"Old Jia, why have you awakened me again? Didn't I tell you that my strength has greatly diminished and I can't be of much help? I don't even possess the strength of a Dou Emperor anymore." The Serene Sea Scaly Beast slightly disgruntled, thunderous voice echoed across the lake as soon as it appeared.
Like the Amethyst Winged Lion King, the Serene Sea Scaly Beast could understand human speech and possessed considerable intelligence.
Standing atop the lake's surface, Jia Xing Tian looked up and smiled at the Serene Sea Scaly Beast. "Old friend, I'm not disturbing you without reason. This is Grandmaster Xiao Yan, an alchemist who possesses a Heavenly Flame. He might be able to help you."
"Oh? An alchemist with a Heavenly Flame?" Having lived for countless years, the Serene Sea Scaly Beast naturally understood the significance of a Heavenly Flame. An alchemist possessing one was undoubtedly incredibly powerful.
"This kid? A tier 6 alchemist?" The Serene Sea Scaly Beast followed Jia Xing Tian's pointing finger and saw Xiao Yan smiling at it. Immediately, it was filled with doubt.
After all, how old could Xiao Yan be? The Mixed Bone Molding Pill was a tier 6 medicinal pill. Even with a Heavenly Flame, could such a young lad possibly refine a tier 6 pill?
Xiao Yan smiled and said, "This junior's name is Xiao Yan, eighteen years old this year. I can barely be considered a 5th-tier alchemist."
"Eighteen years old! Tier 5?!!" Even the long-lived Serene Sea Scaly Beast's pupils contracted in shock upon hearing Xiao Yan's words. It could hardly believe that an eighteen-year-old youth was already a 5th-tier alchemist!
This was too unbelievable!
Princess Yao Ye asked, "Grandmaster Xiao Yan, we'd like you to see if there's any other way to treat the Serene Sea Scaly Beast's old injuries besides the Mixed Bone Molding Pill."
Chairman Fa Ma had naturally examined it before and suggested using the tier 6 Mixed Bone Molding Pill. However, the only person in the entire Jia Ma Empire capable of refining tier 6 pills was Gu He, and he was an Elder of the Misty Cloud Sect. Naturally, he wouldn't help the imperial family restore the Serene Sea Scaly Beast's strength.
Therefore, Princess Yao Ye wanted to invite Xiao Yan to see if there was any alternative besides the Mixed Bone Molding Pill.
Xiao Yan nodded. The terrifying late-stage Mortal State Spiritual Strength burst forth from his body and instantly caused ripples to surge across the entire lake's surface.
"What terrifying Spiritual Strength!"
"Why do I feel like this Spiritual Strength might even surpass Chairman Fa Ma's!"
The powerful Spiritual Strength penetrated the Serene Sea Scaly Beast's entire body and continuously diagnosed it.
The incomparably vast Spiritual Strength slowly scanned, thoroughly probing all the hidden injuries and potential problems within its body.
However, the more Xiao Yan examined, the deeper his frown became.
"How is it, Grandmaster Xiao Yan?" Yao Ye asked nervously.
Xiao Yan shook his head and replied, "I'm afraid there's no other way. The Serene Sea Scaly Beast has fought countless battles over the years, leaving too many old injuries. Some of these injuries have even affected its bloodline, causing issues with its flood dragon lineage. Only the Mixed Bone Molding Pill will suffice to completely restore its strength."
Yao Ye and Jia Xing Tian both sighed inwardly. Ten years ago, they had received the same answer when they sought out Chairman Fa Ma. They had even gone to great lengths, sparing no expense, to obtain the pill recipe for the Mixed Bone Molding Pill from a higher-level Alchemist Association.
"May I ask, Grandmaster Xiao Yan, how long would it take you to reach tier 6?" Yao Ye asked.
"Tier 6? About two years," Xiao Yan shrugged after pondering for a moment.
"Is that so? It would take two years... Huh?! Two years!!" Yao Ye suddenly raised her head to look at Xiao Yan, thinking she must have misheard!
Jia Xing Tian and the Serene Sea Scaly Beast also stared at Xiao Yan with astonished expressions, suspecting he had misspoken!
One had to know that Fa Ma had been at the peak of tier 5 for many years. The champions of the Alchemist Grand Meeting were not only Xiao Yan and Gu He, but in all these years, only Gu He had reached tier 6.
From just entering tier 5 to tier 6 in two years?!!
Xiao Yan nodded with a smile, indicating that he hadn't misspoken.
In fact, he was being conservative. For alchemists, improving fire control and Spiritual Strength were the most troublesome aspects. Over so many years, Fa Ma's progress in Spiritual Strength had been as slow as a snail's pace.
But he was different. His Spiritual Strength and fire control had already reached the tier 6 level! What he lacked was simply experience and time in alchemy.
Now that he had obtained a large amount of tier 5 medicinal ingredients, reaching the peak of tier 5 would be no problem at all. However, reaching tier 6 would require gathering new, higher-grade ingredients.
If he had access to sufficient medicinal ingredients, Xiao Yan even felt that he could reach tier 6 within half a year and be capable of refining the Mixed Bone Molding Pill!
"Grandmaster Xiao Yan, if possible, please allow the imperial family to provide you with the medicinal ingredients you need for alchemy." Princess Yao Ye suddenly grasped Xiao Yan's hands, her eyes filled with earnest appeal.
Feeling her slightly cool, jade-like hands and her pleading gaze, Xiao Yan merely smiled and gently withdrew his hands.
"My apologies, Princess Yao Ye, but I'm afraid in two months' time I must depart Jia Ma Sacred City and return to Jia Nan Academy to continue my studies. My purpose in coming to Jia Ma Sacred City this time was only to fulfill some promises." Xiao Yan's tone was neither servile nor overbearing, not swayed by the benefits before him or the beauty's pleading eyes.
He couldn't, like Gu He, join a particular faction. After all, he wasn't solely an alchemist; alchemy was just one of his auxiliary skills. He would continue to cultivate and grow stronger.
As for Heavenly Flames, Xiao Yan felt that one could never have too many, and his Flame Mantra had yet to evolve to its limit.
Princess Yao Ye's beautiful eyes instantly dimmed upon hearing his words. She looked at him helplessly and said, "I really wish I could confine Grandmaster Xiao Yan within the palace."
Xiao Yan gave a wry smile and said, "Although I can't heal the Serene Sea Scaly Beast's injuries, I can help control them and prevent the condition from worsening for three years. In three years' time, perhaps Chairman Fa Ma will have broken through to tier 6."
The Serene Sea Scaly Beast exclaimed, "You can control my injuries and prevent them from deteriorating further?!"
Xiao Yan slowly stretched out his palm with a faint smile, and with a whoosh, a mass of blood-red flame instantly burst forth from his hand.
The Serene Sea Scaly Beast, which usually detested flames, looked curiously at the blood-red flame in Xiao Yan's palm and said, "How odd. Why do I not dislike this flame at all? Instead, I feel a slight sense of closeness to it."
"This is the Ten Thousand Beast Flame, a kind of Heavenly Flame. It can strengthen a magical beast's body and activate its bloodline, so it's relatively friendly to magical beasts," Xiao Yan explained.
He unfurled his Eagle Wings and slowly hovered above the Serene Sea Scaly Beast's head. "In a moment, I'll let the Ten Thousand Beast Flame enter your body to stabilize your bloodline and eliminate some stagnant blood. This way, your injuries won't worsen for the next three years."
Xiao Yan was already well-versed in using Heavenly Flames to treat injuries, having done it several times before. The treatment process went smoothly without any mishaps.
"Ah, that feels great! Kid, you're quite capable," the Serene Sea Scaly Beast said with a look of contentment. The pain wracking its body had truly lessened considerably.
Witnessing Xiao Yan's abilities, Yao Ye and Jia Xing Tian exchanged glances and nodded to each other in silent agreement.
Yao Ye took out a red scroll from her storage ring and handed it to Xiao Yan. "Grandmaster Xiao Yan, this is the pill recipe for the Mixed Bone Molding Pill that our imperial family obtained from the Alchemist Association at great expense. This storage ring also contains three sets of ingredients for refining the Mixed Bone Molding Pill."
"If one day Grandmaster Xiao Yan can refine the Mixed Bone Molding Pill, I hope you can refine one and send it to us. At that time, Yao Ye will surely reward you generously."
Xiao Yan looked at the recipe and ingredients before him with a strange expression on his face. He had only come to the imperial palace once, yet someone was giving him a pill recipe and medicinal ingredients again?
How could I have the face to accept this!