114: I heard the news of the Chosen One as soon as I arrived!

"Is everyone here?"

A cold female voice suddenly came from the side.

Everyone turned their heads to see a woman dressed in a light green dress, her aura as cold and aloof as the moon, standing quietly not far away.

She was extremely beautiful but gave off a sense of detachment; she was Lu Yu's Dao protector, Su Rouxue.

During the last trip to the Heavenly Sword Divine Sect, Yun Guying had accompanied them, so she hadn't followed by Lu Yu's side.

"Aunt Xue," Lu Yu greeted with a smile.

Su Rouxue nodded to Lu Yu with a smile, her gaze calmly sweeping over the others.

"Lu Yu will lead this trip; I will only intervene when necessary. Let's set off."

As soon as she finished speaking, she waved her jade-like hand, and a Flying Boat with smooth lines and a faint green glow appeared before everyone.

The Flying Boat wasn't large, but its design was exquisite, with concealment and defense formations carved onto its hull; it was clearly no ordinary item.

Everyone boarded the Flying Boat.

Su Rouxue stood at the bow to control it, and the Flying Boat rose silently into the air, turning into a streak of green light as it sped toward the Blazing Sun Domain.

Inside the cabin, Li Miaoer curiously touched and looked at everything, quickly striking up a conversation with Lin Xiaoyou—though it was mostly her talking while Lin Xiaoyou occasionally nodded or shook her head.

Liu Yunshu sat quietly by the window, watching the sea of clouds receding rapidly outside.

Lu Yu walked to the bow and stood beside Su Rouxue.

"Aunt Xue, does the Sect have any special instructions for this trip to the Fentian Sacred Valley?" Lu Yu asked.

Su Rouxue looked ahead, her voice gentle: "No. The Saintess's succession is a joyous occasion, and the Alchemy Convention is a grand event. You just need to show your face as the representative of the Heavenly Evolution Immortal Sect's younger generation. If disputes arise, handle them as you see fit—just don't tarnish the Sect's reputation. Otherwise, follow your heart."

Lu Yu's heart stirred, and he nodded: "Understood."

The Flying Boat shuttled through the clouds at extreme speed.

Lu Yu looked back into the cabin: the lively Fifth Senior Sister, the quiet Sixth Senior Sister, and the gentle Liu Yunshu.

There were also other Disciples from Pill Peak.

This time, there were five Disciples from Pill Peak, all of whom were Alchemists who had reached the fourth Rank at a young age, as well as two fifth-Rank Alchemists. All were under fifty years old and were True Disciples of Pill Peak.

Alchemist Ranks range from one to nine, with nine being the highest and one the lowest; these nine Ranks correspond to Medicinal Pills of the nine cultivation Realms.

After several days of travel, they finally arrived in the Blazing Sun Domain.

The temperature in the Blazing Sun Domain was scorching. If the air in the Heavenly Sword Domain was filled with various sharp, subtle Sword Qi, then the Blazing Sun Domain was filled with waves of scorching fire-attribute Spiritual Qi!

It was like being in a sauna.

Precisely because of the powerful fire-attribute Spiritual Qi in the region, the Blazing Sun Domain had become the top choice for Alchemists and Artifact Refiners in the Cloud Heaven Realm!

The Fentian Sacred Valley was also the number one Alchemy and Artifact Refining Sect in the Cloud Heaven Realm!

Before the Flying Boat even landed, they could see the silhouette of a massive crimson city in the distance, looking like a giant piece of red-hot iron embedded in the earth.

As they drew closer, a complex scent mixed with sulfur, Ore, and various Spiritual Plants refined by high temperatures blew in with the wind. The heat hit them in the face, so dry it made their throats tighten.

This was Fentian City of the Blazing Sun Domain!

It was the primary city under the control of the Fentian Sacred Valley, located just outside the Sect's gates.

"Wow! So hot!"

Li Miaoer was the first to jump off the Flying Boat. She quickly propped up a light pink spiritual energy shield for insulation; her cat ears instinctively wanted to pop out to dissipate heat, but she forcibly pressed them back down.

"The fire Qi here is too dense; it feels like I'm breathing in sparks."

Liu Yunshu also frowned slightly; her Cultivation Technique was more gentle and moist, making her somewhat unaccustomed to this extremely hot and dry environment.

On the other hand, Lin Xiaoyou's paper figurine Clone felt nothing from the temperature, its black bean-like eyes curiously scanning the ruggedly styled houses and streets built mostly from crimson rock.

Su Rouxue had already put away the Flying Boat, her aura restrained like that of an ordinary person. She simply said:

"The Fentian Sacred Valley sits upon several giant subterranean fire Spiritual Veins and is the place with the strongest fire energy in the Lower Realm. It's only natural for it to be this hot. Let's enter the city."

Fentian City was massive, with towering walls. The city gates were bustling with traffic and a constant stream of Cultivators in various attire. Many wore robes with flame patterns, clearly Disciples of the Fentian Sacred Valley or its affiliated forces.

Besides the heat, an atmosphere of excitement and anticipation filled the air.

The Saintess's succession ceremony and the Youth Alchemy Convention were being held concurrently, making it a rare grand event for the Blazing Sun Domain and the surrounding regions.

Lu Yu and his group entered the city with the crowd.

The streets were wide, lined with shops mostly selling Medicinal Pills, Spiritual Plants, Pill Furnaces, and fire-attribute Materials. The sounds of shouting and haggling were constant.

Li Miaoer found everything novel, pulling Liu Yunshu along to look around.

Su Rouxue followed at a moderate distance, her eyes calmly scanning the surroundings.

Just as Lu Yu was thinking of finding an inn to stay at, the voices of several young Cultivators drifted into his ears. They were speaking loudly, with a clear tone of gossip.

"...Have you heard? For this Saintess succession, Senior Sister Yan Linger is everyone's favorite! They say she has already practiced the 'Fentian Fire Control Technique' to the seventh level, and her Alchemy skills were personally passed down by the Sacred Lord. No one in the younger generation can match her!"

"Of course! But... something interesting happened over in Yangzhou recently."

"Oh? What happened?"

"You've all heard of Skyfire City in Yangzhou, right?"

"Naturally. After all, it's a place where an Immortal once ascended."

"You should also know the Xiao Family of Skyfire City, right? The one that was once wealthy and produced an ascended Old Ancestor, but has now fallen to barely third-rate, surviving solely on ancestral property."

"Of course I know. The Immortal who ascended tens of thousands of years ago was from their Xiao Family. What about it?"

"Remember the Xiao Family's famous trash young master, Xiao Yan?"

"The Prodigy who was detected to have the Myriad Azure Sacred Flame Body as a youth. The Xiao Family had high hopes for him, and even the Fentian Sacred Valley intended to take him as a Disciple back then. His early fame was widespread throughout the Blazing Sun Domain."

"However, twenty years ago, his cultivation began to decline uncontrollably, and he fell to the level of a Qi Refining ninth-stage trash. Later, he was diagnosed with 'Innate Fire Vein Blockage,' making him unable to practice any fire-attribute Cultivation Techniques or even perform the most basic step of drawing fire into his body."

"Later, he was publicly jilted by the Yan Family—the Family the current Saintess belongs to—with whom he had an engagement. He even made some oath about 'twenty years in the east, twenty years in the west,' becoming the laughingstock of all Yangzhou!"

"I remember! Hasn't that kid been gone for years? Why, has he popped up again?"

"Heh! That's the strange part! Just two months ago, at an Alchemy meet in Yangzhou, this guy somehow got lucky and showed up. He even publicly refined a furnace of fourth-Rank 'heart-clearing pills.' It's become the talk of Yangzhou; many are saying the Xiao Family Genius of yesteryear is coming back!"

"Many are calling it a miracle. I also heard he joined the Pill Tower, though I don't know if it's true."

"Really? Isn't his fire vein blocked? How can he perform Alchemy?"

"Who knows! Some guess he found some fortuitous encounter or a different path for Alchemy. But even more incredible is that after getting a spot, this kid actually declared he would wash away the shame of the broken engagement from twenty years ago at this Alchemy Convention! He wants to show Saintess Yan Linger and everyone who looked down on him!"

"Pfft! Him? He gets cocky just from refining a fourth-Rank pill? You should know that the current Senior Sister Yan Linger is the pride of our Fentian Sacred Valley. Her cultivation has reached the Soul Transformation Stage, and her Alchemy skills have reached the fifth Rank!"

"This Xiao Yan... has he gone mad from the shock?"

"Who knows! Anyway, there'll be a good show at this Alchemy Convention, haha!"

The young Cultivators walked away, laughing and chatting.

Lu Yu paused slightly and rubbed his chin.