Rise from a Poor Family: My Martial Arts Counterattack

Chapter 500 Azure Dawn True Flame
Li's Trading Company!

Lin Chen sat in the pavilion, while Li Qin brewed tea with her hands in her sleeves.

"Brother Xiao, you're not from Hundred Refinements City, are you?"

"No."

Li Qin smiled slightly: "I won't ask where Brother Xiao comes from, but although Brother Xiao won first place in the alchemy semi-finals of Hundred Refinement City, if you are not from Hundred Refinement City, you cannot represent Hundred Refinement City in the final competition, let alone receive the rewards for this semi-finals."

"This rule wasn't written in the weapon crafting competition, was it?"

Lin Chen squinted at Li Qin. He hadn't expected that the rewards for the weapon refining competition would have residency requirements; Manager Li hadn't mentioned it to him.

"Manager Li didn't tell Brother Xiao because he didn't expect Brother Xiao to participate in the weapon refining competition. This is something that all the contestants in the entire Thousand Machine Domain know."

Li Qin's meaning was clear: if you don't know, then you're not from the Thousand Machine Domain.

"So, people from outside the region aren't allowed to participate in this competition?" Lin Chen asked rhetorically.

"Of course you can, but you can only go to Thousand Machine City from the outer realm. Thousand Machine City will hold a competition for weapon refiners from the outer realm. If you can enter the top ten, you will also be eligible to enter the final competition. However, there are no rewards for the competition in the outer realm."

Hearing Li Qin's explanation, Lin Chen understood.

The Thousand Machine Domain allows weapon refiners from other domains to participate, but does not offer any rewards; it only gives the top ten a spot in the final competition.

This rule makes sense. The powerful figures in each city arrange rewards for the semi-finals to encourage their city's weapon refiners to improve their weapon refining skills, because if their city's weapon refiners can achieve a ranking in the finals, they can secure more benefits for their city from the Thousand Machines Sect.

Unlike other domains, the Thousand Machine Domain is extremely prosperous in commerce. However, if you want to sell something, such as weapon spirits, storage boxes, formations, or pills, you must obtain permission from the Thousand Machine Sect, that is, obtain a special permit.

Without a special permit, one can only sell the crafted items to cities that have the permit, and the profit is naturally not as high as selling them to outsiders.

"Miss Li didn't invite me here to say these things, did she?"

"I invited Brother Xiao here because I want him to represent my Li family in the final competition."

"Representing your Li family?"

Lin Chen was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected Li Qin to make this request. Could the weapon-refining competition really be represented by a family?
Seeing Lin Chen's confusion, Li Qin explained, "Our Li family not only has trading companies in Hundred Refinement City, but also in other cities. Our head office is even in Thousand Machine City. The special permit doesn't restrict our Li family much. It's just a matter of selling from one trading company to another."

"But for families like ours, we also face competition. The ranking in the weapon refining competition is related to the tax revenue we pay to the Thousand Machines Sect, as well as the number of branches we can open... I won't go into too much detail for you, Brother Xiao."

Listening to Li Qin's words, Lin Chen understood somewhat. The Thousand Machines Sect didn't care how much the families and sects below it earned. What the Thousand Machines Sect wanted was for these forces that controlled the resources of the Thousand Machines Domain to continuously improve their skills in weapon crafting...

Therefore, the seemingly glorious Li family will fall into decline if they fail to achieve the expected ranking in the weapon forging competition.

"why me?"

Lin Chen asked the question that concerned him most: was it because he possessed innate fire?
"Because in the Thousand Machine Domain, the only one who is qualified to participate in this year's final competition, possesses the Innate Flame, and does not yet have a powerful backer is Brother Xiao."

Li Qin didn't hide anything and continued, "For this weapon-refining competition, in addition to our own weapon refiners, my Li family has invited three other people, making Brother Xiao the fourth person in total."

"Does your Li family have so many slots?"

"Brother Xiao, you won first place in the Hundred Refinement City semi-finals, so you won't take up a spot."

Hearing Li Qin's answer, Lin Chen smiled. This Miss Li is really good at scheming. She invited him to represent the Li family without taking up a spot in the Li family. It's even possible that she's just taking a chance.

"Brother Xiao, please don't misunderstand. Since I have entrusted you with representing the Li family, I will certainly offer you conditions that will satisfy you. What are your conditions? Please feel free to speak."

Seeing the mocking smile on Lin Chen's face, Li Qin knew that Lin Chen had misunderstood, and quickly explained.

"I need three thousand kinds of soul cultivation techniques, at least two of which must be top-tier."

"Two top-tier soul cultivation techniques."

Li Qin frowned: "Ordinary soul cultivation techniques, three thousand is a lot, but I can still find a way. But top-tier soul cultivation techniques... Brother Xiao, you should know how precious top-tier soul cultivation techniques are. Each one is the sect's most treasured technique. This condition is a bit too high."

“Miss Li, there’s no need to rush. Let me finish. If it’s just representing the Li family in the final competition, it naturally can’t compare to two top-tier soul cultivation techniques. The three thousand soul cultivation techniques are for me to represent the Li family in the competition, but the latter two top-tier soul cultivation techniques are based on rankings. Miss Li, what ranking do you think is necessary to make this deal?”

Lin Chen smiled slightly. Li Qin did not rush to answer, but stared at Lin Chen for a moment. She didn't know where Xiao Yan got his confidence from.

Just because of a primordial fire?
"Top ten. If you can get into the top ten, I can promise Brother Xiao that I will give you two top-notch soul cultivation techniques. But Brother Xiao must also swear that these techniques will not be passed on to a third party."

Li Qin made a request: the Li family had accumulated several top-tier soul cultivation techniques over the years. If Xiao Yan could truly secure a place in the top ten, the benefits to the Li family would be substantial, and they could give him two of them. As long as Xiao Yan swore not to pass them on, these two techniques would remain firmly in the Li family's hands. "Agreed."

Lin Chen nodded in agreement; he had no intention of telling anyone.

"Miss Li, I have another favor to ask."

"What request?"

"I, Xiao, want a spot in the Fire Storage Tower of Hundred Refinement City."

"A spot in the Fire Pit?"

Li Qin's pupils constricted suddenly; she understood why Xiao Yan had suddenly participated in the alchemy competition.

The reason why Hundred Refinement City is one of the three major cities of Thousand Machines Sect besides Thousand Machines City is because Hundred Refinement City has a primordial fire.

Qingli True Flame.

Tens of thousands of years ago, Hundred Refinement City was just a small city.

Until the birth of a prodigy.

When that prodigy was a teenager, he showed exceptional talent in manipulating flames and refining weapons. At that time, both the Thousand Machines Sect and the Myriad Fire Sect extended olive branches to this prodigy, wanting him to join their sects.

Although the Yan Dynasty does not stipulate that martial artists can only join sects in their own domain, if the Thousand Machines Sect is unwilling to release someone, it will be difficult for the Myriad Fire Sect to take this prodigy away.

The Thousand Machines Sect controls the entire Thousand Machines Domain. Joining the Thousand Machines Sect can bring benefits to your entire family, including relatives, teachers, and friends. It's a case of "when one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven."

However, once you join the Ten Thousand Fires Sect, you won't get this treatment anymore, unless you wait until the prodigy reaches the fourth level of the Innate Realm, which would take at least several decades.

Ultimately, the Myriad Fire Sect negotiated with the Thousand Machine Sect and paid a price before taking away that prodigy.

The price was that a primordial fire was left behind in Hundred Refinement City, and it wasn't just any ordinary primordial fire.

The Azure Dawn True Flame was created by the Myriad Fire Sect by fusing several innate flames based on the characteristics of forging and alchemy.

Using the Azure Flame to refine pills can increase the chances of success.

It is precisely because of the existence of this innate fire that many alchemists who are not confident in their abilities come to Hundred Refinement City to use this innate fire to refine some precious pills that they are not confident in. However, Hundred Refinement City also has restrictions on the use of this innate fire. If you are not a resident of the city, you need to pay a high price.

Many alchemists chose to move their entire families to Hundred Refinement City, which eventually became the Hundred Refinement City we know today.

It was Yin Yue who chose to come to Hundred Refinement City. Lin Chen didn't have any particular thoughts at first, but the moment he entered the city, the innate fire within his body was sensed and reacted.

It's normal for innate fire to react since they are difficult to coexist. Lin Chen didn't pay much attention to it. But what Lin Chen didn't expect was that after he created the Immortal Technique, it provided an improvement in a race against time.

[Racing Against Time: Can be refined into the Immortal Technique using the Azure Dawn True Flame]

It was precisely because of the prompt "Every second counts" that he chose to participate in the weapon-refining competition after hearing Li Chongshan mention it.

Originally, he planned to get a top ten ranking in the semi-finals and represent Hundred Refinement City in the finals in exchange for permission from the powerful figures of Hundred Refinement City to enter the Fire Tower, under the pretext that he would use the Azure Dawn Fire to improve his alchemy skills.

If this young lady of the Li family cannot secure a spot for him to enter the tower, he will not agree even if she is willing to offer two top-tier soul cultivation techniques.

"Many people have tried to tame this innate fire in Hundred Refinement City, but no one has ever succeeded. This is not only because these two innate fires are difficult to tame, but also because the Ten Thousand Fires Sect left this innate fire for the entire Hundred Refinement City. Therefore, there are also arrangements in the Fire Storage Tower. Those who enter can only use its flames to refine pills, and it is impossible to awaken this innate fire."

Li Qin spoke up to remind them that over the past tens of thousands of years, countless people have tried to obtain this innate fire, including many masters, but none of them have succeeded.

"Miss Li, you are overthinking it. I just heard that I use the Azure Fire to refine pills, hoping to increase my success rate and gain more experience in refining higher-level pills."

Lin Chen smiled gently. Li Qin gave Lin Chen a deep look. Having more experience in successfully refining pills would indeed help an alchemist. Many alchemists are stuck because they keep failing to refine higher-level pills. Once they succeed once and get the hang of it, they will be able to succeed many times in the future.

This is what alchemists call "feel".

"The final competition will be held in a month. I can get you a spot to enter the Fire Tower, but you can only stay for ten days."

"can."

Lin Chen smiled. Ten days would be enough for him. If he could refine it, he could succeed in just three days.

(End of this chapter)