Chapter 133: The Eighth-Rank Alchemist

Elder Zixuan’s gaze immediately landed on Long Feng.

For the first time since arriving, his eyes changed slightly.

The change was so subtle that most people wouldn’t have noticed it, but his gaze became noticeably sharper.

He carefully examined Long Feng from head to toe, as if looking at some rare creature he had unexpectedly encountered.

Long Feng noticed the strange gaze. His eyebrows moved slightly.

’Why is this old fogey looking at me like that?’

"How is this kid’s result?"

Instead of speaking to Long Feng, Elder Zixuan looked back at the elders and asked about his talent.

"Perfect Grade."

The Second Elder immediately added, "His soul is also exceptionally stable. It is almost completely formed according to his own physical structure."

A faint trace of surprise appeared in Elder Zixuan’s eyes before disappearing.

"Perfect Grade..."

He repeated those words quietly.

The three Elders exchanged glances, and one of them then said, "Yes, he is quite a rare talent. We were actually about to take him as a disciple."

"I see."

Elder Zixuan looked back at them and nodded.

"But there is no need for all of that now."

However, his words made them freeze.

"No need?"

Elder Zixuan didn’t explain. He looked toward Long Feng and, as if deciding something, spoke calmly.

"You, Long Feng. From now on, come to my mountain and train under my guidance."

Long Feng blinked.

"..."

That was it?

He didn’t even explain where they were going. He simply told him to come.

Long Feng glanced at the three True Elders and found that their expressions were also strange and shocked.

But none of them seemed dejected by Elder Zixuan’s attitude. Instead, they seemed to be silently telling him that he had better go.

Long Feng’s mouth twitched.

’The older people become, the more stubborn they are.’

Although the man looked like a middle-aged man, Long Feng could tell from the attitude of the three True Elders that this person was definitely not ordinary. His strength was probably even greater than theirs.

That’s why Long Feng wasn’t stupid enough to believe that this man was truly only middle-aged. He had probably maintained his current appearance for countless years.

’An old, stubborn man pretending to be middle-aged.’

Long Feng silently gave him a title.

Still, there was no point in refusing.

This man’s manner was even more overbearing than that of the three True Elders who had just been fighting over him. And judging from everyone’s reaction, refusing him probably wouldn’t end well.

Long Feng looked around once more.

Nobody gave him any indication that he should refuse.

In fact, some of the elders looked at him with expressions that almost seemed to say: You hit the jackpot!

’If you’re in such a hurry, just go by yourself! Why are you bothering me? Have you old people mistaken me for some kind of business asset?’

Long Feng sighed inwardly, but he didn’t seem to have any other choice.

’Fine.’

He cupped his fists toward Elder Zixuan.

"This disciple understands."

Elder Zixuan gave a slight nod. Then, without saying anything else, he extended his hand, and a powerful force immediately enveloped Long Feng.

Before he could even react, his body suddenly rose from the ground.

Whoosh!

The two figures shot into the sky, leaving behind only Long Feng’s loud scream and the confused gazes of the crowd.

In the blink of an eye, the two figures disappeared into the distant sky.

The entire ceremony fell silent.

The three True Elders remained suspended in the air. They looked in the direction Elder Zixuan had disappeared, then looked at each other.

For several breaths, none of them spoke. Everything had happened too quickly.

Just moments ago, they had been arguing over who would take Long Feng as a disciple. Now, he was gone.

"Did Elder Zixuan just take him away?" One of the True Elders finally frowned.

The Second Elder nodded slowly.

"It appears so."

"But..." The Third Elder’s expression became strange. "He never said he wanted to take Long Feng as his disciple."

The other two immediately looked at him.

Indeed.

Elder Zixuan had not said anything about accepting Long Feng as a disciple. He had merely asked for Long Feng and then taken him away.

"Then why did he take him?" The First Elder frowned, but nobody answered.

The Second Elder’s eyes narrowed.

"Could there be another reason? Perhaps it could be because of his teacher?"

The elder’s face became unusually serious, and the other two elders also froze. Their expressions changed almost simultaneously.

"Are you saying..."

The First Elder nodded slowly. His voice became hesitant.

Even among the upper echelons of Azura Heaven Sect, very few people knew who Elder Zixuan’s teacher was. That name alone was enough to make even them cautious.

"If that is really the reason, then things are far more complicated than we thought."

The three elders looked toward the distant sky once again, their expressions becoming increasingly solemn at the unexpected turn of events.

On the other side, Long Feng was still trying to understand what was happening when the scenery beneath him suddenly began to change.

The feeling of flying through the air was completely different from what he had imagined.

He had traveled on flying beasts and occasionally relied on flying treasures before, but this was different. Enveloped by spiritual energy, it felt almost the same as flying by himself.

The wind rushed past his body. Mountains, forests, valleys, and distant peaks flashed beneath him so quickly that Long Feng could barely distinguish their shapes.

For a moment, his eyes lit up with excitement.

’So this is what true flying feels like.’

He couldn’t help looking around, but then Elder Zixuan’s cold voice suddenly entered his ears.

"You should have remembered this path. After all, you will have to come here yourself from now on."

He didn’t even turn his head to look at him.

"Ah..."

Long Feng immediately looked down.

He had been so interested in the feeling of flying that he had completely forgotten to pay attention to their route. The surrounding landscape was already passing too quickly.

He narrowed his eyes and immediately concentrated his soul power.

Although he couldn’t memorize every detail, his powerful soul allowed him to rapidly record the general direction, the mountain ranges they crossed, and several distinctive peaks along the way.

’This should be enough.’

He continued observing carefully.

The journey wasn’t particularly long since Elder Zixuan’s speed was astonishing. After several minutes, they finally descended upon a towering mountain.

The moment Long Feng approached it, his expression changed slightly.

’The spiritual energy here is extremely dense.’

That was the first thing he noticed. The quantity of spiritual energy was several times denser than in the surrounding areas of the sect.

As he looked around, he found that the mountain wasn’t decorated with magnificent palaces or enormous buildings.

Instead, it was surprisingly peaceful.

A small path stretched between several trees. A few simple buildings could be seen farther away.

There was a small house ahead that looked almost ordinary compared with the grand structures within the sect.

There was no excessive decoration. Everything seemed simple and tranquil.

As Long Feng followed Elder Zixuan toward the small house, he occasionally saw several disciples and elders passing through the area.

Some noticed Elder Zixuan and immediately bowed respectfully.

Elder Zixuan merely nodded before continuing forward. Long Feng quietly followed behind.

Soon, they passed through the small house and entered what seemed to be a secluded rear courtyard.

The scenery immediately became even more peaceful. Several wooden shelves were arranged around the courtyard.

But Long Feng’s attention was quickly drawn toward something else.

Herbs and medicinal plants.

There were numerous medicinal plants growing throughout the courtyard.

At first, Long Feng only glanced at them casually, but when he looked again, he finally noticed something. His footsteps slowed, and even his eyes widened slightly.

’That’s...’

He recognized one, then another, and then several more.

Several of the plants growing here were extremely rare medicinal ingredients that could be used to refine sixth-rank or even seventh-rank pills.

Long Feng’s expression gradually became more serious.

’How did he manage to collect so many?’

There were several that he didn’t recognize.

’Could these be medicinal ingredients above the seventh grade?’

The thought made him even more curious.

Based on his current knowledge, he recognized the seventh-rank pills and all the herbs required to make them. It also confirmed something he had already suspected.

Elder Zixuan was almost certainly an alchemist.

An ordinary cultivator wouldn’t spend so much effort gathering and cultivating such precious medicinal ingredients.

Soon, Elder Zixuan sat calmly upon the single wooden chair there. Long Feng took the wooden couch opposite him and also sat down.

For several breaths, neither spoke. The courtyard was quiet. A faint breeze passed through the surrounding plants.

Elder Zixuan silently examined Long Feng. His gaze was calm and difficult to read.

But internally, he was comparing the young man in front of him with the person who had asked him to come.

’What exactly did my teacher see in this boy?’

Long Feng, meanwhile, was looking at Elder Zixuan.

The atmosphere was slightly strange.

Finally, Elder Zixuan spoke.

"My name is Zixuan." His tone remained cold and concise. "I am an eighth-rank mid-grade alchemist. You may call me Elder Zixuan, like the others."

Hearing his alchemy rank, Long Feng’s eyes changed slightly. However, he quickly composed himself and nodded.

"Yes, Elder Zixuan."

Elder Zixuan looked at him for another moment.

"Although your talent examination showed that you possess Perfect Grade Talent, that alone proves very little. Since you are learning alchemy, show me your ability. Refine the highest-grade pill you can currently refine."