The Eternal Saint of Alchemy

Ye Ruolin emerged from the dark alley, her brows furrowed as she looked at the empty lane and the jade slip in Xiao Fan's hand. "They ran away?" he asked, startled.

"Let's go." Xiao Fan put away the jade box and walked out of the alley. "The mastermind isn't here, but rather used this person to spread the news."

Ye Ruolin watched him leave the dark alley and return to the main street, walking side by side with Lou Cheng.

The afternoon sun shone on the bluestone-paved streets, which were bustling with pedestrians. The commotion caused by the treasure appraisal event did not seem to have reached this place, and it remained peaceful.

Ye Ruolin asked, "Where do you think he'll land next?"

Xiao Fan pondered for a moment, then slowed his pace and walked forward.

"I still have some trump cards to play. If it's to force out what Taixu Dansheng left behind, then I will definitely try every means to expose what Taixu Dansheng left behind."

Ye Ruolin turned her head to look at him, a faint smile appearing on her lips.

"Then what?"

Xiao Fan turned to look at her, a faint smile playing on his lips. "If he wants to spread this around, I'll spread it as far as possible."

Tomorrow, I will go to the largest martial arts arena in Crimsonfire City and let everyone witness the splendor of the Taixu Pill Saint's legacy. The more he tries to muddy the waters, the more I want to see his true colors.

Ye Ruolin chuckled. "That's fine. I'll watch you fight from the sidelines. Let's see who's watching you!"

The two walked along the main street towards the inn, feeling much more relaxed than before. The afternoon breeze carried the aroma of tea wafting from the teahouses along the street, and the sun warmed them comfortably.

Early the next morning, Xiao Fan arrived at the training ground in the center of Crimson Flame City with a black longsword. There, a middle-aged man dressed in black stood with a faint smile on his face.

The Martial Arts Arena is the largest public arena in Crimson Flame City. It is surrounded by tall stone walls, with a flat bluestone ground in the middle. It is used by the city's cultivators to practice their martial arts skills on weekdays, and occasionally some outsiders will come here to show off their martial prowess and solicit business.

At this moment, three or four people were already seated on the stage, and there were more than twenty people around them.

Xiao Fan stepped forward, not even drawing his sword, and walked directly to the center of the arena. He untied his sword case, drew his longsword, and a jet-black longsword gleamed coldly in the sunlight.

More than twenty pairs of eyes were fixed on him from below the stage. The spiritual energy emanating from the sword made everyone feel its weight. Some people were already whispering, speculating about the origin of the sword.

Xiao Fan sheathed his sword and stretched. His goal was simple: to appear openly and honestly. He didn't care whether someone was testing him.

However, he underestimated the allure of the sword.

In less than 15 minutes, more than a hundred people had gathered here.

The news spread like wildfire, and many people dropped what they were doing and rushed over. A group of people looked at the black longsword in Xiao Fan's hand and whispered among themselves.

"Where is that sword? It has such an ancient feel to it..."

"I heard it was left behind by the Grandmaster of Pill Refining. Do you know how much of a stir this treasure appraisal event caused? Today, he used it again."

"What is a Pill Saint? It's been over a hundred years, hasn't it?"

More and more people gathered around, discussing animatedly. Xiao Fan stood motionless on the arena, his back ramrod straight, as if accepting the gaze of the crowd.

Just then, a slightly shrill voice came from behind the crowd: "What kind of sacred relic of the Taixu Pill? You think you can fool us with just a broken sword?"

"The relics of the Dan Saint? There are plenty of people pretending to be antiques these days."

Xiao Fan looked in the direction of the sound and saw four men in blue shirts standing there. The middle-aged man in the lead had his arms crossed and was looking at everyone with a half-smile.

A bronze token hung from his waist, depicting a firebird with outstretched wings, clearly belonging to the "Azure Fire Gang" of Crimson Flame City.

"If you're interested, you can give it a try." Xiao Fan pointed to the scabbard: "Whether it's real or not, you'll know once you touch it."

The man pushed his way out of the crowd. He walked three steps in front of Xiao Fan, held out his hand, and said, "Try it. If it's not genuine, then apologize in public."

Xiao Fan took out a sword made of medicinal pills that was not yet sheathed. The big man grabbed the long sword and felt his arm sink. He hadn't expected it to be so heavy. Although he steadied himself, his arm trembled uncontrollably.

"So heavy!" he muttered to himself. His expression was somewhat strange, but he quickly regained his nonchalant air, hoisting the scabbard onto his shoulder. "Heavy doesn't mean it's an antique. Any random piece of meteorite iron could be used to forge this heavy sword."

Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Fan had already grabbed the end of the scabbard and pulled hard.

Before the man could even grasp the hilt, the entire longsword had already been sheathed, the whole process effortless and graceful, as if it were weightless.

"You can't be sure," Xiao Fan said calmly as he sheathed his sword. "This sword isn't for carrying heavy loads; it's for nurturing. If you don't nurture it properly, you'll ruin your future."

The audience was silent until someone chuckled softly.

The man with the slanted eyes turned bright red and grabbed Xiao Fan's arm, saying, "What do you want? Do you think I'm not even as good as a sword?"

Just as his hand was about to touch Xiao Fan's shoulder, Xiao Fan dodged away like a gust of wind. The man stumbled and almost fell flat on his face.

"You—" He was furious and about to explode when a man in a green robe grabbed him and whispered a few words in his ear. The man's expression was uncertain, but he glared at Xiao Fan fiercely before turning and leaving.

Xiao Fan pretended not to see anything. He stood on the field, observing everything around him in the sunlight.

There were townspeople watching the spectacle, shrewd merchants specializing in spiritual materials, and others hiding behind the crowd who only glanced at the scene briefly before leaving.

He secretly memorized those figures and the direction they left in.

After the banquet, Xiao Fan led Ye Ruolin down the main street. "Not bad. One went east, one went north, and one went in a big circle, heading straight for the Fire Crystal Workshop."

Xiao Fan didn't stop, but continued, "The people from the Fire Crystal Workshop are the most important. That's the cause of this matter."

Ye Ruolin nodded slightly. "Tonight, I'm going to the Fire Crystal Workshop to see just who they are."

Xiao Fan stared at her. "Alone?"

"It's alright, this is my specialty." Ye Ruolin touched the short sword at her waist, a confident smile playing on her lips. "The Ye family in the capital has quite a few enemies."

Xiao Fan didn't say much, only instructing, "Be careful, and notify us immediately if anything unusual happens."