As Hai Bodong slowly walked into the vast compound of the Alchemists’ Guild, the noise behind them gradually faded away. A faint fragrance of medicinal herbs wafted out, giving a refreshing and exhilarating feeling to anyone who caught a whiff of it. The Alchemists’ Guild had grown much stronger in the past three years, with more alchemists joining continuously. Not only had their strength increased, but their numbers had also grown, far surpassing what they had been three years ago. At least, back then, the guild rarely saw such a bustling crowd.
Entering the guild, Hai Bodong needed to make some preparations, so after informing Xiao Yan of the location, he left on his own. Xiao Yan felt a bit nostalgic about the Alchemists’ Guild that he hadn’t seen for three years. Back then, he had participated in an extremely difficult alchemy competition, but at that time, he was only capable of making fourth-grade pills as a third-grade alchemist. Now, he was a sixth-grade alchemist, on par with the Pill King Gu He! The progress between then and now was not trivial…
Glancing around, Xiao Yan tugged at Zi Yan, who was also curious, and headed towards the trading area he remembered. In such a place, if you had a keen eye and some good luck, you might find some decent things. It was where he had luckily obtained his “Heavenly Fire Three Profound Changes” technique.
As they entered the trading area, the seemingly endless stalls and the overwhelming crowd made Xiao Yan marvel. In the past three years, as the Alchemists’ Guild grew stronger, even the trading area had expanded significantly. As Xiao Yan’s gaze swept over the area, it suddenly paused, and he stared in surprise at a snow-white figure nearby.
The figure, dressed in a white dress, had long hair like strands of ice. The somewhat familiar silhouette reminded Xiao Yan of Xue Mei, the disciple of the Black Rock City’s branch president, Falkran, whom he had met during his training in the empire three years ago. Back then, Xiao Yan had a good impression of Falkran, as the old man had helped him a lot. Though he wanted to convince Xiao Yan to participate in the Alchemists’ Convention, he had no ill intentions. And Xiao Yan also had a favorable impression of the cold and snowy-like woman.
“I wonder how they’ve been these past three years,” Xiao Yan mused, but he did not approach her. After looking at her for a while, he turned his gaze away and, pulling Zi Yan, continued through the crowded trading area.
Not long after Xiao Yan blended into the crowd, Xue Mei, who was bent over examining some herbs, turned her head as if sensing something. Her elegant, ethereal face, slightly puzzled, caused the people around her to stop and stare, their eyes lingering on her greedily.
Xue Mei furrowed her brows slightly at the gazes, then gradually merged into the crowd and disappeared. As they walked through the lanes filled with stalls, Xiao Yan’s gaze swept over the wares, but perhaps due to his improved discernment, he didn’t find anything that caught his interest even after nearly fifteen minutes.
“All junk,” Zi Yan muttered, pursing her lips. She usually consumed pills made from extremely rare herbs, and ordinary medicinal ingredients, even if rare in the market, were nothing more than garbage to her.
Xiao Yan sighed; indeed, it would take a bit of luck to find another treasure like the “Heavenly Fire Three Profound Changes” here. Seeing no results, he finally gave up and, shaking his head at Zi Yan, decided to leave. Just as he was about to turn around, a commotion arose nearby, accompanied by some oddly mocking laughter.
Xiao Yan wasn’t interested in such spectacles, and he turned to leave, but a clear, angry voice from the crowd stopped him. Through the crowd, he could see a snow-white figure. Xiao Yan raised his hands to Zi Yan, saying, “It seems we can’t just leave like this…”
With that, he pulled Zi Yan and quickly moved towards the disturbance. After pushing through the crowd, he directed his gaze inside.
In the midst of the crowd, Xue Mei stood, her usually pale and elegant face flushed with anger. A few men in alchemist robes laughed mockingly at her, clearly enjoying her frustration.
“Aubba, don’t be too unreasonable! Don’t think you can be so cocky just because your teacher is a guild elder!” Xue Mei pointed at the lead man, reprimanding him fiercely.
“Hehe, Xue Mei, the trading rules are that the highest bidder wins. I can offer more than you, so this thing naturally belongs to me. Even if you go to the president, there’s nothing you can do,” the man with a second-grade alchemist badge chuckled, then turned to the stall owner, “I’ll pay fifty thousand gold coins for this ‘Ice and Fire Snake Scale Fruit.’ Will you sell it?”
Hearing Aubba’s offer, the stall owner was taken aback, then delighted. The fruit was worth at most twenty thousand gold coins, and this foolish spender was willing to pay double. There was no reason for him to refuse.
Xue Mei gritted her teeth, helpless, watching Aubba throw the fruit smugly in his hand. She had just emerged from a period of seclusion, and seeing this herb she needed, she was shocked when Aubba appeared out of nowhere.
Aubba had once pursued Xue Mei for her beauty, but being a third-grade alchemist, she rejected him. Rejected, he became vengeful, constantly harassing her. His teacher, although recently joined, was already an elder, holding significant power in the guild. Thus, although Xue Mei was extremely annoyed, she dared not directly harm him.
Taking a deep breath, Xue Mei, facing Aubba’s increasingly smug expression, gritted her teeth. She had no choice but to give up the “Ice and Fire Snake Scale Fruit.”
Staring coldly at Aubba, Xue Mei prepared to leave, but a laugh from the crowd interrupted: “I’ll pay one hundred thousand gold coins for the ‘Ice and Fire Snake Scale Fruit.'”
The crowd turned to a black-robed young man with a purple-haired little girl, and some sympathetically looked at him, wondering if he was new, daring to challenge Aubba.
The laughter drew Xue Mei’s attention, and she recognized the familiar face. “You… you weren’t…”
Xue Mei stopped mid-sentence, glancing at the spectators. Xiao Yan smiled and stepped out, “How is Master Falkran?”
“Teacher is fine,” Xue Mei nodded, pulling Xiao Yan’s sleeve, “Weren’t you gone from the Jia Ma Empire? Let’s go, don’t provoke this guy…”
Due to her seclusion, Xue Mei was unaware of the recent news. She only knew Xiao Yan was a target of the Yun Lanzong, and if they found him, he’d be in grave danger.
“You trying to play the hero, huh?” Aubba’s face darkened as he jeered, clutching the fruit. “I’ve bought this. Mind your own business, or you won’t get out of the Imperial City alive.”
Smiling coldly, Xiao Yan waved his hand, and a sudden force snatched the fruit from Aubba’s grasp.
“Damn, you’re asking for it!” Enraged, Aubba shouted, and his followers pounced on Xiao Yan like hungry wolves.
Bam! Xiao Yan casually waved his sleeve, and a surge of powerful wind sent the men flying. They crashed into the crowd, causing chaos and screams.
Seeing his men felled, Aubba was shocked. Just as he was about to scold, a black figure appeared before him, a slender hand covering his chest, a cold voice in his ear. “The Alchemists’ Guild may have more people, but also more trash. Today, I’ll clean up for Fa Ma.”
With that, the hand on Aubba’s chest unleashed a fierce force, sending him flying.
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