Chapter 553: Cao Dan

Outside the stone tower at this moment, alchemists stream in and out without cease.

The noisy clamor turns into waves of sound that spread slowly outward.

"This is a branch tower established by the Dan Tower, similar to the sub‑branches of Alchemist Guilds on other continents."

Ye Chong arrived at the tower, followed the crowd into the rather rustic stone tower, and whispered an introduction to Lin Feng and the other.

Entering the stone tower, Lin Feng scanned his surroundings; the interior was quite spacious.

At this moment inside the tower, many alchemists dressed in various grades of robes were weaving through.

"The northern part of the tower is the trading area; many alchemists trade herbs, pills, and other items they need there."

While walking inside, Ye Chong continuously introduced the surroundings to Lin Feng and Xiao Yixian, the two newcomers.

"Of course, these items are probably hard for a Seventh Grade Pinnacle Alchemist like you to notice. After the assessment of the five great families, you can go to the trading spot near the center of Sacred Dan City; the goods there are of excellent quality. Even many Dou Zun masters living in Sacred Dan City trade there."

Hearing Ye Chong, Lin Feng's eyes brightened slightly.

He was still quite interested in that trading market.

Seeing this, Ye Chong shifted tone and warned, "However, the people trading there are either high‑rank alchemists or extremely powerful individuals. Getting anything at a low price is basically impossible; be mentally prepared."

"Don't worry, I already have a sense of that."

Hearing that, Lin Feng smiled and nodded.

"Hehe, good then, this is the place for alchemist rank certification."

Arriving beside a long queue, Ye Chong pointed to the front of the line.

But when he saw the long line, his brows twitched slightly.

After a brief thought, he immediately said to Lin Feng, "You wait here for a moment; I'll smooth things over. Otherwise, with such a long line, the assessment might not be completed today."

"No problem."

Hearing about a backdoor, Lin Feng quickly nodded.

With a line this long, if you honestly wait, who knows how long you'd have to wait.

Given the option of other passages, he'd certainly choose the backdoor.

Seeing this, Ye Chong instructed Ye Xinlan to take Lin Feng and Xiao Yixian to a nearby resting area to wait for a while.

As for him, he headed to the front of the queue.

"Brother Lin Feng, let's rest over there for a bit."

Watching Ye Chong's retreating back, Ye Xinlan looked at Lin Feng's face and said.

"Alright."

Lin Feng also nodded in agreement to the suggestion.

However, just as they were about to move aside, several people blocked their path.

"Hehe, isn't this Miss Xinlan? It's one thing you ignored my Cao family marriage proposal before, but now you're cozying up with some unknown pretty boy?"

After blocking Lin Feng and the others, a faint male voice immediately reached their ears.

Anyone could tell that the man's words carried a hint of accusation.

Seeing the road blocked, Lin Feng looked up at once.

There, on their path, stood a young man in a purple alchemist robe, quite handsome.

Yet beneath that handsomeness lay an unmistakable arrogance.

The surrounding crowd, after spotting the family crest on his chest, fell silent.

After all, they all knew exactly what that family represented.

Behind the young man stood two elderly men in red robes.

Both wore indifferent expressions, exuding a massive aura, hands tucked in their sleeves.

From their appearance, they were clearly no ordinary persons.

But what concerned Lin Feng most was not those two; it was the gray‑robed elder standing beside the young man.

The gray‑robed elder looked quite old, his face covered in deep wrinkles, as if near death.

Yet a person with some strength could notice that his aura, though not as overwhelming as the two red‑robed elders behind him, still...

the faintly emanating dangerous aura was far beyond what the two red‑robed elders could compare to.

"Cao Dan, who I want to be with is none of your Cao family's business. And keep your mouth shut."

Seeing the young man, Ye Xinlan's pretty face turned sour as she scolded angrily.

Then, whispering beside Lin Feng's ear, she warned, "That guy is from the Cao family, whose strength rivals the Hua Sect and the Tianming Sect, far beyond what our Ye family can match. Brother Lin Feng, be careful."

"Hmm."

Lin Feng nodded, indicating he understood.

But Lin Feng wasn't particularly afraid of the Cao family.

After all, behind him lay a force that even the Dan Tower dared not underestimate.

And being one of the five great families attached to the Dan Tower, Lin Feng was even less fearful.

Immediately, he looked at Cao Dan and said, "You show up without any manners—how could your brain still be undeveloped in the womb, yet you rush out to embarrass everyone?"

"Bastard! In front of everyone you dare to provoke our Cao family, as if we're made of mud?"

His words were immediately retorted by Lin Feng and Ye Xinlan, and Cao Dan felt a surge of anger.

Since the fall of the Bai, Qiu, and Ye great families, the Cao family's status has steadily risen.

Now even those three valleys have been eclipsed by the Cao family's influence.

From childhood to now, few have dared treat him this way.

Being abruptly rebuked by an unknown kid today, if I don't regain my standing, I won't sleep well tonight!

Moreover, in his eyes, the Ye family now doesn't even have a named eighth‑grade alchemist.

Besides clinging to their Cao family, there is no other way.

Therefore, when the clan wanted Ye Xinlan to marry him, he had already regarded her as his fiancée.

Now seeing Ye Xinlan tugging with another man, his mood was naturally extremely displeased, so he rushed up to confront them.

As a result, his questioning failed, and instead the two berated him, making his mood indescribably terrible.

"Hehe, whether your Cao family is made of mud I don't know. But I know I'm not made of mud, so stop picking fights with me for no reason!"

Having said that, the aura of a half‑step Dou Zun level suddenly burst from his body, forcefully pressing toward Cao Dan.

After all, in the past six months he hasn't wasted any time in vain.

With the Ye family's uniquely advantageous earth‑core passage bonus, in just half a year he had already half‑stepped into the Dou Zun Realm.

If it weren't for the relatively low ranking of the Nether Poison Fire he wielded, which left him without full confidence to rely on that exotic fire to break through the Dou Zong barrier.

He had long ago begun to devour exotic fire, attempting to break through the Dou Zun Realm.