Battle Through the Heavens - chapter-786

Xiao Yan was extremely interested in what Fa Ma said. Alternatively, he
could be said to be very interested in getting Gu He to join the Yan
Alliance. Hence, he got Fa Ma to lead the way the next morning as they
hurried to the place where Gu He lived along with Hai Bodong.

Gu He had naturally left the Misty Cloud Sect after the Misty Cloud Sect
had dissolved back then. However, he did not leave the Jia Ma Empire.
Instead, he chose to live in an isolated mountain range not far from the
Misty Cloud Mountain. That place was the current destination of Xiao
Yan’s group.

The place where Gu He lived in isolation was not very far from the
capital. Given the speed of Xiao Yan’s group, they arrived around half
an hour later. The easily managed to find the straw cottage that was
hidden in the mountain forest with Fa Ma leading the way.

Xiao Yan met a familiar person from the past at this place. It was Liu
Ling, who had once fought with him for the champion spot during the
Alchemist Grand Meeting in the capital back then. The latter was clearly
stunned when he saw these few people who had suddenly appeared. Only when
his gaze shifted to Xiao Yan’s face did he speak with surprise, “Xiao
Yan? Why are you here?”

Liu Ling felt quite a complicated feeling toward Xiao Yan. Both of them
had been around the same level back then. However, now he was merely a
tier 4 alchemist who was working hard to get to tier 5 while the latter
already possessed the ability to contend with his teacher, Gu He. This
kind of gap naturally caused him to feel a little dispirited.

“Ke ke, brother Liu, can I trouble you to pass a message to grandmaster
Gu He. Just say that Xiao Yan wishes to meet him.” Xiao Yan smiled at
Liu Ling as he spoke quite courteously.

Liu Ling hesitated after hearing this courteous tone of Xiao Yan. He
nodded once before turning his body to walk into the straw cottage. He
was very clear about the current status of Xiao Yan within the Jia Ma
Empire, and naturally knew that the latter was no longer the young man
who did not have much of a background.

Xiao Yan sent Liu Ling into the straw cottage with his eyes before his
group swept their eyes all over the place. They immediately nodded. This
Gu He really knew how to choose a place. This location was isolated with
few people around. There were usually hardly anyone who could arrive in
this place. It was considered a good spot to live in isolation.

The door of the straw cottage slowly opened as the few of them were
looking around. A human figure slowly began to walk out. He glanced over
Xiao Yan’s group indifferently before speaking, “All of you actually
managed to find this place. Looks like the current Yan Alliance faction
has really spread all over the Jia Ma Empire. May I know if you are here
to look for trouble today or is there some other matter?”

The person who revealed himself was naturally Pill-King Gu He who had
disappeared for a long time. Liu Ling was standing behind him with a
slightly bowed body. Gu He’s gaze swept over Xiao Yan’s group and
felt a little uncertain about their motives for this trip.

“You are really still showing this dislikable appearance.” Fa Ma
involuntarily shook his head and scolded with a smile when he heard this.

“Old fellow, you must definitely be the one who brought them here.”
Gu He glanced at Fa Ma before his gaze immediately moved to Xiao Yan’s
body. He indifferently said, “Yan Alliance chief, just say what issue
you have. I still have a medicinal ingredient field that I have yet to
manage today. I shall not accompany all of you to wait here if there is
nothing.”

“Elder Fa Ma has said that grandmaster Gu He is not a narrow-minded
person. In that case, I shall not beat around the bush. My main aim for
coming today is to invite grandmaster to join the Yan Alliance Pill
Hall.” Xiao Yan smiled. He did not say any unimportant things. He
instead started with the key topic. He knew that beating around the bush
would cause someone like Gu He to feel impatient.

“Join the Yan Alliance?” A strange expression immediately surfaced on
Gu He’s face when he heard this. He lazily waved his hand and said,
“Forget it. I am quite happy with this current life of mine. I shall
not go and join the fun of those large factions. They are so noisy that
it causes one to feel irritated.”

“Ugh, you… aren’t you hoping to enter that ‘Pill Tower’ to
train? The potential of the current Pill Hall is far greater than the
Alchemist Association. If you join, it is likely that this hope will not
be difficult to achieve in the future.” Fa Ma involuntarily spoke in a
helpless manner when he heard Gu He’s response.

“Old fellow… you can forget about using this to lure me. Do you
really think that I don’t have any path to enter that ‘Pill Tower’?
If I did not think of myself as a citizen of the Jia Ma Empire, do you
think that given my alchemist skills, there would not be some powerful
alchemist organization trying to recruit me if I leave this place?” Gu
He curled his mouth and coldly laughed.

“Ugh…” Fa Ma could not help but become speechless when he heard
this. He looked at Xiao Yan in a somewhat embarrassed manner. He
naturally knew that Gu He would try to be recruited by someone no matter
where he went, anywhere in the Dou Qi continent. After all, a tier 6
alchemist was not a common commodity that one could find all over the
place.

Xiao Yan could not help but feel somewhat speechless when he heard that
the condition, that had appeared to possess quite a great allure in Fa
Ma’s mouth, ended up being without even the slightest attraction to Gu
He. This old fellow was indeed not reliable…

The embarrassment on Fa Ma’s face became denser when he saw Xiao
Yan’s face.

“Grandmaster Gu He, that being said, you don’t seem to have much
interest in the other alchemist associations from other empires. Since
this is the case, why don’t you consider the Yan Alliance? Is it
because of the issue between the two of us?” Xiao Yan’s eyes slid to
Gu He as he slowly spoke.

Gu He narrowed his eyes and studied Xiao Yan. His voice was suddenly calm
as he questioned, “You really wish for me to join the Yan Alliance?”

“Given grandmaster Gu He’s medicinal refining skills, I believe that
no faction would simply just give up.” Xiao Yan waved his hand and
laughed.

“It is not impossible for me to leave with you. However, you must agree
to a condition of mine.” Gu He’s eyes slowly swept over Xiao Yan’s
body. A moment later, he narrowed his eyes as he replied.

“What condition?” Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow. He did not agree
immediately and instead asked a question in a cautious manner.

“Have a medicinal refining match with me! I will join the Yan Alliance
if you win. What do you say?” Gu He’s eyes glowed as he looked at
Xiao Yan. A wildfire suddenly surged into his tone. He had taken his loss
to Xiao Yan in the match back then to heart. Today, he wanted to use the
alchemist skills he specialized in to compete with Xiao Yan.

The faces of the people present, with the exception of Xiao Yan, changed
when they heard Gu He’s words. Gu He’s medicinal refining skills was
widely known in the Jia Ma Empire. Even Fa Ma did not have much
confidence when it came to competing with medicinal refining skills with
him.

“You… why don’t you change it to some other condition? Given your
status, isn’t it bullying if you compete with Xiao Yan over medicinal
refining skills.” Fa Ma knit his brows as he blurted out.

Gu He ignored Fa Ma’s words. His eyes were glowing as they focused on
Xiao Yan, who was deep in thought. He muttered with his mouth, “Bully?
Ever since I was defeated in his hands back then, I ceased treating him
as someone from whatever younger generation. Old fellow, don’t tell me
that you dare to treat this fellow as someone from the younger
generation? From how I see it, it is likely that his medicine refining
skills are not weaker than yours.”

Fa Ma curled his mouth upon hearing this. He had watched Xiao Yan refine
medicinal pills quite a number of times recently and clearly understood
just what level Xiao Yan’s medicine refining skills had reached. If one
looked from the surface, Xiao Yan’s medicinal refining skills would at
the very least not be poorer than his.

“Xiao Yan, what do you say? Have a match with me. If you win, I will
join the Yan Alliance. If you lose, you will cease coming to disturb me
in the future.” Gu He’s gaze was calm as he studied Xiao Yan and
spoke.

Xiao Yan mused for a moment while being the focus of the few gazes around
him. Immediately, he smiled and nodded. He said, “Since grandmaster Gu
He has such a thought, Xiao Yan will do as you say. However, I hope that
you will not find some other excuse to reject me after the victor is
determined.”

“You are indeed worthy of being the chief of the Yan Alliance. There
has not been an alchemist within the Jia Ma Empire who dared say such
words to me in so many years.” Gu He laughed instead of being angry
when he heard Xiao Yan’s words. He gave an inviting gesture with his
hand and laughed, “In that case, please enter the house. Old man Fa Ma,
all of you can just wait here. Liu Ling, take care of them.”

Gu He took the lead to turn around and walk into the straw house after he
finished speaking. Xiao Yan did not hesitate as he swiftly lifted a leg
to follow behind.

Fa Ma and Hai Bodong could only helplessly shake their heads as they
watched the two people walk into the straw house and shut the door tight.
The latter sat down on a rock and muttered, “Old fellow, who do you
think has a greater chance of winning?”

Fa Ma shook his head when he heard this. He bitterly laughed, “How is
it easy to tell? Gu He naturally has his unique points in order to be
called a Pill-King. However that little fellow Xiao Yan is not an
ordinary person. From watching his occasional attempts at refining pills,
it is likely that he also has the skill of a tier 6 alchemist.
Therefore… it is difficult to predict the ending.”

Hearing this, the teapot in Liu Ling’s hand by the side suddenly
stiffened when he was carefully pouring tea for the two of them. Tea
ended up pouring onto a rock by the side. He turned his head and looked
at the tightly shut door with shocked eyes. Never did he think that the
little alchemist man from back then would actually be able to reach the
same tier as teacher after being away for a couple of years…

“I wonder if he can surpass teacher?”

This so-called Alchemist match continued for two full days. No one
outside knew just what kind of intense match Xiao Yan and Gu He had
undergone during this period of time. However, from the looks of how
waves of medicinal fragrances repeatedly surged from the straw house, one
could tell that the match was not as relaxing as one imagined.

On the second night, the tightly shut straw house door slowly opened in
front of the bitterly waiting people. Two somewhat miserable looking
human figures slowly walked out.

Fa Ma and the other two immediately swarmed over when they saw the
appearance of these two people. They anxiously asked, “Who won?”

Xiao Yan and Gu He did not reveal the answer to who was the winner of
this match. However, Gu He brought Liu Ling and left the place he had
lived in isolation the next day after Xiao Yan’s group left. The place
that they headed to was the capital.

Fa Ma and Hai Bodong felt a slight awe in their hearts when Gu He
announced that he would join the Yan Alliance. Their eyes contained
disbelief as they looked at the smiling black-robed young man. It seemed
that this fellow had indeed obtained an advantage in that match…

With Gu He joining the Pill Hall, the strength of the latter naturally
became even greater. Some of those few free alchemist within the empire
also began to join the Pill Hall one after another after Gu He set an
example. In a short while, the size of the Pill Hall swiftly expanded.

Around one month or so after Gu He announced that he had joined the Pill
Hall, Xiao Yan, who had nothing else to do, finally received a messenger
bird from the Chu Yun Empire. He removed the scroll from it and slowly
pulled it open. His expression drastically changed.

“Someone from the ‘Hall of Souls’ has appeared. Come over
quickly!”