Now That I'm Here, I Might as Well Settle In

Even after all those years, Chen Cang still remembered the first time he had tested his Dou Qi attribute.

That supremely pure, fiery red had seemed ready to burst the crystal ball.

From that day onward, he had never tested it again. He had devoted all his energy to cultivation, pinning his hopes of becoming an Alchemist on the green lotus core flame and the life spirit flame.

But in all honesty, Chen Cang could not guarantee that either path would work.

Based on his understanding of these two heavenly flames, Chen Cang estimated that the life spirit flame had perhaps an eighty-percent chance of granting someone a wood attribute, while the green lotus core flame had a forty-percent chance at most.

As for the earth fire lotus seeds and the Lotus Platform, he had never considered such a possibility.

Even now, with ironclad facts laid before him, he still found it hard to believe that the earth fire lotus seeds deserved the credit.

Compared with that explanation, even the idea that Master Mo's crystal ball had malfunctioned back then, causing a ridiculous mix-up, was easier to accept.

But reason told him that this possibility was just as unlikely.

Why, exactly?

Chen Cang sank into thought, recalling his experiences over the past few years. There did not seem to have been any strange, mysterious strokes of fortune.

If he had to name something inexplicable, it was probably what had happened when he collected the Lotus Platform yesterday. He had never experienced that sense of kinship before, as though they shared the same source and flowed in the same stream.

"Chen Cang?" Gu He's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Sorry, my mind wandered."

"It's fine. What were you about to say?"

"I tested my Dou Qi attribute when I first condensed my Dou Qi Vortex. Unfortunately, I didn't devote much time to alchemy. Thinking about it now, I suppose I let Master Mo down."

Knowing better than to reveal too much, Chen Cang changed his explanation.

Acquiring a wood attribute later in life was no small matter.

Besides, Chen Cang himself had yet to figure it out. His mind was full of questions.

"Master Mo? Is he your teacher?"

"More or less. We don't have the formal titles of master and disciple, but that's what we are in practice. That old man was the one who set me on my path. Without him, I never could have progressed so quickly."

"What rank?"

"Certainly not on par with the Pill King. The peak of the third rank."

At those words, Gu He immediately lost interest.

How could a mere Third-Rank Alchemist compare to him?

Not worth mentioning!

"Since you and Master Mo have no formal master-disciple relationship, there are no restrictions. Would you be willing to become my disciple?"

Even the Mittel Family, one of the Imperial Capital's three great families, dared not compete with the Imperial Family and the Misty Cloud Sect for talent. Yet Gu He dared, showing just how much confidence came with being an Alchemist-the winning answer in the current playing field.

When Gu He had brought out the crystal ball, Chen Cang had already guessed his intention.

Thus, he was not surprised now.

As he weighed his words, Old General Huang, who had said little all along, suddenly spoke.

"Pill King, this isn't appropriate. At the very least, it isn't appropriate right now. Don't be hasty; hear me out first."

"We all know why the two of us came here today. Our young friend Chen has already said he will visit the Imperial Capital after some time and decide where to go then. If you intercept him halfway now, how are we supposed to explain ourselves? Even if you have a good relationship with the Misty Cloud Sect, this could still create a rift. Taking another ten thousand steps back, even if you have no fear of the Imperial Family or the Misty Cloud Sect, you still won't escape people talking behind your back."

"So my suggestion is not to rush things. Once our young friend Chen reaches the Imperial Capital, you can compete fairly with the Imperial Family and the Misty Cloud Sect. With what you have to offer, you'll be his first choice anyway. Everything will be aboveboard, and no one will have anything to say."

Old General Huang had done his utmost to avoid being held responsible.

But credit where it was due, his argument was very persuasive to Gu He, who was riding high with confidence.

An ordinary disciple could, in fact, become Gu He's disciple while also joining the Misty Cloud Sect or the Imperial Family.

But as long as Chen Cang continued to display the talent he had shown now, he would surely become one of the Jia Ma Empire's foremost experts in the future, powerful enough to change the entire balance of power.

Under such circumstances, where his allegiance lay mattered greatly.

Otherwise, belonging to two factions could easily lead to endless wrangling.

For example, if Chen Cang both joined the Imperial Family and became Gu He's disciple, then became the Imperial Family's strongest expert, wouldn't Gu He become something akin to a retired emperor ruling from above? Where would that leave the Imperial Family, which had painstakingly nurtured Chen Cang?

Gu He also knew that Old General Huang was buying time, but his attitude remained the same: it did not matter.

Through their brief conversation, he had already seen that Chen Cang disliked being bound by restrictions.

With that temperament, if he had a better option, he would never choose the Misty Cloud Sect or the Imperial Family!

Gu He was very confident. The advantage is mine!

Hmm, sixty-forty, then.

Sixty percent for me, with the Misty Cloud Sect and the Imperial Family splitting the remaining forty.

"I was a little too impatient. We can do as you suggest."

Old General Huang breathed a sigh of relief, and so did Chen Cang.

If he had had to speak up himself, refusing would have been rather difficult.

"I'll stay in Stone Desert City for two days. During that time, you can ask me anything about alchemy. Questions about Dou Qi cultivation are fine too. At least for now, I can still offer you some guidance."

Gu He was not truly that easy to fool. Staying another two days was his way of adding a layer of insurance and building a closer relationship in advance.

Along the way, he could also give Chen Cang some guidance.

Although he had agreed to postpone taking a disciple, in his mind, securing this disciple was already six parts certain out of ten-perhaps even seven.

"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, Pill King."

Chen Cang thanked him sincerely. Heavens, Gu He really was far too considerate.

Originally, Chen Cang had not been certain whether he could read the memories of the Jia Ma Empire's one and only Sixth-Rank Alchemist in a single sitting.

But with two days...

All he could say was that it would be effortless.

I have to put this favor down to his credit!

Old General Huang did not care about Gu He's "cheating" either. Once the matter was settled, he returned to his quiet, taciturn manner.

"I'll be at the City Lord's Residence for these two days. I'll let them know when I get back. After that, just give them my name."

Only after chatting for a good while did the group leave. Gu He hung back a few steps to give Chen Cang those instructions.

That night, Chen Cang returned to the inn after another visit to Gu He.

For once, he did not cultivate that evening. Instead, he took out the Lotus Platform and examined it closely, continuing to ponder the unresolved mystery surrounding himself.

He had already tried several times, repeatedly putting it into his Storage Ring and taking it out again, over and over.

Yet the strange sense of kinship he had felt yesterday never appeared again.

"Did the connection break once it became a lifeless object? Or was it really the earth fire lotus seeds?"

Chen Cang very much wanted to find someone with only a fire attribute to test it on. Unfortunately, there was no suitable candidate available in the short term.

Xun'er was undoubtedly the best choice. He could trust her completely, and he would not begrudge giving her earth fire lotus seeds. Whether or not the seeds could work a miracle, they would only benefit her, not harm her.

Unfortunately, she had not even reached Dou Zhe yet. Merely dealing with the golden emperor burning heaven flame inside her had already caused her considerable suffering. If he gave her the seeds now, she might truly burst.

Apart from Xun'er, Chen Cang could think of no one else.

So he could only set aside the idea of experimenting for now.

"Could the issue lie with me?"

Suddenly, a thought arose in Chen Cang's mind.

After all, he could read the memories of things possessing a spirit. That alone was hardly something a normal person should be capable of.

There had to be a secret within him!

Letting out a long breath, Chen Cang stopped agonizing over it. If he could not uncover the truth now, it was simply because he lacked sufficient strength.

When the day came that he soared above the clouds, everything would become clear!