Feeding

Looking at the pills that emitted Exotic Fragrance, Xiao Ming shook his head. With a wave of his hand, dozens of Purple Pill shot out of the cauldron, carrying a purple light, and finally fell into the Jade Bottle in his hand.

He poured a Medicinal Pellet out of the Jade Bottle and held it a few centimeters in front of his eyes, without even needing to smell it carefully.

An alluring fragrance rushed into his nose.

Glug!

Suddenly, a sound of swallowing saliva rang out from beside Xiao Ming. It turned out that Zi Yan, who had been by the medicine cauldron, had somehow run up to Xiao Ming's side, her big, dark eyes filled with longing.

Seeing her expression, Xiao Ming couldn't help but chuckle. He was about to put the Medicinal Pellet in his hand into the medicine bottle and hand them to her.

Zi Yan suddenly bit his finger—no, to be precise, she bit the Purple Pill he was holding on his finger.

"Wow, what are you doing!"

Zi Yan's actions startled Xiao Ming, who quickly pulled his finger away.

Looking at his fingers, which were unharmed but covered in saliva, Xiao Ming was speechless. For a moment, he had almost thought that his fingers were gone.

Seeing that Zi Yan was completely unaware of how frightened he was, she kept chewing and muttering "It's so delicious."

Xiao Ming pursed his lips, sighed, and handed the Jade Bottle in his hand to her.

Here, take this. Remember to eat it sparingly, don't finish it all at once.

"Uh-huh."

Making a swallowing motion, Zi Yan nodded repeatedly, then quickly poured out a Purple Pill, threw it directly into her mouth, and chewed it vigorously.

The pill didn't last long either; in no time at all, Zi Yan chewed it up and swallowed it.

"Hehe, it's so delicious!" Zi Yan smiled with satisfaction.

"If you keep eating like this, the pills will be gone very quickly," Xiao Ming kindly reminded Zi Yan, who was about to pour out more pills.

"Well... then I won't eat for now." Upon hearing this, Zi Yan stopped what she was doing, Licked Her Lips, and looked at the Jade Bottle in her hand with a hint of lingering desire.

Putting away the Jade Bottle, Zi Yan patted Xiao Ming's shoulder with feigned maturity. "Well done, you really didn't lie to me. The pills you refined are delicious. If anyone bullies you in the future, come to me, I'll stand up for you. There's no one in this Inner Academy I wouldn't dare to mess with."

"Of course it's delicious! This is Food Improvement Powder. Although it's not a prescription, it uses several herbs that can make food more flavorful," Xiao Ming thought to himself, speechless.

I'll definitely contact you if I need anything.

"Hmm, great, we're friends now. So, after I finish eating these, will you continue to help me refine pills?"

Upon hearing this, Zi Yan was overjoyed, her large, dark eyes filled with anticipation.

"Of course, I, Xiao Ming, never break a promise I've made."

Xiao Ming nodded. Since Zi Yan had said she would protect him in the Inner Academy, he would help her refine the Medicinal Pellet. Of course, he would do it.

Although, he didn't need the Zi Yan Shield at all.

Having achieved her goal, Zi Yan finally smiled contentedly, stuck out her tongue at Xiao Ming, and chuckled.

"My name is Zi Yan. Remember, if anyone bullies you in the future, you must mention my name. There's a ranking system in the Inner Academy, you know, the 'Strong Ranking,' and I'm number one! So if anyone bullies you in the future, don't forget to mention my name, and no one will dare to do anything to you."

"Oh." Xiao Ming nodded perfunctorily. He already knew this, so there was no surprise on his face.

"You don't believe me? Let me tell you, I'm incredibly capable, I'll prove it to you."

Seeing that Xiao Ming's expression did not change, Zi Yan thought that Xiao Ming did not believe her, and she became a little anxious. She then swung her little pink fists twice.

Suddenly, a sharp sound rang out, and several Invisible Fist Shadows shot out with great force, finally flying out diagonally past Xiao Ming's head.

It slammed heavily onto the medicine cauldron behind him, and immediately, several dark, deep holes with cracks appeared on the cauldron.

Cold sweat dripped down Xiao Ming's forehead. He dazedly touched his forehead, and after a long while, he glared angrily at Zi Yan: "Damn it, you want to kill me?"

Xiao Ming had never been so speechless in either of his lives. He never imagined that the moment he was closest to death had just happened. If that gust of wind had hit his head, he might have been able to try and travel back to Earth.

In just two short days, the number of frights he experienced while spending time with Zi Yan was more than he had in his two years at the Jia Nan Academy combined.

Zi Yan covered her mouth with her small hand, secretly stuck out her tongue, and quickly bowed to Xiao Ming. Xiao Ming was now her benefactor, and she couldn't afford to offend him.

If Xiao Ming were to ask Zi Yan to be his underling now, she would probably agree without hesitation.

"Little brother Xiao, I'm sorry, please tidy up the room. I'll go out now and find you again after we finish eating."

Saying this, Zi Yan quickly slipped out the door.

Seeing Zi Yan escape, Xiao Ming smiled helplessly. Just the Vigor Qi of swinging her arm was enough to make her so powerful. No wonder the people in the Inner Academy called her the Brute Force King.

Moreover, Zi Yan even called him "Little Brother Xiao".

He still suffered from his age, but it doesn't matter. In a few years, he can turn the tables and become the eldest brother. After all, he's not like Zi Yan, who never grows up.

He turned and glanced at the broken medicine cauldron.

Xiao Ming sighed again, thinking that he would buy a medicine cauldron in a couple of days, and then went to clean up the mess.

After successfully befriending Zi Yan, Xiao Ming's daily life became monotonous and routine.

Aside from cultivating and researching Alchemy Technique, he would spar in the Arena every day to earn the Fire Energy needed for cultivation.

Occasionally, he would also accept requests from other students to help refine some pills or the like.

Such a life can be described as extremely dull and tedious, with nothing interesting to do. But that's how cultivation is; if you want to become stronger, you have to endure this kind of life.

Fortunately, Xiao Ming had already gotten used to this kind of life when Outer Academy.

There's nothing I'm having trouble adjusting to.

Moreover, if we're being precise, life in the Inner Academy is actually much better than in the Outer Academy; there are no classes, and you have more free time to allocate your own time.

Within the Inner Academy, cultivation speed also increases significantly due to the Heavenly Flame Refining Pagoda.

Xiao Ming's cultivation speed has increased significantly as a result. However, because his own realm is much stronger than before, the difficulty of cultivation has also increased. Therefore, even with the Heavenly Flame Refining Pagoda, it is not possible for him to break through a realm in just a few days.

Because Xiao Ming chose to cultivate step by step, his strength only steadily improved.

The previous experience of breaking through Seven-Star in a month during a training trip did not happen again.

If Xiao Ming's cultivation could be described as smooth sailing, then Xiao Ming had encountered a bottleneck in Alchemy Technique.

His teacher, Elder Huo, was only Grade Five Alchemist. Even if he was an outstanding teacher, his help to Xiao Ming diminished as Xiao Ming's understanding of Alchemy Technique improved.

In the end, Elder Huo could only smile bitterly and say that he had nothing left to teach.