Forming a Team

Xiao Yan stared at Xiong Hui, dumbfounded. Bro, even medicine was three parts poison. You just downed the whole thing in one gulp?

Weren't you afraid the pill's toxins would build up and kill you?

But what was done was done. Xiao Yan could only encourage him to train hard and make good use of the medicine's power.

As for Wu Feng, she still couldn't make up her mind.

She wasn't worried about whether she could make the top three or become a Core Disciple.

She was simply hesitating over whether to accept Xiao Yan's... good intentions.

She was from the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect, yet after making a name for herself, she'd be advertising not for the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect but for someone from another faction. What kind of conduct was that?

After all the support and cultivation the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect had given her, how could she face them? Damn it, give me my money back!

If she did that, wouldn't the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect kick her out, and then she'd never see Ning Tian again...

The horrifying scene flashed through Wu Feng's mind, and her face turned pale.

No, anything but that! Even if she couldn't see Ning Tian, at the very least, Ning Tian had to stay single for another ten years—twenty, even...

Smack.

Xiao Yan slapped her.

"If you're not eating it, why are you still standing here? Get lost!"

Clutching her slowly swelling, reddened cheek, Wu Feng didn't even think of fighting back. She slunk away.

Watching the girl's retreating figure, Xiao Yan couldn't help sighing.

"Ah, the underlying code of the Douluo Continent is kicking in. No wonder she won't even become a Soul Emperor in the future. In the end, her heart isn't set firmly enough on the Dao..."

Fortunately, there was still one person in the class willing to train hard.

Xiong Hui was a commoner by birth, but he had more than enough diligence. He should have no trouble breaking into the top three. The only question was who he'd team up with.

In the novels he'd read in his previous life, this guy's name had never appeared. He was probably just an ordinary background character. But this time, with Xiao Yan providing him with a Purple Sun Pill, just how far would he grow?

Keeping that anticipation in mind, Xiao Yan left the classroom as well, ready to follow the original story's footsteps and snatch up a lucky find.

In the original story, Huo Yuhao had once snagged a piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue at an auction. It was a potent tonic, supremely firm and yang, and scorching hot. It had nothing to do with Heavenly Flames, but Xiao Yan still wanted to get his hands on it.

If he passed up a lucky opportunity, wouldn't that be letting down his transmigrator status?

Huo Yuhao had used the Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue to raise his Soul Ring age limit by a full ten thousand years. If Xiao Yan used it to refine medicine, wouldn't he make even better use of the energy it contained to transform the body?

Wouldn't letting Huo Yuhao swallow it whole be a waste of resources? At worst, he could give him a pill afterward to make up for snatching his opportunity. Xiao Yan was determined to get that Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue.

For this, Xiao Yan even returned to the dormitory and sought out Young Master Xiao, who went back to train there whenever he had nothing else to do.

He didn't have any Gold Soul Coins himself, but borrowing a few from Xiao Yulü shouldn't be a problem.

After hearing that Xiao Yan wanted to go to the Treasure Appraisal Fair and hunt for a bargain, Xiao Yulü tossed him his wallet with a flourish.

"It's only a thousand Gold Soul Coins. Your big brother Xiao doesn't even think twice about that. Take it and spend whatever you like."

He didn't know whether Xiao Yan had an eye for bargains, but he really didn't think a thousand gold coins was worth worrying over. His generosity left Xiao Yan stunned once more.

With the money in hand, Xiao Yan hurried off to Shrek City without wasting a second.

Huo Yuhao probably wouldn't buy that Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue until a few weeks later, but Xiao Yan didn't know when it would appear at the Treasure Appraisal Fair. So he planned to stake out the place for a few days and snatch it up as soon as it showed up, before anything unexpected could happen.

The bustling Treasure Appraisal Fair was beyond anything Xiao Yan had imagined. Countless precious items sat in glass display cases for people to admire. Anyone who spotted something they liked could pay Gold Soul Coins to buy it.

Xiao Yan searched for a long time but never found the "weathered thousand-year-old whale glue." It seemed it hadn't appeared at the fair yet.

Just as Xiao Yan was losing interest and preparing to head back to the dormitory to train, someone suddenly called out to him.

"Class monitor, are you shopping too?"

Xiao Yan looked up and saw the freckled young lady with short golden hair. Notably, her red-haired female follower was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, it's you, Ning Tian."

He greeted her casually, and Ning Tian covered her mouth with a laugh, amusement shining in her eyes.

"I've seen you browsing the Treasure Appraisal Fair for quite a while, and you've stopped in front of quite a few displays. But now your hands are empty. Is there... something you want that you can't afford?"

"...Huh?"

Xiao Yan blinked. So she'd been watching him for a while?

He had indeed stopped in front of quite a few display cases, but only to check whether the items inside were that lump of weathered-turd-looking Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue.

As for not being able to afford something? She was seriously underestimating Young Master Xiao's wallet! He might not be able to buy out the entire place, but if he wanted something, he could certainly afford it!

"Ahem, no. I just haven't seen anything I like."

Xiao Yan cleared his throat.

"Is that so?"

Ning Tian chuckled, then leaned close to Xiao Yan and whispered in his ear:

"Then, class monitor, would you be interested in this information about unusual fire-element activity in the area around Shrek City?"

"...?"

Xiao Yan blinked, and Ning Tian continued:

"The Nine Treasures Glazed Sect recently gathered some information. One piece of it concerns just that."

"We were originally going to give it to Wu Feng, but she's more interested in strengthening the Dragon-type aspect of her Martial Soul and isn't very interested in fire-type resources. Still, it'd be a shame to just throw this information away..."

"If you're interested, Ning Tian would be happy to give it to you for free~"

Seeing Ning Tian's impish, Little Demoness-like expression, Xiao Yan fell into thought.

Unusually active fire elements could be caused by all sorts of things—fire-type Soul Beasts, or rare heavenly treasures. Whatever the cause, they were all things Xiao Yan was interested in.

He could obtain his next Soul Ring from a Soul Beast, or refine medicine from herbs. He could even crush one and Absorb its fire-element origin to strengthen the Flame Mantra. There were all kinds of ways to use it.

The girl had hit the mark. Xiao Yan was genuinely tempted.

"Heh. What's the catch?"

Xiao Yan looked at Ning Tian, suddenly feeling that the scene was familiar.

Hadn't someone asked him that not long ago? And now he was the one asking someone else?

Ning Tian's lips curled as she pointed the Great Desolation Imprisoning Heaven Finger at Xiao Yan.

"I want you to..."

"Miss Ning Tian, please behave yourself."

"Team up with me for the Freshman Tournament three months from now."

Xiao Yan paused. What did she mean? So this young lady wasn't trying to recruit him into the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect?

What a false alarm. A false alarm indeed.

"What, can't the vice class monitor find a teammate?"

"Countless Soul Masters across the land want to team up with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, but very few get the chance to be approached by one of its Soul Masters."

"By coincidence, class monitor, you're one of them."

Ning Tian's smile brimmed with delight, sweet and charming.

"Mm... Is this the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect's way of investing in Class Monitor Xiao?"

Hearing that, Xiao Yan thought for a long while before asking:

"What's the information about? A Soul Beast or a medicinal herb?"

"Neither."

Realizing Xiao Yan was trying to drive a hard bargain, Ning Tian stopped playing mysterious and answered frankly:

"It's information about Earth Fire."