Inside the imperial palace hall of the Jia Ma Empire.
Jia Xingtian sat in the seat of honor, holding a cup of tea and sipping leisurely, a relaxed look on his face.
His two great-granddaughters, Yao Ye and the little princess Yao Yue, sat nearby. The latter was enthusiastically discussing alchemy with Fa Ma.
Fa Ma, president of the Alchemist Guild, sat to one side, a satisfied smile appearing on his face as he watched Yao Yue speak with such assurance.
"This girl Yao Yue truly has a remarkable talent for alchemy. I've seen plenty of alchemy geniuses over the years, but very few could compare to her."
Hearing Fa Ma praise her so highly, Yao Yue was delighted beyond measure, her little face brimming with pride.
"Of course! I'm the strongest alchemist among the younger generation of the Jia Ma Empire. Besides, I advanced another tier a few days ago. I'm officially a Tier 4 Alchemist now!"
Hearing this, Jia Xingtian set down his teacup and glanced at her, genuinely feeling rather gratified.
After all, a Tier 4 Alchemist was already quite accomplished in the Jia Ma Empire. Moreover, Yao Yue was only in her teens this year. Reaching Tier 4 at her age made her the first in the entire history of the Jia Ma Empire.
Yao Yue was also extremely confident in her talent for alchemy, and continued sharing her insights and experiences in alchemy with Fa Ma.
"Teacher, tell me, is there anyone else among the younger generation of the entire Jia Ma Empire whose talent for alchemy can compare to mine?"
Fa Ma smiled and shook his head. "I'm afraid not. You're already the foremost among the younger generation of the Jia Ma Empire."
Hearing this, Yao Yue grew even more pleased with herself. She raised her chin slightly, her whole bearing radiating pride.
She thought to herself that there truly was no one among the younger generation of the entire Jia Ma Empire who could stand alongside her in alchemy. Whether they were scions of great clans or geniuses from other factions, none of them amounted to much before her.
Just as she was basking in her pride, a screen of light suddenly appeared in the void above the hall. It materialized out of thin air, golden text flickering across it as it gave off a mysterious presence.
Jia Xingtian was the first to react. He abruptly raised his head toward the screen of light, his brows drawing tightly together.
"What is this?"
Then Fa Ma looked up as well, a puzzled expression appearing on his face.
Yao Yue also fell silent, tilting her head back to look curiously at the screen of light that had suddenly appeared in the hall. Immediately afterward, a line of information appeared on it, displaying a young man's alchemy tier.
When he saw that line of text, Fa Ma's expression instantly froze, and he was completely stunned. A twenty-year-old Tier 9 Alchemist?
"This... how is this possible!" Fa Ma could not help crying out.
He had been president of the Alchemist Guild for so many years and had seen countless alchemists. Even among the geniuses on the continent, he had never heard of anyone reaching the level of a Tier 9 Alchemist at twenty.
After all, Tier 9 Alchemists stood at the very pinnacle of the entire continent. Every one of them was a figure whose name shook the continent. How could one possibly be a twenty-year-old youth?
Beside him, Jia Xingtian was stunned as well, his eyes fixed on the screen of light, his face filled with disbelief.
"Twenty years old... a Tier 9 Alchemist?"
Jia Xingtian repeated those words, his voice beginning to tremble. Beside him, Yao Yue was even more dumbfounded, her mouth slightly open and the smug smile on her face completely frozen!
A twenty-year-old Tier 9 Alchemist? I was just proudly calling myself the foremost among the younger generation of the Jia Ma Empire, and now a twenty-year-old Tier 9 Alchemist has appeared out of nowhere?
A Tier 9 Alchemist! That was a full five major tiers above her!
What did a Tier 4 Alchemist like me amount to before him? I wouldn't even be worthy of carrying his shoes!
"Impossible... absolutely impossible. How could anyone reach Tier 9 Alchemist at twenty? This defies all reason."
Yet more information continued to appear on the screen of light. Next came this person's cultivation.
Nine-Star Dou Sheng!
When Fa Ma saw those words, he nearly lost his balance in his seat, springing straight out of his chair.
"A Nine-Star Dou Sheng! And a Tier 9 Alchemist! Just... who is this person!"
Beside him, Jia Xingtian was utterly shaken by these two pieces of information as well. A Nine-Star Dou Sheng and a Tier 9 Alchemist-only a handful of figures at such a level could be found on the entire Dou Qi Continent.
And the screen of light had clearly shown that this person was in the Jia Ma Empire. Thus, Jia Xingtian's shocked expression quickly changed, instantly turning to wild joy.
His eyes lit up at once, and he nearly rose from his chair in excitement.
"The Jia Ma Empire? An expert like this is actually someone from our Jia Ma Empire! A Nine-Star Dou Sheng, no less! If we could establish a connection with such an expert..."
The more Jia Xingtian thought about it, the more excited he became, his whole face flushing with excitement.
Beside him, Fa Ma came to his senses as well, his face equally excited. "Exactly! Since this person is in the Jia Ma Empire, he's one of our people! A Nine-Star Dou Sheng expert-if someone of this caliber could remain in the empire, the Jia Ma Empire's strength would soar!"
By now, Yao Yue could no longer concern herself with pride. She, too, understood what a Nine-Star Dou Sheng expert meant.
The entire Jia Ma Empire did not have even a single Dou Sheng. Its strongest was Jia Xingtian, a Peak Dou Emperor. Yet now there was actually a Nine-Star Dou Sheng in the Jia Ma Empire. This was simply too incredible.
At this thought, Jia Xingtian could no longer sit still. He abruptly rose and looked toward the guards on duty in the hall.
"Pass down my order! Send people to investigate immediately. Turn every city in the Jia Ma Empire upside down, and make certain you find this person!"
"Mobilize every intelligence operative. Find him, no matter the cost!"
Hearing this, the guards hurriedly acknowledged the orders and ran out. Then Jia Xingtian could be seen pacing back and forth through the hall, his expression both excited and anxious.
"We must find him as soon as possible. If we don't establish friendly relations with an expert like this beforehand, and accidentally offend him..."
At this point, Jia Xingtian shuddered, not daring to think any further.
After all, a Nine-Star Dou Sheng expert could crush the entire Jia Ma Empire with a single finger. If someone blind enough offended him, it would spell utter catastrophe for the whole empire.
Beside him, Fa Ma nodded solemnly. "Exactly. No one within the Jia Ma Empire can be allowed to show this expert any disrespect."
"And we must find a way to establish a friendship with him. If a Nine-Star Dou Sheng expert could protect the Jia Ma Empire, the empire could walk sideways across the entire continent from then on."
As Jia Xingtian paced, he calculated inwardly what method he should use to establish a connection with this expert.
Gifts? What gifts could catch a Nine-Star Dou Sheng's eye? Or a marriage alliance? But there don't seem to be any particularly outstanding women of marriageable age in the Imperial Family.
At this thought, Jia Xingtian began to feel a headache coming on. An expert of this level lacked nothing. Winning his favor truly would not be easy.
Standing nearby, Yao Yue suddenly spoke. "Great-Grandfather, if that person really is only twenty... could we find a way to draw him into the Imperial Family?"
After glancing at her, Jia Xingtian said, "Draw him in? With what?"
"He's a Nine-Star Dou Sheng and a Tier 9 Alchemist. The Imperial Family's meager holdings are nothing in his eyes."
Yao Yue was left speechless for a moment. After thinking it over, she realized that was indeed true.
After all, what had a Nine-Star Dou Sheng not seen? The Jia Ma Imperial Family's meager reserves were no different from a beggar's before him.
But then Jia Xingtian reconsidered, and hope ignited in his heart again. No matter what, this expert was currently in the Jia Ma Empire, and seemingly had no intention of leaving.
As long as they could find him and properly curry favor and build a friendship, even if they could not get him to serve the Jia Ma Empire, they could at least forge a favorable connection. If the Jia Ma Empire encountered trouble in the future, perhaps he might lend a hand.
At this thought, Jia Xingtian immediately added, "Pass down the order. Once he's found, no one is to act rashly, much less give the slightest offense. Treat him with courtesy first."
"If anyone dares show this expert disrespect, don't blame me for being merciless!"
Hearing this, Fa Ma nodded repeatedly from the side. "Quite right, quite right."
"There are only a handful of Nine-Star Dou Sheng experts on the entire continent. Having one appear in the Jia Ma Empire is already an enormous stroke of luck. If we offend him because of our subordinates' stupidity, we truly would be digging our own graves."
Beside him, Jia Xingtian nodded in deep agreement, then began making plans inwardly again.
We must find this expert as soon as possible and receive him with the highest honors. He, Jia Xingtian, had lived for centuries and had finally seen a Nine-Star Dou Sheng come to the Jia Ma Empire. No matter what, he could not let him slip away.
As for Yao Yue, she stood nearby watching her great-grandfather and President Fa Ma look so anxious and excited, and could not help growing curious herself.
Just what kind of person was that twenty-year-old Nine-Star Dou Sheng and Tier 9 Alchemist? Could he really be around my age?
At this thought, Yao Yue's heartbeat inexplicably quickened considerably.
Meanwhile, inside the hall, Jia Xingtian was still issuing all manner of orders.
The entire Imperial Family's intelligence network was mobilized, and command after command was dispatched from the hall.
Once the intelligence operatives in all the major cities of the Jia Ma Empire received their orders, they began searching with all their might for the whereabouts of that mysterious expert!