"Who!?" Huo Yue turned around, looking for the voice, but found no one. "Was I imagining it?"
She must've been too stressed with the test result earlier. After all, once she turned twenty and haven't yet reached 7th stage of Qi Gathering, she will lose her position as the heiress.
At that time, she can only rely on her father for protection.
She wasn't ignorant of her beauty and knew how many covets her body. Without her father, then a mere 9th stage Body Refinement like her would absolutely be reduced to mere plaything.
She might even be turned into breeding pig, hoping that her offspring would have her previous talent.
"Down here, I'm here."
Huo Yue blinked, and looked down.
"The ring. I'm in the ring."
The black ring in her ring finger glowed, and a mist seems to fly out of the ring. Under Huo Yue's stunned eyes, the mist formed into an illusory figure of a beautiful woman with long silver hair and blue eyes.
Huo Yue was so shocked that if her mind wasn't tempered from three years of verbal abuse and insults, she would've immediately passed out or screamed and ran away.
"Hello friend. Thank you for feeding me with your qi the past three years." The woman chuckled, "finally, I have fully awakened."
Huo Yue's eyes widened, and for a brief moment, a flash of anger appeared on her normally cold and expressionless face before quickly dissappering.
This woman was actually the reason why she couldn't cultivate!
The years of humiliation, all of that is caused by this woman who was absorbing her qi!? Is there any justice in this world!?
If she wasn't sure about this woman's strength, she would've already have her father refine this soul into a pilll to aid her cultivation!
Damn it! I'm so angry!
....But what was the point of being angry? What's done is done. Those three years can never go back. She can only blame herself for her bad luck.
"...senior," Huo Yue sighed, feeling helpless, "Now that you have awakened, can you leave the ring? It is the only thing my mother left behind."
The woman glanced at her, "Little fellow, it seems those three years of losing your talent really tempered your mind. Three years ago, at the height of your arrogance, you wouldn't be this calm."
Calm? If Huo Yue can, she would've already thrown this ring to a sewer and never pick it up back again.
She had endured three years of humiliation because some remnant soul in her ring was sucking up her spirit qi.
The only reason she didn't is because this ring is incredibly important for her.
"Don't worry, I have awakened now, I won't be absorbing your spirit qi anymore." Said the soul.
Huo Yue rolled her eyes. She had already decided, regardless of what this remnant soul say, she is determined to make her leave her ring.
"Girl, do you want to be an alchemist?"
Huo Yue froze.
Alchemist.
One of the Six Great Occupations; Alchemist, Artificer, Master Teacher, Formation Master, Seer, and Gourmet Hunter.
Among the six, the Alchemist is the most renowned because of their ability to create pills with various effects, but is mostly use to assist in cultivation.
With enough pills, even a mortal without talent can be a supreme expert.
Huo Yue had absorbed countless pills during the past three years, but her cultivation remained the same.
Only now did she know that it was caused by this elder in her ring. She can only apologise to her father for wasting all those money to buy her pills.
"Elder, are you an alchemist?" Asked Huo Yue.
The woman smiled, "Indeed, I am."
Huo Yue's eyes brightened, "Elder, if you don't mind me asking, what rank of Alchemist are you?"
Just like cultivation ranks, alchemist are also divided into ranks, from Rank 1 being the lowest, to Rank 12 being the highest.
Rank 1 Alchemist is someone even a Foundation Building expert have to treat with respect.
In this Eastern Region of Tian Yuan Empire, the highest rank Alchemist was someone known as Pill King Hei Gu, a rank 6 Alchemist.
The woman thought for a moment, then shook her head, "I can't remember exactly. But you know about that so-called Pill King? In my eyes, he's just a kid who barely scratched the surface of alchemy."
Huo Yue's eyes immediately brightened.
If Pill King was just a kid in her eyes, then perhaps this remnant soul was a Rank 7 Alchemist, maybe even rank 8?
As for Rank 9 and higher, she dared not imagine it. A Rank 9 would have a cultivation equal to Profound Saint. And there is no one in the Eastern Region with that level of strength.
Eastern Region was also called the Desolate Region, and as the name suggest, it is the most desolate part of the Tian Yuan Empire.
The resources here aren't enough to support the birth of a Saint.
"Then, elder, can you teach me?"
The woman smiled, "Of course. Treat is as my payment for absorbing your Qi."
She then hovered before Huo Yue, arms crossed, "This humble alchemist was once known as Fairy Liu, and from this moment on, you will now be my disciple."
Huo Yue immediately cupped her hands, "Your disciple, Huo Yue, humbly greets the master."
In the original timeline, this meeting would be the start of a legend.
Unfortunately, in this timeline, they can only be overshadowed by the one who was supposed to be their stepping stone.
*
*
*
"Young master, we have arrived above the Tan Wu City." Qing'er informed, bowing at Shen Haoran who sat on the throne in the cockpit of the ark.
His eyes opened, "Let's go."
"Pardon me, young master." Qing'er's hand rested lightly on Shen Haoran's shoulder as the two descended from the colossal Profound Ark, their figures drifting down like gods descending from the heavens.
The air shook faintly as their feet touched the ground, and silence spread through Tan Wu City's bustling streets.
The people froze where they stood.
Vendors abandoned their stalls, pedestrians halted mid-step, children clung tightly to their parents.
None dared to make a sound.
A Profound Ark.
While not completely unseen in the Tian Yuan Eastern Region, a vessel of this magnitude was simply unheard of.
Yet for one to actually appear above their humble city was akin to a divine mountain pressing down from the skies.
Even without knowing who these newcomers were, the citizens of Tan Wu City understood one truth—these were figures far beyond their reach.
Amid the tension, an elderly man clad in deep blue robes stepped forward. His movements were steady, his back straight despite the immense pressure.
Shen Haoran noticed his cultivation aura rippled faintly, revealing him as a 9th Stage Core Formation expert, the peak among the people in this city.
The old man cupped his fists respectfully, bowing low before the pair.
"This old man is Tan Ming, City Lord of Tan Wu City. I greet the young lord and honored senior."
His voice sounded calm and serene, but his heart pounded in fear and nervousness.
He knew well enough—figures who traveled aboard on such a vessel could erase Tan Wu City from existence with a flick of their fingers.
One wrong word might doom them all.
Not to mention the woman who, despite not showing any power, was radiating such a dangerous aura that looking at her made him feel like he was staring at the abyss.
Even the young man made him feel like a dragon was staring down at him.
Shen Haoran stood quietly, his expression calm yet indifferent, as if the city and its lord were nothing more than dust before him.
"Take us to the Huo Clan," he said, his voice firm, leaving no room for questioning.
"The Huo Clan?" The city lord wondered if the Huo Clan somehow got lucky and became acquainted with a big shot, or unlucky and offended the big shot.
But he didn't dwell too much, whatever happens to Huo Clan is not his business.
"Young master, please follow me. I will take you to the Huo Clan."