"Grandmaster Sun Yi, this little one very much wishes to comprehend the Dao of Alchemy. Would your esteemed self mind taking this junior as an official disciple?" Though it was a long shot, Min Hong still pulled the trigger eitherways.
"I can't. You can carefully train and later, I will present an opportunity for you that will very well set you up on your path to the Alchemy Dao." Grandmaster Yi finally came to as he calmly declined.
In the face of Sun Yi's refusal, Min Hong's brows only twitched slightly as he switched to Plan B.
"Actually, what I'm truly after is a higher reputation that can deter anyone who thinks of bullying me and my family." He added with an embarrassed chuckle.
Grandmaster Sun Yi briefly spaced out before bursting into a peal of laughter. Meeting someone like Min Hong, who spoke so directly, did give his monotonous life some color; in fact, whenever he the brat spoke, he usually didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
How many years had it been since he had met such an interesting youngster? However, Min Hong's abnormal Mental Sense did cause him to have an excellent opinion of him.
"Don't worry. Later on, I'll give you a Alchemy Apprentice Badge; who would dare continue to bully you then?" Yun Qi laughed.
Min Hong's pale expression instantly became as rosy as a healthy baby. Normally, even if a person managed to pass the alchemist exam, they would be given the identity of an Alchemy Novice, and then they would work their way up from there.
Though Alchemy Novice was just an entry-level status, it was still a highly coveted one that countless people would sell themselves to attain. As for Alchemy Apprentice, it was much better; after all, that meant, one was a disciple of an Alchemy Adept or Master.
Grandmaster Sun Yi was actually an Alchemy Adept; however, because of the back water location of the Desert Flame Tribe, he was hailed as a Grandmaster.
"With your current Soul Flame and Mental Sense, it's still quite difficult for you to refine a pill. However, within a year, you will definitely be able to refine pills, so this can't count as violating rules; I'm simply giving you the badge a bit earlier." Adept Sun Yi added with a light smile.
Min Hong's gratitude knew no bounds. In terms of technique and skill, he had enough mastery to look down on anyone; however, Adept Sun Yi had now definitely gained his respect as a senior.
After they left the room, Adept Sun Yi personally brought Min Hong an Alchemy Apprentice badge; and then in addition, also gave him a cauldron and a set of alchemist association robes.
The robe was extremely luxurious, and pinned onto it were two metallic stars; the sign of a freshly accepted Alchemy Apprentice.
Just like with the Body Tempering Realm; each Alchemist Ranks was also further separated into; Metal, Bronze, Silver, Gold and Diamond.
Whilst the previous nine ranks was based on the quality and tier of pill an alchemist could refine, these five were based on their level of talent, which included the rarity of their Soul Flames, Spirit Sense and so on.
The medicinal cauldron was made of fire copper and some type of bronze green ore, and its design was, though basic, very aesthetic. Other than these things, to Min Hong's surprise, Adept Sun Yi also added a spatial ring to the gifts; which was where he placed everything in the first place.
This was a spiritual kind of ring that can only be accessed once one invades it with one's mental sense. Similarly, one can store and remove things from its interior space as long as one thinks about whatever it is they're trying to summon.
The one given to Min Hong however, only contains a space of about three cubic meters, and could only store non-living things. As for its value; despite being of low volume and restriction, it is still an extravagant commodity worth hundreds of thousands of gold coins.
At the moment, the ring was ownerless, but the moment Min Hong invaded it with his spirit sense, the ring recorded his spirit sense signature; this way, only Min Hong or someone with an even stronger spirit sense can access its storage.
Under Adept Sun Yi's advice, Min Hong used his alchemist badge to purchase some herbs with 20% discount. Apparently, the discount rate on every purchase made by an alchemist is determined by their badge, and it only increases by 10% with each rise in the alchemist's badge rank.
However, this doesn't mean it would be the same if Min Hong wanted to purchase his herbs elsewhere; lets say, for instance, the Desert Herb Market. After all, alchemists are extremely revered individuals.
Nonetheless, the 20% discount was very much better; after all, the herbs in the depository of the alchemist association were rarer and of higher grades than the one's Min Hong could find anywhre else.
Furthermore, Min Hong was also given the access to study or receive guidance from other veteran alchemists, free of charge.
Upon receiving all these benefits, Min Hong couldn't help but feel like his status has suddenly leaped from the level of a chicken to that of a phoenix. He bought a large amount of the herbs needed to complete the final training routine of his preparatory phase, and a few others.
By the time Min Hong left the alchemist association, he felt like a completely different person than when he entered; previously, he had been worthless, but now he was worth millions. Even his back stood ramrod straight, and his poise and gait took a more dignified twist.
Upon returning home, Min Hong met Qing at the entrance, and as soon as she saw him, she immediately brought him to his mother's abode.
Upon entering, Min Hong's heart couldn't help but seize for a moment as a wave of utter surprise washed over him.
Standing right there, just a few feet away from him, was an absolutely beautiful woman. She had willowy eyebrows over limpid clear eyes, cherry red lips that perfectly contrasted her unblemished jade-white skin.
Her long silky cascaded down her slender but fit shoulders, all the way to her waist. When she saw Min Hong enter, their gazes met, and this was exactly why Min Hong had been left awestruck; he had simply never seen anyone like her up until now.
The girl appeared out of this world, and her presence alone brought some sort of beauty to their entire scene. For a moment, Min Hong was unable to do or say anything but foolishly stare at her. The young maiden's cheeks reddened slightly as she instinctively turned away from him.
Seeing this, Mrs. Min couldn't help but smile; however, when she realized her son was just standing there like a boy who had just wet the bed, she quickly cleared her throat and scolded him.
"Hong'er, hurry up and greet Mei Lin. She's your future bride."
Upon mentioning the word 'bride', Mrs. Min's face couldn't help but brighten up in delight. It was at this point that Min Hong felt a wave of surprise wash over him; he had simply never even heard of such arrangements before.
"Greetings lady Mei Lin." Upon sensing his mother's glare, Min Hong swiftly recovered and bowed to the young maiden.
A slight blush crept over Mei Lin's face, but she also curtsied back. Although her cherry lips parted slightly, nothing came out of them in response.
Smiling at the turn of events, Mrs. Min walked over and gently urged them out of her room, saying:
"Mei Lin, you and Min Hong are both youngsters; both of you can go chat for a bit while I go make some food."
Facing such a beautiful maiden, for the first time, Min Hong was a bit at a loss of what to do or say next; but after a long pause, he finally managed to choke out a single sentence;
"Would you like to sit and chat here, or should we go somewhere else."
A complicated expression flashed over Mei Lin's face when she glanced at Min Hong, but this time, she managed to speak a few words.
"I do have something to say to you, but I'd rather not do so here."
Hearing this, Min Hong frowned slightly, but he still nodded.
The two of them left the estate and found a more secluded area, and upon arriving, Mei Lin reached into her robes and slowly pulled out a seal.
The moment Min Hong laid eyes on the seal, he recognized it instantaneously, and he couldn't help but be momentarily stunned.
That seal, was a tool that was specifically unique to beast tamers; it was a conduit with which they could summon their contracted pets.
Flooding the seal with her Qi, a fluctuation rippled through the air as the seal suddenly warped space in front of them, snapping Min Hong out of his train of thoughts.
In the blink of an eye, a subtle aura leaked through the portal as the head of a giant owl emerged from the portal, and upon exiting the portal, Min Hong couldn't help but be stunned for the umpteenth time.
The owl spread its wings wide and flapped it a few times as it hooted at the sky.
Having been unable to cultivate for a very long time, Min Hong had spent most of his time holed up within his estate's library, and it was from there that he had learnt a bit about beasts.
This tamed one however, was called the Frigid Night Owl; a terrifying second rank was called the Lion Eagle, a terrifying Second Rank Savage Beast.
Despite clearly still far from complete maturity, this owl, in terms of battle prowess, was far beyond Skin Refining experts; in fact, only High Level Blood Condensing experts would stand a chance.
However, this innately savage beast was exceptionally docile in front of Mei Lin, quietly perching before her with its head low to the ground. As Mei Lin slowly walked over to her pet, the latter stretched one of its wing for her to climb onto its back.
Looking back at Min Hong, Mei Lin urged; "Come up."
Sensing the haste in her tone, Min Hong gazed at the young maiden; then after muttering something beneath his breath, he climbed on.
Being the first time he had ever climbed onto the back of any mount whatsoever, Min Hong couldn't help but feel a bit nervous.
Though the owl might be Mei Lin's pet, it still didn't change the fact that it was a savage beast, and what she was doing was akin to a friend telling on to come into their compound when their massive, aggressive dog was growling at one's face; so his nervousness wasn't totally unfounded.
Upon seeing him climb on, Mei Lin softly patted the Frigid Night Owl on the neck, causing the latter to spread its wings wide, before shooting into the sky with the two of them in tow.
Min Hong was almost thrown off when he felt the G-force of the owl's ascent slam into him from above; fortunately, a gentle hand supported him from behind, allowing him to awkwardly recover. However, when he saw the faint glee on Mei Lin's face, he couldn't help but feel a bit abashed.
"Ahaha, I'm just a bit clumsy…" He smiled slightly and found a lame excuse.
At this point, Mei Lin couldn't help but slightly let out her stifled laughter; however, she quickly felt embarrassed and turned around.
The Frigid Night Owl's flying speed was extremely swift and soundless, and in just a few minutes, they were already out of the Tribe's central region, and had arrived atop one Sunset Mountain.
From here, the setting sun spilled out a blood-red color that gave the tribe's central region an extremely beautiful backdrop. However, the duo simply stood at the peak of the mountain, neither of them saying anything.
However, as Min Hong gazed upon the central region, a trace of sourness flashed in his eyes as he heaved a helpless sigh.
Hearing this, Mei Lin hesitated slightly before finally heaving a sigh of her own, as she firmed her mind and parted her cherry lips;
"Min Hong, I…"
"You're here to get out of the marriage?" Min Hong interjected her with a candid tone; he didn't even turn to look at her, and simply focused his gaze on the scenic artwork in front of him.
Mei Lin's heart couldn't help but shudder when she heard him; a trace of disbelief appeared on her beautiful as she retreated a couple of steps.