Master Otto!
Xiao Yan arrived at the office of the Black Rock City branch and saw the familiar figure of an old man.
You are?
Master Otto looked doubtfully at the dark-skinned, ordinary-looking youth in front of him.
Me, Han Li.
Xiao Yan said with a smile, then channeled Dou Qi into the Ice Silkworm Mask on his face, restoring his original appearance.
So it is little brother Han Li.
Master Otto's expression turned excited, and he asked:
Are you here to register for the Alchemy Master Tournament?
Xiao Yan nodded.
Good, good, good. With you, Han Li, participating in the Alchemy Master Tournament, our Black Rock City guild will surely make its name known throughout the empire.
Otto laughed heartily, then led Xiao Yan to the second floor and stopped outside a room with luxurious doors.
The two pushed the door open and walked in to see Frank scolding the silver-haired young woman, Xue Mei.
It turned out that Xue Mei had actually used a precious Fourth-Grade alchemy formula in the trading area below to trade for a Peach Blossom Flame Seed, and Frank's heart was aching with distress.
Seeing Xiao Yan appear, the two young women in the room wore expressions of joy, quickly walked to Xiao Yan's side, and each grabbed one of Xiao Yan's arms.
Big Brother Han Li, why did you leave without saying goodbye last time? You made me sad for several days.
Lin Fei shook Xiao Yan's arm and said coquettishly.
That's right, Big Brother Han Li, I even wanted to invite you to my home as a guest, but the next day you were nowhere to be found. Am I really that annoying?
Xue Mei lifted her pretty, delicate face, her jade ears turning red as she spoke.
Feeling the soft sensation coming from his arm, Xiao Yan thought to himself, If I don't leave soon, these two will eat me alive.
Xiao Yan chuckled lightly: Sorry about that, I had an urgent matter at the time.
Watching the two women vie for favor in front of Xiao Yan, Otto and Frank exchanged a smile. This youth possessed a talent even greater than that of Pill King Gu He, and if their own disciple could win Xiao Yan over, they would be more than happy to see it happen.
Han Li, are you here to participate in the Alchemy Master Tournament?
Frank asked with a smile.
Xiao Yan nodded.
That's great! Big Brother Han Li, with your alchemy skills, you will definitely win first place.
Lin Fei giggled, looking at Xiao Yan with a face full of adoration.
Xue Mei's eyes also sparkled with little stars.
The two of them were First-Rank Alchemy Masters now, and coming to the Imperial Capital this time to participate in the Alchemy Master Tournament was mainly to broaden their horizons; daring to hope for achievements was out of the question.
That's great, I'll register you right now.
Frank's face was filled with excitement. With Xiao Yan participating, the Black Rock City Alchemy Masters' Guild would surely achieve commendable results, and by then he could request more funding from the headquarters.
As for the championship, Frank didn't dare to dwell on it.
Han Li, the Alchemy Master Tournament will begin in three days. Come find us here then.
Frank finished writing Xiao Yan's registration form for the tournament, and next he just needed to hand this registration form over to the tournament personnel at the headquarters.
Imperial Capital, Mittel Family Headquarters.
The head of the Mittel Family, one of the ten strongest figures in the Jia Ma Empire, Dou Wang expert, Teng Shan wore an excited expression as he looked at Hai Bodong.
He watched as the outstanding younger generation members of the family wore looks of confusion.
Teng Shan then solemnly introduced him: Elder Hai, founder of the Mittel Family, Dou Emperor expert, known as the Ice Emperor!
Hearing this, everyone looked at Hai Bodong in shock. The name of the Ice Emperor resounded throughout the entire Jia Ma Empire.
The young people of the Mittel Family felt a sense of reflected glory as they looked at Hai Bodong.
Elder Hai, I think you should come home to live? Teng Shan gazed at Hai Bodong eagerly.
Among the three major families of the empire, their strongest combat strengths were all Dou Wangs; with Hai Bodong, a Dou Emperor, holding down the fort, the Mittel Family would indisputably become the premier family.
Hai Bodong shook his head and said: My appearance will inevitably attract the attention of that old monster in the royal family. By then, the royal family's wariness toward the Mittel Family will definitely outweigh the gains. You have managed the family very well over these years, so I won't return to meddle in family affairs.
Teng Shan said respectfully: No matter where Elder Hai is, you are the Supreme Elder of the Mittel Family and possess the ultimate authority.
The reason I was able to return this time is that I encountered an outstanding youth named Xiao Yan.
If the family can win Xiao Yan over, it will bring boundless benefits to the family's future.
I see that Ya Fei is well-acquainted with Xiao Yan, and she is the key figure in winning him over. Therefore, starting today, Ya Fei will officially take charge of the family headquarters' auction house.
Hai Bodong said with a smile.
Thank you, Supreme Elder!
Ya Fei was slightly stirred. Little brother Xiao Yan, because of you your big sister has been promoted again; I really don't know how to repay you.
Everyone must keep the matter of Xiao Yan a secret, and you must not provoke him, or you will be severely punished!
Teng Shan swept a stern gaze over the younger generation and said in a deep voice.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
In order to win the championship of the tournament, Xiao Yan had spent these three days practicing alchemy continuously within the spatial dimension.
He had the feeling of offering temporary shelter to Buddha's feet when trouble arose.
However, three days of intensive practice had brought about extremely massive improvements.
Within the space, Xiao Yan's soul power received a boost; his original Perfect Mortal Realm had reached the Late-Spirit Realm, improving by almost a whole major realm.
Under such a formidable soul realm, coupled with Medicine Elder's meticulous imparting of knowledge, Xiao Yan's alchemy skills could be described as advancing by leaps and bounds, progressing swiftly.
When he took the Third-Rank Alchemy Master examination in Black Rock City, he already possessed the strength of an ordinary Fourth-Rank Alchemy Master, and now he had reached the level of an elite Fourth-Rank Alchemy Master.
There were also gaps between alchemy masters of the same grade, which were roughly divided into entry-level, ordinary, outstanding, and elite.
Xiao Yan exited the space and walked toward the guild. Although he was walking, his speed was not slower than those carriages on the road, and in the blink of an eye his figure appeared several meters away.
Because the Alchemy Master Tournament was drawing near, the inns in the Imperial Capital were packed to capacity recently.
The inn where Xiao Yan was staying was nearly ten miles away from the guild. Twisting and turning, it took him less than a quarter of an hour to walk to the Alchemy Masters' Guild.
After confirming the route, he went directly to the office of the Imperial Capital Alchemy Masters' Guild.
Hehe, Han Li, if you hadn't come yet, I would have sent someone to the inn to look for you.
Seeing Xiao Yan arrive, Frank spoke with a smile, and then handed him a numbered plaque.
This is your contestant number.
Xiao Yan's contestant number was 94748.
This did not mean he was the 94,748th contestant.
Although this tournament also had alchemy masters from other countries participating, the number could not possibly reach nearly one hundred thousand.
If there were that many alchemy masters, it would fail to reflect the scarcity and nobility of alchemy masters.
This number—94 represented Xiao Yan's competition zone, and 748 was his sequential number at registration.
Xiao Yan pinned the contestant number to his chest and said:
Is there still a prediction session to attend today?
I didn't expect you to be so well-informed about the tournament's procedures, and know this as well?
Frank was slightly surprised, and then said:
You are our Black Rock City recommended seeded contestant, and all seeded contestants must participate in the prediction. If you pass the prediction, your competition zone can be changed to the seeded zone, drawing the attention of ten thousand people.
Actually, this kind of prediction was also a test of the discernment of the nominators from various guilds; if the contestant passed, it would also bring many benefits to these guilds.
Then let's go.
Xiao Yan said indifferently.
The two of them arrived at the prediction hall, where there were already many young alchemy masters, and many of them were Third-Rank Alchemy Masters.
Frank lowered his voice and pointed out those potential competitors in Xiao Yan's ear.
One of them was Pill King Gu He's disciple, Liu Ling.
Another was the disciple of Vice President Qie Mi'er of the headquarters, the imperial little princess Yao Yue.
Xiao Yan glanced indifferently and didn't pay it much mind.
His appearance didn't attract too much attention either.
After all, he was just an ordinary-looking Third-Rank Alchemy Master named Han Li.
Xiao Yan was happy for the peace and quiet, hiding in a corner to close his eyes and rest while waiting for the predictions to begin.
Soon, the predictions began.
Just as in Xiao Yan's memories, it involved refining the Black Iron Spirit Leaf.
The refinement of medicinal herbs tested one's control over heat, and this happened to be Xiao Yan's most outstanding area.
Everyone present, including those guild presidents, was no match for Xiao Yan.
The Black Iron Spirit Leaf was the most resistant to scorching, and refining this kind of item consumed a tremendous amount of energy.
However, for Xiao Yan, who possessed a Heavenly Flame, it was extremely effortless.
When the hourglass had leaked one-fifth of its sand, Xiao Yan had already refined the Black Iron Spirit Leaf four times, and then he stopped.
Xiao Yan didn't care much about the prediction results; since there was no reward, why put in so much painstaking effort?
Waiting until the time was almost up and the hourglass was about to run out of sand, Xiao Yan walked out of the small dark room.
Next, a purity meter would be used to test the purity of the Black Iron Spirit Leaf refined by each alchemy master, with scores graded out of ten.
Liu Ling refined it six times and obtained an outstanding score of 7 points.
The little princess refined it five times and obtained 6.5 points, second only to Liu Ling.
Xiao Yan refined it four times and obtained 5.5 points.
However, Xiao Yan was the youngest, not even twenty years old.
Liu Ling was twenty-seven years old, and the little princess was also twenty-five.
Therefore, even though Xiao Yan had concealed his true abilities, his score of 5.5 still attracted the gazes of many people.
The predictions ended, and Xiao Yan returned directly to the inn to wait for the tournament to begin tomorrow.
Before you continue