Beneath the night sky, two agile figures darted across the rooftops. Between some of the buildings lay wide streets, and although it was already deep into the night, the streets were still bustling with people. Fortunately, the figures in the air moved so swiftly that even if someone occasionally looked up, they could only catch a glimpse of two fleeting black lines.
Following Hai Bodong closely, Xiao Yan’s Dou Qi slowly surged within him, generating an inexhaustible energy for his muscles. Tapping the tips of his feet on the roofs, his figure dashed out like a bolt of lightning.
“We’re here…” After a furious sprint following Hai Bodong, the latter suddenly spoke up ahead of them.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan nodded. He bent his body slightly, and as his feet landed, his palms lightly touched the roof tiles, landing perfectly without a sound. Except for a tiny, barely perceptible noise, not even the fragile roof tiles were cracked.
Clapping his hands, Xiao Yan stood up, but he was a bit dissatisfied with his landing. If there had been a Dou Ling level expert below, they might have detected him because of that faint sound.
Lifting his head, Xiao Yan saw Fa Ma and Jia Lao sitting comfortably on the opposite roof, clearly having arrived earlier. The two were now smiling as they watched Xiao Yan and Hai Bodong approach.
Leaping over the roof, Xiao Yan and the others appeared beside Fa Ma and Jia Lao. They exchanged glances and chuckled softly.
“I knew you’d follow us,” Fa Ma said, beaming at Xiao Yan.
“That guy piques my interest too. At such a young age, his strength is already so terrifying. Such talent is simply monstrous,” Xiao Yan sighed. If that man was truly as young as he seemed, it would be quite disheartening. Judging from his skill in alchemy, his real rank should be around Grade Four? A seventeen-year-old Grade Four Alchemist… Ancient River became a Grade Four when he was nearly thirty, yet this person is almost half his age. If his age is true, what kind of monster will he become when he grows up? A Grade Seven? Or a Grade Eight? Those ranks are enough to stand at the peak of the Dou Qi continent!
Even now, Xiao Yan had just reached the Grade Three Alchemist level, and that was only thanks to the help of the Qinglian Earth Core Fire. Comparing the two, the gap was staggering.
“It should be impossible…” Seeing Xiao Yan’s amazed expression, Fa Ma shook his head thoughtfully. “If the Empire of Clouds had such a genius, I’m sure it would have caused quite a stir, and we wouldn’t have missed any news. After all, a seventeen-year-old Grade Four Alchemist… the news would be too sensational…”
“Hey, why waste time guessing? Let’s go check it out. If you’re really worried, then…” Jia Lao smiled faintly and made a cutting motion with his hand. In the eyes of such a powerhouse, killing someone was devoid of any emotional upheaval; it was as easy as slaughtering a chicken, a profound level that left Xiao Yan smiling bitterly.
“Hehe, let’s go,” Fa Ma nodded with a smile, making no objection, tacitly agreeing with the suggestion. Smiling at Hai Bodong and Xiao Yan, he led the way, dashing toward a luxurious inn in the southern part of the city.
Watching the three figures dash ahead, Xiao Yan hesitated briefly before following. That guy had nothing to do with him, and if he was killed, so be it. Anyway, he didn’t like the guy much. Though he wasn’t particularly evil, Xiao Yan had no qualms about treating strangers coldly.
The short flight lasted only a few minutes before they halted with a gesture from Fa Ma.
“That guy is staying here…” Fa Ma landed on the roof without a sound. As he saw Xiao Yan approaching, he flicked his sleeve, and a gentle wave of Dou Qi covered where Xiao Yan’s feet would land, this time without a sound.
Nodding gratefully at Fa Ma, Xiao Yan stood quietly beside Hai Bodong. He knew he just needed to observe in this situation.
“Heh, looks like the guy is cautious…” Jia Lao sneered. Ahead of his foot, a thin black thread extended, and at both ends of the thread, tiny black bells were hung.
“Child’s play.” With a wave of his hand, a fierce Dou Qi silently merged into the air, and the two small black bells were shattered into nothing without a sound.
“Let me handle this…” Hai Bodong smiled. His withered hand slowly emerged from his sleeve, surrounded by a faint white mist, instantly lowering the temperature around them.
Pressing down with both palms, the white mist covered the tiles and quickly spread, enveloping the entire roof in moments.
“Ice Mirror!” Seeing the white mist, Hai Bodong called out, and the mist rapidly condensed into thin ice, covering the roof.
“Reveal!” Another call, and Xiao Yan was astonished to see the vast expanse of white ice start to shimmer. Suddenly, a spacious room was projected onto the thin ice, like a movie, clearly displaying everything inside.
Afterward, Hai Bodong clapped his hands, looking at Xiao Yan’s surprised face and explained, “Just a little trick. Using cold energy to infiltrate the room and form inconspicuous ice fragments, then using their reflection to project the image.”
“Such skilled ice manipulation,” Xiao Yan praised.
“Just a small trick, with limited effects. Nothing special,” Hai Bodong waved off, though the pride on his face was evident.
Smiling, Xiao Yan looked down at the icy floor. The room below was empty, so the gray-robed youth had probably not returned yet.
“Let’s wait.” After saying this, Fa Ma sat cross-legged on the ice, closing his eyes to rest.
Xiao Yan nodded with a wry smile and sat down, touching the ice without feeling any cold. It must have been suppressed by Hai Bodong, and he felt even more impressed by his ice control.
As the group fell silent, the rooftop was filled with silence. About half an hour later, the door in the ice mirror moved. Hai Bodong, who had closed his eyes, sensed it first and opened his eyes, signaling Fa Ma and the others. Then he lowered his head to watch the ice mirror.
After the door moved, a gray-robed figure walked in. The young, innocent face belonged to the dark horse of the day’s assembly, the most shocking presence.
Seeing the gray-robed youth, Xiao Yan instinctively held his breath, not daring to move, his eyes fixed on the youth’s every move.
The gray-robed youth did nothing unusual after entering, merely washing up and sitting cross-legged on the bed to meditate.
Frowning at his normal actions, Xiao Yan licked his lips, glanced at Hai Bodong and the others, and continued watching, waiting patiently.
An hour later, it was late into the night. The gray-robed youth suddenly opened his eyes while meditating, scanning the room with a cold gaze. He got off the bed, gently closed the window, placed his hands behind his back, and carefully examined the beams.
Standing on the roof, Xiao Yan watched the gray-robed youth look up at the beams and couldn’t help swallowing, feeling like the youth’s icy stare was directed at them, though that was just an illusion. The fragmented ice Hai Bodong placed was well hidden, and after a quick scan, the youth relaxed.
“Hmph, damn competition. When I win the championship this time, we’ll see if the Jia Ma Empire’s Alchemists’ Guild will lose its reputation. Once a guild loses the trust of its alchemists, it’s over!”
The gray-robed youth twisted his neck and scoffed. Touching his face, he frowned and mumbled, flipping his hand to reveal a light red pill.
“Damn Rejuvenation Pill. It can make one look younger, but it’s only superficial. If it weren’t for our need to tarnish the reputation of the Jia Ma Alchemists’ Guild in their own country, our guild wouldn’t have wasted so much effort on this futile task. And to return to my original appearance, I need a specific pill. The cost is too high.”
Mumbling, the gray-robed youth put the light red pill in his mouth, chewed it, and swallowed.
In the room, after taking the pill, the youth’s innocent face began to tremble horrifyingly, and his height increased significantly. In mere moments, the seventeen-year-old transformed into a grim, middle-aged man, leaving Xiao Yan staring wide-eyed at the ice.
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