After leaving the auction house, Mittel Tengshan did not return to his residence. Instead, he went straight to the Alchemist Guild. He walked quickly the whole way, his expression tinged with urgency. When he encountered a few acquaintances along the way, he merely gave them a hurried nod and passed them by.
When he reached the entrance of the Alchemist Guild, the guards did not stop him. After all, Mittel Tengshan was a prominent figure in the Jia Ma Empire, and this was hardly his first time dealing with the Alchemist Guild.
With that thought, Mittel Tengshan walked straight inside, arrived at the door to Fa Ma's office, and raised his hand to knock.
Soon, Fa Ma's voice came from inside. "Come in."
When he pushed the door open and entered, Fa Ma was sitting behind his desk, reading a pharmacopoeia. Looking up to see Mittel Tengshan, he showed a hint of surprise.
"Well, what brings an old fellow like you here? Usually, I can't get you to come even with an invitation. What a rare visitor you are today."
Hearing his teasing, Mittel Tengshan dispensed with pleasantries. He walked straight up to the desk, took a sheet of paper from inside his robe, and handed it over.
"Fa Ma, see if you have these medicinal ingredients in stock. If you do, get them out for me first. Whatever the price, we can discuss it."
Taking the paper and glancing down, Fa Ma saw the names of several medicinal ingredients listed on it, all relatively precious and rare varieties.
He looked up at Mittel Tengshan curiously. "What do you need these ingredients for?"
"None of these are cheap. Ordinary people generally have no use for them. What are you going to do with them?"
Seeing his puzzled expression, Mittel Tengshan rubbed his hands together, excitement on his face. "Don't ask so many questions. Just tell me whether you have them. I need them urgently, the sooner the better."
Seeing how anxious he was, Fa Ma grew even more curious. He set the paper on the desk and leaned back in his chair.
"You have to explain what's going on first. Our Alchemist Guild does have some of these in stock, but I can't just hand them over to you. You should at least let me know what they're for."
At this, Mittel Tengshan hesitated, then finally decided to tell the truth. After all, he and this old fellow Fa Ma had a considerable friendship.
"All right, I'll tell you. I just received an esteemed guest, a seventh-tier alchemist. These ingredients are for him."
"No matter what, I have to find these ingredients today. I absolutely cannot hold up his business."
Fa Ma had been leaning back in his chair, listening at his leisure, but the moment he heard the words "seventh-tier alchemist," he sat bolt upright.
The next instant, his eyes widened as he stared at Mittel Tengshan, his expression changing from relaxed to shocked.
"What did you say? A seventh-tier alchemist? When did a seventh-tier alchemist appear in the Jia Ma Empire? You old fellow, you aren't joking with me, are you?"
Mittel Tengshan had anticipated this reaction before he even arrived, and he nodded solemnly.
"Why would I lie to you? When has Mittel Tengshan ever joked about something like this? That esteemed guest came to my auction house in person today and specifically asked for a seventh-rank magical beast's magic core. I asked whether he wanted to refine a seventh-tier pill, and he didn't deny it!"
"If he didn't deny it, that means he admitted it. And that esteemed guest looked barely into his twenties."
After hearing this, Fa Ma froze completely, his mouth slightly open. For a long while, he could not recover.
A seventh-tier alchemist barely into his twenties? How was that possible!
He had been president of the Alchemist Guild for decades and had seen countless talented alchemists, but he had never heard of anyone reaching the seventh tier in their early twenties.
Pill King Gu He was already in his forties and only a sixth-tier alchemist, yet the entire Jia Ma Empire regarded him as a genius rarely seen in an age.
A twenty-year-old seventh-tier alchemist? Such a thing was unheard of across the entire continent.
"You... you aren't lying to me, are you?" Fa Ma asked again, his voice even trembling a little.
At this, Mittel Tengshan grew anxious. "Why would I lie to you! Would I dare make something like this up!"
"The guards at my auction house experienced the pressure of that esteemed guest's presence themselves. They couldn't even stay on their feet and dropped straight to their knees. According to them, he's at least a Dou Emperor!"
"If you don't believe me, go to the Lu Family residence in the imperial capital and see for yourself. That esteemed guest said he was staying there, and he also seems to have some connection to the Xiao Clan in Wutan City."
When Fa Ma heard the mention of the Xiao Clan in Wutan City, his brows furrowed.
The Xiao Clan? Could it be the Jia Ma Empire's Xiao Clan, the one that had already declined?
How could a seventh-tier alchemist have any connection to the Xiao Clan?
At this thought, Fa Ma quickly turned the matter over in his mind. The more he thought about it, the more unbelievable it seemed. Yet Mittel Tengshan looked so utterly certain that he truly did not seem to be lying.
Besides, although that old fellow Teng Shan was usually shrewd, he probably would not talk nonsense about something like this.
Finally, Fa Ma took a deep breath and slowly rose from his chair.
"If he really is a seventh-tier alchemist, then this is far too important. I'll have someone prepare these ingredients immediately. Take all of them."
"Also, if he really is a seventh-tier alchemist as you say, then the pill he's refining is probably no ordinary thing. You must keep him around."
Hearing this, Mittel Tengshan nodded repeatedly. "You don't need to tell me that. Of course I know."
"I just want to gather the ingredients as quickly as possible and satisfy that esteemed guest."
With that thought, Fa Ma said no more. He immediately turned, walked to the door, summoned a disciple, and instructed him to retrieve the ingredients from the storeroom.
Watching the disciple hurry away, Fa Ma felt towering waves surge through his heart. He had never expected a seventh-tier alchemist to appear in the Jia Ma Empire. If this news spread, the entire empire would tremble three times over.
There were few seventh-tier alchemists on the entire continent, and every one of them was someone the various powers competed to win over.
Now, a seventh-tier alchemist was actually in the Jia Ma Empire, and he had connections to the Xiao Clan...
The more Fa Ma thought about it, the more he felt there was nothing simple about this. He turned to Mittel Tengshan. "Who else knows about this?"
Hearing his words, Mittel Tengshan shook his head. "Right now, only me and those few guards at my auction house. I've already instructed the guards to keep their mouths shut."
At this, Fa Ma nodded. "Don't spread this for now. Wait until I've confirmed it."
Though he said this, he was already calculating how to establish a connection with that seventh-tier alchemist.
A few hours later, the news still reached the Jia Ma Imperial Family.
After all, the Alchemist Guild had always maintained close relations with the Imperial Family. Although Fa Ma had ordered that the news not be spread, he still sent someone to pass word to Jia Xingtian.
Inside the imperial palace, Yao Yue had just run in from outside and raced all the way to the entrance of Jia Xingtian's cultivation chamber.
She raised her hand and knocked. Jia Xingtian's voice came from inside. "Who is it?"
"Great-Grandfather, it's me! I have something important to tell you!"
Before long, the cultivation chamber's door was pushed open. Jia Xingtian was sitting cross-legged inside, cultivating. Clearly displeased at the sudden interruption, he frowned slightly.
"What is so urgent? I'm still cultivating."
Yao Yue ran inside and stood before him, panting, her expression both excited and nervous.
"Great-Grandfather, I just went to the Alchemist Guild to see Teacher, and he told me something! He said a seventh-tier alchemist has appeared in the Jia Ma Empire!"
Jia Xingtian had still been wearing a stern expression, but at these words, the displeasure on his face vanished without a trace.
He even rose from the floor instinctively, his eyes wide.
"What did you say? A seventh-tier alchemist? Fa Ma told you that himself?"
Yao Yue nodded repeatedly. "That's right, he said it himself. He said a seventh-tier alchemist wanted to refine a pill and needed some rare medicinal ingredients. The ingredients have already been prepared."
"And what's more, that seventh-tier alchemist is only in his early twenties!"
Hearing this, Jia Xingtian could no longer remain still at all. He paced back and forth through the cultivation chamber, his breathing growing rapid.
A seventh-tier alchemist, and one barely into his twenties!
Only a few days ago, that sky screen had revealed a twenty-year-old tier 9 alchemist who was also a nine-star Dou Sheng. Now another seventh-tier alchemist in his early twenties had appeared?
At that moment, a thought suddenly arose in Jia Xingtian's mind. Could these two be the same person?
If so, then his Jia Ma Empire truly had stumbled upon a treasure!
A nine-star Dou Sheng and a tier 9 alchemist-to say nothing of the Jia Ma Empire, there wasn't a second person of that caliber to be found in the entire Northwest Continent!
"Has this news been confirmed?" Jia Xingtian stopped and looked at Yao Yue.
"Did Fa Ma say who that person is or where he's staying?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Yao Yue shook her head. "Teacher didn't say exactly who he was, only that he was staying at the Lu Family residence and had connections to the Xiao Clan in Wutan City."
"The Xiao Clan? That Xiao Clan that's already declined? How could a seventh-tier alchemist have connections to such a small clan?"
At this, however, Yao Yue also shook her head. "I don't know either. Teacher didn't say much. He only told me to come back and inform you, Great-Grandfather, so the Imperial Family could be prepared."
Hearing this, Jia Xingtian remained silent for a long while, his expression shifting constantly. Finally, he stamped his foot and spoke in a tone as decisive as severing nails and cutting iron.
"Send people to watch the Lu Family residence immediately. Don't alert anyone. First, find out exactly who that person is."
"If it's true, then the Jia Ma Empire must keep this seventh-tier alchemist here, no matter what!"