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**
Wei Yang spoke to Zi Yan with patient sincerity, earnestly teaching her the most basic principles of behavior.
Although this world revered strength above all else, that didn't mean one could just take whatever they liked—whether by stealing or snatching.
Zi Yan had a naturally straightforward personality. And precisely because of that, Wei Yang couldn't help but take the time to talk to her like this.
He couldn't allow her to grow up developing such bad habits.
Of course, it couldn't be denied—back when Wei Yang was still weak, he had done similar things too. For example, he had once raided Yao Fan and Gu Te's treasury and cleaned it out completely.
But that was during a time when his strength was meager, and he was starved for resources to improve himself. It was a desperate move born from anxiety.
It was also the only time he'd acted that way.
At the very least, whenever he had options, he always preferred to trade for what he needed—to get what he wanted through mutual exchange.
After all, when living in this world, one still needed to respect the basic rules of the game.
You couldn't just go around doing things like a bandit.
"I get it, I get it…" Zi Yan grumbled, shaking her little head. "Why are you and Xiao Yan both so naggy?"
"Oh? You think I'm nagging? Then leave. Don't come find me anymore," Wei Yang said as he pushed the jade box across the table toward her and waved his hand, motioning for her to leave.
Hearing that, Zi Yan immediately shut her mouth. She shook her head quickly, grabbing tightly onto the hem of Wei Yang's robe, blinking her large gemstone-like black eyes with an expression of exaggerated guilt.
Wei Yang glanced at her and sighed helplessly. Then he lifted his eyes to look at Medusa, who was standing to the side.
Under his gaze, Medusa looked a little guilty. Her enchanting eyes flickered evasively before she spoke with a hint of embarrassment, "Well… we saw the fighting going on here was getting intense, and we got bored. So we wandered around a bit and… well, we happened to come across some things."
Wei Yang was stunned for a second, then stared at her speechlessly. He pointed at the jade box on the table and said: "Don't tell me you took this… from the Alchemist Association's treasury."
"Uh…" Medusa opened her mouth but said nothing.
Next to her, Zi Yan's eyes darted around guiltily, her expression practically spelling out the word "caught."
"You two…" Wei Yang nearly laughed in disbelief.
Good grief—they actually dared to steal from his own headquarters.
Even a rabbit knows not to eat grass near its own burrow!
This kind of habit could absolutely not be allowed to grow.
With Zi Yan's space talent—one that allowed her to bypass almost any barrier or seal—if she really wanted to steal something, no one could guard against her.
Wei Yang's expression darkened as he turned his sharp gaze to Zi Yan and spoke word by word, "How many things did you take from the Association? However you took them, you're going to return them all, one by one."
"All of them?" Zi Yan widened her eyes.
"That's right!" Wei Yang barked.
"…Okay," Zi Yan muttered with a pout, clearly unwilling but not daring to argue.
"Right now. Immediately. At once!" Wei Yang reached out and pinched her ear, lifting it gently but firmly. "Before they notice anything's gone, you're going to put everything back. Otherwise, I won't be able to explain it!"
"Ow ow ow! I get it, I get it! I'll return them now!" Zi Yan begged for mercy repeatedly.
Standing to the side, Queen Medusa moved her lips slightly as if she wanted to say something but ultimately fell silent. Her expression held visible reluctance, but she didn't dare speak up and simply turned her gaze away.
Then, with her head drooping, Zi Yan picked up the jade box and dragged her feet over to Medusa's side.
"Sister Medusa, let's go. Stupid Wei Yang! I'm not talking to you anymore, hmph!" Zi Yan turned her head and shot Wei Yang a fierce glare.
Wei Yang didn't react, simply giving them a stern look as they left.
He watched the two girls slink away in shame and shook his head helplessly.
Those two… real troublemakers—both utterly fearless, afraid of neither heaven nor earth.
No wonder Xiao Yan had been so irritated along the way, constantly looking like he'd swallowed charcoal.
At the time, Wei Yang had been too focused on cultivating to pay much attention. He just thought it was a little funny.
But now that the trouble had landed at his doorstep, he finally realized what a headache it was.
The next morning, as the sun rose.
Within Wei Yang's courtyard, a group of elderly men were already sitting cross-legged in an orderly fashion, their expressions serious and focused as they listened attentively.
Wei Yang sat under the eaves in a loose robe, calmly lecturing. He was sharing insights and experiences from his own journey in the art of alchemy, occasionally answering questions raised by the elders below.
As he spoke, a black flame hovered in his palm, constantly shifting temperatures in coordination with his explanations, making everything more vivid and intuitive.
President Fa Ma sat beside Wei Yang, also watching and listening intently, his expression full of reverence and focus.
"Controlling the flame... Take the Three Lines Green Spirit Pill as an example. The transitions between different flames are the most dangerous part of the process. That's when mistakes are most likely to occur and cause the entire refinement to fail."
"Actually, there is a method to follow. Watch closely—like this..."
As Wei Yang spoke, he flipped his other hand. Instantly, three ordinary peak-tier 4th-rank beast flames ignited in his palm, each burning at a distinct temperature.
Then, with a flick of his wrist, he tossed in a Tier 3 medicinal herb and began to control the three beast flames in succession. He took turns using each one to incinerate and refine the herb, demonstrating the technique of flame transitions.
The way he swapped between the three beast flames was as smooth and fluid as flowing water—flawless and precise, without the slightest error.
Below him, the group of elderly alchemists watched, completely entranced. Even President Fa Ma wore an expression of stunned admiration, internally full of awe.
This level of flame control could only be described as flawless.
The three beast flames seemed like mere extensions of Wei Yang's fingers—doing exactly as he willed, completely obedient.
Of course, to achieve such mastery, one needed not only exceptional flame control techniques and extensive experience, but also a powerful soul force as the foundation.
Everything else could be considered external factors, but soul power—that was the core, the key. It was also the very thing that all those present yearned for, yet could not obtain.
Still, that didn't stop them from gaining much from Wei Yang's explanation and demonstration.
After all, many problems that once felt insurmountable looked trivial when viewed from Wei Yang's level. He could easily provide several workable solutions to issues that had stumped others for years.
To him, what seemed like a simple flick of the wrist might actually be an unreachable mystery to someone standing on a lower level. No matter how hard they racked their brains, they simply wouldn't figure it out without a higher vantage point.
Time passed.
By the time the sun reached its peak in the sky, Wei Yang's lecture finally drew to a close.
Although the elders were visibly reluctant to leave, they rose in a rush, their steps hurried and eager.
Each of them had gained tremendous insight. Longstanding doubts had suddenly become clear, and now they were desperate to return and digest what they had learned.
Even Fa Ma, seated beside Wei Yang, slowly closed his eyes in silent contemplation, seemingly gaining something from the session.
Wei Yang noticed this and smiled slightly, sipping his tea.
He genuinely hoped that Fa Ma could use this opportunity to break through his current shackles and truly reach the Tier 6 level as an alchemist.
Unfortunately—
A few moments later, Fa Ma opened his eyes and let out a helpless sigh.
"Still no progress?" Wei Yang frowned slightly.
"I did gain something from today, yes—but it was only an increase in experience. Without growth in soul power, nothing fundamental will change."
Fa Ma exhaled slowly and shook his head with a wry smile. "I'm already old. My potential has long been exhausted. Unless I break through to a new realm, there's no other way for me to strengthen my soul. Even if I just keep pushing forward slowly, the growth would be extremely limited."
"And the barrier that has plagued me for so many years... it seems to only grow thicker and stronger with time," Fa Ma said with a sigh.
"I see," Wei Yang nodded silently in response.
Fa Ma's current soul realm was at the peak of the Mid Mortal Stage, just half a step away from entering the Late Mortal Stage.
But that "half-step" was like an insurmountable canyon—no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't cross it.
And for someone of Fa Ma's age, the potential within his soul had long dried up.
It was like a riverbed slowly drying out. No matter how much you squeezed it, no more water would come out. On the contrary, the longer time went on, the drier it would become.
With Fa Ma's cultivation, soul strength, and decades of accumulated experience, he could try to refine Tier 6 pills.
But the success rate was pitifully low, not even 20%.
At that rate, it was a gamble—maybe he'd succeed once before his soul force ran out.
But more likely, he would fail.
And Tier 6 medicinal ingredients were far too rare and valuable to afford many such wasteful attempts.
The margin of error when refining Tier 6 pills was far too slim.
Any failure would mean a loss that hurt deeply.
This was also why Tier 6 alchemists were so rare.
Experience, insight, and flame control—Fa Ma had all of those. But if he wanted to truly ascend to the Tier 6, he had to break through into the Late Mortal Stage in terms of soul strength.
But relying on time to reach that point? That was no longer realistic.
His potential was already spent.
His only real chance... was to advance to Dou Zong—only then could his deteriorating body and soul be rejuvenated and undergo a true transformation.
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