Stealing? I Call This Taking!

Su Qian's figure hovered in mid-air, his gray robes fluttering without wind, and his vast and abyss-like aura was like an invisible giant hand, firmly gripping the throats of the three ferocious beasts in the valley.

The power of Dou Zong is absolutely overwhelming for these magical beasts that have not yet broken through to the Seventh Tier!

Because those who start at the Dou Zong are able to control the Spatial Strength, a power that is almost impossible for those below the Dou Zong to counter.

The violent energy fluctuations in the valley subsided instantly, leaving only the rustling of the wind through the leaves and the heavy, fearful breathing of the Earth-Shaking Demon Bear.

Xiao Yan's tense nerves suddenly relaxed, and the Purple Cloud Wings on his back flapped slightly to stabilize his body.

He glanced at his right arm, which was trembling slightly and throbbing with pain, and felt a sense of relief.

If Su Qian hadn't arrived in time, facing the combined attack of two Sixth-Rank Magical Beasts, he would truly have needed Old Yao's power to escape this seemingly inescapable predicament.

Unless absolutely necessary, Xiao Yan still didn't want Old Yao to expend his soul power to make a move.

Even with Storage Ring to nurture the soul, the speed at which a soul can recover its power is still significantly limited when there is no physical body.

Just like if Xiao Yan's soul power were depleted, he could only sleep for a day or two at most.

But if the Old Yao runs out, relying solely on the Storage Ring and the soul's self-recovery might mean another few years of slumber.

So, Xiao Yan raised his head, looked at the aged yet powerful figure in the air, and respectfully clasped his hands in a salute:

"Student Xiao Yan greets Great Elder Su Qian! Thank you for saving me Great Elder!"

Upon hearing this, Su Qian lowered her eyes and looked at Xiao Yan, her gaze slightly narrowed.

He was naturally very familiar with this little guy who could refine Fifth-grade Pill at the age of twelve.

In fact, he had already studied Xiao Yan's information once Xiao Yan entered the Inner Academy through the Selection Tournament.

This kid is a complete prodigy!

The three transfer students from Ancient Clans, arranged by the irresponsible dean, could not possibly have possessed such strength and Alchemy at the age of twelve.

What shocked Su Qian even more was Xiao Yan's combat power; he had actually been in this vicinity for a while.

Therefore, they witnessed Xiao Yan's methods throughout the entire process.

An Eight-Star Da Dou Shi was able to withstand Fifth Tier magical beast and even repel it?

Although he benefited from his agility and Dou Technique, his physical strength and explosive power, as well as his exquisite and flexible ruler technique, were clearly not qualities that someone from a place like the Jia Ma Empire could possess.

This Xiao Yan is no ordinary person!

After giving Xiao Yan a friendly nod, his gaze fell on Zi Yan face showed no fear but rather curiosity and excitement.

"Zi Yan!" Su Qian's voice carried a hint of helplessness and sternness. "Didn't I tell you to wait for me in the Herb Repository? Why did you run off to this deep mountain forest alone again? And attract so many magical beasts?"

Upon hearing this, Zi Yan pouted, her purple Dou Qi Wings fluttered gently, and she flew to Su Qian's side. Pointing to the Nine-Leaf Golden Snake Grass deep in the valley, she said matter-of-factly:

"Old man! This big, clumsy bear is guarding the good stuff and won't let me take it! That grass smells so good, it'll definitely make me grow up faster! If it won't give it to me, of course I'm going to beat it up!"

As she spoke, she defiantly waved her little fist at the Earth-Shaking Demon Bear crawling below.

The Earth-Shaking Demon Bear sensed that gaze, and its massive body trembled again, burying its head even lower.

Had he known that this Ancient Void Dragon had Dou Zong behind him, he would never have dared to offend it in the slightest!

Su Qian looked in the direction Zi Yan pointed and naturally recognized the Nine-Leaf Golden Snake Grass that was not yet fully mature, and frowned slightly.

He was naturally aware of Zi Yan's special constitution and thirst for energy, but this girl acted too recklessly. If he hadn't sensed the energy fluctuations from her fight with someone and arrived in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

"Nonsense!" Su Qian scolded lightly. "After activating its bloodline, this Earth-Shaking Demon Bear is comparable to Sixth Tier beast for a short time, and there are even two Sixth-Rank Magical Beast beasts surrounding it. You've only recently Fifth Tier, how can you take such a risk? If you dare to run around again, don't blame me for putting you in solitary confinement!"

Upon hearing this, Zi Yan shrank back, seemingly somewhat apprehensive about the so-called "confinement," but her large, bright eyes darted around and landed on Xiao Yan below. A bright smile immediately spread across her face as she pointed at Xiao Yan and began to change the subject:

"Old man, look at him! He was incredibly fierce just now, he sent that big, clumsy bear flying with just one punch! Uh... although it looks like his hand is broken too?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan's lips twitched slightly.

It wouldn't be completely broken, but bone fractures and muscle tears are certain. Zi Yan really speaks quite roughly, but considering that she's probably used to being wild, Xiao Yan can completely understand.

Upon hearing this, Su Qian completely disregarded the surrounding magical beasts, using his aura to intimidate them while speaking to Xiao Yan:

"Xiao Yan, right? I've heard of you before. You took a two-year leave of absence before enrolling, and won first place in the Selection Tournament in a way that left everyone speechless. Then, as a freshman, you stole the Fire Energy from the seniors in the Fire Energy Hunting Competition."

After entering the Inner Academy, he built his own power, successfully refined Fifth-grade Pill, and even won over all the genius students of the Medicine Gang, bringing them into his own power. Then he disappeared for two months, claiming to be in seclusion for cultivation.

Then he ran here and knocked down a peak Fifth Tier magical beast with a single punch?

Su Qian knew everything about Xiao Yan like the back of her hand.

"The Great Elder has been paying attention to me all this time? That's truly an honor."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan cupped his hands in a respectful bow and said with a smile.

"Judging from this, your seclusion and cultivation have yielded quite remarkable results."

Su Qian smiled faintly upon hearing this.

"Yes, I've been practicing a body-refining Dou Technique recently. I came to this secluded spot in the Back Mountain for two months of seclusion and only recently made a breakthrough. When I came out of seclusion, I was startled by the roar of a beast, so I rushed over to check on things. I happened to see this... Miss Zi Yan fighting fiercely with that demonic bear. Seeing that she was in danger, I stepped in to help."

Xiao Yan nodded and explained with a smile.

"Body Refining Dou Technique?"

Su Qian's gaze swept over the still-lingering dark red glow on Xiao Yan's body, sensing the residual intense and fierce aura, and he understood.

The Dou Technique that Xiao Yan took from the Library Pavilion were naturally no secret to him.

But...

If I remember correctly, the Great Sun Separation Fire Body was Dou Technique that the dean had someone send to him a year ago when he arranged for those three transfer students. It was said to be extremely difficult, and even the geniuses of those Ancient Clans had not been able to cultivate it successfully. How could Xiao Yan have achieved something with it in just two months?

However, considering that he had almost reached the Dou Ling level by the age of twelve, Su Qian felt relieved.

Perhaps this is what geniuses are like...

"I see." Su Qian suppressed his surprise for the moment, nodded calmly, then turned his gaze to the three demonic beasts that were still lying prostrate on the ground, not daring to move. His voice turned cold, "You beasts, get out of here!"

Upon hearing this, the Green-Scaled Single-Horned Python and the Dark Flame Lion King felt as if they had been granted a pardon. Without the slightest hesitation, their massive bodies turned and darted into the forest at top speed, disappearing from sight.

These two were Zi Yan's old enemies. If Zi Yan hadn't insisted on killing them herself, Su Qian wouldn't have let them off so easily.

He had rescued Zi Yan from those two guys.

The Earth-Shaking Demon Bear struggled to its feet, glancing fearfully at Su Qian and Zi Yan in the air, then with a hint of resentment at the Nine-Leaf Golden Snake Grass deep in the valley. After giving Xiao Yan a venomous look, it let out a low growl and, dragging its injured body, staggered away.

With the departure of the three magical beasts, the valley returned to complete tranquility.

Su Qian then slowly landed with Zi Yan, stopping in front of Xiao Yan.

As soon as Zi Yan landed, she curiously approached Xiao Yan, stood on tiptoe, sniffed the air, and then pointed to Xiao Yan's right arm, saying in a clear voice:

"Thanks! Although I still have some tricks up my sleeve, you risked your life to save me, so you're my friend now. From now on, I'll protect you in the Inner Academy!"

Her little face was full of seriousness, as if she were saying something that was taken for granted.

Xiao Yan found her simple and straightforward manner quite pleasant and chuckled, saying, "No need to be so polite. Since you're here, you must be an Inner Academy student. I certainly can't just stand by and do nothing."

Upon hearing this, Zi Yan's smile deepened. After thinking for a moment, she pulled out a fruit from somewhere behind her and handed it to Xiao Yan: "Here, this is high in energy and tastes delicious. Here you go!"

Looking at the golden, warm fruit, Xiao Yan was also taken aback.

The Golden Sun Fruit is one of the ingredients for several Fifth Tier healing pills. If it were left out, it would be enough to cause a frenzy among Dou Wang expert!

This girl really treats rare and precious herbs like snacks!

"You stole fruit from the Herb Repository again!"

Upon seeing the golden fruit, Su Qian's face darkened.

This little girl is so infuriating!

"What stealing? I took it, you understand?"

As she spoke, Zi Yan's hands glowed with a purple light as she gestured.

Seeing this, Su Qian was speechless.

Well, this girl does need to eat medicinal herbs to grow, and besides, there's a limit to the amount of herbs she can consume in a short period. At worst, we can just have her find the herbs she's already eaten later.

"Since this girl is willing to give it to you, you can take it."

Su Qian shook her head and said helplessly to Xiao Yan.

"Then I'll accept it!"

Xiao Yan smiled upon hearing this, took the Golden Sun Fruit, and put it into his Storage Ring.

"Hehe, how about that? Wasn't I nice enough?"

Zi Yan looked at Xiao Yan with a smile and asked.

"That's enough, more than enough!"

Xiao Yan gave a thumbs up. Kids are the easiest to coax.

"Hey-hey!"

After being praised, Zi Yan proudly put her hands on her hips and looked up at Su Qian.

Su Qian was completely helpless with Zi Yan. Apart from her big appetite, this little girl had no other problems and was quite likable. What else could he do but spoil her?

However, Zi Yan is usually quite aloof and rarely interacts with the students of the Inner Academy. It's rare to see her interested in people her own age. In that case, it might be a good idea to let Xiao Yan spend more time with her.

Thinking of this, Su Qian coughed lightly and said:

"Xiao Yan, now that you have emerged from seclusion and are injured, it is not advisable for you to linger here. Please come with me back to the Inner Academy."

"Yes, Great Elder."

Xiao Yan responded respectfully.

Getting a ride with Su Qian was naturally much more convenient than traveling on his own, since he didn't have anything else to do anyway.

With a flick of her sleeve, Su Qian released a gentle burst of Dou Qi that lifted Xiao Yan and Zi Yan together.

His gaze swept over the Nine-Leaf Golden Snake Grass again, but he didn't say anything. He casually picked it up, roots and all, and put it into his Storage Ring. Then, with a swift movement, he and the two of them transformed into streaks of light and sped towards the Inner Academy of the Jia Nan Academy.

Su Qian was incredibly fast. As a Dou Zong expert, he could walk on air. Xiao Yan and Zi Yan, enveloped in gentle Dou Qi, only felt the wind whistling past their ears, and the forest below turned into a blurry green.

Zi Yan seemed accustomed to this high-speed flight, and she focused most of her attention on Xiao Yan, especially his injured right arm.

She leaned closer, her brow furrowing. "Why didn't you eat the fruit I gave you to heal your wounds?"

"Oh, I'm an alchemist. Eating it raw would be too inefficient for me. I plan to refine it when I get back before eating it."

Xiao Yan naturally wouldn't waste medicinal herbs of that caliber, but he also couldn't upset Zi Yan, so he smiled and made up a story.

"Oh?" Zi Yan's eyes lit up at the question. She licked her red lips with her small tongue and asked expectantly, "I have a lot of medicinal herbs here. Can you help me refine them? I want to grow up quickly and beat those bad guys!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan was about to say something when Su Qian spoke calmly, "Zi Yan, be quiet and let Xiao Yan rest and recover."

Zi Yan pouted, seemingly dissatisfied with Su Qian's "control," but she obediently shut her mouth. However, her big, curious eyes remained fixed on Xiao Yan.

For some reason, she felt that Xiao Yan looked familiar, as if she had seen him somewhere before.

But upon closer reflection, I really don't have any memory of Xiao Yan.

Before long, the magnificent Canaan Inner Academy complex came into view.

Su Qian did not fly directly to the inner Inner Academy, but stopped above a secluded courtyard near the outer area.

With a flick of his sleeve, the Dou Qi enveloping Xiao Yan and Zi Yan slowly dissipated, and the three of them landed lightly in the courtyard.

"Xiao Yan, this is my secluded place for cultivation; it's quite quiet. You can heal your injuries here. If you need any medicinal herbs, just have Zi Yan fetch them from the Herb Repository, and put it on my tab."

Su Qian pointed to a clean room in the corner of the courtyard and smiled kindly.

"Thank you Great Elder!"

Xiao Yan quickly bowed and thanked him.

"As for you, Zi Yan," Su Qian turned to Zi Yan, who was rubbing her hands together, ready to empty the Herb Repository, and said calmly, "Unless Xiao Yan asks you to get the medicine, you are not allowed to leave the courtyard for the next few days. Yan Protector properly!"

Upon hearing this, Zi Yan didn't make a fuss; instead, she nodded with a smile.

"OK!"