Suppressing the surprise in his heart, Xiao Yan squeezed through the crowd and slowly walked towards this somewhat peculiar stone platform. Seeing his actions, the surrounding people couldn’t help but stop and cast curious and mocking glances at him. Stopping in front of the stone platform, Xiao Yan’s eyes directly focused on the green wood fairy vine. After a moment of hesitation, he stretched out his hand towards it.
“Shh…”
Just as Xiao Yan’s hand was about to touch the green wood fairy vine, a sharp gust of wind suddenly pierced the air. The force was so strong that it even made the hairs on Xiao Yan’s arm stand up slightly. Feeling the sharpness of the energy, Xiao Yan’s brows furrowed slightly. With a thought, a green flame instantly surged from within Nalan Yanran, then swiftly rushed through several meridians before bursting out and enveloping his rapidly retreating hand.
“Hmm?”
As the green flame enveloped Xiao Yan’s hand, a startled exclamation suddenly sounded, and the sharp gust of wind quickly dissipated. Successfully withdrawing his hand, Xiao Yan looked up at the gray-clothed man in front of him. At this moment, he had already opened his eyes, his face showing a hint of surprise as he gazed at Xiao Yan. As Xiao Yan’s gaze swept over the other’s eyes, he was slightly taken aback; the other’s eyes were filled with an unusual red glow, mixed with some agitation.
Xiao Yan was not unfamiliar with this red glow. Anyone who trained in the Heavenly Fire Venerable for a long time would experience this, usually called fire toxin invasion. However, the red glow Xiao Yan had seen in others’ eyes just a few days ago was only a small amount, while this guy… almost all of his eyes were filled with the red glow, clearly indicating a deep fire toxin invasion. This severe fire toxin invasion was the first such serious case Xiao Yan had encountered in a long time.
“Don’t touch if you don’t intend to buy,” the gray-clothed man with red eyes coldly glanced at Xiao Yan, retracted his knife-like fingers, and said indifferently.
Though amused by the man’s attitude, Xiao Yan shook his head helplessly. Now he understood why others avoided this guy. Even looking at the merchandise could almost get one attacked. Even if the items he displayed were of high rank, probably no one would dare to buy them.
“Who said I wasn’t going to buy?” Xiao Yan crossed his arms and replied in a similarly indifferent tone.
“Stop talking nonsense. If you want to buy, pay with ‘fire energy’ and stop wasting time,” the red-eyed man growled, slamming his palm onto the stone platform in frustration.
“The fire toxin has invaded so deeply… it must have affected his mind.” Ignoring the man’s scolding, Xiao Yan’s expression became slightly serious. He hadn’t expected the fire toxin in the Heavenly Fire Venerable to be so powerful. It seemed that during future training, even with the protection of the Green Lotus Heart Flame, he would need to be extremely cautious.
“How much is this green vine?” Xiao Yan pointed to the peculiar green wood fairy vine and asked indifferently. From the way the other placed this green vine in the most prominent position, it was clear that he knew it was quite rare. So, Xiao Yan doubted he could get it easily.
“Four hundred days of ‘fire energy,'” the gray-clothed man replied coldly.
The entire area fell silent as these words left his mouth. Everyone looked at him as if he were a madman. Four hundred days… such a large amount, some people might not even accumulate this much in a whole year or two. Wasn’t this price too outrageous? Although they could tell that this green vine was quite peculiar, no one would believe it was worth four hundred days of “fire energy.”
At such an astronomical price, even the onlookers and Xiao Yan himself couldn’t help but twitch their lips. Four hundred days… this guy…
“Isn’t that a bit too expensive?” Swallowing the lump in his throat, Xiao Yan frowned.
“Although I don’t know what this wood vine is, the fact that it was fought over by two Dou Wang-level magic beasts proves its value. Besides, I nearly lost my life to get it. So, four hundred days of ‘fire energy’ is not too much. If you can’t afford it, leave. Don’t waste my time,” the gray-clothed man glanced at Xiao Yan and waved his hand dismissively.
Though the gray-clothed man spoke lightly, his words still caused a stir among the surrounding crowd. Snatching something from two Dou Wang-level magic beasts… this guy truly lived up to his reputation as the most insane person in the inner courtyard.
A hint of surprise flashed in Xiao Yan’s eyes. His gaze on the gray-clothed man became more serious. If it were solely based on his own strength, Xiao Yan admitted that he wouldn’t have a high chance of successfully snatching such a rare item from two Dou Wang-level magic beasts. This guy, though arrogant, truly had some backing.
“Can we exchange for something else? Like bartering? I really can’t come up with four hundred days of fire energy,” Xiao Yan hesitated for a moment.
The green wood fairy vine was the main ingredient for the Earth Spirit Pill, and to successfully devour the Fallen Heart Flame, the Earth Spirit Pill was absolutely necessary. Therefore, no matter what, he had to obtain all the required materials for the Earth Spirit Pill before acquiring the Fallen Heart Flame. Although the materials for the Earth Spirit Pill weren’t many, each one was exceedingly rare. If he missed this green wood fairy vine today, Xiao Yan didn’t know when he would encounter it again. So, he certainly wouldn’t give up easily.
“Sure, I need battle techniques, at the earth class level. Do you have any?” The gray-clothed man didn’t hesitate at Xiao Yan’s suggestion, immediately offering another exchange. However, this price once again left Xiao Yan and the surrounding students speechless. In the inner courtyard, there were probably very few students who possessed battle techniques of the earth class.
Of course, Xiao Yan did indeed have one earth class battle technique, and it was a movement skill. But, he needed to train with it. Using it to trade for the green wood fairy vine felt like cutting off his own flesh.
His face changing between expressions, Xiao Yan shook his head under the watching gazes, saying slowly, “I don’t have an earth class battle technique either…”
The gray-clothed man gave him a disdainful look and closed his eyes again, ignoring him. Seeing Xiao Yan’s setback, the surrounding crowd couldn’t help but snicker quietly. Clearly, they found his self-inflicted predicament amusing.
“Truly a peculiar temperament…” Shaking his head helplessly, Xiao Yan ignored the laughter around him and didn’t leave. Standing in front of the stone platform, he pondered for a while, then his eyes suddenly lit up, sweeping over the gray-clothed man in front of him.
As Xiao Yan’s gaze swept over, about two minutes later, a powerful and somewhat furious aura suddenly burst out from the gray-clothed man. Under the sweep of this powerful aura, the surrounding students hastily retreated, their faces pale.
“This fool is in trouble. He actually angered Lin Yan, that madman…”
“Serves him right. Knowing that guy is the least patient in the entire academy, and yet he dares to dilly-dally with him, isn’t he just asking for a beating?”
“But this guy looks familiar…”
As the students retreated, some grumbled bitterly, and a chorus of complaints and mockery arose.
Under the powerful and furious aura of the gray-clothed man, Xiao Yan also took a step back, his heart slightly shaken. Just from this aura, the guy’s strength was likely above a seven-star Dou Ling.
Opening his eyes again, the gray-clothed man’s red eyes were full of anger. He looked at Xiao Yan and said in a cold voice, “Are you asking for a beating?”
“I don’t want to fight, but I’m very interested in this green vine,” Xiao Yan shrugged and said with a light smile.
“One minute. Leave the trading area,” the gray-clothed man took a deep breath, his voice trembling with suppressed rage.
“I don’t have four hundred days of ‘fire energy,’ nor do I have an earth class battle technique…” Xiao Yan scratched his head in distress, but before he could finish, the gray-clothed man’s suppressed aura erupted. He suddenly stood up, appearing in front of Xiao Yan in a flash, his eyes blood-red, his fists emitting a sharp wind, almost tearing the air, and leaving a faint red fist shadow.
The fierce energy coming at him didn’t make Xiao Yan flinch. Standing straight, he looked calmly at the eyes eroded by the fire toxin and said, “But I can help you expel the fire toxin from your body…”
“Shh…”
The fist wrapped in light red energy suddenly froze just two inches from Xiao Yan’s face, along with the stunned face of the gray-clothed man.
“You… what did you say?” The red in the gray-clothed man’s eyes dimmed a bit, and he spoke in a trembling voice.
Lightly touching the fist in front of him and slowly lowering it, Xiao Yan looked directly at the seemingly powerful man and said, “I will help you expel the fire toxin, and you give me the green wood vine. How about that deal?”
Hearing Xiao Yan’s words again, the gray-clothed man’s expression began to change drastically.
Ignoring his psychological struggle, Xiao Yan crossed his arms and waited quietly for the answer.
In the noisy trading area, this section fell into a brief silence. The gazes fixed on Xiao Yan were filled with astonishment. This guy had actually subdued the inner courtyard’s craziest madman, truly unbelievable.
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