Top-tier Unruly Master

However, He Qianyao knew in her heart that the women who had taken the beautiful lady away wore similar attire to that of the beautiful lady, so it was very likely that the beautiful lady Ding Fan was looking for had been taken away by her fellow sisters from the same sect. But even if she was taken away by her fellow sect members, the manner in which she was taken was still unsettling.

At this moment, He Qianyao was out of options; clearly, everything could only wait for Ding Fan to return.

In no time, Ding Fan, led by Elder Wang, was brought to the City Lord Mansion. As expected, the City Lord Mansion of Dancheng was extraordinary, with a grand and imposing gate. Upon entering, one was greeted by a picturesque courtyard. Ding Fan and Elder Wang walked inside, and it was evident that Elder Wang was quite familiar with the City Lord Mansion, quickly leading Ding Fan to a very elegant room.

In the room, a middle-aged man sat cross-legged, eyes slightly closed. When Ding Fan and Elder Wang entered, he slowly opened his eyes, scrutinized Ding Fan from head to toe, and then smiled slightly, saying:

"Not bad! Truly a remarkable young man!"

The middle-aged man looked at Ding Fan, then stood up, left his cultivation spot, approached Ding Fan, and lightly patted his shoulder, before gesturing toward a solid wooden chair and said:

"Please, have a seat."

Without hesitation, Ding Fan sat down as he looked at the other party. Ding Fan could tell that the middle-aged man, though appearing merely as such, had a potent level of cultivation. Even though the man intentionally suppressed his aura, Ding Fan could still sense his strength and knew this man's cultivation was at least above the Spirit Severing middle stage.

Ding Fan was aware that although he had slain a Spirit Severing Elder before, he was still no match for this middle-aged man. He knew that he had managed to kill the previous Spirit Severing Elder mainly due to his various techniques, as his opponent had clearly underestimated him, catching the Elder off guard.

Ding Fan understood that when it came to competing in techniques with a Spirit Severing cultivator, he was still lacking. Those in the Spirit Severing stage were nearly a hundred years old, having encountered far more opportunities than him. Clearly, he would fall short in a direct power struggle with a Spirit Severing Elder. However, Ding Fan knew that although he might not be the match for that Spirit Severing cultivator, escaping from the hands of the previous Spirit Severing Elder was easy for him.

Yet now, facing this Spirit Severing stage middle-aged man, Ding Fan couldn't help but hesitate, realizing that escaping from this man's clutches might be incredibly difficult, as his cultivation prowess clearly far surpassed his own!

It was apparent that the City Lord of Dancheng was remarkable!

"Allow me to introduce myself briefly; my name is Lin Qi. I am the City Lord of Dancheng, which you presumably know. I wonder which master Ding Lin, young brother, you hail from?"

At this moment, Lin Qi spoke to Ding Fan with much politeness, without any arrogance. Lin Qi knew in his heart that Ding Lin was no ordinary alchemist; after all, he could easily refine Supreme Quality Medicine Pills, reaching the level of a Grade Nine Alchemist. A Grade Nine Alchemist is an exceedingly rare existence in the Cultivation World!

More importantly, the fact that he was so young was simply unbelievable. Therefore, Lin Qi was very interested in Ding Lin's teacher, believing that his mentor must also be a hidden alchemy genius!

Meanwhile, Elder Wang, listening to the City Lord's words, knew that the City Lord was also quite curious about which famous master Ding Lin came from. Elder Wang had previously asked Ding Lin, but he still remembered Ding Lin's reply, stating that all his alchemy techniques were self-learned from an ancient book, which eventually disappeared.

Of course, Elder Wang wasn't interested in the ancient book, as he had plenty of alchemical texts himself. Most of his alchemy methods came from learning under his mentor, however, as alchemy was generally passed down orally. It's rare to find an alchemist who could become self-taught, an apparent genius!

Therefore, Elder Wang looked at Ding Fan with great interest, eagerly anticipating the City Lord's reaction once he learned the answer. He expected he would be greatly shocked.

"I have no teacher; I learned all my alchemy methods by myself!"

At this moment, Ding Fan said calmly.

Upon hearing Ding Fan's words, Lin Qi was greatly shocked. He never imagined that such an impressive alchemist could be self-taught; it was simply unbelievable!

However, upon further reflection, Lin Qi felt relieved. Considering Ding Fan's young age and his near Grade Nine alchemy level, one wonders which alchemist would have the confidence to teach such a student.

"Good, good, good! Impressive..."

For a moment, Lin Qi spoke with great astonishment, clearly showing that he was once again amazed by Ding Fan. At this time, Elder Wang looked at the City Lord's astonished expression and somewhat understood him. After all, even upon hearing it again, he still felt a great sense of shock. Evidently, Elder Wang's impression of Ding Lin back then was entirely different from his understanding of Ding Fan now. Ding Fan had refined a Supreme Quality Medicine Pill in the first round of the Great Alchemy Competition and achieved first place, which might have been considered a stroke of luck, but it was clearly not the case now.

To know that Ding Fan had once again refined a Supreme Quality Medicine Pill in the second round of the Great Alchemy Competition, and without a Pill Recipe, could this just be said to be mere luck? Naturally, the answer is no.

Then Elder Wang respectfully spoke to the City Lord:

"Ding Lin is indeed self-taught. I asked him back then, and he said as much. Evidently, little friend Ding Lin is truly a natural talent!"

At this moment, Ding Fan heard Elder Wang's words from the other side and smiled faintly. Such talents and so forth meant nothing to Ding Fan, and he paid no heed. Ding Fan admitted having some talent, but he knew his achievements in the field of Alchemy were obtained through hard work. When he had first learned Alchemy, he had put in considerable effort. He had detonated dozens of Alchemy Cauldrons by himself.

At this point, Lin Qi looked at Ding Fan and felt a sense of admiration. Immediately, Lin Qi took out a piece of Spiritual Material. As soon as the Spiritual Material was brought out, the temperature in the room instantly rose significantly. Upon seeing this, Ding Fan was slightly shocked, evidently curious. What did the City Lord intend to do with such a Medicine Pill? Ding Fan merely glanced at it and could tell it was an excellent Medicine Pill.

Evidently, it was a very precious Medicine Pill. Moreover, Ding Fan recognized this Medicine Pill; this Spiritual Material was called Flaming Herb, a Fire Attribute precious Medicine Pill. At this moment, not only was Ding Fan in shock upon seeing the Flaming Herb, but Elder Wang was also visibly excited, clearly confused about what the City Lord intended to do, taking out such a precious Medicine Pill.

To know that this Spiritual Material was not an ordinary item, even cultivators at the Spirit Severing stage would covet it. Of course, Elder Wang had great trust in Ding Fan's character and also believed in the City Lord's strength. Yet, seeing this Flaming Herb still brought a shock to his heart.

"This is Flaming Herb. I wonder if little brother Ding Lin has any way to remove the impurities from the Flaming Herb? I apologize for being a bit abrupt, but this matter has been troubling me for a long time. Now, it is an honor to meet little brother Ding Lin, and I hope to gain some advice from him."

At this moment, Lin Qi spoke with some embarrassment, clearly feeling he was somewhat abrupt, but Lin Qi had evidently endured this problem for a long time. Upon finally meeting an Alchemist with a Grade Nine Alchemy Level, he definitely had to inquire.

Elder Wang, hearing the City Lord's words, finally understood the City Lord's intentions. Then Elder Wang remembered the City Lord had asked him about this matter a long time ago, but his answer was negative. Clearly, Elder Wang knew this Flaming Herb was not an ordinary Spiritual Material; it evidently possesses a certain spirituality, even some intelligence. Separating impurities from such a material was a challenging task.

After all, such Spiritual Material is like a growing child, trying to remove impurities from Flaming Herb will ultimately injure its essence; the two are incompatible. Therefore, Elder Wang had once told the City Lord about these matters, but the City Lord's attitude clearly showed disbelief. Elder Wang never expected that the City Lord would ask Ding Fan about this problem now.

At this moment, Ding Fan heard the City Lord's words, smiled faintly, and said:

"No problem, let me take a look."

After speaking, Ding Fan received the Flaming Herb from the City Lord. This Flaming Herb was truly extraordinary; as soon as Ding Fan touched the Flaming Herb, he felt an intense heat. Ding Fan was shocked for a moment, quickly summoning his Arctic Chill. In an instant, the Arctic Chill within Ding Fan completely suppressed the heat from the Flaming Herb.

Immediately, the Flaming Herb in Ding Fan's hand became much more docile, not the scorching heat it had been initially. Naturally, Ding Fan's Arctic Chill gradually relaxed as well.

The City Lord and Elder Wang were greatly shocked to see this scene, and they never expected the Flaming Herb to become so docile in Ding Fan's hands. Lin Qi was the most familiar with Flaming Herb, but even at the Spirit Severing stage, controlling Flaming Herb was not an easy matter, and sometimes left Lin Qi helpless. Clearly, controlling Flaming Herb required a large amount of True Qi, which was very consuming.

Moreover, this suppression was only temporary; any slight loosening of True Qi would make Flaming Herb highly active. How could it be as docile as it is now? Furthermore, Lin Qi clearly knew Ding Lin's cultivation level would surely not be higher than his own, but how did the other party accomplish this?

Could it be his cultivation in the Dao is very high? For a moment, Lin Qi couldn't believe this scene; how did Ding Lin let Flaming Herb become so docile in his hands, even allowing himself to manipulate it? It's simply unbelievable!

For a moment, Elder Wang, upon seeing this scene, was dumbfounded. Clearly, he couldn't understand how Ding Lin accomplished this. Knowing the characteristics of Flaming Herb, Elder Wang knew it wasn't something a normal cultivator could subdue. Even the City Lord sometimes had no solution when dealing with Flaming Herb, but how was it so docile in Ding Lin's hands?