Zi Yan

Xiao Qing swept his gaze over the few of them and pondered briefly, soon figuring out roughly what had happened.

He memorized the appearance of the badges on their chests one by one, then let out a cold snort.

He had no habit of pretending nothing had happened after someone came looking for trouble.

Too lazy to bother with these lackeys sent ahead, Xiao Qing headed straight up and out of the tower.

Watching Xiao Qing's departing back, the older students behind him all let out sighs of relief.

If Xiao Qing had decided to make trouble for them, even combined, they would not have been able to withstand him.

They were all just working for others. Why risk their lives over it?

The few exchanged glances, then all shook their heads with bitter smiles.

After leaving the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower, Xiao Qing did not immediately go looking for trouble with those factions.

Although he had already broken through to the Dou Ling realm, he was still somewhat lacking compared to the top-ranked figures of the Strong Ranking who could establish their own factions in the Inner Academy.

Under the curious gazes of countless older students, he made his way back to the pavilion.

After returning to his room, Xiao Qing did not begin cultivating. Instead, with a turn of his hand, he took out a medicinal cauldron and numerous high-grade medicinal ingredients from his Storage Ring.

As an Ancient Void Dragon hatchling, Zi Yan's perception of all kinds of treasures was extraordinarily keen.

To lure her out, he merely needed sufficient bait.

With the intention of giving it a try, Xiao Qing silently summoned the Green Spirit Flame. After warming the cauldron, he tossed the medicinal ingredients into it one after another.

What he was refining now was a fifth-grade pill known as the Fire Spirit Pill.

Its effect was to increase the cultivation speed of fire-attributed Dou Ling experts.

It had to be said that although Jia Nan Academy had not produced many high-level alchemists, its collection of pill formulas was vast enough to make any alchemist green with envy.

The formula for this Fire Spirit Pill was one of them.

Using only a thread of his attention to control the heat, Xiao Qing slowly closed his eyes and rested.

Time slipped by quietly. Only after all the ingredients inside the cauldron had transformed into brilliantly colored medicinal liquid did Xiao Qing open his eyes again.

He focused entirely on controlling the fusion of the medicinal liquids within the cauldron. Before long, a pill embryo slowly took shape.

After breaking through to the Dou Ling realm, Xiao Qing found refining fifth-grade pills much easier than before.

After all, his soul had long since reached the late stage of the Mortal Realm. What he had lacked was merely cultivation and proficiency in wielding Dou Qi.

Under the scorching of the Green Spirit Flame, the remaining refined medicinal liquid inside the cauldron gradually merged into the pill embryo, and its originally rough surface became smooth and round.

Boom!!!

An astonishing energy fluctuation surged outward, striking the medicinal cauldron and leaving crack after crack across its surface.

At the sight, Xiao Qing frowned slightly.

Fire Elder had given him this medicinal cauldron, and it had accompanied him for more than two years. He had grown somewhat attached to it and could not let it shatter like this.

Soul power burst from between Xiao Qing's brows. He condensed the Green Spirit Flame into the shape of a cauldron and controlled the nearly formed pill as it slowly broke free from the medicinal cauldron's restraints.

Just then, a crisp, childish girl's voice rang out in the room.

"It smells so good!"

Xiao Qing followed the voice and saw a little girl in white step out from a ripple in space.

The little girl seemed to be only eleven or twelve years old, with long light-purple hair hanging down to her waist.

Her cheeks were fair and tender, exquisitely delicate and adorable. Her large black, watery eyes stared fixedly at the pill that was about to take shape inside the cauldron.

The moment he saw the little girl, Xiao Qing understood that the Ancient Void Dragon hatchling he had been eagerly awaiting had arrived.

"Who are you? Why did you enter my room?"

Xiao Qing split off a trace of attention and asked with feigned confusion.

Hearing this, Zi Yan finally shifted her gaze away from the pill and looked at Xiao Qing with her large black, watery eyes.

Blinking, Zi Yan pointed at the pill inside the cauldron and asked, "Did you refine this pill?"

Xiao Qing: "..."

Looking into Zi Yan's large black, watery eyes, Xiao Qing felt an unusual hint of guilt.

Was it really a little wrong to deceive such a young girl?

After a long while, Xiao Qing slowly nodded and said softly,

"I refined it. You still haven't answered me. Why did you enter my room?"

Zi Yan scratched her head, somewhat puzzled. "Ah, this is your room? I didn't know. I just sensed that there was a treasure here, so I came over."

As she spoke, Zi Yan's eyes suddenly lit up, as though she had thought of something. She hurriedly took out one rare medicinal ingredient after another.

"You should be a student of the Inner Academy, right? As long as you refine all these ingredients into pills for me, I'll protect you in the Inner Academy from now on."

Zi Yan patted her tender little chest and made her promise to Xiao Qing.

"Don't worry. With my strength, I can let you swagger through the Inner Academy."

Xiao Qing did not reply, because the pill was about to form.

Inside the medicinal cauldron formed entirely from emerald-green flames, a round, plump, crimson pill rolled about within the Green Spirit Flame.

At the same time, a rich medicinal fragrance spread through the room. With just one breath, Xiao Qing felt the circulation of Dou Qi within his body speed up slightly.

Xiao Qing beckoned, and the crimson Fire Spirit Pill flew into his hand.

As the Fire Spirit Pill left, the medicinal cauldron condensed from the Green Spirit Flame slowly dissipated.

Examining the rings of pill patterns on the Fire Spirit Pill, Xiao Qing nodded in satisfaction.

After placing the pill into a jade bottle, he finally turned his gaze back to Zi Yan, who was drooling.

Seeing Xiao Qing look over, Zi Yan hurriedly wiped the glistening drool from the corner of her mouth.

"So, what do you think?"

Xiao Qing nodded, then shook his head.

"Hey, are you agreeing or not?"

Zi Yan waved her fists, her tone carrying a hint of threat.

"I can agree, but we'll have to change the condition."

Xiao Qing spoke unhurriedly, his gaze sweeping over the medicinal ingredients Zi Yan had taken out—Dragon Blood Ganoderma, Heavenly Jade Fruit, Vajra Bodhi, Earth Spirit Root...

Every one of them was a rare treasure difficult to find in the outside world. Xiao Qing could not help sighing inwardly. As expected of an Ancient Void Dragon hatchling—truly terrifying!

"What condition?"

Zi Yan pursed her little lips, curiosity flashing through her large black eyes.

"You said just now that you sensed treasure in my room, and you can also take out so many rare medicinal ingredients. You must have a talent for treasure hunting, right?"

Xiao Qing asked with feigned confusion.

Now that the Ancient Void Dragon hatchling had taken the bait, obtaining her blood essence was only a matter of time.

If he asked for it directly, even someone as carefree as Zi Yan would become suspicious.

"That's right."

Zi Yan nodded, a hint of pride on her little face.

"Since that's the case, how about taking me with you whenever you enter the mountains to search for treasure in the future?"

Xiao Qing smiled slightly and stated his request.

He remembered that somewhere in the back mountains of Jia Nan Academy, there was Earth Core Tempering Milk hidden within a cave dwelling guarded by a Snow Demon Ape.

If he could obtain it, his cultivation speed could increase a little further.

"Take you along? You won't hold me back, will you?"

Zi Yan sized up Xiao Qing, suspicion in her eyes.

"Don't worry. Once we enter the mountains, if you tell me to go east, I'll never go west!"