Zi Yan Comes Knocking

With a spatial fluctuation, Su Qian, dressed in a black elder's robe, suddenly appeared on the last floor of the Heavenly Flame Training Pagoda. He frowned slightly as he looked at Xiao Yuan, who had been frozen in the ice for nearly two weeks.

Starting from the seventh day after Xiao Yuan began his advancement, he would come down to visit him every day, but Xiao Yuan never seemed to show any signs of completing his advancement.

Moreover, as time went by, the ice layer on Xiao Yuan's body actually became thicker and thicker. Today, it is almost impossible to see Xiao Yuan's face through the ice layer.

Therefore, he can only judge Xiao Yuan's condition by the strength of his aura.

Fortunately, judging from his aura, Xiao Yuan was in very good condition. Moreover, even some Three-Star Dou Wang might not have his current aura strength.

But what's this kid up to? Why isn't he coming out of seclusion yet?

Su Qian stared at the human-shaped popsicle, somewhat puzzled.

At this point, Xiao Yuan had already almost successfully advanced.

As for why it was delayed for so long, it all started with the Five-Colored Scroll in his soul's sea of consciousness.

Seven days ago, Xiao Yuan was almost ready to complete his advancement; to be precise, he had already advanced to the Dou Wang realm.

However, after advancing to the Dou Wang realm, the Five-Colored Scroll in Xiao Yuan's soul sea opened up a little more.

The new content that appeared this time was exactly what Xiao Yuan had expected: a cultivation method that allowed the five Qi Mansion to be completely opened up, enabling the flow of Dou Qi without loss!

Although Xiao Yuan previously possessed five Qi Mansion, there was some loss in the circulation of Dou Qi between the Qi Mansion.

But now that the five Qi Mansion have been opened up, it means that no matter which Qi Mansion Xiao Yuan draws his Dou Qi from, he will have a real reserve of Dou Qi from all five Qi Mansion!

Furthermore, with the opening of the Qi Mansion, cultivation techniques can be shared between the Qi Mansion.

In other words, each of Xiao Yuan's Qi Mansion is now equivalent to Earth Rank Advanced lightning-attribute cultivation technique with the Azure Wood Qi Gathering Palaces.

At this point, his need for cultivation techniques was greatly reduced; all he needed were some handy Dou Technique.

With the support of High-grade Earth-tier Cultivation Method, the reserves of Dou Qi within the Black Water Qi Gathering Palaces naturally increased, and its quality also improved. Furthermore, since this advancement strengthened the Black Water Qi Gathering Palaces, by chance, the Mystic Ice Douqi within it exhibited some phenomena that seemed to have evolved.

Therefore, the Mystic Ice Douqi on Xiao Yuan's body surface became increasingly thick and solid.

This also means that his Mystic Ice Douqi is becoming more and more refined. Although he has just entered the Dou Wang realm, the purity of his Mystic Ice Douqi is already comparable to that of Hai Bodong, who is at the Dou Emperor level.

Click!

With a crisp cracking sound, Su Qian, who had thought he would return empty-handed again, suddenly turned his gaze to the black ice sculpture.

Cracks appeared one after another on the ice sculpture.

As these cracks appeared, the already powerful aura became even stronger.

When cracks covered the entire ice sculpture, Su Qian's pupils contracted, and he instinctively formed hand seals quickly, letting out a loud shout, "Space Blockade!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Space Power, under Su Qian's control, formed a barrier around Xiao Yuan.

Just as the two elders behind him were still puzzled by this scene, the ice layer in the barrier suddenly shattered, and a powerful aura burst out, shooting out from the top of the white-robed figure's head, but was sealed inside by the Space Blockade.

After the black ice layer burst open, it turned into a thick black ice mist, which, under the constriction of the Space Blockade, resembled a giant inverted bowl.

The next moment, the black mist seemed to be drawn in and swirled back towards the center.

Then, the familiar young man in white appeared before Su Qian and the two elders behind him.

"Great Elder, Elders!"

Xiao Yuan stood up from the ground and greeted him with a smile.

"This is the first time I've ever seen such a grand spectacle for someone advancing to the Dou Wang level. I'm afraid some people don't even need me to use Space Blockade to conceal their movements when they advance to the Dou Emperor level."

Su Qian stroked his beard and said with a smile.

"Thank you Great Elder!" Xiao Yuan smiled and cupped his hands in thanks. Then he looked at the other two elders and said gratefully, "Thank you both for protecting me these past few days."

Although Xiao Yuan has been immersed in cultivation these past few days, he is still able to perceive the situation outside. During his cultivation, the two elders have been almost inseparable from him, guarding the place the whole time.

"Elder Xiao's extraordinary talent truly makes us both feel ashamed! We may need Elder Xiao's guidance in the future, so there's no need for further polite words!"

The two elders nodded with smiles.

Hearing this, Xiao Yuan was somewhat speechless. He hadn't expected that he would experience the feeling of being respected by the strong so soon after advancing to the Dou Wang level. It was truly remarkable! "Xiao Yuan, what are your plans for the future?"

Great Elder Su Qian asked with a smile.

"I definitely won't have a chance to improve any further in the short term, so I'll go back and practice my Dou Technique and alchemy."

Xiao Yuan stroked his chin and spoke slowly.

"Alchemy?"

Upon hearing this, even Su Qian showed a look of surprise.

Can Ice Attribute Douqi be used for alchemy?

Xiao Yuan also realized that he seemed to have revealed something, so he quickly made up for it by saying, "Hehe, as the Great Elder knows, I possess Heavenly Flames, so even though my Dou Qi attribute does not meet the stringent requirements of an alchemist, I can still try to refine some pills. In addition, my soul perception is also quite good, so I can barely cultivate this alchemy technique."

Upon hearing this, Su Qian's surprised expression turned into one of realization, but she still kindly reminded him, "It's fine if you're interested in learning alchemy, but don't waste too much time on it, it's not worth it."

"Yes, I know. But I would like to learn how to make some simple pills so that I can refine them myself if needed in the future. Don't worry, Great Elder, I will arrange my cultivation time accordingly."

Xiao Yuan smiled and nodded.

"Yes, you know what you're doing."

The Great Elder nodded upon hearing this and said no more.

"Let's go, I'll take you up."

After saying that, the Great Elder put his arm around Xiao Yuan's shoulder again, and then the two disappeared from the spot.

The two elders disappeared into the shadows, and this floor returned to its usual tranquility.

"This is a sealing technique, a skill that the elders must learn to seal the Fallen Heart Flame. You should learn it as soon as possible, as it may be needed later."

Outside the tower, the Great Elder handed a black scroll to Xiao Yuan.

"Okay, I will."

Xiao Yuan put away the scroll and nodded.

"Okay, go ahead. I'll keep the news of your advancement a secret for now. But don't participate in the Strong Ranking Tournament. Judging from your aura just now, you're probably even stronger than that little Zi Yan. I'm quite envious of your talent."

Su Qian waved her hand and sighed.

"Haha, okay."

Xiao Yuan nodded upon hearing this, and then, amidst flashes of azure lightning beneath his feet, his figure appeared a hundred meters away.

"Terrifying speed."

Su Qian gazed at the fading afterimage before him and sighed. Then, his own figure slowly disappeared as well.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yuan returned to the pavilion and pushed open the door. A white figure suddenly flashed in front of him, which startled him. However, his soul perception quickly confirmed the identity of the person and he stopped in his tracks.

Zi Yan was looking at Xiao Yuan at the door with a hopeful expression, her big, dark eyes filled with longing.

"Ahem, Zi Yan, what brings you here?"

Relieved, Xiao Yuan coughed lightly, chuckled, and patted Zi Yan's head before slipping into the room. Inside, he found Xun'er, Xiao Yan, Xiao Yu, and the others looking at him with strange expressions.

"I've eaten all the pills you made for me."

Zi Yan followed closely behind Xiao Yuan like a little shadow, her face slightly flushed, and said somewhat shyly.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan couldn't help but wipe away a cold sweat. This little guy truly lived up to his magical beast physique; he could devour all those wildly potent pills so quickly. Based on Xiao Yuan's understanding of her, she probably treated those pills like candy.

As I strode into the hall, I saw Xiao Yu come up and whisper to herself, "Who exactly is this little girl? This morning she suddenly came to our Lion Heart Society, saying she wanted to see you. When she heard you weren't here, she sat here and wouldn't leave. Her little face was frighteningly cold. She's just a child, so we can't force her."

Xiao Yuan nodded slightly and said with a wry smile, "It's a good thing you didn't force us, otherwise this building would have been demolished."

"Huh?" Hearing Xiao Yuan's words, Xiao Yu looked at the little girl whose cold expression had thawed since Xiao Yuan appeared. How could such a cute little girl be so violent?

"Although this little girl is young, she seems to possess extremely powerful energy. If a fight were to break out, there would be very few people here who could handle her."

Xun'er, standing to the side, didn't seem too surprised. Hearing her words, she seemed to have also vaguely sensed Zi Yan's strength.

"Hehe, after all, this little girl is number one on the Strong Ranking."

Xiao Yuan's words caused Xiao Yan, Xun'er, and Xiao Yu to widen their eyes in surprise.

"Slap, slap"

Just after Xiao Yuan sat down, a clattering sound suddenly rang out. Xiao Yuan looked over in confusion and saw that the table in front of him was covered with a pile of Medicinal Herbs. Next to the table, Zi Yan was putting a Storage Ring on her little finger.

Then, she looked at Xiao Yuan with her big, dark eyes full of expectation and said in her childish voice, "You said I could come to you after I finish eating all the pills."

After scanning for a moment, Xiao Yuan picked up a root-like Medicinal Herbs, examined it from top to bottom, and couldn't help but sigh. He recognized it; it was a rare Medicinal Herbs called "Fire Spirit Root," and the rich fire energy it contained was something that even he couldn't help but be very tempted by.

"Are you causing trouble in the medicine storehouse again?"

Xiao Yuan shook his head and asked with some helplessness.

"Nonsense! I found these Medicinal Herbs myself deep in the mountains. I have a special affinity for these natural treasures. I didn't steal them from that old man!" Upon hearing this, Zi Yan's dark eyes widened in anger.

"Special senses?"

Xiao Yuan's eyes lit up slightly. He had forgotten that this little guy was practically a human-shaped walking treasure-hunting radar!

"You can sense those Medicinal Herbs buried deep underground?" Xun'er asked with some surprise.

Zi Yan glanced at Xun'er. For some reason, she always felt a vague sense of apprehension towards this beautiful older sister. Therefore, her words weren't entirely cold. "Hmph, of course I know where there are spiritual herbs in the deep mountains of this Inner Academy. However, most spiritual herbs are guarded by powerful magical beasts. For example, there's a Snow Demon Sky Ape in that valley. It's definitely guarding something good, but I went there several times and was driven back each time. Later, I met a woman with silver hair in the Inner Academy. I liked her, so I told her what the Snow Demon Sky Ape was guarding. But coincidentally, Xiao Yuan ended up getting his hands on it!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan was also quite shocked, and his gaze towards Zi Yan became even more serious.

"Alright, just give me the Medicinal Herbs. If I'm not around, you can ask my younger brother Xiao Yan. His alchemy skills are much better than mine."

Xiao Yuan put away the Medicinal Herbs, pointed at Xiao Yan, and said with a smile.

"No, I can sense something different about the pills you made. Besides, I have something else to discuss with you this time!"

Zi Yan shook her head, then spoke somewhat shyly.

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan raised an eyebrow.

"I've found another Medicinal Herbs that looks delicious, but I can't defeat the Medicinal Herbs beast guarding it. Come with me!"

Zi Yan rubbed her little hands together and tilted her head as she spoke.

"Okay, but you have to agree to one condition."

Xiao Yuan nodded and said with a smile.

"Explain!"

Upon hearing Xiao Yuan's agreement, Zi Yan's face lit up with visible joy, and she said happily.

"From now on, as long as you finish your pills, I can drop everything and refine more for you immediately. If you need me to help you scavenge for Medicinal Herbs, that's fine too," Xiao Yuan said with a smile. "But in exchange, if I need to go deep into the mountains to find Medicinal Herbs, you have to come with me."

As an alchemist, his desire for rare Medicinal Herbs was greater than anything else, and Zi Yan's treasure-hunting talent was undoubtedly a huge attraction for him.

"I think it's absolutely possible!"

With a frown, Zi Yan pondered for a while before nodding cautiously, like a little adult.

"But let me make this clear first. I'll only take you to find the Medicinal Herbs. If you encounter any magical beasts guarding Medicinal Herbs, you'll have to deal with them yourself. Of course, I can help you if you really need me to, but you'll need to pay me."

Zi Yan then added.

"You really aren't willing to suffer even the slightest loss!" Hearing this, Xiao Yuan shook his head with a wry smile and continued, "How about this, I'll refine some pills for you today, and we'll set off tomorrow."

"No problem!"

Zi Yan nodded her little head up and down and responded in a light tone.