"Treasure?"
"What treasure haven't I seen?"
With a light laugh, Elder Huo strode over nonchalantly. Although his strength was not as great as Su Qian's, being only a Dou Huang, as a seasoned fifth-grade Alchemist and a newly promoted sixth-grade one, he dared to thump his chest and say:
Su Qian might not even be richer than him!
What kind of treasure hadn't he seen? The Great Elder was making a mountain out of a molehill!
"This thing, you probably really haven't seen it!" Su Qian ignored Elder Huo's nonchalance, a mysterious smile on his face.
At Su Qian's signal, Jiang Yun stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Student Jiang Yun greets Elder Huo!"
No matter what, Elder Huo had been his teacher, so the proper etiquette was necessary.
"You are Jiang Yun!" Elder Huo looked at Jiang Yun before him and said with interest. The name Jiang Yun was famous in the Inner Court!
As a new student, he first swept through the Fire Energy Capture Competition, then, as a Dou Grandmaster, defeated an eight-star Dou Ling senior. He was recognized by the academy as a monstrous talent.09
What's more, there were rumors in the Inner Court that he had some unknown relationship with the Great Elder.
As an old partner, what relatives of Su Qian did he not know about? Jiang Yun was clearly not among them. He glanced at Su Qian beside him. Now it seemed these rumors were not unfounded!
"Don't think too much. Do you remember the two children I brought back a few years ago?" Elder Huo's teasing gaze made Su Qian's face darken, and he explained.
"He's one of those two children?"
At this moment, Elder Huo was even more surprised. He had heard that Su Qian brought back two children from the Magical Beast Forest a few years ago, but he had never seen them.
Now, looking at him...
"Indeed, a gifted prodigy, truly a good 'treasure'."
Looking at the young man, about eleven or twelve years old, and the profound Dou Qi emanating from him, at this moment, he more deeply understood what a monstrous talent meant.
Seeing that Elder Huo had misunderstood, Su Qian had no choice but to say, "Jiang Yun, a few days ago, had a small opportunity and obtained an unknown strange flame, thus gaining the potential to become an Alchemist. His soul power is naturally strong, so..."
"What—"
"A strange flame—"
Su Qian's words were interrupted. Elder Huo leaped in front of Jiang Yun, grabbed his hands, and said with fervent eyes, "Quick, let me see your strange flame!"
Although there was a strange flame in the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower of the Inner Court, this did not diminish the strange flame's appeal to Alchemists.
Jiang Yun heard this, extended his right hand, and with a "boom—", the white Undying Holy Flame appeared in his palm.
The moment the flame appeared, Elder Huo gazed at the flickering spirit with infatuated eyes, feeling the tremor of the seventh-tier beast flame within him, further confirming its identity.
"When a strange flame appears, all other flames submit!" After a moment, Elder Huo reluctantly withdrew his gaze, a hint of emotion in his voice.
"This strange flame of yours is the first time it has appeared; it's not on the Heavenly Flame Ranking list at all. However, from what I observe, it could rank among the top twenty on the Heavenly Flame Ranking list!"
After calming down, Elder Huo pondered carefully, then spoke solemnly.
"Oh right, the Great Elder said you have a talent for alchemy?" As if just remembering something, Elder Huo asked, then pointed at Su Qian and scolded with a laugh, "I get it now, the Great Elder is here to grab free labor!"
"Hehe!" Su Qian did not refute, but instead said as if it were a matter of course, "You are the chief Elder of the Alchemy Department; teaching disciples isn't that what you should be doing!"
"Don't look at Jiang Yun just starting alchemy; his talent for alchemy is no less than his cultivation talent. Look, this first-grade pill was refined by him!"
Saying this, Su Qian handed Elder Huo a first-grade pill, which was exactly the Rejuvenation Pill Jiang Yun had just given him.
Elder Huo took it curiously, poured out a pill to examine it, and immediately his eyes widened. He looked at Jiang Yun in disbelief: "You refined this?"
"Precisely!"
"..." Receiving the affirmative answer, Elder Huo shook his head, somewhat disheartened. Su Qian might not see the intricacies, but how could he not?
This bottle of Rejuvenation Pills was of perfect quality; even many third-grade Alchemists might not be able to refine it.
In other words, Jiang Yun either had extremely high alchemy talent or his alchemy skills had already reached the third-grade realm.
Whichever it was, it left Elder Huo feeling greatly disheartened.
"Great Elder, I can't teach this student!"
"Why? Jiang Yun is very talented in alchemy. He only watched a few Outer Court instructors demonstrate and could perfectly replicate a first-grade pill. Such a good seedling, aren't you tempted..." Seeing Elder Huo refuse, Su Qian grew anxious.
"Ugh—" Elder Huo clutched his heart, bitter inside. Where did this monstrous talent come from? Was he specifically here to strike down 'useless' people like them?
Was it that he didn't want to teach? It was that he was afraid he couldn't teach!
"How about this! Grant Jiang Yun the identity of an Alchemy Department disciple. All pill formulas below fourth-grade can be borrowed and read using Fire Energy. All relevant materials will also be open to Jiang Yun. If he doesn't understand anything, he can consult any of the Elders at any time!"
Finally, Elder Huo proposed such a method, giving Jiang Yun a high degree of freedom.
In the end, the Great Elder left with Jiang Yun, satisfied, leaving behind a melancholic Elder Huo.
"Indeed, new talents emerge in every generation, each leading the way for centuries!"
After resolving Jiang Yun's matters, Su Qian also prepared to leave. As the Great Elder, he was very busy.
After instructing Jiang Yun to cultivate diligently, Su Qian stepped into the void, walking away step by step. Jiang Yun watched this unique'skill' of a Dou Zong, his eyes shining.
Is it the application of spatial power?
The thought flashed and vanished. Jiang Yun moved, invisible spatial power condensed beneath his feet. With one step, he appeared a thousand meters away.
Then, a figure almost teleported towards the dormitory.
"Whoosh—"
Silently, Jiang Yun returned to his dormitory. Standing at the door, he murmured thoughtfully, "A crude application of spatial power to achieve short-distance teleportation. The speed is not inferior to a high-level Profound-tier movement technique. However, to achieve the effect I want, it's still a bit lacking. For now, I'll call it Flying Cloud Steps!"
Having just created a Dou Technique, Jiang Yun's heart was calm. He had been like this for years. He found that, compared to his cultivation talent, his comprehension was even more terrifying.
He learned everything at a glance, and cultivating Dou Techniques was as easy as eating and drinking.
Over the years, he had also created many Dou Techniques, but they could only serve as conventional methods. His trump card Dou Technique still had to be his Four Symbols Seal!
Suddenly, Jiang Yun felt the surrounding heaven and earth energy begin to converge in this direction.
"Zi Yan!"
Jiang Yun rushed into the room and saw Zi Yan sleeping soundly. Beside the bed, there were several remnants of Life and Death Mysterious Fruit.
Zi Yan's face was glowing purple, and her body was burning like a furnace. Jiang Yun was familiar with this situation; it was just like when Zi Yan advanced to Dou Wang last time.
Before entering the secret realm, Zi Yan had already reached the peak of fifth-tier, only a step away from advancing to sixth-tier. This time, she obtained many medicinal materials and the treasures of Dou Huang and Dou Wang in the secret realm.
Sure enough, Zi Yan couldn't resist. Without waiting for Jiang Yun to return, she ate several Life and Death Mysterious Fruits. Now it seemed she had met the conditions for advancement.
Just like last time, an even richer purple light surged from her body, finally forming a purple light cocoon about a zhang wide, completely enveloping her body.
On the surface of the light cocoon, the purple light flickered on and off, like a beating heart, extremely rhythmic.
Each time the light cocoon flashed, a large amount of energy in the surrounding air would be completely absorbed into the light cocoon, making the cocoon's light even brighter.
"Let me give you a hand!"
Looking at the purple light cocoon that Zi Yan had transformed into, a gentle expression appeared in Jiang Yun's eyes, and he said softly.
As if hearing Jiang Yun's words, the large purple cocoon brightened considerably, as if responding to Jiang Yun.
Seeing this, Jiang Yun chuckled. He opened his palm, and black and white Dou Qi flickered, then transformed into spirit seals with jumping lights.
Under his precise control, these spirit seals, one by one, fell into the air before him, like raindrops falling into the sea, dissolving away. Only faint, peculiar ripples emanating from them allowed one to perceive their presence.
What Jiang Yun was about to set up was a widely used spirit array in the Great Thousand World.
A Level Three Spirit Gathering Array!
A Spirit Gathering Array was different from ordinary spirit arrays. Although it had no offensive capabilities, it was an essential item for many factions and a symbol of a faction's strength and foundation.
Such a famous array, how could Jiang Yun not have observed it when he was with the Demonic Spirit Clan?
Jiang Yun currently lacked the materials needed to set up a Spirit Gathering Array, so he could only use spirit seals to set up a temporary one, which wouldn't last long. However, for Zi Yan, this was enough!
When hundreds of spirit seals merged into the air, forming light spots that were difficult to see with the naked eye, Jiang Yun's mind stirred. Those light spots extended into lines of light, finally converging.
The Spirit Gathering Array was not complex compared to other arrays. Soon, a profound array diagram slowly appeared.
Instantly, a powerful fluctuation erupted from mid-air. A large expanse of light enveloped the light shield, and everyone in the entire Inner Court could feel a massive amount of heaven and earth spiritual energy converging towards the dormitory area as if attracted.
"It seems the commotion is a bit too big!"
After setting it up, Jiang Yun looked at the commotion in the sky, somewhat sheepishly.
At the same time, the moment Jiang Yun completed the array, figures appeared outside, whispering and discussing amongst themselves.
"What's going on?"
"The energy between heaven and earth is rapidly converging towards the dormitory area?"
"Is there some treasure in the dormitory area?"
"Look, the Elders are rushing over there!"
Jiang Yun stepped out of the room and saw the Great Elder Su Qian, along with Elder Huo and Elder Qing, whom he had met once, standing in the small courtyard, watching Jiang Yun.
"Zi Yan has started advancing?" The Great Elder was the first to ask about Zi Yan's condition.
"Yes, she has already formed a cocoon and is lying inside," Jiang Yun nodded and replied softly, "Does the Great Elder want to go in and see?"
"No, it's enough to confirm she's breaking through." Hearing that Zi Yan had already started breaking through, Su Qian stroked his beard with satisfaction and declined Jiang Yun's suggestion.
"I remember Zi Yan was already at the peak of fifth-tier, right! This advancement will likely make her a sixth-tier Magical Beast Emperor!" At this moment, Elder Qing beside him sighed with emotion, a complex expression on his face.
His face was filled with mixed feelings. He hadn't expected Zi Yan, this little girl who had just entered the Inner Court, to catch up to him so quickly. And where was his opportunity to break through to Dou Zong?
Glancing at Elder Huo beside him, Elder Qing subtly shook his head. Elder Huo had just advanced to sixth-grade; who knew how long it would be until he could refine a peak sixth-grade pill, the Po Zong Pill.
Rather than trusting him, Elder Qing would rather trust Jiang Yun, this anomalous monstrous talent.
"..." Although Elder Qing's movements were very discreet, among the few people present, his soul power was second only to Jiang Yun's, so how could he not notice Elder Qing's gaze?
After many years of partnership, how could he not know Elder Qing's meaning? While secretly annoyed, he also secretly vowed that he must intensify his alchemy practice. By then, he would make Elder Qing come begging to him!
"Oh right, this is an array, isn't it?" At this moment, the Great Elder looked at the Spirit Gathering Array before him and asked, but his tone was full of certainty.
"Precisely. This is an array called a Spirit Gathering Array. As the name suggests, it can gather the energy of heaven and earth, allowing those within the array to cultivate faster."
Jiang Yun nodded slightly. Since it was already exposed, he had no intention of hiding it.
Jia Nan Academy had treated him and Zi Yan well. The Great Elder had no complaints about how many medicinal materials Zi Yan had taken over the years. If he could leave a few Spirit Gathering Arrays for the academy, it would be considered repaying the 'cultivation loan' from back then!
"You can also set up arrays?"
"This array was also obtained from the ruins. I was just testing its effect, and now it seems..."
"It seems pretty good!"
Su Qian fell silent. Jiang Yun kept refreshing his understanding of geniuses. He knew Jiang Yun's origins were mysterious, but he never delved into it; he trusted what he saw.
The importance of the Spirit Gathering Array to them was self-evident. Although he really wanted the Spirit Gathering Array, he knew that such precious things, like an Alchemist's pill formulas, were not easily passed on.
Moreover, as Jiang Yun was a student, he felt awkward asking. For a moment, Su Qian was in a dilemma.
"Although the academy has the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower, a treasure land, I think the academy's large grounds can still accommodate a few Spirit Gathering Arrays, Great Elder, what do you think?"
Seeing Su Qian's hesitation, Jiang Yun said jokingly.
Su Qian hadn't spoken yet when Elder Huo burst out laughing and said, "Good! Indeed, our Alchemy Department's monstrous talent speaks clearly! Jiang Yun, whatever pills you need in the future, just come to me!"
"Wait, when did Jiang Yun become part of your Alchemy Department?" Elder Qing said with disdain.
"Just today!" Elder Huo gave a sly smile, which suddenly made Elder Qing want to punch him again.
At this moment, Su Qian also recovered, looking at Jiang Yun with a complex expression, filled with relief, and said, "You are a good child. The academy cannot take your things for free. Tell me, what do you want?"