67: Elder Lin, why don't you take me as your master?

Chapter 67: Elder Lin, why don't you become my disciple?

"Elder Lin." Soul Cang greeted the newcomer politely.

Inviting him inside, Elder Lin found a chair and sat down.

He looked at Soul Cang, puzzled, and said, "Why are you so unyielding, young man? What you did in the Outer Courtyard, although it happened to align with the academy's plan, publicly killing a student caused a negative impact and was punishable. It was I who stepped forward to intercede for you to have it erased, do you understand?"

It would have been better if he hadn't mentioned it. As soon as Elder Lin finished speaking, Soul Cang's action of pouring water stopped immediately.

"Elder Lin, if you're trying to blackmail me with that, I advise you to give up," a hint of frustration flashed in Soul Cang's eyes.

At the time, it was said that an Elder in the academy believed he was cruel by nature and wanted to imprison him beneath the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower to temper him for a while.

Soul Cang was secretly thrilled, never expecting to have the opportunity to enter the Black Gate and come into contact with the Falling Heart Flame.

However, the final result was that Elder Lin stepped in to protect him, and such a good opportunity was lost.

"Heh, I just don't understand. I'm a dignified Seventh-Grade Alchemist, about to reach Eighth-Grade. Taking you as my disciple, why does it seem like I'm wronging you?" Elder Lin was a bit confused.

Soul Cang waved his hand, "It's not that I'm wronged; it's just that you, old man, truly have nothing to teach me."

"Heh, are you trying to push your luck, young man?" Elder Lin's eyes widened, and he said, huffily.

"I'm just speaking the truth," Soul Cang said lightly.

Elder Lin across from him sighed. Before coming today, he had already made up his mind that no matter what, he would establish a master-disciple relationship with Soul Cang.

If the soft approach doesn't work, then I'll try the hard one!

Elder Lin took a deep breath, calming the emotions stirred by Soul Cang, and forced a smile on his old face: "Soul Cang, don't be so quick to refuse. Aren't you curious about the benefits of becoming my disciple?"

"Benefits?" Soul Cang was stunned. He hadn't thought about that aspect.

After all, he wasn't truly here at Canaan Academy to study; all his efforts were merely to obtain the Falling Heart Flame and escape.

Elder Lin nodded, adjusted his collar, and said somewhat proudly, "That's right. As one of the only two top Alchemists in Canaan Academy, I'm not only an Elder but also a core member of the academy. If you're willing to become my disciple, among other things, you know about the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower, right?"

Noticing Elder Lin's eager gaze for cooperation, Soul Cang could only nod slightly.

A hint of satisfaction flashed in Elder Lin's eyes, and he continued, "As Alchemists, the higher the grade of pills we refine, the more demanding the requirements for flames. And I have an alchemy room at the bottom of the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower. If you become my disciple, you can directly cultivate in my alchemy room in the future, and all the Fire Energy needed for the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower can be saved."

Noticing a gleam in Soul Cang's eyes, Elder Lin continued, "Furthermore, what you're currently in contact with is only a projected flame phantom of the Falling Heart Flame. But in my alchemy room, you can feel a trace of the actual Falling Heart Flame."

"You've heard of the top ten on the Strong Ranking List in the Inner Courtyard every year, right? They strive so hard precisely to gain the qualification to be tempered by the real flame. Now such a good opportunity is in front of you; are you sure you won't cherish it?"

Elder Lin patiently explained, constantly expounding his advantages and analyzing them point by point.

He gazed at Soul Cang with confidence. The Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower held an irresistible allure for any Inner Courtyard student whose strength was below the Dou King realm.

And Fire Energy was a major core key of the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower.

If one didn't need to spend Fire Energy and could receive cultivation acceleration from the Falling Heart Flame every day, Elder Lin felt that no one could refuse.

"Are you telling the truth?" Soul Cang tilted his head, thought for a moment, and asked.

Upon hearing this, Elder Lin's heart rejoiced, and he immediately said, "Of course, would I lie to you?"

This could indeed help him get in touch with the Falling Heart Flame sooner… Soul Cang stroked his chin, thinking seriously.

He hadn't thought before that he could enter the bottom of the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower through this method.

However, for Elder Lin to want to be his master, he probably wasn't qualified enough…

Earlier, Soul Cang had obtained Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's alchemy insights from the System. After such a long period of digestion, he had already absorbed about seventy to eighty percent of that inheritance.

Now, Soul Cang had long become an Eighth-Grade Alchemist.

Not becoming a Ninth-Grade, or even an Emperor Realm Alchemist, was entirely due to the soul level, as alchemy required the cooperation of soul power.

And soul realms were divided into Mortal Realm, Spirit Realm, Heaven Realm, and Emperor Realm.

Having accepted the inheritance rewarded by the System, Soul Cang's soul realm was already at the Spirit Realm. Once his soul realm advanced to the Heaven Realm, he would be able to become a Ninth-Grade Alchemist.

When Elder Lin saw Soul Cang remain silent for a long time and then look at him again, he immediately straightened his body, a slight smile forming on his lips, a look of anticipation.

Has he finally decided to become my disciple? Elder Lin thought inwardly.

However, the words that slipped from Soul Cang's mouth instantly froze the smile on Elder Lin's face:

"Elder Lin, why don't you become my disciple?"

Soul Cang had weighed his options for a while before saying this.

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If he could truly gain something, acknowledging a teacher wouldn't be a big deal.

The problem was, in terms of alchemy, throughout the entire Dou Qi Continent, there wasn't a single person qualified to be his teacher.

But Soul Cang didn't want to miss such a good opportunity to come into contact with the Falling Heart Flame.

So, he chose a compromise.

Elder Lin's mouth twitched, his eyes couldn't help but twitch as well, and he clenched his fists. After a long time, seeing Soul Cang's serious expression, he asked in astonishment, "Are you serious?"

"Of course," Soul Cang nodded. "You don't need to feel embarrassed. Alchemy is much like cultivation; it's about the more skilled being first. Since I'm more capable than you, it's only natural that I should be the master."

"Hahaha…" Elder Lin laughed, pointing at himself, "You're more capable than me? Do you know how many years I've been studying alchemy? A full hundred years, and I only have a slight grasp of advancing to an Eighth-Grade Alchemist. How could you be stronger than me? Even if you started learning in the womb, it's impossible, absolutely impossible!"

Soul Cang sighed and stood up, "Elder Lin, whether it's true or not, we'll know if we compete."

"You want to compete with me?" Elder Lin's smile froze, his expression somewhat flustered. Soul Cang didn't seem to be joking.

Subsequently, the two went to the Heavenly Burning Qi Refining Tower. Soul Cang didn't want to take advantage; in the tower, Elder Lin could use the power of the Falling Heart Flame, which counted as using an exotic flame.

This way, the two would be fair.

They arrived at the alchemy room without hindrance this time.

Since it was just a competition, Soul Cang suggested using the pill testing method for assessment.

This method wouldn't consume a large amount of precious medicinal ingredients; otherwise, refining an Eighth-Grade pill would require very expensive ingredients, and preparing them would waste a lot of time.

At this point, Elder Lin's expression had become serious. Listening to Soul Cang's eloquent explanation, he seemed to genuinely know about alchemy.

Good heavens… Could he really be stronger than me?