Heading to the Medicinal Herb Storage

Ye Xian smiled bitterly and said, "He actually possesses an Exotic Fire. It was my carelessness."

Old Man Fire steadied his mind and remained silent, as Xiao Yan had never mentioned his ability to refine medicine, and the matter of the Exotic Fire was already known to the more prestigious elders.

Xiao Yan was quite familiar with the Bone-Growing Pill, though he had only ever refined the third-grade version; he felt confident enough to attempt a fourth-grade one.

Seeing the movements of Xiao Yan's hands, Lin Yan felt completely at ease. Xiao Yan placed the medicinal herbs into the medicine cauldron one by one with practiced, skillful motions.

Old Man Fire nodded; one could tell from these movements alone that Xiao Yan possessed a certain level of attainment in alchemy.

Elder Yao spoke within Xiao Yan's mind, "Xiao Yan, I recall that you just came out of seclusion. A few days ago, your success rate with fourth-grade pills was still quite low. How have you become so proficient now?"

Xiao Yan offered a strained explanation, "Teacher, I suppose my mood improved after wandering around for a few days, and some things just suddenly clicked."

Elder Yao said nothing more after hearing this; he was already accustomed to such occurrences with Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan poured all of his soul power into the medicine cauldron, slowly refining all the herbs before gradually fusing them together.

Old Man Fire whispered, "The kid is about to condense the pill!"

All the students in the Alchemist Department gasped. Successfully refining a fourth-grade pill on the first attempt was not something someone who had just reached the level of a fourth-grade Alchemist could do.

It seemed that Xiao Yan's alchemical attainments were not at all inferior to Ye Xian's, and might even be higher.

Moreover, Xiao Yan was much younger than Ye Xian.

Beads of sweat had already broken out on Ye Xian's forehead, and his hands were gripping his clothes tightly without him realizing it.

Lin Yan sniffed the air; he could clearly smell the pill fragrance, and it was of an exceptionally high quality.

Xiao Yan wore a smile; the pill was finally about to be completed. It seemed the auxiliary effect of the Exotic Fire on an Alchemist was truly formidable.

With a loud bang, a round, plump pill flew out from within the medicine cauldron.

It then landed in Xiao Yan's palm.

The pill was complete!

This news spread from inside to outside in an instant, and people began running to tell others.

Lin Yan happily patted Ye Xian on the shoulder, then leaned over to his ear and whispered, "Ye Xian, with Xiao Yan here from now on, your status won't be as high as it used to be. Besides, given the things you've done around here, there are plenty of people waiting to settle scores with you."

Upon hearing these words, Ye Xian shuddered. A hint of viciousness appeared in his eyes as he looked at Xiao Yan, and he shoved Lin Yan aside before storming off.

Lin Yan watched Ye Xian's retreating back. These Alchemists were usually prone to looking down on others, especially Ye Xian—if not for the fear of his status as an Alchemist.

Someone like Ye Xian, who lacked any emotional intelligence, would have long since been dragged into a small alley and beaten up.

After Ye Xian left, Xiao Yan walked up to Old Man Fire with the pill and said, "Elder Huo, please take a look and see if this pill meets your requirements."

Old Man Fire took the pill and took a deep, appreciative sniff.

"Xiao Yan, your alchemy skills can be considered unrivaled among all the students in the Alchemist Department. I underestimated you. However, regarding the use of the Medicinal Herb Storage, I must still consult with First Elder Su Qian." Old Man Fire's attitude had improved significantly; many students had never seen him be this polite to a student in their entire lives.

Xiao Yan nodded and said, "Then I will trouble you, Elder Huo. I apologize for the disturbance this time."

"No trouble at all. From now on, the Medicinal Herb Storage will be open to Xiao Yan at any time!" A hoarse voice drifted over as First Elder Su Qian walked slowly from outside the door.

When everyone saw First Elder Su Qian enter, they all cleared a path. Su Qian looked at Xiao Yan with satisfaction and said with a smile, "Canaan Academy hasn't had such an outstanding student in a long time. I hope you can reach even higher realms in the future."

Xiao Yan said happily, "Many thanks, First Elder Su Qian! This junior, Xiao Yan, simply wishes to consolidate his alchemy skills and will not waste the herbs."

"Herbs are just gathering dust sitting there, but in the hands of an Alchemist, they can be turned into pills. On this point, I am at ease." After saying this, Su Qian left.

Old Man Fire came to Xiao Yan's side and asked, "Who exactly taught you your alchemy? To reach this level at your age, you must have started identifying herbs since you were a child, right?"

Xiao Yan thought for a moment and could only nod.

Old Man Fire nodded and said with a smile, "No wonder. To reach the pinnacle in both cultivation and alchemy simultaneously, the effort you've put in must be a hundred times that of others!"

This remark made Xiao Yan blush; he really couldn't live up to that praise.

However, seeing the worshipful gazes of all the students present, Xiao Yan bit the bullet and nodded. Even Lin Yan looked at him with a newfound sense of awe.

Xiao Yan realized then that he had overdone the act. It was likely that the name "Xiao Yan" would become even more renowned than the young genius he was before!

Xiao Yan was not even seventeen yet; he was simply too young. Yet, the achievements he had attained were things others might never reach in a lifetime.

His starting point was perhaps the finish line for which others struggled their entire lives.

Old Man Fire tossed a key to Xiao Yan—the key to the Canaan Academy Medicinal Herb Storage—and Xiao Yan nodded.

"Many thanks to Elder Huo and all my seniors. I won't disturb you any further." Xiao Yan said with a smile as a closing remark.

Old Man Fire replied, "Xiao Yan, if you have any questions regarding alchemy in the future, feel free to come and discuss them with me."

Xiao Yan gave a hum of acknowledgment and thanked Elder Huo for his concern, then left with Lin Yan.

"Not bad at all. I thought you were just bragging earlier; I didn't expect you to be hiding your true strength so well," Lin Yan said, draping an arm around Xiao Yan's neck.

Xiao Yan pulled Lin Yan's arm off with some effort and said with a struggle, "Alright, alright. I've given you the pill to neutralize the fire poison, so go back and refine it properly. I'm heading to the Medicinal Herb Storage!"

Lin Yan curled his lip and said, "They all call me a cultivation fanatic, but I think you're the one who deserves that title. You just got out and you're already heading off to cultivate. Fine, suit yourself."

Lin Yan waved his hand and left, while Xiao Yan looked at the key in his hand and headed toward the Medicinal Herb Storage.

Xiao Yan smiled, thinking, "I wonder if that little girl Zi Yan is in the storage right now. It would be interesting if I ran into her. After all, she is the Empress of the Ancient Void Dragon clan."

Before long, Xiao Yan saw an ancient-looking building, and an old man was guarding the door. At a glance, Xiao Yan knew that this old man's strength was definitely above a Five-Star Dou King.

The gatekeeper glanced at Xiao Yan and waved his hand, saying, "Come back tomorrow. No more herbs can be collected today."

Xiao Yan coughed and slapped the key onto the table.

The elder's eyes lit up instantly!