Bountiful Harvest

"Um, junior, could I also ask you to bring me something?" Xia Yilong asked somewhat embarrassedly.

At that moment, Cultivation Methods no longer seemed quite so appealing to him. A Mysterious 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 were simply too tempting.

"A Long, you want pills too, right? No problem. There's still time, so let's keep looking." Xiao Li said with a smile. It was easy for an Alchemist to negotiate terms.

"Right, junior, 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 is now a Peak Dou Ling expert and ranks 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, I heard from my cousin that if you want the best cultivation conditions there, it all depends on whose fists are harder. So if we newcomers are scattered about, we'll definitely be exploited and bullied.

This is a characteristic of Jia Nan Academy. Senior students bullying new students is very common. Those seniors were once bullied themselves, so they will definitely bully the newcomers.

My cousin was bullied when he first entered the Inner Academy too. He was even beaten by a senior and bedridden for a month. Although he got his revenge afterward, it still left a bad taste in his mouth.

So it would be best for us newcomers to stick together and join a faction. My cousin is fairly strong in the Inner Academy, so those seniors probably wouldn't dare provoke us. It would save us quite a bit of trouble."

Liu Tianjiao spoke honestly. Although he felt that, with Xiao Li's strength, he probably would not be bullied—others would be rushing to curry favor with him instead—he still wanted to win this junior's goodwill.

"Trouble? I'm really not afraid of trouble. Come one, come all. I'll take them all on!" Xiao Li said confidently.

"Still, I don't want to deal with some annoying pests. It wouldn't be bad to have someone drive them away for me. I'll stop by your cousin's place, then," Xiao Li said calmly.

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

"By the way, junior, what grade Alchemist are you? I remember the Purple Heart Breaking Barrier Pill is a Peak Grade 4 Pill. Even a Rank 5 Alchemist would need to expend considerable effort to refine it, and the success rate might not even be high," Xia Yilong asked.

"I am hardly worthy of praise. I am a Rank 5 Alchemist, probably barely at the level of refining High-Grade Fifth-Grade Pills. After all, my success rate for those pills is not particularly high," Xiao Li said, rubbing his chin.

The other four were left dumbfounded.

The Two Star Dou Grandmaster, Lin Feng, had already come over to Xiao Li's side and whispered, "Master Xiao, are you accepting lackeys?"

"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 are not to reveal a single word of what happened here today, including any information about the Library Pavilion's interior, 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.

"Mm, we harvested quite a lot. Come on, brothers, hand me the things," Xiao Li said to the other four.

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

"This..."

Hu Gan and Qian Bai Er Lao had never seen such a situation before. Other students were actually willing to give their own gains to someone else.

"Mm, 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 it.

If you endure the impact of three waves of flame energy, you can raise your cultivation by three stars. If you cannot endure it, you will suffer backlash. But since you two are fated to meet me, I'll give each of you an Ice Heart Pill. It will help you take the Three-pattern Green Spirit Pill.

As for A Long and Ye Yu, you are still at the Dou Master level. Taking the Three-pattern Green Spirit Pill would cause too much harm to your bodies. I'll first exchange them for Two-patterned Azure Spirit Pills to help you break through the limits of the Dou Master realm, 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 eyelids twitch wildly.

"Two elders, does this comply with the rules?" Hu Gan asked quietly.

"He only took one item, and everyone else took one item each. How they use them afterward is their own business, so it complies with the rules. This kid really has some methods, though. He is remarkably 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 exceptionally gifted, but also quite sharp-minded.

Qian Mu said, "Hu Gan, take the other little fellows and leave. Little friend Xiao Li, stay behind. This old man has a few words to say to you."

"Yes. Let's go."

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

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

"Hehe, this old man has not seen such an outstanding genius in a long time, so I was stirred by the moment. This old man is Qian Mu. You may call me Elder Qian. That one is Bai Lie. Do you know Su Qian? Su Qian's predecessor as Great Elder was Old Bai. You may call him Elder Bai."

Qian Mu said with a chuckle.

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

"Mm. This old man sees that your Soul Force is quite impressive. What grade has your Alchemy reached?" Qian Mu asked.

"I have already reached Rank 5. I can refine the High-Grade Fifth-Grade Pill, Qing Yuan Pill. The Vice President has seen it himself," Xiao Li answered honestly.

Qian Bai Er Lao would certainly not harm him. These two old men loved secluded cultivation, and they would only appear when Jia Nan Academy faced a great calamity. By now, the two of them were at least High-Rank Dou Ancestors, 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 Continent and Central Region, there are probably only a few of your age who could stand shoulder to shoulder with you," Qian Mu said with a smile as he stroked his beard.

"Since that is the case, this 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 said, "Naturally, it is Heavenly Flames."

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

Fallen Heart Flame, ranked fourteenth. Fire was born from the heart, tempering Qi and refining bones.

Fallen Heart Flame might be slightly weaker than other Heavenly Flames in terms of direct offensive power, but its ability to accelerate cultivation was something countless people dreamed of.

In the world of alchemy, Fallen Heart Flame had an especially eye-catching nickname: the Cultivation Cheat Device!

Once Fallen Heart Flame was successfully refined, it would continuously produce a Heart Flame within one's body. This Heart Flame required no control and would temper the Dou Qi within the body day and night, at every moment. Through such nearly ceaseless refinement, it was as though the body remained in a state of cultivation at all times. Moreover, the effects were even better than ordinary cultivation. This kind of cultivation naturally far surpassed normal cultivation, so calling it a Cultivation Cheat Device was hardly an exaggeration.