" Elder Gu, is there anything special about this thing?"
With his dark eyes fixed on the fragments of the Formation Plate in his palm, Xiao Yan asked Gu You again, his mind full of suspicion.
"Have no idea."
However, Gu You's answer caused Xiao Yan's expression to freeze instantly, and he was even more astonished.
This fragment of the Formation Plate, which Gu You regarded as a treasure just a moment ago, is now being described as an ordinary stone, utterly worthless.
"Mr. Xiao Yan, what's wrong?"
Just then, Jin Yao, seeing the change in Xiao Yan's Xiao Yan, couldn't help but furrow her brows and softly ask him.
"Well..."
Upon hearing Jin Yao's words, Xiao Yan's expression faltered slightly at first, but he quickly recovered, grinned at her, and said awkwardly:
"Uh... it's nothing, I was just looking around. Now that I've finished, I'll return it to its rightful owner."
With an awkward smile, Xiao Yan inwardly grimaced, put the fragment of the Formation Plate back in its original place, and was about to turn and leave under Jin Yao's strange gaze.
"Hehe, this fragment of the Formation Plate, if it were just a standalone ornament, would indeed be worthless. However, if we could find the other parts of this Formation Plate and piece it together, even a Yuan Zun expert would be tempted by it!"
Just as Xiao Yan put the fragments of the Formation Plate back in their original place, Gu You's mocking laughter slowly emanated from the depths of Xiao Yan's heart.
"Whoosh--"
As Gu You finished speaking, Xiao Yan moved his feet and instantly used the Heavenly Severing Steps. In the blink of an eye, the fragments of the Formation Plate returned to Xiao Yan's hands once again.
Upon seeing this, Jin Yao's pretty face instantly turned astonished, feeling a sense of strangeness at Xiao Yan's sudden change.
"Mr. Xiao Yan, what is this...?"
Jin Yao blinked her exquisite eyes, then looked at Xiao Yan with a strange expression, a hint of suspicion on her pretty face.
"Ahem, I didn't see it clearly just now, so I couldn't resist taking another look."
The weak reason made Xiao Yan's Elder Zhang flush as he spoke, while Jin Yao couldn't help but laugh out loud. Then, her beautiful eyes flickered as she stared at Xiao Yan and asked:
"Mr. Xiao Yan, do you perhaps know the origin of these fragments of the Formation Plate?"
Xiao Yan was taken aback. Sure enough, given how carefully this woman had kept it, how could she not see the special nature of this fragment?
"Hehe, Master Jin, you overestimate me. I'm just an alchemist, I've never even touched an array, let alone Formation Plate. How would I possibly recognize such a thing?"
Shaking his head with a wry smile, Xiao Yan wasn't lying about this. He really didn't recognize the Formation Plate fragment. The reason he had focused his attention on it was only because of Gu You.
"Oh? Is that so? That's certainly true."
Jin Yao's beautiful eyes flickered slightly, and she said softly.
"Gold Master values this fragment so highly, he must know something about it, right?"
A smile played on his lips as he extended one hand in front of Jin Yao, his fingers spread wide, revealing a fragment of Formation Plate radiating a soft white light. Then, Xiao Yan smiled and asked Jin Yao a question.
"Hehe, since Mr. Xiao Yan has asked, then I can only tell you the truth. To be honest, although I can see that this fragment is extraordinary, it is a bit difficult for me to get to the bottom of it."
"I have studied this fragment for over a decade since I obtained it, consulting countless ancient texts on Formation Plate, but the final result remains a complete mystery."
Shaking her head, Jin Yao frowned slightly, a hint of helplessness appearing on her beautiful face.
From this fragment, she could sense an extremely subtle yet powerful aura. The terror of that aura was something that even with her cultivation level, she could not compare to. And every time she explored it, the aura on the fragment would always fill her with fear and terror.
This is only a corner of the Formation Plate; it's hard to imagine how terrifying it must have been when Formation Plate was complete.
Unfortunately, despite consulting countless ancient books, Jin Yao was unable to find a solution. Helpless, she had no choice but to store the fragment here until today.
"Although I do not know the origin of this Formation Plate fragment, I am certain that its original form is extraordinary!"
"If it were something ordinary, this old man probably wouldn't have taken a liking to it..."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan couldn't help but mutter to himself, and at the same time, he was also shocked by Jin Yao's insightful observation.
Under Xiao Yan's Spiritual Strength probing, even with his best efforts, he could only see that there was a special force protecting the Formation Plate Formation Plate on its surface. As for the so-called extremely hidden terrifying aura, Xiao Yan had no way of detecting it.
"Tsk tsk, this little girl is no ordinary person!"
At that moment, Gu You's voice, filled with admiration, slowly drifted out.
Hearing Gu You's words, Xiao Yan was deeply shocked. He never expected that even Gu You, who always had high standards, would say such words of praise to Jin Yao. This alone was enough to prove that Jin Yao was extraordinary.
"Mr. Xiao Yan, do you really not recognize this fragment?"
With her narrow eyes sparkling like butterflies, Jin Yao stared at Xiao Yan with a smile, and asked again with an inscrutable expression.
"Hehe..."
With a noncommittal smile, Xiao Yan himself didn't know how to answer.
"Sigh... I originally thought I could find a kindred spirit to this fragment, but since Mr. Xiao Yan doesn't recognize it, it seems this fragment can only remain dormant here."
Jin Yao's beautiful eyes flickered slightly, and a hint of regret appeared on her pretty face. She stretched out her jade hand, intending to take back the fragment from Xiao Yan's hand.
"Uh... well... actually, my master seems to have mentioned this to me, but I'm not a formation master, so I didn't pay much attention. I think if I can bring it back to see my master, he should recognize it."
In his haste, Xiao Yan didn't care about anything else and blurted out a bunch of things that even he didn't know how he made up. Jin Yao was stunned and didn't know how much of what Xiao Yan said was true or false.
Meanwhile, within Xiao Yan's body, Gu You couldn't help but curl his lip, mentally making a contemptuous gesture towards Xiao Yan, and laughing and cursing:
"You brat, when did I become your master? Even if you were given to me as a disciple, I wouldn't want you."
Although he thought this to himself, Gu You didn't notice that as he spoke these words, a feeling of joy welled up inside him.
"Um... In that case, I'll be a good Samaritan to the end. Anyway, this fragment is of no use to me. Why don't we give it to Mr. Xiao Yan so he can give it to your 'master' to study?"
Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Jin Yao felt both amused and exasperated. She never expected that Xiao Yan would come up with such a nonsensical story just to get the fragment.
She chuckled inwardly, but Jin Yao ultimately withdrew her outstretched hand.
After removing the Dou Qi barrier, she had already decided to give this fragment to Xiao Yan. Although she didn't know if what she was doing was right or wrong, she still did it anyway.
Holding the fragment of the Formation Plate in his hand, Xiao Yan was surprised that Jin Yao would be so decisive.
Nodding slightly, Xiao Yan clasped his hands in a deep fist salute to Jin Yao and said solemnly:
Thank you!
"Hehe, Brother Xiao Yan, there's no need to be so polite. If you really want to thank me, then please don't forget your Xiao Yan sister if you achieve great things in the future!"
Jin Yao blinked her long, narrow, beautiful eyes at Xiao Yan, a captivating smile appearing on her face. Her voice returned to its soft, sweet tone, almost too sweet to bear.
"Um... brother... sister?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow, feeling a sense of astonishment at Jin Yao's sudden use of this new term, and his expression became quite interesting.
"Hehe, alright, alright, now that you've got everything, I won't joke with you anymore. Let's go. I really can't bear to give you anything else. Just these six items you took have cost my Thousand Medicine Pavilion a considerable amount of profit!"
Jin Yao pursed her red lips slightly, looked at Xiao Yan with a smile, and teased him in a lighthearted tone.
She seems to have quite a bit of enthusiasm for this newly adopted younger brother!
As for the latter's words, Xiao Yan felt not only extremely embarrassed, but also genuinely helpless about the word "younger brother".
With a slight pursed lip, Xiao Yan turned around, but his pupils suddenly contracted.
Looking down, he saw Jin Yao step forward and wrap her fair, lotus-root-like arm around Xiao Yan's right arm. At the same time, a unique fragrance emanating from a woman, along with an extremely soft and gentle feeling, quickly entered Xiao Yan's mind.
"Well..."
Upon seeing this, Xiao Yan's expression suddenly froze, but before he could speak, Jin Yao grabbed him and headed out of the stone chamber.
After the two left the stone chamber, the heavy door of the chamber was also tightly closed, and no one could enter the space behind the stone door.
However, just after Xiao Yan and his companion left the stone chamber, the Spiritual Strength that Xiao Yan had spread out suddenly emitted a soul fluctuation...
The source of this soul fluctuation was Murong Qianqian, whom Xiao Yan was constantly and carefully watching.
The moment this soul fluctuation arrived, Xiao Yan, who had been being dragged along by Jin Yao, suddenly froze in place. While Jin Yao's pretty face showed a slight surprise, Xiao Yan's expression gradually turned gloomy.