"It seems that even among the Snake-People Tribe, my fame is not insignificant," Xu Ran remarked with some surprise. It was astonishing that even those who lived deep within the Tagore Desert had heard of him.
The power of the Snake-People Tribe indeed was formidable, and overall, it was not much less than that of the Jia Ma Empire.
Although the Jia Ma Empire was powerful, its strong ones belonged to various factions and would not heed the Empire's commands without incentive. Just like the Yunlan Sect, whose prestige within the Jia Ma Empire even exceeded that of the royal household.
"Are you truly Lord Xu Ran?" Yue Mei was overjoyed.
A Seventh Grade Alchemist—such individuals could be described as dragons one hears of but seldom sees.
Even within the Jia Ma Empire, the strong ones were all actively seeking that Seventh Grade Alchemist.
Yue Mei had never imagined that, while so many dedicatedly sought an audience with Lord Xu Ran to no avail, she would be the one to meet him first.
"Lord Yue Mei, this human…"
Several Snake-People guards were astounded at the expression and demeanor Yue Mei showed.
In their eyes, Yue Mei held high prestige within the Snake-People Tribe, and even received the Medusa Queen's favor, her future potential boundless. Furthermore, Lord Yue Mei even had the chance to ascend to become a Douhuang Strong One.
Additionally, Lord Yue Mei greatly disliked humans, never showing kindness to them, even in the face of human strong ones.
And now…
Furthermore, they could tell that Lord Yue Mei's attitude towards this human was not out of coercion but one of genuine respect, akin to how one would treat Queen Medusa.
What was happening?
"What do you know? This Lord Xu Ran is an esteemed guest of our Snake-People Tribe, and must absolutely not be offended. Remember this well, pass the order that anyone who dares to offend Lord Xu Ran will be judged by the strictest tribe rules. Did you hear me?" Yue Mei scolded.
Though a member of the human race, not all humans are alike.
A Seventh Grade Alchemist is not someone just any person can compare with.
"Yes!"
The Snake-People guards nodded in fear, their curiosity about Xu Ran's identity intensifying.
"To tell you the truth, this esteemed one's skills reach the heavens. He once concocted an elixir that transformed a mere Dou Zhe directly into a Dou Huang Pinnacle, becoming one of the strongest in the Jia Ma Empire. Lord Xu Ran is one of the greatest alchemists in the Ga Ma Empire, perhaps even on the entire Continent," Yue Mei said, her words not lacking in flattery and admiration.
To be honest, she didn't have a very deep understanding of Seventh Grade Alchemists, but she knew they were far more formidable than Dan King Gu He.
However, after learning that Xu Ran had allowed an ordinary cultivator with poor natural talent to leap straight to the throne of the strongest in the Jia Ma Empire with just one elixir, everything changed.
Yes!
That was the Dou Huang pinnacle, not a common cabbage.
The most powerful within the Snake-People Tribe, Queen Medusa, was also merely at the "Cultivation Level" of Dou Huang, facing great expense and even mortal danger if she wished to challenge Dou Zun.
Dou Huang stood high above all, while Dou Zhe was pitifully weak!
In her eyes, someone who had been pitifully weak had suddenly risen to become one of the highest among the high, a strong one whose "Cultivation Level" was no less than that of Queen Medusa. The shock of such a transition could stimulate the heart of anyone in the world.
Any cultivator who learned of this news would probably dream at night, fantasizing about receiving an elixir from Xu Ran and soaring to become a powerful being.
Previously, everyone practiced steadily and gradually through cultivation, and such impatient thoughts did not arise.
But the emergence and rise of Ya Fei made everyone restless.
It could be said that the entire Jia Ma Empire, and even all the surrounding forces, were now searching for Xu Ran.
Moreover, Ya Fei was from the Mittel Family, her "Cultivation Level" talent was so poor that she had voluntarily requested to run the Wu Tan City auction. Ya Fei's situation could be known with just a little inquiry, so there would be no misinformation.
"What?" The surrounding Snake-People Tribe strong ones all looked at Xu Ran in astonishment, if this was true, then Xu Ran really had the ability to turn stone into gold.
This truly made their eyes pop.
"Lord Xu Ran, all of these should be true, right? I heard that Lady Ya Fei is your beloved," Yue Mei said, twisting her alluring figure with an extremely seductive voice.
According to the information obtained from the Snake-People Tribe, this Lord Xu Ran was quite the romantic wanderer.
If she could also... wouldn't she then become a Douhuang (Battle Emperor) strong one?
When this thought crossed her mind, her desire and greed could not be stopped.
Who wouldn't want to become a Douhuang? Any cultivator would want to be more powerful, wouldn't they?
They toil and moil, struggling to break through just one level in a year, feeling like crying from exhaustion. They work from dawn till dusk, around the clock, without a moment's rest, all for the sake of improving their strength.
But when someone took shortcuts, who wouldn't be envious?
If there were shortcuts available, who would still want to painstakingly cultivate slowly?
"Of course, it's true. Just a Douhuang, no big deal," Xu Ran laughed. To him, a Douhuang indeed counted for nothing. Without relying on Elixirs, using other methods, he could create several Dou Zun, Dou Sheng in minutes.
"Lord Xu Ran is truly extraordinary," Yue Mei said, swallowing her saliva and looking at Xu Ran coquettishly, unable to resist sending him a flirtatious glance.
When she learned that all this was true, she wished she could throw herself onto Xu Ran. If she had known that Xu Ran was coming, she would not have gotten up so early.
If she had been bathing there, maybe Xu Ran would have taken a special liking to her.
She believed that a woman in a bath was the most beautiful and also irresistible to men.
But now...
Yue Mei felt like slapping herself, having messed up such a great opportunity.
Now that she was dressed, she couldn't just take off her clothes and go bathe again, that would be too forward and too obvious.
"Lord Xu Ran, do you think I have a chance? I heard that many in the Jia Ma Empire are seeking an Elixir from you, do I, Yue Mei, also have a chance?" Yue Mei blinked, and although it was somewhat embarrassing, she did not want to miss such a good opportunity.
If she didn't ask clearly, she would definitely regret it later.
What's more important, face or strength?
Even if she couldn't get that life-changing Elixir to become a Douhuang (Battle Emperor) strong one, what about other Elixirs? Any Elixir that came from such a powerful Alchemist like Xu Ran could not possibly be ordinary.
Although the Snake-People Tribe was mighty, they had never had any remarkable Alchemists, and with their poor relations with the Jia Ma Empire, they had no chance to seek help from the Empire's Alchemists.
Just any high-grade Elixir was very precious to them, let alone one from a legendary Alchemist who had shaken the entire Northwest Continent.
"Elixir? You want to seek an Elixir from me?" Xu Ran raised an eyebrow.