Chapter 195: Fragments in Hand

Chapter 195: Fragments in Hand
At the same time, Xiao Ling had already led his companions into the guild hall.

This place is in sharp contrast to the hustle and bustle of the outside world. The air is filled with the fragrance of medicinal herbs and the scent of books, making it appear peaceful and solemn.

On one side of the hall, tall bookshelves are arranged in an orderly manner, filled with various precious alchemy books and manuscripts. On the walls are hung exquisite illustrations of medicinal materials and drawings of alchemy tools. Every detail reveals the profound heritage of the art of alchemy.

Xiao Ling and his companions walked slowly among the bookshelves, their eyes lingering on those ancient books and atlases, as if they were looking for something.

The Little Medical Fairy's fingers gently slid across the spine of the book, Qinglin showed great interest in the alchemy tools, and Zi Yan observed everything around her curiously, asking questions from time to time.

Xiao Ling had a calm smile on his face. He swept his eyes over the books and found that the bookshelves were filled with basic knowledge about pharmacology.

At this moment, a burst of hurried footsteps broke the silence of the hall, and an old man in luxurious robes walked quickly accompanied by several followers.

His eyes were full of anticipation and joy. He was the president of the Alchemist Guild, Fa Ma.

The wrinkles on President Fa Ma's face were deepened by his enthusiastic smile. He walked over quickly and greeted Xiao Ling warmly, with a bit of intimacy and surprise in his voice: "Master Xiao Ling, why didn't you inform us in advance when you came to the Alchemist Guild? We could have prepared to welcome you. It's impolite of us to come here in such a hurry now."

Xiao Ling waved his hand gently, with a barely perceptible smile, and replied: "President, there is no need to be polite. I just returned to the imperial capital and wanted to stroll around and feel the bustle of this city. I didn't expect to end up here."

Upon hearing this, President Fa Ma immediately started chatting with Xiao Ling: "Haha, Master Xiao Ling, during the time you were away, many young alchemists in the Jia Ma Empire also showed amazing talents..."

While the two were chatting, President Fa Ma took the opportunity to invite him: "Master Xiao Ling, it is inconvenient to stay in this hall. Please follow me and we will go to the reception room to discuss in detail."

Xiao Ling nodded and did not reject the suggestion. He came here not just for sightseeing.

Immediately, Xiao Ling turned to Xiao Yixian, Qinglin and Ziyan and said, "I will discuss some things with President Fa Ma first. You can travel freely in the imperial capital, or you can go back to the Xiao family to rest first."

After Xiao Ling finished speaking, he handed the two storage rings in his hands, which contained the souls of Venerable Tianhuo and Yao Chen, to Qing Lin for safekeeping.

While Xiao Ling was communicating with his companions, President Fa Ma was observing silently at the side, and surprise gradually appeared in his eyes.

Although the three girls around Xiao Ling were not well-known in the outside world, they had collected some intelligence from the high-level forces of the Jia Ma Empire.

As the president of the Alchemist Guild, Fa Ma's soul perception is naturally very sharp. In addition, he has reached the peak of Dou Huang's cultivation. Although he cannot easily detect the specific cultivation of the three people, he can still distinguish the general level of their strength.

Zi Yan, the girl with purple hair and eyes of the same color, always gives people a mysterious yet playful feeling.

Her talent was extraordinary to begin with, and she was already a powerful warrior at the peak of Dou Wang level. Although it was admirable, it was also reasonable that her cultivation level was raised to the Dou Huang level.

In comparison, the progress of Xiao Yixiang and Qinglin made President Fa Ma feel incredible.

Xiao Yixian and Qinglin had also been to the Alchemist Guild before. Since they were following Xiao Ling, Fa Ma had paid some attention to them. At that time, their strength was only that of a fighter and a fighting master.

Time flies, and two years have passed in the blink of an eye. During this short period of time, the two people's realms have undergone earth-shaking transformation.

The strength of the Little Medical Fairy was like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon, and she amazingly leaped to the realm of Douhuang.

For most people, such a speed of promotion is nothing short of a fantasy and almost an unattainable miracle.

Not to mention having seen it, Fa Ma had never even heard of it. Even when compared with Xiao Ling at that time, he was far inferior in terms of cultivation talent.

Qing Lin's improvement was also remarkable. Although she did not directly leap to the Dou Huang realm like Xiao Yixian, as a Dou Wang powerhouse, her achievements were equally extraordinary.

Looking at her childish face, at the age of only fourteen or fifteen, she has already reached the realm of Dou Wang. Such a talent for cultivation is not inferior to that of Xiao Ling of the same age. In fact, because he has been practicing for a shorter time, he is even better.

President Fa Ma thought to himself that Xiao Ling himself was extremely gifted, and his talent in alchemy and cultivation was far beyond that of ordinary people, and the talents of his companions were also so amazing, which was really unbelievable.

However, when President Fa Ma concentrated his mind and tried to explore Xiao Ling's cultivation through his soul perception, he unexpectedly found that he could not see through the young man in front of him at all.

This made him feel an incredible sense of doubt. With his cultivation at the peak of Douhuang, he should be able to vaguely sense some signs even of a stronger person at a higher level.

President Fa Ma's heart was filled with waves: "What's going on? Is there something wrong with my perception? Or has Xiao Ling's cultivation reached a level that I can't reach?"

An absurd thought flashed through his mind, even to himself. Xiao Ling might have broken through from Dou Huang to Dou Zong in just two years.

But soon, he drove this thought out of his mind. Dou Zong, what a high realm, how could it be achieved in such a short time?

Fa Ma adjusted his thoughts and consoled himself by thinking: "Master Xiao Ling's soul power must be extremely strong, far beyond mine, so I can't sense it. Yes, it must be like this."

At this time, Xiao Ling had finished explaining to Xiao Yixiang and the others, and turned his head to look at President Fa Ma. There was a hint of indifference in his eyes, as if he had already seen through President Fa Ma's previous covert investigation.

Xiao Ling had sensed Fa Ma's temptation from the very beginning, but he did not show any dissatisfaction or vigilance. Instead, he seemed quite calm.

Xiao Ling chuckled and broke the brief silence, and said calmly, "Let's go, President Fa Ma, let's go to the living room to continue our conversation."

Fa Ma came back to his senses from his thoughts, he nodded, an awkward yet admiring smile on his face, "Haha, Master Xiao Ling, please follow me." He stretched out his hand forward, made a gesture of invitation, and led Xiao Ling towards the reception room.

As the two walked, they passed through several corridors decorated with exquisite murals and finally came to a spacious and bright reception room.

The decoration here is more refined, and every piece of furniture reveals classicism and elegance. The paintings and sculptures hanging on the walls are all from famous artists, highlighting the profound heritage of the Alchemist Guild.

Fa Ma invited Xiao Ling to sit down at a conference table carved from fine sandalwood. Fresh fruits, exquisite snacks, and two cups of fragrant tea were already placed on the table, which were obviously carefully prepared to welcome Xiao Ling.

The two sat down in the reception room. The quiet and exquisite surroundings added a sense of solemnity to their conversation.

Xiao Ling was the first to break the silence. His voice was calm and full of expectation: "President Fa Ma, do you remember what I asked the Alchemist Guild to help me find?"

Fa Ma originally wanted to discuss some alchemy techniques with Xiao Ling. Hearing Xiao Ling's question, he was slightly stunned, but soon came to his senses and quickly recalled what Xiao Ling was referring to. "Haha, of course I remember. Master Xiao Ling, wait a moment, I'll go get it."

Two years ago, Xiao Ling, who had not yet left the Gama Empire, commissioned the Alchemist Guild to find a special kind of porcelain.

Although Fa Ma didn't quite understand Xiao Ling's intention, since it was Xiao Ling's commission, he immediately ordered people to carefully collect those seemingly ancient porcelain pieces.

Fa Ma then whispered a few instructions to the maid who was waiting on the side.

Not long after, Mitchell, the vice president of the Alchemist Guild, walked into the reception room and bowed respectfully to Xiao Ling and Fa Ma, "Master Xiao Ling, President Fa Ma."

President Fa Ma smiled and said, "Mitchell, have the items that Master Xiao Ling entrusted us to collect been prepared? Now is the time."

Vice President Mitchell nodded seriously after hearing this, "I will naturally do my best for Master Xiao Ling's commission."

As he spoke, he took out a storage ring from his bosom and gently placed it on the conference table. "This storage ring contains porcelain pieces that match the characteristics described by Master Xiao Ling. According to the investigation of the president and I, one of the porcelain pieces seems to record a mysterious fighting skill. Master Xiao Ling, please take a look and see if there is a treasure you need in it."

Xiao Ling praised Vice President Mitchell's efficiency and thoughtfulness, and said with a smile: "Vice President Mitchell, thank you very much, I will definitely repay you generously in the future."

Then, he flicked his fingers lightly, and the ring fell lightly into his palm. Xiao Ling's soul power was like a gentle breeze, reaching into the ring, gently taking out all the porcelain pieces and piling them on the ground.

The porcelain pieces piled up were more than one meter high, which not only demonstrated the importance the Alchemist Guild attached to Xiao Ling's commission, but also reflected their respect for Xiao Ling.

Witnessing this scene, Xiao Ling nodded slightly, and his favorable impression of the Alchemist Guild quietly increased.

Xiao Ling first attracted the piece of porcelain that recorded the Xuan-level fighting skills and examined it carefully.

It recorded a low-level Xuan-level fighting skill called Thunder Fist. Xiao Ling only glanced at it and understood its essence. He then put the porcelain piece aside and paid no more attention to it.

Then, he released his soul perception and began to carefully explore the pile of porcelain pieces.

Today, Xiao Ling's soul power has reached the middle stage of the spiritual realm. In addition, he has practiced the "Dayan Jue", and now he can focus on many things at once. His exploration efficiency is extremely amazing.

His eyes moved slowly across the pieces of porcelain, like the brightest stars in the night sky, and finally stopped on an inconspicuous piece of broken black jade in the corner.

This piece of jade was the real goal of Xiao Ling's trip. Xiao Ling casually held the jade in his hand. Its surface was not smooth, but covered with tiny particles, giving people a rough feeling.

There are tiny cracks on the jade piece, and there is sand in the gaps, making it look a little old.

However, when Xiao Ling stared at the broken jade piece in his hand, the corners of his mouth rose unconsciously, and he whispered to himself in his heart: "The first transformation of the Three Mysterious Transformations of Heavenly Fire is finally in my hands."

When Vice Presidents Fa Ma and Mitchell saw Xiao Ling's satisfied expression, they understood in their hearts that Xiao Ling seemed to have found what he needed.

Fa Ma then smiled and said, "Haha, Master Xiao Ling, is this what you are looking for? Congratulations to Master Xiao Ling for your achievement."

Xiao Ling smiled slightly, put the jade piece recording the first transformation of the Three Mysterious Transformations of Heavenly Fire into his arms, and said to Fa Ma with a smile: "Indeed, I have found what I need. This time it was so smooth, thanks to the help of the Alchemist Guild."

Fa Ma waved his hand and said modestly: "No, no, Master Xiao Ling, you are the honorary elder of the guild. It is a piece of cake for you to find something. It is our honor to serve you."

Vice President Mitchell also echoed: "Yes, Master Xiao Ling, your needs are naturally for us to do our best to complete."

Xiao Ling smiled slightly. He was an insightful person and naturally understood the two presidents' intention to win them over, but he did not show any displeasure about it.

Afterwards, Xiao Ling waved his hand lightly, took out an ancient prescription from the ring, and handed it to President Fa Ma.

"This is a token of my appreciation. Consider it as the reward for this commission. President Fa Mammoth, please do not refuse it."

This prescription records a fifth-grade Lingqiao Yunhun Pill.

Its refining requires the collection of the essence of the soul flower stamens, the spiritual energy of the purple soul leaves, the dream power of the dream crystal marrow, and the pure medicinal power of the ethereal roots. All four main medicines are rare among the fifth-grade medicinal materials.

Long-term use of this elixir can gradually improve the potential of the soul, but because the required medicinal materials are relatively rare and the effect is not significant, it needs to be taken for a long time to show a more obvious effect. Therefore, for Xiao Ling, it is not so precious. The soul power improved by taking the elixir is not as easy as practicing soul skills.

The moment Xiao Ling handed the recipe of the fifth-grade Lingqiao Yunhun Pill to President Fa Ma, Fa Ma was hesitant in his heart. He originally did not intend to accept any revenge from Xiao Ling, but the temptation of this recipe was too great for him, and he did not want to miss it.

Fa Ma took the prescription, and a gleam of light flashed in his eyes. He knew that the value of this prescription was immeasurable. Although it cost a lot of resources, it had a chance to help him break through the threshold of a sixth-grade alchemist. Even if the chance was very slim, he planned to do his best to collect medicinal materials and try to refine more of this kind of medicine.

With a flash of white light in his hand, he put the prescription into his storage ring. Fa Ma took a deep breath and said to Xiao Ling with a smile: "Haha, thank you very much, Master Xiao Ling. This prescription is of great help to me. I will accept it shamelessly."

Xiao Ling smiled lightly, his tone revealing a calm and magnanimous tone: "You're welcome, President Fa Ma, this is what I should do. The value of that piece of porcelain is equally important to me, so we can each take what we need."

Xiao Ling gave this pill recipe to Fa Ma, not only because the porcelain piece recording the first of the Three Mysterious Transformations of Heavenly Fire was of extraordinary value to him, but also because after he left the Gama Empire, the Xiao family received a lot of help and support from the Alchemist Guild in the Gama Holy City.

As the president of the guild, Fa Ma has always been very friendly to Xiao Ling and has been very caring towards the development of the Xiao family in the imperial capital. This pill recipe is also a way for Xiao Ling to repay this favor.

After some friendly exchanges, the atmosphere in the reception room became more harmonious.

In such an atmosphere, Xiao Ling, Fa Ma and Mitchell began to discuss their experiences in alchemy.

Most of the time, it was Fa Ma and Mitchell who were humbly seeking advice. The questions he raised covered all aspects of alchemy, from the selection of medicinal materials to the techniques of refining, and no detail was missed.

Xiao Ling was extremely happy because he got what he wanted. In response to the questions from Vice Presidents Fa Ma and Mitchell, he shared his knowledge and experience without reservation.

His answers were not only detailed but also easy to understand, making even the complex principles of alchemy easy to understand.

The many confusions in the two people's minds about alchemy were dissipated like clouds and mist, and suddenly everything became clear.

During the in-depth discussion with Xiao Ling, Fa Ma could not help but discover that even Xiao Ling, who was already admirable two years ago, has now reached a new height in his attainments in alchemy.

His unique insights, mastery and innovation of alchemy techniques all demonstrated his extraordinary talent and profound understanding.

During the communication with Xiao Ling, Fa Ma couldn't help but whisper to himself: "Master Xiao Ling is indeed worthy of his reputation. His talent in alchemy is amazing. I believe that after more than ten years of accumulation, he will become the first seventh-grade alchemist in the history of the Jia Ma Empire."

As the discussion was getting more and more interesting, Fa Ma took the opportunity to make an invitation: "Master Xiao Ling, I wonder if you can attend the Alchemist Conference in a month as a judge? As far as I know, Xiao Yan, the third young master of the Xiao family, will also attend the conference. I believe your participation will add a lot of color to this Alchemist Conference."

When Xiao Ling heard Fa Ma's invitation, he did not reject it directly, but replied calmly: "If I am free at that time, I will naturally attend and provide some guidance to the younger generation of alchemists."

Glancing at the gradually darkening sky outside the window, Xiao Ling felt that he should say goodbye. He stood up and said with a smile, "It's getting late. I just returned to the Jiama Empire and haven't been back to the family yet. It's time to go back."

President Fa Ma and Vice President Mitchell nodded in understanding. Fa Ma smiled and said, "Haha, then we won't waste Master Xiao Ling's precious time. I'll see you off..."

So, the two presidents personally accompanied Xiao Ling out of the gate of the Alchemist Guild, and only returned to the guild with satisfaction and joy after watching his figure gradually disappear into the distance.

After this exchange with Xiao Ling, President Fa Ma and Vice President Mitchell both clearly felt that Xiao Ling's attitude towards the Alchemist Guild had changed significantly, and was obviously much friendlier than two years ago.

……

After leaving the Alchemist Guild, Xiao Ling embarked on the journey back to his family.

Since the news of Xiao Ling's return to the Gama Empire had already spread in the Holy City, the Xiao family naturally got the news as well and sent guards to greet him at the door of the family mansion early on.

Seeing Xiao Ling appear at the door, the guards showed respectful expressions and greeted him in unison: "Master Xiao Ling."

Xiao Ling also nodded to them lightly, then walked into the Xiao family's gate.

When the family elders learned the news that Xiao Ling had returned to the Xiao family, they all came to greet him.

As early as when they learned that Xiao Ling had returned to the imperial capital, the Xiao family had already begun preparations. They set up a banquet in the family home, waiting for the moment when Xiao Ling would return.

The first person to greet them was Xiao Zhan, the patriarch of the Xiao family, and following closely behind was Xiao Yan, whom Xiao Ling had not seen for more than a year.

Xiao Yan has now established a very high prestige in the Xiao family, and the family members no longer mention the past events. When Xiao Zhan is no longer the patriarch, Xiao Yan will naturally become the next patriarch of the Xiao family.

Xiao Ling slightly released a trace of soul power for sensing, and he was able to see through Xiao Yan's current level of cultivation, a six-star Grand Fighter. Judging from his momentum, he would be able to break through to a high-level Grand Fighter soon.

Under the dedicated training of Elder Huo, a sixth-rank alchemist, Xiao Yan not only made significant progress in his cultivation, but his alchemy skills also improved. Compared with his contemporaries in the original novel, he was much stronger.

……

The atmosphere in the Xiao family's meeting hall was solemn and warm.

Xiao Ling listened to Xiao Zhan talking about the family's development in recent years, while taking a sip from the teacup.

After listening to the report, Xiao Ling put down his teacup, and said with a bit of surprise: "The development of the family in these years is really beyond my expectations."

Xiao Zhan laughed loudly and said, "This is all thanks to Xiao Lingni's great contribution to the family. Without you, our development would not have been so rapid."

The elder beside him stroked his beard and smiled: "Indeed, the biggest credit for the Xiao family's rapid development must go to Xiao Ling."

"If it weren't for your relationship with the Miter family and the Alchemist Guild, our good exchanges with other families might not be so smooth, and other families in the imperial capital would not dare to offend the Xiao family easily. This is the key to the Xiao family's rapid development."

Xiao Ling shook his head slightly and responded modestly: "I just did my part. The prosperity of the family is the result of everyone's joint efforts."

Xiao Ling always maintained a free-range attitude towards the Xiao family. The Xiao family had a large number of people with varying talents, and although Xiao Ling wanted to help them, he also knew that he couldn't cater to everyone.

He just took special care of Xiao Yan and gave him some precious skills and fighting techniques, hoping that he could work hard on his own and bring honor to the family.

If a family wants to maintain long-term stability, the strength of one person alone is far from enough. Only when family members unite as one and work together can they move forward steadily.

After discussing some family affairs with the Xiao family members and having dinner together, Xiao Ling said goodbye to them and returned to his own courtyard. Xiao Ling couldn't wait for the Three Mysterious Changes of Heavenly Fire...

(End of this chapter)