The Eternal Saint of Alchemy

Early the next morning, the news spread that the Fei brothers had brought a very senior elder, who was said to be a ninth-grade Tribulation Realm elder, proficient in ancient fire formations, and one of the top figures in the entire Heavenly Fire Plains.

Xiao Fan was having breakfast at the inn when Cheng Xiushi, holding a bowl of porridge, said with a gloomy face, "The Fei family is really serious this time. That old retainer's surname is Jiao, and he's said to have a very bad temper."

He failed in his struggle for the ancient fire-path inheritance in his youth and then went into seclusion for many years. The Fei brothers spent a fortune to invite him here, probably because they have their eyes on that item you obtained in Yaoguang Valley, right?

After finishing his porridge, Xiao Fan put down his bowl and said expressionlessly, "He will come. I will leave once I have finished dealing with things in the city."

However, things were not as simple as he had imagined.

In the afternoon, he had just picked up the report on the Crystal Dew from the appraisal shop and was about to return to the inn when he was stopped by a follower of the Purple Crystal Alliance. The follower politely handed him an invitation, saying that Elder Jiao wanted to invite him to Cuiwei Tower in the east of the city that evening to discuss important matters, and asked him to do him the honor of attending.

The invitation was polite, but the tone was unquestionable. The letter ended with the old seal of the Amethyst Alliance and a strange spiritual seal.

Xiao Fan took the invitation and glanced at it, but didn't reply immediately. He simply said, "We'll decide tonight."

After returning to the inn, he discussed it with Cheng Xiushi. Cheng Xiushi felt that this meal was definitely not just for catching up, but was likely Jiao Lao's way of forcing him to hand over the spoils of Yaoguang Valley.

However, since the other party has presented a formal invitation instead of visiting in person, it means that they are still in a power struggle on the surface. Not going would make one appear cowardly.

After putting away the invitation, Xiao Fan changed into a dark robe. As for the short axe and the breastplate, he left them in the inn's storage magic item, leaving only a token and a broken sword.

Cheng Xiushi waited near the inn. The two agreed that if there was still no news after half an hour, they would act according to the pre-arranged code.

Cuiwei Tower is an exquisite three-story restaurant in the east of Fire Crystal City. The entire top floor has been booked by the Purple Crystal Alliance.

As soon as Xiao Fan arrived, two fully armed guards stood at the top of the stairs. Upon seeing Xiao Fan, they immediately made way for him, without searching him or asking him anything, clearly having received some instructions.

Fei Song sat on the left, expressionless. Sitting next to him was an unfamiliar old man, thin and frail, with sharp eyes fixed on Xiao Fan; it was the old man surnamed Jiao.

Fei Fei stood behind the old man, a smug look on his face.

"Young Master Xiao, please have a seat." Elder Jiao gestured to the seat opposite him. "I am from the Jiao family. I heard from two juniors from the Fei family that you have some good things here, so I would like to see them."

Xiao Fan sat down opposite him, his back ramrod straight, yet he wasn't nervous at all. He said calmly, "Do you want to see what I'm holding?"

The old man squinted at the token at Xiao Fan's waist and said slowly, "You obtained the Golden Sun Crystal Core in the underground of Yaoguang Valley, what else did you obtain?"

"I've been immersed in the fire path for over sixty years. The ancient spatial aura emanating from that crack can be detected even from ten miles away. This definitely cannot be explained by a single Golden Sun Crystal Core."

Xiao Fan picked up his teacup, took a sip, and slowly put it down. He said seriously, "Regarding the situation beneath Yaoguang Valley, I can only tell you that it is related to the inheritance of Taixu Dansheng. If you don't know about it..."

If you wish to verify this, you can offer the ancient fire-based formation manual you possess in exchange. This path represents an equivalent exchange.

As for Elder Jiao, he simply raised an eyebrow.

Fei Song suddenly interjected, "Master Jiao has been studying the art of fire for over sixty years. How could a junior like you compare?"

Xiao Fan grinned, turned to Fei Song, and calmly said, "Second Young Master Fei, what do you think I should do? Just hand it over like this?"

Fei Song was speechless, but was stopped by Elder Jiao raising his hand. When he looked at Xiao Fan again, his eyes were filled with an unprecedented solemnity.

He reached into his sleeve and pulled out a half-yellowed piece of silk from his bosom. He spread it out on the table, on which were densely drawn arrays and annotations. The handwriting was simple and neat. Although the paper was old, it was well preserved and clearly a very old thing.

"This is a general outline of ancient fire-based magic arrays that I obtained from an ancient ruin when I was young. If you are willing to reveal the discoveries made beneath the Radiant Valley, this outline will be yours."

Xiao Fan glanced at the silk cloth on the table and fell into deep thought. He then took the broken sword down, placed it on the table, and drew a few lines in the air with his finger, sketching the structure of the three passages and three metal plates on the table.

The old monk Jiao stared intently at the simple drawing and the pattern that appeared on the broken sword, his cloudy eyes gleaming with a strange light.

He didn't reach out to take it, but looked at Xiao Fan and lowered his voice, saying, "The Golden Sun Crystal Core has already been taken by you."

"I didn't go to the other two," Xiao Fan said frankly. "Their attributes don't match the inheritance I possess. Forcing my way in would only have the opposite effect. If Senior Jiao's team has cultivators with the corresponding attributes, perhaps these passages could be helpful to you."

After a long silence, Elder Jiao pushed the silk in his hand in front of him: "Since the things below Yaoguang Valley are related to the inheritance of Taixu Dansheng, I cannot force you to do something against your will."

However, I have a request. If you enter the edge of the Heavenly Fire Plains, could you please make a copy of the records of the formations along the way so I can study them?

Xiao Fan put away the silk and nodded solemnly.

Fei Fei, standing behind Jiao Lao, turned pale and then flushed.

Fei Song tightened his grip on the teacup, but remained silent.

The atmosphere at the top has shifted from tense confrontation to a calm after mutual probing.

Xiao Fan got up to say goodbye and walked downstairs. The guards at the top of the stairs made way for him, their attitude much more respectful than when he came.

After going downstairs and walking out of Cuiwei Tower, Xiao Fan looked up at the brightly lit streets of Fire Crystal City and took a deep breath.

For Xiao Fan, the half of the Fire Dao Formation outline that Elder Jiao gave him was simply a priceless treasure.

After returning to the inn, he spent the whole night studying the contents of the silk scroll and found that it recorded the principles and evolution of several ancient fire-type formations. One of them, "Virtual Fire Guidance," had a formation pattern structure that had a clear common origin with the spatial branches on the broken sword.

Although the general outline was incomplete and limited in quantity, it filled the last piece of the logical puzzle that he could not deduce from the broken sword and the token.