After leaving the Mittel Family, Lin Yuan brought Qing Lin along as the two leisurely wandered through the streets of the Jia Ma Imperial Capital.
Today's Jia Ma Holy City was still bustling with people, its liveliness showing no signs of diminishing.
Although the Grand Meeting had already concluded, the crowds that had gathered because of it had yet to disperse. In fact, there were even more alchemists on the streets than usual.
Over the past few days, these alchemists had all been busy preparing for the competition. Only now did they finally have the leisure to come out and enjoy themselves.
Lin Yuan and Qing Lin strolled around while sightseeing, and by noon, they finally arrived at the Alchemist Association.
Outside the enormous entrance of the Alchemist Association, streams of alchemists figures rarely seen under normal circumstances came and went endlessly. They wore alchemist robes of varying colors, signifying their respective ranks.
Standing before the Alchemist Association, Lin Yuan glanced at the six badges inside his storage ring. After some thought, he still took out the Third-Grade alchemist badge and pinned it to his chest.
Then, holding Qing Lin's hand, he walked into the association.
The Alchemist Association was divided into three regions: east, west, and south.
The southern area was the teaching district, where low-tier alchemists practiced their craft under the guidance of senior alchemists.
The western area was the VIP district, guarded by soldiers. Only alchemists who had reached a certain rank were qualified to enter.
The eastern area was the trading district, where many alchemists leisurely set up stalls, trading medicinal pills, medicinal ingredients, and various miscellaneous items.
Looking toward the trading district, a trace of nostalgia flashed through Lin Yuan's eyes as he pulled Qing Lin toward it.
He had always been quite fond of this sort of treasure-hunting amid heaps of junk.
After all, he had personally benefited from it before. His Capturing Dragon Hand had been obtained during just such a treasure hunt.
And in places like these stalls, one had to maintain a respectful mindset, because it was entirely possible to occasionally encounter true experts disguising themselves among the common crowd.
Thinking back on it now, the old man who had sold him the jade fragment containing the Capturing Dragon Hand for merely ten gold coins was probably one such hidden expert roaming the mortal world for amusement.
After the transaction had been completed, that old man had given him a rather meaningful glance.
And when Lin Yuan later returned to look for him again, the old man had already vanished without a trace.
As Lin Yuan wandered around with Qing Lin, he bought things continuously along the way. Whenever he encountered medicinal ingredients he needed, or objects like jade fragments and iron pieces, he would purchase them directly.
Before long, Lin Yuan had accumulated dozens of jade and iron fragments, while also gathering several precious supplementary ingredients for the Yin-Yang Dragon Mysterious Pill and the Life Bone Blood Fusion Pill.
At one stone stall located near the edge of the trading district, a somewhat hunched middle-aged alchemist apprentice noticed this and hurriedly pulled out a broken black jade fragment that had been used to prop up his table, placing it in the most eye-catching spot atop the stall.
When Lin Yuan approached, the man immediately stood up, revealing a flattering smile.
Lin Yuan smiled faintly and directly picked up the black jade fragment from the stall, casually playing with it.
The fragment was not smooth, and its material seemed rather poor. In addition, faint cracks spread across its surface, with sand embedded within them.
After probing it slightly, Lin Yuan placed the jade fragment in his palm and clenched it tightly.
Not long afterward, a scorching sensation spread from it, causing joy to instantly rise within his heart.
"This craftsmanship and this heat that emerges after prolonged contact. As expected, it's something from Burning Flame Valley. This should be the jade fragment containing the Heavenly Flame Three Mysterious Change."
But soon after, a trace of confusion appeared in his mind.
"Didn't Xiao Yan already visit the Alchemist Association? With Yao Lao's sharp eyes, how did he fail to notice this fragment?"
"Forget it. No point thinking about that."
Lin Yuan shook his head.
Then, tossing the jade fragment lightly in his hand, he casually asked, "Not a bad item. Do you have anything else similar to it?"
Hearing this, the middle-aged man's eyes immediately lit up.
"My lord truly has a discerning eye! This really is a good item. I actually had another piece before, but about a week ago, Lord Yan Xiao, the champion of this year's Grand Meeting bought it together with some medicinal ingredients from me."
"So that's how it is."
Lin Yuan looked down at the black jade in his hand, a trace of understanding flashing through his eyes.
"It seems this isn't the fragment I originally expected. Interesting."
Looking at the middle-aged man, he asked, "I'll take this. What do you want in exchange?"
"My lord, I would like to exchange it for a Third-Grade medicinal pill," the middle-aged man said excitedly.
This jade fragment clearly seemed to be something valuable, he simply couldn't recognize it. Since that was the case, he naturally wanted to exchange it for something worthwhile.
As for refusing to sell it, he simply didn't have the courage.
"Very well."
Lin Yuan glanced at him before tossing over a jade bottle.
"This contains a Third-Grade medicinal pill, a Qi Recovery Pill. Is that acceptable?"
However, a different voice suddenly rang out beside the man's ears.
"Only you can hear these words. What I've given you is actually a Fourth-Grade medicinal pill, the Earth Marrow Body Tempering Pill. It can temper the body and lay the foundation for breaking through realms. Do not show any abnormal reaction. A man carrying jade becomes guilty."
The middle-aged man's pupils shrank. He swept a glance around his surroundings before hurriedly lowering his head.
"Yes, yes, my lord. Please feel free."
Suppressing the wild joy in his heart, he calmly accepted the jade bottle from Lin Yuan and stored it away.
When the apprentice once again looked toward Lin Yuan with gratitude, the latter had already turned and left.
At the same time, another voice that only he could hear entered his ears.
"If you find anything else made from the same material, deliver it to the Mittel Family."
"Mention the name 'Tian Shu,' and someone will naturally receive you. As for the reward, it certainly won't disappoint you."
By the time night descended, Lin Yuan and Qing Lin ended their leisurely day and returned to the Mittel Family residence.
After returning, Qing Lin, carrying the joy and satisfaction accumulated throughout the entire day, went to sleep early and drifted into dreams.
Starting tomorrow, she would once again enter another round of bitter cultivation.
Meanwhile, after returning to his room, Lin Yuan took out the black jade fragment from his storage ring.
Gently rubbing the fragment in his hand and feeling the faint warmth emanating from it, Lin Yuan slightly nodded.
"The craftsmanship of Burning Flame Valley truly does have its unique merits."
Soon after, he suspended the jade fragment lightly in midair. With a flick of his finger, a strand of Green Lotus Core Flame instantly wrapped around it, beginning to roast it.
Under the illumination of the flame, more than ten minutes later, the black jade fragment gradually melted away. Its original black color faded, transforming into a pool of crystalline green liquid.
The shimmering liquid slowly flowed within the green flame like a living creature, appearing extremely mysterious.
At a certain moment, the flowing liquid abruptly stopped moving. Its surface began to bulge as though something was about to break free from within.
This trembling continued for more than ten seconds before dazzling green light suddenly erupted from the liquid, illuminating the entire room.
Immediately afterward, countless streams of textual information burst forth from the liquid, rapidly arranging themselves in midair and forming a special light screen.
Lin Yuan's gaze swept across the screen before finally stopping on several large words at the very top.
Heavenly Flame Three Mysterious Change
"So it really is the Heavenly Flame Three Mysterious Change. I wonder which transformation this is?"
With a trace of curiosity, Lin Yuan extended a finger and gently inserted it into the warm liquid floating before him.
Instantly, the light screen in midair began trembling violently, as though it had been given life. It twisted rapidly, and moments later, all the information transformed into a stream of light that shot directly into Lin Yuan's head.
Although the enormous influx of information was violent, it posed no problem for Lin Yuan. He had long since grown accustomed to digesting massive amounts of information in short periods of time.
Closing his eyes, he quietly absorbed the cultivation method contained within the secret art.
Not long later, when Lin Yuan opened his eyes once more, he had already fully digested the Heavenly Flame Three Mysterious Change.
After opening his eyes, Lin Yuan frowned slightly.
"The second transformation of the Heavenly Flame Three Mysterious Change? It records the second transformation, as well as the method for stacking the second transformation on top of the first. This stacking method truly is ingenious. As expected of something created by Xiao Xuan."
"The fragment Xiao Yan obtained should contain the first transformation. Looks like I'll need to make a trade."
"But before that, I need to sort out the current situation first…"
Thinking of this, Lin Yuan sat beside the table, lightly tapping his fingers against its surface as he fell into deep thought.
He carefully reviewed his meeting with Yao Lao earlier that day, analyzing the information and deducing the current situation.
"Yao Lao has already received news of the incident involving the Xiao Clan. The information was most likely passed to him by Gu Xun'er through Ling Ying. Judging from the timing, it took one day. In other words, the Gu Clan requires one day to relay information from the Black-Corner Region to the Jia Ma Empire."
"On the other hand, Yao Lao seeking my assistance to investigate the Xiao Clan's situation means that Ling Ying is the Gu Clan's—no, Gu Xun'er's, only usable force within the Jia Ma Empire."
"It seems that when the Three-Year Agreement arrives, the only ones available to deal with Protector Wu will be Yao Lao and Ling Ying. As for the imperial family and the Alchemist Association, both of whom are currently on good terms with Xiao Yan, whether they can actually be relied upon remains uncertain."
"So then, what about Protector Wu's side?"
"Now that Yun Shan is already 'dead,' the greatest variable will be whether or not he seeks other reinforcements."
"However, even if Protector Wu does look for assistance, based on the fact that he never reported Yao Lao's information to the Hall of Souls and instead intended to use Yun Shan to capture Yao Lao and monopolize the credit himself, it's clear that in order to maintain control, the reinforcements he seeks shouldn't surpass his own strength."
"In other words, the worst-case scenario would be facing two four-star Dou Ancestor from the Hall of Souls."
Thinking this far, Lin Yuan rubbed his forehead lightly and inwardly sighed.
"If secrecy weren't an issue, I originally could have used Yun Shan to scheme against Protector Wu. Dealing with him would have been easy that way."
Lin Yuan's original plan had been to allow Yun Shan to continue lurking beside Protector Wu for a period after obtaining the Xiao Clan's Ancient Jade.
Then, at a critical moment, Yun Shan would stab Protector Wu in the back, allowing Lin Yuan to capture him effortlessly.
However, he had ultimately abandoned this plan.
Because compared to capturing Protector Wu, ensuring that the secret of him obtaining the Xiao Clan's Ancient Jade remained hidden was far more important.
Although Yun Shan had always been firmly under his control, Lin Yuan had never harbored the illusion that he could completely control him.
After obtaining the Ancient Jade, if Yun Shan, someone who knew far too many secrets was not dealt with quickly, it could create enormous hidden dangers.
Rather than keeping Yun Shan alive for whatever assistance he might provide, Lin Yuan preferred eliminating him altogether and erasing the risk of secrets leaking.
After all, in Lin Yuan's eyes, during this entire affair, it did not matter whether Protector Wu was captured or not, nor did the lives of Yao Lao and Xiao Yan truly concern him.
The only thing that absolutely could not be exposed was the secret that he had obtained the Xiao Clan's Ancient Jade.
After calculating the combat strength Protector Wu might mobilize, Lin Yuan began considering the possible countermeasures Yao Lao might take.
At this moment, Lin Yuan recalled the medicinal ingredients Yao Lao had previously traded away from him, and a particular pill formula surfaced in his mind.
With a flip of his hand, a cyan-purple pill formula obtained from Han Feng appeared in his palm.
Spirit Ascension Pill.
The Spirit Ascension Pill was a Sixth-Grade high-grade medicinal pill capable of greatly enhancing the user's Spiritual Strength for a short period of time.
Lin Yuan carefully compared the medicinal ingredients Yao Lao had exchanged from him with the ingredients listed in the Spirit Ascension Pill formula, and a look of understanding flashed through his eyes.
"So it really is the Spirit Ascension Pill. Looks like he plans to temporarily increase his strength using it. Combined with his Spiritual Strength, which has already recovered to the Dou Ancestor level, it should allow him to rival Protector Wu for the duration of the pill's effects."
"In that case, if the worst scenario occurs, there may still be another four-star Dou Ancestor to deal with."
"A four-star Dou Ancestor…"
Lin Yuan pondered for a moment before placing his hand against his chest.
"Although I could deal with it with Qing Lin's assistance, Qing Lin's Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils still shouldn't be exposed yet. In that case, the most suitable helper this time is still Her Majesty the Queen."
Thinking this, Lin Yuan ignited the seven-colored mark left upon his chest by Queen Medusa.
Tagor Desert, Snake-People Holy City.
Queen Medusa had just concluded a sacrificial ceremony and returned to her palace.
Suddenly, a seven-colored snake scale appeared upon her smooth forehead, emitting faint rainbow-colored light.
Her delicate hand gently touched the seven-colored scale on her forehead, and her aura became slightly unstable.
However, Queen Medusa merely smiled faintly.
"Hehe, needing my help again? As expected, if that little man wants to accomplish great things, he still can't do without me."
At this moment, a lively and mischievous voice sounded from nearby.
"Sister Medusa…"
Not long afterward, a streak of rainbow-colored light shot out from Queen Medusa's palace, flying toward the Jia Ma Imperial Capital.
Wu Tan City.
At the Mittel Auction House branch, an icy figure descended from the sky. It was Hai Bodong, who had been flying for an entire day with the assistance of a Wind Walking Pill.
Not long afterward, several figures departed from the Mittel Auction House together with Hai Bodong, heading toward the Xiao Clan.
After igniting the Soul Imprint left behind by Queen Medusa, Lin Yuan arrived at the rear mountain of the Mittel Family.
Seated cross-legged atop a large green stone, he pondered quietly.
"It has already been three months since I consumed the Mysterious Lightning Body Tempering Pill. The Natal Blood Pill has also tempered and nourished my body and blood energy several times already. It's time to begin the next round of body refinement."
Thinking this, Lin Yuan took out a purple-red medicinal pill from his storage ring.
Beast Origin Heavenly Tempering Pill.
The Beast Origin Heavenly Tempering Pill was a Sixth-Grade High Level medicinal pill containing the essence of Magical Beast bloodlines. After consumption, it could temper one's bloodline and physical body, increasing bodily strength and blood vitality.
This medicinal pill was refined from a formula Lin Yuan had obtained from Han Feng during that large-scale pill refinement session in the Snake-People Holy City.
And during the refinement of this pill, a rather memorable little incident had occurred, the matter of obtaining blood essence.
One of the main ingredients required for the Beast Origin Heavenly Tempering Pill was the blood essence of a Sixth-Grade or higher Magical Beast.
Originally, Lin Yuan had planned to obtain blood essence from Queen Medusa to refine this pill. After all, she had already evolved into a Seventh-Grade Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python, making her blood essence the ideal choice.
However, for reasons unknown, Zi Yan somehow learned of the matter and, with an unusually forceful attitude, insisted on taking Queen Medusa's place.
Afterward, Zi Yan had even made a very serious agreement with Lin Yuan.
Whenever he intended to fuse someone else's blood essence into his body in the future, he had to discuss it with her first.
Thinking of Zi Yan's unusually solemn and serious expression at the time, Lin Yuan smiled helplessly before swallowing the medicinal pill in one gulp.
As soon as the pill entered his body, waves of blood-red essence spread outward, merging into every part of his limbs and bones.
In an instant, Lin Yuan felt a strange stinging itch faintly spreading through his bones, flesh, meridians, and every part of his body.
And beneath that stinging itch, his physical body began to transform.
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