The Ice Emperor, Wrapped Around His Finger-Leaving with a Sweep of His Sleeve!

"Merely a Heavenly Flame. Nothing worth mentioning."

Lin Chen stood with his hands behind his back, his expression serene, though inwardly he was secretly delighted. So this is how that old man Hu Gan feels. It really is satisfying.

Seeing this, the shock in Hai Bodong's eyes slowly faded, replaced by a flash of delighted surprise. Somewhat excited, he said, "I wore through iron shoes searching in vain, only to find it without lifting a finger! To think I really would meet an alchemist who possesses a Heavenly Flame!"

Hearing this, Zi Yan looked at the old man before her, her large, dark eyes filled with confusion. Why is this old man so excited? He looks like he's taken something. Does he want to gobble down the pills Lin Chen refines too?

Lin Chen coughed lightly and glanced at Zi Yan. "Little Zi Yan, since there's no news of Heavenly Flames here, let's go. I still need to gather the other ingredients for the Crimson Flame Barrier-Breaking Pill. I have no time to waste here."

The Crimson Flame Barrier-Breaking Pill was one of the three pills capable of increasing a Dou Wang's cultivation recorded in the seventh-grade alchemist inheritance he had previously obtained.

With crimson flame grass and fire crystal lotus as its primary ingredients, it could help fire-attributed Dou Wang experts improve their cultivation and break through bottlenecks. Its effects resembled those of the Dou Ling Pill, but it only worked for Dou Wang experts who practiced fire-attributed cultivation methods, making it a more limited version of the Dou Ling Pill.

"Oh, all right."

Zi Yan blinked without asking any further questions, then took Lin Chen's hand and started toward the shop's exit.

"Wait!"

An urgent call came from behind the counter.

The white-haired old man immediately rose to his feet. Ignoring the scraps of paper covering him, he strode over to Lin Chen and seized his hand, his face wreathed in an ingratiating smile. Almost fawning, he said, "Please wait, sir. I have some."

"I have information about Heavenly Flames."

"Oh?"

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow. He released Zi Yan's little hand and patted her shoulder, signaling her to wait, before asking with some surprise, "An old fool like you, who pays no attention to worldly affairs, knows where a Heavenly Flame is?"

"Are you trying to deceive me? Hoping to make me owe you a favor so I'll refine pills for you?"

"Well..."

"To tell you the truth, that is indeed my intention, but..."

Hai Bodong gave a sheepish smile, embarrassment showing on his face. Having his intentions exposed so easily left even someone as thick-skinned as him feeling awkward.

But whether he could break his seal and restore his cultivation depended on this, so he swallowed his embarrassment and admitted frankly, "But I'm not deceiving you. I came to the Tagor Desert years ago and began gathering information about Heavenly Flames back then. Over the years, I've ruled out the routes I previously explored one by one, and I have indeed uncovered a few clues."

With that, he brushed a hand over his Storage Ring and took out an Ancient Parchment Map.

The map precisely marked the locations of cities large and small throughout the desert, as well as the settlements of the various Snake-People Tribes. Even water sources and dangerous regions where rare medicinal ingredients grew were individually labeled.

More surprisingly, three conspicuous flame symbols marked the eastern, western, and northern portions of the map, each with a few small words beneath it: "Suspected location of a Heavenly Flame."

Lin Chen accepted the parchment map without a change in expression. After examining it for a moment and committing all its routes to memory, he tossed it back onto the counter and pointed at it.

His face full of doubt, he asked, "How do I know whether this map is genuine?"

"If it is, why haven't you gone looking for the Heavenly Flames yourself? How do you explain that, old man?"

His words were thoroughly aggressive, putting an alchemist's arrogance on full display.

Hai Bodong could not help laughing at the question, then said, "To tell you the truth, I cultivate ice-attributed Dou Qi. Heavenly Flames are useless to me, and forcibly refining one would only harm me. The reason I sought a Heavenly Flame is that I've been afflicted with a peculiar seal."

"Breaking this seal requires a certain sixth-grade pill, and a Heavenly Flame is a prerequisite for refining that pill!"

With that, he took a pill formula from his Storage Ring and handed it to Lin Chen without any attempt at concealment.

Lin Chen accepted it and swept it with his spiritual power. A flood of alchemical information poured into his mind. It was indeed the formula for the sixth-grade Misfortune-Breaking Pill!

The Misfortune-Breaking Pill was a low-tier sixth-grade pill that could remove most unusual seals. After consumption, it also granted resistance to the same type of seal, giving the user a very high chance of being completely immune if they encountered it again.

Primary ingredients: sand mandala, twin nether fruits, green glimmer grass...

Refining requirements: burning with a Heavenly Flame; the alchemist's soul realm must be no lower than the peak of the middle stage of the Mortal Realm...

"A sixth-grade Misfortune-Breaking Pill? Old man, this pill is no easy thing to refine. What level of strength do you have, to need a pill like this to break a seal? Did a Dou Huang expert attack you?"

Lin Chen set down the formula, feigning confusion as he asked with a slight frown.

You finally asked...

Hai Bodong was delighted to hear the question. Pride appeared on his face, and he coughed lightly before saying, "Years ago, I participated in the Jia Ma Empire's Powerhouse Tournament and was fortunate enough to show a few moves. People praised me and bestowed the title of Ice Emperor upon me. Nothing worth mentioning, nothing worth mentioning..."

"Ice Emperor?"

"Oh, merely a Dou Emperor. Then it really is nothing worth mentioning..."

Lin Chen gave a dismissive acknowledgment, a hint of contempt appearing on his face. "What prospects does an ice-attributed cultivator who knows nothing about alchemy have? Even a Dou Emperor is less distinguished than a Fifth-Rank Alchemist. No wonder I've never heard of you."

"But don't lose heart. Meeting me today was your good fortune."

"If this Heavenly Flame map truly proves useful, I won't leave you unrewarded."

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Hai Bodong broke into a fit of coughing, his face instantly flushing red. He felt wounded as never before.

He was the illustrious Ice Emperor, one of the Jia Ma Empire's ten greatest experts in his day. He had once fought a Dou Emperor and a Dou Wang expert single-handedly without suffering defeat.

Even Yun Shan, the former sect master of the Misty Cloud Sect, had exchanged blows with him, although he had ultimately lost by a move or two through a stroke of ill luck.

But Yun Shan had hardly won by much, had he?

Rounded off, he was a figure on par with the Misty Cloud Sect Master, yet a mere junior was looking down on him like this!

"I am currently a Peak Fifth-Grade Alchemist, only one step away from the sixth grade. You understand the rules of the alchemy world, don't you?"

"You must provide three sets of ingredients. I make no guarantee of success. If I succeed on the first attempt, any remaining ingredients belong to the alchemist."

"Of course, the payment is separate. The information on this Heavenly Flame map barely covers the fee for one attempt at refining a sixth-grade pill-provided it is genuine."

Lin Chen put the Heavenly Flame map and the Misfortune-Breaking Pill formula into his Jade-Green Ring, then stared straight at Hai Bodong as he spoke, as though everything he had said were only natural.

"Of course. I understand. It's just..."

Embarrassment appeared on Hai Bodong's face. Rubbing his hands together awkwardly, he said, "Over the years, I've gathered most of the ingredients. Only one, called sand mandala, grows deep in the desert, and I still haven't managed to obtain it."

"If you could, Master..."

"You want me to gather the ingredients for you?"

"This is outrageous!"

"Go out and ask around! What alchemist has to gather the ingredients himself when refining pills for someone else? Old man, don't fail to appreciate what's being offered!"

Lin Chen flew into a rage, anger spreading across his face. He swept his sleeve, seemingly so infuriated by the man's behavior that he was about to turn and storm away!