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Imperial Palace of the Jiamai Empire.
Jia Xingtian and a young woman were having a conversation.
The woman was dressed in a luxurious brocade robe, with a tall and slender figure and a cold, exquisite face.
This woman was none other than Yao Ye, the next heir to the Jiamai Empire.
The Martial Arts Continent was different from Ancient China, more akin to a Western kingdom.
Empresses were not uncommon.
"What do you think? How should the royal family treat this suddenly appearing Master Zhang?"
Jia Xingtian asked Yao Ye.
This was not a test.
Yao Ye was the most outstanding in terms of mental acumen among the royal family's direct descendants. Even when Jia Xingtian was uncertain, he would consult her opinion.
Yao Ye pondered for a moment and said, "Great-Grandfather, let's not even consider whether Zhang Xiaofan has a powerful force behind him.
Just because of his status as a Sixth-rank Alchemist, our royal family should try to court him.
But the problem now is that the Ice Emperor seems to have been subdued by him, and the entire Miter Family is likely under his control.
Although the Miter Family is not as powerful as our royal family, he probably doesn't lack for people under him."
Jia Xingtian nodded, understanding these matters.
Yao Ye continued, "Now we face a problem.
Even if this Sixth-rank Alchemist doesn't stay in our Jiamai Empire for long, his influence will remain.
When Pill King Gu He was still a Fourth-rank Alchemist, he joined the Yunlam Sect. As his alchemy skills improved, he became a Sixth-rank Alchemist, greatly enhancing the strength of the Yunlam Sect."
Hearing this, Jia Xingtian's expression changed, realizing the severity of the situation.
Yao Ye truly lived up to being the future Empress of the Jiamai Empire, her thoughts and considerations were profound.
"If even Gu He could do so much, what about Zhang Xiaofan? How long will he stay with the Miter Family, and how many elixirs will he refine for them?
Take the Ice Emperor, for example. Even if his strength has greatly diminished and he is no match for you now, what about in the future?
Elixirs are quite mysterious, and it's hard to say whether he doesn't have a formula to restore the Ice Emperor's strength.
Ever since the Ice Emperor returned, I've had people keep an eye on the Miter Family.
In the past two days, the Miter Family has mobilized all its forces to search for medicinal herbs, high-grade herbs!"
Yao Ye's expression was serious, and her words showed a deep respect for this Sixth-rank Alchemist.
Jia Xingtian's furrowed his brow deeply on his aged face.
Although Yao Ye did not explicitly state it, the implications were clear.
With the help of this Sixth-rank Alchemist, the Miter Family might become the next Yunlam Sect!
"In your opinion, is there any possibility of us courting this Sixth-rank Alchemist?
The royal family is much stronger than the Miter Family, and we can offer everything the Miter Family can!"
Yao Ye shook her head and smiled bitterly.
"Great-Grandfather, the key to courting this Sixth-rank Alchemist is not whether the royal family is stronger than the Miter Family.
The reason he stays with the Miter Family is likely because of the Ice Emperor. We don't know what happened between them, so we have no way to approach him."
Jia Xingtian felt somewhat frustrated.
Why were only the royal family facing decline?
The Miter Family had a Sixth-rank Alchemist, the Nalan Family and the Yunlam Sect had formed alliances.
The Mu Family might not have made much progress, but Mu Chen was still young, and Mu Zhan had strong potential, so they could wait for him to grow.
Only the royal family.
Now, the royal family seemed to be flourishing, but in reality, it was severely lacking in successors, relying solely on him.
Once he reached his limit and his old comrades could no longer act, any of the three major families could stage a coup!
Yao Ye also sighed. With her intelligence, how could she not know the crisis facing the royal family?
At this moment, Jia Xingtian looked at Yao Ye with a deep gaze.
"In the past, Pill King Gu He stayed in the Yunlam Sect to pursue Yun Yun. Why can't our royal family follow his example?"
Yao Ye, seeing Jia Xingtian's gaze and his words, knew exactly what her great-grandfather meant.
...
The next day, the news of a Sixth-rank Alchemist arriving in the capital spread widely, and people were discussing it in the streets and alleys.
"Did you hear? The Alchemist Guild certified a Sixth-rank Alchemist yesterday."
"Of course, it's said that this master has a close relationship with the recently returned Ice Emperor and is currently staying at the Miter Family."
"A Sixth-rank Alchemist, what a remarkable person. In the past hundred years, our Jiamai Empire has only produced one Pill King Gu He."
"The Miter Family is likely to rise. The value a Sixth-rank Alchemist brings cannot be measured by normal standards."
While the capital was abuzz with discussion, Su Yun was in his room.
Su Yun was pondering his System, feeling somewhat troubled.
He currently had three Fifth-stage Demon Cores, one of wood, one of ice, and one of wind.
But he needed a fire attribute one.
Due to the strange fire and the Intermediate Earth Rank Martial Technique *Flowing Flame Dragon Slash*, his fire attribute combat strength far exceeded his ice attribute.
So he wanted to enhance Cangyang and further boost his combat power.
The problem was, he didn't have a fire attribute Fifth-stage Demon Core.
The System's exchange function also had requirements; it needed to scan an item before it could be exchanged using energy crystals.
In other words, he had to scan a fire attribute demon core first, otherwise, the exchange was impossible.
Su Yun felt a headache coming on.
He didn't lack cultivation techniques, martial techniques, elixir formulas, or alchemy experience, and he even had soul techniques.
But resources, ah, that was the problem.
Su Yun sighed.
The basic conditions for using the exchange function were clear.
But how to make it play a significant role still needed exploration.
With no other options, Su Yun decided to enhance Cold Jade first.
"System, fuse the Fifth-stage ice attribute demon core with Cold Jade."
"Ding, a fusion plan has been detected. It will require one Fifth-stage energy crystal or one Fifth-stage Demon Core. Do you wish to proceed with the fusion?"
"Fusion!"
With Su Yun's command, the Fifth-stage ice attribute demon core and the Fifth-stage wind attribute demon core disappeared from the System space.
The Cold Jade sword in the System space emitted a blue glow.
The Fourth-stage demon core originally embedded in the Cold Jade sword began to melt into a strange blue liquid, enveloping the entire sword.
After some time, the Cold Jade sword became even sharper and harder.
Then, a Fifth-stage ice attribute demon core was embedded in the position previously occupied by the Fourth-stage demon core.
As the embedded demon cores became more powerful, the original material of the Cold Jade sword could no longer support them.
Thus, the original demon core was transformed by the System into a form of energy to enhance the sword's material.
The System's fusion function was very particular about the feasibility of the fusion plan, not just any whimsical idea could be realized.
(End of Chapter)