Zi Yan

Zi Yan

Riding Rayquaza back to the new student dormitory area, Xiao Ling arrived at the entrance to his small courtyard. He jumped down, rubbed Rayquaza's head, and said with a smile, "Go play with your sister Xun'er. Ask her for more pills to eat. Her family can afford one more mouth to feed."

Rayquaza nodded, rubbed its head against Xiao Ling's face, then flew toward Xiao Xun'er's courtyard. It seemed it was planning to have a hearty meal.

Seeing this, Xiao Ling shook his head with a smile, pushed open the courtyard gate, and walked inside.

The moment he opened the gate, he felt the aftershocks of battle rushing toward him. With a casual wave, he scattered an energy wave flying in his direction and looked into the courtyard.

In the open space within the courtyard, Lin Yan and Liu Qing were engaged in a fierce battle.

Seeing Xiao Ling return, Lin Xiuyai, who was standing nearby, nodded in greeting.

Xiao Ling walked over to him and asked in confusion, "What are those two doing? Why are they fighting here?"

Lin Xiuyai smiled and shook his head helplessly. "Lin Yan took the Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill he asked you to refine before. His cultivation has now caught up with Liu Qing's, so he went looking for Liu Qing, and the two started sparring. Who do you think will win?"

After watching for a while, Xiao Ling replied, "Lin Yan definitely can't beat Liu Qing. He only just broke through and hasn't even stabilized his realm yet, so he can't fully control his own strength. Besides, he was younger than Liu Qing to begin with. Liu Qing simply hasn't taken a Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill yet, so there's still a certain gap between their cultivation."

No longer dwelling on the matter, Xiao Ling asked about the Supreme Freedom Gate. "How is the faction coming along? Have you recruited any new members?"

Lin Xiuyai stroked his chin before answering, "We've already submitted an application to the academy elders, and they've approved it. We haven't recruited any members yet. Right now, we're preparing faction uniforms, badges, and the like."

Xiao Ling was quite satisfied with this. After all, it was only the second day since they had entered the Inner Academy, and their progress was already quite good. After giving it some thought, Xiao Ling said, "Don't recruit those who like causing trouble, and don't take in anyone too weak either. Otherwise, when they stir up trouble or get bullied, they'll come running to us and cause us problems. I'm not the kind of person who likes cleaning up after others. We just need to treat our own faction members well."

Lin Xiuyai nodded in agreement. "Don't worry. I'll keep these things in mind." On the Dou Qi Continent, strength reigned supreme. Only those strong enough could earn the respect of others.

Xiao Ling nodded slightly. Remembering the Heavenly Flame Qi Refining Tower, he told Lin Xiuyai about what had happened that day...

"Gather more ingredients for Calming Heart Pills. I'll refine them into pills for you. That way, you'll have no worries when cultivating in the Heavenly Flame Qi Refining Tower."

"Don't worry, I'll take this matter seriously."

Seeing that it was getting late, Xiao Ling planned to practice his alchemy. After bidding Lin Xiuyai farewell, he headed toward his room.

Back in his room, he took out his Alchemy Cauldron, infused it with Beast Fire, and began refining Calming Heart Pills. This was a pill he would need often in the future, so it would be good to refine more of them.

After arriving at the Inner Academy, Xiao Ling's daily life became more regular. Every day, he cultivated Dou Qi in the Heavenly Flame Qi Refining Tower, practiced alchemy in his courtyard, and helped some students or elders refine pills. Sometimes, he went to the academy arena to spar with others, improving his practical combat experience while earning some Fire Energy along the way. When he was bored, he would stroll around the academy with Han Yue or Xiao Xun'er. His days were quite leisurely.

Within the tranquil courtyard, Xiao Ling sat cross-legged on the grass. An Alchemy Cauldron stood before him, while the hand seals in his hands changed continuously as he controlled the flames nourishing a milky-white pill.

As Xiao Ling's hand seals shifted rapidly, the flames inside the cauldron swiftly contracted, and a pill appeared in his sight. It was a Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill.

The Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill was a peak fourth-tier medicinal pill. It could raise a Da Dou Shi's strength by one star without creating much resistance. In other words, if a Da Dou Shi could obtain two Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pills, they could steadily increase their strength by two stars.

Within Jia Nan Academy's Inner Academy, most students were at the Dou Ling or Da Dou Shi level, so the Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill was a pill sought after by most people.

Whenever Xiao Ling had time, he would refine a few and hand them to Lin Xiuyai to sell through the Supreme Freedom Gate, earning some Fire Energy.

Only after managing a household did one realize how expensive daily necessities were. After coming to the Inner Academy, the Fire Energy required to keep cultivating on the lowest floor of the Heavenly Flame Qi Refining Tower was no small amount. Moreover, he had no intention of letting Xiao Xun'er and Han Yue waste their time earning Fire Energy. Thus, refining some marketable pills while practicing alchemy was a rather good choice.

Taking out a porcelain bottle, he lightly activated the Absorption Palm, and the Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill fell into the bottle.

Just as Xiao Ling was about to put it into his Storage Ring, he suddenly sensed ripples in space. A fair little hand abruptly appeared before his eyes and, before he could react, snatched away the porcelain bottle in his hand.

Xiao Ling was startled by the sight. Although he had not focused his attention on sensing his surroundings just now, he had still been aware of the situation around him. If the intruder had intended to harm him, he could have been in grave danger.

Xiao Ling hurriedly pulled back some distance, focusing his Soul Perception entirely on the spot where the disturbance had occurred.

Yet he saw a little girl in white crouching silently beside the Alchemy Cauldron at some unknown time. Her tender outstretched hand held the porcelain bottle he had just been about to put away. She removed the stopper, stared curiously at the pill inside with her large eyes, then raised the bottle to her mouth and swallowed the freshly refined Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill in one gulp. A satisfied smile appeared on her face.

Seeing this, Xiao Ling's gaze flickered. He had more or less guessed her identity: the King of Brute Force, ranked first on the Inner Academy's Strong Ranking; the daughter of the Ancient Void Dragon's old Dragon Emperor, Zi Yan.

With the answer in his heart, the tension on his face eased somewhat. He spoke calmly, "This student, entering someone else's dormitory without permission violates the rules. What's more, you stole a pill I just refined. According to academy rules, you should be punished."

Hearing this, the little girl's expression did not change. She muttered, "Old Man Su won't punish me. This auntie isn't under his control."

The girl's eyes rolled about as she stared fixedly at Xiao Ling with an expectant gaze. Somewhat excitedly, she asked, "Are you an Alchemist? Can you refine pills like that one for me to eat?"

Knowing her identity, Xiao Ling no longer cared about that Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill. He smiled and said, "Of course I'm an Alchemist. As long as there are enough ingredients, I can refine any pill within my ability."

Upon hearing this, Zi Yan rushed before Xiao Ling in a single stride and asked excitedly, "Then can you refine pills for me to eat? I'm really strong, you know. I'm the one ranked first on that Strong Ranking. If you refine pills for me, I'll protect you in the academy. If anyone bullies you in the future, come find me. I'll teach them a lesson for you."

Xiao Ling took a few steps back and asked curiously, "There are so many Alchemists in the Inner Academy, and the elders can refine pills too. Why did you come looking for me?"

After thinking for a moment, Zi Yan said indignantly, "Those students all look terrified whenever they see me, like they can't wait to get as far away from me as possible. And those old men always try to steal my medicinal ingredients. That's why I've only been able to eat the ingredients raw." After saying this, Zi Yan moved a little closer and asked expectantly, "Can you refine pills for me to eat?"

His doubts resolved, Xiao Ling knew that Zi Yan's medicinal ingredients would not be difficult to handle, so he said, "I can help you refine them, but you'll have to prepare the ingredients yourself."

Xiao Ling had originally come to the Inner Academy intending to establish ties with this Dragon Emperor's daughter.

As long as he handled his relationship with Zi Yan well, she would be of enormous help to him on his future path to becoming an Emperor.