Chapter 32: The Ranking of Heavenly Flames

Inside the auction hall, amidst the charming woman's soft laughter, the excitement remained at its peak.

Xiao Yan originally estimated that the Ice Marigold would fetch around three thousand gold coins. However, with Ya Fei's allure, it ended up being auctioned for four thousand gold coins.

Silently thanking the big spender, Xiao Yan left Auction Hall No. 1 and returned to the appraisal room.

A moment later, hurried footsteps sounded from outside. The door was pushed open, and two figures entered.

"Hehe, is this the owner of the Ice Marigold?" A fragrant breeze brushed past him, followed by a teasing, electrifying laugh that suddenly echoed in Xiao Yan's ear, making his heart quiver slightly.

Cursing inwardly at the enchantress, Xiao Yan buried his face deeper into his cloak and glanced at the woman in the red dress standing beside him.

Being this close, Xiao Yan once again experienced the woman's mature charm.

Her delicate, smiling face and her pair of long, alluring eyes seemed to exude an endless attraction toward men.

His gaze subtly moved past her elegant, slender neck, only to almost get sucked into the deep cleavage...

Xiao Yan had practically watched them grow over time. He wondered what she had eaten to make such an astonishing growth.

Nodding slightly, Yao Lao's dry voice emerged, "You're here to pay, right? No need for the formalities. Exchange the gold coins for fifteen stalks of twenty-year-old Purple Leaf Orchid Grass, five Grade 1 wood-type magic cores, and prepare a private room for me."

Seemingly surprised by the age and the request of the person under the black cloak, Ya Fei lightly covered her lips with her jade-like hand and laughed softly, her chest drawing a breathtaking curve.

"Sir, do you need herbs and magic cores? Are you perhaps an alchemist? Ya Fei rarely encounters alchemists who do not wear badges. May I know your name, sir?"

"Oh? Little girl, do I need to reveal my identity just because I came here?" Yao Lao's indifferent voice came from beneath the cloak.

"Hehe, Ya Fei is just curious. If the old sir does not wish to say, I certainly wouldn't dare to pry." Ya Fei giggled.

Peering through the edge of his cloak, Xiao Yan glanced at the pair of snow-white feet concealed in the tight red dress. He sighed helplessly; this Ya Fei truly was an enchantress. If she were to wear black stockings…

With Yao Lao's entanglement, Ya Fei, the sly fox, was unable to extract a single useful piece of information.

In the end, Ya Fei had to give up, smiling as she instructed the maids to bring over the herbs and magic cores.

"Prepare a storage ring, a cauldron, five hundred stalks of Blood Coagulation Grass, six hundred Skeleton Flowers, five hundred Poppy Flowers, and five hundred Active Fruits. I think this is far more useful for the auction house than those pointless words earlier."

After collecting the herbs, Yao Lao spoke to Ya Fei.

Listening to these requests, Gu Ni, who was standing nearby, twitched slightly.

Even a low-tier storage ring costs around seventy to eighty thousand gold coins. Although the herbs aren't rare, the sheer quantity required at least one hundred thousand gold coins.

Furthermore, even an ordinary cauldron would cost a minimum of over a hundred thousand gold coins.

All these items together would cost around three hundred thousand gold coins.

Ya Fei was equally shocked. Such a large business deal was rare in Wu Tan City, even once a year.

"Uncle Gu Ni, didn't you say he might be someone from a mercenary group? Judging from his last requests, he seems to be quite a capable alchemist," Ya Fei softly inquired after a moment of silence.

Realizing he hadn't detected the slightest trace of strength from the other party, Gu Ni sighed, "It seems his strength is far beyond mine…"

"Stronger than Uncle Gu Ni? Wouldn't that make him an alchemist above the second tier?" Ya Fei exclaimed, her small mouth slightly agape in surprise.

At least a third-tier alchemist!

Such figures were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns in the Jia Ma Empire.

"Alchemists tend to have peculiar temperaments. Don't even think about investigating his identity. Offending an unknown, mysterious alchemist would be most unwise."

"What we should be doing now is finding ways to gain his favor. That, Ya Fei understands." Pouting slightly, Ya Fei rested her delicate chin on her hand and sighed softly. Why didn't she possess such a talent?

Following the maid's lead once more, Xiao Yan soon entered a room resembling an inn's guest room.

Yao Lao flicked his finger, immediately taking out the herbs and magic cores. However, he added ten additional Bone Washing Flowers to the originally requested items.

"On the Dou Qi Continent, countless medicinal herbs exist. To concoct various pills, you must select herbs from this vast array that can neutralize the violent energy within the magic crystal you plan to refine."

"This Foundation Elixir took me years of experimentation to develop. If others were to figure it out and accidentally concoct it, it would be a great loss."

Xiao Yan smiled wryly and shook his head. How cautious!

Stretching out his hand, Yao Lao paused for a moment. A ghostly white flame gradually rose from his palm.

This was the Bone Chilling Flame! Xiao Yan's eyes fixed on the flame, his heart pounding.

Just today, after battling with Xun Er, regardless of whether it was the true Golden Emperor Burning Heavenly Flame or its derivative flame, Xiao Yan had gained numerous insights.

Previously, he had only known information about the Heavenly Flames. Now, having seen one firsthand, his understanding of Heavenly Flames deepened.

The idea of creating his own flame grew clearer.

Controlling the flame's temperature with his spiritual perception, Yao Lao glanced at Xiao Yan, who was curiously watching the flame in his palm. After a slight hesitation, he spoke softly:

"An alchemist's rank can generally be identified by the color of their flame. Ordinary alchemists' flames are pale yellow, with the color deepening and the power increasing as their rank rises."

"Of course, this applies to the common flames of alchemists. However, in the alchemist community, apart from using Dou Qi to catalyze flames, they can also 'borrow flames.'"

"Stronger alchemists can borrow the beast flame formed within a magical beast. Those even stronger, with sufficient power, can borrow the Heavenly Flames."

At this point, Yao Lao grew particularly serious. "In this vast world, there exist certain Heavenly Flames. Perhaps they are the clusters of fire carried by meteorites from the heavens, or perhaps they are the lava fires forged over millennia in the depths of volcanoes…

"These Heavenly Flames possess power several times greater than those catalyzed by Dou Qi. They can enhance the medicinal effects of pills when refined. However, these Heavenly Flames are extremely violent and are rarely encountered. Even if one is fortunate enough to find them, it is extremely difficult to make them one's own."

Yao Lao's old face glowed slightly as he gazed at his flame, his eyes blazing with intensity. "In the alchemy world of the Dou Qi Continent, the known Heavenly Flames have been compiled into a 'Heavenly Flame Ranking,' containing a total of twenty-three types.

"My flame is the 'Bone Chilling Flame,' ranked eleventh. This flame can only be encountered in extremely cold and gloomy places during the centennial conjunction of the sun and moon."

(End of this chapter)