As the saying goes, wealth and honor never return to one's hometown, like walking in fine clothes at night.
Xiao Yan, who had just broken through, smiled even brighter upon hearing the voices outside. He didn't even bother to continue his efforts, but immediately stood up to greet them.
"Brother Guan, what's the good news?"
"Yes, you've taken another step closer to becoming a Dou Wang. Among my peers, your talent is in the top three!"
Chen Guan exclaimed respectfully at Xiao Yan's elusive, 'accidentally' leaking aura.
"As for the good news...isn't your teacher preparing for his resurrection? Is the only thing missing the Growing Bone and Blood Melting Pill?"
"Yes, the Growing Bone and Blood Melting Pill is quite high-grade, and ingredients like the Blood Essence Demon Fruit and Snow Bone Ginseng are also very precious. Even the Dan Tower doesn't have any in stock. It'll take some time to gather them."
Xiao Yan chuckled, his face flushing slightly.
Chen Guan wasn't surprised. He flipped his hand and pulled out a jade box emitting an icy chill.
"Look what this is."
"Snow Bone Ginseng?!"
"Indeed, did Yao Lao tell you there's a senior around me who needs to be resurrected?"
"My teacher mentioned it after the incident at the Yunlan Sect in the Jia Ma Empire." Xiao Yan nodded.
"That's right. I've been trying to find a way to revive this senior for years, collecting herbs. Luckily, I found two Snow Bone Ginseng plants. I can give one to you. It'll save you some effort."
Chen Guan spoke lightly. Now, holding the jade box, Xiao Yan saw it, his entire body glowing, brimming with sincerity.
He truly cares so much about me!
Xiao Yan felt a slight warmth in his heart, ashamed of his childish boasting. He quickly put aside his inappropriate thoughts and turned serious.
"Brother Guan, thank you!"
"No need. It's just one Snow Bone Ginseng plant. It's not difficult to collect if you spend a little more time. Keep it."
Xiao Yan nodded, accepting it, silently remembering the favor.
Chen Guan smiled faintly, sticking with his role as the treasure-giving boy for the day. He continued, "By the way, there's one more thing. Cao Ying and I were just browsing the Alchemist Trade Fair and stumbled upon a few grains of Soul-Pregnant Dust. Once she refines it, there should be four or five. We'll split it up. It's no longer useful to me, so I'm giving you my share. With it, you'll surely be able to break through to the Danling Realm soul more quickly. A stronger soul will also benefit your cultivation and allow you to ascend to Dou Wang sooner."
"Soul-Pregnant Dust?! Brother Guan, this is too..."
Xiao Yan was slightly startled. Only after using this thing could he understand its wonderful uses and value.
To him, this gift was no small matter.
The debt of owing favors piled up, and it was already becoming a heavy burden.
Yet, it was difficult for him to refuse.
The temptation was too great…
"Don't overthink it. No matter how good something is, it must be used for its intended purpose. We come from the same place, and we should help each other."
Watching Chen Guan's benevolent expression, Xiao Yan vaguely imagined seeing the shadow of Xiao Ding fade from him, replaced by the shadow of Xiao Zhan.
"Brother Guan, you're right. I've made a note of that!"
"Well, I'll wait until Cao Ying refines the Soul-Pregnant Dust and send it to you. I'm still short of Blood Essence Monster Fruits for my Bone-Growing Blood-Melting Pill. I'm going to continue searching for them. If I find any extra, I'll bring you some too."
Chen Guan smiled casually, but he couldn't stop talking about the Blood Essence Monster Fruit.
Xiao Yan nodded and stood there to see him off, his mind preoccupied with the Blood Essence Monster Fruit.
After watching Chen Guan disappear from sight, Xiao Yan glanced at the Snow Bone Ginseng in his hand. Without hesitation, he headed straight for Yao Chen's room, knocked on the door, and after receiving permission, pushed it open and entered.
Inside, Yao Chen, Xuan Yi, and Venerable Feng all looked over.
"Xiao Yanzi, is there something wrong? Eh?! This is Snow Bone Ginseng!"
Even before Xiao Yan could elaborate, Yao Chen had already spotted what he was holding.
With his own resurrection at stake, even Yao Chen was a little excited.
Xiao Yan stepped forward and placed the jade box on the table.
"Teacher, this is what Brother Guan just sent..."
Xiao Yan recounted the entire story in detail.
"Teacher, Brother Guan also needs to refine the Bone-Growing Blood-Melting Pill, and he's still short of Blood Essence Demon Fruit. With the Dan Tower's convenience, collecting it will surely be easier. If possible, I'd like to get one for Brother Guan as well."
This was a very sensible statement.
If Chen Guan were here, he would surely be delighted, and it would be no wonder that he had emphasized the Blood Essence Demon Fruit so many times.
Yao Chen, Xuan Yi, and Venerable Feng burst into laughter, exchanging glances, all understanding Chen Guan's intentions.
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"This kid is really a shrewd guy."
The value and scarcity of the Blood Essence Demon Fruit is much higher than that of the Snow Bone Ginseng. Adding a few grains of Pregnant Spirit Dust is enough to offset it.
This was an unspoken transaction. Originally, Danta, which controlled the channel, firmly held the initiative. But this interference in the middle made Xiao Yan grateful and tearful. It was as if he couldn't get over this hurdle if he didn't help him. The initiative was gone in an instant...
"Okay, then help him find one too. As I said, it's the deeds that matter, not the heart. The fact is that this kid helped us first."
Yao Chen agreed with a smile. As long as it didn't affect other matters, he was still willing to deal with Chen Guan. It could be said that it was paving the way for Xiao Yan.
Xuan Yi nodded slightly. "As far as I know, only Old Monster Lin has one Blood Essence Demon Fruit in Shengdan City. He's been trying to sell it recently. It shouldn't be hard to get one for a small price. As for the other, the Yun family in Mingzhou City seems to have one, but it'll require a trip and some effort."
Yao Chen nodded. "That's fine. We've waited all these years, so there's no rush. Let's give Old Monster Lin's fruit to him first."
"Okay."
Chirp
and chirp, day after day.
Chen Guan had spent several days browsing ancient tomes in the Dan Tower. Even if they were public and not the most precious, they still benefited greatly and were difficult to extricate himself from.
It was at such times that one could most deeply appreciate the profound heritage of an organization that had stood for hundreds or even thousands of years.
"The Alchemist's Holy Land lives up to its name!"
Chen Guan sighed softly, setting down the scroll, delighted with his recent gains.
Then, calculating that it was almost time, he decided not to linger and headed straight for the spacious testing hall on the first floor.
Unsurprisingly, Cao Ying was already waiting on the first floor when he arrived.
Upon seeing Chen Guan, a half-smile crossed Cao Ying's face, a puzzling expression.
Casually setting up a soundproof barrier, Cao Ying said, "Your perception is correct. I extracted five grains of Soul-Pregnant Dust from that copper slab, and also an unnamed spell. I practiced according to the spell and can confirm that it's a rare soul-cultivating spell on the continent today. Unfortunately, it's incomplete, so I took the trouble to transcribe it and give it to you."
As she spoke, Cao Ying produced a jade bottle and a jade slip.
Within the jade bottle were three pale yellow, spirit-like grains of dust, and the jade slip contained the unnamed spell.
Of the five Soul-Pregnant Dust grains, Cao Ying only kept two.
Chen Guan glanced at them and put them away.
Neither the Soul-Pregnant Dust nor the soul-cultivating spell were of any use to him, but he wouldn't despise them.
Little did they know that upon leaving the Jiama Empire, Yaoyue had practically jumped for joy when a spell fell from the sky and hit her head.
Since she couldn't use it herself, it was nice to keep it as a favor.
"Thank you for your hard work. Did you send them to me today? Why do you seem strange?"
Chen Guan, unable to bear the intense gaze Cao Ying cast upon him, asked bluntly.
Her smile widened, and she even laughed out loud.
"Nothing. You're here to take the Alchemist certification exam today, right?"
"Yes, I do," Chen Guan nodded.
"That's right. The teacher has given me full responsibility for today's exam. In other words, the decision on whether you pass or not rests with me."
Cao Ying folded her arms, her head held high, a triumphant air on her face.
Given her status, she certainly had the qualifications.
But Chen Guan still didn't quite understand. What was there to be so proud of?
A seventh-rank alchemist, isn't it enough to just have hands?
You can't be deliberately trying to make things difficult for me, right?
"How impressive!"
"Hehe, of course. If there's nothing else, let's go straight to the assessment?"
Chen Guan, baffled, felt as if something had changed about this enchanting woman of the Cao family. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, so he shook off his distracting thoughts, nodded in agreement, and headed for the dedicated seventh-grade alchemy room.
Cao Ying followed behind, and seeing Chen Guan's bewildered expression,
she couldn't help but smile. Just a few days ago, she couldn't imagine their relationship changing so quickly.
Meeting Xuan Kongzi today, Cao Ying had just learned from him that, if nothing unexpected happened, this person was very likely her...
junior apprentice brother?