.
After briefly examining the jade pendant, Xiao Ling's hand flashed with white light, and he placed it in his storage ring.
Xiao Ling sensed a subtle spiritual vibration within the jade pendant, likely a spiritual imprint left by its owner during his lifetime.
Xiao Ling planned to investigate the jade pendant more closely after returning to the Xiao family home to learn more about its contents.
After wandering around the trading area for a while, Xiao Ling carefully searched every stall, but found nothing of the fragment mentioned in the original novel.
Xiao Ling had been prepared for this; chance was a matter of luck.
Clearing his mind of thoughts, Xiao Ling headed towards the gates of the Alchemist Guild. Since he hadn't found the fragment, there was no point in staying any longer.
Just then, the sound of footsteps reached Xiao Ling's ears.
Xiao Ling paused and gazed in the direction of the footsteps. He saw several elderly men approaching with a clear, determined purpose.
The old man in the lead was hunched over, carrying a rather ancient alchemy cauldron on his head. One could not help but wonder if the weight of carrying it for years had bent him. He wore a fifth-grade alchemist badge on his chest, and the aura he exuded revealed that of a Dou Huang master.
Xiao Ling raised an eyebrow upon seeing him. It was none other than Fama, the president of the Alchemist Guild, whom Xiao Ling had met briefly before. Because of his delicate pair of Dou Qi wings, he had been known in his previous life as the "little bee among Dou Huang masters."
Seeing Xiao Ling's gaze, Fa Ma forced a smile. As he approached Xiao Ling, he said, "I just heard the servants report that Master Xiao Ling had entered the Alchemist Guild, so I hurried out. Master Xiao Ling came to the Alchemist Headquarters, why didn't you notify me first?"
Xiao Ling's expression remained unchanged, and he replied calmly, "It's nothing important, so there's no need to bother Master Fa Ma. I'm just a bit free lately, so I planned to wander around the trading area alone to see if I could find anything good."
"Haha, since Master Xiao Ling is free, why don't you come sit inside the Alchemist Guild? I've arranged for the maid to prepare tea in advance." Fa Ma smiled, stroking his graying beard.
Xiao Ling hesitated for a moment before agreeing to Fa Ma's suggestion. After all, he was free now, so a little time wouldn't be a big deal.
Xiao Ling nodded slightly, "Since President Fa Ma has invited me, I respectfully obey."
After receiving Xiao Ling's approval, Fa Ma spoke to the people around him and led Xiao Ling into a reception hall.
After the two sat down, a maidservant poured tea for them.
Xiao Ling took a sip from the teacup and cast a curious look at Fa Ma. "President Fa Ma, just tell me what you want to say."
Hearing Xiao Ling's question, President Fa Ma smiled and said, "Master Xiao Ling, since you are from the Jia Ma Empire, do you plan to join the Jia Ma Empire Alchemist Guild?"
Hearing this, Xiao Ling finally understood. It seemed that Fa Ma wanted to invite him to join the Alchemist Guild.
Shaking his head, Xiao Ling answered without any hesitation, "I'm not interested. If that's the case, then I won't bother President Fama's time."
Fama was not surprised to hear Xiao Ling's refusal. He stroked his beard and said to Xiao Ling, "As long as you are willing to join the Alchemist Guild, I am willing to give up the position of president and let you be the new president of the Gama Empire Alchemist Guild. From now on, all the alchemists in the Gama Empire Alchemist Guild will be at your disposal."
"I'm sorry, President Fama, although your conditions are very tempting, I'm used to a free and easy life, and I don't intend to join any forces."
Just kidding, even if the royal family of the Gama Empire wanted Xiao Ling to be the emperor of the Gama Empire, Xiao Ling would not be interested. How could he be a mere president of the Alchemist Guild?
Hearing this, Fama hesitated for a moment, then said, "Master Xiao Ling, you can also become an honorary elder of the Alchemist Guild. I know you don't like to be bound by any position. This so-called honorary elder does not require you to pay anything. It's just an empty title. As long as you want, you can disobey anyone's orders, including me."
After a slight pause, Fama added, "And, as long as you become an honorary elder of the Alchemist Guild, all the prescriptions collected in the Alchemist Guild will be available for you to view."
After listening to Fama's narration, Xiao Ling raised his eyebrows. Could it be that his reputation was so useful that it was worth the Alchemist Guild spending such a huge price just to make him an honorary elder of the Alchemist Guild.
Before Xiao Ling could ponder further, Fa Ma continued, "However, if the Alchemist Guild is in mortal danger, you must help."
Hearing this single condition, Xiao Ling hesitated for a moment, then made a decision. He fixed his gaze on Fa Ma and said with a smile, "Since that's the case, I'll become an Honorary Elder of the Alchemist Guild."
Becoming an Honorary Elder would surely strengthen the relationship between the Xiao family and the Guild. In the future, if the Xiao family wanted to refine pills but lacked an alchemist, they could ask a member of the Guild for assistance.
Fa Ma felt much happier after receiving such a satisfying answer.
Ever since Gu He became a guest elder of the Yunlan Sect, some talented alchemists had abandoned the Alchemist Guild and joined it.
With Xiao Ling as an Honorary Elder, the Alchemist Guild's reputation would surely rise to new heights. Perhaps even some independent alchemists would join the Guild on their own initiative.
Fa Ma took out a purple metal plate from his ring and handed it to Xiao Ling. "This is the token of the honorary elder of the union, a symbol of status. With this token, you can get help from any branch in the Jia Ma Empire."
With a slight nod, Xiao Ling put the token into his ring, although he might not need the help of the Alchemist Guild.
Next, the two began to exchange experiences on alchemy. Most of the time, Xiao Ling was explaining while Fa Ma was listening.
Although Xiao Ling has not yet refined a seventh-grade elixir and truly become a seventh-grade alchemist, he has basically learned the theoretical knowledge of seventh-grade alchemists under Yao Chen's guidance. Just explaining some knowledge points has benefited Fa Ma, who is only a fifth-grade alchemist now.
(End of this chapter)