’I’ve finally become a Tier One Alchemy Master.’

’This way, I can finally account for myself to Sen Hui.’

’Even if Sen Yue asks about it, I won’t be completely speechless...’

Fang Yang sat upright in the carriage, countless thoughts swirling in his mind.

Come to think of it, Sen Hui was even more invested in his study of alchemy than he was himself.

This fact made Fang Yang feel a little ashamed.

The reason he delved into alchemy was because he possessed the Carp Eagle’s legacy, which detailed a method of using alchemy to refine the Fire Eagle Illusion.

Moreover, after he found a better way to refine and solidify the Fire Eagle Illusion—namely, by forming the Celestial Eagle Cross Spear ultimate technique—he no longer considered alchemy his top priority.

On the other side of the carriage, Second Uncle Fang gently stroked the Tier One Alchemy Master robes Fang Yang had just acquired, a nostalgic look in his eyes. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Second Uncle Fang said softly,

"An Alchemy Master... Being an Alchemy Master is good. It’s not like being a warrior, charging onto the front lines and fighting to the death.

Your talent for alchemy is far greater than I ever imagined.

If you hadn’t been caught up in the Xuan-Yu War and bogged down by miscellaneous affairs, I imagine you could have become a Tier One Alchemy Master even sooner.

You and Xiaohui started on nearly the same footing; in fact, you were even a hair better than her.

If you hadn’t been so bogged down with other things, I’m not saying you’d be a Tier Three Alchemy Master, but you would at least be Tier Two by now."

A sixteen-year-old Tier One Alchemy Master was very rare and would certainly surprise people, though it wasn’t enough to leave them dumbfounded.

So in Second Uncle Fang’s eyes, a great deal of Fang Yang’s potential was being squandered.

"If something is meant to be, it will be. If not, you can’t force it. Please don’t worry, Second Uncle. Just because my path is a little slower doesn’t mean I won’t reach my destination," Fang Yang said with a smile, his eyes crinkling.

His attention, however, turned to the ’Seek Fortune, Avoid Calamity’ orb of light in his mind.

Hearing this, Second Uncle Fang paused for a moment before bursting into relieved and gratified laughter.

But as he laughed, tears began to well up in his eyes.

’Big Brother, if only you had been as philosophical as Ah Yang back then... I imagine you wouldn’t have perished, would you?’

After a good while, Second Uncle Fang finally stopped laughing, and the tears in his eyes vanished.

He spoke up. "Ah Yang, Lanxi successfully achieved Enlightenment. She also awakened a Spirit Body—a C-grade Flower Butterfly Spirit Body."

"Lanxi..." Fang Yang looked up, a smile spreading across his face.

Fang Lanxi was Second Uncle Fang’s younger daughter, making her Fang Yang’s paternal cousin.

He was on much better terms with her than with her older sister, Fang Min.

More importantly, as the White Feathered Eagle tribe expanded, Fang Yang was in desperate need of more trustworthy subordinates.

If Fang Lanxi joined him, Fang Yang would gain another trustworthy subordinate, and the White Feathered Eagle tribe would surely operate more smoothly.

CLATTER, CLATTER...

The carriage continued along the main road, finally returning to the White Feathered Eagle tribe’s territory.

The moment Fang Yang stepped out of the carriage, the Small Frost Horse in the distance broke into a gallop, charging straight into his arms.

WHAM! It hit him like a rocket, kicking up a powerful gust of wind that sent Fang Yang’s black hair flying back.

NICKER, NICKER... The Small Frost Horse nuzzled affectionately against Fang Yang’s chest, as if telling him all about its day.

"There, there." Fang Yang soothed the Small Frost Horse, marveling at how much it had grown.

While the White Feathered Eagle had to fight bloody battles for even the slightest chance to increase its strength, the Small Frost Horse’s method of simply eating and sleeping was a stark and unique contrast.

For the average Cultivator, however, the White Feathered Eagle was still the more suitable Pet Beast.

The amount of Yuan Stones the Small Frost Horse consumed each time it advanced a tier was enough to make one’s head spin.

Fang Yang could only afford the Small Frost Horse’s upkeep thanks to the support from the Fang clan elders.

From now on, however, that situation would gradually change.

Because he, Fang Yang, had become a Tier One Alchemy Master!

In the future, his two Pet Beasts, the White Feathered Eagle and the Small Frost Horse, would be eating Pills like candy.

Even the flock of ordinary Flying Eagles under the White Feathered Eagle’s command could feast on miscellaneous and leftover pills to continue growing.

At this rate, the strength of the White Feathered Eagle tribe would continue to soar!

...

「Meanwhile, at the Pill Hall headquarters.」

The assessment for Tier One Alchemy Masters had just concluded.

In the past, after each new batch of Tier One Alchemy Masters was confirmed, they would be ranked according to their assessment performance, and the results would be recorded using a Memory Stone.

This time, however, everyone tacitly left the first and second seats in the center empty.

Fang Yang was absent. So was Chen Ying.

Many speculated on the reason for Chen Ying’s absence: she didn’t want to be seen as the loser standing beneath Fang Yang’s throne.

Regardless, with both Fang Yang and Chen Ying missing, the commemorative Memory Stone recording for this class of Tier One Alchemy Masters felt somewhat incomplete.

"Everyone, hurry and get into position! Take your seats."

A Pill Hall elder urged them, "This is a glorious moment in your lives. Don’t worry so much about others; just focus on yourselves."

But the more he said, the more conflicted the newly promoted Tier One Alchemy Masters felt.

Lie Shaolong, for instance, felt an inexplicable sense of frustration and repression.

Becoming a Tier One Alchemy Master should have been an occasion for immense celebration, but in the end, it had turned into this.

For some reason, Lie Shaolong found his gaze drawn to the first and second seats.

The first and second seats remained empty. No matter how the Pill Hall elder prompted them, no one actually dared to sit there.

At that moment, Lie Shaolong felt a stirring of ambition, his eyes fixed on the first seat.

But the moment the thought of sitting there crossed his mind, he would recall Fang Yang’s stern figure.

Instantly, his ambition deflated, and he felt a sense of helplessness.

’Forget it,’ he thought. ’A person like that... I can’t even begin to compare.’

It wasn’t just Lie Shaolong who felt the terrifying pressure emanating from Fang Yang’s reputation; even the Pill Hall elders were astonished by it.

They discovered that among this entire batch of new Tier One Alchemy Masters, not a single person dared to challenge Fang Yang’s position.

Fang Yang’s name alone was enough to suppress them all. It was beyond exaggeration!

...

「Later.」

Fang Xuan had somehow heard about the incident with the Memory Stone recording at the Pill Hall.

He excitedly recounted the story to Fang Yang. "Brother, you’re incredible! Did you know? No matter how much the Pill Hall elders pushed them, none of those people dared to take your first seat!"

Lu Yao’s mouth hung slightly open, a look of utter shock on her face.

The White Feathered Eagle’s eyes flashed like cold lightning as a powerful aspiration grew within it.

It too wanted to be like Fang Yang—to command respect and authority, to become the king of all eagles!

"It’s nothing special..." Fang Yang shook his head calmly. He turned, crushed a Pill into its fodder, and personally fed the Small Frost Horse, his demeanor utterly unfazed.

His nonchalant air filled his younger cousin, Fang Xuan, with envy.

Subconsciously, Fang Xuan tried to mimic Fang Yang’s posture, wanting to project the same calm and detached aura. But he quickly discovered he couldn’t pull it off, even making Lu Yao struggle to hold back a laugh.