Beyond the wooden door was a spacious room enveloped in a faint, glowing light. Xiao Yan stepped in slowly, his gaze sweeping around. A look of astonishment gradually spread across his face. The entire room’s interior walls were encased in a layer of milky white jade, and even the floor was seamlessly constructed from extremely neat blocks of white jade. The soft, glowing light emanated from within these white jades.
“Truly a lavish setup,” Xiao Yan exclaimed, his mouth agape. These white jade stones were quite expensive, but they had an excellent effect in preserving medicinal ingredients. In such a sealed space, the valuable medicinal herbs would not lose any efficacy, and their storage time could be greatly extended. This kind of arrangement far surpassed what Xiao Yan could achieve with his storage ring.
Inside the room, several corridors were set up. On both sides of the corridors stood tall counters, also made entirely of white jade. Xiao Yan casually walked down one of the corridors, glancing at the contents of the counters. There he saw a variety of strange-looking herbs, clearly very rare, quietly standing there, emitting a subtle and distinct fragrance.
“Yin-Han Magic Flame Grass… Purple Spirit Body-Forming Flower… This one, I think it’s called… Cold Blood Fruit?” As he walked past the counters, the exotic herbs displayed there made the amazement on Xiao Yan’s face grow deeper. Eventually, some of the herbs’ names he could no longer recall, but from the fragrances they emitted, he knew they were undoubtedly incredibly rare and precious.
It took nearly ten minutes for Xiao Yan to walk through this corridor. Although he did not find the Dragon Whisker Ice Fire Fruit he needed, the other rare herbs made his heart race. His throat rolled as he swallowed a mouthful of saliva. If not for his rationality, he might have been tempted to stuff all these herbs into his storage ring. But such thoughts were quickly suppressed; if he actually did that, he would no longer be able to stay in the Inner Academy. Then, his plans to obtain the “Falling Heart Flame” would be ruined. Though these herbs were rare, compared to the latter, they paled in importance.
His eyes fixed on a blood-red, twisted branch resembling a winding snake. Xiao Yan’s salivation seemed to increase. He recognized this—Pharmacist Elder had once mentioned it, the “Blood Viper Branch,” a very rare herb, and a key ingredient in the “Battle Spirit Pill.”
The “Battle Spirit Pill” was one of the most sought-after sixth-grade pills among the continent’s strong. It could only be taken by those at the Dou Wang level, and taking just one pill would allow them to ascend a level without any risk. Of course, in this level, only one pill could be taken; more would be wasted due to the pill’s resistance. At the Dou Wang level, it could take years to advance a level, but this small pill could bypass that long process without any side effects. No wonder the Dou Wangs were crazy about it.
“Ah, something to look at but not touch.” Forcing himself to look away from the “Blood Viper Branch,” Xiao Yan smiled wryly and turned, forcing himself to walk down another corridor in search of the herbs he needed.
The spacious white jade room had nearly six or seven crisscrossing corridors, storing over a hundred types of herbs, all of them rare. As Xiao Yan strolled down each corridor, approaching the last one, his steps finally halted again. His eyes were fixed on the counter before him.
On the counter lay an exquisite jade plate, on which a palm-sized fruit was placed. The fruit was peculiar, half red and half white. Even from two feet away, Xiao Yan could feel the heat radiating from the red side, while the white side emitted a completely different, icy coldness. Two almost opposite attributes perfectly fused into one fruit. It was truly a marvel of nature.
Additionally, on the surface of this ice-fire fruit, faint lines seemed to run, crisscrossing in a hidden pattern, yet indecipherable upon closer inspection.
Staring joyfully at the peculiar fruit, although Xiao Yan had never seen a so-called Dragon Whisker Ice Fire Fruit, based on Pharmacist Elder’s description, he could determine that this was the last herb he was searching for: the Dragon Whisker Ice Fire Fruit!
“Finally found it. The Inner Academy indeed has a rich collection, even storing such rare herbs.” Unable to hide his joy, Xiao Yan rubbed his hands excitedly and reached out to take the Dragon Whisker Ice Fire Fruit.
Just as his hand stretched out, a very slender little hand appeared as if from nowhere, grabbing the Dragon Whisker Ice Fire Fruit in front of Xiao Yan’s astonished gaze.
Caught off guard, Xiao Yan’s eyes widened as he stared at the empty jade plate. Instantly, he turned his head, his eyes filled with shock, looking at the person beside him.
When he saw the owner of the little hand, Xiao Yan’s lips twitched slightly.
A young girl, barely reaching his waist, appeared beside him. She looked to be around twelve or thirteen, with pale purple hair cascading to her waist. Her face was extremely fair and delicate, like a porcelain doll. Her large, dark eyes blinked at Xiao Yan, exuding a magical allure that instantly dispelled his shock.
Xiao Yan’s throat moved as his gaze shifted downward. He noticed the girl’s left hand holding a golden, metal-like herb, while her right hand clutched his target, the Ice Fire Dragon Whisker Fruit.
Blinking, Xiao Yan recalled the previous scene, feeling a sudden shock. When did this little girl arrive? If not for her grabbing the fruit, he wouldn’t have known she was there…
The little girl, with her innocent eyes, looked at Xiao Yan for a moment before suddenly raising the metal-like herb to her small mouth, as if intending to bite into it.
“No!” Seeing this, Xiao Yan shouted instinctively. He recognized it as the “Golden Diamond Bodhi,” a rare herb used for alchemy, but its body was as hard as steel. Not even teeth or ordinary flames could damage it.
Ignoring Xiao Yan, the little girl bit down, and a crisp sound like breaking rock echoed in the room. Xiao Yan stared at a small dent in the “Golden Diamond Bodhi,” where tiny tooth marks were visible. Drops of golden liquid dripped onto the white jade floor, glaringly bright.
“Crunch, crunch…” The little girl chewed on the “Golden Diamond Bodhi,” a golden liquid oozing from the corner of her mouth, trailing down her chin. The hard, steel-like “Golden Diamond Bodhi” was as easily crushed as a snack in her mouth.
After a long moment of stunned silence, Xiao Yan finally recovered, feeling a deep pang of regret as he looked at the golden liquid on the girl’s lips. It was such a waste of a precious herb.
Wiping the golden liquid from her lips with a pink hand, the girl glanced at Xiao Yan, her dark eyes showing a hint of indifference. Raising the other hand with the “Ice Fire Dragon Whisker Fruit,” she opened her small mouth, seemingly ready to bite into it.
Her action sent chills down Xiao Yan’s spine. This “Ice Fire Dragon Whisker Fruit” had taken him so long to find. If she bit into it, when would he find another?
“Don’t eat it!” Shouting again, Xiao Yan’s hand darted out, trying to grab the “Ice Fire Dragon Whisker Fruit.”
As his hand reached out, the little girl’s hand, still holding the “Golden Diamond Bodhi,” shot out, her slender, pale fingers lightly pinching Xiao Yan’s hand.
Though her movement was graceful, Xiao Yan’s face changed instantly. Fear couldn’t help but appear on his face. What kind of creature is this little girl? At such a young age, she possessed strength that even ordinary Dou Wangs lacked.
While thinking, Xiao Yan felt a cold sweat on his back. After pinching Xiao Yan’s hand, the little girl’s mouth moved, and a childlike, clear voice, tinged with indifference, resonated in the room. Or perhaps it was an illusion, but Xiao Yan sensed a faint, murderous intent in her voice.
“Do you want to steal my things?”
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