Inspection

The guard replied, his tone exceptionally respectful.

Nalan Chenfeng nodded and pushed open the courtyard gate before walking inside.

The courtyard was not large, but it was elegantly arranged. Several low spiritual plants grew within, their leaves lush and emerald-green, faint radiance flowing across them.

Directly opposite the gate stood a spacious stone chamber. Its stone door was half-open, and a rich pill fragrance wafted faintly from within.

"Master Allen."

After waiting a short while, Nalan Chenfeng raised his eyes and saw the stone door open from within. An old man in white robes appeared at the entrance.

The old man looked to be in his fifties or sixties. He was thin, with neatly combed gray-white hair and crystal glasses of some unknown material resting on his nose. His entire bearing exuded a refined, gentle air.

This man was the Nalan Clan's resident alchemist, a Fourth-Grade Alchemist, Allen.

"Little Chenfeng."

When Allen saw Nalan Chenfeng, he was briefly stunned. Then his gaze swept over Nalan Chenfeng, and a trace of surprise flashed through his eyes.

"You... you broke through to Dou Zhe?"

"I just broke through to Dou Zhe, but I can't sense any wood affinity within my body. I came specifically to ask Master Allen to help me examine it."

Nalan Chenfeng bowed slightly, his attitude respectful.

Although the man before him was only a Fourth-Grade Alchemist, he was already an extremely distinguished figure in a place like the Jia Ma Empire.

Even some Dou Wang experts had to be courteous when they encountered a Fourth-Grade Alchemist. As for Fifth-Grade Alchemists, it was not that the Nalan Clan did not wish to invite one—they simply could not.

Across the entire Jia Ma Empire, Fifth-Grade Alchemists were few in number. Apart from Fama, the president of the Alchemist Association, and Pill King Gu He, Nalan Chenfeng had never heard of any others.

"A ten-year-old Dou Zhe..."

Allen murmured, his gaze toward Nalan Chenfeng filled with astonishment and disbelief.

"Come in first."

Allen beckoned, and Nalan Chenfeng did not stand on ceremony as he stepped into the stone chamber.

The inside of the stone chamber was far more spacious than it appeared from outside. Rows of wooden medicine racks lined the walls, filled with neatly arranged bottles and jars.

At the center of the chamber stood an ancient bronze medicine cauldron atop a raised platform. A faint golden gleam shone from its surface, making it appear quite extraordinary.

"To reach Dou Zhe at only ten years old—such talent may be unprecedented in the entire Jia Ma Empire. The Nalan Clan has produced an incredible genius!"

Allen looked at Nalan Chenfeng with admiration and praised him sincerely.

Breaking through to Dou Zhe at ten represented immense potential. In the future, he might become a Dou Emperor, a Dou Zong, or perhaps something even more unimaginable...

"Master Allen overpraises me. Chenfeng is merely a Dou Zhe."

Nalan Chenfeng cupped his hands and replied humbly.

If news of his breakthrough spread today, it would certainly cause a considerable stir. Fortunately, the Nalan Clan was backed by the imperial family, and his grandfather was a Dou Wang expert. There should not be any major problems for the time being.

Still, one could never be too cautious. He did not particularly trust either the Jia Ma Imperial Family or the Misty Cloud Sect, especially considering that the Nalan Clan relied on the Jia Ma Imperial Family.

In the history of the Jia Ma Empire, the Jia Ma Imperial Family had once merely been one of its great clans. Only later had they gained the status of the imperial family through rebellion and various other means.

Thus, given such origins, the Jia Ma Imperial Family had always been wary of the three great clans of the imperial capital.

The Misty Cloud Sect had a long inheritance as well, but it was ultimately a sect faction. At present, it did not face the same succession crisis as the Jia Ma Imperial Family. Moreover, Yun Yun, its sect leader, was not especially forceful, so it posed no real threat.

However, once she learned of the talent he had displayed, Yun Yun might come to accept him as her disciple.

But he was not wind-affinity, nor did he care much for the Misty Cloud Sect. Rather than joining that sect, he would be better off going to Jia Nan Academy in the Black-Corner Region to cultivate.

"At such a young age, you are neither arrogant nor complacent. That is rare..."

Master Allen praised Nalan Chenfeng again before continuing.

"Circulate your Dou Qi. I will examine it."

"Yes."

Nalan Chenfeng answered, raising his right hand. At the tip of his index finger, an extremely faint wisp of yellow Dou Qi slowly emerged, flickering softly like a firefly.

Gazing at that faint strand of yellow Dou Qi, Allen narrowed his eyes. An invisible force of soul perception spread out, enveloping it as he examined it.

"Fire affinity. What a pity..."

In only an instant, Allen gave Nalan Chenfeng his answer. A look of regret appeared on his refined face.

A ten-year-old Dou Zhe—if he possessed the talent of an alchemist, his potential would have been immeasurable.

Yet without even a trace of wood affinity, it was difficult to become an alchemist with fire affinity alone.

"So there truly isn't any..."

Nalan Chenfeng murmured, then his gaze became resolute.

As long as his main affinity was fire, he still had the possibility of becoming an alchemist. It would merely be far more troublesome than for those with both fire and wood affinities, requiring heavenly treasures and various resources to support him.

However, the most important thing for him right now was not becoming an alchemist, but cultivating a technique and increasing his strength.

On the Dou Qi Continent, the technique with the greatest potential, one that could give a person hope of becoming a Dou God, was none other than the Burning Decision.

But the Burning Decision was not within his considerations. First, Yao Chen had most likely already awakened. It would be difficult for him to obtain it from Yao Chen, and he could not wait that long to scheme for the technique.

Second, cultivating the Burning Decision required risking one's life. Not everyone who cultivated it could succeed. Not just anyone could claim his brother-in-law's title of Lucky Bastard; Nalan Chenfeng was not that blindly optimistic.

Third, he simply had no need to walk the path of cultivating the Burning Decision.

He had his own cheat: stopping time. It was an extremely terrifying ability. If used well, it would be enough to rapidly increase his strength and grant him an absolute advantage in battle.

If he stopped time while remaining unaffected himself, it meant that if he wished, he could commit any evil deed he pleased—or easily take an enemy's life without them ever realizing it.

As for seizing treasures and opportunities, there was even less need to mention it.

If this ability were used at a crucial moment during someone's breakthrough, he could employ certain methods to make that person fail.

In short, how he used this ability depended on him. It was only that his strength was currently too low, and the duration for which he could stop time was limited.

"Fire affinity is naturally advantageous, but with fire affinity alone, you can only become the most basic sort of alchemy apprentice."

Allen's gaze fell upon Nalan Chenfeng through his crystal lenses, carrying both scrutiny and regret.

"Still, with your talent, if you focus on cultivating Dou Qi, your future achievements will be limitless. There is no need to divide your attention with alchemy."

Hearing Allen's consolation, Nalan Chenfeng smiled and nodded.

"Master Allen is right. I should simply focus on cultivating Dou Qi."

After saying that, Nalan Chenfeng did not linger any longer. He cupped his hands in farewell.

Next, he needed to choose a fire-affinity technique to cultivate. After that, he would find another opportunity to visit Wu Tan City and let Xiao Yan experience the care of his elder brother-in-law.

Over the past two years, aside from that foolish Mu Zhan of the Mu Clan, he had not beaten anyone in the imperial capital for quite some time.

And judging by the timeline, his brother-in-law should currently be at the height of his glory.