Fire Control Art!

"I heard there was a thug in the east district who ran a couple of errands for some unfamiliar faces. The next day, he vanished without a trace. No sign of him alive, no sign of his corpse, and even his wife didn't dare report it to the authorities."

"Hiss—"

His companion sucked in a sharp breath. "Damn, they were that ruthless?"

"Exactly."

The bearded man raised his bowl and gulped down a mouthful of wine.

"So these days, anything connected to the Xiao Clan, I stay the hell out of it. No matter how good the silver is, you need to be alive to spend it, right?"

Xiao Chen's hand paused slightly as he held his wine bowl.

"They acted so meticulously and ruthlessly. They truly aren't an ordinary force."

He set down his bowl, rose, and left.

As he stepped outside, he casually bumped into a hunched old medicine peddler by the counter. Taking the opportunity, he slipped a second-grade Qi-Recovery Pill into the man's hand and asked softly, "Old sir, how do I get to the Underground Medicine Market you mentioned earlier?"

The old medicine peddler squeezed the pill in his hand, and his cloudy eyes immediately lit up.

Without drawing attention, he tucked the pill into his sleeve and lowered his voice. "At the third dry well in the back alley, there's a hidden door in the well wall. Go down, and you'll find it. Remember this, sir: once you enter that place, don't ask too much and don't look too closely. The waters in there run deep."

"Thank you for your guidance, old sir." Xiao Chen cupped his hands.

"No need for such politeness."

The old medicine peddler grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"You know your stuff, sir, so this old man said a few extra words. If it were anyone else, I wouldn't have uttered a single word."

"Oh?"

Xiao Chen raised a brow. "How could you tell that Xiao knew his stuff?"

"Heh."

The old medicine peddler lowered his voice.

"That Qi-Recovery Pill was of impeccable quality. One look, and I could tell it was good stuff refined in a personal furnace."

"In Wutan City, there are only a handful of people who can casually produce pills of that quality. Sir, you're someone of standing. These old eyes of mine haven't gone blind yet."

Xiao Chen's heart stirred, and he cupped his hands.

"You flatter me, old sir."

He turned and left the tavern, his gaze darkening slightly.

"Wutan City truly has hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Even an old medicine peddler on a street corner has such discernment. Xiao will have to act even more cautiously."

Half an hour later, Xiao Chen appeared before a dry well.

After looking around for a moment, his figure flashed, and he silently slipped into the well.

Sliding several yards down the slick well wall, he indeed found an iron door.

He hooked his fingers into the crack and gave it a gentle push. The iron door opened at once, and a mixed scent of medicinal herbs and blood rushed toward him.

Underground, there was another world entirely.

Under the dim lamplight, a long, narrow street wound forward, lined on both sides with stalls of every kind.

Some sold medicinal pills, some bought stolen goods, and some exchanged gold coins. In one corner, people were even gambling through fights, their fists striking flesh as cheers rose one after another.

Xiao Chen pulled his hat brim lower and walked at an unhurried pace, but his gaze was like an invisible blade, scraping over every corner inch by inch.

"There really is something hidden here..."

After walking for roughly the time it took to drink half a cup of tea, his steps suddenly halted.

A hundred paces ahead, two burly men stood at the entrance to an alley leading deeper underground.

Their auras were restrained, but their eyes were sharp as eagles. One stood on each side, guarding the alley as tightly as an iron barrel.

Farther inside, faint lights could be seen, yet not a single sound could be heard.

Xiao Chen's gaze touched upon the two men and immediately withdrew. He did not look at them again.

He slowed his pace and walked past the alley entrance like an ordinary tavern patron, but the corner of his eye had already taken in everything.

"The lights deep in that alley seem to be... some kind of soul flame."

"Soul flame..."

Xiao Chen's heart tightened slightly. "As expected, this bears the mark of Soul Hall's outer network."

He did not approach any closer.

Xiao Chen stood beside the dry well and looked back at the bottomless darkness within it, a sharp glint flashing through his eyes.

"Soul Hall's outer network... has truly taken root in Wutan City."

Just then, the system notification sounded.

"Detected that the host gifted the black market's old medicine peddler [Second-Grade Qi-Recovery Pill] ×1. Return triggered: [Breath Concealment Art] ×1!"

"Breath Concealment Art?"

"Conceal one's aura, hide one's tracks... good stuff!"

Three days later.

The Jia Ma Empire Alchemist Tournament preliminaries began!

A qualifying division had been established in Wutan City!

The moment the news spread, the entire city was thrown into an uproar.

Alchemists were already among the most revered professions on the Dou Qi Continent, while the Imperial Alchemist Tournament was a path to fame that countless alchemists dreamed of.

"Have you heard? This year, the top three can enter the Imperial Alchemist Association headquarters and even meet Lord Pill King Gu He!"

"Pill King Gu He?! He's the number one alchemist in the Jia Ma Empire!"

"Just imagine it—if you catch Lord Gu He's eye, you'll soar straight to the heavens!"

"Not to mention that this year's rewards supposedly include a quota for a fifth-grade medicinal pill!"

"Fifth-grade?! That's a treasure that's nearly impossible to obtain!"

Discussion broke out everywhere.

Sharp-eyed people noticed the notice posted outside the Xiao Clan Apothecary and could not help sucking in a breath.

"The Xiao Clan is sending someone to compete too?!"

"The Xiao Clan?! That Xiao Clan whose marriage proposal was rejected by the Misty Cloud Sect? They dare enter the Alchemist Tournament too?"

"Heh, then you don't know, do you? The Xiao Clan's medicinal pills are hot commodities in Wutan City these days. They say they're all the work of that Elder Xiao!"

"Really? Then we'll have to see just what dragons and phoenixes the Xiao Clan has been hiding!"

Inside the Xiao Residence study, Xiao Zhan sat opposite Xiao Chen, his face full of confusion.

"Elder Xiao, with your temperament, why would you wade into this muddy water?"

Xiao Zhan carefully chose his words. "The Alchemist Tournament is filled with experts. If anything goes wrong..."

"Clan Leader, you worry too much." Xiao Chen smiled and shook his head.

"But—"

"Consider this, Clan Leader. The Xiao Clan's foundations in Wutan City are now secure, but looking across the Jia Ma Empire, how many people know the Xiao Clan's name?"

"This tournament is a ready-made springboard. If I take first place in the preliminaries, the Xiao Clan's name will spread to every corner of the Jia Ma Empire along with my results."

"Doesn't the Clan Leader want the Xiao Clan's medicinal pills to become number one in the Jia Ma Empire?"

Xiao Zhan's heart shook. He suddenly understood and nodded heavily.

"In that case, Xiao Zhan wishes Elder Xiao victory at the first stroke!"

That afternoon, Xiao Chen went to the Wutan City Alchemist Association Branch to register.

"That man is the Xiao Clan's Elder Xiao? He looks utterly ordinary."

"Ordinary? You probably don't know that, before the preliminaries even began, Miss Ya Fei of the Mittel Auction House personally visited him!"

"Hiss—he's that impressive?"

"Whether he's impressive or not, we'll find out on the day of the preliminaries!"

When it was Xiao Chen's turn to register, the steward in charge looked up at him. "Name?"

"Xiao Chen. Honorary Elder of the Xiao Clan."

The steward's brush paused. He gave Xiao Chen another look, wrote down his name in the register, and said quietly, "Elder Xiao, please guide me in the future."

"You're too polite."

Xiao Chen nodded. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something.

He turned and headed to the Mittel Auction House on the street corner. Ya Fei had already been waiting at the entrance, and when she saw him, she greeted him with a smile.

"Mr. Xiao, are you here to prepare for the tournament?"

"Indeed."

Xiao Chen took a jade bottle from his robes and handed it to her.

"This batch of Qi-Recovery Pills was newly refined over the past few days and is of excellent quality. Miss Ya Fei, please keep them for now. During the tournament, Mittel's medicinal pill counter will surely have to deal with a large number of customers."

Ya Fei accepted the jade bottle, removed the stopper, and took a sniff. Her beautiful eyes immediately brightened.

"Third-grade Qi-Recovery Pills?! Mr. Xiao, your skill..."

"Nothing much."

Xiao Chen waved his hand. "Miss Ya Fei, get back to work. Xiao is returning to prepare for the tournament."

"Take care, Mr. Xiao."

Ya Fei watched him leave, then lowered her gaze to the jade bottle in her hand. A strange glimmer passed through her eyes.

"Third-grade Qi-Recovery Pills, and he gave away five bottles at once... Mr. Xiao's alchemy is likely far more extraordinary than it appears."

After returning to the Xiao Residence, Xiao Chen did not immediately enter seclusion. Instead, he first summoned the manager of the Xiao Clan Apothecary.

"During the tournament, the apothecary's supply of medicinal pills cannot be interrupted."

He instructed him, "For the next few days, I'll be preparing for the tournament with all my focus. Continue refining pills according to the pill formulas I left behind."

"Yes, Elder. Rest assured!" the manager answered respectfully.

Once he had made the arrangements, Xiao Chen finally returned to his study and slowly shut the door.

"Fire Control Art..."

He opened the fragment returned by the system.

"Control fire with the spirit, command flames with the heart... Fire follows the heart, flames move with intent..."

"What an excellent Fire Control Art!"