Battle Through the Heavens: Heavenly comprehension

Xiao Yan waved his arm, and three small iron puppet figures suddenly appeared on the ground.

The three small iron puppets moved as if they were birds released from a cage, each activating and flexing their bodies.

Just this? Otto's eyes widened slightly. He had thought that Xiao Yan's arrogant tone meant he had obtained some extraordinary treasure from his teacher.

Three lumps of iron? What are they worth?

Gu Te let out a surprised sound, "Oh, what exquisite puppets! They're just a little too small. If they were a bit bigger..."

Seeing the interest in Gu Te's expression, Xiao Yan said, "If there are sufficient materials, it's entirely possible to create puppets comparable to Dou Ling-level experts. These are far superior to those third-rate mechanical devices."

"You know how to make puppets?" The old, murky eyes of Gu Te locked tightly onto the three small puppets on the ground as he licked his lips.

Xiao Yan replied indifferently, "That depends on whether I can get my hands on the Ice Spirit Cold Spring."

"Kid, forget it. I won't exchange the Ice Spirit Cold Spring I just acquired with you," Gu Te said with a sidelong glance at Xiao Yan, snorting.

"Fair enough. With a younger brother like the Alchemy King Gu He, even without mechanical devices, who would dare make a move here? Master Otto, let's go."

Retracting his puppets, Xiao Yan turned casually and walked towards the staircase.

Otto's heart tightened. Mentioning Gu He in front of Gu Te was taboo—this deal was as good as dead.

Watching Xiao Yan's departing figure, Gu Te's old voice thundered like an angry storm, "Stop right there! Even without Gu He, I can still protect my treasures!"

Xiao Yan slowly turned around, and at that moment, a jade bottle appeared in Gu Te's hand.

A chilling aura surrounded the jade bottle, radiating an icy sensation that penetrated the heart. Instantly, the temperature in the room plummeted.

"Take it. This is the Ice Spirit Cold Spring you wanted," Gu Te said, tossing the jade bottle to Xiao Yan without hesitation.

With a layer of mystical yellow flame covering his palm, Xiao Yan caught the delicate jade bottle. Under the pressure of the strange flame, the terrifying cold aura shrank back into the bottle.

"The item," Gu Te said in a deep voice.

Xiao Yan rubbed his finger against his storage ring and took out an ancient scroll.

This scroll contained partial information on mid-level puppet crafting techniques, specifically for combat purposes. It was vastly different from the all-encompassing mid-level puppet manufacturing method.

After examining the scroll for a while, Gu Te's eyes showed deep fascination.

After a long time, Gu Te stored the scroll in his ring and waved his hand impatiently. "You've got what you came for. Now, scram if you have nothing else to do..."

"Heh heh, with such an extensive collection, how could I possibly leave so easily, Master Gu Te?" Xiao Yan said with a sly grin, rubbing his hands together. "That Fireheart Seven-Leaf Flower looks pretty good too."

Watching how Xiao Yan flipped faces faster than flipping a book, Gu Te thought to himself—I thought I was shameless enough, but I didn't expect someone even more shameless than me.

Smirking, Gu Te said unceremoniously, "If you can't offer anything valuable, don't even think about my treasures."

With a flip of his hand, Xiao Yan revealed a prepared item.

"A magic crystal bomb. Once activated in a surprise attack, it can wound even a Da Dou Shi expert. If three are launched together, even a Dou Ling expert would suffer greatly."

Staring at the crystal-clear, smooth spheres in Xiao Yan's palm, Gu Te's eyes narrowed slightly. They appeared to be the result of specially refined magic cores.

Given the violent energy contained within magic cores, proper utilization could indeed yield extraordinary results.

"You sure have a lot of treasures on you, kid. I also have some rare herbs like Blood Crystal Grass—are you interested?" Gu Te said with a sly smile, looking like a cunning old fox.

Xiao Yan chuckled dryly and shook his head. "Master Gu Te, you must be joking. I've already taken out my life-saving magic crystal bombs; what other treasures could I possibly have?"

Of all Gu Te's collected items, Xiao Yan was only interested in a single fire-attribute herb.

"You little brat, I don't believe you for a second..." Gu Te grabbed the three magic crystal bombs, immediately holding them in his hands with a look of infatuation.

Feeling slightly uneasy, Xiao Yan stored the herb in his storage ring and turned to leave Gu Te's residence with Otto.

Otto let out a long sigh of relief. "That really scared me just now. I can't believe you mentioned Gu He in front of Gu Te and still managed to complete the trade!"

"I have to thank you, Master Otto, for telling me about Gu Te's preferences," Xiao Yan said with a grateful bow.

Otto smiled and shook his head. "It was nothing."

"This might actually be a good thing for Gu Te. Those treasures were just collecting dust in his hands. Although he has decent talent, his obsession with rare herbs and materials has kept him stuck at the third-tier level. Now that he's fully devoted to puppet crafting, he might actually find a new path forward."

Xiao Yan didn't dwell much on Gu Te's future.

Some people seek tangible rewards, while others simply enjoy the satisfaction of their interests—Gu Te clearly belonged to the latter category.

Most people only knew that Gu Te loved collecting rare herbs and treasures, but they often overlooked his fascination with strange mechanisms and devices.

Xiao Yan had identified this blind spot early on. He also understood that although Gu Te enjoyed the privileges of being Alchemy King Gu He's brother, deep down, he felt dissatisfied. Confident in his plan, Xiao Yan had been sure he could get what he needed.

As they gradually returned to the Alchemist Association, Otto retrieved two ornate boxes from his storage ring. "Here are the third-tier magic core and the Blood Lotus Essence you needed."

Black Rock City truly lived up to its reputation as a city with an Alchemist Association. Xiao Yan happily accepted the items.

A third-tier magic core combined with the Blood Lotus Essence was worth no less than 200,000 gold coins. However, Otto simply smiled and refused any payment.

"For someone registered with our Black Rock City Alchemist Association, you're considered one of our own. This little help is nothing," Otto said casually, waving it off. "In a few years, the once-every-eight-years Alchemist Grand Meeting will be held in the capital. If you're free by then, you should definitely participate—it'll be greatly beneficial for you."

"I'll definitely check it out," Xiao Yan nodded. The prize for this session of the Alchemist Grand Meeting was the formula for a sixth-tier pill, Soul Fusion Pill, a rare pill related to the soul. He certainly wouldn't miss such an opportunity.

Great perception could accelerate one's progress, and standing on the shoulders of giants would only make it faster.

To Xiao Yan, the formula for the sixth-tier Soul Fusion Pill held immense value, primarily for his research and refinement techniques.

As the Alchemist Association's grand building came into view, Xiao Yan smiled and bid farewell.

Watching Xiao Yan's figure gradually disappear into the distance, Otto smiled and softly muttered, "Xiao Yan, I'll be waiting for you at the Alchemist Grand Meeting. I hope you'll shine once again in that setting..."

(End of Chapter)

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