Chapter 146: First Meeting with Zi Yan
Xiong Zhuang's strength was at the eight-star Great Dou Shi level, but his physical strength was remarkable. With his well-developed muscles, he could even challenge ordinary two or three-star Dou Ling experts. Because of his strength, he was considered an important figure in Jia Nan Academy's Inner Academy, with a notable reputation, especially after the departure of the previous group of seniors, which naturally increased his position.
This could be seen from his cultivation room number. In Jia Nan Academy's Inner Academy, the stronger the cultivator, the better the resources they could access. This was deliberately designed by the academy to foster healthy competition among students.
A sheltered environment wouldn't produce strong cultivators; only through constant competition could one grow rapidly.
Because of this, Xiong Zhuang didn't take long to gather information about the Snow Magic Ape for Yao Yan. It was a powerful magical beast nearing the five-star level, and even within Jia Nan Academy's Inner Academy, few students dared to provoke it. Even the previous batch of seniors reportedly suffered losses at its hands, so many people were aware of it.
The elders in Jia Nan Academy hadn't made a special effort to deal with it, as for the students in the Inner Academy, this four-star peak magical beast, with its near-five-star power, was the best target for training.
"Teacher, the Snow Magic Ape is quite strong. Rumor has it that it has a berserk skill that can instantly increase its power to five-star level. It even becomes more powerful the longer it fights until it exhausts itself. You must be careful and not be careless," Xiong Zhuang reported, not forgetting to give a word of caution.
He genuinely feared that Yao Yan might make a mistake, and if that happened, all his efforts to please him would be in vain.
It was rare to get close to a Dou Wang teacher like this, and Xiong Zhuang didn't want to lose this opportunity so soon, especially since Yao Yan was also an alchemist. He had to take advantage of the situation while others were still unaware.
Actually, there were quite a few elders in Jia Nan Academy's Inner Academy. Some were in closed-door meditation, while the rest taught the students. Most of them had already been "fleeced" by Xiong Zhuang, and now they couldn't do much anymore. His reputation had been ruined, but he still needed resources to continue cultivating. He had to rely on younger students to "offer" their resources.
However, Yao Yan wasn't aware of this. Even if he did know, he would probably just smile it off. Right now, he was satisfied with Xiong Zhuang's intelligence work. He smiled, took out a bottle of pills from his storage ring, and tossed it over. "Third-rank Qi Recovery Pills, this is for you."
As he spoke, he formed Dou Qi wings on his back. With a slight flap, his figure shot up into the sky and sped toward the Inner Academy's rear mountain.
Xiong Zhuang gazed enviously at Yao Yan's departing figure. He then looked down at the pill bottle in his hand and eagerly opened it. The rich medicinal fragrance made him smile with delight as he muttered, "As expected of an alchemist, generous with his pills. Asking for a bit of information and getting a third-rank pill in return... much more generous than those old fogies in the Inner Academy…"
At this moment, he had already decided to continue flattering Yao Yan and take as much as he could from him.
...
In the rear mountain of Jia Nan Academy's Inner Academy, there was a vast mountain range, comparable to the Magical Beast Mountain Range in the Gama Empire. A cursory scan with his soul force allowed Yao Yan to feel the presence of many three and four-star magical beasts, and their numbers seemed even greater than those in the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
"It seems that Jia Nan Academy has intentionally cultivated these beasts. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many three and four-star magical beast groups here."
Yao Yan's eyes flickered as he muttered to himself. He hadn't sensed any particularly strong energy, indicating that the more powerful six-star beasts had been dealt with. The remaining five-star magical beasts were few in number, and he hadn't encountered many on his way here.
While he was pondering, a violent booming sound suddenly came from the distance. Dust filled the air, and the howls of magical beasts echoed constantly.
Yao Yan paused, then quickly used his soul force to scan the area. A very strange scene appeared in his mind. He saw a young girl, around eight or nine years old, barefoot, holding the paw of a giant wolf about three or four meters tall, repeatedly throwing it back and forth. The violent scene was visually shocking.
"?!"
Yao Yan stopped in his tracks, and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes. He hadn't expected to encounter her here.
Zi Yan.
The daughter of the Dragon Emperor at the peak of Nine-Star Dou Sheng, the nominal heir of the Tai Xu Ancient Dragon Clan.
"Boom!"
While Yao Yan was still thinking, Zi Yan had already thrown the magical beast's paw with great force. As the beast slid back for several meters, she proudly placed her hands on her hips and said in a soft, childish voice, "Do you give up? If not, come again, I'll keep beating you until you drop!"
As she spoke, she waved her delicate little fist.
"Roar!"
The wolf-like beast growled at her in hesitation, its eyes showing signs of reluctance to leave.
Zi Yan squinted her large purple eyes and said, "That's mine!"
The wolf-like beast let out a low growl, ultimately deciding to retreat and ran off into the distance.
Zi Yan watched the beast leave, her gaze shifted toward a nearby cave. She sniffed the air, and a purple glow flickered in her eyes. Soon, her eyes turned into crescent moons, and she happily trotted toward the cave, eager to enjoy the food she had claimed.
However, just as Zi Yan took a few steps, she suddenly stopped, her face showing a wary expression as she stared at the approaching figure. Her instinct told her that this human in front of her was dangerous, and she might not be able to handle him.
But letting go of the food she had just grabbed was not something Zi Yan wanted to do. The conflict in her emotions made her grind her teeth, her expression turning fierce as purple light flickered in her eyes. "Are you going to take my food?"
"You also took the Frost Moon Wolf's, didn't you?"
Yao Yan said lightly, his gaze somewhat complicated as he examined the Dragon Emperor's daughter in front of him. Perhaps no one in the world would have imagined that the princess of the Tai Xu Ancient Dragon Clan had ended up fighting over food with a four-star magical beast, and her growth was severely limited—she was essentially malnourished.
The more powerful the magical beast, the more nourishment it needed in its youth. They required vast heavenly and earthly treasures to nourish their bloodline and help them grow rapidly.
But Zi Yan clearly didn't have those conditions. In fact, her successful birth had already been a miracle.
"...I can't beat you, so you can have the stuff in the cave!"
Zi Yan clenched her fists and said begrudgingly. However, having been bullied by countless magical beasts since she was young, she knew when to avoid danger. Her instincts told her that if she fought with the person in front of her, she might be killed. As for using the Jia Nan Academy name... she still didn't understand how to leverage power.
Yao Yan smiled and said softly, "I wasn't going to take your food from the cave… I'm a new teacher at Jia Nan Academy. Little girl, you should be a student there too, right?"
His tone was gentle, resembling a kindly uncle who had just turned the corner to meet a young child.
Upon hearing the name "Jia Nan Academy," Zi Yan froze. She wasn't unfamiliar with the name. The biggest change in her life recently had been joining Jia Nan Academy, where there were many human-like creatures around her. They seemed friendlier than the beasts in the mountains, but dealing with them was quite troublesome, especially when they made her wear these uncomfortable clothes.
"Then why haven't I seen you before?"
Zi Yan asked, her big, innocent eyes blinking curiously as she tilted her head.
"I'm new, so naturally, you haven't seen me." Yao Yan said without batting an eyelash, smoothly making up a story. He then pointed to the bruise on her arm. "Does it hurt?"
Though Zi Yan's true form was from the Tai Xu Ancient Dragon Clan, she was still in her juvenile form, and her body had not fully developed. She was used to clashing with magical beasts, so it was natural for her to have bruises and scars. Judging by her carefree attitude, she had clearly become accustomed to it.
"It hurts… but I'm used to it!" Zi Yan said nonchalantly. Upon learning that Yao Yan was from Jia Nan Academy, her guard dropped significantly. She skipped into the cave with her bare feet and soon came running out holding a bunch of purple-green fruits.
She seemed to have been hungry for a long time and immediately shoved two fruits into her mouth, chewing them with a pained expression as the sour medicinal fragrance spread.
Clearly, the taste was awful.
The Green Lemon Fruit, a medicinal herb used to balance the body's meridians, was incredibly sour.
Yao Yan couldn't help but laugh at the way Zi Yan was devouring the fruit. "How does it taste?"
"It's awful, but it fills the stomach. Do you want one?"
Zi Yan chewed miserably while holding out another fruit with her chubby little hand.
Yao Yan paused for a moment, then took the fruit from her hand. After hesitating, he threw it into his mouth and immediately felt an indescribable sour taste sweep over his palate, causing him to shudder. He didn't bother savoring it, swallowing it quickly and using his Qinglian Earth Heart Flame to refine it.
After a while, he finally recovered. The taste was so bad that Yao Yan decided he never wanted to try it again.
"You gave me a fruit, so I'll give you something good."
Yao Yan took out a bottle of pills from his storage ring and handed it to her with a smile.
Zi Yan, being a magical beast, was used to eating raw medicinal herbs. After a brief moment of discomfort, she quickly recovered. Looking at the pill bottle Yao Yan handed her, she curiously opened it, sniffed it, and then hesitated. "Is this a pill?"
She clearly knew what pills were, having secretly eaten some in the Inner Academy. She knew that these were good things.
Without hesitation, she took the pill and swallowed it in one go. Then she patted her little belly and squinted her eyes, as if enjoying the sensation.
"Healing pills, for external use…"
Yao Yan said with a bit of a devilish grin.
"It's fine, it's all made from medicinal herbs. Eating it and absorbing it works the same." Zi Yan said dismissively. She then looked up at the sky and continued, "What are you doing here? Looking for something? Do you need my help?"
She felt that after eating Yao Yan's food, she should offer her assistance.
Yao Yan thought for a moment and slowly said, "...Sure, do you know where the Snow Magic Ape is?"
"That big guy is dangerous. Are you sure you can handle it?"
Zi Yan's large, watery eyes stared at Yao Yan with some uncertainty. In her understanding, the big ape in the area was not to be provoked. It was extremely dangerous.
"It's not a big deal."
Yao Yan smiled and nodded, reaching out to ruffle her soft purple hair.
Zi Yan, feeling the hand ruffling her head, glared at Yao Yan with wide eyes and said in a soft voice, "If you can't handle it, I won't save you. That big guy is really dangerous. If it gets cornered, it will go mad."
"You've provoked it before?" Yao Yan asked, curious.
"It has good things in its cave... but it's got a really keen nose. Every time I get close, it finds me. Some big guys tried to mess with it before, but it went berserk and tore one of them to pieces," Zi Yan said seriously, her small face full of focus.
"Well then, I'll get revenge for you today~"
Yao Yan reached out, grabbed Zi Yan by her collar, and lifted her up. He then held her in his arms, and with the Dou Qi wings on his back, soared into the sky.
"...Wait until I eat more, I can fly too!"
Zi Yan didn't resist, snuggling into Yao Yan's embrace. Her eyes revealed an indescribable emotion as she muttered quietly.
"Alright, I'll wait for that day."
Yao Yan smiled.
...
The two of them quickly disappeared from the scene. Almost immediately after they left, the space around them rippled, and Su Qian's figure appeared. His eyes fixed on the direction the two had left, and he muttered, "Zi Yan is close to him... It seems this kid has no bad intentions."
Zi Yan could sense others' hostility and had a sharp intuition. Su Qian had noticed this when she was in the Inner Academy. She rarely interacted with those who harbored malice toward her, but she would "take advantage" of those who were kind. Several elders in the Medicine Hall had been greatly troubled by Zi Yan.
This was also why Su Qian had thrown her here. Only in this place could she grow quickly.
Magical beasts were truly different from humans.
"...Perhaps I've overthought it. A young man can only have so many thoughts." Su Qian pondered, realizing that he shouldn't think too poorly of a young man. But adults tended to be cautious and always wanted to take a closer look at everything.
He felt the same about Yao Yan. After all, Yao Yan was an outsider, and Su Qian knew nothing about him.
"Let's wait and see..."
Su Qian took a step forward. The space around him rippled again, swallowing his figure. When the ripples dissipated, it was as if he had never been there—only a gentle breeze remained.
(END CHAPTER)
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