BTTH : Treasure Exchange System

Xiao Se continued to ask, "Hai Lao, has she returned to the Izumo Empire?"

"I don't know," Hai Bodong shook his head, then seemed to recall something and, after a brief pause, said seriously, "But from the direction she left, it seemed like she was heading towards the eastern part of the Magic Beast Mountain Range. If you pursue her, you might find some clues. However, I must warn you, she is a dangerous person."

"I understand," Xiao Se nodded slowly. If this mysterious Douhuang was indeed Little Fairy Doctor, then she must have headed to that small valley in the Magic Beast Mountain Range.

After leaving the reception hall, Xiao Se planned to leave the imperial capital, but before that, he needed to collect the champion's reward and the Spirit Fusion Pill recipe, as well as complete his registration for Jia Nan Academy.

There was still about a month left before the Jia Nan Academy term started, so he figured he could use the time to take a trip to the Douluo Continent using the travel voucher.

Soon, Xiao Se arrived at the Alchemist Guild. After exchanging pleasantries with Au Tuo and Fu Lan Ke, and under the curious gazes of Xue Mei and Lin Fei, he followed the path from his memory to the quaint room where Fa Ma had given him the recipe for the Three-patterned Clear Spirit Pill the previous day.

"Haha, young one, congratulations on refining the Reviving Purple Pill. Even I have a high chance of failure with that one." Fa Ma smiled as he motioned for Xiao Se to sit. "Please, have a seat."

"President Fa Ma, don't flatter me. You know I took some shortcuts," Xiao Se said as he slowly approached, removed the mask from his face, and casually sat in a chair.

"That's still your skill. If it were anyone else, they wouldn't even know where to start. Knowing is one thing, but doing is another. To have both the knowledge and skill—that's true talent. Not many can produce a fifth-tier pill at your age." Fa Ma chuckled and, without further small talk, flashed his storage ring. A purple-gold and a purple-silver scroll appeared on the table between them. "The purple-gold scroll is the champion's reward, and the purple-silver one is the Spirit Fusion Pill recipe I promised you. Take a look."

Xiao Se nodded, took the purple-silver scroll with some excitement, and, after confirming it was correct, stored it in his ring. He didn't immediately use his soul power to read it—after all, it was a sixth-tier recipe, and with his current fifth-tier soul strength, trying to read it directly might leave him feeling dizzy.

Seeing that Xiao Se first took the Spirit Fusion Pill recipe rather than the champion's mysterious reward, Fa Ma gave him a strange look and smiled awkwardly. "It seems your friend is very important to you."

"Yes," Xiao Se didn't deny it. He then carefully picked up the other scroll and slowly opened it. The three large characters on the far right side instantly caught his attention: Zong Breaking Pill.

"President Fa Ma, this is…" Xiao Se's eyes were filled with disbelief.

The Zong Breaking Pill was a peak sixth-tier pill, and he was certain that this recipe didn't come from the Alchemist Guild. Otherwise, why would Luohan Song fail to break through Douzong and perish in secluded cultivation?

"Take it…" Fa Ma's old eyes flickered with a trace of fervor as he looked at the Zong Breaking Pill recipe on the table. His age was similar to Jia Xingtian's, nearing the limits of Douhuang. If he didn't break through soon, he might meet the same fate as Luohan Song.

"This is too precious. If word of this got out, the entire Jia Ma Empire, and even surrounding countries like the Izumo Empire would stop at nothing to get it. No wonder you kept the champion's reward a secret," Xiao Se sighed.

Currently, the Soul Hall hadn't yet intervened, and the Jia Ma Empire and its neighbors had no Douzong-level figures. The old experts were all stuck at the peak of Douhuang. To them, the Zong Breaking Pill recipe was an irresistible temptation.

"Indeed, even someone like Jia Xingtian would be tempted. But this isn't something we can covet," Fa Ma smiled bitterly.

"This probably didn't come from the Alchemist Guild. Can you tell me more about it?" Xiao Se lightly played with the Zong Breaking Pill recipe in his hand and smiled.

"It doesn't matter if I tell you. But once you leave this room, act as if you know nothing," Fa Ma sighed, his old face turning solemn. "Originally, the Alchemist Tournament was held every eight years, but about two years ago, a mysterious man in a black robe suddenly appeared in my room. At the time, I didn't even notice his presence. After he appeared, just the casual release of his aura made me completely unable to move."

"Completely unable to move just from his aura? Even a Douzong would have trouble doing that. Could he be a Douzun?" Xiao Se asked in shock.

Fa Ma nodded heavily. "It's possible. After leaving me with this Zong Breaking Pill recipe, he instructed me to hold the Alchemist Tournament two years later and to use the Zong Breaking Pill recipe as the champion's prize. Then, he disappeared. That's why I shortened the tournament cycle from eight years to four."

Xiao Se understood. No wonder Fa Ma acted this way. But who was this mysterious person?

In a spacious and bright room in the Miteer Auction House, Yafei was staring in shock at the list in her hand, her delicate lips slightly parted in surprise. The reversed jade bowl in her hand trembled slightly, drawing beautiful arcs.

"How many of the items on this list can the Miteer Auction House find?" Xiao Se asked, bringing Yafei back to reality.

Yafei shook her head with a bitter smile. "There's a fourth-tier cauldron in the medicinal treasure vault, but most of the herbs on this list are extremely rare. Some I've never even heard of, and even after searching the entire catalog, I only found one. If you need it, I can send it to you directly. I'm sure the old folks would be happy to do business with you."

"One is better than none," Xiao Se nodded, then flicked his storage ring, and bottles and jars suddenly filled the table. "No need to send it as a gift. Just help me sell these pills as soon as possible."

These were the pills Xiao Se had refined over the past year while practicing alchemy, mostly second- and third-tier. Some of lower quality had been gathered, just enough to cover his current financial shortfall. 

He rarely sold items, and the last time he did was two years ago when he auctioned off the Foundation-Nurturing Spiritual Liquid. The gold he earned was mostly spent on purchasing techniques for Xiao Yu.

Yafei stood up and put the bottles and jars into her storage ring with a smile. "With your title as Alchemist Tournament champion, I'm sure many people will be eager to buy these pills at a high price. But Xiao Se, are you planning to leave the imperial capital soon?"

"Yes," Xiao Se nodded.

Hearing this, Yafei's beautiful figure trembled slightly, and a hint of sadness and reluctance appeared on her flawless face. She raised her head and asked softly, "Will you come back?"

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