"Hey, did you hear? Yesterday, the Young Sect Leader of the Misty Cloud Sect personally came to the Xiao family to break off the engagement. It seems they've also made a three-year agreement."
"I just found out. After something like this, I wonder how Xiao Zhan and his son can still show their faces." The man chuckled with a look of glee.
"Exactly. If it were me, I'd just end it there to avoid bringing more shame to the family."
At the gate of Wu Tan City, Lin Feng overheard this and thought to himself, So the Misty Cloud Sect came to cancel the engagement yesterday? Too bad I was busy all day, or I might have caught a glimpse of the famous scene of the broken engagement.
"But it seems Yao Lao will make an appearance soon."
On his way back to the city and to the trading company, Lin Feng overheard several people mocking Xiao Yan for the broken engagement. He shook his head.
From what he gathered, it was clear that the Ao Ba Clan and the Jia Lie Clan were behind the scenes, stirring up trouble to discredit the Xiao family.
However, the ridicule Xiao Yan faced wasn't entirely unfounded.
Back when Xiao Yan still had his talent, he was arrogant, relying on his rank and the protection of the strong guards Xiao Zhan assigned to him. He offended many people in Wu Tan City.
At the time, Lin Feng wanted to befriend Xiao Yan, who was the same age. When Xiao Yan's strength began to decline over the past three years, Lin Feng would occasionally offer him some words of encouragement.
His thought was that once Xiao Yan regained his strength, it could benefit him.
Unfortunately, Xiao Yan's talent had already been celebrated far and wide by the Xiao family, and as the son of the family head, Lin Feng wasn't in a position to even talk to this former genius.
Breaking off the engagement? Suction Palm? Lin Feng suddenly remembered from the original story that the day after Xiao Yan's engagement was broken, he found a low-level Xuan-ranked skill, the Suction Palm, in the Xiao Family market.
Lin Feng's eyes lit up at this memory—this was his chance to easily obtain a valuable Xuan-ranked skill.
Without delay, he rushed to the Xiao Family Market. After walking through several stalls, he finally spotted an old, rust-covered black iron piece at a corner stall.
"Found it."
Lin Feng examined the black iron sheet, feeling a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy. He breathed a sigh of relief.
The iron sheet was ancient, covered in rust and dirt, as if freshly dug up from the ground.
But Lin Feng knew it contained a low-level Xuan Class Dou Techniques.
As expected of, the Xuan Class Dou technique, once practiced, would allow Dou Qi energy to flow through the meridians in a unique way, greatly amplifying its power.
Of course, Dou technique come in different levels, similar to martial arts. But generally, Dou technique are valued less compared to techniques of the same level.
Lin Feng composed himself. These vendors were shrewd and would raise the price if they saw him showing too much interest. He didn't want to get ripped off, especially since he didn't have much money.
Casually, he picked up a few other junk items at the stall, intentionally avoiding the magic cores worth hundreds of gold coins. While pretending to browse, he spotted a crystal ball used for testing Dou Qi attributes.
Realizing he had never tested his own attributes, Lin Feng picked one up and smiled at the vendor, who had a shifty look about him. "Boss, how much is this?"
"Ten gold coins," the man replied, noticing Lin Feng's plain attire and giving a fair price.
"Can it be cheaper?"
The vendor impatiently waved his hand. "No, all the crystal balls for testing attributes go for this price. If it's too expensive, go dig one up yourself and polish it for use."
"Alright." Lin Feng pretended to be disappointed and gathered ten gold coins, handing them over.
The vendor glanced at the amount, waved Lin Feng away, and motioned for him to leave.
"My table is uneven. Could I use this as a cushion?" Lin Feng casually picked up the black iron sheet.
"Sure, just get out of here and stop blocking my customers," the vendor grumbled, dismissing the piece as worthless.
Lin Feng smiled, thanked him, and walked away, putting the iron sheet in his collar.
But just as he was leaving the market, a young man in black about his age stopped him, pointing at the iron sheet. "Excuse me, do you sell that piece of black iron?"
Lin Feng looked up and recognized the man—it was Xiao Yan.
After a brief moment of surprise, he quickly deduced that Xiao Yan's teacher, Yao Lao, had likely sensed something special about the iron.
But Lin Feng's attention shifted to the girl standing beside Xiao Yan. She was calm and elegant, with a budding beauty and an ethereal grace. Though still young, her charm was undeniable, and Lin Feng couldn't help but think, So this is Xiao Xun'er? She's stunning. Too bad befriending her is out of the question now.
Lin Feng quickly refocused and responded to Xiao Yan, "Not for sale."
Xiao Yan glanced at Lin Feng's simple clothing and casually offered, "My table is uneven, and I could use that iron sheet. I'll give you five gold coins for it."
Lin Feng, having read the original story, recognized the familiar line and smirked. "No thanks. Not for sale."
Xiao Yan, taken aback by the refusal, thought, Does he know the secret of the iron sheet too?
Despite this, Xiao Yan, still tempted by the Xuan-level Dou technique hidden in the iron, pressed further. "I'm the son of Xiao Zhan, the five-star Dou Master of the Xiao family, and the third young master of the family. Things have been unstable in Wutan City lately, so one person disappearing wouldn't be a big deal. Are you sure you don't want to reconsider?"
Lin Feng clenched his fists in anger but kept his composure. "If the third young master wants it, I bought it for 10,000 gold coins. How about you take it at the original price?"
"10,000 gold coins? Do you think I'm stupid?" Xiao Yan laughed sarcastically.
Knowing that Lin Feng wasn't rich, Xiao Yan tried another tactic. "Here's 100 gold coins. Take it or leave it."
Fuming inside, Lin Feng reluctantly accepted the gold coins, handed over the iron sheet, and left in frustration, vowing to himself, Xiao Yan, you just wait. When I get the chance, I'll make sure you regret this.
Back in his cave, Lin Feng finally calmed down. Taking out the crystal ball, he focused his Dou Qi into it.
To his surprise, the ball glowed with a blazing red light—fire attribute. But just as he was about to put it away, he noticed a faint green glow mixed with the red.
"Fire and wood attributes?!" Lin Feng exclaimed, shocked.
With both fire and wood attributes and enhanced soul perception, thanks to his time-traveling experience, Lin Feng realized he had the potential to become an alchemist—a highly sought-after profession in the Dou Qi Continent.
Alchemists had the ability to refine powerful pills, boosting the strength and healing of those who consumed them. Their presence could elevate the power of entire sects, making them indispensable and highly coveted.
Excitement surged within Lin Feng as he realized the potential of his newfound talent.