A Miniature Black-Corner Region, Jade Serpent Three-Flower Eyes, Qing Lin

The moment he stepped through Frostgrit City's gates, a dense, ancient stench of blood mixed with the scent of windblown sand and dust rushed toward him.

It was completely different from the scorching yet pure desert air outside the city, inexplicably stirring a sense of oppression and chill within him.

Yao Xuan raised his head and surveyed this lone city amid the desert.

Frostgrit City lacked Stone Desert City's bustling liveliness, let alone the merchant bustle common to border towns.

The broad bluestone street before him was cold and deserted, with few pedestrians in sight. Those who occasionally passed by moved hurriedly, their eyes wary and their bodies faintly carrying the fierce aura of those tempered by slaughter and battle.

The entire street was empty and desolate. Compared to the crowded Stone Desert City, it had less than half its scale and population, yet every corner exuded the barrenness and killing intent unique to an isolated desert city.

Yao Xuan's gaze quietly swept over the people within the city, and he felt somewhat surprised.

In ordinary towns of the Jia Ma Empire, a Great Dou Master was already considered an expert of some standing, while Dou Spirits were rare backbone fighters.

Yet in Frostgrit City, even the weakest passersby strolling the streets were firmly at the Great Dou Master level...

And from the street corners and roadside taverns, he could occasionally sense the concealed auras of Dou Spirits. Several obscure fluctuations of Dou Qi had even approached the Dou Wang realm.

However, Yao Xuan paid little attention to the strange looks from the surrounding pedestrians.

Refining the Wind Fury Dragon Flame was imminent. Gathering the medicinal ingredients to refine the Wind-Concentrating Speed Qi Pill was his highest priority.

Thus, Yao Xuan walked straight through the deserted streets and alleys, soon finding the only medicinal herb shop in Frostgrit City.

The shopfront was simple and ancient, without refined decorations. Its wooden doors were mottled with age, and its signboard was faded and blurred. Yet amid this grim city, it seemed especially peaceful, one of the few tranquil places within the city.

Yao Xuan pushed open the door. A faint medicinal fragrance spread through the shop, just enough to dilute the bloody, foul air clinging to him.

There was only a middle-aged shopkeeper inside, dark-skinned and steady-eyed...

Seeing that Yao Xuan was neatly dressed and possessed a condensed aura, clearly not a native of Frostgrit City, the shopkeeper immediately smiled, rose to greet him, and said, "What does this young friend need?"

Yao Xuan did not bother with pleasantries and directly handed over the list of ingredients for the Wind-Concentrating Speed Qi Pill.

"Do you have the herbs listed here?"

"I need one portion of each..."

The shopkeeper took the list and examined it carefully, then nodded with a smile.

"Yes! Do not let the desolate state of my little shop fool you..."

"It is the only medicinal herb shop in the area, and the ingredients you require are all fairly common..."

"Please wait a moment..."

With that, the shopkeeper skillfully turned around and began searching through the rows of medicine cabinets behind him for Yao Xuan's ingredients.

Seeing this, Yao Xuan could not help asking, "Shopkeeper..."

"Why is there such an isolated city deep in this desert..."

"The people in this city do not look like mercenaries, and their strength is terrifying. Why are they willing to suffer in a lone city like this?"

As he searched for the herbs, the shopkeeper explained, "Young friend, you do not know the circumstances..."

"The friends living in this city may all be experts from nearby nations, but they have also all committed crimes!"

"Left with no other choice, they gathered in Frostgrit City to keep one another warm and seek a slim chance of survival..."

"If it were not for survival, who would willingly suffer in this desert?"

After hearing this, Yao Xuan nodded.

He more or less understood. Was Frostgrit City not simply a miniature Black-Corner Region...

The shopkeeper moved swiftly. In less than half an incense stick's time, he had sorted out most of the primary and supplementary ingredients on the list and arranged them neatly on a wooden tray.

But when he reached the final core ingredient, his movements abruptly halted, and his brow furrowed slightly.

"Young friend, my shop has all the other ingredients on your list. Only this Wind-Pearl Eye Flower is out of stock today..."

Yao Xuan's brows drew together slightly as he stepped forward and asked,

"Out of stock? How could it be out of stock?"

The shopkeeper sighed and explained truthfully,

"This Wind-Pearl Eye Flower is a high-grade wind-element spiritual herb unique to the great desert. It grows only within wind-eroded cracks at the heart of desert storms, and ordinary cultivators simply do not dare approach those storm-restricted zones. It is already scarce to begin with, and gathering it is extremely difficult, so we have not had any Wind-Pearl Eye Flowers for a long time!"

Yao Xuan's fingers paused briefly before he nodded. "Then so be it..."

"Pack up all the herbs you do have for me..."

Yao Lao's voice sounded faintly in Yao Xuan's mind. "Kid, the Wind-Pearl Eye Flower is indispensable if you wish to refine this Wind-Concentrating Speed Qi Pill..."

"It seems we will have to make the trip ourselves and search for the herb..."

Yao Xuan was just about to pay for the ingredients, collect them all, and leave the shop for the desert storm-restricted zone in search of the scarce Wind-Pearl Eye Flower.

At that moment, the shop's old wooden door was violently shoved open, and a fierce gust carrying yellow sand poured inside.

A burly, heavily built man strode into the shop with heavy footsteps.

He was covered in sand and dust, his clothes badly torn, and his skin was marked with countless small cuts from the wind and sand. Violent, fierce Dou Qi radiated from his entire body. He was clearly a Dou Spirit cultivator of considerable strength.

The burly man casually held a small, frail figure in one hand, his grip rough and overbearing, without the slightest hint of pity.

As he entered the shop, he casually flicked his wrist, and the slender figure was violently thrown onto the cold bluestone floor...

The little girl was thin and frail, dressed in ragged coarse clothing. Her small body curled slightly as she trembled. Her clear eyes were filled with fear and helplessness, and she did not dare raise her head to look at anyone.

Her skin bore the faint blue patterns unique to the Snake-People Tribe, yet she lacked the tribe's characteristic serpent tail. Clearly, she was a mixed-blood child of a snake-person and a human who had ended up here...

Ignoring the little girl's trembling terror, the burly man turned to the medicinal herb shopkeeper and spoke in a crude, indifferent tone.

"Boss, I'm trading this snake-girl for goods."

"For a mature human woman, according to the rates here, this should be enough, right?"

Yao Xuan's movements abruptly paused, and a chill flashed through his eyes.

He had thought this was merely an ordinary medicinal herb shop. He had not expected that in the lawless lone city of Frostgrit, this seemingly peaceful shop secretly engaged in such filthy human trafficking.

Yet the shopkeeper was clearly accustomed to it. His expression remained calm as he casually glanced at the little girl on the floor and said unhurriedly,

"Her condition is acceptable. Though she is human-snake mixed blood, she is worth the exchange. Wait a moment."

Yao Xuan knew that Frostgrit City was filled with desperadoes who could not distinguish good from evil.

Moreover, Yao Xuan knew that refining the Wind Fury Dragon Flame was the most important matter at present. Involving himself in unnecessary affairs would only bring more trouble.

So Yao Xuan suppressed the discomfort in his heart and prepared to take the herbs and leave...

But at the very instant Yao Xuan rose, the little snake-person curled on the ground seemed to be thoroughly terrified by the cold atmosphere in the shop and the conversation between the two men. Extreme fear swept through her body...

Causing her to instinctively lift her gaze, her clear eyes suddenly widening.

In an instant, a limpid emerald-green gleam suddenly lit up from the depths of her black pupils!

Within her pupils, three layered blue flower patterns faintly emerged, flowing with an eerie yet holy, immensely oppressive demonic radiance.

It vanished in an instant, so quickly that it seemed like an illusion...

Yao Xuan also noticed the abnormality that had appeared in the little girl's eyes and could not help stopping in his tracks...

At almost the same moment, Yao Lao's voice rang out in Yao Xuan's mind.

"Yao Xuan..."

"If my senses are correct, was that the Jade Serpent Three-Flower Eyes just now?"

Yao Xuan also gave the girl curled on the floor an exceedingly serious look. Those blue scales, together with the Jade Serpent Three-Flower Eyes that had flashed by just now...

Yao Xuan also confirmed the girl's identity—Qing Lin!