Chapter 3: Killing Liu Xi

The reason why alchemists enjoy such a privileged status is naturally due to their rarity and utility. Becoming an alchemist is an incredibly demanding process.

First, one's attribute must be fire. Secondly, within the fire attribute, there must be a trace of wood energy to serve as a catalyst in refining medicine.

It is important to note that in the Dou Qi Continent, a person's elemental attribute is determined by their soul. A soul always possesses only a single attribute, without any possibility of mixing with others.

Therefore, for a body to contain two distinct attributes, even if one is weaker than the other, is nearly impossible.

Of course, there are always exceptions. Among millions, there will always be some with mutated souls, and those with such variations have the potential to become alchemists.

However, merely possessing fire and wood attributes in one's soul is still not enough to become a true alchemist.

Another essential requirement for an alchemist is soul perception, also known as soul molding ability.

With such harsh conditions, those qualified to become alchemists are as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns.

With so few alchemists, the number of miraculous pills is naturally limited as well. Rarity increases value, which is why alchemists hold a status so revered that it can sometimes seem almost excessive.

Take the original novel, for example—Hai Bodong and Tianhuo Zun-zhe risked their lives countless times just to seek out Xiao Yan for pill refinement. Even after receiving the pills, they still had to express their gratitude, owing Xiao Yan a favor in return.

This alone speaks volumes about how high the status of an alchemist truly is!

The Next Day

"Lin Feng, you're finally here! Hurry to the back entrance and help with the loading."

The moment Lin Feng arrived at the trading firm, the manager spotted him and called out, looking quite anxious.

"Alright, I'll head there now." Seeing the manager in such a hurry, Lin Feng couldn't help but ask curiously, "Manager, why are you in such a rush?"

Upon hearing this, the manager clasped his hands behind his back and lifted his chin proudly, boasting, "You weren't here yesterday, so of course you wouldn't know. I went to Zhen Bei City and happened to meet a First Tier Alchemist at Myriad Flowers Pavilion!

After some inquiries, I found out about the master's preferences. Gritting my teeth, I spent tens of thousands of gold coins to purchase a snake-people woman and sent her over."

At this point, the manager recalled the alluring and seductive snake-people woman from yesterday. A glimmer of heat and reluctance flashed in his eyes before excitement overtook him once more.

Clapping his hands, he said enthusiastically, "After receiving the snake-people woman, Master Liu Xi agreed! From now on, all the herbs he needs for alchemy will be supplied by our firm. Not only that , but 20% of the pills he refines each month will be sold through us!"

Imagining the endless stream of wealth this deal would bring, the manager couldn't help but fantasize about his future luxurious life.

Hearing this, Lin Feng immediately understood why the manager was so overjoyed today.

The trading firm he worked at was one of the top firms in Wu Tan City, with monthly net profits reaching thousands of gold coins. If they managed to attach themselves to a first tier alchemist, their profits would likely double.

Wait—Liu Xi?

Lin Feng thought for a moment. Wasn't that the alchemist in the original novel who helped the Jia Lie Clan go against the Xiao Clan?

If he remembered correctly, Liu Xi was also a disciple of a third tier alchemist, which meant he must have considerable wealth.

A flicker of an unusual light flashed in Lin Feng's eyes at that thought.

"Right, I was so excited that I almost forgot! Get to work immediately. If I delay delivering the herbs to Master Liu Xi, you won't have a good time!" the manager suddenly barked.

"I'm on it," Lin Feng responded before dashing toward the back entrance.

Zhen Bei City

Lin Feng followed the trading firm's transport team to Liu Xi's residence. After unloading all the herbs with the others, he walked up to the manager and said, "Manager, I want to resign."

"Resign?" The manager was stunned for a moment before asking, "When?"

"Today."

The manager blinked. "Today? That sudden?"

"Yes."

Lin Feng nodded. Over the past month, through subtle probing, he had gathered enough information about Liu Xi's daily routine from the manager.

Now was the perfect time to carry out his plan. If he missed this chance, he would have to wait several more months.

"Alright then." The manager didn't care much about a mere porter. He took out a few gold coins and handed them over. "This is your wage for the past few days."

"Thank you, Manager." Lin Feng accepted the gold coins, slung a large cloth bag over his back, and left.

After walking a distance, Lin Feng quickly changed directions and ran toward the outskirts of the city.

Following the main road for several miles, he veered into a forest and climbed up a suitable tree with practiced ease.

Holding a package containing a hundred pounds of black powder, Lin Feng carefully hid himself among the dense branches, patiently waiting for his target to appear.

His target for tonight—Liu Xi!

One month ago, after learning about Liu Xi from the manager, Lin Feng had agonized over his decision before ultimately choosing to take a risk and assassinate Liu Xi.

Thus, he had spent an entire month planning.

Now, everything was ready.

If successful, not only would he obtain an advanced cultivation technique, but he would also acquire all the necessary materials for learning alchemy.

Later, after some careful probing, he managed to gather information from the shopkeeper about Liu Xi's daily routine.

He learned that Liu Xi master's lived in another city not far from Zhen Bei City. The reason Liu Xi came to Zhen Bei City was to avoid his master's supervision.

However, Liu Xi would visit his master once in a while, and today happened to be the day he was heading there.

Although Lin Feng had learned Liu Xi's schedule, with his mere non attributed First Star Dou Zhe, he was clearly no match for Liu Xi. Not to mention, Liu Xi had several Dou Zhe guards by his side.

Thus, Lin Feng decided to make full use of his advantage as a transmigrator. After some effort, he managed to create a black powder explosive!

Although this thing was unlikely to kill a Dou Zhe head-on, if used in a sneak attack, it had a high chance of success.

After waiting for some time, four burly men escorting a young man in white robes slowly came into Lin Feng's sight.

The young man in white, appearing to be in his early twenties, was quite handsome. However, the occasional lecherous glint in his eyes completely ruined his otherwise attractive appearance.

At this moment, the young man's face was full of impatience. It was clear that his daily indulgent life in Zhen Bei City made him reluctant to see his master.

Seeing the group approaching, a crazed glint flashed in Lin Feng's eyes.

Having transmigrated once, he initially only wanted to live a better life. However, the Dou Qi Continent was far too cruel—if he couldn't become strong, he would be at the mercy of others!

When the group was not far from the tree, Lin Feng quickly ignited the fuse with a firestarter and threw the explosive downward before swiftly hugging the tree trunk and hiding behind it.

He had tested the fuse beforehand—it would burn out in less than two seconds. Moreover, these Dou Zhe had never seen explosives before, so they would likely be unable to dodge in time.

"Hmm?"

"Who's there?!"

The people below noticed something suddenly falling from above and shouted in alarm, instinctively raising their weapons to block it.

Two of the burly men even unsheathed their weapons and stabbed toward the direction of the explosive.

The moment the explosive made contact with their weapons, a dazzling light erupted, followed by a deafening "boom" as the cloth-wrapped package exploded above their heads.

A massive amount of iron fragments, propelled by the scorching blast, shot out in all directions. Many branches of the surrounding trees were severed, and even more fragments embedded themselves into Liu Xi and his men.

The explosion's shockwave sent the group flying several meters away. Two unlucky souls were blown apart, their bodies reduced to bloody chunks.

As the explosion subsided, chunks of flesh, internal organs, and shattered branches rained down, scattering across the ground.

After a long moment of silence, Lin Feng, his limbs slightly weak, shakily climbed down from the tree. Seeing the gruesome scene before him, he let out a breath of relief.

This action of his was truly a do-or-die attempt. However, upon seeing the mangled limbs strewn across the ground, he couldn't help but feel a little nauseous.

But he knew that people nearby must have heard the explosion and would soon rush over. Enduring his disgust, he began searching through the remains.

"Heh, found it!"

Seeing the storage ring he pried off Liu Xi's finger, Lin Feng grinned. The belongings of a First Tier Alchemist were an enormous fortune for him at this stage.

However, he had no time to examine the contents in detail. After securing the ring, he continued looting.

Not long after, Lin Feng had acquired a few more scrolls and gold cards. Looking at the scattered gold coins on the ground, there were at least a few thousand of them.

"Forget it, I need to get out of here fast. That explosion was way too loud—others are definitely on their way."

Gathering his newly acquired loot, Lin Feng casually grabbed a piece of cloth to wipe off the bloodstains before running into the woods. There, he retrieved a horse he had prepared earlier and quickly rode away.

A few hours later, Lin Feng arrived at a cave. He decided to cultivate his newly obtained technique before continuing his journey—otherwise, he wouldn't be able to handle any bandits or marauders he might encounter along the way.

Taking out the storage ring he looted from Liu Xi, Lin Feng carefully infused his soul perception into it. Moments later, his face lit up with barely contained joy.

Liu Xi's storage ring was stocked with a vast collection of treasures, including the cultivation techniques and dou techniques he desperately needed, as well as pill recipes, a cauldron, gold coins, pills, and medicinal ingredients.

"No wonder the ancients said, 'killing and looting bring wealth'—they weren't lying!" Lin Feng marveled as he gazed at the storage ring in his palm.

He then took out a scroll and examined the small characters on it: Mid-Grade Black Class Cultivation Technique—Scarlet Flame Art!

Next, he picked up the other scrolls. Aside from a Low Grade Black Class Dou Technique—Scarlet Flame Palm, the rest were pill recipes for first and second tier pills.

Seeing the dou technique, Lin Feng was a bit disappointed. He had initially hoped it would be Mid-Grade Black Class, just like the cultivation technique. However, it turned out to be only Low Grade Black Class, which suggested that Liu Xi was not fond of combat.

That being said, the dou technique was meant to be used alongside the cultivation technique, which meant it should still be stronger than ordinary techniques of the same level.

After counting his loot, Lin Feng curiously picked up one of the gold cards. This was his first time seeing a Dou Qi Continent bank card.

The gold card was similar to a savings card from Earth, with a number "100,000" inscribed on it, indicating the balance.

After storing away the card, Lin Feng grabbed the Mid-Grade Black Class Cultivation Technique scroll and began cultivating.