24: Xuanyi Long Sword

“Xiao Yan, what is the meaning of this?”

In the hall, Xiao Lei looked at the dark long saber in front of him, exclaiming its excellence in his heart while still feigning ignorance.

The dark long saber exuded a sharp aura that pierced directly into the Soul, making Xiao Lei, a lover of sabers, instantly desire to possess it.

“Great Master Xiao Lei, this is a small token of my personal regard. I obtained this saber by accident. I am not skilled in using sabers, and seeing that you seem to use a long saber, I intended to gift it to you, Senior!”

Xiao Yan said with a smile, appearing generous, but in reality, his heart was bleeding.

Yao Chen actually didn't give him such a good saber, and instead told him to use that heavy ruler that looked like a coffin lid!

Xiao Lei rolled his eyes inwardly. It would be strange if this item was obtained by Xiao Yan by accident. In Xiao Lei's estimation, it was probably from Wind Venerable.

After all, Yao Chen's Bone Flame Ring was from Wind Venerable. The latter, after becoming a Dou Zun, seemed to have gained some knowledge of Artifact Refining and developed some interest in it, thus gloriously becoming an Artifact Refiner.

In fact, it wasn't just Xiao Yan whose heart was bleeding; Yao Chen also didn't regard this saber as worthless.

“Old friend, I hope you don't blame me for giving this saber away!”

Yao Chen sighed inwardly, thinking of his close friend, Wind Venerable. So many years had passed, and Yao Chen didn't even know how his friend was doing, which was truly regrettable.

This saber was originally specially forged by Wind Venerable when he saw that Yao Chen didn't have a suitable weapon, but Yao Chen had grown accustomed to fighting by activating different flames, and this saber had been gathering dust ever since.

“Ahem, the saber is undoubtedly a good saber. Since it is a gift from Xiao Yan, it would be inappropriate for me to refuse. How about this, Xiao Yan? I am also an Alchemist, though my achievements are not high. For Medicinal Pills below Rank 5, you can request anything, and I will refine one for you free of charge.”

Xiao Lei feigned ignorance. The value of this saber, in his opinion, was undoubtedly extremely high, as it was something Yao Chen had brought out.

How could it be measured by a single Rank 4 Medicinal Pill!

But Xiao Lei's current image was that of a bumpkin from a small Empire, so he could certainly feign ignorance and not know its true value.

“Below Rank 5! Does that mean Great Master Xiao Lei's Alchemy has already reached Rank 4!”

Xiao Yan was speechless again. He was still struggling at the Rank 1 Realm, so how could the other party already be a Rank 4 Alchemist?

Xiao Yan gave a bitter smile; he truly had no tricks left!

“Naturally. How about it, Xiao Yan, what kind of Medicinal Pill do you want?”

“Great Master Xiao Lei, you misunderstand. I didn't give the saber for Alchemy...”

Xiao Yan wanted to say something more, but Xiao Lei raised his hand to interrupt him.

“How about this: my Alchemy is indeed not high right now. I'll change this Alchemy session to a promise to refine a Medicinal Pill. In the future, Xiao Yan, you can use this promise to ask me to refine a Medicinal Pill. How does that sound?”

Xiao Yan's thoughts were disrupted by Xiao Lei's sudden display of Alchemy, and for a moment, he didn't know how to respond, so he could only seek help from Yao Chen in his heart.

“Teacher, Teacher!”

Yao Chen did not respond.

“Since Xiao Yan didn't refuse, I'll assume you've agreed!”

After saying that, Xiao Lei laughed heartily. Trading a future Alchemy session for a handy good weapon for himself now was, in Xiao Lei's opinion, a worthwhile deal.

Yao Chen didn't respond to Xiao Yan because he himself was stunned!

He had personally seen Xiao Lei a few months ago, and at that time, Xiao Lei was only a Four-star Dou Practitioner. How could he have become a Dou Ling expert and a Rank 4 Alchemist in just a few months!

His Cultivation could be explained by some special Physiques and Bloodlines, but what about his Alchemy?

Even among the Medicine Clan Bloodline, who were most skilled in Alchemy, he had never heard of such a person!

Yao Chen incredulously used his Soul Strength to investigate Xiao Lei and found that Xiao Lei's Soul Power was indeed at the Rank 4 level, even stronger than that of an average Rank 4 Alchemist.

At the same time, Yao Chen also felt a rich Medicinal Pill fragrance on Xiao Lei's body. Yao Chen, who was extremely sensitive to Medicinal Pills, could even roughly determine what kind of Medicinal Pill it was from the fragrance alone.

“Body Tempering Pill, marrow cleansing pill! Both are Rank 4 Medicinal Pills. He didn't lie; he really is Rank 4.”

After confirming everything, Yao Chen hesitated. He was 100% certain that Xiao Lei's strength was not enhanced by Medicinal Pills, but by talent, an extremely Heaven-Defying talent.

“What if I let him Cultivate the Burning Technique? With the talent he's shown now, it's highly likely he has some special Physique. As long as this Physique doesn't have major flaws, it's highly possible for him to Breakthrough to Dou Sheng. At that time, trying to subdue a few different flames to help me refine a Physical Body would be incredibly simple!”

Thinking of this, Yao Chen began to struggle.

Just as Yao Chen himself said, as long as one is human, they will have desires. Yao Chen's desire was to be resurrected.

Although Yao Chen had no Physical Body, he seemed to feel a chill.

“Alas!”

After a long while, Yao Chen let out a long sigh.

“If only I had discovered him earlier, how wonderful that would have been. I have already absorbed that little fellow's Qi for three years and let him Cultivate the Burning Technique. If I were to find a second person, wouldn't I be harming him!”

“I, Yao Chen, would not stoop to such a dirty deed!”

Yao Chen only shouted these words in his heart.

If he truly did this, what difference would there be between him and Han Feng, that unfilial disciple who betrayed his master for the Burning Technique?

One's life is always full of various temptations, and we must make choices... Xiao Yan was unaware of the profound journey of self-reflection Yao Chen was undergoing at this moment. He only knew that befriending Xiao Lei seemed unexpectedly smooth, and Xiao Lei didn't seem that difficult to get along with.

The truth was that both of them had long decided to befriend each other to seek some benefit they needed!

All under heaven bustle for profit; all under heaven hustle for gain!

...Xiao Lei did not immediately obtain a Dou Technique from Xiao Yan, mainly because he didn't have a suitable opportunity. After all, Yao Chen had not yet actively revealed himself, and Xiao Yan still appeared to be an ordinary person on the surface. It would clearly be unreasonable for Xiao Lei to ask an ordinary person for a Dou Technique.

He needed a suitable opportunity... So, Xiao Lei simply used Ya Fei to host a special auction at the Mittel Auction House, which was also good for dealing with some unused resources he had obtained during this period.

At the same time, Xiao Yan and Yao Chen were planning a training trip.

“Look, these few medicinal ingredients. If you can encounter them during your training trip, try to collect them as much as possible. They are extremely important for you to devour the different flames later.”

Yao Chen handed Xiao Yan a list, which clearly stated: ice spirit flame grass, Blood Lotus Essence...

“Teacher... this is?”

“Different flames are wondrous objects of heaven and earth. If you recklessly devour them directly, it will almost certainly lead to death. So, you need the help of external objects.”

“These are the medicinal ingredients needed for a Medicinal Pill called the Blood Lotus Pill. This Blood Lotus Pill can form a layer of blood scab on your Physical Body, helping you to approach the Origin flame.”

“This is the first step to devouring different flames. If this step cannot be achieved, everything else is empty talk. Therefore, if you encounter these medicinal ingredients, you must do your best to collect them, as we also don't know when we will encounter different flames.”

If Xiao Lei heard this, he would probably give Yao Chen a thumbs up.

I'm just afraid you won't be willing to spend money!