Celebration (4.5k)

"Then sorry for the trouble, Master Liu!" Nalan Jie said gratefully.

"President Fa Ma, was there anything else you needed?" Liu Yu looked at Fa Ma. He rather admired the man, a true alchemist whose life had been quite legendary. He had even received guidance from Yao Lao!

"Master Liu, this old man has no other pressing business. I merely wish to request an Emperor-Grade Pill. I understand your rules. There is also another matter, but we can discuss it once you have finished removing Nalan Jie's poison!" Fa Ma said. He had not expected Nalan Jie to be afflicted with brand poison. Now that he examined him carefully, his aura did indeed seem a little abnormal.

At that, Liu Yu said no more and asked Nalan Jie to prepare.

"Master, right here?" Nalan Jie asked quietly.

"Yes!" Liu Yu replied. A little brand poison was something he could handle with a wave of his hand. There was no need to make it complicated.

With his answer, Nalan Jie no longer hesitated. He stripped off his upper garments and stood bare-chested before Liu Yu. Wisps of black energy could be seen flowing faintly across his muscular torso!

Looking at that sturdy body, Liu Yu could tell that Nalan Jie's poisoning was not yet severe. He said slowly, "Relax. Don't resist!"

Nalan Jie drew a deep breath and nodded, his gaze resolute, as though he were marching to his death!

Liu Yu was utterly speechless at the sight. How absurd!

Then a vast surge of Soul Power poured out from between Liu Yu's brows, passing through Nalan Jie's skin and into his body.

Through his soul perception, Liu Yu saw that a black substance permeated Nalan Jie's flesh. However, Nalan Jie's pure Dou Qi held it firmly in check, preventing it from spreading to his bones and meridians. That made things even easier.

With a thought, an azure flame appeared in Liu Yu's hand and instantly surged into Nalan Jie's body. Although Liu Yu did his utmost to control its temperature, Nalan Jie's face still gradually twisted in agony. After all, these were heavenly flames!

Inside Nalan Jie's body, the Green Lotus Core Flame became an apex predator, hunting down its delicious "food." Before the Green Lotus Core Flame, which had already evolved once, the brand poison was devoured completely in mere moments.

During the treatment, Nalan Jie was about to roar in pain, but Liu Yu reacted swiftly, condensing a remarkably solid little stick from Dou Qi and stuffing it into Nalan Jie's mouth. In the end, he could only let out muffled "Mmm, mmm, mmm..." sounds. It could not be helped—Liu Yu could not bear hearing an elderly man's agonized "howls"!

Once the brand poison inside Nalan Jie had been cleared away, Liu Yu withdrew his flame. Nalan Jie looked utterly drained and could barely stand. Anyone who did not know better might have thought the old man had overindulged in carnal pleasures...

Liu Yu chuckled. He had removed all the poison in one fell swoop. As for how much force he had used... perhaps a little too much.

"Thank you, Master. I will fetch the seven illusory azure spirit saliva for you right away!" Pale-faced, Nalan Jie struggled to put his clothes back on and cupped his hands in thanks. The poison had been removed so quickly that he almost felt brand poison was nothing special. But he knew it was not that the poison was weak—Master Liu was simply too powerful. It had just hurt a little...

Nalan Jie did not linger, leaving the hall on unsteady legs.

"Master Liu, that heavenly flame must be the Green Lotus Core Flame, ranked nineteenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking!" Fa Ma said, looking at Liu Yu.

"Yes. Old Master Nalan's brand poison has now been removed. What was the matter you wished to discuss with me, President Fa Ma?" Liu Yu asked, turning to him.

"Would you be interested in becoming the Grand Elder of our Alchemist Guild, Master Liu?" Fa Ma asked solemnly, his expression utterly earnest.

"Elder Fa, isn't it a little improper to poach our Mittel Family's Grand Elder right in front of me?" At Fa Ma's words, even the normally diplomatic Mittel Tengshan's expression changed sharply, his tone turning distinctly hostile. He no longer cared that Fa Ma was his senior and a Dou Huang expert. Fa Ma was trying to cut off the Mittel Family's future!

"Tengshan, don't get upset. That is not what I mean. Master Liu's position as Grand Elder would be honorary. He would not need to stay at the Alchemist Guild at all, but he could freely draw upon its resources and connections! This would only benefit your Mittel Family! What do you think, Master Liu?" Fa Ma explained patiently.

Mittel Tengshan fell silent. Indeed, if it was as Fa Ma said, the benefits to their Mittel Family would be unimaginable. This was the Alchemist Guild, which practically gathered every alchemist in the Jia Ma Empire! Still, the decision ultimately rested with Liu Yu.

Ha, Grand Elder again! Liu Yu was amused. He really could not escape that title! However, the freedom to draw upon the Alchemist Guild's connections and resources was very tempting. When the Snake-People Tribe began rebuilding, he could recruit some alchemists to go there!

"President Fa Ma, with such enticing benefits, how could I possibly refuse?" Liu Yu said with a chuckle.

"Hahaha! It is our Alchemist Guild's honor to have you as our Grand Elder, Master Liu! I will go announce it at once!" Fa Ma laughed heartily. As the Jia Ma Empire's only alchemist organization, their Alchemist Guild had lacked a top-tier alchemist to hold the fort for years. They had once had an opportunity, but alas...

After Fa Ma returned to the Alchemist Guild and announced that the Mittel Family's Grand Elder had become their Grand Elder as well, the entire guild "exploded." The news then spread like wildfire, radiating outward from Jia Ma Holy City and gradually triggering an unprecedented "earthquake" throughout the Jia Ma Empire!

From that moment on, Liu Yu's name resounded across Jia Ma. As the saying might go, "For ten years, none asked his true name; as Grand Elder, all under heaven knew him!"

North of Jia Ma Holy City, the Misty Cloud Sect.

Amid the vast mountains, pairs of cold-faced enforcement disciples carrying sharp blades patrolled from the foot of the mountain to its summit. Security was exceptionally tight. Every squad was led by a Dou Shi, with high-level Dou Zhe as its members, and none of them was particularly old. Even this glimpse revealed the Misty Cloud Sect's deep reserves!

At that moment, a graceful, noble woman sat in the seat of honor in the Misty Cloud Sect's council hall. A moon-white women's robe wrapped her slender, exquisitely curved figure, and her dark hair was pinned up with a Phoenix Hairpin. A faint coolness lingered on her stunning face. She was none other than Yun Yun!

Beside the seat of honor, Yun Leng wore a grave expression as he asked Yun Yun, "Sect Leader, this Liu-Surnamed Alchemist is the Grand Elder of both the Mittel Family and the Alchemist Guild. His influence could truly overshadow all of Jia Ma! I wonder whether he has any grievances with our Misty Cloud Sect. His Celebration is tomorrow. Should our sect attend?"

As the Misty Cloud Sect's Grand Elder, Yun Leng had practically worried himself sick over the sect. These past few days, news had suddenly spread that the Alchemist Guild had gained a Grand Elder, a Grade Six Alchemist no less. And this so-called Grand Elder was also the Grand Elder who had appeared out of nowhere in the Mittel Family. He truly did not know what to say.

What alarmed him most was that unusual phenomena had appeared repeatedly over Jia Ma Holy City in recent days, with Sixth-Grade Pills emerging one after another. It felt as though wind and rain were gathering before a storm!

"The Alchemist Guild has already sent an invitation. Why wouldn't we go?" A calm voice answered, faintly tinged with resentment.

These past few days, Yun Yun had almost fallen ill from longing. There were sect affairs she needed to handle, and she had intended to find time to see Liu Yu and ask him to refine a pill for her. Yet whenever she recalled that kiss, she no longer knew quite how to face him. At the same time, another thought had taken root in her heart: Would he come to see me on his own?

As she kept putting it off, news of the Liu-Surnamed Alchemist reached her. From the information she had received, how could Yun Yun fail to realize he was that scoundrel? Silver hair, red eyes, heavenly flames—the youngest Grade Six Alchemist in the Jia Ma Empire!

He hasn't even come to see me once! He doesn't care about the seal inside me at all. Now that he's a famous figure in the Jia Ma Empire, he must have a beauty in each arm. Bastard... (Liu Yu: ...)

"Sect Leader, when will you seek out that alchemist to refine the Seal-Breaking Pill?" Yun Leng asked cautiously, as though something had occurred to him.

"Tomorrow! I'll go ask that Liu-Surnamed Alchemist to refine it!" Yun Yun's expression was gloomy, her voice icy.

"Could it be?!" Shock appeared on Yun Leng's face. The alchemist their sect leader had mentioned earlier was the Master Liu who had recently risen to fame!

Gu He, who had been sitting expressionlessly to one side, also showed a change in his expression. Naturally, he knew about the Master Liu everyone had been talking about lately. He envied his possession of heavenly flames, but felt no jealousy. He had merely marveled at the man's luck in obtaining such a divine treasure of heaven and earth. But if Yun Yun put it that way, then this Master Liu was his rival in love!

He knew Yun Yun currently had no feelings for him, but who could say for certain when it came to love? What if he had a chance? Without trying harder, who could know the final outcome?

Hearing her teacher's words, Nalan Yanran's little mouth fell open. Master Liu is the man Teacher loves?! No wonder her teacher had fallen for him. His Alchemy was superb, his standing extraordinarily high, and he was the Grand Elder of two major powers. Rumor even described him as "beautiful as a heavenly immortal," with looks more lovely than a woman's!

"Sect Leader, in that case, we must prepare a generous gift!" Yun Leng's expression returned to normal. Since Master Liu was their sect leader's friend, he no longer had anything to worry about. They should also make every effort to deepen that relationship!

"Mm!"

In Jia Ma Holy City, the grounds before the solemn, imposing Alchemist Guild were already packed with people. Several nearby streets were so tightly crowded that not even water could trickle through. They could truly be called "fanatical star chasers."

To maintain order, the Jia Ma Imperial Family dispatched ten thousand soldiers to control the situation. That stopped the crowd from descending into chaos, but somehow it looked even more congested...

Such a spectacle had arisen because today was the Celebration for the Alchemist Guild's Grand Elder! It was a grand occasion for the guild!

The people receiving guests at the guild entrance were all esteemed alchemists. They certainly spared no effort on appearances!

With even alchemists serving as "reception girls," the minimum requirement for attending the Celebration was naturally cultivation at the Dou Ling level! Of course, those with powerful backgrounds were another matter.

Before long, the first Dou Wang arrived. He was none other than the empire's Lionheart Marshal, Nalan Jie, whose brand poison Liu Yu had removed, restoring him to health!

Over the past few days, with the help of the Dou Ling Pill Liu Yu had refined for him, he had advanced from a five-star Dou Wang to a six-star Dou Wang! He had even come close to becoming a Seven-Star Dou Wang. Had he accumulated a little more strength while at five stars, he could have risen two stars at once and become a Seven-Star Dou Wang!

This left Nalan Jie astonished. In the end, he could only marvel that Master Liu was truly "terrifying beyond measure"!

Now, accompanied by his son, Nalan Su, the head of the Nalan Family, Nalan Jie passed through the passage specially prepared for guests and arrived at the Alchemist Guild's entrance. He removed a Storage Ring from his hand and gave it to the person responsible for receiving gifts, laughing grandly. "The Nalan Family hereby presents two sets of ingredients for the sixth-grade Emperor-Grade Pill! Congratulations to Master Liu on becoming the Alchemist Guild's Grand Elder!"

"Two sets of ingredients for the sixth-grade Emperor-Grade Pill! As expected of the Nalan Family. What lavish generosity!"

"The Lionheart Marshal is a Dou Wang expert. Only a gift like that could match his status!"

The onlookers nearby buzzed with discussion.

Yet Nalan Jie's heart ached terribly. To gather those two sets of Emperor-Grade Pill ingredients, he had called upon every connection the Nalan Family possessed. Only after asking the Imperial Family for help had he barely managed to collect them!

If he had not noticed that Master Liu seemed particularly fond of refining pills, was obsessed with medicinal ingredients, and accepted only ingredients as payment, he would never have gone to such lengths to gather those two sets. Was it easy for him to win Master Liu's favor?!

Finally, an alchemist led Nalan Jie and his companions into the guild.

Meanwhile, exclamations kept rising as important figures appeared one after another: Mittel Tengshan, head of the Mittel Family; Mu Chen, head of the Mu Family; the two imperial princesses, Yao Ye and Yao Yue; and a Linen-Robed Elder.

Suddenly, an enormous cheer erupted from the bustling crowd.

A graceful woman with a thin veil covering her face, dressed in close-fitting robes of gold trimmed with purple that could not conceal her regal elegance, approached alongside a beautiful girl who looked fifteen or sixteen. Together, they made a dazzling sight. Behind them followed an elderly man and a middle-aged man.

Seeing that his sect leader had no intention of speaking, the elderly man could only speak up helplessly. "Yun Leng, Grand Elder of the Misty Cloud Sect, has come under our sect leader's guidance to congratulate Master Liu. We present three sets of Dou Ling Pill ingredients!"

"Yan Shi has come..."

"Feng Li has come..."

Inside the guild.

Alchemists of third grade and above clustered around a gentle-looking youth dressed in specially made, luxurious red alchemist robes. With silver hair and red eyes, he was impossibly handsome, his figure tall and slender. In his delicate hand, he held a blood-red fan etched with mysterious patterns. He truly was quite the "show-off"!

Liu Yu rather enjoyed being the moon surrounded by a host of stars! Speaking of which, the title of Grand Elder really did have endless uses. As his fame grew, he had successfully unlocked a somewhat respectable achievement—"Little Star." That "little" was a real eyesore!

Sure, my fame is currently limited to the Jia Ma Empire, but System, can't you show a little worldly tact? Can't you drop the word "little"?

Of course, he was not the sort to quibble over every little thing, because this reward had truly won his heart. It was neither a cultivation method nor a Dou Technique this time, but a weapon—the Thousand-Mechanism Fan!

The Thousand-Mechanism Fan could transform in countless ways, taking on any form. It could also amplify the energy poured into it twofold! Once released, that energy would be even more terrifying! Most astonishingly, the Thousand-Mechanism Fan was bound to him, and the upper limit of the power it could withstand would rise as his own strength increased!

This reward alone had sent his combat strength soaring. By his estimate, even without using the secret art he had received from the system last time, he now had the strength to beat that big flying lion senseless! O mighty System, I love you to death! (Amethyst Winged Lion King, Achievement System: ...)

That secret art was a Dou Technique that amplified combat strength, named Twelve Divine Wheels. Condensing each Divine Wheel required a divine treasure containing vast energy to sustain it, using that treasure as the core to power the wheel. Each Divine Wheel could add onefold to his combat strength. If he condensed twelve Divine Wheels, he could gain a twelvefold increase in combat strength! Beyond that, the Divine Wheels could also be used as weapons.

Liu Yu had already decided to reserve this secret art as his trump card. For that purpose, he had to collect heavenly flames. As divine treasures of the Dou Qi Continent, heavenly flames were perfectly suited to powering the Divine Wheels. And if he wanted to possess multiple heavenly flames, he could hardly do without the Flame Mantra!

Although Liu Yu himself was rather unusual and could store heavenly flames in his dantian, the Green Lotus Core Flame was his companion flame, so its circumstances were different. The system might also have helped him. Without the Flame Mantra, he dared not experiment. What if he tried it and exploded...

It seemed he needed to make contact with Little Yanzi sooner. If he waited for Little Yanzi to seek him out, who knew what year of the monkey and month of the horse that would be.

Thanks to Gui Ling for the monthly ticket.

Thanks to Mingxin Ruoxiangyi for the donation.

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