Chapter 10: The Fire Sect (Part 1)

Xu Yan came to his senses and was stunned. He hadn’t said much, but seeing that old man, he was secretly shocked. He recognized him—he was an elder of the inner sect, a great sage. After recalling briefly, he relaxed a bit, glared at Guo Shier, and said, “Uncle Han Yan, I didn’t say anything inappropriate. Please be fair.”
Han Yan frowned and said, “If I don’t stop you now, you’ll say everything.”
Xu Yan’s face turned slightly red as he said, “I can control myself.” Though his tone was respectful, he spoke calmly, seemingly unconvinced.
Han Yan ignored him and said to Guo Shier, “You’re not a disciple of our Fire Sect, yet you inquire about the whereabouts of our sect’s disciples. What’s your purpose…? Well, if there’s anything you don’t know, you can ask me!”
Guo Shier replied innocently, “I just thought Master Xu looked nice. I offered him some local specialties—is that wrong?”
Han Yan said indifferently, “Of course not, but why are you so… interested in the actions of our sect’s disciples?”
Guo Shier acted nonchalant, saying, “It was just casual chatting. We didn’t say anything outrageous. Besides… Master Xu didn’t reveal anything about the Fire Sect. Are you… overreacting?”
Han Yan tried to provoke him, but Guo Shier remained calm and unbothered, showing great composure. Han Yan could only say, “Oh? I’m overreacting? Heh, I’m an enforcement elder of the inner sect. Do you think I don’t have the right to inquire?”
Guo Shier knew he couldn’t back down or show hesitation. Smiling, he said, “You’re an enforcement elder of the Fire Sect? What does that have to do with me? I’m just a passerby here for a meal. Does your Fire Sect not allow professionals from other continents to enter? Well then, let’s leave.”
Han Yan realized that if Guo Shier left like this, it would be detrimental to him. Expelling professionals from other continents without reason was a serious taboo. After all, Fire Sect disciples also went to other continents for training. If word got out, it would greatly affect them. Moreover, he didn’t know which continent or sect Guo Shier belonged to. If it was a top-tier sect, he couldn’t afford to offend them.
“Young man, I’m not expelling you!”
Guo Shier also knew this rule. He said, “Great. Do you want to try… some local specialties from my hometown?” He sensed something vaguely.
Eagle Demon almost spat out the wine in his mouth, thinking, “This kid is too powerful.”

Han Yan said calmly, “Then give it a try…” He picked up Xu Yan’s wine bowl, took a sip first, then drained it in one gulp. Like Xu Yan, he smacked his lips and said, “Interesting… Another bowl. By the way, what’s this called?”
Guo Shier said, “This is wine, a drink.”
Xu Yan looked at Han Yan doubtfully, then at Guo Shier, and suddenly understood. He said, “Uncle Han Yan, you can’t do this… If you want to drink, just sit down and drink… Why scare me?”
Guo Shier also realized it. He had already had a suspicion earlier because the question he asked was utterly unimportant to the Fire Sect. This old man had deliberately come to trick them into giving him wine. He took out a bowl, filled it, and handed it to Xu Yan, then poured wine for Han Yan as well, smiling and saying, “Since you like it, drink more.”
The bottle of wine was quickly finished, and Guo Shier was secretly shocked. This bottle contained as much as a hundred jin of wine, and even though five people drank it—still high-concentration wine—none of them collapsed. After drinking, they all seemed energized and very happy. Despite Han Yan’s serious appearance initially, after drinking, he started treating Guo Shier as a brother, patting his chest and offering to help Guo Shier get an identity badge.
Ying Mo and Luo Zhan kept themselves in check, knowing the wine was good, but neither of them drank too much. Guo Shier, who loved wine in his past life and was familiar with its effects, also didn’t drink much. Taking advantage of Han Yan and Xu Yan being tipsy, Guo Shier gathered a lot of information—not by asking directly, but because the others told him on their own.
Han Yan said, “I’ll show you around the Fire Sect. Hehe, to the inner sect!”
Xu Yan asked, “Can they… enter the inner sect?”
Han Yan laughed, “After all, I’m also an elder. Though my power isn’t great, who would care if I take a few people to stroll around the inner sect market? Hehe, I’m an enforcement elder after all…”
Han Yan said calmly, “Then we’re in your hands, Old Han. Is Master Xu coming too?”
Xu Yan replied happily, “Of course! As an outer sect disciple, I can’t enter the inner sect on my own. Hehe, I’ll take the opportunity to go around with Uncle Han… The markets in the inner sect are much better than the shops outside; there are many good things there.”
Han Yan stood up and said with a smile, “Come on. I have a flying vehicle. It only takes a short time to get back to the inner sect. Follow me…”
Xu Yan called out, “Shopkeeper… record this on my account!”
…
The Fire Sect was a super-large sect. Even its inner sect was divided into several areas, including a special market that allowed outer sect disciples and professionals from other continents to enter, but they had to be accompanied by inner sect disciples of the Fire Sect.

Han Yan was a junior Grand Sage Master, just a low-ranking elder. However, his status was somewhat special—he was an enforcement elder, holding a position slightly higher than ordinary elders, which allowed him to easily lead Guo Shier and the others into the Inner Market of the Fire Sect. Before entering, he even helped them obtain identity tokens.

To express their gratitude, Guo Shier gave Han Yan two bottles of wine, both of which were token bottles capable of holding 100 jin, and he also gave two bottles to Xu Yan. Both of them were overjoyed.

Han Yan said, “There’s a place here dedicated to cooking token food, called Da Shi Fu. It’s very famous in the Fire Sect. Hehe, I’ll treat you all to a meal there.”

Guo Shier, who had always been interested in food, smiled and said, “Great, let’s try the special dishes of the Fire Sect.” His generous and straightforward nature pleased Han Yan, who then led everyone to a tall building.

Da Shi Fu, also known locally as Shi Fu Lou, was a very tall stone building with ten floors, standing about 50 to 60 meters high. It had a pagoda shape, built from rough giant stones reinforced with runes. Covering nearly a thousand square meters, it stood out sharply in the market, like a crane among chickens—extremely eye-catching.

Han Yan had reserved a large table by the window on the seventh floor at Da Shi Fu. He immediately flew up with everyone.

Looking down from the seventh floor, the houses and streets below were clearly visible. Han Yan smiled and said, “This is the place where we’re treating you. We’ve reserved it.”

Guo Shier sat cross-legged. The large table was quite low but spacious enough for everyone to sit down casually. Han Yan called over a server and said, “Order the best dishes… one of each, and quickly.”

Ying Mo and Luo Zhan hardly spoke; they faithfully fulfilled their roles as followers, with Guo Shier handling all social interactions.

Han Yan said with a smile, “The token food here is quite unique. Most of it is made from the meat of mutated token worms in magma, combined with some cold-natured plants found in secret realms, all cooked together… You’ve definitely never tasted it before.”

A low-ranking professional entered. In Guo Shier’s estimation, this person was likely at the level of a Token Martial Artist. He carried in a large tray and said, “The first dish… Frost Golden Beetle.”

Guo Shier frowned and asked, “Golden beetle? What is that?”

The professional placed the tray on the table. On it were ten red-colored beetles, each about ten feet long. Steam rose from them, carrying a strange aroma. The golden beetles resembled the Great Golden Armor in appearance, except they were much smaller, like larvae of the Great Golden Armor.

As expected, Han Yan said, “These are the larvae of the giant golden beetle, also known as mutated sigil worms. But they’re quite low-level, only at level three. They make a very delicious dish. Let me demonstrate—this is how one should eat a golden beetle.”
Guo Shier felt his scalp tingle. If the meat were cooked separately, he might have enjoyed it, but having the whole giant insect served was a bit too much for him. Fortunately, having eaten many crustaceans like crabs and shrimps in his past life, he could barely hold back his disgust.
The oval-shaped golden beetle, about a foot long, had a rather terrifying appearance. Xu Yan’s mouth watered as he said, “What a great thing! This is extremely delicious!”
Han Yan picked one up and said, “First, break open its wings. Hmm, there’s already a cut here. Under the wings are two pieces of tender meat…” He took out two pieces of snow-white, fist-sized flesh and placed them on a small plate beside it. Then he added, “The golden beetle’s belly has been emptied, and inside are fire buds from the Firewood Plant. These can neutralize the fire poison in the beetle’s body. These fire buds are also delicious, but they need to be eaten together.”
From the beetle’s belly, he took out tiny fire buds—bright red tips, each as thick as a finger, strikingly vivid in color. On the tray, next to each golden beetle, was a light blue fruit, about the size of an egg, emitting a chill.
Han Yan placed the fire buds on the two pieces of flesh and casually cast a spell. In an instant, the fire buds turned to mud and gradually seeped into the meat. Then he picked up a light blue fruit and said, “This is an ice fruit. It’s not produced in our Earthfire Continent… but it can be cultivated in planted sigils. It used to be very precious, but now it’s common. We need to pour the juice of the ice fruit over the meat…”
Han Yan squeezed the fruit hard, and its juice dripped onto the meat, producing a hissing sound as a wonderful aroma spread out. Guo Shier couldn’t help but swallow his saliva—the scent was truly tempting.
Han Yan said, “Now it’s ready to eat.” He handed the plate to Guo Shier and smiled, “Try it. It’s delicious!”
Guo Shier cut a piece of meat with a small knife and put it in his mouth. A sensation of extreme cold spread first, followed by intense heat, with a rich aroma filling his nostrils. The meat was tender and smooth. After a brief chew, Guo Shier was deeply intoxicated. After a while, he exclaimed, “Amazing! Great!”
Han Yan laughed proudly and said, “Well? I didn’t lie to you, did I?”
Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan also ate with great satisfaction following Han Yan’s instructions. Xu Yan hurriedly ate as well. Before long, each of them had consumed two golden beetles.

Just as Han Yan was about to say something, a shrill cry sounded, followed by a muffled explosion. Han Yan exclaimed in alarm, “The sect’s alarm!”
A red glow flashed briefly, and Han Yan grabbed at it, obtaining a message token. After taking a quick look, his expression changed drastically. He stood up and said, “I’m sorry, you’ll have to stay at the Grand Feast House for now. Don’t leave. Something serious has happened. Don’t worry… it’s safe here. I’ll arrange for you to stay… Xu Yan, please help take care of them. Goodbye!” With that, he flew out through the window.