Little Mountain Valley

Without the Heavy Xuan Ruler, Xiao Yan's speed soared, though he still could not match the Scarlet Flame Leopard at his peak.

But in the leopard's current condition, retaining even seventy percent of his speed was already impressive.

Moreover, as time passed, the badly wounded Scarlet Flame Leopard's condition deteriorated faster and faster, undoubtedly giving Xiao Yan an opening.

The distance between them shrank at a rate visible to the naked eye.

By now, nothing but terror remained in the Scarlet Flame Leopard's eyes.

This human won't stop until he's killed me!

He's really bullying a leopard too far! Didn't I just want a bite of his flesh?

I haven't even gotten that bite yet!

Does he really have to hunt me down and wipe me out?

Man and leopard raced through the mountain forest, stirring up a fierce wind.

Nearby mercenaries heard the commotion, but before they could react, two dark shadows flashed past their eyes, one after the other.

"What just flew past?"

"Looked like someone chasing down a Magical Beast."

"With speed that terrifying, could it be a Dou Shi expert and a Tier 2 Magical Beast?"

"If you ask me, they're probably no ordinary Dou Shi or Tier 2 Magical Beast. Mu She of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group is a Dou Shi too, but his speed falls far short of that."

"Run! Why aren't you running anymore?"

Seeing the Scarlet Flame Leopard ahead skid to a halt, Xiao Yan stopped as well and walked toward him, step by step.

The Scarlet Flame Leopard faced Xiao Yan head-on, his scarlet eyes brimming with desperate ferocity. He roared at Xiao Yan again and again, like a cornered beast.

Xiao Yan rolled his neck, then tore away his tattered shirt, revealing a body that looked as though it had been sculpted with knife and axe.

He glanced around. The surroundings were utterly unfamiliar; he was in a basin.

Xiao Yan could not help marveling inwardly at how far this beast could run.

Had he not wounded the leopard's leg during their earlier fight, he might not have caught up at all.

As though foreseeing his own end, the Scarlet Flame Leopard went completely berserk and lunged at Xiao Yan, heedless of his life.

Scarlet energy covered his entire body like flames.

His charge looked ferocious, but Xiao Yan knew that he was already a spent arrow at the end of its flight.

In that case...

Xiao Yan's gaze blazed, his fighting spirit soaring. The surging Dou Qi within him circulated frantically along the pathways of his Dou Technique.

"Eight Extremes Collapse!"

Bright yellow Dou Qi enveloped Xiao Yan's arms, looking like burning flames, yet also as though his arms had been cast in gold.

In a flash of lightning, Xiao Yan shot forward to meet the Scarlet Flame Leopard head-on and threw a punch.

Bang!

In an instant, a muffled, thunderous blast erupted between man and leopard, its echoes lingering between heaven and earth.

Blood flowed down Xiao Yan's fist.

Yet one of the Scarlet Flame Leopard's forepaws had been smashed into several pieces, like crumbled tofu.

Xiao Yan's brute strength was terrifying indeed!

And that was without even considering that the true killing move of Eight Extremes Collapse was not brute force at all, but...

Hidden force!

The corners of Xiao Yan's mouth lifted. His lips moved slightly as he uttered a single word.

"Burst!"

Another muffled blast rang out from within the Scarlet Flame Leopard, and his massive body crashed to the ground.

The Scarlet Flame Leopard was dead!

Xiao Yan stood where he was and smiled calmly.

"The third one!"

This Scarlet Flame Leopard was the third Tier 2 Magical Beast he had killed, and also the most difficult one to kill.

Had the leopard not fought a prolonged battle with Xiao Yan, his speed would have made it impossible for Xiao Yan to kill him.

"Little Yanzi, your talent for combat really is frightening!"

Yao Lao floated out of the Bone Flame Ring and spoke with heartfelt admiration.

Over the past few days, he had witnessed firsthand how Xiao Yan's combat experience grew at a rate visible to the naked eye.

Xiao Yan grinned. "It's not really that impressive. The main reason I won so easily is that my body is far tougher than those Magical Beasts', coupled with my reckless way of trading injury for injury."

He was not afraid of getting hurt. Compared with the agony of his initial training and the pain of cultivating the Hundred-Forged Golden Sun Body, what did these little wounds amount to?

Yao Lao shook his head. "But using your own strengths to attack your opponent's weaknesses-isn't that a kind of combat wisdom too?"

Xiao Yan smiled noncommittally and turned his gaze to his surroundings.

Only then did he notice what was special about this basin.

Looking at a pure white flower not far away, Xiao Yan immediately recognized it as an intermediate-grade medicinal herb, a Pure Yuan Flower.

If sold, a Pure Yuan Flower would fetch at least three thousand gold coins.

That was no small sum.

Besides the Pure Yuan Flower, Xiao Yan also noticed several other low-grade medicinal herbs.

Damn, have I stumbled into an Alchemist's treasure trove?

Yao Lao realized it too. He immediately spread his soul power to investigate, then said in surprise, "Little Yanzi, your luck really is something else. Even chasing down a Magical Beast brings you to a treasure trove like this.

"There aren't many intermediate- or high-grade medicinal herbs in this basin, but there are plenty of low-grade ones. And the energy of heaven and earth is more abundant here than outside."

At those words, Xiao Yan suddenly recalled the Little Mountain Valley where Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian had lived in seclusion in the original story.

That Little Mountain Valley had apparently been inside a basin!

Could this be the basin from the original story?

"It should be. Otherwise, how could there be such a coincidence?"

At that thought, Xiao Yan could not help chuckling.

Who would have thought? He had painstakingly searched for that expert's cave-dwelling without finding the slightest trace, only to stumble into this basin by accident.

He really had planted a willow without intent, only to have it grow into a canopy of shade!

Pointing at the basin carpeted with medicinal herbs, Xiao Yan smiled. "Teacher, see? I wasn't wrong. This is how a child of fortune gets treated-heaven itself puts food on my plate."

Yao Lao chuckled. "It's only a basin full of medicinal herbs. If this counts as the treatment of a child of fortune, then children of fortune must be flying all over the sky.

"When I was young, I met all kinds of heaven's favored geniuses, and among them were quite a few people blessed with tremendous fortune.

"Some were pursued by enemies, only to stumble into the Ancient Ruins or a Dou Sheng Cave-Dwelling.

"Some fell from cliffs in their youth, survived the calamity, and picked up a Heaven-Tier Technique.

"That little bit of luck of yours is a far cry from theirs."

Xiao Yan chuckled. His teacher really was caught in the fog of the game, while the onlooker saw clearly.

Yao Lao had forgotten: if Xiao Yan had not possessed tremendous fortune, how could he have met him?

Following the principle that a thief never leaves empty-handed, Xiao Yan gathered all the intermediate- and high-grade medicinal herbs in the basin. Deep within it, he also found what he had hoped for: a secluded spot shrouded in thick fog.

Xiao Yan walked straight into it. Sure enough, before long, he arrived at the entrance to a little mountain valley.

"Teacher, the energy of heaven and earth here seems much denser than outside."

Even Yao Lao could not help marveling. "This is a true cultivation treasure land. It compares favorably even with some of the energy-rich treasure lands in the Central Plains."

"Let's go in and take a look!"

After entering the valley, Xiao Yan immediately saw the many rare medicinal herbs growing within. Their rich fragrance mingled with the drifting mist, refreshing both mind and spirit.

Looking at the tranquil, pleasant scenery of the Little Mountain Valley, Xiao Yan could not help recalling the lovely woman in white back in Qingshan Town, so fresh and ethereal.

He wondered whether she had discovered this Little Mountain Valley yet.