Inside a spacious hall, Xiao Yan and the old man stood at this moment.
Xiao Yan sat down in the prepared chair without any hesitation, while the old man stood respectfully not far in front of Xiao Yan.
"Tell me, what's the message?"
Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes, staring at the old man in front of him. An invisible pressure seemed to gradually press down on the old man's heart, causing him to suddenly tighten his grip. Judging from Xiao Yan's appearance, he seemed to be ready to fight at the slightest provocation.
"Cough cough..."
The old man coughed twice, his Elder Zhang slightly pale, and after a brief pause, he cautiously spoke again to Xiao Yan:
"Sir, is there some problem with your Spiritual Strength?"
Xiao Yan frowned, surprised that the old man would ask such a question. His heart tightened, but then, as if afraid that Xiao Yan would misunderstand, the old man quickly spoke up:
"My lord, please don't misunderstand. I was just curious because I saw 'Soul Infant Fruit' written on this list, which is why I asked this question."
Hearing this, Xiao Yan's emotions gradually calmed down. At the same time, a chill appeared in his eyes as he looked at the old man, causing the old man to tremble slightly. He became even more wary of Xiao Yan.
"My soul is currently in need of a breakthrough, so I was just looking around. What, you seem quite curious about my condition!"
With a cold look in his eyes, Xiao Yan spoke in a slightly sinister tone.
"Well..."
The old man trembled, a chill instantly rising from the soles of his feet. He quickly bowed to Xiao Yan, coughed twice, and then said with an embarrassed expression:
"Ahem, you jest, sir. I was merely curious for a moment, nothing more..."
As the old man spoke, his voice unconsciously began to tremble, and at the same time, beads of cold sweat quickly rolled down the wrinkles on his forehead.
"And now?"
Xiao Yan's tone was indifferent and cold, but inwardly he felt a sense of relief.
"I'm not curious anymore, not curious, not curious."
The old man quickly lowered his head, his voice low and weak.
Xiao Yan sneered, but the old man in front of him was completely unaware of this because he had his head bowed deeply.
"Tell me, I don't believe you would ask those questions for no reason."
"Forehead..."
Xiao Yan softened his tone slightly, and the old man in front of him breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, he realized that he did have something to say, but he had forgotten it because of Xiao Yan's pressure and had become flustered.
"My lord, although we in the Four Pavilions do not possess the Soul Infant Fruit, I do know of a place where such a supreme treasure of heaven and earth, which inherently possesses Spiritual Strength, also exists."
"Um?!"
Xiao Yan's expression suddenly hardened, and a surge of joy rose in his heart. If what the old man said was true, then perhaps his Spiritual Strength would be able to break through to the third level.
Seeing the change in Xiao Yan's expression, the old man felt a surge of joy. Although alchemists were known for their strange and unpredictable nature, if he could please them, he might be able to bind the black-robed youth to himself. He wouldn't easily miss such a good opportunity.
Where is that thing you're talking about?
Coming to his senses, Xiao Yan did not ignore the old man's words because of his momentary excitement.
Seeing that Xiao Yan had regained his composure so quickly, the old man couldn't help but marvel. Such composure was truly unimaginable for a junior. After all, even some of the older generation of powerful figures probably wouldn't have been able to calm down so quickly after hearing such news.
After a slight pause, the old man mentally prepared his words, as he truly did not want to be glared at by Xiao Yan any longer.
After a few short breaths, the old man finally raised his face, slowly looking at Xiao Yan, and asked cautiously:
"Have you heard of the Ancient Ruins, sir?"
"Kindness?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan was taken aback, a look of doubt appearing on his face. He had never heard of what the old man was saying before.
Seeing the expression on Xiao Yan's face, the old man felt a slight sense of relief and let out a soft breath. Then, he said in a somewhat uncertain tone:
"My lord, recent rumors suggest that an ancient ruin has been discovered near the border of the Xilin Mountain Range, in a region bordering human settlements. The supreme treasure of heaven and earth, possessing Spiritual Strength, that you seek, is located there."
"You say I need it, but I don't even know what it is."
A slight glint appeared in Xiao Yan's eyes, but his tone remained extremely calm.
Upon hearing Xiao Yan's words, the old man couldn't help but smile awkwardly. He had originally intended to keep Xiao Yan in suspense, but judging from his expression, Xiao Yan was already getting impatient.
Left with no other choice, the old man could only smile awkwardly, then frowned slightly, feigning deep thought. After confirming that his memory was correct, he finally spoke to Xiao Yan, saying:
"My lord, what I'm referring to is the Soul-Congealing Fruit."
"Kindness!!!"
As soon as the old man finished speaking, Xiao Yan's heart trembled, and an extremely excited look surged in the depths of his eyes. Even his body, which was originally sitting in the chair, couldn't help but stand up abruptly at this moment. This alone was enough to prove the turmoil in Xiao Yan's heart at this moment.
" Soul-Congealing Fruit... Soul-Congealing Fruit, I never expected this! I wouldn't even dare to dream of such a thing, yet you've actually delivered it to my doorstep!"
He murmured softly, and Xiao Yan was also surprised by this.
As early as when Xiao Yan first wrote this list, he thought of the Soul-Congealing Fruit. This fruit was perfect for Xiao Yan Xiao Yan at his current level. With it, Xiao Yan was absolutely confident that he could break through to the level of a Spiritual Strength -Third-Tier Alchemist.
However, precisely because the Soul-Congealing Fruit has extraordinary effects, it is also rare and difficult to find. Therefore, Xiao Yan set his sights on the Soul Infant Fruit, which is relatively more likely to be found.
To Xiao Yan's surprise, while there was still no news about the Soul Infant Fruit, there was already progress on the Soul-Congealing Fruit.
The Soul-Congealing Fruit is neither a flower nor a fruit, but it possesses an extremely vast and pure Spiritual Strength. This vast Spiritual Strength is enough to allow an ordinary Second-Tier Alchemist to rapidly raise their Spiritual Strength to the level of Third-Tier Alchemist in the shortest amount of time!
Most importantly, the Soul-Congealing Fruit possesses immense Spiritual Strength that allows anyone to directly devour and refine it without causing any side effects. It is precisely for this reason that the Soul-Congealing Fruit has become the coveted object of all alchemists and array masters.
After all, if one were to rely solely on cultivation to improve Spiritual Strength, it would take an unknown amount of time. But now, a small fruit can create a Third-Tier Alchemist or a Third-Tier Formation Master in a short period of time. Such a huge temptation would surely tempt any alchemist below the third tier to miss it.
Even Xiao Yan was no exception to this.