Gazing at the pale blue metal fragment in her hand, the face of Yun Yun, the master of the Yunlan Sect, flickered with a rare urgency, a first for her serene and beautiful visage. Her jade-like hands clenched tightly as a myriad of thoughts raced through her mind. “How could a fragment of the Heart of the Sea armor appear here? Was that little guy here earlier too? Since the Heart of the Sea armor is shattered, he must have been severely injured. But why is it that he seems to be involved in every significant event?”
Her gaze swept over the ground with a hint of anxiety, but she found no suspicious traces. The brocade-robed woman’s willowy brows furrowed, and a tinge of anger simmered beneath her surface.
“Master Yunyun, what’s going on?” The elder standing beside her was taken aback by her unusual demeanor, his voice tinged with surprise. It was the first time he had seen so many varied emotions flash across the face of the usually composed Yunlan Sect’s master.
“Hehe, nothing serious.” Snapped out of her reverie by the elder’s voice, the brocade-robed woman swiftly masked her anxiety, quickly regaining her calm composure. She smiled and, in front of the elder, placed the fragment of the Heart of the Sea armor into her storage ring. In a low, thoughtful tone, she said, “Elder Jia, I think we should investigate the exact identities of those four Douhuang experts who were here earlier. After all, those two foreign Douhuang experts infiltrating the Jia Ma Empire must not be just for a leisurely visit.”
Hearing this, the elder looked at her with a touch of surprise. With her character, she wasn’t the type to show interest in such matters.
“What exactly was that metal fragment?” A flicker of doubt crossed his mind. As a guardian of the imperial royal family, investigating these foreign experts was within his purview. He had actually intended to ask the Yunlan Sect for help, but she had offered it first. So, he nodded with a smile, saying, “Alright, that sounds good.”
“Below us is Yancheng, where the headquarters of the Mo Family is located. Let’s gather some intelligence first.” Her eyes scanned the city below, and she smiled, then descended toward Yancheng. The elder followed at a leisurely pace.
Three days later, in the Ironsand City, at the headquarters of the Desert Iron Mercenary Group. In a quiet room, the faint scent of sandalwood wafted, providing a soothing and entrancing atmosphere. On a bed in the corner, a young man lay motionless, his eyes closed. His breathing, though weak, was steady. Anyone watching would worry that he might suddenly stop breathing, leading to the most tragic outcome.
Lying on the bed, the young man, in a daze, vaguely sensed people moving around him. After a while, a few soft sighs sounded, then gradually faded away. It was after the sound of a door closing many times that the young man, lying as if dead, suddenly trembled slightly. After a moment, his breathing became slightly stronger, and his eyelashes fluttered, his eyelids struggling to open.
Soft, gentle light entered his eyes, and Xiao Yan’s hand tightened. He struggled to move his gaze, scanning the somewhat familiar room before finally letting out a deep sigh. He lay exhausted on the soft bed, utterly devoid of strength.
Breathing heavily, as his mind cleared, memories flooded back, reminding him of everything that had happened. “Was I injured?” Recalling the excruciating pain from the destructive fire wave, Xiao Yan laughed bitterly, taking a deep breath of the air tinged with the scent of sandalwood. His mind cleared further, and he slowly closed his eyes, focusing inward.
As his mind sank inward, a shocking sight greeted him: a body so damaged that it left him dumbfounded. Seeing this, his heart sank. He knew he was injured, but he hadn’t expected it to be this severe. If this level of damage was inflicted on anyone else, they would surely become a complete waste!
“This is a big problem!” Bitterly, he muttered to himself. His mind traced the broken meridians, eventually reaching the energy vortex in his lower abdomen. Gazing at the few remaining drops of green liquid energy, he sighed again. This was indeed adding insult to injury.
In the center of the vortex, a tiny light flickered, concealing his greatest trump card, the Earth Heart Flame. However, Xiao Yan dared not draw any of the flame, as his meridians were at a critical point. He didn’t doubt that another blow could be fatal.
With a heavy heart, Xiao Yan withdrew his consciousness and slowly opened his eyes, shaking his head in dismay. Staring at the ceiling, a sudden jolt shook his heart. He realized something was missing since he woke up—Teacher Medicine Elder was silent.
Realizing this, Xiao Yan’s face turned grim. He anxiously called out, “Teacher? Teacher?” Minutes passed, and there was no response, like a stone sinking in the sea. As the silence stretched, his heart sank further.
“Something’s wrong?” His lips twitched, and a sense of panic crept from deep within, reminiscent of the fear he felt years ago when he became a waste overnight. Ever since he met the Medicine Elder, Xiao Yan felt secure, knowing that as long as the Medicine Elder was there, he wouldn’t truly die. But now, the Medicine Elder’s silence was deeply unsettling.
Biting his lip, Xiao Yan gathered all his strength to lift his hand. Seeing the black, unblemished ancient ring on his finger, he breathed a sigh of relief, suppressing his panic. He closed his eyes again, gathering his soul force, and reached out to the black ring.
As his soul force touched the ring, a massive suction force erupted, pulling him inside. First, everything went dark, then he found himself in a circle of pale white light. Inside, the Medicine Elder’s phantom figure floated, smiling at Xiao Yan’s weak soul force.
“You’re finally awake, my boy,” the Medicine Elder said, drifting closer.
“Teacher, are you alright?” Seeing the Medicine Elder, the weight lifted from Xiao Yan’s heart. However, he noticed something was amiss. Previously, the Medicine Elder could speak directly in his mind, but now, he needed to enter the ring to converse, indicating the Elder’s condition was dire.
“I have good news and bad news,” the Medicine Elder smiled, patting Xiao Yan’s soul image. “The good news is, I’m impressed. Your Buddha’s Fury Lotus has destructive power even I find astonishing. If you can perfect it, I believe you will be unbeatable at your level.”
Xiao Yan’s face showed no joy. The power of the Buddha’s Fury Lotus was terrifying, but so was the price.
“As for the bad news, you must have noticed the condition of your body,” the Medicine Elder said.
“Yes, it’s very serious,” Xiao Yan nodded, sighing, “It’s almost completely broken.”
“Your injuries are severe, but with proper care, you will recover. I’ve arranged a recuperation plan for you. Follow it, and you will return to your peak,” the Medicine Elder said.
“And what about you, Teacher?” Xiao Yan asked, sensing the unspoken words.
“Me? Perhaps that’s the worst news. You created an impressive explosion, but it cost me nearly seventy percent of my soul force. Protecting you in the fire wave drained it even further,” the Medicine Elder said, a bitter smile on his face.
Xiao Yan’s face paled, and his soul image wavered.
“Don’t worry. Although my soul force is nearly depleted, it can be restored. I’ll need to sleep for a while,” the Medicine Elder said, smiling softly. “For the next period, I won’t be able to protect you. You’ll have to rely on yourself.”
Looking at the Medicine Elder’s serene smile, Xiao Yan’s eyes welled up. Clenching his fists, he said, “I’m sorry, Teacher.”
He knew that if he hadn’t insisted on fusing the foreign flames, the Medicine Elder’s soul force wouldn’t have been depleted. Now, he needed to sleep to regain his strength.
“Hehe, don’t blame yourself. It’s just a temporary sleep, not a permanent departure. I’m proud of the Buddha’s Fury Lotus. My student is truly extraordinary!” the Medicine Elder laughed, patting Xiao Yan’s shoulder.
“Alright, my remaining soul force is almost gone. Go now. Don’t worry about Qing Lin; the Green Barbarian won’t treat her like the Mo Family did. Trust me,” the Medicine Elder’s form grew more ethereal, waving at Xiao Yan with a smile.
“Take care, Teacher!” Kneeling in the air, Xiao Yan, his eyes red, bowed his head deeply.
The Medicine Elder, looking at the now more mature youth, nodded with a smile. His form gradually dissipated in the light.
“Little one, I hope to see a fully formed warrior when I wake up. I’ve stored some Bone Chilling Flames in the ring. Use them if necessary. And from the start, I’ve been very satisfied with you,” the Medicine Elder’s voice, filled with hope, echoed, lingering in the light.
Rising slowly, Xiao Yan gazed at the empty light, taking a deep, sorrowful breath. From now on, he would face the world alone.
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