After successfully entering the city, Xiao Yan stood in the middle of the street, scanning the area. Following the path etched in his memory, he walked toward the end of the street and stopped before an old, antique map shop.
Pushing open the door, he once again saw Hai Bodong, still engrossed in his work.
"Still playing the aloof old man, huh? A guest comes in and you won't even greet them?"
With a disgruntled expression, Xiao Yan grabbed a map from a nearby shelf and casually tossed it at Hai Bodong. Just as it was about to reach him, a sudden wave of icy air surged forth, instantly freezing the map into a brittle ice block, which then fell harmlessly beside Hai Bodong.
"Hehe, little brother, you're finally back. I've been waiting quite a while for you."
Hai Bodong set his ink brush down and glanced over Xiao Yan. A trace of surprise flickered in his eyes—after just a few short months, the young man had grown significantly stronger. Judging by his appearance, he had likely found the medicinal ingredient he had been searching for.
"I didn't have a choice. You've got something I need, so of course I had to come back quickly. And without your map, old man, even if I'd wandered the desert for a year, I probably wouldn't have found what I was looking for."
Xiao Yan grinned.
"You… you went to the Serpent Tribe's Sacred City?!"
"Are there any other places besides that one with the Sand Mandala?"
"Incredible, absolutely incredible. At your age, you actually dared to venture into the Serpent Tribe's Sacred City and came out unscathed? Truly, heroes are born from the young. I daresay you may well be the top figure among the younger generation of the Jia Ma Empire."
Hai Bodong smacked his lips in amazement.
Xiao Yan smiled faintly, but showed no interest in being labeled a so-called 'top figure'.
"Oh, right, little brother. About that matter I asked you to help me with?"
Rubbing his shriveled hands, Hai Bodong gave a fawning smile.
"Here."
With a flick of his finger, a pale yellow plant appeared in Xiao Yan's palm.
The plant was rather strange in appearance. Its coiling form resembled a curled-up yellow serpent, and at its top was a raised head. At the very peak of that head was a fist-sized bump—that was where the most concentrated medicinal essence resided.
"Hehe, I'm truly grateful."
Overjoyed, Hai Bodong accepted the plant with both hands, a wide grin on his face.
"We both got what we needed," Xiao Yan replied with a shrug. Mimicking Hai Bodong's earlier tone, he added, "Alright then, enough small talk. Ingredients, recipe, let's get this over with!"
"Yes, yes! Little brother, follow me!"
Delighted that they could begin immediately, Hai Bodong quickly led Xiao Yan into a hidden chamber.
Xiao Yan wasted no time. Once inside, he called out to Yao Lao and began preparations for refining the pill.
Although Xiao Yan had recently begun studying alchemy, the Breaking Calamity Pill was a sixth-tier pill and required the use of a Heavenly Flame. Naturally, only Yao Lao could handle this.
The pale Bone-Chilling Flame danced in Yao Lao's hand. After several hours, accompanied by a waft of light purple pill fragrance, the sixth-tier Breaking Calamity Pill was successfully refined!
The pill itself was light purple in color, smooth and round, exuding a luster like polished jade. Strangely, faint natural patterns adorned its surface—complex, curling lines that seemed to form a mysterious, ancient diagram.
"I added some special crystalline particles made from the Bone-Chilling Flame. Once ingested, they'll lie dormant inside the body and won't show any signs of activity. But if I activate them later, they'll instantly transform into highly destructive Bone-Chilling Flame energy."
Yao Lao retrieved the black pill cauldron and returned it to his dark ring, then turned to Xiao Yan with a sly smile.
"If that old man tries anything funny, he'll pay the price."
"Don't give me that look," he chuckled. "Your alchemy skills have just started, but you've got talent. With my guidance, it's only a matter of time before you can refine sixth-tier pills yourself."
"Once you obtain a Heavenly Flame, refining something like this will be effortless."
"Heavenly Flames aren't exactly easy to find…" Xiao Yan sighed. He placed the Breaking Calamity Pill into a jade bottle. "Let's just take it one step at a time. I still have to worry about the Three-Year Agreement. I wonder how strong that Nalan Yanran is now."
"Don't worry," Yao Lao reassured him. "You've already advanced to Dou Shi. Even without a Heavenly Flame, your growth rate is impressive. If we can't find a real one in time, we'll just use a Beast Flame."
They had originally hoped to find a Heavenly Flame in the desert, but after months of searching—including a visit to the Serpent Tribe's Sacred City—they had come up empty-handed.
Xiao Yan's cultivation method was still Yellow Tier Low Rank, and it was becoming a serious bottleneck. This situation had to change soon.
'The boy's pride won't let him lose the Three-Year Agreement. If we really can't find a flame… I'll give him a wisp of my own child flame.'
Yao Lao made a mental note. Meanwhile, Xiao Yan composed himself and left the chamber, handing the jade bottle to Hai Bodong.
Hai Bodong received the pill with trembling hands and an ecstatic expression.
Xiao Yan chuckled faintly and said, "Old Hai, I've fulfilled my end of the deal. That map fragment?"
Hai Bodong blinked and quickly pulled himself out of his euphoric state. He licked his lips and, after a moment of hesitation, revealed a slightly awkward expression.
"Ahem, Xiao Yan… don't blame me for being cautious. It's not that I don't trust you. But I've never seen a real Breaking Calamity Pill before. I only know from the recipe that it's supposed to be purple… so, would you mind if I tested it first? If it can really break the seal in my body, I'll hand over the map fragment immediately—and apologize as well!"
"Such excuses don't suit a man once ranked among the Ten Powerhouses of the Jia Ma Empire," Xiao Yan said coldly. He flicked a speck of dust off his sleeve. "I've done my best to help you, but your behavior is… disappointing."
"Xiao Yan, don't be upset. When we made our agreement, I did say I'd give you the map once the pill was ready. But surely you can understand I need to verify it first? What if you'd handed me a random pill and I didn't check? Wouldn't I have been completely fooled?"
Hai Bodong forced a smile. His thick-skinned manner made it look as though he were the victim.
But knowing his request was unreasonable, he quickly pulled out a letter from his storage ring and handed it to Xiao Yan.
"Here—some letters came for you a while ago. They have your personal seal."
"Letters for me?"
Xiao Yan's brow furrowed. As he looked at the seal on the envelope, his eyes lit up.
It was a reply from his eldest and second brother!
Several months ago, he had managed to re-establish contact with Xiao Ding and Xiao Li. Since he had planned to go train in the desert, he had temporarily used Hai Bodong's store as a return address—knowing he'd eventually come back.
He had been away for quite some time. Naturally, the letters had piled up and were all in Hai Bodong's possession.
"Read them first, little brother. I'll go test the pill now."
Seeing Xiao Yan's mood shift, Hai Bodong grinned, handed over the letters, and quickly disappeared into the underground chamber with the pill.
Xiao Yan snorted softly, too lazy to call him out on his tricks. He pulled up a chair and began reading the letters.
As the familiar handwriting filled his eyes, a warm smile crept onto Xiao Yan's face.
But it didn't last long.
That joy quickly faded, replaced by heaviness—then fury.
By the end, his hands were trembling and his eyes were bloodshot.
"Boom!!"
"Big Brother!!!"
(End of Chapter)