A Bet

Not only is Ziyan quite powerful, but her background and identity are also extraordinary.

The little girl in front of me is the daughter of Dragon Emperor Zhu Kun of the Ancient Void Dragon Clan, a peak Peak Nine-Star Dou Saint expert, and possesses the purest Ancient Void Dragon Emperor bloodline.

Throughout the entire Dou Qi Continent, only Gu Xun'er has a background and status comparable to Ziyan's.

"You came here just to tell me this?"

Nalan Chenfeng smiled, not taking it to heart, and spoke casually and familiarly.

Ziyan is quite strong, but it's hard for him to feel any respect for such a young girl. He's not like those in the Inner Academy who don't know Ziyan's background and how to get along with her.

Ziyan blinked her big, dark eyes, seemingly surprised that Nalan Chenfeng would ask such a question.

She had met many Inner Academy students, and they were either trembling with fear or fawning over her. This person was the first to dare to speak and communicate with her so casually.

"Of course not."

Ziyan raised her little hand, brought the Crimson Blood Golden Lingzhi to her mouth, took a bite, and chewed it with relish.

"I was on my way to the Ninth Floor the Qi Refining Tower to cultivate when I spotted you, so I came to check you out. But you seem pretty weak; you're not very interesting."

"Can't take a beating?"

Nalan Chenfeng was speechless, his face darkening.

"Um."

Ziyan nodded matter-of-factly, "There aren't any interesting people in this Inner Academy. Some guys run away as soon as they see me. It's not fun at all."

"If you can take a beating, you might be able to play with me sometime in the future."

Nalan Chenfeng pursed his lips and shook his head.

"It's not good for young girls to be fighting and killing."

He is unlikely to be a match for Ziyan now, even with his special ability to freeze time.

Ziyan's true form is a magical beast, and her physical body is very strong, far surpassing that of a Nine-Star Dou Ling like Cheng Yue.

Moreover, although Ziyan has not yet reached adulthood as a member of the Ancient Void Dragon Clan, her strength is far beyond that of an ordinary Dou Wang.

Even an ordinary Dou Emperor would likely suffer if he weren't careful when encountering Ziyan; the title of "Inner Academy Brute Force King" isn't given lightly.

"What a coward."

Ziyan pouted her rosy lips, a hint of disdain flashing in her dark eyes.

"Don't worry, I'm not that interested in people who aren't Dou Wang. I'm afraid I might accidentally go too far and kill or cripple them, and then Old Man Su would start lecturing me endlessly, which is so annoying."

After saying that, Ziyan took another bite of the Crimson Blood Essence Lingzhi in her hand, then turned and headed towards the Seventh Floor.

"Etc."

Nalan Chenfeng called out to Ziyan.

"What, you want to fight me?"

Ziyan paused, turned around, and a hint of excitement flashed in her dark, bright eyes.

"No."

Nalan Chenfeng quickly shook his head, his gaze falling on the incomplete Crimson Blood Golden Lingzhi in Ziyan's hand, his dark eyes flashing.

"How about we play a game and make a bet?"

"Bet?"

Ziyan blinked, a hint of interest appearing on her face. "What are we betting on?"

"I bet I can snatch this Crimson Blood Golden Lingzhi from your hands."

Nalan Chenfeng extended his right hand and pointed to the Crimson Blood Golden Lingzhi in Ziyan's hand.

"With your mere Dou Ling?"

Ziyan paused for a moment, looked down at the spiritual medicine in her hand, then looked up at Nalan Chenfeng, a disdainful expression appearing on her small face.

"I'm not kidding you."

Nalan Chenfeng's expression became more serious, and he spoke.

Upon hearing this, Ziyan put one hand on her hip, looking like a little adult.

"Even among Dou Huang expert, few can snatch anything from me. You're too weak, don't brag."

How will you know if you don't try?

Nalan Chenfeng crossed his arms, his voice full of confidence.

Ziyan wasn't exaggerating. With her Dou Wang level strength, her formidable physical power, and her unique spatial talent, even a typical Dou Emperor would find it difficult to defeat her in a short period of time.

He knew all this, that little female dragon loved to steal medicinal herbs from the Jia Nan Back Mountain Magical Beast Mountain Range.

But for him, snatching a medicinal herb from its hand was no difficult task.

"Then you lost, and I'll beat you up."

Ziyan clenched her fist excitedly.

This guy doesn't seem stupid, but he keeps spouting nonsense. It'll be good to teach him a lesson. She hasn't punched anyone in a long time, and her fists are itching.

"No way, I have no interest in getting beaten up. If I lose, I'll give you two of these medicinal herbs."

As Nalan Chenfeng spoke, he flipped his hand and took out two jade boxes from his Storage Ring, opening the lids.

A single Dragon Saliva Fruit, translucent and shaped like a dragon's whiskers, exudes a faint ambergris fragrance.

A Thousand-Leaf Lotus Root, pure white all over, with thousands of thin, cicada-wing-like leaves growing at the nodes, exuding a refreshing medicinal fragrance.

These two spiritual herbs were obtained by him during his training in the Black-Corner Region. Although they were not particularly precious, they were still quite valuable.

Ziyan stared at the two spiritual herbs in Nalan Chenfeng box, her big black eyes suddenly lighting up, and she licked her lips.

These two medicinal herbs aren't of very high grade, but they taste quite good and are rare. Right now, there's nothing left in the Inner Academy's herb storehouse to eat to obtain energy, and the old men are keeping a close watch on the few high-grade medicinal herbs they have.

Old Man Su from the back mountain wouldn't let her go any deeper, otherwise she wouldn't have come to the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower to cultivate and improve by absorbing the energy of heaven and earth.

Are you sure you want to use those two herbs as a bet?

Ziyan leaned closer, sniffed hard, and after confirming it wasn't a hallucination, her little face was full of excitement.

"Nature."

Nalan Chenfeng closed the jade box and put it into his Storage Ring.

"Okay, it's a deal!"

Ziyan nodded without hesitation, her rosy lips parted to reveal a row of neat, pearly teeth.

"I haven't even told you what the conditions are if I win, and you're already agreeing to this?"

Nalan Chenfeng looked at Ziyan, a slight smile playing on his lips.

This little girl doesn't take him seriously at all; she's incredibly arrogant.

"Whatever you say, I'm not going to lose anyway."

Ziyan paused for a moment, then let out a soft hum.

"I won. You can join the faction I created."

To prevent Ziyan from changing her mind, Nalan Chenfeng stated his conditions directly.

Ziyan was taken aback for a moment, then waved her hand dismissively and said, "Fine, I agree."

She was well aware of the rules of the Inner Academy. Joining a faction would not cause her any loss, since no one in the Inner Academy, except for Old Man Su, dared to interfere with her.

"Since you've brought out the medicinal herbs, I'll give you three moves. Make your move."

Ziyan brandished the Crimson Blood Golden Lingzhi in her hand, put her left hand behind her back, and assumed a stance as if she would let Nalan Chenfeng do as he pleased.

"No need for three moves, one move is enough."

Nalan Chenfeng smiled, and deep within his dark eyes, a fine black halo silently rotated.

The next instant, everything around them froze.

The Zhu Huo stopped flickering, and the energy of heaven and earth in the air ceased to circulate.

Without any hesitation, Nalan Chenfeng strode forward and snatched the Crimson Blood Golden Lingzhi from Ziyan's right hand.

Time then resumed its flow.

Ziyan maintained the same expression as before, looking at Nalan Chenfeng with full confidence. But in the next instant, she felt her right hand become empty; the Crimson Blood Golden Lingzhi, which had been bitten in half, had vanished without a trace.

My medicinal herbs!