The massive, powerful wings flapped across the sky, creating huge gusts of air. Lin Feng rode alone atop the enormous griffin, gazing into the distance.
After passing through the cold, oppressive, and chaotic Black Corner Region, filled with killing and chaos, and continuing to fly for several days on the griffin, Lin Feng could vaguely see the outline of the Gama Empire.
As for why he didn't fly himself, it wasn't for his own sake, so why the rush? Waiting until that old fox got impatient would naturally yield a greater reward.
Of course, this was also because his beast, Xuanwu, was simply too slow. Half a year had passed, and despite the pills left by Lin Feng, Xuanwu was ultimately limited by its bloodline, unable to advance further after reaching the peak of the fifth rank.
Of course, having reached this point, Xuanwu, whose intelligence was no weaker than a sixth-rank magical beast under Lin Feng's pills, was already satisfied. It knew that with its original bloodline strength, reaching the peak of the second rank was almost the limit. Perhaps, by chance, it could advance to the third rank.
But who knows when that will be? And in the meantime, will it be killed? For now, it only needs to serve as a means of transportation when its master needs it.
"Besides," thinking of the several female beasts waiting for its return in Beast Lord City, Xuanwu's heart trembled, and its wings flapped faster. "Awooo, female beasts, wait for your King Xuanwu to return!"
"Howl!"
After a howl, the giant griffin accelerated again, like a bolt of lightning, streaking across the azure sky. As for Ling Ying's whereabouts? Heh, Lin Feng didn't have the habit of riding alongside an old man.
"Achoo."
While Lin Feng was muttering, an old man who had already flown towards the capital of Gama sneezed, almost causing his plane to crash.
Meanwhile, in the capital of Gama, a strange young man wearing a black cloak and carrying a huge black ruler slowly arrived at this giant city symbolizing the highest power and majesty of the empire.
"Jama Capital, I, Xiao Yan, have arrived! Nalan Yanran, are you ready?"
The young man in the black cloak slightly raised his head. Just then, a gust of wind blew by, revealing his resolute face.
"Hahaha, Lin Feng, long time no see!"
Inside the Alchemist Guild headquarters, in the guild leader's private office, a place that was usually extremely quiet, suddenly erupted into a hearty laugh.
Inside the office, Guild Leader Fa Ma gently stroked his beard, his face full of smiles.
"Guild Leader, it has indeed been almost a year since we last met. I wonder if you have advanced to the sixth-grade alchemist realm?"
"Hahaha, Lin Feng, thanks to you, this old man has finally fulfilled his long-cherished wish and is now a sixth-grade alchemist."
Hearing Lin Feng's question, Fa Ma's laughter became even more hearty. Since receiving the secret technique given to him by Lin Feng, Fa Ma had been in seclusion for half a year. Finally, after enhancing his soul power and recklessly investing in medicinal herbs, he achieved the sixth-grade realm, fulfilling his long-cherished wish.
"Speaking of which," Fa Ma suddenly paused his laughter, a hint of curiosity appearing on his face, "Lin Feng, what level have you reached in alchemy?"
"I'd say I'm a peak sixth-grade alchemist!"
Lin Feng sighed slightly, reflecting on his situation. Although he possessed numerous seventh-grade pill formulas obtained from Yao Chen, the Northwest Continent truly lived up to its reputation for barrenness; even after half a year of collecting, he still couldn't finish them all.
Of course, this was also Lin Feng's requirement—to collect at least two sets of herbs for refining seventh-grade pills. After all, even he, after studying seventh-grade pills for a long time, wasn't absolutely certain he could succeed on his first attempt.
However, if they failed and there were no second batch of herbs to use as a backup, things would be quite awkward.
After explaining this predicament to Fa Ma, he was initially delighted, never expecting that his investment from several years ago would now be paying off. First, he himself had advanced to the sixth-grade alchemist, and Lin Feng, if it weren't for the difficulty in finding herbs, might have already reached the seventh-grade level.
Thinking that Lin Feng still held a guest elder position within the guild, Fa Ma couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly, once again marveling at his own sharp judgment.
Then, he felt troubled again. Even a peak sixth-grade alchemist like Lin Feng had searched for more than half a year without being able to collect the herbs. He was even an elder of Canaan Academy, and with that advantage, the result was still the same; then there was no need to even mention their small alchemist guild.
"Haha, thank you for your concern, Pharaoh. I've already planned to go to the Central State Pill Tower for further studies in a while. With the resources there, I might even reach the legendary eighth-grade alchemist realm someday."
Looking at Fa Ma's expression, Lin Feng knew his thoughts and felt a warmth in his heart. Although Fa Ma had a slight ulterior motive in training him, he had no bad intentions, and he genuinely benefited from it.
"Central State, Pill Tower..."
Fa Ma murmured listlessly, his eyes vacant. This was his dream from his youth. Unfortunately, while the dreams of a group might share some similarities, the individual talents differed greatly.
Leaving aside the difference between him and Lin Feng, just consider the alchemists in the guild who worked tirelessly day and night, obsessed with alchemy. In the future, let alone reaching his current level, how many would even reach the fifth or fourth grade?
"Hahaha, Lin Feng, I'm sorry you had to laugh at me."
After a moment of stunned silence, Fama suddenly snapped out of it, looking at the exceptionally talented young man before him.
"Lin Feng, if one day you return from Zhongzhou and this old man is still alive, please be sure to tell me about the holy land of alchemists—the Pill Tower—and how magnificent it is!"
"Yes, Pharaoh!"
Looking at the old man before him, Lin Feng was slightly moved, his determination to reach the pinnacle of the Dou Qi Continent becoming even stronger.
"Lin Feng, what important matter has brought you back to Jia Ma? I wonder if there's anything we can do to help you?"
After chatting for a while, Fama suddenly spoke up, his tone tinged with curiosity. Logically speaking, there was nothing left in the Jia Ma Empire that could help him at this point, and young people usually yearn for powerful places. Why was he acting the opposite?
"Hahaha, Pharaoh, I have indeed returned with important business. But, most importantly, I wish to publicly refine a pill at the Alchemist Guild."
"One, a Breakthrough Pill!"
Lin Feng's tone was somewhat elusive. Judging from the original story, Xiao Yan definitely liked to play dumb, and finding him wouldn't be easy. Even Ling Ying, who knew him extremely well, would need some time to locate Xiao Yan.
Lin Feng's reason for refining the Breakthrough Pill was twofold: firstly, to give back to the Alchemist Guild, hoping they would learn as many advanced refining techniques as possible, depending on their individual fate;
secondly, to bide his time!
"Senior Alchemist, I have reached the peak of the sixth rank, and my cultivation level has reached the Dou Zong realm. My future is bright and promising. If you don't offer some truly valuable treasures, I won't offend the Soul Palace for your sake!"
(End of Chapter)