Xiao Jietian sat cross-legged in the training room, continuously using his soul power to search for the missing memories but found nothing.
He finally chose to give up. His intuition told him that this memory would surface on its own sooner or later—it wasn't lost but sealed.
Xiao Jietian began his daily cultivation and the condensation of Deep Water Lightning. Spirit lightning was a great shortcut to rapidly increasing his strength—a guaranteed profit that wouldn't harm his foundation.
The three who had gone out shopping also returned to the Eternal Heaven World.
That night, Xiao Jietian and Little Fairy Doctor engaged in an intense battle, fighting inextricably, both generously giving and eagerly receiving.
Afterward, Xiao Jietian couldn't help but sigh, marveling at the terrifying power of a Dou Zong expert, who had managed to draw out five-tenths of his own strength.
Early the next morning, Xiao Jietian arrived outside Xiao Yan's room.
About a quarter of an hour later, the two arrived on the main street of the Alchemist Guild.
The guild entrance was packed with people because today was a testing day. Many alchemy enthusiasts, as well as patriarchs of some minor families, came to show their faces, hoping to connect with an alchemist.
Xiao Jietian walked with his hands behind his back, subtly using Dou Qi to part the crowd, leading Xiao Yan slowly toward the main entrance.
Just as they reached the entrance, the crowd outside suddenly stirred, letting out gasps of surprise.
The two looked up and saw a highly aristocratic carriage stopped beyond the crowd, surrounded by a dozen black-clad guards.
The carriage was painted with a ferocious, exotic beast engulfed in blue flames.
"The Imperial Family's emblem," Xiao Yan murmured, looking at the design.
"Hmm, the person arriving is probably the Imperial Family's Little Princess, Princess Yao Yue," Xiao Jietian said, glancing at the carriage. At this time, it could only be her, also participating in the Alchemist Convention.
The curtain of the carriage was drawn back, and a young girl, not very old, stepped out. She wore a purple robe with silver patterns and had a somewhat delicate face.
A faint noble aura emanated from the girl, making her appear very elegant. But upon closer inspection, one could notice a mischievous glint in her eyes from time to time.
"What, taken with her?" Xiao Jietian asked, seeing Xiao Yan smile wryly and shake his head, his eyes still fixed on Little Princess Princess Yao Yue.
"Tian Ge, don't joke around. Her admirers would probably tear me apart." Xiao Yan's face darkened as he helplessly rubbed his nose.
"I just sensed that she's not simple."
"This Little Princess was already promoted to a Third-Tier Alchemist half a year ago. With the Imperial Family's cultivation, she even has many hidden cards. Most importantly, she also possesses a flame not weaker than your Purple Flame."
"She is one of the few opponents worth your attention, but her strength is not as good as yours." Xiao Jietian recalled the information Ya Fei had collected for him about Princess Yao Yue.
Xiao Yan had long known that his brother was very mysterious, and he probably knew all about his alchemy strength.
"What kind of flame?" Xiao Yan naturally trusted Xiao Jietian's words and began to seriously examine the girl in front of him.
"The beast flame of a Tier 6 magical beast, the Abyssal Sea Flood Dragon: Dry Blue Water Flame."
"As expected of someone nurtured by the Imperial Family, they have so many good things." Xiao Yan licked his dry lips, a hint of emotion on his face.
"Haha, let's go. Although she has many good things, you also have quite a few. Let's go in and find Master Otto and the others first to ask about the specific procedures." Xiao Jietian lightly patted Xiao Yan's shoulder and walked toward the west district of the guild.
The guards were still the same ones they had seen a few days ago. This time, there was no excessive obstruction, and Xiao Jietian and Xiao Yan passed directly inside.
"You two are really punctual." Otto and Falkland laughed heartily as they handed a piece of paper to the two who had entered the room.
"Take a look at this list. These are all relatively strong contestants."
"These are all internal guild secrets and, by rules, cannot be disclosed to outsiders."
If you know, I know, and he doesn't know, then it doesn't count as disclosing.
Xiao Jietian took the list and scanned it. It contained about ten Third-Tier Alchemists, none of whom were his opponents. He then handed it to Xiao Yan.
The only one to watch out for was Yan Li, the Vice President of the Alchemist Guild of the Izumo Empire.
"Tian Ge, your name is also on it, and you're ranked eighth. So many Third-Tier Alchemists, are there no Fourth-Tier ones?" Besides Xiao Jietian's name, Xiao Yan also saw two familiar names on the paper: Liu Ling and Princess Yao Yue. Both were ranked very high and were even favorites to win the championship.
"These are just their superficial details; everyone is secretly holding back." Xiao Jietian smiled meaningfully at Xiao Yan. If it weren't for me, the biggest hidden hand would be you, Xiao Yan.
"The reason I called you two here this time is to participate in a test. This is an internal guild test that all individuals recommended by branch guilds must take. Outsiders are exempt. This also serves as a test of the branch guilds' discernment and a way to prevent unqualified candidates." Master Otto said to Xiao Jietian and Xiao Yan after seeing that they had both looked at the list.
"As for the content of the test, we won't know until we get to the site. It hasn't been announced yet, but according to some internal sources, this test will focus on refinement."
"Refinement?" Xiao Yan murmured softly.
"Don't worry, this test is quite simple, absolutely no problem," Xiao Jietian said, patting Xiao Yan's head, and followed behind Otto.
The three walked along the corridor for a moment, arriving at a large door at the end. Pushing it open, a dazzling light intensely shot out, blinding them.
What appeared before them was a classically decorated hall, where many Alchemists stood in small groups.
At the center of the two largest groups was a young man in his twenties, quite handsome with a hint of femininity, and a gentle smile on his face.
The other small group surrounded Little Princess Princess Yao Yue, and those around her were mostly her admirers, their gazes secretly filled with a fervent heat as they looked at Princess Yao Yue's shapely figure.
Xiao Jietian thought to himself: This must be Gu He's disciple, Liu Ling, the one who considers Xiao Yan's disguised identity his love rival.
Seeing Liu Ling, Xiao Jietian remembered that he had snatched Gu He's ring, and the Volcano Flame Cauldron he used in the competition was now in his hands.
The people in the hall heard the door open, stopped their conversations, and looked in unison at the four who had just entered, including Xiao Jietian.
Liu Ling and Xiao Yan exchanged glances. Xiao Yan naturally saw the hostility in Liu Ling's eyes, but he simply ignored it.
Little Princess Princess Yao Yue's gaze, however, fell on Xiao Jietian. Seeing Xiao Jietian's rank and his immortal-like appearance, her eyes showed interest.
For someone who grew up in the scheming Imperial Family, only those with strength she could truly respect were worthy of becoming her friends.
Xiao Jietian noticed Princess Yao Yue looking at him, so he turned his head to look back at her.
Princess Yao Yue smiled and nodded at Xiao Jietian. However, due to her status and sensing Liu Ling's hostility towards the person next to him, and not knowing their relationship, she chose not to approach and converse.
The expressions of the people in the hall were varied and strange—some wary, some cautious, and some even sneering.
The wariness was directed at Xiao Jietian; such a young Third-Tier Alchemist made these opponents feel a sense of pressure.
The sneering seemed to be mocking Xiao Yan's identity as a Second-Tier Alchemist.
They didn't stop to think that they themselves had also climbed up from lower-ranked Alchemists.
"Xiao Yan, don't mind those people. They're just a bunch of show-offs. We'll give them a good slap in the face later."
"I don't pay them any mind either. I've endured so many years of scrutiny, so this little bit doesn't bother me." Xiao Yan calmly surveyed the surrounding crowd, completely unmoved by their gazes.