Chapter 148: That Clan?!
The Inner Academy of Jia Nan Academy had not changed in the slightest since Yao Yan's return. In fact, many people still didn't know of his existence. Compared to Yao Yan, who was relatively unknown, Zi Yan's reputation as the "Mighty King" was far more famous. Since Zi Yan had been brought back by Su Qian, she had caused quite a few troubles. Many students had been defeated by her, mostly with a single punch.
Her brute strength, unreasonably overpowering, had subdued many students, including Xiong Zhuang, the undisputed tyrant of the Inner Academy.
Xiong Zhuang was also quite respectful of Zi Yan.
After all, he had been beaten by her.
At this moment, Xiong Zhuang stood beside Zi Yan with a silly grin on his face. Due to their size difference, there was a kind of amusing contrast. Of course, the "adorable" term applied to Zi Yan. Although she had only just recently weaned, she looked like a cute porcelain doll. With her soft purple hair and those purple eyes, she exuded a "coldness" that didn't match her appearance.
Perhaps because she had spent so much time with magical beasts and hadn't fully integrated into human society, she possessed a somewhat "three-no" nature.
Su Qian and Yao Yan stood not far away, chatting casually.
"I didn't expect you to run into Zi Yan after going to the back mountain. It seems you two get along quite well. That's rare. Her temperament is a bit unruly, and she's caused quite a headache for some of the elders in the Inner Academy. If you can guide her well, it'll solve a big problem for Jia Nan Academy."
Su Qian stroked his white beard, a smile on his face, speaking in a soft voice.
Zi Yan was brought back by him, and as the Grand Elder of the Inner Academy, he naturally had to take responsibility for her. He couldn't just bring her back and ignore her, but teaching her was a big problem. Many elders in the Inner Academy didn't know how to deal with her. What he didn't expect was that Yao Yan would get along so well with her, even allowing her to hold him.
Such treatment was something even Su Qian had never received.
Using brute force was another matter.
Yao Yan smiled when he heard this and replied casually, "She just likes to eat. Once her stomach is full, she's quite easy to deal with."
Su Qian's lips twitched, momentarily speechless.
Filling Zi Yan's stomach wasn't an easy task, especially feeding her every meal. After all, Zi Yan didn't eat regular meat or vegetables. What she needed was heavenly materials and treasures filled with the energy of heaven and earth. Jia Nan Academy couldn't possibly supply these only for Zi Yan.
After pondering for a moment, Su Qian's gaze shifted slightly, and he suddenly asked, "Since you're from the Medicine Clan, you should be able to tell what kind of beast Zi Yan's true form is, right?"
"I have a guess, but I'm not sure. After all, if she were truly from that clan, Zi Yan shouldn't be here in the Black Corner Region."
Yao Yan's smile faded slightly, and he replied seriously, intentionally teasing, "That clan?!"
Su Qian, noticing Yao Yan's serious expression, was slightly taken aback. The fact that Yao Yan showed such a reaction meant that Zi Yan's true form, and the beast clan she belonged to, was anything but ordinary.
Yao Yan shook his head and said slowly, "I can't be sure for now. After all, that clan is quite mysterious. I've only read about them in books, never interacted with them. Whether or not Zi Yan is from that clan is still up for debate. However, her talent is truly frightening... What she lacks right now is just cultivation resources."
Su Qian could tell that Yao Yan wasn't willing to elaborate further, so after a moment's hesitation, he didn't press the matter. He could sense that Yao Yan didn't have any ill intentions toward Zi Yan, and that was enough.
As for whether he was pretending... He could continue to observe. There was plenty of time.
"Jia Nan Academy can provide her with some resources... but not too much. After all, Jia Nan Academy still needs to be responsible for the other students," Su Qian said slowly.
"I'll take good care of her. Actually, I lied to Elder Hu Qian earlier—I'm not a fifth-grade alchemist, but a seventh-grade alchemist."
Yao Yan suddenly dropped this bombshell, revealing his true identity.
"?!!"
Su Qian paused mid-stroke, nearly pulling out the white beard under his chin. His eyes went wide in disbelief as he stared hard at Yao Yan, completely stunned.
A seventeen-year-old seventh-grade alchemist—what does that even mean?!
This is even more shocking than an eighteen-year-old Dou Zong!
When did becoming an alchemist become so easy? The renowned Medicine King, Han Feng, was nearly fifty and was only a sixth-grade alchemist, even though his master was a famous alchemy master in Central State, a past champion of the Alchemy Guild, and known as the number one alchemist in Central State.
Yao Yan remained calm, as if stating something quite ordinary, without any trace of arrogance. His demeanor seemed to suggest that he wasn't joking.
"...Are you serious?"
Su Qian was stunned for a moment, and then swallowed hard, unable to suppress his curiosity.
"The Emperor-grade Pills and Breaking Sect Pills that were auctioned in Hei Yin City were both made by me. That caused quite a stir at the time. I'm sure Jia Nan Academy has heard of it," Yao Yan continued, revealing even more. His face showed a trace of helplessness. "When I first came to the Black Corner Region, I only wanted to gather some cultivation resources, but I didn't expect things to escalate so much."
Performance—Yao Yan was a professional at it.
Su Qian's head was buzzing. He didn't know what to say. He hadn't expected that the chaos in the Black Corner Region had been stirred up by the young man in front of him. Thinking about those Emperor-grade Pills and Breaking Sect Pills, Su Qian was left confused. Has the world outside changed so much? Is Central State really this crazy now?
A seventeen-year-old who is a seventh-grade alchemist? Such monstrous talent actually got expelled from his family? How many geniuses does that family have?!
He couldn't help but ask, "Why would the Medicine Clan expel you?"
"The Grand Elder doesn't understand the Medicine Clan. For the Medicine Clan, bloodline inheritance is more important. Talent comes second... However, for the Medicine Clan, the concentration of one's bloodline is also a symbol of talent. These things, the Grand Elder probably doesn't know," Yao Yan said softly, revealing a rather harsh truth.
The major imperial clans were all the same—the concentration of the bloodline came first, and talent came second. No matter how strong someone's personal talent was, without enough bloodline concentration, they wouldn't be recognized. After all, the latter needed time to grow and prove itself, while the former was undeniable. Even if one's temperament wasn't the best, they could be used as breeding stock, and their value was far greater than talent alone.
After all, this bloodline was tied to the word "Emperor"!
"Bloodline inheritance?"
Su Qian clearly didn't know much about the Dou Emperor families. He knew that those families were terrifying, but he didn't realize that some of them were tied to the Dou Emperor bloodline, and even had the blood of the Dou Emperor flowing within them.
Given his former strength, he had never had the qualifications to touch upon such matters.
Even in the numerous factions of Central State, to get close to that level of power, one would need to be at least a Dou Zong, and even then, it wouldn't guarantee access—one would need someone to guide them.
Yao Yan didn't want to discuss this further, so he got straight to the point: "Actually, I came to Jia Nan Academy partly to seek refuge. The people in the Black Corner Region are too crazy. I don't like chaos, and I don't want to be famous. I hope the Grand Elder can understand."
Su Qian listened to Yao Yan's 'sincere' words, then pondered for a moment before replying slowly, "…With your talent, coming to the Black Corner Region is a bit of a waste. Even Jia Nan Academy won't be able to provide you with much help."
After all, many of the talented disciples of Jia Nan Academy would choose to go to Central State for training once they reached the Dou Wang level, rather than staying cooped up in the Black Corner Region. Central State was the core of the Dou Qi Continent, where the energy of heaven and earth and powerful experts far surpassed other regions.
With Yao Yan's talent, if he were in Central State, he would surely grow quickly. Within ten years, perhaps he would hear people speaking his name.
"It's a place I've been interested in since childhood. I've always wanted to see it."
Yao Yan smiled, telling the truth. He was indeed very interested in Jia Nan Academy, and his interest here wasn't just limited to the Fallen Heart Flame, but also to the people of Jia Nan Academy, such as Zi Yan and Su Qian. These were some of the few normal characters in the original work.
Su Qian smiled at Yao Yan's words and said, "It seems Jia Nan Academy is truly fortunate. Since you've made it clear, then feel free to stay. With Jia Nan Academy's name, no one in the Black Corner Region will dare to cause trouble."
"Then thank you, Grand Elder!"
Yao Yan cupped his hands in gratitude.
Su Qian, however, took the opportunity to make a request: "But as for Zi Yan, I hope you can take good care of her."
A seventh-grade alchemist, even a little bit of what he had could easily satisfy Zi Yan, the young girl. In that case, Su Qian would have fulfilled his responsibility for bringing her back. He had previously thrown her to the back mountain, feeling guilty, but he had to think about the entire Jia Nan Academy and couldn't focus solely on Zi Yan.
"I will," Yao Yan nodded, glancing over at Zi Yan.
Su Qian, upon hearing this, didn't continue speaking. Yao Yan had been 'honest' enough, which made Su Qian trust him more. As for the eighteen-year-old seventh-grade alchemist, it was simply too shocking. Su Qian couldn't find the right words and was still somewhat confused, it was unbelievable and beyond his comprehension.
At this moment, Su Qian, like Hai Bo Dong and others, was utterly shocked.
Meanwhile, Yao Yan had walked over to Zi Yan's side, gently rubbing her head and smiling as he said, "Let's go, I'll take you to eat something delicious."
"Okay!"
Zi Yan's eyes lit up, her face full of anticipation as she looked at Yao Yan, then reached out with her chubby little hand and tugged at the corner of his clothes.
Yao Yan tossed a bottle of third-grade cultivation pills to Xiong Zhuang as thanks for looking after Zi Yan. Then he took Zi Yan by the hand and headed toward his small house, planning to find a quiet place to refine some pills, including the Ice Heart Pills needed to absorb the Fallen Heart Flame.
...
Su Qian didn't disturb Yao Yan while he was refining pills, even voluntarily offering up his small courtyard, perhaps wanting to see Yao Yan's true skill.
"Duang~"
As a pitch-black medicinal cauldron flew out, the ground suddenly rumbled loudly.
"Whoosh~"
Yao Yan raised his hand and summoned the Qinglian Earth Heart Flame, setting the cauldron alight. He then took out a bottle containing Earth Core Body Refining Milk, using his soul power to extract three drops and place them into the black magic cauldron. Then, he took out several other medicinal herbs from his storage ring and tossed them into the flames.
As his palms formed a seal, his Dou Qi and soul power poured into the black magic cauldron, and the burning Qinglian Earth Heart Flame instantly flared up to its maximum intensity. The terrifying temperature caused the markings on the cauldron to glow red.
Zi Yan, watching all of this, was quietly fascinated and didn't disturb him.
In this respect, she and Ling Er were quite alike—when Yao Yan was doing serious work, she knew not to meddle.
As the temperature increased, the hundreds of herbs inside the cauldron began to wither, and the plant essences and energies were extracted, turning into crystalline medicinal liquid that mixed with the three drops of Earth Core Body Refining Milk. Under the heat of the Qinglian Earth Heart Flame, the three drops of Earth Core Body Refining Milk gradually began to glow with a greenish halo, as though they had gained some vitality, no longer so cold.
The Earth Core Body Refining Milk didn't require much refining; it was already an extremely pure treasure of heaven and earth. By supplementing it with other herbs, its medicinal properties were fully activated, creating the best foundation-building medicinal liquid, which was highly effective for both humans and magical beasts.
These kinds of pills didn't have a grade, but in terms of value, even an Emperor-grade Pill would fall short.
As a seventh-grade alchemist, Yao Yan naturally didn't measure the value of pills based on what ordinary people would think. Compared to the future benefits Zi Yan would bring him, a bit of Earth Core Body Refining Milk wasn't much. He didn't deny that he had other motives in getting close to Zi Yan, but one thing he was sure of was that he didn't have any ill intentions toward her.
Compared to letting her grow up in Jia Nan Academy, it was better to take her with him, and in the future, help her unify the Tai Xu Ancient Dragon Clan. The Soul Clan would likely be very interested in this.
After all, among all the magical beast clans, the Tai Xu Ancient Dragon Clan was the most powerful. If Zhu Kun hadn't been trapped in the Dou Emperor's cave, his strength alone could rival that of the Soul Clan. Although the clan was now fragmented, even a single island from the split clan was enough to crush all the magical beast clans in the Dou Qi Continent.
As Yao Yan was lost in thought, the three drops of Earth Core Body Refining Milk in the black magic cauldron had completely transformed into a vibrant medicinal liquid, with a rich fragrance wafting from it. Just a light sniff gave one a feeling of full-body comfort.
Zi Yan, standing next to him, continued to swallow her saliva, the hunger in her body making her want to dive in.
"Wait a bit, this isn't for eating."
Yao Yan chuckled lightly, noticing Zi Yan's impatience, and raised his hand to take a bath basin from his storage ring. Then, he picked Zi Yan up gently and tossed her into the basin, also pouring the freshly brewed medicinal liquid into it. "Soak in the whole thing."
Actually, Yao Yan didn't need to say anything. Zi Yan had already buried her head in the water, gulping down the liquid eagerly, much like a starving ghost.
(END CHAPTER)
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