Along the way, Xiao Yan roamed the Pill Realm alone, though his gains were nowhere near as plentiful as he had imagined.
"Hm?"
Just then, Xiao Yan suddenly sensed fluctuations of Dou Qi ahead. His eyes narrowed, and he nimbly leaped into the towering tree behind him like a monkey, hiding amid its dense foliage.
Not long after Xiao Yan concealed himself, two rather bedraggled figures emerged from up ahead.
"What rotten luck. Who knows what's gotten into the magical beasts in these mountains? They just wouldn't stop chasing us..."
A young man in a blue robe, his face still bearing a few injuries, glanced back resentfully before saying to his companion, "Forget it. I'll rest here for a while. The competition matters more, so go find the ingredients you need first..."
Seeing him slump onto the ground without the slightest concern for appearances, the other young man, dressed in gray, shook his head helplessly. "Junior Brother, you lack perseverance. If Master found out..."
Hearing the black-clad young man mention their master, the youth looked helpless. "Oh, come on, Senior Brother. With my strength, I should already be burning incense in thanks for making it to the second round. Getting a taste of things is enough. There's no need to tell Master, is there...?"
The black-clad young man said nothing, but judging by his expression, he clearly would not tolerate any slacking.
"Fine, fine. I really don't know what to do with you... No wonder Senior Sister always says your head's a block of wood..."
The blue-robed youth helplessly dusted off his backside and stood up. Then curiosity appeared on his face as he asked the black-clad young man:
"But Senior Brother, why do you think the magical beasts in these mountains are acting so strangely?! They surrounded us the