A Bountiful Harvest

"Um, Junior Brother, could I have you bring something out for me too?" Xia Yilong asked somewhat sheepishly.

Now, he no longer found Cultivation Methods quite so tempting. A Heaven Rank High Cultivation Method was indeed excellent, but the Mysterious Rank Intermediate Cultivation Method he currently practiced was not bad either. The Purple Heart Breaking Barrier Pill and Three-pattern Green Spirit Pill, however, were simply too enticing.

"A Long, you want pills too, right? No problem. There's still time, so let's keep looking," Xiao Li said with a smile. Alchemists really did make negotiating easy.

"Oh, right, Junior Brother. Once we enter the Inner Academy, how about you come with me to my cousin's place? My cousin entered the Inner Academy three years before me. He's now a peak Dou Ling expert, ranked fourth on the Strong Ranking."

The Three Star Dou Grandmaster, Liu Tianjiao, spoke up.

"Oh? What do you mean?" Xiao Li asked.

"Although I've never entered the Inner Academy, my cousin told me that if you want the best cultivation conditions in there, it all depends on whose fists are harder. So if we split up, newcomers like us who have just entered will definitely be exploited and bullied.

"This is a characteristic of Jia Nan Academy. Older students bullying new students is extremely common. Those older students were once bullied themselves, so they will certainly bully the newcomers.

"When my cousin entered the Inner Academy back then, he was bullied too. He was even beaten so badly by a senior that he spent a month bedridden. Though he got his revenge afterward, it still left a bad taste in his mouth.

"So it's best for us newcomers to stick together, then join a faction. My cousin isn't weak in the Inner Academy, so those seniors probably won't dare provoke us. That can save us quite a bit of trouble."

Liu Tianjiao spoke honestly. Though he felt that, given Xiao Li's strength, he probably would not be bullied at all—others would be too busy trying to curry favor with him—he still wanted to earn this junior brother's goodwill.

"Trouble? I'm really not afraid of trouble. Whoever comes, however many there are, bring them all on! I'll take them all!" Xiao Li declared confidently.

"Still, I don't want to deal with some annoying pests. Having someone help chase the bugs away wouldn't be bad. I'll stop by your cousin's place, then," Xiao Li said calmly.

Liu Tianjiao immediately beamed. "That would be wonderful! With Junior Brother joining us, I'm sure my cousin will welcome you wholeheartedly. Junior Brother, you'll definitely be an honored guest of the Liu Gang."

"By the way, Junior Brother, what rank of Alchemist are you? I remember the Purple Heart Breaking Barrier Pill is a Peak Grade 4 Pill. Even Rank 5 Alchemists have to put in great effort to refine it, and its success rate isn't high," Xia Yilong asked.

"I'm nothing special, just a Rank 5 Alchemist. I'm probably barely at the high Rank 5 level, since my success rate with high Rank 5 pills isn't particularly high," Xiao Li said, stroking his chin.

The other four were left utterly dumbfounded.

The Two Star Da Dou Shi, Lin Feng, had already moved beside Xiao Li and whispered, "Master Xiao, are you accepting Little Brothers?"

"Uh..."

An hour later,

Xiao Li and the other four walked out of the Library Pavilion. Hu Gan and the two elders, who had been waiting at the entrance, turned their gazes toward them.

"Leave now. Remember, you must not reveal a single word about what happened here today, including anything within the Library Pavilion, to anyone," Qian Mu's hoarse, aged voice rang out.

"Hehe, you're all out? None of you came back empty-handed, right?" Hu Gan asked with a chuckle. After all, many students bit off more than they could chew and ended up gaining nothing.

"Yes, we made quite a haul. Come on, brothers, hand the things over to me," Xiao Li said to the other four.

Xia Yilong handed Xiao Li a crimson Seventh-tier Magical Beast Core. Then Liu Tianjiao, Lin Feng, and Ye Yu each handed over what they had obtained.

"This..."

Hu Gan and Qian Bai Er Lao had never seen anything like this before. Other students were actually willing to give their gains to someone else.

"Mmm, here are your pills. Liu Tianjiao and Lin Feng, these are the Purple Heart Breaking Barrier Pills and Three-pattern Green Spirit Pills you wanted. Remember, if you want to avoid backlash from the Three-pattern Green Spirit Pill, you must withstand the flame energy within the pill.

"If you endure the impact of three waves of flame energy, your cultivation will rise by three stars. If you can't endure it, you'll suffer backlash. But since the two of you have fate with me, I'll give each of you an Ice Heart Pill to help you take the Three-pattern Green Spirit Pill.

"As for A Long and Ye Yu, you're still at the Dou Master level. Taking the Three-pattern Green Spirit Pill would cause too much harm to your bodies. I'll exchange them for Two-patterned Azure Spirit Pills first to help you break through the limits of a Dou Master, then you can take the Purple Heart Breaking Barrier Pills."

Xiao Li distributed the pills to everyone, making Hu Gan and Qian Bai Er Lao's faces twitch wildly.

"Elders, does this comply with the rules?" Hu Gan asked in a low voice.

"He only took one item, and the others each took one item as well. How they use them afterward is their own business. It complies with the rules. This kid really has methods, though. He's incredibly generous. As expected of an Alchemist."

It was also Qian Mu's first time seeing such a thing, and he found it rather novel. This Little Fellow before him was not only extraordinarily talented, but also quite sharp-minded.

Qian Mu said, "Hu Gan, take the other little fellows and leave. Little Friend Xiao Li, stay behind. Old Man has something to say to you."

"Yes. Let's go."

After Hu Gan and the others left, Qian Bai Er Lao also came down. The two elders circled Xiao Li several times.

"What are you two elders doing?" Goosebumps rose all over Xiao Li. Why did all the old men at Jia Nan Academy like doing this?

"Hehe, Old Man hasn't seen such an outstanding genius in a long time, so I got carried away for a moment. Old Man is Qian Mu, so you can call me Elder Qian. That one is Bai Lie. Do you know Su Qian? Su Qian's predecessor as Great Elder was Old Bai, so you can call him Elder Bai."

Qian Mu spoke with a chuckle.

"Greetings, Elder Qian and Elder Bai." Xiao Li cupped his fists.

"Mhm. Old Man can see that your Soul Force is quite remarkable. What rank has your Alchemy reached?" Qian Mu asked.

"I've already reached Rank 5. I can refine the high Rank 5 pill, the Qing Yuan Pill. The Vice President has seen it," Xiao Li answered honestly.

Qian Bai Er Lao would certainly not harm him. These two old men loved secluded cultivation. They would only appear if Jia Nan Academy faced a great disaster. At present, they were at least high-level Dou Zongs, perhaps searching for a path to break through to Dou Zun.

"Oh? You've actually reached Rank 5! Impressive, impressive. Even among the Alchemy Clans of Danta in the Central Region and Central Continent, there are probably only a few of your age who can stand shoulder to shoulder with you," Qian Mu said with a smile, stroking his beard.

"Since that is the case, Old Man will point you toward an opportunity. Every Alchemist has a treasure they dream of obtaining. As an Alchemist, you should know what it is, right?"

Without even thinking, Xiao Li answered, "Naturally, Heavenly Flames."

Qian Mu nodded in satisfaction. "That's right, Heavenly Flames. Jia Nan Academy possesses one. It ranks fourteenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking: the Fallen Heart Flame."

The Fallen Heart Flame, ranked fourteenth. Flames arose from the heart, tempering qi and refining bones.

Perhaps the Fallen Heart Flame was somewhat weaker than other Heavenly Flames in terms of direct offensive power, but its ability to accelerate one's cultivation speed was something countless people dreamed of possessing.

Within the alchemy world, the Fallen Heart Flame possessed an especially eye-catching nickname: the Cultivation Cheat Device!

Once one successfully refined the Fallen Heart Flame, a Heart Flame would continuously emerge within the body. This Heart Flame would, without any need for control, burn the Dou Qi within the body day and night, at every moment. Under such nearly ceaseless tempering, it was as though one's body remained in a state of cultivation at all times. Moreover, this cultivation state was even more effective than ordinary cultivation. Such cultivation naturally far surpassed normal cultivation, so calling it a cheat device was hardly an exaggeration.