Blue Phoenix

"We, the Black Market Auction House, cannot thank you enough for the kindness have shown our family," The patriarch said excitedly as his eyes hazed over when he saw the tall mountain of flying swords that were stacked on Ma Kong's desk.

"Should you ever need anything, then do not hesitate to contact us. The Black Market Auction House will always be there to support you. Should we decline may the heavens strike us down and shatter our souls!"

The patriarch was truly emotional. His eyes almost misty, and although he might have sworn the oath because of these emotions, it was an oath he would back with all his might. This was not the first time Hui Yue had done something to benefit the Ma family; he had done many things which had gained fame and money for the Ma family.

"Patriarch, there is no need for you to make such an oath." Hui Yue laughed as he looked at the many storage stones in front of him. "What you have given me is more than enough. All I did was give you flying swords. I am sure that there are others capable of creating such swords." Hui Yue said dismissively before he picked up the storage stones and placed them within the Universe Box. The moment they entered all the items were sucked out of the storage stones, and the items were placed within the box itself as the storage stones vanished from sight.

With a wry smile, Hui Yue knew that the spirit of the box had taken the stones. It was the same every time. Whenever he placed storage stones in the Universe Box, these storage stones would vanish. As for what the box used them for, Hui Yue was completely unaware. However, he had often used storage stones to make the spirit of the Universe Box find items for him. He clearly had a great use for them.

"Thank you for all these items." Hui Yue said with a bow. "I will not interrupt you any longer; I need to return home. I have some things that I need to do, and I am sure that you are going to be busy selling these swords. Should you need more in the future just make sure to summon me and I will stop by."

On the way back home to his mansion, Hui Yue flew at his fastest speed. Every time Hui Yue returned home hope sprouted in his mind. He hoped that Sha Yun would be waiting for him when he arrived, but every time, today included, all that he was met with was disappointment. Sha Yun had still not returned.

It was many months since the raid on the grave ended, and as the days grew longer, Hui Yue was more and more depressed. He feared that Sha Yun really might not return to him. She was one of his closest friends, yet even so, Hui Yue could do nothing. He did not know where to even start searching for her.

Hui Yue sighed deeply as he entered his room. Although he was disappointed once more, he said nothing as he sat down on the ground and closed his eyes. Moving his consciousness inside himself to examine the changes that his internal energies had gone while he crafted the flying swords.

Hui Yue found that crafting swords, and other things, required quite a lot of him as he was constantly using his inner energies and that the time he spent on creating things were even more rewarding than the energy he got from regular cultivation. It was akin to having a sparring match with a friend because all his internal energy had been used up many times, strengthening him greatly.

'Shocking,' Hui Yue said to himself as he looked at his spiritual energy sea which had increased dramatically compared to earlier that day

It was not only his spiritual energy sea that had increased, but his Wu Wei core and his Qi swirl were even larger now. He finally understood why someone like Cou Ling, who spent all her time on forging, had managed to become a King ranked expert while solely relying on her forging ability.

Hui Yue opened his eyes once more, excitement filling his entire being. He was able to increase his strength while also learning something new. He now knew that he could become an alchemist while at the same time also increase his cultivation. He decided that he would also improve his Metal affinity by continuing to craft items. Although he was now considered a grandmaster spiritual blacksmith by others, he was aware of the truth. He was not skilled in making many different things. All he had mastered was forging swords and inscribing two kinds of runes.

He was still a far cry of having merged with the Metal element. Although most experts would stop focusing on their elemental affinities when they opened their upper dantian, Hui Yue understood that this was the wrong decision. Seeing the effects of Earth Tremor, he knew just how deadly elemental affinities could be. Therefore, he would increase his strength by merging with his elements.

'That is the right path to take,' Lan Feng's voice suddenly drifted into Hui Yue's ears. 'To become a God from the Saint rank, one needs to become one with the world. This step will be easier for you to accomplish if you have already managed to become one with the elements. Of course, you cannot merge completely with the elements just yet, but you can get very close. When you reach. This will make it easier to gain enlightenment and reach the God rank.' Lan Feng said, his voice full of certainty.

'Also learning how to craft things is not a bad idea. Unfortunately, I do not have a lot of formulas for alchemists so tomorrow I would suggest you go to the alchemist's guild and purchase some. Everyone who has both Wood and Fire affinities can buy them. However, the price for these formulas is usually quite high. They might not ask for gold or spirit coins as payment, but various treasures as well. You don’t have to worry about that for now though as the pill formulas you need are the most basic ones. You can definitely purchase them with gold coins.'

Nodding his head, Hui Yue agreed with what Lan Feng said. He knew that alchemists were looked at with great reverence and thus he could not help but feel excitement about becoming one himself. If he created enough pills, he would be able to assist Lao and Jo even more and, he would also be able to assist his friends better with their cultivation. Never again was he going to let his friends face any danger on their own. As he became more and more powerful, becoming a true expert, he would ensure that his friends could follow him; he would not leave them behind.

Deep in thought Hui Yue did not notice that Wang Ju Long had entered his room, looked at him for a moment, and then left. She wanted to see that Hui Yue was fine because she too worried about him and Sha Yun. Although the two of them had never been good friends, she knew that the snake-woman meant a lot to Hui Yue, and she didn’t wish such a fate on her.

The day went past while Hui Yue spent the most of it inspecting his internal energies. The day slowly went by, and Hui Yue ended up cultivating. He was calming himself and preparing for the following day.

The night went by and the following day arrived as excitement shone in Hui Yue's eyes. He quickly got ready and left the house heading towards one of the most magnificent buildings in Muchuan City. This building was built from pure black iron, and it was even harder to penetrate than the royal palace. There were guards everywhere, guards who were all Emperor ranked cultivators. Only the Alchemy Guild could afford to have such extreme and amazing experts for guards.

Moving towards the black building, Hui Yue walked with confidence yet the moment he was about to enter two guards blocked his path. "Only alchemist can enter the guild." They said with cold voices as they looked at Hui Yue who casually lifted his hand as a red and a green flame sprouted from the palm.

"Honored alchemist!" They said in unison as they withdrew their staves, opening the entrance for Hui Yue to enter. Everyone who was passing the building looked at Hui Yue and saw him being let inside. All of their eyes were filled with surprise and also slight fear. Alchemists might not be as strong as many other experts, but their ability was still peerless. The pills created from a supreme grandmaster alchemist could make even a whole kingdom go to war.

Hui Yue understood that he was very far away from becoming a top tiered alchemist, but he also understood that he was fortunate enough to have such a high rank for his age. He would have enough strength to train for an extensive amount of time, and he would be able to perfect things faster than any other beginner because of his high cultivation level. Having a higher rank meant that he had more internal energy he could use at one time which was a great benefit.

Looking around him, Hui Yue walked down the hallway; this hallway had three different desks. Looking at them, one desk seemed to be selling pill and paste formulas. Another had quests that were ready for any expert to accept, while the third one had robes and papers for one to fill out. Curious about what it was Hui Yue moved towards it.

"Hello, I am Hui Yue. I have both the Wood and Fire elemental affinities and wishes to become an alchemist," Hui Yue introduced himself and the woman behind the desk looked at him rather surprised.

"You are not a Master ranked expert. Looking at your aura, you’re at the Emperor rank. It is very rare to see a new alchemist of your rank." The woman said surprised, but she quickly shook her head. What this young man spent all his years doing before becoming an alchemist had nothing to do with her. Every expert had different reasons to act the way they did, and it was not her position to question it.

"I can sign you up as a new alchemist and give you pill formulas you need to master for the alchemist exam. When you're ready, you can take the first exam and become an alchemist of the first grade. We hold the exams once a month where you can test for the next rank. The highest rank is a grandmaster alchemist, and if you ever reach that level, then there will be no more tests." The woman explained.

"This is the formula; the next test will be in four days. I doubt that you can make it in time and if you miss this exam, there will be a one month from then. I am sure you can make it by then if you practice hard enough." She said with a smile as she passed the memory stone to Hui Yue.

"It cost three gold to take the exam. Also, you can trade all your pills or pastes here for materials. We buy anything made by an alchemist. We also sell materials at a favorable price, much cheaper than buying them in the city. Feel free to return when you have mastered this pill formula and want to take the exam." She said with a gentle smile on her face. She understood that this Emperor would master the basics and the formula she gave him far faster than any of the usual Master ranked experts who usually signed up.