During the three-day flight, Han Feng and Lin Xian'er cultivated regularly every day.
They soared above the clouds, watching the sunrise and the sunset.
Because of these beautiful sights, Lin Xian'er had genuinely fallen in love with the feeling of flying.
At this moment, she was wearing a cyan gauze dress, her soft purple hair dancing in the wind. She faced the sea of clouds with her arms outstretched.
After these days of study and cultivation, Lin Xian'er's temperament had become increasingly elegant.
And because she was once a village girl, even after learning the relevant noble etiquette from Han Feng, her eyes still held an innocent and natural air.
The two qualities merged perfectly, forming Lin Xian'er's unique, ethereal temperament.
This was something that a woman like Miteer Ai Lin, who had been carefully sculpted and nurtured by her family, could not possess.
Without having embraced nature with a joyful heart, one could never truly experience that pure joy.
"Desert City is just ahead."
Han Feng looked at the city outline appearing in the distance and walked to Lin Xian'er's side.
"And over there is the desert."
Lin Xian'er pointed. In that direction was an endless expanse of yellow sand and a sky distorted by shimmering heat.
Just looking at it from a distance, one could feel the scorching heat and dryness.
"Dear passengers, the flying magical beast is about to land. Please return to your seats. We will be entering deceleration mode."
A notification came from the amplifying device. When the flying magical beast landed, if someone with poor skills remained on the deck, they might be blown off from the high altitude, which was very dangerous.
Han Feng and Lin Xian'er returned to their private room, sat down securely, and awaited the final descent.
The air whistled past the window. The Thick-Winged Bird, through long-term training and memory, methodically changed its flight path and descended towards the docking platform.
With a heavy, muffled thud, the Thick-Winged Bird's claws landed steadily. The blast of air spread out, and its huge wings slowly folded.
"Dear passengers, we have arrived at Desert City..."
The flight attendant began the announcement. Han Feng and Lin Xian'er stood up, preparing to leave.
As they walked out of the private room, the crisp air of Desert City blew against their faces. The autumn desert was not as hot as they had imagined.
Most of the pedestrians on the street wore veils and headscarves, presumably to protect against the wind and dust.
Han Feng took Lin Xian'er to check into a high-end inn and also ordered some food to be sent up to their room.
On his first day in this city on the desert's edge, Han Feng planned to rest first and start inquiring about the Heavenly Flame tomorrow.
Although he had roughly confirmed that the Green Lotus Core Flame was near the Tagor Desert, this desert was not small.
Fortunately, if a Heavenly Flame was in its wild, ownerless state, it would not hide its aura before developing intelligence. Even with the environment providing cover, Han Feng could slowly find it with the special sensory ability of his Sea Heart Flame.
The Green Lotus Core Flame, as its name suggests, is only born and nurtured deep within the earth's core.
From this, it could be inferred that on the vast desert plains, the Heavenly Flame was also buried extremely deep underground.
This undoubtedly increased the difficulty of the search, but fortunately, Han Feng had time.
To find and refine the Green Lotus Core Flame within a year was the goal Han Feng had set for himself.
"I heard there's a bonfire party in Desert City tonight. Want to go and see?"
Han Feng looked at the latest Desert City daily newspaper and discovered an interesting event.
"A bonfire party? What's that?" Lin Xian'er asked, puzzled.
"A group of people gather around a bonfire to sing and dance, sharing food and joy."
Han Feng explained with a smile, a beautiful memory surfacing in his mind.
Under the boundless wasteland, by a bonfire of black stones, a young girl full of exotic charm, with bells on her waist and red strings tied to her feet, swayed her hips in the reflection of the flames. With every rise and fall, she was mesmerizing. He had wanted to look up to shift his shy embarrassment, but had unintentionally caught sight of the starry sky.
That was a night Han Feng had experienced as a youth when passing by a desert dwelling.
At that time, Han Feng, who was determined to be an ascetic cultivator, had rejected the girl's bold confession, his heart set on becoming an extraordinary person.
But many years later, after Han Feng had achieved fame and success and had seen many more stunningly beautiful holy maidens and celestial fairies, he could never find that same heart-fluttering, eye-averting feeling again.
Perhaps, the things that people decisively give up in pursuit of their dreams, thinking they are insignificant, turn out to be the regrets of a lifetime when they look back.
Han Feng sighed in his heart. Cultivation, cultivation, how could there be no regrets?
It was the first time Lin Xian'er had seen her master show such a wistful expression, with a nostalgic smile on his lips. She couldn't help but ask, "Master, do you want to go?"
"Huh?"
Han Feng came back to his senses and looked at his lovely disciple.
"Why do you ask?"
Lin Xian'er said innocently, "Because I think you were smiling very happily just now, Master."
Han Feng patted Lin Xian'er's head.
"Then let's go and see. You'll probably like it too."
At night, the sky of Desert City presented a clear dimness. The stars were distributed very densely, giving the illusion that the world was spinning.
That was the boundless void. After becoming a Dou Saint, Han Feng had gone to explore it. Each star represented a world.
Some worlds were very silent, empty, and desolate; some had erupting lava; some were covered in ice and frost; and some worlds were warm with blooming flowers, full of life, with countless heavenly treasures.
There seemed to be no end to it. Han Feng looked at the starry sky, identifying the few stars he recognized.
He was too far away from there now. With just the speed of a Dou Emperor, it would probably take him decades to fly there.
And even if he could fly, he couldn't withstand the many dangers in the void.
Han Feng and Lin Xian'er arrived at the venue for the bonfire party. It was very spacious. A group of people sat in a circle. In the center of the venue was a huge stone platform.
A bare-chested man walked to the side of the stone platform, shouted, and rubbed his palms together fiercely. A flame instantly ignited, shooting out an astonishing blaze in the darkness.
"Hey!"
"Hey!"
More and more people gathered around the fire, dancing a ritual-like dance.
Most cities near the desert had such a custom, to show reverence for fire and also to celebrate.
Of course, there was another reason that had to be mentioned: the Snake-People feared fire.
The Snake-People were naturally yin and cold, and they had a natural fear of flames.
Humans were able to repel the Snake-People in the early days by relying on the power of fire.
A wall of fire built at night could effectively scare away those Snake-People who wanted to invade.
Han Feng enjoyed the performance of the local people. Lin Xian'er clapped excitedly on the side, cheering for the people on the stage.
A relaxing atmosphere belonged to Desert City tonight.
His first impression of this city, Han Feng felt, was not bad.
The place was a bit remote, and the living conditions were a bit poor, but the people had hope in their hearts, and that was enough.
After staying at the inn for one night, Han Feng began to visit various places in Desert City the next day.
First, he found the Miteer Auction House branch in Desert City and, through his connection with Ai Lin, entrusted them with finding a suitable house.
It had to be spacious, bright, and in a quiet location.
He might have to live there for a year. He and Lin Xian'er needed to cultivate and refine pills, so they couldn't always stay in an inn.
The person in charge of the Miteer Auction House in Desert City, upon hearing that Han Feng was connected with Ai Lin, immediately became respectful.
Within the Miteer family, different managers had different statuses. A large city like Black Rock City was obviously more important to the main family than the remote Desert City.
"Mr. Han, please rest assured. We will definitely meet your requirements," the middle-aged supervisor in a black robe said to Han Feng.
"Thank you. Also, please help me collect these ingredients. I will cover all the costs."
Han Feng took out a list of ingredients. On it were various high-tier and low-tier ingredients, some of which were for refining sixth-grade pills.
The supervisor took the list, and his eyes widened when he saw some of the high-tier ingredients.
"Mr. Han, the ingredients on this list are not cheap!"
"Just go ahead and collect them. If you're not sure, you can ask Ai Lin first and then let her handle it."
Hearing this, the supervisor was filled with suspicion. With Supervisor Ai Lin's badge, this person should be a special client being developed independently.
But the fifth- and sixth-tier ingredients on the list, all added up, would probably be close to ten million gold coins!
Did this person really have such financial power?
"Mr. Han, of the ingredients you require, we can't guarantee that we can collect those above the fifth tier," the supervisor said tactfully.
"It's alright. Just do your best," Han Feng smiled, expressing his understanding.
"Okay, then, Mr. Han, I will notify you as soon as there is any news."
The supervisor bowed slightly to Han Feng, showing his respect.
No matter what, the person before him was someone he could not afford to offend.
Han Feng nodded, took out a box from his storage ring, and handed it to the supervisor.
"By the way, I have something else I need to auction."
"This is..."
The supervisor took the box, opened it, and immediately held his breath.
A round, light red pill was placed in the center of the treasure box, and wisps of pill fragrance wafted out as if they were tangible.
As everyone knew, once a pill reached the fourth grade, it would emit a rich pill fragrance.
The supervisor stared fixedly at the pill in the box, his voice trembling.
"A fourth-grade pill!"
Han Feng smiled faintly and said, "A fourth-grade Chì Míng Heart Nourishing Pill. Consider it a greeting gift from me."
The middle-aged supervisor swallowed and looked at Han Feng.
"You are... an alchemist?"
Han Feng nodded lightly.
"Mr. Han, please rest assured. I will do everything I can to collect these ingredients. About when do you need them?" the supervisor said righteously, his eyes full of determination.
"It would be best to have them all within three months, and no later than half a year at the latest."
"You got it!"
The supervisor eagerly opened the door for Han Feng and led the way.
"Mr. Han, just wait for the good news. As for the house, I will have news for you this afternoon."
"Then I'll have to trouble you."
Han Feng walked out of the auction house, opened the map to identify the direction, and headed east.
The middle-aged supervisor watched Han Feng's departing figure and wiped away his sweat in excitement.
"To casually take out a fourth-grade pill and ask me to collect fifth- and sixth-tier herbs, he must be at least a fifth-grade alchemist!"
The supervisor's heart was burning with excitement. He now knew what a big shot Ai Lin had latched onto.
In the current Jia Ma Empire, the highest-level alchemist was only fifth-grade, and that was Fa Ma, the president of the Alchemist Guild.
If the gentleman just now was also a fifth-grade alchemist, then winning him over would be equivalent to raising the Miteer family's influence by another level.
Now, the middle-aged supervisor had only one goal in mind: to suck up to this alchemist with all his might.
If he succeeded, even just some random reward from him would be enough for him to accumulate enough contribution to return to the imperial capital and leave this godforsaken place, Desert City.
Immediately, the supervisor personally went to look for high-quality housing in the city, strictly following Han Feng's requirements of spacious, bright, and in a quiet location.
On the other side, Han Feng was preparing to buy a professional map of the Tagor Desert.
According to the locals, a mysterious map shop a few kilometers outside the east of the city had the highest quality maps.
If one didn't mind the distance, it was better to run a few more kilometers to buy one there.
Han Feng left the east city gate and, following the gate guard's directions, found the map shop built in the desert.
"What an unconventional shop."
To not use the natural protection of Desert City and instead build a small house alone in the desert.
Here, one would not only have to endure perennial sandstorms and the scorching sun, but would also likely be robbed by passing bandits or mercenaries.
Unless, the owner of this shop was a powerful cultivator.
Han Feng thought to himself as he stepped into the shop.
The interior decoration of the shop was quite old, giving it an untidy feeling.
On a shelf to the side, maps were casually wrapped and thrown into a storage bucket.
Han Feng glanced at the center of the shop. A white-haired old man was concentrating on drawing a map. Han Feng looked from a distance and vaguely felt that this old man was not ordinary.
"Boss, I want a detailed map of the Tagor Desert."
"Third row on the left shelf. Find it yourself."
The old man didn't even raise his head, just gave a general location and let Han Feng find it himself.
No one had ever done business like this, unless the other party didn't care about the business itself at all.
Han Feng walked to the left and searched carefully in the third row, finding the map of the Tagor Desert.
Unfolding it, he saw that the cartography was fine and the markings were complete. It was indeed extraordinary.
Han Feng nodded slightly, put the map away, and walked to the counter to pay.
"How much?"
"One hundred gold coins."
The old man still didn't raise his head, continuing to draw the scroll in his hand.
Han Feng took out a bag containing one hundred gold coins, weighed it in his hand, and placed it on the old man's table.
"Do you want to count it?"
The old man just glanced at the bag and said, "It's fine."
Han Feng gave him a meaningful look, said nothing more, and turned to leave.
From a preliminary probe, the other party should be a powerful ice-attribute cultivator.
But his body seemed too old, and his Dou Qi also gave off a strange feeling.
If he wasn't mistaken, there was most likely something wrong with this old man's body.
Without a detailed diagnosis, Han Feng didn't dare to say for sure.
Seeing that the other party looked unapproachable, Han Feng had no intention of causing extra trouble.
After getting the detailed map, Han Feng returned to the inn and began to make his plan.
The Tagor Desert was simply too large. Even the most detailed map could not cover it completely. Han Feng prepared to start from the east tomorrow and investigate places with abnormal fire-attribute energy one by one.
Everything has a basis. Since he had already confirmed that there was a Heavenly Flame here, then no matter how tedious the work, it was worth doing.