Gazing at the collapsed magical beast beside him, Xiao Yan discarded the blood-stained cloth in his hand, then flipped his hand to produce a dagger. He crouched down and cut open the head of the magical beast, rummaging through it slowly. After a long while, Xiao Yan frowned, shaking his head helplessly. He wiped the blood off the dagger, got up, and shrugged at the crowd staring at him without blinking: “Looks like I’m quite unlucky, nothing here.”
Hearing Xiao Yan’s words, the group gradually came out of their shock. Seeing Xiao Yan’s empty hands, Ka Gang could only shake his head regretfully, then waved his hand and shouted loudly: “Everyone, help the captain deal with the other magical beast!”
Hearing Ka Gang’s shout, the Bloody Battle mercenaries quickly grabbed their weapons and surged towards Fei Lei’s battlefield, surrounding the magical beast. Under Fei Lei’s command, they began to surround and kill the beast.
Holding the heavy ruler, Xiao Yan leaned against a tree, biting a grass root. He looked down at his fist, the skin of which had been rubbed off and was dripping blood. His eyes, however, sparkled with excitement. Although the reason he had killed the second-stage magical beast with one punch was due to the attribute suppression, the power of the purple flame still far exceeded his expectations. In normal circumstances, even if he used the Eight Extremes Collapse, he could at most injure a second-stage magical beast; killing it would still be nearly impossible.
Lightly scratching at Nalan Ring, Xiao Yan took out a Qi Restoring Pill, and without any trace, slipped it into his mouth, swallowing it after a quick roll of his throat.
“Ah, this broken technique, if it doesn’t evolve soon, I won’t even be able to afford Qi Restoring Pills,” Xiao Yan sighed softly, feeling the gradual recovery of his Dou Qi.
While Xiao Yan leaned lazily against the tree, two graceful figures slowly approached him.
“Hey, Xiao Yan, are you okay?” The girl’s sweet voice made Xiao Yan raise his lazy head. He glanced casually at Ling’er, then his gaze lingered on the voluptuous woman beside her for a moment before lazily returning. For this girl who had left an impression of being willful, Xiao Yan had no inclination to pay much attention, so he responded indifferently: “I’m fine.”
Seeing Xiao Yan’s indifferent response, Ling’er’s pretty face turned slightly red. She opened her rosy lips, wanting to say something but unable to find the words to break the awkwardness. She must have known what impression she had left on him last time.
“Your hand is bleeding. Do you need bandaging?” Seeing the tense atmosphere, the voluptuous woman asked helplessly, her clear, crisp voice echoing in Xiao Yan’s ears.
Looking at the quite attractive woman, Xiao Yan scanned her body, shook his head slightly, and responded somewhat helplessly: “No, really, I’m fine.”
Xiao Yan’s indifferent response also made Qing Ye slightly startled. Not because she was self-absorbed, but with her appearance, she rarely encountered such treatment. However, being a proud person, she stopped asking when Xiao Yan shook his head and refused.
Thus, the atmosphere among the three once again became stifling.
After a while, the oppressive silence was finally broken by a joyous shout from the forest. Lifting their heads, they found that the magical beast battling Fei Lei had been defeated by the combined efforts of the group, no wonder they were so excited.
Throwing the corpse of the magical beast aside and instructing a few mercenaries to search for the Magic Core, Fei Lei, along with Ka Gang and others, laughed heartily as they walked towards Xiao Yan. Their hearty laughter scared away many birds in the forest: “Haha, Brother Xiao Yan, I’ve heard of your name for a long time, but I’ve never had the chance to see you in person. Thank you very much today.”
Xiao Yan smiled and shook his head, first greeting Ka Gang, then smiling at the seemingly bold and hearty man: “What good reputation could I have in Green Mountain Town?”
“Hehe, at such a young age, even Mu She, that cunning fellow, fell to you. That’s not a weak reputation; at least, no one in our Bloody Battle Mercenary Group can match you.” Fei Lei scrutinized Xiao Yan, unable to help but sigh and shake his head again. Judging from Xiao Yan’s previous performance, the rumor that he had killed Mu She was likely true. Who knew how this guy trained? At barely twenty years old, how could he be so monstrous?
Smiling casually, Xiao Yan looked up at the sky and said helplessly: “Sorry, there was no second-stage ice-type Magic Core in that magical beast, so I have to continue my search. I’m afraid I can’t chat with you anymore.”
Saying this, Xiao Yan slung the Heavy Ruler over his back and prepared to re-enter the forest to search for his target.
“I’m very sorry, I made you take a trip for nothing. If you don’t mind, would you like the Magic Crystal from the other magical beast? Although it’s earth-attribute.”
Fei Lei spread his hands apologetically.
“Forget it, I only need a second-stage ice-type Magic Core. You can keep that thing.”
Waving his hand and smiling, Xiao Yan turned and walked deeper into the dense forest.
“Wait.”
A clear, melodious voice suddenly came from behind, making Xiao Yan stop and turn around, looking at Qing Ye.
“Do you really need a second-stage ice-type Magic Core?”
Frowning, Qing Ye asked.
“Yeah, a bit urgent.”
Hearing this, Qing Ye hesitated slightly, then reached out her jade-like hand to slowly remove the pendant hanging from her slender neck. One end of the pendant was hidden under her leather armor. As she gently pulled, the pendant was fully revealed, and at the end, there hung a perfectly round, white ice bead.
“This is the Magic Core of a second-stage Snow Shell Beast. Since you helped our Bloody Battle Mercenary Group, let’s use it as payment.”
With some reluctance, Qing Ye stroked the beautiful white Magic Core, then tossed it to Xiao Yan.
Habitually, Xiao Yan caught the white Magic Core. It felt cool to the touch, and perhaps because it had been kept close to her body for a long time, it carried a faint, lingering scent.
“Qing Ye…”
Seeing Qing Ye’s action, Fei Lei couldn’t help calling out, then, after a moment’s thought, sighed helplessly: “Since you’re willing, then it’s up to you. But this is your personal item. We will compensate you with something else when we return. After all, it’s the team rule.”
“No need. If he hadn’t helped, we might have lost half of our companions.”
Shaking her head, Qing Ye smiled.
“Indeed, it’s a second-stage ice-type Magic Core.”
Slightly sensing the energy within the Magic Core, Xiao Yan also showed a pleased expression. He put the Magic Core away without hesitation, looked up at Qing Ye’s delicate face, and smiled: “Thank you. But this is your item, and I shouldn’t let you lose out. How about this…”
Frowning and pondering for a moment, Xiao Yan flipped his hand, and a small jade bottle appeared in his palm. He threw it to Qing Ye and laughed heartily: “There are five Qi Restoring Pills inside. They can help you quickly recover your Dou Qi in dangerous situations. In terms of value, it’s not inferior to your second-stage Magic Core. Let’s consider this a fair trade.”
Though initially not intending to accept Xiao Yan’s offer, when she heard the words “Qi Restoring Pills,” Qing Ye’s pretty face froze for a moment. Then, she hurriedly reached out, carefully catching the jade bottle. Opening it, her face was filled with surprise: “Is it really a pill?”
Hearing this, Fei Lei and the others were also moved. In their place, genuine pills refined by Alchemists were rarely seen, so seeing Xiao Yan actually produce five Qi Restoring Pills was quite shocking.
“This little guy indeed has a profound background. Judging from this gesture, he must be a young master from a major clan. Mu She really had bad luck.”
Looking at the jade bottle in Qing Ye’s hand, Fei Lei thought to himself.
“Everyone, thank you. Xiao Yan has urgent matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave now. Farewell!”
With the Magic Core in hand, Xiao Yan was eager to return and refine the two pills to swallow the purple flame. He bowed to Fei Lei and the others, stamped his foot on the ground, and shot swiftly into the dense forest, gradually disappearing from their sight.
Watching Xiao Yan slowly vanish into the darkness of the dense forest, Fei Lei couldn’t help but sigh and smile bitterly: “I wanted to invite Xiao Yan to join our Bloody Battle Mercenary Group, but seeing his grand gesture, I just can’t bring myself to ask.”
“Let’s go, don’t think too much. With his talent, he wouldn’t settle for a small mercenary group like ours. I guess he’s here in the Magical Beast Mountain Range to train. With his cultivation talent and wits, the vast world outside is where he will truly shine. We… should just be content with being small-time mercenaries. Maybe in ten or twenty years, when he returns to Green Mountain Town, he might be a Great Dou Shi, or even a Dou Ling.”
Putting away the jade bottle, Qing Ye turned and spoke calmly.
“Heh, that’s true.”
Shaking his head with a hint of self-deprecation, Fei Lei waved his hand, leading his subordinates and singing a victory song as they carried the two magical beast corpses back to Green Mountain Town. Though they didn’t have Xiao Yan’s innate talent for pursuing strength, small people still have their own comfortable lives.
Diving into the dense forest, Xiao Yan stopped after a swift run, his back slightly trembling as the Purple Cloud Wings slowly unfolded. Dou Qi circulated in his body a few times, finally pouring into the wings on his back.
Instantly, Xiao Yan’s body floated slowly, and with another flap of his wings, he broke free from the forest’s confines and soared into the blue sky. After determining his position, he flew swiftly towards the direction of the small valley.
On the way, Xiao Yan ate three Qi Restoring Pills, gradually spotting the small valley shrouded in thick fog. Feeling refreshed, he directly penetrated the fog and flew into the small valley. Just before landing, Xiao Yan’s wings trembled and turned into tattoos, sticking to his shoulders.
After a fierce battle, Xiao Yan finally returned to the peaceful valley and couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. He hurried to the thatched hut in the valley and saw Little Healer Immortal anxiously waiting. Seeing Xiao Yan return unharmed, Little Healer Immortal also felt a weight lifted off her heart.
After greeting Little Healer Immortal, Xiao Yan hastily gathered all the herbs needed for the two pills in the valley. With these done, he hugged the herbs and leaped into the cave on the mountain wall, ready to refine the two crucial pills for swallowing the purple flame!
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