Nie Li didn't hesitate. He answered.
"According to the current information," he said,
"most of the Ancient Orchid City's buildings were constructed using stone bricks fused with volcanic ash."
Several students blinked, startled.
Nie Li continued, his tone steady.
"The city roads face east–west, north–south in layout. These construction styles were common during the Snow Wind Empire and the Sacred Empire eras."
"In addition," Nie Li went on,
"some people found large lotus murals in the Ancient Orchid City ruins."
A faint stir passed through the crowd.
"There is a saying," Nie Li added,
"Mountain represents stability, and water represents fortune, with peace and prosperity.
This lotus mural style became popular during the late period of the Sacred Empire era."
The murmurs grew louder.
"What does that mean?" someone whispered.
"I don't really understand," another admitted, "but it sounds powerful…"
Nie Li folded his arms lightly.
"Combining all available clues," he concluded,
"I can basically say that the Ancient Orchid City belonged to the era between the late period of the Sacred Empire and the Age of Darkness."
Silence fell.
Then—
"Good."
Chen Linjian clapped his hands once, his eyes lit with genuine interest.
He looked at Nie Li anew, no longer merely amused.
"Follow me from now on," Chen Linjian said decisively.
"I'll provide you with training and learning materials. How about it?"
The surrounding students froze.
Nie Li blinked.
Thinking of asking me to be his underling?
What a joke.
Nie Li shook his head lightly.
"In this collaboration," he said calmly,
"everyone takes what they need."
He lifted his gaze, his eyes clear and unwavering.
"If there is treasure, I'll choose one item first."
He paused briefly, then added evenly,
"If that isn't acceptable—then I'll go on my own."
The atmosphere stiffened instantly.
"Brat! Choose one item first?"
"Don't get too arrogant!"
Several students glared at him.
Chen Linjian, however, narrowed his eyes slightly—not in anger, but in evaluation.
Nie Li met his gaze without backing down.
"I guarantee," Nie Li said,
"that as long as you bring me along, there will be rewards."
Chen Linjian didn't immediately respond.
"Hm?"
He folded his arms, brows slightly furrowed.
Nie Li shows great confidence, he thought.
He must have a complete treasure map… although I already have one, it's incomplete.
After a moment, his lips curved upward.
"Alright," Chen Linjian said with a smile.
"You have a deal."
A ripple of disbelief ran through the crowd.
"But I'll repeat myself," Chen Linjian added, his tone firm.
"If you're willing to follow me, there will not be a lack of benefits."
Nie Li waved casually as he turned away.
"Hope our collaboration goes well."
Chen Linjian watched his retreating figure, eyes thoughtful.
A few moments later, he spoke again.
"We'll meet here in three days' time at dawn," he said.
"See you then."
"Understood," Nie Li replied without turning back.
As the crowd slowly dispersed, several students stared after him in disbelief.
"Er…"
"Young Master Chen actually agreed…?"
Afternoon — Alchemist Association.
The tiled roofs of the Alchemist Association glowed softly beneath the afternoon sun. Incense smoke drifted lazily through the air, carrying a faint medicinal scent that lingered over the courtyard.
Inside a quiet room lined with shelves and scrolls, Yang Xin, Director of the Alchemist Association, sat at her desk.
She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed softly.
"The Alchemist Association is getting worse by the day…"
Requests were piling up, profits thinning, resources constantly drained. Even with strict management, the pressure was obvious.
Her fingers paused on the edge of the desk.
If not for the Vice Chairman… she thought quietly.
Her gaze lowered, expression turning serious.
Without his backing… without those careful calculations and silent decisions…
the Association wouldn't even be maintaining this much stability.
She exhaled slowly.
Though his presence was rarely felt directly, she knew better than anyone how much weight rested behind the scenes. Supplies, approvals, balance sheets, long-term planning—many things that shouldn't have worked… somehow did.
She didn't smile, but a trace of relief passed through her eyes.
At least… we're not standing alone.
Then, shaking off the thought, she straightened.
Papers lay scattered before her—letters, reports, requests—most of them messy, poorly written, and painfully redundant. She picked one up at random, brows knitting as she skimmed through it.
"What is all this…?"
Yang Xin stared at the paper in her hand.
"This is…" she muttered, scanning it again just to be sure.
A love letter.
Her eyes twitched.
With a flick of her wrist, she tossed the letter aside, completely unimpressed.
"I don't even know if there's anything valuable in today's reviews…"
Another stack followed.
"Eh? There's so much writing on this…"
She paused.
Her gaze sharpened as she read more carefully.
"…This is?"
Yang Xin straightened.
The contents were different. Structured. Clear. Purposeful.
"Discussion on the use of Purple Mist Grass?"
Interest flickered in her eyes.
She leaned back slightly, reading on.
"While refining a Soul Assembling Pill or a Spiritual Enhancing Pill, mixing a little Purple Mist Grass with it can increase medicinal effects by three times…"
Her lips parted slightly.
"…Three times?"
She continued.
"By using Purple Mist Grass, dictamnus, mulberry, and fructus during a bath, one could nourish their soul force…"
Yang Xin let out a small laugh.
"Haha… no wonder someone has been buying up all the Purple Mist Grass these past few days."
Her eyes gleamed.
"Trying to raise the price of Purple Mist Grass through methods like this… now that is something more realistic."
She flipped another page.
"This person actually wrote down more than ten different uses…"
Her expression shifted—half amazement, half disbelief.
"If a herb used as an insect repellent can actually be this useful…"
Yang Xin leaned back in her chair, eyes lingering on the letter.
" If these uses are truly valid…then this won't just be a trivial discovery. It could greatly aid the development of alchemists within the Association. There's no real harm in testing it.
After all…who can say for certain? Some effects written here…may actually be real." she murmured softly.
Yang Xin glanced at it.
"Yong Gang," she said casually,
"bring me twenty-five kilograms of Purple Mist Grass."
Moments later, hurried footsteps echoed outside.
Young Gang rushed in, pale-faced.
"Director! Director! We only have one and a half kilograms of Purple Mist Grass left!"
Yang Xin's brows shot up.
"…Only that much?"
She tapped her fingers against the desk.
"How much did the other party stock up?"
Young Gang swallowed.
"Er… I don't know."
Inside the alchemy room, the furnace hummed softly.
A steady glow pulsed beneath the cauldron as Yang Xin sat cross-legged before it, carefully guiding his soul force. Blue light rippled along the engraved formations, stabilizing the flame within.
Yong Gang stood nearby, watching calmly.
She really deserves to be the Director, Yang Gang thought, sweat forming on his brow.
Her control over fire is extremely stable… I must need to put in more effort to learn.
Time passed.
And passed.
Two hours later—
Yong Gang was slumped on the floor, mouth wide open, a bubble forming at his nose as he snored soundly.
Zzz…
The room remained solemn and focused—
…except for him.
Yang Xin movements slowed. Her breathing steadied as she completed the final circulation of soul force.
The furnace dimmed.
A soft yin–yang symbol shimmered briefly in the air before fading away.
"Look," Yang Xin said.
Yong Gang jolted awake, the snore bubble popping as his eyes flew open.
"Huh—?!"
He scrambled upright, wiping the corner of his mouth.
"Director! I wasn't sleeping! I was… meditating!"
Yang Xin didn't respond. She simply pointed.
Yong Gang followed her finger—and froze.
"…Whoa."
"There's an additional thirty percent yield compared to normal," Yang Xin continued, her voice calm but unmistakably impressed.
Yong Gang's eyes widened.
"Y-Yes!" he exclaimed excitedly.
"When the success rate of refining these elixirs increases, production of Soul Assembling Pills and Spiritual Enhancing Pills would skyrocket!"
Yang Xin turned slightly, lifting one finger.
"Try one," she said. "It's very expensive."
Yang Gang stiffened.
"W-Would it be… alright?"
Before he could finish speaking, Yang Xin had already tossed him a pill.
"Sit," she ordered flatly.
Yong Gang scrambled into position, swallowing the pill in one gulp.
The moment the pill dissolved—
A surge of soul force exploded within him.
Blue light erupted from his body, swirling violently as his aura spiked upward.
Yang Xin watched closely, eyes narrowing.
"How does it feel?" she asked.
Yang Gang's face went pale.
"Hah—Director! Director! My soul force is circulating—ah! Please don't scare me like that!"
Yang Gang exhaled sharply, sweat dripping down his face.
"Phew… it's far more effective than a high-grade Soul Assembling Pill!"
Yang Xin nodded slowly.
"Since it's proven effective," she said,
"and there's still plenty of Purple Mist Grass…"
She turned away.
"Let's test something else."
Yong Gang stared at her back, stunned.
"Right!"
She moved to the table, quickly sorting through the scattered pages.
"Bring this sheet to everyone," she said over her shoulder.
"Tell them to copy it. I've verified the first use."
Yong Gang straightened immediately.
"Yes!"
Yang Xin stopped him with a glance.
"Just verifying the first use alone will already cause massive changes in Glory City and the Alchemist Association," she said calmly.
"I trust you understand the significance."
Yong Gang swallowed hard.
"Yes!"
"I'll get it done immediately!"
He rushed out of the room.
Yang Xin picked up another container, her lips curving faintly.
"Next," she said quietly,
"is a bath."
Later — Private Room
After two hours
Steam drifted softly through the room.
Behind the silk curtains, Yang Xin rested in the wooden tub, flower petals floating atop the warm water. The Purple Mist Grass infusion shimmered faintly beneath the surface.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"…Unbelievable."
Then suddenly Karma pushed the door open without much thought—then stopped dead.
For half a heartbeat, his mind blanked.
Yang Xin was reclining in a wooden bathtub, She looked… entirely at ease.
Karma stared.
"…Ah."
That was all he managed.
Yang Xin didn't even scream. She simply opened one eye and looked at him calmly.
"…Vice Chairman," she said flatly.
"Just because you're allowed to enter my residence doesn't mean you can walk into this room."
Karma snapped back to himself instantly.
He turned around so fast the steam swirled. "—Sorry. My mistake," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I wasn't expecting a bath."
Yang Xin sighed, more exasperated than embarrassed. "You really have no sense of timing."
After a brief pause, Karma exhaled and recomposed himself, tone returning to its usual calm.
"…Judging by the smell," he said, eyes fixed firmly on the wall,
"you received the Purple Mist Grass."
Yang Xin's fingers froze against the edge of the tub.
She narrowed her eyes. "You knew?"
Then, sharper—
"…Wait. Was that letter yours?"
Karma was quiet for a moment.
Then he smiled faintly.
"That," he replied, voice light,
"is a secret."
Yang Xin stared at his back, shock rippling through her composure. "…You."
Karma continued, as if discussing tomorrow's weather. "Just prepare yourself," he said.
"The Alchemist Association is about to have a very… profitable future."
Yang Xin let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.
For the first time that night, a genuine smile curved her lips.
"…Unbelievable," she murmured.
The steam curled higher, and outside the room, the future of Glory City's alchemy quietly shifted course.