"Hehe, another one coming to give away money."
"Tch, who knows if this kid's a penniless wretch, barging in like this. Daring to barge into my Four Pavilions, nobody here ever dares to approach my Four Pavilions unless..."
Several sly-looking waiters whispered amongst themselves, and finally, with a hint of apprehension, they turned their gazes to the elderly man sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed in the hall.
"Tch, never mind that for now. Let's talk about this kid. I bet you, if he's rich enough to buy anything here, I'll give you a Emperor Grade Pill. If he isn't..."
"Hehe, I'll just buy you one as a replacement."
"No, I want that girl you brought over yesterday. Hehe, that little vixen is so pretty, you must have had your fill of her, haha..."
The vulgar, lewd laughter echoed throughout the hall, causing the other waiters to beam with smiles. As for the young girls among the guests, their pretty faces flushed crimson upon hearing this, and they cast disdainful glances at the two waiters who had spoken.
"Hmph, where did this brat come from, daring to glare at me? She deserves a beating!"
Noticing the resentful gazes cast at him by the girls, the waiter gave a cold smile, his displeasure immediately showing. He instantly appeared in front of one of the girls, his figure flashing from the counter, and with a wave of his hand, he delivered a slap.
The sudden turn of events startled the girl, while the man beside her wore a solemn expression. He braced himself and rushed forward.
"Heh heh, trying to be a hero and save the damsel in distress? Get lost!"
The waiter scoffed at this, his body, which had been suspended in mid-air, suddenly twisted and then delivered a heavy whip kick, slamming it into the chest of the man in front of him, sending him flying with a single blow.
As the man was blasted away, whether intentionally or unintentionally, the direction he flew out of was directly towards Xiao Yan, who was standing in the same spot.
"Hmph."
With a cold laugh, the gloomy-faced waiter leaped back, simultaneously pricking up his ears and turning his back to Xiao Yan, seemingly listening to Xiao Yan's current situation.
"Laugh..."
"Um?"
However, what happened next caused the waiter's sneer to change drastically, and at the same time, the expressions of everyone else in the room also changed instantly.
At this moment, Xiao Yan had a calm expression on his face. With a thought, an invisible Spiritual Strength swept out and easily caught the figure that shot towards him in mid-air.
Upon seeing this, everyone's expressions changed once again. At this moment, even the old man who had been sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed suddenly opened his cloudy old eyes, looking at Xiao Yan with surprise in his eyes, and said in a slightly hoarse voice filled with astonishment:
" Spiritual Strength, alchemist? Or array master?"
Xiao Yan remained noncommittal and completely ignored the old man's question. Instead, he gently lowered the man in front of him, who had been caught by his Spiritual Strength.
Seeing that Xiao Yan ignored him, the old man narrowed his eyes, a glint of light flashing in his cloudy eyes. He took a slow breath, then spoke again in a deep voice:
"Who are you? If you're here to cause trouble, you've come to the wrong place."
As he finished speaking, the old man slowly stood up. At the same time, a powerful aura emanated from him, causing everyone present except Xiao Yan to change their expressions instantly.
"I'm not here to cause trouble, it's just that I don't like people attacking me for no reason."
Xiao Yan spoke calmly, his expression remaining unchanged despite the oppressive aura. At the same time, his dark eyes turned to the waiter who had just made the move.
"Snort."
With a soft hum, a serious expression crossed the old man's face. Xiao Yan's ease made him feel a subtle pressure.
"Whoosh--"
The next instant, a sharp thunderclap suddenly resounded throughout the hall. At the same time, the old man's expression changed instantly, but before he could react, a loud bang echoed throughout the hall.
Then, only at this moment did the elders and others in the arena react. When they turned their heads to look, they saw that Xiao Yan was standing where the waiter who had just attacked had stood. As for that waiter, he had been mercilessly trampled under Xiao Yan's feet, and his aura was extremely weak, obviously not far from death.
"Uh... this person... their speed is terrifying!"
The moment the old man saw Xiao Yan, his pupils constricted sharply, and a look of extreme horror appeared on his old face. Beads of cold sweat slowly trickled down his forehead.
The old man didn't care about the waiter's life or death, but what terrified him was that Xiao Yan had managed to crush the waiter under his feet in an instant without him having a chance to react. This astonishing speed truly shocked the old man.
"Since you're not a shop, then you don't have the medicinal herbs I need. I guess I've come to the wrong place."
With a casual remark, Xiao Yan disregarded the fearful looks of the people around him and took a step forward, heading towards the outside of the Four Pavilions.
"Sir..."
Just then, the old man's voice came again. To show respect, the old man addressed Xiao Yan as "Sir".
"What, you want to retaliate after someone hit your person?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan said somewhat impatiently.
A month has already wasted a lot of Xiao Yan's patience, and this old man is really making him feel disgusted. If this guy dares to say any more nonsense, Xiao Yan will definitely not hesitate to take action.
A mere Nine-Star Half-Emperor is nothing to fear for Xiao Yan in his current state.
"Well..."
The old man was taken aback for a moment by Xiao Yan's impatient tone, then quickly came to his senses. A smile spread across his aged face as he cupped his hands in a fist salute to Xiao Yan and said with a smile:
"Sir, you flatter me. What happened earlier was just a minor misunderstanding. But since you said you came to buy medicinal herbs, then you've come to the right place by visiting my Four Pavilions."
As he spoke, the old man raised his hand, extended his palm, and pointed to a staircase leading to the second floor.
"The first floor is just a floor that my Four Pavilions has opened up arbitrarily. There's nothing of value here. The second floor, however, is a pavilion specifically for High-Level Half-Emperor. Only there can you find the real treasures. Of course, although it's a floor specifically for High-Level Half-Emperor, since you're an alchemist, you can naturally enter it as well."
As the old man finished speaking, Xiao Yan, who had already reached the entrance of the Four Pavilions, paused, then slowly turned around, his gaze following the old man's pointing finger to the staircase leading to the second floor.
Indeed, there, Xiao Yan could sense an invisible force. Only those at the level of Five-Star Half-Emperor or higher could pass through it. Of course, with Xiao Yan's Spiritual Strength, he could easily pass through it as well. No wonder the old man said those words.
Realizing this, Xiao Yan's eyes flickered slightly. After a moment's thought, he finally lifted his foot again and slowly walked towards the staircase leading to the second floor.