Chapter 48

**Slap**

Xia Changfeng slammed a table into pieces, his face twisted with a fierce expression as he gritted his teeth and said,

"Long Chen, Long Chen, if I don’t tear you to shreds, I won’t be Xia Changfeng!"

This Lantern Festival had ended in complete failure for him, and he had even lost Huang Shang, his capable assistant, which filled him with immense anger.

This was completely different from his original plan. Not only had he failed to kill Long Chen, but he had also lost Huang Shang and Wei Cang’s precious beast fire.

The biggest winner in this confrontation turned out to be Long Chen, which made him furious. His lungs felt like they were about to burst with rage.

In the room where Xia Changfeng was, there was a man in his twenties, dressed in a long robe, who seemed to be completely unaffected by Xia Changfeng’s anger and was leisurely sipping tea on the side.

It seemed that the slap had vented some of Xia Changfeng’s anger, and his mood gradually calmed down. He respectfully said to the man, "Brother Luo, Long Chen is simply too overbearing. I hope Brother Luo can help me get some revenge."

The man in white, known as Brother Luo, gently placed his teacup down and said calmly, "Changfeng, you have disappointed me. Just a woman has made you lose your composure. Long Chen is just a small fry. Remember the purpose of our trip to Fengming. If this trivial matter delays our major plans, neither of us can afford the consequences, do you understand?"

As he spoke, the man’s face darkened, clearly displeased with Xia Changfeng’s performance.

After being reminded by the man in white, Xia Changfeng was startled. He thought about the purpose of their trip and felt sweat on his forehead.

"Thank you for your reminder, Brother Luo. Changfeng knows his mistake," Xia Changfeng hurriedly bowed and said.

Seeing Xia Changfeng’s reaction, the man in white smiled slightly and said, "To achieve great things, patience is the most basic requirement. Why should you care about temporary gains and losses? Besides, we have been planning this for so many years. The Third Princess will still be yours. Think about it, when Long Chen works hard for a long time and ends up with nothing, won’t that be even more satisfying?"

Xia Changfeng’s eyes lit up, and he sighed, "Brother Luo sees far ahead. I am ashamed."

"You are too concerned, but to be honest, Chu Yao is indeed as beautiful as a celestial being, irresistible. Chu Yao’s favor is yours, but Changfeng, when you get her, can you let me have a taste of her as well?" the man in white said with a smile, looking at Xia Changfeng.

Xia Changfeng’s face changed slightly, but he quickly concealed it and forced a calm smile, "Changfeng is not a man who lusts after beauty. After we succeed, Brother Luo will certainly have a share of the benefits."

"Are you feeling uncomfortable, Changfeng?" the man in white asked, picking up his teacup and blowing on the leaves inside.

"How could I? Brother Luo is a member of the sect, and I still hope to receive your support in the future," Xia Changfeng quickly replied.

The man in white laughed, "Very good, that’s the way of a true man, able to take and let go. Otherwise, how can one achieve great things? Rest assured, as long as we handle this matter perfectly, the status of an outer sect disciple is guaranteed for you."

"Thank you, Brother Luo," Xia Changfeng was overjoyed, and the anger in his heart dissipated.

The man in white nodded and said, "But be extremely careful. We cannot let any news leak out. Otherwise, not only will we not get any benefits, but we will also face severe punishment from above."

"Brother Luo, rest assured. I will be fully focused and ensure everything is handled perfectly," Xia Changfeng promised, patting his chest.

"Good, that’s the spirit. My identity cannot be exposed, so I cannot act unless absolutely necessary. You must speed up the process and finalize the plan as soon as possible. Remember, the less noise, the better, and ideally, no blood should be shed," the man in white said.

"Most of the plan is already in place, and the entire Fengming Empire is almost under our control. However, there is one problem. That is the Marquis of Zhenyuan, Long Tianshao. The Marquis of Zhenyuan refuses to submit, and he is impervious to both soft and hard tactics, which is a headache. He controls nearly one-third of Fengming’s troops. If we don’t deal with him, it will affect our grand plans," Xia Changfeng said.

"Long Tianshao? Long Chen? What is their relationship?" the man in white asked.

"They are father and son."

"Idiot, he is the son of the Marquis of Zhenyuan, which means he is a trump card, a card to control the Marquis of Zhenyuan. You actually wanted to kill him?" the man in white could not help but fly into a rage.

Xia Changfeng was speechless. He knew Long Chen was a trump card, but he could not bear to see Chu Yao flirting with Long Chen.

"You almost ruined everything. For now, you cannot touch Long Chen. Go and gather more information about Long Chen and his family for me," the man in white said.

"Yes."

Xia Changfeng could only obediently leave. As he watched Xia Changfeng’s departing back, the man in white coldly spat out two words,

"Idiot."

...

When Long Chen came to the Alchemist Guild again, the alchemists who had previously been cold to him now respectfully bowed to him.

The alchemy skills Long Chen displayed yesterday had spread throughout the capital. Even under nearly cheating conditions, he still emerged victorious, shocking everyone.

At less than sixteen years old, Long Chen had achieved the status of a Dan Disciple, indicating a promising future. Even if they did not try to curry favor with him, no one wanted to leave a bad impression on Long Chen.

Long Chen was still not used to this sudden warmth. After inquiring, he learned that Yun Qi was in his meditation room and headed straight there.

"Come in."

Just as Long Chen was about to knock, Yun Qi’s hoarse voice came from inside.

Entering the room, he found Yun Qi sitting cross-legged on the ground, a bowl of black, foul-smelling water in front of him.

"The power of Wei Cang’s Yin Sha Palm has increased significantly, but it is ultimately a side path and cannot achieve great things," Yun Qi said, looking at the black water with a hint of disdain.

"Master, is your hand better?"

That day, when Master Yun Qi faced Wei Cang, he was poisoned by the Yin Sha Palm.

"It took me a whole night to expel it," Yun Qi said with a smile.

"A whole night?"

Long Chen was surprised. Master Yun Qi had profound skills and a powerful Dan Fire, yet it took him a whole night to expel the poison.

"You don’t need to be surprised. Wei Cang’s Yin Sha Palm is extremely poisonous and has a certain restraining effect on Dan Fire. Although it took me a night to expel the poison, it will take Wei Cang a month to recover his toxicity. Therefore, side paths ultimately cannot achieve great things," Master Yun Qi explained.

Long Chen finally understood. As a Dan Master, Wei Cang might have limited skills in Dan Fire, so he cultivated the Yin Sha Palm, a vicious combat technique, to restrain other Dan Masters.

As a Dan Master, not cultivating one’s own life fire but instead cultivating a poisonous palm, no wonder Master Yun Qi looked down on him.

"Are you better, too?" Master Yun Qi asked, somewhat surprised.

"Hehe, this boy is tough. A night’s rest was enough," Long Chen said with a smile.

Master Yun Qi looked at Long Chen and sighed, "I originally hoped you would focus solely on alchemy. With your soul talent, you would surpass me in the path of alchemy. However, after last night’s battle, I changed my mind. A martial genius who can challenge higher ranks is extremely rare, which is truly a dilemma."

"Hehe, Master, don’t worry. This boy won’t give up on either," Long Chen said, and he truly meant it.

Because his cultivation was closely tied to alchemy. Without alchemy, he couldn’t even condense the Fengfu Star, let alone cultivate further.

The second and third stars would also require alchemy to condense, and even the simplest Fengfu Star had consumed countless pills from Long Chen.

In his memory, each star required more resources than the previous one, almost an incalculable number.

Although he hadn’t calculated it, he believed that the number of pills he used to condense the Fengfu Star was in the hundreds.

However, the greater the consumption, the greater the reward. Otherwise, as a waste with no spiritual root, he would have no chance of standing out, let alone challenging higher ranks.

"Dan and martial cultivation are not impossible, but they are generally not worth it. Distracting oneself with two pursuits leads to half the effort for double the work. Historically, those who pursued both paths usually wasted their lives and ended up achieving nothing, often regretting it," Master Yun Qi shook his head and said.

Master Yun Qi was right. No matter how talented one is, without 100% effort, one might live a mediocre life. Pursuing both paths divides one’s energy, and countless examples show that it is a dead end.

However, Long Chen’s talent in both alchemy and martial arts was too astonishing. Even as a Dan Master, Yun Qi could not bring himself to ask Long Chen to give up martial arts.

If he chose to focus on alchemy, his spiritual energy would be entirely converted into fire, and he could only use one type of elemental combat technique. Although powerful, he would be vulnerable to water-based techniques.

However, Dan Masters are highly respected and rarely engage in combat. Who would dare to offend a Dan Master? People would be more likely to curry favor with them. Dan Masters, though not terrifying in combat, have powerful backing. Sects and organizations need to maintain good relations with them to obtain the pills they need.

In short, even a Dan Disciple would be highly sought after by numerous forces. This is why Master Yun Qi was conflicted, but Long Chen was not. He had already planned his path forward.

"I came today to thank you for your help yesterday," Long Chen said, genuinely grateful for Master Yun Qi’s support.

"Hehe, it’s a small matter. You also helped me a lot yesterday. If we talk about thanks, I should thank you," Master Yun Qi chuckled, handed Long Chen a cushion, and said, "Do you know why Wei Cang and I are at odds?"