Xiong
Zhuang's strength was at the level of an eight-star Great Dou Master, but his physical body was exceptionally powerful. Relying on his superhuman muscles, he dared to challenge ordinary two- or three-star Dou Ling. Therefore, he was considered a prominent figure in the inner courtyard of Canaan Academy, with a well-known reputation, especially after the previous batch of senior students left, his status naturally rose even higher.
This could be seen from his training room number. In the inner courtyard of Canaan Academy, the stronger one was, the better the resources one could enjoy. This was intentional on the part of Canaan Academy, to create a healthy competition among the inner courtyard students.
Strong individuals cannot be nurtured in a greenhouse; only through constant competition can one grow rapidly.
Therefore, Xiong Zhuang didn't spend much time finding information about the Snow Demon Sky Ape for Yao Yan. This was a powerful magical beast with strength approaching the fifth rank. Even within the inner courtyard of Canaan Academy, few students dared to provoke it. Even the senior students who had left earlier were said to have suffered at its hands, so quite a few people knew about it.
The elders of Canaan Academy didn't deliberately deal with it. For the students in the inner courtyard, this kind of peak fourth-rank magical beast, whose strength was comparable to the fifth rank, was the best training subject.
"Teacher, this Snow Demon Sky Ape is quite strong. It's rumored that it also possesses a berserk talent skill that can instantly boost its strength to the fifth rank, and even become stronger as it fights until it's exhausted. You must be careful and not be careless." After reporting the situation, Xiong Zhuang didn't forget to add a word of concern.
He was really afraid that Yao Yan would be caught off guard and suffer a setback, otherwise all his flattery would have been in vain.
Having finally managed to get on the coattails of a Dou Wang (Battle King) teacher, Xiong Zhuang didn't want to get off so quickly, especially since the other party was also an alchemist. He needed to seize the opportunity before others knew.
Actually, there were quite a few elders in the inner courtyard of Canaan Academy. Some of them were in seclusion, while the rest taught the inner courtyard disciples. Most of them had already been exploited by Xiong Zhuang, and now they couldn't be exploited anymore… There was no way around it; his reputation was ruined. However, his appetite was enormous, requiring several times the cultivation resources of ordinary academies, and he could only barely survive by relying on his juniors' 'tribute'.
But Yao Yan obviously didn't know any of this, and even if he did, he probably just laughed it off. He was satisfied with Xiong Zhuang's intelligence work, smiled, took out a bottle of pills from his storage ring, and tossed it over: "A Grade Three Qi-Returning Pill, here you go."
As soon as he finished speaking, Dou Qi wings condensed on his back, and with a slight tremor, his figure instantly soared into the sky, speeding towards the back mountain of the inner courtyard.
Xiong Zhuang watched Yao Yan's departing figure with envy, then looked down at the medicine bottle in his hand, eagerly opening it and inhaling the rich medicinal fragrance. A smile appeared on his face as he muttered, "As expected of an alchemist, so generous! Giving away a third-grade pill just for asking about information, much more generous than those old fogies in the inner courtyard..."
At this moment, he had already made up his mind to curry favor with Yao Yan and try to get as much benefit as possible.
...
In the back mountain of the inner courtyard of Canaan Academy, there is an extremely vast mountain range, its area no less than that of the Magical Beast Mountain Range of the Gama Empire. With just a brief perception using his soul power, Yao Yan sensed the aura of many third and fourth-tier magical beasts within it, their numbers no less than those in the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
"It seems Canaan Academy deliberately kept them in captivity, otherwise there wouldn't be so many third and fourth-tier magical beasts."
Yao Yan's eyes flickered slightly as he muttered to himself. He hadn't sensed any particularly powerful aura among them, clearly indicating that the strong sixth-tier magical beasts had been dealt with, leaving very few fifth-tier magical beasts. He hadn't encountered many along his journey.
Just as he was pondering this, a violent roar suddenly came from afar, dust billowed across the land, and the mournful cries of magical beasts echoed continuously.
He was startled by the sound, then swept his soul power over it, and an extremely bizarre scene immediately flashed into his mind. He saw a little girl, about eight or nine years old, barefoot, clinging to the paws of a giant wolf three or four meters tall, repeatedly slamming it back and forth. The brutal scene was visually striking.
"?!"
Yao Yan sensed the little girl's figure, his body also suddenly stopped, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes. He clearly hadn't expected to encounter this person here.
Zi Yan.
The legitimate daughter of a Nine-Star Dou Sheng peak Dragon Emperor, and the nominal heir of the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan.
"Boom!"
Just as Yao Yan was pondering, Zi Yan had already grabbed the demonic beast's paw and hurled it away. As it slid back several meters, she stood with her hands on her hips, looking both fierce and adorable, and said in a soft, sweet voice, "Do you submit? If not, come at me again! I'll beat you to death!"
As she spoke, she brandished her delicate little fist.
"Roar!"
The wolf-like demonic beast roared at Zi Yan with fear, its eyes showing some hesitation, seemingly unwilling to leave so easily.
Zi Yan narrowed her large purple eyes and said, "That's mine now!"
The wolf-like demonic beast growled softly, ultimately choosing to give up, and turned to flee into the distance.
Zi Yan watched the other person leave, her eyes fixed on the cave not far away. She sniffed the air, a purple glint flashing deep within her eyes, which then transformed into crescent moons. She then skipped happily towards the cave, ready to enjoy the food she had snatched.
But Zi Yan had only taken a few steps when she stopped. Her cute, fierce face held a hint of wariness as she stared at the newcomer. Her intuition told her that this human was dangerous, and she might not be a match for him.
But to simply give up the food she had painstakingly snatched was something Zi Yan was clearly unwilling to do. Her conflicted emotions made her grind her teeth, her eyes hardening with a fierce glint of purple light as she said, "You want to steal my things?!"
"Didn't you also steal from that Frost Moon Wolf?"
Yao Yan said softly, her gaze complex as she looked at the Dragon Emperor's legitimate daughter. Perhaps no one in the world would imagine that a princess of the Ancient Void Dragon Clan would be reduced to competing for food with a fourth-tier magical beast, her own growth severely restricted, practically malnourished.
The stronger the magical beast, the more nutrition it needs in its infancy, requiring vast amounts of spiritual resources to nourish its bloodline and allow it to grow rapidly.
Zi Yan clearly didn't have these resources; it was already a miracle she was even born.
"...I can't beat you, so you can have what's in the cave!"
Zi Yan clenched her fists, speaking with extreme resentment. However, having been bullied by countless magical beasts since childhood, she knew the meaning of seeking advantage and avoiding danger. Her intuition told her that if she fought the person in front of her, she would most likely be killed. As for invoking the name of Canaan Academy... she didn't yet understand the meaning of leveraging power.
Yao Yan smiled upon hearing this and said softly, "I never said I wanted to take what's in the cave from you... I'm a new teacher at Canaan Academy. Little girl, you should also be from Canaan Academy, right?"
His tone was gentle, much like a strange uncle who had turned right.
Upon hearing this, Zi Yan was also taken aback. She was familiar with the name Canaan Academy; the biggest change in her life recently was joining the academy. She was now surrounded by many humanoid creatures, who seemed more friendly than the magical beasts of the mountains, though they were also quite troublesome to deal with, always making her wear these cumbersome clothes.
"Then why haven't I seen you before?!"
Zi Yan looked at Yao Yan, blinking her big, cute eyes, tilting her head, and asking curiously.
"You're new here, of course you haven't seen me." Yao Yan didn't even blink, lying out of thin air, while pointing to the bruise on her arm, "Does it hurt?"
Although Zi Yan's true form was that of an Ancient Void Dragon, she was still in her juvenile stage, her body not yet fully grown. Accustomed to direct confrontations with magical beasts, her body naturally bore some bruises and marks. Judging from her nonchalant expression, she was clearly used to it.
"It hurts... but I'm used to it!" Zi Yan said nonchalantly. Upon learning that Yao Yan was also from Canaan Academy, her guard lowered considerably. She ran barefoot into the cave, and soon emerged carrying a string of bluish-purple fruits.
She seemed to have been starving for a long time, immediately stuffing two fruits into her mouth and chewing them voraciously. The sour, medicinal aroma filled the air, but it also caused her expression to contort.
Clearly, these things tasted terrible.
The lime fruit, a medicinal herb used to harmonize the body's meridians, has an incredibly sour and astringent taste… Yao Yan was amused by Zi Yan's immediate reaction and asked, "How does it taste?"
"It's awful, but it'll fill you up. Want one?"
Zi Yan chewed painfully, then picked up a lime and offered it to Yao Yan with her chubby little hand.
Yao Yan was taken aback by the lime fruit Zi Yan offered, then took it. After a moment's hesitation, he popped it into his mouth and chewed. Instantly, an indescribable sour and astringent taste swept through his mouth, making him shiver. He didn't bother to savor it, swallowing it whole and circulating his Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame to refine it.
It took him a while to recover. The taste was something Yao Yan knew he would never want to experience again.
"You treated me to fruit, so I'll treat you to something good,"
Yao Yan said with a smile, taking out a bottle of pills from his storage ring and handing it over.
Zi Yan, being a magical beast, was accustomed to swallowing medicinal herbs whole. After a brief moment of pain, she recovered. Looking at the medicine bottle Yao Yan handed her, she curiously opened it, sniffed it, and then asked uncertainly, "Is this a pill?"
Clearly, she knew about pills and had even secretly eaten some in the inner courtyard, knowing they were valuable.
So, almost without hesitation, she asked and swallowed the pill in one gulp. She then patted her little belly, squinted her eyes, and seemed to enjoy it.
"A healing pill, for external application..."
Yao Yan said somewhat slyly.
"It's fine, it's all made from medicinal herbs anyway, it's the same if I eat it and absorb it," Zi Yan said nonchalantly. Then, glancing at the sky, she continued to Yao Yan, "What are you doing here? Are you looking for something? Do you need my help?"
She felt that since she had eaten Yao Yan's food, she should help him.
Yao Yan pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "...Alright, do you know where the Snow Demon Sky Ape is?"
"That big guy is very dangerous, are you sure you can handle it?"
Zi Yan stared at Yao Yan with her large, watery eyes, somewhat uncertain. In her understanding, the gorilla in this area was also an extremely dangerous and unapproachable creature.
"No problem."
Yao Yan smiled and nodded, reaching out to stroke Zi Yan's soft purple hair.
Zi Yan, with Yao Yan's hand rubbing her head, stared at him with wide eyes and said softly, "If you can't handle it, I won't save you. That big guy is really dangerous; if pushed too far, it can go berserk."
"You've provoked it?" Yao Yan asked curiously.
"It has good things in its cave...but its nose is very sensitive. Every time I approach, it detects me. Several big guys tried to cause it trouble, and then it went berserk and tore one very powerful creature to pieces." Zi Yan said earnestly.
"Then I'll avenge you today~"
Yao Yan reached out and grabbed Zi Yan by the collar, lifting her up and holding her in his arms. Wings of battle aura appeared behind him, and he soared into the sky.
"...After I eat more, I can fly too!"
Zi Yan didn't resist, nestled in Yao Yan's arms, a strange emotion flickering in her eyes, and murmured softly.
"Alright, I'll wait for that day."
Yao Yan smiled.
...
The two quickly disappeared from the spot, and almost immediately after they left, ripples appeared in the surrounding space. Su Qian's figure then emerged from within them, his eyes fixed on the direction the two had gone, muttering to himself, "Zi Yan actually got close to him...it seems this boy has no ill intentions."
Zi Yan could sense the malice of others; her intuition was extremely sharp. Su Qian had discovered this when they were in the inner courtyard. She rarely interacted with those who harbored ill will towards her, while those who showed her kindness were constantly taken advantage of by her. Several elders of the Medicine Hall had been thoroughly tormented by Zi Yan.
This was also why Su Qian threw it here; only here could it grow rapidly.
The magical beast was finally different from humans.
"...Perhaps I'm overthinking it. How much thought could a mere boy possibly have?" Su Qian pondered. He felt he shouldn't think too badly of a boy, but adults are always wary of everything and like to observe things carefully.
The same applied to Yao Yan; after all, he was an outsider, and he knew nothing about him.
"Then let's observe further..."
Su Qian slowly stepped forward, and ripples spread through the space around him once more, engulfing his figure. As the ripples dissipated, he seemed to have never existed, only a gentle breeze passing by.
(End of Chapter)