Stepping into the third layer, Tang Yan felt the temperature double once again. The blistering air made even drawing a breath difficult.

"With my current strength, entering the fourth layer would be exceedingly difficult." Sensing his body's limits, Tang Yan shook his head with a faint sigh. Sweeping his gaze around, he saw that the third layer also held over a thousand cultivation spots.

Finding an empty spot, Tang Yan sat cross-legged and began to cultivate.

Violent flames drilled through his pores and seared his flesh. Before long, Tang Yan's skin flushed a deep, glowing red.

Though the tempering process was agonizing, the True Qi within his body reacted with exceptional vigor.

Calming his mind, he circulated the Supreme Alchemy Scripture. After completing a full cycle, Tang Yan discovered to his delight that the cultivation benefits in the third layer were several times greater than in the second.

Time passed quietly-a quarter of an hour, half an hour, three-quarters of an hour, an hour...

When an hour and a half had passed, Tang Yan finally rose slowly to his feet.

The abundant Spiritual Qi surging within him forced him to halt his cultivation. Taking a deep breath, Tang Yan turned and walked toward the exit.

Meanwhile, Elder Huo and Elder Zhen, who had been passing the time with chess, were now staring in absolute shock.

"A seventh-grade Black Rank cultivator, yet able to endure the third layer of the Nine Nether Fire Sea for an hour and a half..." Elder Zhen murmured. "He must be an Array-Martial Arts prodigy. Old Huo, I am taking this boy!"

Elder Huo, who had previously maintained the detached, transcendent air of an immortal, now blew his beard out in anger. "Old fool, what nonsense are you spouting!

"Array-Martial Arts is profoundly obscure-won't it only delay his cultivation? Forcing him to practice both martial skills and formations divides his focus and slows his progress.

"But I am an Alchemist, a position of supreme reverence. Once he learns my craft, he will be entirely self-sufficient in pills, reaping endless benefits. How is that not far better than learning Array-Martial Arts?

"That kid Lang Qingyun is an Array-Martial Artist, isn't he? Go take him as your disciple, but don't fight me for this boy!"

"As long as one has the talent, Array-Martial Arts and martial cultivation do not conflict! In fact, they complement each other. How can you call that a delay?" Elder Zhen retorted furiously. "And besides, how is an Array Master inferior to an Alchemist? How am I inferior to you?"

"Fine. Then let us go find the boy and let him choose for himself. How about that?" Elder Huo raised an eyebrow, his tone brimming with provocation.

Elder Zhen's expression shifted slightly-across this continent, Alchemists were indeed more prestigious-but he refused to back down from the challenge. Snorting coldly, he agreed, "Fine!"

Tang Yan walked out of the Nine Nether Fire Sea to find the sky already darkening.

Walking along the path, he felt a headache coming on.

He still had no idea where Yu Juechen and the others were staying. As for Zi Yun's residence... Tang Yan couldn't help but shiver. If she caught him now, his fate would surely be miserable.

Just as he was hesitating, an incredibly terrifying aura suddenly locked onto him. A cold chill shot from the soles of his feet straight to his scalp.

Startled, he rapidly circulated the True Qi within his body and fixed his gaze ahead.

"Little fellow, your vigilance is quite sharp," a gentle voice sounded. Before Tang Yan could even react, two elderly men appeared out of thin air before him.

Though the two made no threatening moves, Tang Yan's heart tightened. He could see an almost ravenous glint in their eyes.

"Two Seniors, if you are looking to rob someone, targeting a junior like me is a bit beneath your status, wouldn't you say?" Tang Yan asked warily.

Robbery?

The two Elders stared at each other, their eyes wide.

"Your Spiritual Values don't even reach ten thousand, and your Storage Ring is crafted from such crude materials that it couldn't possibly hold much. What could you possibly have that is worth robbing?" Elder Zhen asked with a wry smile.

Sensing no hostility from the two men, Tang Yan relaxed slightly. Cupping his fists respectfully, he asked, "What business do you two Seniors have with me?"

"Come with us!"

Tang Yan's vision blurred as a hand grabbed him and hoisted him into the air. In a mere matter of breaths, they landed softly outside an elegant pavilion.

"Seniors, if there is a matter at hand, please speak plainly." Having been inexplicably abducted, Tang Yan was deeply perplexed.

"Little fellow, you may call me Elder Huo, and this is Elder Zhen." Elder Huo offered a gentle introduction, then asked, "Let me ask you a question. Do you wish to hold an exalted status and be respected by the world?"

Though he found the question exceedingly strange, Tang Yan nodded.

"Do you wish to obtain resources that will allow you to cultivate far faster than your peers?" Elder Huo asked.

Tang Yan nodded once more.

"Then... do you wish to learn alchemy from me?" Seeing Tang Yan nodding repeatedly, Elder Huo's eyes brimmed with satisfaction.

Tang Yan stared at him blankly, rolling his eyes inwardly. They went through all the trouble of snatching me off the road just to teach me alchemy?

"Elder Huo, what rank Alchemist are you?" Tang Yan asked carefully.

"A peak Fourth Rank Alchemist," Elder Huo declared with profound pride.

Tang Yan did not agree immediately. Instead, his gaze shifted to Elder Zhen. "Senior, do you also teach alchemy?"

"I know nothing of alchemy. I am an Array-Martial Artist," Elder Zhen said. "Do you wish to learn formations? If you cultivate to the Mahayana stage, you will possess the power to flip your hand and command the clouds and rain!"

"Array-Martial Artist?" Tang Yan was visibly surprised.

"Exactly," Elder Zhen nodded.

A flicker of interest flashed through Tang Yan's eyes. According to the ancient records he had read, the requirements to become an Array-Martial Artist were exceptionally harsh, making practitioners exceedingly rare.

However, if one could master this path, they could catch enemies completely off guard, granting themselves a powerful new means of survival.

Taking a deep breath, Tang Yan made a bold request. "Could you... let this student experience the power of Array-Martial Arts firsthand?"

The moment his words fell, Tang Yan felt the surrounding air shift violently. The darkening sky above them suddenly flared with brilliant light.

Before he could react, a tempest of razor-sharp blades rained down from the heavens.

Startled, Tang Yan erupted with True Qi. His fists blurred into a storm of blows to intercept the dense shower of steel.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Even with his True Qi protecting him, Tang Yan felt a sharp, stinging pain burning across the backs of his hands.

Fortunately, this torrential rain of blades was brief. In just a few breaths, everything returned to normal.

He looked around sharply, yet there was no trace of a single blade in sight.

"This was merely a first-rank formation. As the rank increases, the power multiplies exponentially," Elder Zhen's voice drifted over, heavy with temptation.

Seeing Tang Yan's obvious intrigue, Elder Huo grew anxious and hastily stepped in. "Boy, not only is Array-Martial Arts incredibly arduous to practice, but how could it possibly compare to the limitless prospects of an Alchemist? Look, what is this?"

With a flip of his wrist, Elder Huo summoned a fiery red pill into his palm.

The pill was perfectly round and immaculately smooth. Its medicinal fragrance was masterfully concealed within, while a hazy ring of Spiritual Qi wreathed its surface, a clear mark of its extraordinary grade.

A Fourth Grade pill-the Fire Cloud Pill!

Inhaling the faint, drifting scent of the pill, Tang Yan closed his eyes, briefly intoxicated by its purity.

The Fire Cloud Pill was a supreme treasure for body refinement. Once consumed, it would rapidly generate a scorching True Qi that continuously tempered the body's meridians and soul. It was a prize fiercely pursued by the elite children of noble clans.

Throughout the entire Tingxiang Kingdom, only a tiny fraction of cultivators possessed the qualifications to consume such a pill.

"This is the Fire Cloud Pill, a Fourth Grade treasure. Its effects can entirely remold your physical constitution. As long as you agree to learn alchemy from me, not only will this pill be yours, but I will personally guarantee all the pills you need for your future cultivation.

"Once you master alchemy, you will never lack for anything. Even after you leave the Azure Dragon Academy, you can refine whatever pill you require!" Elder Huo pushed his temptation to the limit.

Tang Yan immediately chimed in with enthusiasm. "Indeed, Alchemists hold an exalted status! Once you achieve mastery, you can befriend powerful figures from all corners of the world and accumulate countless connections. Entering the path of alchemy brings endless, lifelong benefits!"

"Little fellow!" Hearing Tang Yan heap such praise upon Alchemists, Elder Zhen immediately barked out in panic.

"Old Zhen, everything that needed to be said has been said. Let Tang Yan choose for himself," Elder Huo said, beaming as he stepped smoothly into Elder Zhen's path.

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