In the presence of such a powerful expert, Qin Ya didn't dare be presumptuous. With a trace of respect, he said, "I need Earth Dragon Fruit, Lingyun Wood, Withered Yellow Root..."
After Qin Ya finished reciting a long list of ingredients, the old man was somewhat surprised. Though these items were nothing special in his eyes, there were very few people in Anxing City who could afford them all. 'Does this kid really have that much money?'
Furthermore, the ingredients were similar to a pill formula he recalled, yet not quite the same. It was truly strange. Filled with doubt, the old man asked directly, "Are these the ingredients for refining the Earth Spirit Pill?"
Qin Ya was surprised. 'Could this old man be not only a powerful martial artist, but an Alchemist as well?' "Mm, that's right."
Upon hearing this, the old man continued, "I know a thing or two about the Earth Spirit Pill formula, but I don't understand why you've added Lingyun Wood and Fire Cloud Fruit."
'So, this old man is definitely an Alchemist,' Qin Ya thought. At this realization, he straightened his back, a hint of arrogance in his posture. His respectful demeanor vanished, replaced by a casual air.
'Throughout the entire history of the Azure Sky Realm, when it comes to the Alchemy Dao, if I claim to be second, no one would dare claim to be first.'
"Lingyun Wood has a gentle nature and a regulating effect. When paired with the Withered Yellow Root in the Earth Spirit Pill formula, it creates a balance that increases the efficiency of the pill's formation. As for the Fire Cloud Fruit, its medicinal power is incredibly potent, but refining it over a low heat allows for better extraction of impurities, thereby increasing the elixir's quality..."
Qin Ya spoke with poise and confidence, carrying the air of a senior instructing a junior. Beside them, Xiaohai was completely dumbfounded. 'This guy is that incredible?'
The young girl's eyes sparkled with fascination as she watched Qin Ya curiously. 'In all her life, she'd never seen a young man dare to speak to her grandfather that way!'
"Brilliant! Simply brilliant! The Earth Spirit Pill is a Third-Grade Elixir. An Alchemist capable of improving the pill formula to this extent must have mastery at the Fifth Grade or higher." The old man stroked his graying beard, marveling endlessly and completely unbothered by Qin Ya's attitude.
In addition to being a powerful martial artist, the old man was also a Third-Grade Alchemist. He couldn't help but feel a sudden joy, as if he had met a kindred spirit, and his expression softened.
"I've never heard of such a figure in Anxing City. My name is Huaa Que. Might I be so bold as to ask for this Alchemist's name?"
Huaa Que introduced himself first before politely posing his question.
'A Fifth-Grade Alchemist is more than worthy of my friendship.'
Qin Ya smiled faintly and said nonchalantly, "That would be me."
Upon hearing this, Huaa Que's expression darkened. Xiaohai wore a look of utter disdain, and the girl behind them burst out laughing. Though she wasn't worldly, she knew what a Fifth-Grade Alchemist represented—they were major figures in the entire Yunxiao Empire.
'A boy who looks about my age is such a major figure? The very thought is ridiculous. If that were true, wouldn't the title of Alchemist be completely devalued?'
"Boy, are you joking?"
Huaa Que's face was grim. Forget Anxing City—in the entire Yunxiao Empire, there were few who dared to lie to him.
Especially with such a blatant lie. If it weren't for the sake of the potential Fifth-Grade Alchemist behind this, he would have thrown Qin Ya out long ago.
Qin Ya shrugged and said flatly, "Believe it or not. Now, enough idle chatter. Just give me the ingredients I came to buy."
"Hmph," Huaa Que snorted. "You ignorant whelp. Do you have any idea what a Fifth-Grade Alchemist is? They are figures that even powerful martial artists of the Celestial Essence Realm must treat with caution! With a single command from someone like that, the Three Great Noble Families of Anxing City would be nothing but a joke, easily wiped out with a wave of a hand."
Qin Ya frowned. 'Did I overplay my hand?'
'Have Alchemists really declined this much? A mere Fifth-Grade Alchemist can lord over an entire Empire?'
Qin Ya couldn't wrap his head around it. In his past life, he was already a Seventh-Grade Alchemist by the age of twenty. At thirty, he broke through to the tenth grade, and his mastery of the Alchemy Dao only grew more profound and unfathomable until he reached the unprecedented realm of a Pill Venerable.
'In his time, a Fifth-Grade Alchemist was considered merely decent!'
"I'm not a Fifth-Grade Alchemist. I've just studied the Earth Spirit Pill quite thoroughly," Qin Ya said. 'Fine.' To buy the ingredients from Huaa Que, he had to downplay his abilities yet again. He felt utterly helpless.
"Keep talking. Just keep digging that hole deeper," Huaa Que said, his disbelief turning to even greater contempt.
The girl's gaze on Qin Ya grew even more intrigued. Her sharp intuition told her that he wasn't lying, but she still couldn't bring herself to believe him.
Suddenly, the girl's expression twisted in extreme pain. Her jet-black pupils instantly shifted to an unnatural, silvery-white. The surrounding air plunged in temperature, feeling like the dead of winter as a frigid aura erupted from her body.
Huaa Que sensed it instantly. His expression changed drastically as he waved his hand, flinging Xiaohai several yards away. A thick layer of frost had already coated the spot where Xiaohai had been standing, and it was still spreading.
At the source of the frost, the girl was clutching her head in agony, her body curled up like a fragile flower bud in a snowstorm—a truly pitiable sight.
Seeing this, Huaa Que cursed under his breath. "Damn it!"
He waved his hand, gathering the Heaven and Earth Primordial Power to envelop the girl and halt the frost's advance. Simultaneously, he pressed his palm to her forehead, pouring a surge of True Essence into her body to suppress the astonishingly cold aura.
Nearby, Qin Ya froze as a piece of information suddenly surfaced in his mind.
'Pale white hair, silver pupils, a frosty aura... This is...'
'The Profound Yin Bloodline!'
Legend told that in the primordial era, the ancestors of humanity possessed all sorts of incredible and powerful talents. They commanded wind and fire, summoned rain and clouds, shouldered mountains, and plucked the stars and moon from the sky. They were nigh-divine. But over the long eons, these talents were gradually lost to time.
However, they were not severed completely. They lay dormant, deep within the bloodlines of humanity. Occasionally, someone would awaken, gaining talents far surpassing those of ordinary people and allowing them to travel much further on the path of Martial Arts.
They were called... the Awakened!
With his Leakless Body, Qin Ya himself was one of the Awakened. What astonished him was that this frail-looking girl before him was an Awakened as well.
Bearers of the Profound Yin Bloodline are almost always female. Without proper guidance during the initial stages of their awakening, the bloodline brings no benefits and will instead cause them great harm.
This girl was a textbook example, suffering from the corrosion of the cold aura to the point of unbearable agony.
The cold aura within the girl was gradually suppressed by Huaa Que, and she fainted. Xiaohai, having come to his senses, quickly helped her into the back courtyard.
Gazing at the faint layer of frost on his own palm, Huaa Que sighed. 'Alas, Shuang'er's cold aura is getting worse and worse. I'm almost unable to suppress it anymore.'
Noticing Qin Ya was still in the Medicine Shop, Huaa Que snorted, a flash of impatience in his eyes. "Boy," he said coldly, "get the hell out of here!"
Qin Ya took a deep breath and said evenly, "I never expected to see a bearer of the Profound Yin Bloodline again. How many times has this frigid outburst occurred?"
Huaa Que's expression changed drastically. "You... you know about this?" he stammered in disbelief.
Huaa Que was so stunned he didn't even notice the word "again" in Qin Ya's statement.
'Few people even know about bloodline awakenings, let alone how to name a specific one. In his eyes, Qin Ya was just an arrogant, ignorant whelp. How could he possibly know about such things?'
'Could it be that the Fifth-Grade Alchemist told him?'