Xiao Yan's Shock, Exploring the Depths Together!

"Teacher, are you saying that man possesses a heavenly flame?"

The black-robed youth, Xiao Yan, paled. Horror flashed in his eyes, mingled with nervousness, and his thoughts refused to settle.

After all, one of his reasons for coming to the Tagor Desert was to find a heavenly flame. Now that the Dou Wang expert before him already possessed one, didn't that mean the heavenly flame here had already been taken?

Did he still have any hope?

"Don't panic. There's something strange about that heavenly flame of his. It gives me a bone-chilling sensation. Its aura and appearance seem quite similar to the sea heart flame, but I've seen the sea heart flame before, and it certainly wasn't capable of anything like this..."

"Could it be..."

At this point, a dim light flickered from the black ring on the youth's finger. The aged soul slumbering within sounded uncertain, seemingly unwilling to trust his own guess. He merely murmured, "Could it be a heavenly flame that isn't on the Heavenly Flame Ranking?"

Surprise appeared in Xiao Yan's eyes at those words. Puzzled, he asked inwardly, "Teacher, are there heavenly flames that aren't on the Heavenly Flame Ranking?"

"Of course. The world is vast, filled with every conceivable wonder. The Heavenly Flame Ranking encompasses most heavenly flames in existence, but not necessarily all of them. You should know that when certain high-tier magical beasts reach their peak, the power of their innate beast flames seems no weaker than some of the lowest-ranked heavenly flames..."

"I saw one myself back in the day. It was..."

Suddenly, the aged voice broke off, replaced by a solemn, cautionary tone.

"Careful, boy. They're coming over. They have two Dou Wangs, one Dou Ling, and a little girl who hasn't even reached the Dou Zhe realm. Watch your step."

"You can establish a good relationship with them first. Make good use of your status as an alchemist. Once we've confirmed that the heavenly flame here is gone, we can decide what to do next."

With that, the aged voice gradually faded. A layer of invisible spiritual power covered the ring, concealing it completely.

Just then, Lin Chen approached with Hai Bodong and the others.

Holding Zi Yan's hand with his left and Qing Lin's with his right, he wore a warm smile. At first glance, he seemed like a friendly older brother from next door, inspiring an easy sense of familiarity.

"Young brother, have you come here looking for a heavenly flame too?"

Lin Chen asked gently, a smile on his face.

"Well..."

Faced with such a direct question, Xiao Yan hesitated. Heavenly flames were exceptionally precious, after all. What alchemist opened a conversation by asking someone else's purpose?

Wasn't he afraid the other party had come for the same thing and might harbor ill intent?

Perhaps he simply doesn't consider me worth worrying about...

At that thought, Xiao Yan was about to answer honestly.

Suddenly, Xiao Ding beside him looked surprised. Pointing at the green-haired girl beside the black-robed young man, he asked in astonishment, "Qing Lin, why are you here?"

"Commander, I..."

At his words, Qing Lin drew back her little hand and hid fearfully behind Lin Chen. Conflict showed on her face, as though she didn't know how to explain.

Lin Chen stepped forward to spare her the trouble, explaining gently, "She's my younger sister, who was separated from me many years ago. Thank you for having the Desert Iron Mercenary Group look after her. It was only recently that I sent an old family servant to find her and bring her back."

"I've heard about Qing Lin's time in the Desert Iron Mercenary Group. Although she often suffered discrimination, she at least had food to eat. Today, I'll thank you on her behalf, Commander Xiao Ding."

With that, Lin Chen stroked Qing Lin's head, affection flashing in his eyes. He then took out a Pill Bottle and handed it to Xiao Ding.

"This jade bottle contains a Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill. It's a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it, Commander Xiao."

Xiao Ding stared at the pill before him, momentarily stunned. Instinctively, he turned to Xiao Yan and asked quietly, "Third Brother, what grade is this pill? Is it valuable?"

Heaven knew, although Xiao Ding had been born into the Xiao Clan of Wutan City and enjoyed the standing of its eldest young master, he had seen very few proper medicinal pills.

At most, he had encountered a few first- and second-grade pills. Even a Second-Rank Alchemist had to be respectfully addressed as "Master." He truly had never heard of a pill like the Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill.

"A Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill? A Peak Fourth-Grade Pill?"

Beside him, Xiao Yan's mouth had already fallen open, towering waves of shock crashing through his heart.

His eldest brother, Xiao Ding, might not know, but how could he not? During his time studying alchemy under Yao Lao, he had thoroughly crammed the basic knowledge every alchemist should possess.

The Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill, which could unconditionally raise a Da Dou Shi's cultivation by one star, was a name that thundered in his ears!

This man is at least a peak Fourth-Rank Alchemist. With his Dou Wang cultivation, though, he's most likely a Fifth-Rank Alchemist. I can't make an enemy of him. I can't afford to provoke him right now, and Teacher hasn't recovered yet. He probably wouldn't want to invite trouble like this lightly either.

Still, we can accept the pill and use it to improve Father's strength. Why turn down something free?

Xiao Yan took a deep breath to settle his thoughts, then told Xiao Ding, "Eldest Brother, the Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill is a Peak Fourth-Grade Pill. It can unconditionally raise Father's strength by one star."

"Since this master is being so sincere, accept it. Don't let his kindness go to waste."

After speaking, he hurriedly gave Xiao Ding a meaningful look.

Understanding, Xiao Ding quickly nodded and bowed to Lin Chen with cupped hands. Somewhat embarrassed, he said, "Thank you for your kindness, Senior. As for Qing Lin, I only heard a few days ago that she'd suddenly left the mercenary group. I was planning to send people to look for her."

"I never expected she'd been reunited with you. Congratulations, Senior. As for this pill..."

Xiao Ding rubbed his hands awkwardly and thickened his skin enough to say, "To be honest, it would be of great benefit to my father, so I'll gladly accept."

"It's fine. It was meant for you in the first place. I have no reason to take back something I've given away."

Lin Chen smiled faintly. Watching the brothers exchange their covert signals, he couldn't help the amused gleam that flashed through his eyes.

Interesting. They really are brothers. Their thick skins come from the same mold...

Only after Xiao Ding tucked the pill away did Lin Chen turn back to Xiao Yan. Wearing a warm smile, he asked, "Young brother, you still haven't answered my question. Have you come for the heavenly flame too?"

Xiao Yan came back to his senses and hurriedly cupped his hands. "Yes. I heard that a heavenly flame had appeared in the Tagor Desert, so I wanted to take a look."

"Just take a look?"

Lin Chen gave Xiao Yan a meaningful look, his tone carrying an inscrutable note.

"Uh, if... if there's an opportunity, I'd also like to try subduing a heavenly flame. To be honest with you, Senior, I'm a Second-Rank Alchemist myself."

As he spoke, Xiao Yan seemed to remember something. He slapped his forehead, took a badge marked with two rippling lines from his Storage Ring, and pinned it to his chest before giving Lin Chen a bashful smile.

At the sight, Lin Chen laughed. "You're an interesting fellow, young brother. Second-Rank Alchemists your age are rare. Even Gu He, the man your Jia Ma Empire calls the Pill King, probably did no better back then, did he?"

"Still, trying to refine a heavenly flame as a mere Dou Shi is rather like dreaming of castles in the clouds."

With that, Lin Chen flicked his sleeve, sending an icy-blue pillar of energy blasting into a stretch of desert nearby.

With a thunderous boom, the surface sand instantly collapsed, revealing a deep, dark passage. It twisted and wound as though a giant snake had slithered through it, forming a remarkably tortuous route.

"Since you've come for the heavenly flame too, young brother, let's go down and have a look together."

"But let's make this clear first. If we find a heavenly flame, I won't yield it to you."

"Old Hai, stay up here and keep Qing Lin safe."

"As you command."

Hai Bodong quickly nodded, then moved to Qing Lin's side with a vigilant expression.

"Eldest Brother, you wait here too. I'll go down with this senior and take a look. Just a look. I truly can't accept leaving without seeing the heavenly flame with my own eyes."

Xiao Yan spoke to Xiao Ding beside him, his voice carrying an unquestionable resolve.

Xiao Ding sighed softly. Knowing how stubborn his younger brother had been since childhood, he didn't try to stop him. He merely cautioned, "Be careful. Senior is willing to take you down out of consideration for me, so make sure you look after yourself. Staying alive comes first."

Xiao Yan nodded, then turned to look.

Lin Chen already had an arm around a little purple-haired girl. Enveloped in a deep-blue barrier of light, he leaped down into the passage.

The little purple-haired girl seemed rather excited, however, shouting things like "Charge!" and "Loot the damn thing!" It was enough to make anyone break into an awkward sweat and wonder whose family had raised such a ferocious little "bandit" of a daughter.

Xiao Yan took a deep breath and silently spoke inwardly. Teacher, I'm going.

"Don't worry. With me here, as long as we don't encounter a Dou Zong expert, I can keep you safe."

The aged voice rang out, like a pill that settled the youth's heart.

Hearing that, the youth sprang into the air and jumped into the passage.