Beneath the night sky, two shadows swiftly moved across the rooftops, weaving through the open spaces between the houses. Though it was well past midnight, the streets between the buildings remained bustling with people. Fortunately, the figures in the air moved with exceptional speed—though occasionally someone glanced up, they could only catch fleeting streaks of black.紧 behind Hai Bo Dong, the qi within Xiao Yan flowed steadily, generating a continuous surge of energy that nourished his muscles. With each light tap of his toes on the roof, he surged forward with remarkable agility. "We've arrived," Hai Bo Dong suddenly announced, after a series of swift strides. Xiao Yan nodded, slightly bending his body forward as he landed. As his feet touched the ground, his palms gently rested against the roof tiles, landing with perfect grace—so quiet that even the delicate tiles remained undamaged, only a faint sound of contact being heard. Clapping his hands, Xiao Yan stood up, yet felt somewhat dissatisfied with his landing—had there been a cultivator of Dao Ling level below, he would have surely been detected by that subtle sound. Raising his head, Xiao Yan looked at Fang Ma and Jia La, who were leisurely seated upon the vast roof across from him. Clearly, they had already arrived, and now they were smiling warmly at the arriving Xiao Yan and Hai Bo Dong. As they passed over the roof, the two came to stand beside Fang Ma and Jia La, exchanging glances and quietly smiling. "I knew you'd come," Fang Ma said, smiling at Xiao Yan. "I've always been quite impressed by that one. At his age, his strength is so remarkable—such talent is truly extraordinary." Xiao Yan sighed. If that person were truly only that age, it would indeed be quite a blow. Observing his skill in preparing medicinal concoctions, Xiao Yan suspected his actual cultivation level might be around the fourth rank. A fourth-rank alchemy master at just seventeen... Hmm... Back in the day, when Gǔhé first reached fourth rank, he was nearly thirty. Now this young man is almost half his age. If his age is indeed accurate, what kind of prodigy will he become as he matures? Seventh rank? Eighth rank? At such levels, he would nearly stand at the pinnacle of the Qi Continent! Even now, Xiao Yan has only just begun to reach third-rank alchemy master status—this achievement is all thanks to the Qinglian Earth Heart Fire. Compared to him, the gap is simply staggering. "It should be impossible..." gazing at Xiao Yan's astonished expression, Fama shook his head and murmured thoughtfully, "If the Chuyun Empire had produced a prodigy of this caliber, I believe it would have already been all the talk, making a huge fuss. It's impossible that we've heard nothing at all. After all, a fourth-rank alchemist at just seventeen—this is truly astonishing." "Hmph. What are we still guessing about? Let's just go and investigate right away. If you're still uneasy, then..." Old Jia smiled lightly. With a smooth, horizontal gesture of his hand, he indicated the action—among such powerful beings, killing someone was often done with barely any emotional ripple, truly as effortless as slaughtering chickens. To Xiao Yan, it was deeply impressive, even a little humbling. "Alright," nodded Fama, showing no objection. Clearly, he accepted this as a plausible course of action. He smiled at Hai Bodo and Xiao Yan, then stepped forward, swiftly moving toward a luxurious hotel located slightly south of the city. Gazing at the three figures swiftly passing ahead, Xiao Yan hesitated slightly before following closely behind. The man had no connection to him at all—well, if he had to be killed, so be it. He wasn't particularly fond of the man either. Though not a particularly fierce or aggressive person, Xiao Yan could maintain a certain coldness toward those who were entirely unrelated to him. "Hey, I thought he was actually on his guard..." Old Jia suddenly chuckled coldly. At that moment, a few feet ahead of his feet, a remarkably thin black thread extended out. Xiao Yan followed the line and noticed that at both ends of it, small black bells were hanging. "A mere trick," he said. With a swift motion of his hand, a powerful gust of energy flowed silently through the air, and before either of the small black bells could emit a sound, they were both shattered into nothingness. "Let me take it from here," Hai Bo Dong smiled. With hands as dry and brittle as old wood, he slowly extended them from his sleeves. A faint white mist curled around his palms, the coolness of which instantly lowered the temperature around him. Gently pressing his palms down, the white mist spread over the tiles and quickly expanded, covering the entire roof within a blink of an eye. "Ice Mirror!" "Staring at the white mist covering everything, Hai Bo Dong raised his voice lightly. The mist quickly condensed and eventually transformed into a thin layer of ice, completely enveloping the roof. 'Now!' He raised his voice again, and suddenly, Hai Bo Dong noticed something strange—the vast, white-tinged layer of ice began to take on a dreamlike quality. For a brief moment, a spacious room appeared clearly projected onto the ice surface, as if a film were being shown, with all its objects sharply and vividly imprinted upon the ice. After completing this, Hai Bo Dong clapped his hands and, seeing the astonishment on Xiao Yan's face, smiled and explained, 'It's just a small trick—I used cold air to seep into the room, condensed it into fine, inconspicuous ice fragments, and then used the reflection of those fragments to project the image.' 'Remarkably refined ice manipulation,' Xiao Yan praised. 'It's merely a small trick, with only this effect—nothing remarkable at all,' Hai Bo Dong said, waving his hand with a smile. Though he spoke so, his pride in his performance remained unmistakable." Smiling slightly, Xiao Yan directed his gaze downward to the ice layer beneath him. The room was now empty—likely the gray-robed youth had not yet returned. "Wait a moment," he said, then settled himself upon the ice, closing his eyes and settling into meditation. Nodding with a wry smile, Xiao Yan also took a seat, running his fingers over the ice surface, yet feeling no chill at all. He presumed the cold temperature had been effectively suppressed by Hai Bo Dong's ice control technique, and thus admired his skill even more. As Xiao Yan and the others remained silent, the room above grew still. After nearly half an hour of quiet, a subtle movement was detected in the ice mirror at the door. Hai Bo Dong, who had been keeping his eyes closed, first became aware of it and opened them. He gently pressed his hands against the side of the room, signaling to the two others who had also noticed the change, then lowered his gaze to the ice mirror. The door shifted slightly, and then a young man in gray robes entered—his fresh, youthful face being precisely the most striking surprise of today's grand assembly. Upon seeing the gray-robed youth enter, Xiao Yan involuntarily slowed his breath, his body remaining utterly still, his eyes fixed intently on every movement of the young man. After entering, the gray-robed youth displayed no unusual behavior. Once the door was closed, he simply washed up casually and then lay down on the bed, settling into a meditative posture. Frowning slightly at the youth's ordinary actions, Xiao Yan gently licked his lips, turned to gaze at Hai Bo Dong and his two companions still quietly waiting, and then settled his gaze downward, patiently awaiting further developments. An hour later, as the night had grown deep, the young boy in gray robes suddenly opened his eyes, his cold gaze slowly sweeping across the room. He then rose from his bed, gently closing the window completely, and finally placed his hands behind his back, lifting his head to carefully scan the rafters. Twisting his neck, the gray-robed youth suddenly chuckled coldly. Running his hand over his face, he furrowed his brows and murmured softly several times before flipping his hand, revealing a pale red pill resting in his palm. "Damn it, the Rejuvenation Pill—though it can restore one's youthful appearance, it only does so on the surface. Honestly, if it weren't for the need to seriously damage the reputation of the Gamma Pharmaceutical Guild within their nation, we wouldn't have invested so much effort into crafting such a labor-intensive, underappreciated remedy. And to regain our former looks, one must consume specific pills—such a cost is simply overwhelming..." Muttering to himself, the gray-robed youth pressed the pale red pill into his mouth, gently chewed it, and then swallowed it whole. Within the room, not long after swallowing the crimson pill, the young boy in the gray robe suddenly began to tremble violently—his face pale with terror—and at the same time, his stature grew significantly. In mere moments, the once-teenage boy, only seventeen, had transformed into a stern middle-aged man, his complexion cold and commanding. "Indeed, something strange is going on here," observed Xue Yan, his gaze on the ice layer slowly widening as he watched the transformation unfold.