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**
On a wide avenue leading to the Alchemist Association.
A young man in black robes, with an ordinary yet subtly extraordinary appearance, stood on the street, looking up at the sky.
After a moment—
He murmured to himself, "Master, just now, was that…"
After a brief silence, an old voice echoed in his mind, sounding somewhat emotional. "That was the Black Sun Burning Heaven Flame. This was the doing of that Brat Wei."
Hearing this, the young man in black grinned slightly. A trace of amusement flickered in his eyes as he said softly, "I knew the moment I saw that black flame, it had to be him. But what's he doing? Setting off fireworks above the capital? He nearly razed the whole city to the ground."
Then he muttered again, "Could it be some sort of secret signal for me? Like a rendezvous code telling me he's here?"
"Oh please, Xiao Yan, what nonsense are you thinking?" the old voice grumbled. "He's already become the famed Master Wei of the capital. Why would he need to send you such a ridiculous signal?"
"Uh… yeah, true," Xiao Yan scratched his head in embarrassment.
"Hmm… judging from the destructive force, it seems more like he was testing a powerful but unstable new move," Yao Lao mused. "Do you remember that flame lotus you created in the desert?"
"Of course I do," Xiao Yan instantly shuddered. Just recalling the flattened sand dune filled him with lingering fear.
That had been a moment of inspiration when he forcibly merged Purple Flame and an Heavenly Flame to create a terrifying move that could only be described as a mini nuclear blast.
He'd nearly blown himself up at the time. Even now, thinking back gave him chills.
"You mean—" Xiao Yan's eyes widened.
"Mm, judging by the scale of the explosion, it definitely surpassed the Dou Huang level. That Brat Wei is likely only a low-rank Dou Huang right now, but to produce something like that with the Black Sun Burning Heaven Flame… it reminds me of your lotus—massive power, hard to control," Yao Lao speculated.
Xiao Yan nodded, then clicked his tongue and muttered, "Impressive as always, Brother Wei."
He had just created a terrifying move he was secretly proud of, basking in a bit of self-satisfaction.
Then he turns around, and Wei Yang seems to have come up with something just as insane.
Yep, no surprise. He's a fellow native, after all—just as brilliant.
"Of course, all of this is just my guess. Nothing conclusive," Yao Lao added.
"Hehe," Xiao Yan licked his lips and said, "Why don't I just go ask him?"
"Hmm, might as well. It's been ten months—I've missed that brat," Yao Lao chuckled.
"Haha! Let's go meet this 'famed Master Wei' then," Xiao Yan laughed heartily and strode toward the Alchemist Association with light steps, in a cheerful mood.
His eyes showed some anticipation too. It had been ten months—he really missed that fellow hometown friend.
More importantly, with him around, Xiao Yan felt more confident.
Around Noon
After sending off Ya Fei and the two princesses, Wei Yang cut off all outside interaction and hung a sign on the courtyard gate: In Seclusion, Do Not Disturb. A clear message that he would not be receiving visitors.
As for the Jia Ma royal family sending two princesses to approach him, he certainly understood the implication.
Rich and powerful families sure knew how to play the game.
No need for direct words—just a subtle hint was enough.
Wei Yang had no doubt: if he showed even the slightest interest, they wouldn't even wait for him to make a move. They'd probably clean themselves up and be delivered to him that very night, ready for whatever he wanted.
But was Wei Yang that kind of man?
Shallow!
Would he be swayed by mere physical beauty?
Absolutely not.
What he valued more was inner beauty.
Ahem… though, of course, it had to match him as well.
To be blunt—rather than outward appearances, he cared more about talent.
After all, what's the use of a pretty vase?
This was a cultivation world—reality was harsh.
With his current standing, what kind of beauty couldn't he get?
But if they were useless, it was just a waste of time and energy.
Outside the Courtyard.
"Is Master Wei around?" A slightly hoarse young man's voice suddenly rang out.
Under the eaves, Wei Yang, whose thoughts were once again interrupted, sighed deeply in exasperation.
He lived inside the Alchemist Association, even had a "Do Not Disturb" sign posted—why was he still being bothered?
It was truly annoying.
"What is it?" Wei Yang frowned.
His hand slowly clenched. You better have a good reason for being here.
"The kid Yan Xiao seeks an audience with Master Wei," came the reply.
"Yan Xiao?" Wei Yang was stunned. That name sounded oddly familiar.
Then, he burst out laughing.
Yan Xiao, read backward, isn't that Xiao Yan?
So the brat finally came looking for him.
Well, considering his current rank as a Tier 3 Alchemist, he did indeed have the qualifications to enter this residential area.
Wei Yang exhaled softly and relaxed his body, lazily leaning back in his chair. He replied somewhat testily, "Come in."
"Hehe." A familiar chuckle came from outside the courtyard.
A moment later, the door creaked open, and a young man in plain black clothes with an ordinary-looking face stepped inside.
He closed the gate behind him with a backhand motion, walked energetically across the yard, and looked at the clearly annoyed Wei Yang. With a teasing grin, he said, "Master Wei, sorry to bother you."
"You did bother me. How about saving us both the trouble and leaving now?" Wei Yang shot back directly.
"Uh…" Xiao Yan choked a bit, then sat down opposite the table without hesitation. Pouring himself a cup of tea, he took a big gulp and wiped his mouth with his sleeve before grumbling, "Hey, hey, hey. What's with the foul mood today? I rushed over as soon as I heard you were here. This is how you treat me?"
"Who wouldn't be pissed after being disturbed several times a day? Also, you're wearing some cheap disguise mask. How the hell would I know it's you?" Wei Yang crossed his arms.
"Uh…" Xiao Yan touched his face and suddenly realized. He quickly lifted his sleeve to peel off a thin, cicada-wing-like mask.
Now with his handsome face revealed, Xiao Yan said, "Happy now? What a fuss. And you're one to talk—being a grandmaster alchemist and hoping not to get bothered? That's wishful thinking. Why take it out on me?"
"Forget it." Wei Yang waved it off, his annoyance fading. He picked up the teapot and poured Xiao Yan a cup of tea as a small apology. "You're being a bit too careful though. Wearing a disguise just to go out? Got a lot of enemies?"
"Sigh~ All because of that Seven Magical Green Spirit Saliva…" Xiao Yan smiled bitterly and explained the situation.
Yao Lao, being a soul body, needed to consume a large amount of spiritual energy whenever he made a move or refined pills.
So any medicinal herb that helped recover soul strength was welcome.
Xiao Yan hadn't found any soul-nourishing ingredients at the Mittel Auction House, but Ya Fei had given him a lead—the Nalan Clan possessed a stalk of Seven Magical Green Spirit Saliva.
And Nalan Jie, currently suffering from severe poisoning, happened to need an alchemist to cure him.
So Xiao Yan put on a mask and went.
After hearing everything, Wei Yang gave him a thumbs up. "You, a dumped fiancé, disguised yourself and went to detox your ex-fiancée's grandfather, and met her father, mother, and… ex-fiancée herself. Tsk tsk. You city folks sure know how to play."
"Can you not make fun of me?" Xiao Yan looked helpless, his mood clearly heavy.
If not for Yao Lao, he would rather die than humiliate himself like that.
Nalan Jie? Let him die!
After all, he was the one who got dumped. Now it just felt like he was shamelessly clinging to the Nalan Clan, trying to curry favor.
Especially every time he saw Nalan Yanran and she personally escorted him out while chatting with him—it left a bitter taste in his heart.
"Okay, okay, my bad," Wei Yang raised his hands in surrender, patting Xiao Yan's shoulder. "Don't take it personally. A deal is a deal, and grudges are grudges. You're both getting something out of it—no shame in that."
Xiao Yan shrugged and smiled.
That was the only way to console himself.
"Sigh~ It's because of me that you have to endure this, Xiao Yan." An old, hoarse voice echoed.
Yao Lao's transparent, ethereal figure slowly floated out.
"Master, this is what I should do as your disciple. Please don't blame yourself." Xiao Yan quickly waved his hands.
Yao Lao chuckled and signaled him to calm down. He sat cross-legged and turned his eyes toward Wei Yang, smiling. "Little Wei, you've broken through to Dou Huang?"
"Yes, just did not long ago. Came straight to the Imperial Capital afterward." Wei Yang nodded with a smile. He picked up the teapot and poured Yao Lao a cup of tea. "Seeing you in such good shape, I'm relieved."
At this moment, Yao Lao was not in a dormant state as he was in the original novel. In fact, he seemed quite well, his soul body more solid than it was ten months ago, his face glowing with energy. Clearly, that Tier 6 Soul-Consolidating Fruit worked wonders.
"This old bag of bones is still holding up. I won't die just yet." Yao Lao chuckled as he raised the teacup.
Wei Yang smiled wryly.
This Yao Lao… really did have a tough life. Whether in the original novel or this altered timeline.
Thanks to Wei Yang, Yao Lao had a much easier and happier life. At least, teaching his disciple wasn't as exhausting as before.
Nor did he constantly fall into slumber.
Wei Yang had, without question, helped both master and disciple immensely—though it was technically a transaction where both sides benefited.
And now, the pair didn't even need to worry about searching for Heavenly Flames. Their only concern was becoming strong enough to handle them.
As far as they knew, there were already two Heavenly Flames waiting for them in the Black-Corner Region.
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