An encounter

Crouched on a rock, he looked down over rolling hills where fierce flames burned seemingly without end, with not a speck of green in sight.

Footsteps suddenly rang out amid the boundless sea of fire.

They came in an unbroken rush, incredibly fast. At first, they were still far away; the next instant, they were right before him.

Before the Red Fire Lizard could react, Jiang Yan scooped up its entire body.

The lizard was small, barely three inches long. Without breaking stride, Jiang Yan began taking it apart as he ran.

His hands worked deftly, twisting off its head, skinning it, removing its bones, and pouring all its blood into a jade bottle.

Mixed with spirit ink, this Red Fire Lizard's blood could be used to set up a ritual altar, with excellent effects for cultivating Fire Attribute Dao Arts.

Now that he had taken Blowing Fire High Person as his master, he would certainly learn a few Fire Dao techniques in the future. This was a good chance to prepare in advance.

After squeezing out every drop of blood, Jiang Yan did not waste the Red Fire Lizard's meat either, stowing it all in Jinbao's belly.

The resources within this Fire Vein truly were extraordinary. He had been here less than an hour, and this Red Fire Lizard was already the third spiritual material he had encountered.

If this continued, his haul would be considerable by the time he left.

At that thought, Jiang Yan quickened his pace, running toward a low, dark-yellow hill not far ahead.

Ever since he entered the Fire Vein, everything had been red: the rocks were red, the hills were red, and the flames were red.

This was his first time seeing another color. Perhaps there would be something good there.

Though there was a saying that a horse could run itself to death trying to reach a mountain in sight, Jiang Yan was far faster than a horse now.

Before long, he reached the foot of the hill.

Only then did Jiang Yan see clearly that the hill itself was not yellow. Rather, the fire burning upon it was exceedingly strange.

Red flames filled every part of this Fire Vein, yet this hill alone burned with dark-yellow flames.

It looked extraordinary at a glance. A place that stood so distinctly apart was bound to yield something!

Jiang Yan started up the hill, the leaping flames making his Daoist robe snap and flutter.

By the time he reached halfway up, he had yet to see a single living thing. Increasingly convinced that this place was unusual, Jiang Yan remained cautious and continued upward.

The nearer he came to the summit, the fiercer the flames grew. By the time he set foot on the top, a wall of fire stood before him, obscuring whatever lay beyond.

By this point, Jiang Yan was nearing his limit as well. Without his Golden Copper Skin, he would probably have had to stop halfway up.

Enduring the searing pain, he plunged headfirst inside.

The moment he broke through the wall of fire, Jiang Yan felt everything before him abruptly darken, and he raised both hands defensively.

At the same time, he examined his surroundings. No wonder it was dimmer here than outside-behind the wall of fire was a cave!

The wall of fire still sealed the way behind him. There was nothing else inside the cave, only a thick layer of yellow mud covering the floor.

At the very center of the yellow mud, a round object emitting dark-yellow Fire Qi lay half buried.

Tap, tap, tap...

Jiang Yan had only just finished looking around when his hearing, far keener than an ordinary person's, suddenly caught footsteps emerging amid the monotonous roar of burning beyond the wall of fire.

Someone was coming!

This Fire Vein belonged to the Prefecture Academy, so naturally the Fire-Breathing Lineage was not its only user. There was even more than one entrance.

But Jiang Yan had not expected to happen upon someone right here.

This person was most likely also a disciple of one of the Prefecture Academy's higher-ups.

With no time to think further, he strode several steps forward across the yellow mud.

He snatched up the palm-sized sphere, slipped it into his sleeve in the same motion, and signaled for Jinbao to swallow it.

With that done, Jiang Yan flicked his Daoist robe and turned around openly.

No sooner had he picked up the sphere than the wall of fire behind him dissipated.

The footsteps reached the cave as well. Upon seeing Jiang Yan inside, she stopped.

The two stood facing each other.

An Ling looked at Jiang Yan before her, her brows tightly knitted.

The moment I entered the Fire Vein, I noticed this hill was unusual. I hurried all the way here, only to arrive a step too late?

Who knows what this fellow got from inside...

"I am An Ling, a disciple of Spirit Dharma High Person, a hall master of the Prefecture Academy. May I ask, fellow Daoist, have you already obtained the opportunity here?"

"So it is fellow Daoist An Ling."

Jiang Yan remained unhurried. So what if her master was a hall master?

He had backing now too. He would never spit out something already in his mouth.

"I am Jiang Yan, a disciple of Blowing Fire High Person. As for the opportunity here, naturally, I have already claimed it."

Seeing Jiang Yan dressed in a fiery-red Daoist robe, An Ling had already had her suspicions.

Now that she heard it, he was indeed from the Fire-Breathing Lineage. No wonder he dressed so ostentatiously!

As she thought this, she also observed Jiang Yan's unhurried manner and how he seemed to feel little pain despite standing amid the flames.

An Ling gritted her teeth, but forcibly restrained herself and spoke with a smile that did not reach her eyes.

"So you are a disciple of Blowing Fire High Person. No wonder you arrived a step ahead of me.

"The Fire-Resisting Pill truly has extraordinary effects. In that case, I shall take my leave."

They were both disciples of Sixth Grade High Persons, and belonged to the same academy besides. There was no point fighting over an opportunity whose nature she did not even know.

Moreover, fellow Daoist Jiang came from the Fire-Breathing Lineage and enjoyed quite an advantage within the Fire Vein. Whether she could seize it from him was uncertain.

At that thought, An Ling calmed down as well. She would simply count herself unlucky this time.

"If you have time in the future, fellow Daoist, you are welcome to visit the Prefecture Academy Law Hall in East River Town to discuss the Dao."

Leaving those words, An Ling raised her hands in salute, then turned and left without lingering. Her time within the Fire Vein was limited; she ought to hurry elsewhere.

Jiang Yan did not let down his guard immediately. Only when An Ling's figure vanished at the foot of the hill did he relax.

He was only in the Ninth-Rank Lower Realm and had reached the summit solely thanks to his Golden Copper Skin.

Since fellow Daoist An Ling could make it to the summit, she was most likely a Daoist acolyte in the Upper Ninth-Rank Realm.

Though he might not need to fear her within this Fire Vein, would fighting not seriously delay his business?

Fortunately, fellow Daoist An was not an impulsive person, sparing him trouble this time.

Just then, however, Jinbao jumped out of his sleeve and opened his mouth to spit out the sphere.

"Hmm, you mean you couldn't swallow this sphere into your belly? You could only hold it in your mouth?"

Jiang Yan had returned to the cave by now and had sealed the entrance as well.

Holding the sphere in his right hand, he examined it carefully. It looked rather like an egg, but showed no signs of life.

Besides, Jinbao's belly could hold things both living and dead. He had never encountered anything that could not be stored inside.

Now that this sphere could not be stored, who knew what it was?

He simply stuffed it into his sleeve. Time was short; he would deal with it after leaving.

After putting away the sphere, Jiang Yan raised his head and fixed his eyes on the yellow mud inside the cave.

The yellow mud looked ordinary, but it ought to be something extraordinary. After all, the sphere had been buried in it.

He tried scooping up a handful and weighed it in his hand. Sure enough, this little handful of mud was actually heavier than the darksteel he had used to refine the Golden Copper Darksteel Pill!

He immediately began digging out large chunks with his hands. Before long, he had stuffed the yellow mud from nearly half the cave into Jinbao's belly.

Just as he was gleefully preparing to keep digging, an immense force seized his entire body.

With a casual toss, he and Jinbao were flung high into the air, leaving him only able to watch the hill recede farther and farther away.

"You little brat, what you've taken is enough for that little fellow to grow to maturity. Don't be greedy."

It was actually Uncle Flame Carp's voice. According to Dragonflame Daoist, he was the guardian of this Fire Vein.

As the voice faded, Jiang Yan was set down on the ground.

He did not panic. Instead, looking thoughtful, he raised his hands and bowed toward the sky.