Lin Chen: "I'm the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Snake Mansion!"

"Senior? May I ask your esteemed name? Would you be willing to tell this junior?"

Just then, a familiar voice called out beside his ear.

Lin Chen came back to his senses, looked up at Xiao Yan, and said calmly, "My name is Lin Chen. Young friend Xiao Yan, I still have pressing matters to attend to. Let us meet another day."

He immediately beckoned Qing Lin and Zi Yan over, swept his sleeve around them, and prepared to fly toward Stone Desert City.

Before leaving, he offered a reminder in passing.

"Old Hai, beneath this cavern lies a sea of magma. Flame marrow might grow there. Go down and take a careful look. See whether you can find that medicinal ingredient."

"Besides that, there's a fourth-order magical beast down there that I sealed. Bring it back for me as well."

With that, he transformed into a streak of brilliant blue light and shot into nearby Stone Desert City.

Left behind, Hai Bodong gave a rueful chuckle at those words. He could only cup his hands and say, "As you command."

Seeing this, Xiao Yan exchanged a look with Xiao Ding beside him. The two stared at each other, unable to understand why the senior, who had been so friendly moments earlier, had suddenly turned cold. He seemed to be in a foul mood.

Only after a moment did Xiao Yan suddenly realize something. Slapping his forehead, he said, "Big Brother, wait! Isn't the place that senior just flew toward where our Desert Iron Mercenary Group is based?"

"That's right! Before Qing Lin joined the mercenary group, quite a few foul-mouthed bastards in Stone Desert City insulted and beat her. That senior must be going to settle old scores!"

At those words, Xiao Ding slapped his thigh hard. Something suddenly came back to him, and realization dawned on his face.

This senior really is the sort to repay even the smallest slight...

For a moment, the brothers exchanged glances, and the same thought rose in both their hearts.

Not long afterward,

Inside a deep, dim alley in Stone Desert City.

"Spare us, Senior! Please spare us!"

"I... I'll confess! I'll tell you everything!"

Several blood-drenched figures lay sprawled on the filthy ground. Their bodies were riddled with densely packed little ice spikes, each about the size of a fingernail, yet exceedingly sharp. They radiated a bone-piercing chill that made the men twitch incessantly, blood flowing without cease.

The man leading them had a long, narrow knife scar across his face. He barely managed to crawl before the black-robed figure and stammered through his shivering, "My lord, our boss lives in the secret passage beneath the third house in this alley. He's usually the one running the trade in these half-breeds."

"We have several other hideouts too. The seventh house on the east side, shop number five in Quail Alley in the south of the city..."

Holding Zi Yan's hand with one hand and Qing Lin in his other arm, Lin Chen watched them expressionlessly. A cold smile curled his lips. "A crafty rabbit keeps three burrows. A bunch of traffickers, yet you've hidden yourselves so thoroughly..."

With that, he waved his hand. Several deep blue blades of light flashed past, instantly severing their throats and granting them a swift death.

Lin Chen turned toward Qing Lin in his arms. She watched the scene fearfully, a trace of pity flashing through her green eyes. In a small voice, she said, "Brother Lin Chen, you didn't have to do that, did you? They were only... Anyway, I'm fine now..."

"You don't understand, Qing Lin. If I don't kill them today, these beasts will only commit greater evils tomorrow. I have no ambition to save the world, but when I come across such wickedness, I must pull up the grass by its roots."

With that, Lin Chen spread the wings on his back and lightly tapped the ground with his toes, rising into the air. He turned his hand and struck down with his palm.

A deep blue flaming palm imprint crashed down. The dilapidated house nearby instantly collapsed, and faint curses and pleas for mercy could be heard from within.

Within a few short breaths, the rundown house and the secret passage beneath it had both been reduced to ashes.

"Let's go. Searching for heavenly flames today has been tiring. Let's find an inn and rest first. Once we've rested and Old Hai returns, I have something wonderful to give Qing Lin."

Lin Chen gave Qing Lin a small smile as he spoke, his tone gentle.

"Something wonderful?"

Curiosity flashed in Qing Lin's eyes. She knew Lin Chen was a Fifth-Rank Alchemist. What could he possibly consider something wonderful?

Half a month later,

In a quiet courtyard in Stone Desert City.

"My lord, everything is ready."

Hai Bodong rubbed his hands and pointed at the cage in the middle of the courtyard. The entire cage had been forged from cold iron. Ice-blue throughout, it radiated a bone-piercing chill that formed layers of ice, firmly imprisoning a fourth-order magical beast within.

Inside the cage was none other than the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake that Lin Chen had frozen earlier and Hai Bodong had subsequently subdued.

"Mm, well done. Stay here and keep an eye on this fourth-order magical beast. Qing Lin, come inside with me."

Lin Chen nodded in satisfaction, then beckoned Qing Lin, who was whispering with Zi Yan nearby.

Hearing him, Qing Lin quietly told Zi Yan, "Brother Lin Chen is calling me. I'll go over first."

With that, she trotted toward Lin Chen.

Zi Yan pouted unhappily at the sight. "Don't let that big lecher fool you! Aside from being handsome, having a high cultivation level, being good at alchemy, possessing heavenly flames, and being rich, he doesn't have any good qualities!"

"All day long, he's fiddling around with snake evolution and bloodline refinement. He hasn't refined any pills for me in days. He's so mean..."

Anticipation flashed in Lin Chen's eyes. Pretending not to hear Zi Yan's grumbling, he took Qing Lin's hand as soon as she approached and led her into the inner room.

"Come on. After half a month of experiments, I've refined all the pills that work on snake bloodlines."

"This time, it'll definitely succeed!"

Qing Lin's face showed a little nervousness at his words. Then she nodded solemnly. "Mm, I'll do my best to cooperate."

"Don't be too nervous. These pills all replenish vital energy. Even if we fail, they'll only benefit you, not harm you."

Lin Chen smiled calmly and led Qing Lin into the room, then swept his sleeve to shut the door.

He pointed at a meditation cushion on the floor. "Sit there. There are a few bottles of pills on the floor. Take them first."

Qing Lin took a deep breath and hurried forward, then sat cross-legged on the cushion. Picking up the pill bottles, she saw that they bore different labels, such as "Pulse-Protecting Pill," "Snake Origin Pill," and "Yin-Nourishing Pill."

After taking five different kinds of pills in succession, Qing Lin's little face flushed red. She felt a warm current darting throughout her body, like a warm hand stroking her back and forth.

She couldn't help letting out a soft moan, her voice carrying a coy sweetness even she could barely discern.

"Mm~"

The moment the moan escaped, Qing Lin's ears turned red. She covered her face, embarrassed, and said, "I'm sorry, Brother Lin Chen. I really couldn't help it..."

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow, took Qing Lin's wrist, and sent a thread of Dou Qi into her body. After a brief examination, he quickly withdrew it and reassured her, "It's fine. Your body is simply too weak to handle so much nourishment. Just take fewer pills next time. Now that the energy in your body has built up, let me help awaken your bloodline!"

"Awaken my bloodline?"

Confusion filled Qing Lin's delicate, fair face. In disbelief, she asked, "Brother Lin Chen, do I have some powerful bloodline too?"

"Of course. You possess the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, unique throughout the entire continent. Perhaps I'll have to cling to your coattails someday, Qing Lin..."

Lin Chen pinched Qing Lin's smooth cheek, unable to resist teasing her, then explained the power of the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils bloodline.

"The Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils?"

Qing Lin's eyes widened. After listening to Lin Chen's explanation, she felt as though she were dreaming. She murmured to herself, "Can I really become that powerful too?"

"How will we know unless we try? Qing Lin, calm your mind and focus. I'm going to begin!"

Lin Chen's expression grew solemn. In the blink of an eye, he appeared behind Qing Lin and extended both hands. Dark-Blue Flame wreathed them, emitting an intensely restrained, frigid aura!

Qing Lin instinctively closed her eyes and sank her awareness into her body. She felt two exceptionally warm hands press against her back.

An endless stream of warmth flowed from those hands, making her feel as though she were inside a warm furnace. The medicinal power within her body continued to disperse, soon merging into every limb and bone.

In her daze, she felt an indescribable restlessness throughout her body. Her eyes began to itch, as though something were about to emerge from them.

The next instant,

Hiss! Hiss!

The warm, fiery sensation vanished in an instant, replaced by an extreme chill. Qing Lin couldn't help crying out. Every pore on her body opened, and jade-green light shone out from within!

"It really works!"

Lin Chen's eyes lit up at the sight. His guess had been right. At its root, the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils was still a kind of snake magical beast bloodline. For some reason, it had undergone an ancestral reversion and manifested in Qing Lin.

But as long as it was a snake bloodline, his sea heart flame could help refine it and awaken its corresponding power!

Hum! Hum!

Jade-green radiance appeared over Qing Lin's body, then gradually contracted, gathering toward her eyes. In an instant, her tightly closed eyes opened, and three little green dots suddenly emerged within her pupils...

Upon closer inspection, those three dots resembled three jade-green flower buds, constantly rotating within her pupils. They carried a strange, captivating magic capable of seizing the mind.

The Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils had awakened!

"Brother Lin Chen, I..."

Qing Lin felt an exceptionally powerful force within her eyes. It poured out uncontrollably, easing the restlessness within her body as the surplus energy continually spilled from them.

"All right, close your eyes and try to deactivate your Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils. The medicinal power in your body is limited and won't sustain them for long. Once your cultivation is higher, you'll be able to keep them active for as long as you like. But not yet."

Lin Chen withdrew his sea heart flame, covered Qing Lin's eyes with both hands, and gave her instructions in a low voice beside her ear.

His hot breath brushed her ear, carrying a faint medicinal fragrance. Qing Lin's pretty face reddened, and she hurriedly shut her eyes, silently willing them to deactivate. Yet her delicate body trembled uncontrollably, and the heat throughout her body seemed to rise again.

A moment later, when Qing Lin opened her eyes again, her pupils had returned to normal.

Lin Chen was already seated in a chair, watching her with satisfaction. He asked, "How do you feel?"

"Very good, Brother Lin Chen. I feel like my eyes have gained lots of abilities."

"Mm, now that you've awakened, I imagine the people from the Heavenly Snake Mansion are already on their way."

Lin Chen smiled and nodded. Then a sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he looked out the window, understanding dawning in his heart. What do those vermin from the Heavenly Snake Mansion know about the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils?

If Qing Lin can be the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Snake Mansion, why can't I?