Battle Through the Heavens

Seeing the faces of Frank and Ao Tuo which were filled with amazement, all the throats of those in the hall could not help but roll gently. Looking at the manner of these two, the young man had obviously passed the tier two test.

“What a frightening person…” Everyone looked at each other as they sighed gently in their hearts. A nineteen years old tier two alchemist. This could be considered as a new record in the Jia Ma Empire.

“This guy… actually managed to succeed? At nineteen, he has actually reached the Dou Shi level? How is this possible?” Opening her red lips, Lin Fei softly mumbled with astonishment.

Beside her, Xue Mei also nodded her head slightly. Wasn’t this guy far too monstrous?

Seeing the shocked expressions of everyone in the hall, Frank and Ao Tuo also faced each other and smiled bitterly. After observing Xiao Yan refining a medicinal pill at close proximity, both of them could not help but feel amazed at the talent in refining pills that Xiao Yan had demonstrated.

Although it was Xiao Yan’s first refinement using the medicinal formula provided for the test, his outstanding control of the flame was not inferior to any true tier two alchemist. Moreover, when he was refining the medicine, he was extremely accurate in refining the essence of the medicinal ingredients. If this was a very experienced tier two alchemist, Frank and Ao Tuo would not feel much surprise. However, the guy in front of them was merely nineteen years old…

When they were at his age back then, they were still just beginning to learn how to differentiate medicinal ingredients under the guidance of their teachers.

“He really is a guy who makes others feel inferior… Now, I am more and more curious as to which grandmaster actually managed to teach such an outstanding student?” Frank bitterly laughed.

“Ah, this young boy’s talent for refining medicine may be outstanding but an outstanding unpolished gem will not become something great without meticulous cutting and polishing… That mysterious teacher of his must be very great. At the very least, if Xiao Yan was to be taught by both of us, he would not be able to achieve this effect.” Ao Tuo acknowledged his inferiority.

“But that Purple Flame of his, it is indeed not a ‘Heavenly Flame’. Although it is much stronger compared to a normal flame, it is not that potent or exotic…” Frank said doubtfully as he frowned and recalled the way Xiao Yan refined medicine from earlier.

“Haha. Indeed, it doesn’t seem like a “Heavenly Flame’ but that doesn’t really matter. There are many strange people and occurrences in the Dou Qi continent. There will always be some mysterious things that are not discovered by others. Although the Purple Flame is strong, it is only slightly stronger than the Dou Qi Flame belonging to Alchemists of a similar tier. It is undoubtedly much weaker when compared to a ‘Heavenly Flame’.” Ao Tuo said with a smile.

“Yes.” Nodding his head, Frank tilted his head, faced the interior of the room and said, “Young boy, once you’ve packed up your things, you can come out.”

Following Frank’s voice, the figure of Xiao Yan slowly walked out of the room. He lightly brushed away some of the medicinal powder that had landed on his ordinary garments before his gaze swept across the faces of everyone in the hall and smiled.

Seeing Xiao Yan looking over, all the alchemists in the hall also returned a friendly smile. Although their identity meant that they held top statuses in Black Rock City and that anyone who saw them during an ordinary day would respectfully greet them, the medicinal refining talent the young man in front of them displayed caused them to be afraid of slighting him. After all, this young man might well become an alchemist grandmaster greater than Frank or Ao Tuo in the future.

When he saw Xiao Yan coming out, Frank waved his hand toward one of his subordinates. The latter hurriedly walked out of the hall. A moment later, he returned with a jade plate that was carrying an exquisitely made black colored long robe.

“This is the special apparel for a tier two alchemist. Before the material was used to make this long robe, it was first soaked in a medicinal pool that was cultivated by the Alchemist Association. Thus, you should not look down on it. After wearing it, the cloth material that was soaked in the medicinal liquid will come into contact with the air and release a strange scent. This strange scent will help the wearer maintain an alert state at all times. Additionally, under it’s stimulation, the skin of a person will become somewhat sensitive. When this happens, it will help the alchemist to have slightly better control of their flame when refining medicine.” Frank received the jade plate and proudly announced in detail the effect of the long robe, “At the same time, it also possesses immunity to some poisons. Moreover, after being specially made by the Alchemist Association, the defensive ability of this Alchemist’s long robe is even stronger than ordinary armors. If it were not for the the costliness of making it, resulting in the impossibility of making it in bulk, the Empire would have already snatched it and used it to equip its soldiers…”

Hearing the introduction by Frank, Xiao Yan was also a little amazed. He did not expect that this magnificent looking long robe would have so many coveted abilities.

“No wonder so many alchemists join the Alchemist Association. This kind of treatment really attracts people…” Xiao Yan received the long robe and swept his eyes over it. He noticed an alchemist badge was placed near the chest region. On the badge was an ancient looking medicinal cauldron with two mercury like ripples on it that continued to twist slightly, like they were something alive.

Panning his palm over the pitch black robe, Xiao Yan felt a gentle sensation that was like the tender skin of a lady. It was extremely beautiful.

“Tsk tsk… an alchemist is undoubtedly the most prestigious job in the Dou Qi continent. Just this long robe would likely have cost over a hundred thousand gold coins to manufacture.” Xiao Yan flipped the black colored long robe around and looked at it in a very attached manner. After which, he removed his ordinary rough outer garment and pulled it over his body. Instantly, the black robe touched his skin, causing him to feel refreshed and comfortable much like he was dipped in a mist of water. A strange fragrance also stealthily entered his nose and his exhausted mind was suddenly much more active.

After a year of tough training, Xiao Yan’s figure had also gradually grew. Although his face still appeared thin, it had a faint elegant feeling now that he had put on this appropriate black long robe. The last bit of tenderness on his face was also perfectly concealed.

Seeing that Xiao Yan had appeared as though he had completely changed into a new person after putting on the Alchemist long robe, Frank and Ao Tuo smiled and nodded. Clearly, they were quite pleased with Xiao Yan’s current image.

Within the hall, Xue Mei and Lin Fei who were staring at Xiao Yan and noticed the change in him and surprise flashed across their faces. In their examination, they paused longer on Xiao Yan’s smiling face a while longer without anyone noticing.

“Excellent…” After personally experiencing the benefit the Alchemist robe brought, Xiao Yan nodded and let out repeated praises.

Seeing Xiao Yan’s satisfied manner, Frank smiled. The influence that an alchemist could create was really too big. In order to gather those with great ability to this prestigious occupation, the Alchemist Association had really put in a great amount of effort.

“Alright, the examination is already over. Everyone, please disperse.”

Frank faced the hall and waved his hand. After which, he turned to Xiao Yan and said with a smile, “Do you have time? If you do, I would like to chat with you.”

Hearing this, Xiao Yan smiled and nodded his head as he said, “It’s just as well. Chairman, I have some things that I also need to ask for. I hope you’ll be able to help.”

“Haha. Xue Mei, Lin Fei, the both of you should follow the others who passed the test to go and take the tier one alchemist badge and long robe. We still have some things to do so we cannot accompany you.” After smiling to Xue Mei, Frank exchange a glance with Ao Tuo before the two of them led the way out of the hall.

Watching this obvious inferior treatment, Lin Fei could only helplessly nod her head. With dissatisfaction, she grimaced at Frank’s back and muttered, “Bias!”

“Let’s go. Stop complaining. He has the qualifications to make teacher biased. If you are dissatisfied, you can immediately go and take the test for a tier two alchemist.” Xue Mei said with a smile as she got up and walked toward the exit of the hall.

“Hmph… what’s so great?” Lin Fei softly snorted. Her footsteps followed Xue Mei but her voice obviously lacked the confidence. She was barely adequate to take the test for a tier one alchemist. A tier two test… it was not as though she was as full of herself as she appeared.

“Xiao Yan, please take a seat,” In a tidy study, Frank told Xiao Yan with a smile.

Randomly taking a seat on a chair, Xiao Yan did not beat around the bush as he said, “Grandmasters, if you have any questions, please ask. If the questions are not too intrusive, I will not hide anything.” As he said this, a cunningness flashed across Xiao Yan’s eyes; what was or wasn’t too intrusive was determined by him.

“Hehe, what a crafty and alert young man.” Frank shook his head and laughed. After living for quite a few decades, Frank naturally understood the meaning behind Xiao Yan’s words.

“Since you have already registered with the Association, we naturally needed to perform some administrative work. Ah… regarding the part of your teacher in the registration information from earlier… it seems somewhat incorrect. In my memory, there doesn’t seem to be an Alchemist Grandmaster in the Jia Ma Empire called Yao Lao.” Frank asked with a smile as his hand waved at the information that Xiao Yan had registered with earlier.

“I’m sorry but before I left, my teacher had told me not to reveal any information about him. However, he has never registered with the Association.” Xiao Yan spread his hands out as he replied.

Hearing this, Frank and Ao Tuo shook their heads helplessly. It appeared that trying to get information of his teacher from this kid’s mouth appeared nearly impossible.

“Alright , since you are unwilling to say, we will not make things difficult for you. There are indeed some strong people within the Jia Ma Empire who do not like others knowing about them.” Letting out a sigh, Ao Tuo mused for a moment before asking, “The last question. About the purple colored flame that you were controlling… you may also know that that flame of yours isn’t a ‘Heavenly Flame’, is it?”

“Haha, it would be good if it was…” Shaking his head with a smile, Xiao Yan half truthfully said, “That Purple Flame is something that I coincidentally managed to obtain from the Amethyst Winged Lion. Don’t ask me in detail on how I obtained it. When I met it in the Magic Beast Mountain Range, it spit flame at me for no reason. If I did not possess something that protected my life, I might have been incinerated by it on the spot. After the incident, I realized that there was an additional Purple Flame in my body.”

“Amethyst Winged Lion?”

Hearing this, both Frank and Ao Tuo momentarily stilled. They then quickly nodded their head as though they had realized something. “No wonder… it is the Purple Flame from an Amethyst Winged Lion. I was just wondering why it had a faint violent and wild character. You are really fortunate to be able to get a hold of this thing. Back then there were also quite a number of Alchemists who were planning on getting hold of its flame. Sadly, they all failed in the end.”

“Ugh, forget it. Basically, we didn’t get you to reveal any information.” Frank waved his hand and helplessly said, “Just tell us your problem.”

“H ha.” Xiao Yan opened his mouth and laughed. He then closed his lips tightly and stared intently at the two of them. He said softly, “I need something. I’m not sure if you grandmasters can help me check if any other alchemist possesses it?”

“What thing?”

“Ice Spirit Cold Fountain!”