In the depths of the inner courtyard, within a quiet chamber by the window, two figures stood. One was dressed in a wide black robe, with white hair and beard, his ancient face calm like an old monk’s, devoid of any fluctuation of emotion. With his hands behind his back, he stood by the window, gazing at the greenery outside. After a while, he spoke softly, “Tai Xuan, how have the recent activities in the Heavenly Flame Tower been?”
“Great Elder, the Fallen Heart Flame has become increasingly restless. Now it surges almost every half month. If not for the combined efforts of the elders to set up energy seals, the students training in the tower would likely suffer severe casualties,” replied the somewhat hunched, yellow-robed elder respectfully.
“Getting faster, eh…” The Great Elder sighed softly, muttering, “When the headmaster discovered the Fallen Heart Flame here, he established the inner courtyard. Back then, he said that suppression and sealing would only be temporary. In fact, the harsher the seal, the more terrifying the eventual eruption would be. Judging from the signs of this fiery eruption, it is indeed powerful. If we are not careful, the inner courtyard might be destroyed.”
“What should we do?” A hint of anxiety flashed across the yellow-robed elder’s face as he whispered, “Should we inform the headmaster to return?”
“The headmaster is on a journey, as elusive as a divine dragon. How can we notify him?” The Great Elder shook his head and waved his hand, saying, “Starting today, all elders’ rest will be canceled. The guardians of the tower must return to their posts. As soon as any abnormality is detected in the Fallen Heart Flame, immediately seal it together. We cannot let it fully erupt; otherwise, the consequences will be too grave.”
“Yes!”
“Also, prepare a secondary plan. During the eruption of the Fallen Heart Flame, all students in the tower must be evacuated, and no one is allowed to enter!” The Great Elder’s face was solemn as he issued commands in an orderly manner: “Inform the outer courtyard to have strong practitioners ready at any time. If the Fallen Heart Flame erupts, the spatial seal covering the inner courtyard will also be broken. At that time, those in the Black-Corner Region will surely sense the intense fluctuations of the Fallen Heart Flame. Once they come to investigate, chaos will ensue.”
“Great Elder, you’re worried about the Medicine King Han Feng from the Black-Corner Region, right?” the yellow-robed elder said after a moment of silence.
The Great Elder’s eyes flickered slightly, and he nodded slowly, saying, “Han Feng is a medicinal alchemist, and the attraction of a Mysterious Flame to him is unparalleled. Back then, he vaguely guessed the existence of the Mysterious Flame in the inner courtyard, but he couldn’t be sure, so he didn’t dare make any major moves. After all, our Gan Nan Academy is not something anyone can provoke.”
“This time, the eruption of the Fallen Heart Flame will be stronger than any previous one. When the seal is broken, Han Feng, with his abnormally keen soul perception, will definitely sense the fluctuations of the Mysterious Flame. At that time… he will definitely spare no effort to seize it!”
“If he were just an ordinary peak Battle Emperor, we wouldn’t fear him, but… he has another identity as a sixth-grade medicinal alchemist. His skill in alchemy surpasses even the Fire Elder of the alchemy department. These years, he has built an extremely extensive network in the Black-Corner Region, and many forces are involved with him. If he wants to seize the Mysterious Flame, he might use these connections… You should know well the power of a sixth-grade medicinal alchemist, and… according to the intelligence I have, Han Feng seems to control a Mysterious Flame as well…”
The Great Elder’s words carried a hint of gravity.
“What? That guy also has a Mysterious Flame?”
Hearing this, the yellow-robed elder’s face showed shock. For a medicinal alchemist of Han Feng’s level, having a Mysterious Flame is like adding wings to a tiger. This was evident from Xiao Yan, who, with his Dou Ling strength, could refine fifth-grade medicinal pills, clearly showing the immense help a Mysterious Flame provides to a medicinal alchemist.
“Don’t forget who his teacher is,” the Great Elder said calmly.
“Medicine Sovereign, Yao Chen!”
The yellow-robed elder’s face changed slightly, mentioning a name once very prominent on the continent. After a while, he recovered from the shock of the name, frowning and saying, “It’s said that Yao Chen also had a Mysterious Flame. Now that he has fallen, it’s likely that the Mysterious Flame was passed on to Han Feng, right?”
“Not quite sure. Yao Chen’s death was too mysterious. Apart from Han Feng, no one else knows the details. Though the latter claims he died from the backlash of alchemy, ha, that excuse is rather far-fetched. With Yao Chen’s unparalleled alchemy skills, how could he make such a mistake? There might be some hidden reason.”
The Great Elder chuckled coldly.
“What does the Great Elder mean?” The yellow-robed elder was taken aback and then lowered his voice.
“Who knows? It’s said that Yao Chen’s old friend, Wind Sovereign, has been investigating these past years. He probably doesn’t believe Yao Chen died so mysteriously either.” The Great Elder spoke with deep meaning and then waved his hand, saying, “Alright, these matters aren’t much of our concern. The most important thing now is to strictly guard against Han Feng. If he rallies the forces of the Black-Corner Region, even our Gan Nan Academy will be in serious trouble.”
“Yes, I’ll take care of it right away,” the yellow-robed elder nodded.
The Great Elder nodded slightly and suddenly asked, “By the way, how is Xiao Yan, the new student with a Mysterious Flame, doing recently?”
“Heh, it’s said he went to train in the deep mountains for two months and returned as a Dou Ling. His cultivation speed is truly astonishing. Moreover, in the pill refinement contest with Han Xian, he successfully refined a fifth-grade medicinal pill,” the yellow-robed elder’s voice was filled with admiration.
“Oh?” The Great Elder’s calm face showed a slight movement. He nodded and said, “He is also a medicinal alchemist, and judging by the situation, his alchemy skills are not low. Combined with his excellent cultivation talent, such a cultivation speed is reasonable. Instruct everyone to avoid making things difficult for this young man. Whatever he wants to do, let him. In the future, we might have to rely on him.”
“Yes.”
The yellow-robed elder nodded again. Previously, they might have thought little of a young boy, but since the news of Xiao Yan being able to refine fifth-grade medicinal pills spread, their opinion of him had changed. A fifth-grade medicinal alchemist, such an identity, was far more prestigious than that of an elder at the Dou Wang level.
“A fifth-grade medicinal alchemist and a Dou Wang, if both were invited to the same place, as long as the inviter isn’t a fool, they would choose the fifth-grade medicinal alchemist without hesitation. Though the latter’s martial strength is formidable, in comparison to the value created by a medicinal alchemist, it is insignificant!”
All the elders of the inner courtyard were very clear about this point.
“You go out first and pass my instructions to each elder,” the Great Elder waved his hand. Just as he was about to dismiss the yellow-robed elder, his expression suddenly changed. His usually calm face now showed a trace of astonishment, his gaze piercing through the greenery outside the window, straight towards the distant mountain range.
“Great Elder?” Seeing the Great Elder’s state, the yellow-robed elder called out in puzzlement. With his strength, he couldn’t sense such a powerful energy fluctuation from such a distance.
“Such a strong energy fluctuation, this kind of disturbance could only be formed during the creation of at least a sixth-grade medicinal pill!” The Great Elder’s eyes flashed with a brilliant light, his gaze seeming to penetrate the space, directly falling on the mountain peak in the deep mountains.
“A sixth-grade medicinal pill?” The yellow-robed elder’s face changed drastically, exclaiming, “No one in the inner courtyard can refine such a high-grade medicinal pill.”
“I need to check it out. Do as I instructed earlier. Could it be Han Feng who is refining a sixth-grade medicinal pill?” The Great Elder muttered, his face turning grim. Such a formidable foe, if he sneaked into the inner courtyard, it would be a very dangerous situation.
Just as he finished speaking, the Great Elder’s figure trembled, and when the yellow-robed elder looked up, the black shadow before him had already faded. Looking up, he saw a faint black shadow flash across the sky.
At the moment the Great Elder sensed the energy fluctuation in the deep mountains, a man wearing a green robe with a maple leaf embroidered on the back was also looking up. His gaze was directed towards the source of the energy burst.
The man’s face was handsome, with black hair reaching his shoulders, and his body seemed to always carry an unusual fragrance, making people feel inexplicably drawn to him.
“Such a fluctuation, it’s the formation of a sixth-grade medicinal pill,” the man in the green robe murmured softly. After a moment, he frowned slightly, saying, “The other side of the mountain range should be where Gan Nan Academy is. Could it be that the old fire master is refining? But with his alchemy skills, it should still be difficult to refine a sixth-grade medicinal pill. Has his alchemy improved a lot in recent years?”
“It’s not easy to investigate within the range of Gan Nan Academy. Although I’m not afraid of them, if those old guys find me, it will be troublesome.”
Shaking his head, the man in the green robe slowly turned around. On his chest was an ancient-looking medicine cauldron emblem, with six golden, shimmering, peculiar ripples on the cauldron, making one’s eyes ache.
Six golden ripples—this symbol in the alchemy world usually indicated that only a sixth-grade medicinal alchemist had the qualifications to wear it. And this man, who appeared to be only around thirty, was actually qualified to bear it. Such strength in the Black-Corner Region was unmatched.
Medicine Emperor, Han Feng!
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