After Xu Xia and Zhan Hao left, Xiao Ning went back to looking for the "Enchanted Articles and Ancient Runes" shop. Since it was right there on Order Street, it didn't take long to find it.

  "Enchanted Articles and Ancient Runes" wasn't like the other establishments in the area. There was no transparent glass window to display its products, nor was it as big as a mansion. Its walls were made of small red bricks, worn by time, and the little wooden door was full of holes, probably made by termites.

  But Xiao Ning didn't care about these things. He knew it wasn't smart to judge something by its appearance. So, without thinking much and with extreme care not to knock it down, he opened the door, and at that moment, a bell rang.

  The inside was as tiny as the exterior, maybe three or four times larger than his old hovel. For a shop in such a noble place, it was indeed small. Due to its diminutive size, the shelves holding the objects to be sold, which formed the aisles, took up all the space.

  Xiao Ning had to be very careful when entering. Any turn of the hand could knock something over, and for a poor guy like him, that would be a disaster. At the end of the aisle, there was a tiny counter; behind it, there was another door, and between the two a burly man, who didn't even bother to raise his head when he heard the bell ring, was reading a book titled "Ancient Ruins and Their Mysteries".

  Very carefully, he moved from one aisle to another, while attentively peeking at the shelves. There were many intriguing things there, but none that piqued his interest. Most were fragments of ancient runes, most likely found in some ruin, and broken weapons of deteriorated appearance. However, there was nothing related to Alchemy.

  It was a bit disappointing. Xiao Ning was anxious to find an Enchanted Cauldron, but so far, he hadn't spotted any. That was when something caught his attention. A pound scale, with several weights of various sizes, was propped in a corner, covered in dust.

  He walked over to it, wiped off some of the dust covering the plates, and noticed they were immaculate, without a single scratch. The bronze color still vibrated full of liveliness. Next, he picked up the weights; there were twenty in total, with the lightest weighing two grams and the heaviest one kilogram.

  The two-gram one was as small as a bean, while the one-kilogram one was square and somewhat smaller than a closed fist.

  When he saw the measurements of the weights, Xiao Ning was impressed. It was rare to find a scale of this type with such precision. Generally, weights had differences of two hundred grams or more. Because only then would the plates move.

  Wanting to find out if the pound scale was indeed capable of measuring two grams accurately, he placed the tiny weight resembling a bean seed on the left plate and a ten-gram one on the right.

  And as soon as he let both fall onto the plates, the scale tilted slightly to the right. It was a subtle change, but enough to prove it was in perfect condition.

  "A good scale," approved Xiao Ning, putting the weights back in place.

  Next, he continued to search. There were a total of four aisles, crammed with strange objects. The scale was found at the end of the second; in the third, there was nothing exceptional or interesting. It was only in the fourth that he finally found what he was looking for.

  A cauldron, slightly larger than the one that exploded, occupied a good part of the shelf leaning against the wall. It possessed a worn shine, similar to silver; however, darker. Around it, it was possible to see small scratch marks. It was evident it was a used piece, but it remained in great condition.

  That was a Normal Type, Low Quality Enchanted Cauldron, made of Tin. Perhaps, a tin refined with Spiritual Energy, as it emitted a unique presence.

  Not caring if he had permission to do so, Xiao Ning took the Tin Cauldron off the shelf and began to evaluate it. He turned it upside down and tapped his knuckles lightly on the hardened shell. Finishing, he turned it over again and inspected the inside. Unlike the one provided by the Xu Family, this one didn't have a strong smell of Herb residue. One could tell the previous owner had taken very good care of it.

  The cauldron was in great condition. If Xiao Ning were to make an Alchemical Composition at this moment, even if he failed, the chances of it exploding were minimal.

  After putting it back in place, he looked around, searching for another one, but, to his lament, that seemed to be the only one.

  "Hey, seller. How much is the Tin Cauldron?" he questioned, without leaving his spot, letting out a shout that echoed throughout the shop. However, even so, the seller kept his face buried in the book. "Hey, seller! Hey!" he insisted.

  "Tsk! What a noisy brat," grumbled the seller, who continued reading the book "Ancient Ruins and Their Mysteries". "Are you blind by any chance, brat? Can't you see the price nailed down there, no?"

  As suggested, Xiao Ning looked around. But there was nothing on the artifact. Then, he looked at the shelf and just below there was something written in tiny letters.

  "Tin Cauldron: Low / Price: 45 silvers"

  "WHAT?" Xiao Ning let out a scream when he saw the price. "Hey, seller! This is too expensive! This cauldron is low quality and has already been used! It should be worth four silvers and that would still be a lot," he protested fervently.

  He was hoping to be able to buy a low-quality cauldron like that for seven silver coins at most, to be able to train and refine his Essence Flames. And so, when he unlocked the second Flame, he would buy a high or superior quality one.

  However, if a simple used Tin Cauldron cost forty-five silver coins, then how expensive must a high-quality one be? At that price, he would have to spend two years hunting monsters and even then, perhaps, he wouldn't be able to buy one.

  Therefore, Xiao Ning couldn't accept this absurd price. He needed an Enchanted Cauldron, not only to satisfy his desire, but also to give some hope of survival to the Xiao Family during the great disaster that would happen in four years.

  "What a noisy brat!" grumbled the seller, who still didn't take his eyes off the book's pages. "Do you have any idea how rare Alchemists are? Because of that, these Magical Artifacts are just as rare. Humph! Who would want to dedicate themselves to such an exclusive profession? Only madmen. The price is more than fair."

  Xiao Ning thought about contesting, but he finally realized. He hadn't stopped to think about it before, but in the Empire... No, in the entire Central Continent, Alchemists were indeed rare. He had heard this before, he just didn't stop to pay attention.

  Because of this, everything involving this art had a high price. Like Enchanted Cauldrons, for example. Spiritual Herbs probably only had such a low selling price because they had other purposes other than Alchemy; the same was true for monsters, otherwise, these things would have absurd prices.

  Now that he realized this, Xiao Ning felt discouraged. Maybe he should just leave, head to the next continent. If he wanted to buy the Tin Cauldron, based on his recent sales at the Chaos Warehouse, it would take around a month or more. And that would be a lot of work.

  Thinking it couldn't get worse, he noticed a large empty space next to the Tin Cauldron whose disturbed dust indicated something had been removed from there recently. And underneath, the words:

  "Copper Cauldron: High / Price: 170 gold"

  One hundred and seventy gold coins. When he saw the exorbitant value, he turned white. If he were to buy such a precious item, it would take much more than a mere two years.

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  Feeling depressed, Xiao Ning began to drag his body out of the shop. He was too discouraged even to walk; it wasn't even his usual laziness, but a profound depression. However, when he was passing by the tiny counter where the seller was located, he noticed something he hadn't seen until then.

  On the counter, there was a pair of thin bracelets, which sparkled a gleaming metallic blue. Xiao Ning approached and picked them up. The moment he touched them, he felt a thread of electricity escape through his fingers.

  "Hey, seller. How much are the bracelets?"

  "Ah, those things there?" he said, without taking his eyes off the book. "You can take them for a silver."

  "Are you sure?" asked Xiao Ning, showing an expression of surprise.

  "Yes, they are damaged. After using them a few times, they will break," he replied, uninterested.

  Hearing this, Xiao Ning brought the bracelets as close to his eyes as possible and studied them. And indeed they were damaged. There was a crack, so small it could barely be noticed, on both.

  However, this didn't bother him. He threw a silver coin on the counter and took possession of the items. Even though both were damaged, they would still be useful. After paying, he left the shop.

  On the way back to the Family territory, Xiao Ning seemed a little more animated. And the reason for this was the Artifacts in his hand. Those were the Lei Gong Bracelets.

  The Lei Gong bracelets are magical items that work together and are made of pure silver and Lightning Jade and enchanted with Magic Runes. To be honest, they aren't very powerful or anything like that compared to true treasures; and they can be found without much trouble, even more so in a city like this, which has several Elemental Mines.

  On the other hand, although it is a relatively common item, the bracelets are capable of increasing, almost doubling, the power of a cultivator's Lightning Element Combat Techniques who is below the Virtuous Realm.

  For Xiao Ning, Fire Element Combat Techniques only served to help improve his Essence Flames. However, when it came to battle, his main style was lightning. In his past life, he took down many powerful cultivators using such an element. For this reason, these bracelets were of great importance to him.

  Even though they were damaged, they could still help him for some time during his hunt.

  In the end, he might have been one silver coin poorer, but it had been worth it.

  Back in the Xiaos' territory.

  Ning was passing by the Combat and Training Arenas, heading to Uncle Chang's house. Now that he lived with his uncle, he had to pass by there every day. When he returned, it was already quite late. The sun on the horizon was preparing to sleep while the students, even the dedicated ones, hurried back to their homes. With the exception of one.

  In one of the left arenas, a girl swung her sword non-stop. And every time she did so, water blades flew toward a wooden dummy, which split into several pieces. Then, she would take a step to the side and destroy another dummy.

  It took only a single glance for Xiao Ning to recognize the technique used by the girl. It was the Nine-Phase Aquatic Blade. In his search for new recipes and potions, as well as to expand his knowledge in Alchemy, he read many books and scrolls, and consequently, some that had nothing to do with what he was looking for.

  One of these scrolls read by chance was the Aquatic Blade Technique. And as much as this reading wasn't intentional, he still reread it twice, until he unraveled all its truths and mysteries. He had done this because, in his search for new pills and potions, he believed that any knowledge would help him improve his skills as an Alchemist. That's why he also learned Medicine and Herbalism, among other things. Any knowledge, no matter how banal it seemed, was useful.

  Therefore, when he saw Xiao Shui launch the water blades, he was soon able to recognize the skill behind it.

  "You're doing it wrong," said Xiao Ning, who walked toward the girl.

  Surprised by the voice that appeared out of nowhere, Xiao Shui turned around in a sudden movement, holding the sword.

  "I surrender," joked Xiao Ning, laughing amusedly and raising his hands.

  "Oh, it's you," she grunted, displeased. She still didn't like him. "What do you want?" she asked harshly.

  "I want to ask you a favor. But before that, your technique is wrong."

  "Humph! As if a bum like you understood anything," sneered Xiao Shui. Then, she turned around and went back to focusing on her training, completely ignoring him.

  Xiao Ning tilted his head to the side and gave a relaxed smile.

  "The feeling is wrong," he said again, preventing her from continuing the attack. "People think that because it's a technique, it has no life or emotions. But they forget that these techniques were created by someone, and that someone had life and emotions."

  Xiao Shui turned to him and snorted irritatedly, for having her training interrupted:

  "What kind of nonsense are you sprouting? Can't you see I'm trying to concentrate?" Finishing her rant, she turned back and faced the wooden opponent.

  "Like I said, your feeling is wrong," insisted Xiao Ning. "You are trying to destroy this dummy, but the Nine-Phase Aquatic Blade wasn't made for that."

  Xiao Shui looked at him with surprise and asked:

  "How do you know the name of my technique?" she said in a tone of amazement. This skill had been given to her by her father, and although some knew it was called "Aquatic Blade", few knew its full name, or basically, the number of existing varieties.

  A few days ago, Xiao Ning had asked her about this, but at the time, she didn't answer.

  "I just know," he said shrugging. "But, more importantly, your feeling is wrong."

  "You already said that, and I didn't understand the first time!" grunted Xiao Shui, who was getting annoyed by him repeating the same thing every time.

  "Techniques have a feeling behind their creation. With what goal was the Nine-Phase Aquatic Blade technique created? To destroy?" Xiao Ning paused and faced Xiao Shui... but since she didn't seem willing to answer, he continued. "It was made to cut."

  "Humph! But that's obvious," exasperated Xiao Shui, regretting having listened to him, even for a second.

  "If it's so obvious, then why are you trying to destroy?" he countered. "When you use the technique, focus on subtlety. Forget strength. Imagine your sword cutting something so soft that there is no resistance. Imagine that nothing can stop it from continuing to cut, moving forward." Finishing his explanation, he waited.

  However, Xiao Shui remained still, looking at him with a complicated expression on her face, making it difficult to tell what she was thinking.

  "What are you looking at? Come on, try it," ordered Xiao Ning, making a gesture with his hand. "But don't forget to imagine."

  With a somewhat doubtful look and a somewhat reluctant posture, Xiao Shui turned and faced the dummy. And then:

  "Aquatic Blade: 5th Phase," she roared. And the next instant, three slightly curved blades, about a meter long, made of water, appeared out of nowhere and cut the wooden dummy into three parts.

  "Wrong! You have to be subtle and use your imagination." Xiao Ning scolded her.

  And Xiao Shui, feeling irritated, looked sideways with a stern look, but said nothing. Since this bum was trying to help her, there was no reason to be rude.

  Thus, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and imagined her sword cutting through the air, without any resistance. Then, she said delicately, using a voice that was almost sweet, as she lowered her sword without much haste:

  "Aquatic Blade: 5th Phase."

  Suddenly, at a speed that could barely be followed by the eyes, three water blades passed through the wooden dummy and crashed against the arena floor, leaving a thin but deep scratch. However, unlike the other times, the dummy remained intact.

  With an astounded look, Xiao Shui looked at Xiao Ning, who had a relaxed smile, free from any surprise. Then, she approached the training object and poked the top part with the tip of the metal blade.

  The dummy collapsed out of nowhere, dividing into three parts. On the wood, where it was cut, a smooth, lustrous surface could be seen, as if it had been sanded until it shone.

  "H-how is this possible?" she babbled, having difficulty finding the words. "I didn't even use half the usual Spiritual Energy, but the power was so..."

  Xiao Shui didn't know how to explain what had happened. She never asked her father for help mastering this technique, which is why she was having trouble getting past the 5th phase. She never imagined that it would be a bum like Xiao Ning who would help her.

  "It's not about the power, but the feeling," said Ning, emphasizing "feeling".

  Calming her emotions, Xiao Shui looked at him with a deep look.

  "How did you know?" she questioned, still shaken by what happened. Xiao Shui had trained that technique so much, and this was the first time she demonstrated such power. And all this because of his help.

  "Well, don't worry about small details." Xiao Ning gave a sloppy smile and shrugged his shoulders. "But, more importantly than that, I want to go to the Forest of a Thousand Dooms tomorrow. You don't have any friend in the Zhan or Qin Family to warn that I'm coming, do you?"

  Xiao Shui looked at him strangely. There was no way the knowledge about the Aquatic Blade could be a small detail. Her father himself had spent a small fortune during an auction to get it. There was no way someone like Ning could merely know about it.

  Stopping to think now, she remembered that a few days ago he had used a powerful-looking fire technique, which wasn't among those taught by the Family. And, besides that, there were also the Essence Flames, which until then she stubbornly refused to accept, telling herself that maybe her father and the Patriarch had made a mistake in judgment.

  However, maybe that wasn't the case and Xiao Ning was hiding some secrets.

  But since he had helped her, Xiao Shui wouldn't ask any more questions for today.

  "If you want to go to the Forest of a Thousand Dooms, wait for me tomorrow very early, in the outer courtyard. I will also be going there," she said in a more friendly tone.

  "How early?" asked Xiao Ning, dreading the answer.

  "As soon as the sun rises."

  "...Can't it be a little later, no? Like... after lunch?"

  "If you want to go, be there when the sun rises. Otherwise, I'll go without you," warned Xiao Shui firmly. She knew the kind of lazy bum he was. She wouldn't take it easy just because of some momentary help. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I want to continue my training."

  Xiao Shui turned around and faced a new wooden opponent.

  And Xiao Ning, knowing it would be no use asking again to change the time (terrible negotiator), sighed with regret as he walked away, dragging the cloth sack.