Xiao Chen didn't wait for her to recover from her shock. His 4x Perception was screaming at him—the energy fluctuations from the Dou Huang battle hadn't just attracted him; they were drawing in scavengers.
"Senior, your Dou Qi is being suppressed by the Purple-Crystal Seal. If we stay here, the scent of this python's blood will bring every 2nd and 3rd-tier beast in the radius directly to us," Chen said, his voice grounded and authoritative.
Yun Yun tried to summon her wind wings, but a spasm of purple light rippled across her skin, and she stumbled. Chen was there in a blur—no longer the "fast" movement of a child, but the terrifyingly efficient displacement of a 4-Star Dou Shi. He caught her, his arm supporting her waist.
"Let go..." she whispered, though there was no strength in her protest.
"I'm an Alchemist, not a kidnapper," Chen retorted with a dry smirk. "Though with the way you're glowing purple, you'd make a very expensive lamp."
He didn't give her a choice. He swept her up in a princess carry. With his 4x Physical Strength, her weight was negligible. He kicked off the muddy ground, using the [Rippling Silk Step]. This time, the emerald flames beneath his feet didn't just propel him; they stabilized him, allowing him to glide over the swamp like a ghost.
The Hidden Grotto
Ten miles away, tucked behind a waterfall that masked their scent and sound, Chen found a dry cave. He laid Yun Yun down on a flat stone slab.
The cave was dim, lit only by the faint glow of the moss and the dying purple light emanating from Yun Yun's chest. The Purple-Crystal Seal was a 6th-tier curse; it didn't just block her Qi; it was slowly eating away at her vitality.
"You... you are a Xiao member," Yun Yun panted, her veil having fallen away to reveal a face of breathtaking, albeit pale, beauty. "How can a 1st-Rank Alchemist hope to break a 6th-Tier seal?"
"Who said I was just a 1st-Rank?" Chen pulled out his cauldron—the heavy copper one he'd received from Ao Tuo.
[System Mission Update]
Objective: Break the Purple-Crystal Seal.
Current Soul Strength: Spirit Realm (Middle).
Advantage: 4x Soul Perception allows you to see the "Fractal Flaws" in the 6th-tier energy structure.
Requirement: Refine a 'Purple-Mist Heart-Cleansing Pill'.
The Alchemy of the Impossible
Chen ignored Yun Yun's stares. He began to throw ingredients into the cauldron with a speed that looked like a blur.
Sun-Fire Grass.
Ice-Heart Pith.
The Bi-Colored Python Core.
Normally, an Alchemist would need hours to balance the fire and ice elements of the python core. But Chen's 4x Soul Perception allowed him to see the energy as literal threads. He reached into the fire with his soul, braiding the red and blue threads together with a precision that would make a 5th-Rank Alchemist weep with envy.
Vroooom!
The emerald flame roared. The temperature in the cave spiked.
Yun Yun watched, her eyes wide. She was a Dou Huang; she had seen the Alchemist Grandmasters of the Empire work. They were slow, methodical, and terrified of failure. This boy was... violent. He was forcing the ingredients to submit to his will.
"His soul strength..." she muttered. "It's not just 'strong.' It's dense. It's like a diamond."
The Breaking of the Seal
Thirty minutes later, Chen held a swirling purple and green pill. It vibrated in his palm, humming with the power of the python's dual nature.
"Eat this," he commanded.
Yun Yun looked at the pill, then at the boy whose silver robes were now charred rags. She took it.
As the pill dissolved, Chen didn't just sit back. He placed his hand directly over her heart—the center of the seal.
"What are you—"
"Quiet. I'm 'watching' the seal's reaction."
With his 4x Soul Perception, Chen 'entered' her meridian system. To him, the seal looked like a massive, purple crystalline cage. But because his talent had quadrupled, he saw the tiny, microscopic cracks where the energy didn't quite mesh.
"Found it."
He funneled his Green Wood Flame into her chest. He didn't use brute force; he used a "High-Frequency Vibration" technique.
Ting!
The sound of shattering glass echoed in the cave. The purple light on Yun Yun's skin exploded outward, dissipating into smoke.
The Aftermath: A Predator's Respect
The surge of returning Dou Huang-level energy was like a physical blow. The air in the cave compressed, and Chen was nearly thrown back by the sheer pressure of her returning power.
Yun Yun stood up, her blue Qi erupting around her like a hurricane. The exhaustion vanished, replaced by the terrifying aura of a Sect Leader. She looked down at her hands, then at Chen, who was casually wiping soot off his face.
She could have killed him in a heartbeat to keep her secret. She could have walked away.
Instead, she walked over to him and stood just inches away. At her full height, she towered over the eleven-year-old, but she felt as though she were looking at an equal.
"You are a monster, Xiao Chen," she said, her voice a mix of fear and profound respect. "No child should be able to do what you just did. Your 'talent' is a threat to the balance of this continent."
Chen looked up, his emerald eyes meeting her starlight gaze. "Balance is just another word for stagnation, Senior. I prefer growth."
Yun Yun reached into her robes and pulled out a small, exquisite jade pendant shaped like a cloud.
"If you ever leave this mountain and find yourself in the Misty Cloud Sect... show this. No one will dare touch you." She paused, a rare, soft smile touching her lips. "And thank you. Not just for the pill... but for showing me that the world still has secrets worth discovering."
Before Chen could respond, she vanished in a streak of blue light, leaving behind only the scent of lotus flowers and a small pile of high-grade medicinal herbs as "payment."
Chen looked at the pendant, then tossed it into his storage ring.
"Sect Leader of the Misty Cloud Sect... checked off the list," Chen muttered. He sat back down, his body finally screaming in exhaustion. "System, how far am I from the 8x Multiplier at the Da Dou Master level?"
[Infinite Doubling System]
Current Progress: 5%.
Warning: To reach 8x, you will need to consume an 'Essential Flame' or a 'Heavenly Fire'.
Next Recommended Target: The 'Green Lotus Core Flame' in the Tager Desert.
Chen laid back on the stone floor, a shark-like grin on his face. "The desert? Well, I've always wanted a tan."