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  In the end, after refining the medial ingredients into dies for Zi Yan, Xiao Yan curiously followed her outside a warehouse.

  He learhrough Zi Yan's introdu that this was the Medial Warehouse of the Inner Academy, overseen by Elder Hao. It stored all the medial ingredients acquired by the academy.

  When students gathered medial ingredients from the wild, they could choose either to sell them themselves irading area or to directly sell them to the Inner Academy in exge for Fire Energy or even acquire Qi Methods and Dou Teiques.

  A vast colle of medial ingredients had accumuted over time.

  As the Inner Academy's ste facility for preedial materials, this Medial Warehouse had rather strict defenses. Not only was it overseen by the elite Dou King Elder Hao, but over a dozen instructors also patrolled around the clock. Generally, students were forbidden from entering this area.

  However, Zi Yan's special ability allowed her to manipute space. She tore open the barrier aly slipped into the warehouse!

  Xiao Yan was now one hundred pert certain that Zi Yan's bloodlirength allowed her to traverse the void, bearing some simirities to the abilities of the Nihility Dev Fme!

  He gnced around as he followed Zi Yan inside. Amazement gradually appeared on his face. The inner walls of the entire room were ed in a yer of milky‐white jade. Even the floor beh their feet was posed of ly arranged, seam‐free pieces of white jade. Faint fluorest light emanated from these white jade pieces.

  'What a graure, as expected of the Inner Academy's Medial Warehouse,' Xiao Yan clicked his tohese white jade pieces were extremely expensive, yet they were highly effective in preserving medial ingredients. In this airtight enviro, these valuable ingredients retained even the slightest medial properties, and their ste time was greatly extended. Su arra was far beyond what he could achieve by st ingredients in his ste ring.

  Back then, only the Misty Cloud Sect's medial warehouse had such grandeur. Medusa's impoverished treasury couldn't pare at all.

  The spacious room that was surrounded by white jade had a couple built-in walkways. On both sides of the walkways stood tall, rge shelves made of white jade. Xiao Yan casually walked toward one of them, his gaze drifting over the shelves. Various unique medial ingredients, whie could identify as beiremely rare at a gnce, were quietly pced there, their distinct medial fragrances faintly drifting through the air.

  "Yin Magical Fme Grass… Purple Spirit Pstic Flower… Hmm, this seems to be the... Cold Blood Fruit?"

  Xiao Yan walked along the walkways beside the shelves as he slowly made his way around. The variety of unique medial ingredients deepehe sho his face. In the end, he was uo name some of them. However, from the medial fragrahey emitted, one could tell that they beloo a category of spiritual medies so rare that one might not find one ihousand medial ingredients.

  However, all these medial ingredients were enveloped by energy shields.

  "Do you want some?" Zi Yan's jade-like hand passed unimpeded through the energy shield as it retrieved a stalk of Dou King Grass.

  Xiao Yan's throat moved as he swallowed a mouthful of saliva. Were it not for his remaining rationality, he might have been uo resist colleg all these medial ingredients into his ste ring. However, the thought fshed through his mind and was quickly suppressed.

  If he really did such a thing, he probably wouldn't be able to remain in the Inner Academy; in that case, the matter of obtaining the Falle Fme would also fall through. No matter how rare these medial ingredients were, they couldn't pare to the Falle Fme.

  Moreover, he could say with 100% certainty that Zi Yan being able to take medial ingredients from here wasn't just because of her special ability, but likely also the Inner Academy's way of nurturing her.

  If he were to take medial ingredients from here, there was a or of ten ce that he would be discovered.

  Xiao Yan swallowed and shook his head. "You should take less iure. If you take too much, I'm afraid—"

  Just as he was early lecturing Zi Yan, a palm-sized fruit suddenly caught his attention.

  'Asparagus Ice Fire Fruit!!! The st main ingredient for the Ground Spirit Pill!' Xiao Yan was shocked. He hadn't expected to find it here!

  Zi Yan raised an eyebrow and smiled knowingly. Her slender little hand appeared as if from thin air as she reached through the protective shield, took out the Asparagus Ice Fire Fruit, and waved it in front of him.

  "Xiao-Yan-Zi, do you want this fruit?" Zi Yan, with her bck hair in double pigtails, revealed a devilish smile on her childish face, especially those little tiger teeth that made her look like a little devil.

  In Xiao Yan's eyes, she was indeed a little devil, tempting him to fall together with her!

  Xiao Yan sighed. He definitely wa.

  He took out a brocade box from his ste ring and, with a helpless sigh, ha to Zi Yan. "Well, I 't just take it for nothing. Inside is a low-grade tier 5 medial pill, roughly equivalent in value to the Asparagus Ice Fire Fruit."

  "Please help me pce it i least it be sidered an exge."

  Xiao Yan still upheld his iy and refrained from itting theft in front of Zi Yan. Although it was a one-sided transa, at least it remained a form of exge.

  He looked at the pouting Zi Yan aly patted her little head. How could he not know what she was thinking? Taking medial ingredients directly from the warehouse was far more fortable and vehan peting with powerful magical beasts in the wilderness. She wanted his approval.

  "If you run out of medial ingredients iure, I'll apany you to find some."

  "Really!"

  "Of course it's true. Here, take this. sider it your reward for helping me find the Asparagus Ice Fire Fruit."

  Xiao Yan took out another brocade box and ha to Zi Yan. She couldn't wait to open it. Instantly, a green light burst forth, and a wave of scorg fire energy emanated from the brocade box.

  A Core-Fire Lotus Seed resembling an emerald gemstone y quietly inside.

  The energy tained within this Core-Fire Lotus Seed was definitely not weaker than that of any tier 5 medial ingredient, and it erfect for Zi Yan.

  "Who's in there!!!" Suddenly, an angry roar echoed from the entrahe energy from the Core-Fire Lotus Seed had armed Elder Hao!

  "Run! If he catches us, we'll be in for another scolding," Zi Yan urged, and she and Xiao Yan instantly spread their wings and flew out through the hole she had torn open.

  By the time Elder Hao arrived, the two little thieves had long since fled.

  "It must be that girl Zi Yan again. She's really treating my pce like a teen, ing to take a bite every few days!"

  "Hmm? What's this?" Elder Hao looked puzzled. The Asparagus Ice Fire Fruit was missing, and in its pce was actually a brocade box.

  Elder Hao took out a jade tokeivated the protective shield, arieved the brocade box. Upon opening it, he found a round pill lying quietly inside.

  "A tier 5 medial pill!"

  Elder Hao was pletely stunned. The medial ingredient had turned into a pill???

  Iingly, the Rank 6 ice-attribute Monster Core required for the Ground Spirit Pill had been obtained by Xiao Yan from Elder Hao himself in exge for a Core-Fire Lotus Seed.

  …

  Time flew by, and another month passed. Xiao Yan cultivated in the No. 1 cultivation room for awenty days, but this time he did not break through from a 6-star Dou Spirit to a 7-star Dou Spirit. Even with his unique advantages and the powerful Fme Mantra, twenty days weren't enough to advance.

  However, he was fag a challenge greater than merely improving his strength at this moment: resistiation.

  "e in," Medusa's cold voice called from ihe room. Xiao Yan silently recited Xun Er's name in his heart as he tried to clear his mind of distrag thoughts.

  But wheered and saw Medusa soaking in the wooden tub, his resolve wavered slightly.

  Although he could only see above her shoulders, the beauty was right before his eyes. Her fair neck was exposed, her skin as smooth as jade, and her jet-bck hair was coiled up with droplets of water falling from the tips. Such a se was difficult to describe with mere words; it icture of absolute perfe. Even Xiao Yan couldn't help but be amazed by her unparalleled beauty.

  At that moment, he couldn't help but imagihe enting curves and valleys hiddeh the water, envisioning ses that would make one's blood boil.

  A natural stunner!

  Medusa's eyes sharpened as she said coldly, "Done looking!"

  "N-no, I mean, yes, yes, I'm done, I'm done," Xiao Yan stammered, feeling the bone-chilling killing i as he hurriedly moved behind Medusa and lightly pced his trembling right hand on her smooth back.

  The momeouched her skin, even his soul seemed to tremble.

  'I'm poisoned, I must be poisoned!' Xiao Yan shouted in his heart. He was wholeheartedly devoted to Xuhis was just the poison taking effect!

  Medusa had three forms: the serpent form of the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python, the human form with bck hair, arue form with a human upper body and a snake lower body, which was the form she had wheacked him a month ago.

  Strands of the Ten Thousa Fme flowed into Medusa's body through her skin, helping her dehe Heavenly Fme energy she had absorbed.

  About half a day ter, Xiao Yaracted all the fmes a out a long breath. "Your body has now fully recovered to the level of a Rank 6 magical beast, but to reach Rank 7, the energy required is immense. Who knows how long it will take if we rely solely on the Heavenly Fme energy from the No. 1 cultivation room?"

  A Rank 6 magical beast was equivalent to the Dou Emperor realm. This level far exceeded the strength of Inner Academy students and even surpassed that of the elders. Signifit effects would only be noticeable on the ninth or eveh floors.

  The energy acceleration from the No. 1 cultivation room was no longer as effective.

  A seven-colored light fshed as Medusa quickly dressed and transformed bato her human form. Her jade-like feet lightly stepped in the air as she coldly asked, "'t we go to the eighth floor?"

  Xiao Yan gave a wry smile as he looked at the beautiful yet edusa before him. "That's easy for you to say. Not to mention that only elders access the eighth floor; even the Fire Energy required is something I 't afford."

  He wao cry. His Fire Crystal Card had only a little over a hundred Fire Energy left! Forty days in the No. 1 cultivation room had ed 1,200 Fire Energy, and with the medial liquid for the wooden tub, his savings were pletely depleted.

  So pitiful! They said I was supposed to eat soft rice, but why am I the one spending all the money now!

  Medusa saw Xiao Yan's pitiful appearance, and the ess on her beautiful face softened a bit.

  Suddenly, Xiao Yan abruptly stood up, his eyes showing a hint of panic as he said, "Quick, you o go back."

  Medusa goward the doorway and, without saying anything, transformed into a streak of light auro the Green Lotus before being stored in his ste ring.

  With a cp of Xiao Yan's hands, the Nihility Dev Fme whooshed out, turning the wooden tub into nothingness. Then, he looked around nervously, hurriedly took out his medial cauldron, aracted bursts of medial fragrance from several medial ingredients.

  Knock, knock, knock.

  A knog sound came from the door. "Xiao Yan ge-ge, are you free right now?"

  Hearing Xun Er's voice, Xiao Yan hastily straightened his clothes while ughing bitterly in his heart. 'I clearly didn't do anything! Why am I feeling guilty?'