Green Lotus Core Flame, the Sea Heart Flame, which was subdued by Qin Yu through normal means, gradually developed sentience and therefore did not participate in this chat.

"Heavenly Flames..."

Looking at the lotus-shaped blue flame in Qin Yu's hand, Cao Ying's gaze became somewhat unfocused, and she couldn't help but move closer.

This was the first time she had seen the true appearance of Heavenly Flames up close.

So beautiful.

"This is the Green Lotus Core Flame, ranked nineteenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking."

"Green Lotus Core Flame?!"

Upon hearing the name "Green Lotus Core Flame," Cao Ying exclaimed in surprise, abruptly raising her head with astonishment in her beautiful eyes.

She looked down at the flame in Qin Yu's hand again and sighed once more.

"What's wrong?"

"My family previously discovered traces of the Green Lotus Core Flame in a Mountain Range in the eastern part of the continent."

Cao Ying raised her head, as if recalling that time:

"Unfortunately, I was preparing for the Sixth-Rank High-Level Alchemist exam at the time, and I stayed in my room for a whole month."

"When I came out and went to search with my family, the Green Lotus Core Flame had already disappeared."

There's actually such a story?

After all, the Green Lotus Core Flame is not among the top three Heavenly Flames on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, and it does not possess the unique characteristic of being the only one of its kind in the world. It is reasonable that the Cao Family was able to discover a second one.

"That's a real shame... Wait, this isn't the Green Lotus Core Flame you found!"

Qin Yu was initially feeling sorry for Cao Ying, but the next second he saw the resentful look in her eyes and instantly understood.

I'm not taking the blame for this! I obtained this Azure Green Lotus Core Flame myself!

"Fine, I may tell you. I come from the Northwestern Continent, and I obtained this Green Lotus Core Flame from there."

"The Northwestern Continent? Isn't that a very barren place? How could it produce a character like you, young man?"

Cao Ying was somewhat surprised to learn about Qin Yu's background.

In her mind, the Northwestern Continent was a barren land on the edge of the Dou Qi Continent.

Dou Zong, who is commonplace in the Central Plains, would be considered a top-tier expert in the Northwestern Continent.

How could Qin Yu have grown to this level in such a resource-scarce place?

She suddenly realized that being able to match Qin Yu in Alchemy was nothing to be proud of.

If she were thrown into the Northwestern Continent, she couldn't guarantee she could still achieve such success at less than twenty years old.

"We are indeed a bit poor, but there are still opportunities."

That's all Qin Yu could say; as for his true thoughts...

Actually, I'm not a local.

"Alright, I'm going to refine the Blood Essence Demon Flame now. I hope you'll be even stronger when I see you next time."

Having said that, Cao Ying leisurely left, carrying the Blood Essence Demon Flame.

This flame is far stronger than the Seventh-Rank Beast Flame she had previously mastered.

Qin Yu didn't linger and went straight to the office where the alchemy orders were posted at the Pill Tower.

Over the next six months, Qin Yu made a fortune at the Pill Tower office.

Qin Yu accepted any pill that could attract Pill Lightning a type of magical lightning), refining them one after another.

This kind of arrangement, where others provide the medicinal herbs and even pay the fee, seems tailor-made for Qin Yu.

Not only can you get benefits and meet more people, but you can also use the Pill Lightning attracted by the pills to cultivate your own puppets.

In just six months, Qin Yu tempered both the Earth Puppet and the Thunder Puppet to the Peak Dou Zong level.

He estimated that after refining a few more Seventh-grade Intermediate pills, the Thunder Puppet would be able to advance to Heavenly Demon Puppet, becoming a true Dou Zun Puppet!

"Master Qin, thank you so much this time."

On this day, Qin Yu successfully refined another Seventh-grade Intermediate pill, completing this commission.

Those seeking the medicine immediately crowded around, showering him with attention.

"Just a normal transaction."

Qin Yu smiled politely, then put away the Thunder Puppet that had been consuming all its energy from Pill Lightning, and turned to leave.

"Hey, Master Qin, I have another piece of information that I believe you'll find interesting."

The man quickly followed, his tone filled with anticipation.

"What message?"

"Actually, it's nothing serious. Master Qin, you must have heard of Burning Flame Valley, right?"

"I've heard of it, what's wrong?"

Burning Flame Valley, most people who live in the Central Plains have heard of it.

"I've heard that Tang Zhen, the master of Burning Flame Valley, is looking for a seventh-grade or higher Alchemist to help him refine a pill. He says that once the task is accomplished, the reward can be whatever you want."