Xiao Yi Xian

Xiao Yan was now a Two-Star Great Dou Master, and he practiced an Earth Tier Cultivation Method.

Both the quantity and strength of his Dou Qi far surpassed those of ordinary cultivators. As long as he did not venture deep into the Magical Beast Mountain Range, even a third-rank magical beast comparable to a Da Dou Shi would pose no threat to him.

Yet the location marked on the Heavenly Flames coordinate map lay in the very deepest part of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

Xiao Yan could not help sighing. Capturing Heavenly Flames was far more complicated than he had imagined.

Most importantly, he had never left Wutan City before turning sixteen, and he knew very little about the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

Three days after leaving his clan, Xiao Yan finally reached Qingshan Town, a small town on the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

Qingshan Town had originally been nothing more than an empty stretch of land. As more and more mercenaries and hunters entered the Magical Beast Mountain Range to hunt magical beasts, a settlement had gradually taken shape.

After decades of development, it had grown into the sizable town it was today.

As Xiao Yan walked through the streets of Qingshan Town, rough-looking men passed him in both directions.

They were all mercenaries who licked blood from the edges of their blades, and each bore at least a few scars.

To mercenaries, however, those scars were symbols of honor, proof of the countless brushes with death they had survived.

Instead, it was the fair, soft-skinned fellows who were held in the greatest contempt in Qingshan Town.

In Qingshan Town, mercenaries operated in three different ways.

The first was the large mercenary company, a sizable organization formed under the leadership of one or more commanders.

There were three well-established Mercenary Groups in Qingshan Town, each with over a hundred members. The Grand Group Leaders of all three were at least Dou Shi, making them some of the town’s most powerful forces.

The second was the loosely organized, temporary mercenary squad, whose members came together for a shared mission and disbanded once it was finished.

Such groups, however, fell far short of the first kind of Mercenary Group in both teamwork and cohesion.

The last kind was the independent mercenary, someone accustomed to working alone or in a small group.

Those groups generally had fixed members, each possessing some unique skill that enabled them to handle certain dangers in the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

Xiao Yan felt hot all over. His long journey had left him drenched in sweat, and the sweltering weather only made his mouth and throat drier.

He soon found a teahouse, ordered a pot of fine tea, and decided to rest for a while.

"Shopkeeper, a pot of heart-cleansing tea and some refreshments, please."

Xiao Yan took out a dozen or so gold coins and placed them on the table. Goods commanded steep premiums here in the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

A pot of tea and a few refreshments alone cost ten gold coins.

"Coming right up! Here are your tea and refreshments, sir."

The shopkeeper soon brought over a pot of hot tea and some refreshments. Xiao Yan could smell wafts of floral fragrance from several meters away.

"Mm, this really is good tea. Even someone who knows nothing about tea could tell it's top quality from the fragrance."

Although Xiao Yan knew nothing about the art of tea, he could still tell that this heart-cleansing tea was special.

"Of course, sir. Our shop may be small, but all these tea leaves were purchased from the Myriad Medicine Pavilion next door. Miss Xiao Yi Xian blended them herself. Drinking it not only clears the mind and dispels pent-up tension, but also soothes the spirit and drives away fatigue. One pot is enough to keep you refreshed all day."

The teahouse's shopkeeper certainly had a silver tongue, and Xiao Yan was amused by his spiel.

"Xiao Yi Xian? Is she someone famous around here?" Xiao Yan asked casually, lifting a cup of tea.

"Absolutely! You must have only just arrived, so it's natural you haven't heard of her. Miss Xiao Yi Xian is the most famous physician in Qingshan Town. Almost every mercenary here has received treatment from her."

In Qingshan Town, Miss Xiao Yi Xian was a goddess in the hearts of countless mercenaries. Anyone who showed her the slightest disrespect or tried to defile her could expect to be chopped into meat paste by them.

Ask practically anyone in Qingshan Town about Xiao Yi Xian, and they would shower her with praise.

"Oh? She really must be a kind soul, then." Xiao Yan raised his eyebrows. The more the shopkeeper spoke, the more curious he became about what Xiao Yi Xian looked like.

"There, look, sir. That's Miss Xiao Yi Xian. Whenever she appears, a whole crowd of mercenaries gathers around her."

The shopkeeper pointed toward the street outside. A woman in a white dress and a light veil was walking slowly toward the Myriad Medicine Pavilion, carrying a basket of medicinal herbs.

Crowds of mercenaries clustered around her the entire time.

Xiao Yi Xian always responded to their friendly overtures with a polite smile.

Xiao Yi Xian certainly qualified as a beauty, though she looked only a year or two older than Xiao Yan, and her figure was somewhat slender.

Her waist, however, was as slender as a water snake, holding Xiao Yan's gaze for a long time.

Most importantly, the light veil that shielded her from the sun and insects did not completely conceal her features, yet lent her face a hazy air of mystery.

It gave her entire person a mysterious quality.

On a scale of ten, Xiao Yan would have given her a nine and a half, with that extra half point coming from the veil.

"Heh heh, whenever Miss Xiao Yi Xian plans to enter the Magical Beast Mountain Range to gather herbs, she organizes a large group of mercenaries to accompany her. Who knows how many people will fight tooth and nail for a spot this time?"

Hearing that the other party was organizing a Mercenary Group to enter the mountains, Xiao Yan immediately grew interested.

He knew nothing about the Magical Beast Mountain Range. Following these mercenaries would at least help him become a little more familiar with it.

Of course, the most important point was that Xiao Yi Xian would be in the party. Given her exceptional standing in Qingshan Town, the mercenaries accompanying her would naturally be the most seasoned.

"Miss Xiao Yi Xian, the Myriad Medicine Pavilion's specially appointed physician, will soon enter the Magical Beast Mountain Range to gather herbs! We're recruiting mercenaries to accompany her. Fifteen places remain, and applicants must be stronger than a Two-Star Dou Zhe. Anyone interested, come quickly!"

A mercenary shouted outside the Myriad Medicine Pavilion, immediately drawing the attention of countless other mercenaries.

"Shopkeeper, keep the extra gold coins as a tip."

By the time the shopkeeper came to his senses, Xiao Yan had already vanished from his seat. The porcelain bowl holding the refreshments had disappeared along with him.

Thanks to his exceptional speed, Xiao Yan managed to squeeze his way in ahead of the other mercenaries.

But the moment the recruiting mercenary saw Xiao Yan, he frowned. "Young fellow, we're looking for Two-Star Dou Zhe. You're so young-better stay out of this."

Xiao Yan was only sixteen. Even if he looked seventeen or eighteen, he was still far too young.

Without saying much, Xiao Yan walked up to a tree

as thick as the mouth of a bowl, channeled a trace of Dou Qi into his fist, and snapped its trunk in half with a single punch.

The tree fell with a crash, sending dust flying from the ground.

"That should do, shouldn't it?"

Xiao Yan had merely shown a little of his strength, without going all out. He only wanted a place in the party; there was no need to attract too much attention.

Xiao Yan knew perfectly well when to keep a low profile.

"Good, good! It seems you truly are exceptionally gifted, young fellow, to have the strength of a Two-Star Dou Zhe at your age. In that case, you're in."