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  Over the course of two months, with more than a thousand days' worth of Fire Energy, Xiao Ya his time soaking in the Bzing Sky Qi Refining Tower. Coupled with his Di Css Qi Method, his cultivation advanced by two stars, reag the 5-star Dou Spirit stage.

  Therefore, as soon as he left the tower, he sought out Zi Yan for a sparring match.

  The result was still the same. He couldn't defeat this cute little girl. Her physical strength was terrifyingly immense. Xiao Yaimated that her strength rivaled that of an exceptionally powerful Rank 5 magical beast. Just the explosive power from her body alone was equivalent to a 5-star Dou King.

  Moreover, Zi Yan possessed some strange Spatial Strength. As a result, regardless of all his improvements, he still could not overe her.

  "Hmph! Of course! You think my position as number one orong Ranking was just for show?" Zi Yaracted her purple Dou Qi Wings and slowly desded beside Xiao Yan.

  Xiao Yan patted the dust off his clothes and stood up slowly.

  He had already decided to participate in this year's Strong Ranking Grand petition and aimed to secure a spot iop ten.

  Because as long as he could ehe top ten in this petition, he would qualify to bee an elder didate. Additionally, he would gain the opportunity to ehe ninth floor of the Bzing Sky Qi Refining Tower to undergo the Essence Heart Fme Body F!

  Essence Heart Fme—Xiao Yan immediately uood what this on hearing it.

  The Bzing Sky Qi Refining Tower had ten floors in total. Even someone like Zi Yan, who was ranked first orong Ranking, could only reach up to the seventh floor, while the eighth floor was essentially reserved for elders.

  As for the purple Fire Crystal Cards, oe Dou Emperors at the Dean level could possess them—for example, the peak Dou Emperor Hu Gan, the Deputy Headmaster of the Outer Academy, and Su Qian, the First Elder of the Inner Academy who possessed Dou Aor strength.

  Because after reag the Dou Emperor realm, only the essence of the Falle Fme could accelerate their Dou Qi cultivation.

  Simply put, after undergoing the Essence Heart Fme Body F, as long as one wasremely unlucky, it was equivalent to obtaining a pass to advao the Dou King realm, with a high ce to break through to Dou Emperor.

  That's why so many coveted a spot iop ten of the Strong Ranking.

  "Just what is your background, little girl? I've advao a 5-star Dou Spirit, and I've reached the entry level in the Di Css Dou Teiques I've learned, yet I still 't defeat you." It was one of the few times in his life that Xiao Ya puzzled.

  Currently, he could skillfully use 'Lightning Fsh,' the entry-level teique of the Three Thousand Lightning Movement, which allowed him to fsh over thirty meters instantly, and he was diligently w toward achieving 'Instant Lightning' at the minor mastery level.

  After Zi Yan's guidance, he had also learo utilize the A Dragon Roar with his soul. Although it was still at the entry level and could only unleash rge-scale roars or target enemies directly in front of him, once he reached minor mastery he would be able to modute the sound.

  If he reached major mastery, he could even dehe sound waves into a single line, achieving the terrifying effect of shattering an enemy's soul from a hundred miles away.

  But even with all these teiques, he still couldn't defeat Zi Yan.

  "I don't kher. It would be great if I did." Zi Yan pouted, then reached into the void and produced three tier 5 medial herbs, which she tossed to Xiao Yan.

  "Help me make them taste good. I'm going bato the Bzing Sky Qi Refining Tower to cultivate."

  Xiao Yan caught the medial ingredients with a smile and nodded. He waved his hand to summon his medial cauldron and pced the herbs into it one by ohen he added some sugar, vanil, rose petals, and redients.

  He refined several rge bottles of dy-like pills.

  The cultivation of magical beasts was different from that of humans. They didn't cultivate Qi Methods; their bloodlines were innate Qi Methods that allowed them to absorb the energy of the world through their bloodlirength to grow. To accelerate growth, they o e and digest medial ingredients.

  Every month, Zi Yan would spend siderable time searg deep mountains and forests for Heavenly Treasures. After ing them, she would ehe Bzing Sky Qi Refining Tower and use the Falle Fme to quickly digest the medial properties, accelerating her growth.

  Acc to Zi Yan, she could sense pces with abundant energy, which helped her find these treasures. She had a natural talent for treasure hunting!

  Xiao Yan had also goreasure hunting with her, but the problem was that although she could indeed sense pces with abundant energy—and those pces did have heavenly treasures—they were guarded by magical beasts, aremely powerful o that.

  After obtaining the jade bottles, Zi Yan quickly poured out a golden pill. Ign its residual heat, she popped it into her mouth and chewed vigorously.

  (╯▽╰)

  "Delicious! So sweet and fragrant." After chewing and swallowing the pill in just a few bites, Zi Yan licked her lips and looked at the jade bottle in her hand with lingering desire.

  Zi Yan wasn't serving as Xiao Yan's sparring partner free of charge. His payment was helpiransform the bitterness, sourness, and spiess of the medial ingredients into something delicious, almost like dy.

  Xiao Yan had probably never imagihat one day his alchemy skills would be used to make dy!

  "By the way, Zi Yan, when you're not using your No. 1 cultivation room, could you lend it to me?" Xiao Yan rubbed his nose somewhat awkwardly. After all, asking an eleven- or twelve-year-old looking little girl for something made him feel a bit embarrassed.

  But now that his cultivation had reached the 5-star Dou Spirit stage, even the best cultivation rooms on the sixth floor had limited effects. Ordinary 5-star Dou Spirits could barely hahe sixth floor, and only an abnormal person like Xiao Yan dared to veo the seventh floor at this level, and he even wao ehe No. 1 cultivation room.

  Although he had sidered taking Yao Sheng's 17th rank orong Ranking, he estimated that the 17th-ranked cultivation room wasn't eveenth as good as Zi Yan's No. 1 room.

  Fire Energy wasn't a big issue, but wasting time was.

  Zi Yan patted her small chest and said generously, "No problem! It would be idle anyway if I didn't use it. But while you're cultivating, I'll e find you to make pills for me, okay?"

  "Of course, that's no problem at all. It's a small matter."

  After bidding farewell to Zi Yan, Xiao Yan sat on the ground and pondered.

  Meow! Mao Wu emerged from the void and meowed.

  "It is indeed a problem. The Falle Fme is different from ordinary Heavenly Fmes; it's a 'magical' attack."

  Xiao Yan was noeak 5th-tier Alchemist. Refining a tier 5 Blood Lotus Essence Pill was no longer an issue, but the Blood Lotus Essence Pill could only protect the body a the high temperatures of Heavenly Fmes.

  The Falle Fme, however, was a kind of Heavenly Fme that appeared directly in one's heart, burning from within, so the Blood Lotus Essence Pill had little effect.

  Xiao Yan did have a pill recipe that could protect the body's interior; it was called the Ground Spirit Pill. This pill would produce a protective effeside the body and help prevent attacks such as sonic Dou Teiques and the heart fmes of the Falle Fme.

  The problem was that this was a tier 6 pill, and he hadn't yet gathered all the main ingredients.

  "Let's try our luck. Maybe the Inner Academy's trading area has it." Xiao Yan took out his Fire Crystal Card; he still had over a thousand days' worth of Fire Energy.

  …

  Xun Er, dressed in a gown, was holding a book and reading in her room. Uhe soft sunlight filtering through the window, her exquisitely beautiful face made one want to indulge and lose oneself.

  Knock, knock, knock.

  "Xun Er, are you free now?"

  Upon hearing Xiao Yan's voice, Xun Er immediately put down her book, ran to the door, and ope with a click. Upon seeing his face, she revealed a rare smile that outsiders seldom saw.

  The slender and graceful figure of the young dy stood before him. The faint fragrahat greeted him made Xiao Yan's heart tremble slightly. Unbeknownst to him, the little girl who once followed him around had grown into such a graceful and enting young woman.

  "Xiao Yan ge-ge, what brings you to see Xuoday?" Xun Er blinked her eyes, her words carrying a hint of gentle reproach for his long hours cultivating in the Bzing Sky Qi Refining Tower.

  Xiao Yan smiled awkwardly. "Well, we've been in the Inner Academy for so long, and I haven't taken you around to explore. Today, with the nice weather, a gentle breeze, and the bright sun, it's a perfect day. So I've e to ihe lovely and kind Miss Xuo stroll around the Inner Academy's trading area."

  Xun Er covered her mouth and giggled. Her clear eyes, as pure as spring water, gazed at Xiao Yan. She leaned into his embrad affeately said, "How could Xun Er ever bme Xiao Yan ge-ge?"

  Xiao Yaly ed his hands around her slender waist and lightly kissed her silky hair. Feeling his warmth, a faint blush appeared on Xun Er's fair and delicate cheeks. This shy demeanor was entirely different from her usual calm and posed self. One couldn't deny that Xu this moment was extraordinarily charming.

  "Xun Er..."

  With a man and a woman alone in a room, it was easy for thoughts to turn to less wholesome matters. Xun Er's cheeks reddened as she quickly stepped bad shyly said, "Didn't Xiao Yan ge-ge say he wao go for a stroll in the Inner Academy? Let's go."

  Xiao Yan cleared his throat lightly. After all, it was broad daylight, not the appropriate time for anything too... adult.

  Holding her soft, jade-like hand, the two walked toward the Inner Academy's trading area while chatting and ughing along the way.

  The Inner Academy was extremely vast, and it took Xiao Yan half an hour to reach the trading area. However, he wasn't in a hurry, as he chatted endlessly with Xun Er about everything uhe sun.

  "Ugh, I don't want it." Xun Er looked at the stinky tofu Xiao Yan handed her with a face full of distaste, ping her nose.

  "I'm not lying to you. Although this thing smells bad, it tastes delicious. Try it if you don't believe me."

  "No way!"

  Irading pza, numerous stoforms were set up, filled with a dazzling array of items. Crowds hustled about outside the ptforms. The lively atmosphere made Xiao Yan click his tongue in amazement.

  However, the intimate appearance of Xiao Yan and Xutracted tless gazes. Of course, most onlookers wished they could strangle Xiao Yan.

  As they walked, their gazes tinually swept over the items ooforms on both sides. The more he looked, the more surprised Xiao Yan became.

  He discovered that some of the items for sale here were on par with those found in the major cities of the Bck-er Region. Perhaps because the Inner Academy y deep in vast mountains, some rare items here were hard to find even in the shops of the Bck-er Region.

  "There are quite a few treasures here." Xiao Yan squatted down and examihe fiems at a stall in front of him.

  Xun Er, oher hand, seemed less ied and was instead pting the stinky tofu in her haing this thing was more challenging for her thaing a Dou King.

  After walking a while longer, Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed as he looked toward a particur stall.

  'Isn't that Lin Yan, ranked ninth orong Ranking?' Xiao Yan reized the stall owhey had met during the fa battle.

  Dressed in gray, Lin Yan noticed Xiao Yan's approach. He raised his head, and his blood-red eyes made Xiao Yan frown.

  'Those eyes... Fire poison invading the heart?' Xiao Yan was indeed a peak 5th-tier alchemist. He could tell at a ghat Lin Yan had stayed in the Bzing Sky Qi Refining Tower for too long and had actally goo cultivatioion, allowing fire poison to invade his heart.

  However, his attention was quickly drawn to a medial ingredient at Lin Yan's stall.

  "Green Wood Celestial Vine! One of the main ingredients for the Ground Spirit Pill!"