Lin Yuan accepted the crystal box containing the Bodhisattva Transforming Body Saliva and handed it to the Little Fairy Doctor with a helpless smile.
"There was no helping it. No one could have predicted that the compatibility between the Woeful Poison Body and the Nether Poison Flame would be this extraordinary."
Looking at the Bodhisattva Transforming Body Saliva, the Little Fairy Doctor let out a long sigh of relief.
The Poison Pill Method had finally taken another crucial step forward.
At that moment, Gu Xun'er turned her gaze toward Lin Yuan. She took out another portion of Bodhisattva Transforming Body Saliva from her Storage Ring and gently handed it to him.
"Elder Lin Yuan, I am fulfilling the agreement with Elder Ling on his behalf. This is what was promised."
"A second portion. Successfully obtained."
Lin Yuan nodded slightly as he accepted it.
"I've received it. Thank you, Miss Xun'er. Please convey my thanks to Elder Ling. If he wishes to conduct any more transactions in the future, he is welcome to seek me out. I'll be remaining at the academy for quite some time."
"More transactions?"
Gu Xun'er pondered for a moment. A glimmer flashed through her eyes before she nodded.
"I'll pass the message on to Elder Ling."
Their eyes met briefly, and both gave almost imperceptible nods.
A faint smile appeared on Lin Yuan's lips.
Gu Xun'er clearly intended to continue trading. This business relationship had been preserved.
"'He'll be staying for quite a while...'
Yao Lao narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
With Lin Yuan and the mature Woeful Poison Body back at Jia Nan Academy, obtaining the Fallen Heart Flame is no longer possible. It's time to seek another path.
Perhaps I should focus more on reconstructing my physical body. Once my strength is restored, many things will become far easier to accomplish.
Letting out a slow breath, Yao Lao finally settled his thoughts.
He then looked at Lin Yuan seriously.
"Lin Yuan, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."
"Oh?"
Lin Yuan returned his gaze.
"What matter requires such seriousness? Please, Senior, go ahead."
After a brief silence, Yao Lao spoke solemnly.
"I hope you can keep my identity and whereabouts confidential as much as possible. The Hall of Souls has agents everywhere. There's no guarantee they don't have spies within Jia Nan Academy. I simply cannot afford that risk."
Hearing this, Lin Yuan frowned slightly.
"Senior Yao, as the future Grand Elder of Jia Nan Academy, I'm afraid I cannot fully agree."
"Not fully? Then what do you intend to do?"
"I must inform Grand Elder Su Qian about your presence. He is someone I trust completely."
Lin Yuan rubbed his forehead before continuing firmly.
"You should both know the academy's rules. Even Miss Xun'er's guardian isn't permitted to enter the Inner Academy freely, much less someone like yourself, who entered without permission."
"If this matter were pursued strictly, your actions would already constitute a violation of Jia Nan Academy's regulations."
After pausing briefly, he continued.
"I originally believed that after you and Brother Xiao arrived at the academy, you would voluntarily explain your circumstances to the Grand Elder. I know him well. He would never make things difficult for either of you."
"But I never expected that the two of you..."
He left the sentence unfinished, but its meaning was perfectly clear.
Yao Lao felt somewhat embarrassed, yet he could not refute it.
Had he not been coveting the Fallen Heart Flame, he and Xiao Yan should indeed have reported their circumstances to the academy's leadership upon entering Jia Nan Academy.
Sneaking in without permission and deliberately remaining hidden was undoubtedly an unfriendly act toward any faction.
After all, allowing a Dou Ancestor level expert to secretly lurk within the core territory of one's own organization without permission was hardly something anyone would welcome.
If Jia Nan Academy wished to make an issue of it, such behavior could easily be regarded as hostile.
"There are reasons behind this that I cannot conveniently explain."
Yao Lao sighed helplessly.
"I naturally trust you, Senior Yao, but rules are still rules."
Lin Yuan straightened his posture.
"I'll smooth this matter over for the two of you. You may continue staying peacefully within the Inner Academy. However, I hope something like this never happens again."
Xiao Yan touched the bridge of his nose with a bitter smile before cupping his fists apologetically.
"This was indeed my oversight. I hope Brother Lin can forgive us."
At the same time, he let out a deep sigh inwardly.
Their plan to seize Jia Nan Academy's Fallen Heart Flame was now completely impossible.
If Yao Lao had remained hidden, then relying on his Dou Ancestor strength and countless secret techniques, master and disciple might still have stood a chance of catching everyone off guard and obtaining the Fallen Heart Flame.
But now that Yao Lao's existence had come into the open, the plan could no longer be carried out.
Though somewhat unwilling, both master and disciple actually felt relieved after abandoning the idea.
With their current strength, stealing the Fallen Heart Flame from Jia Nan Academy, a place filled with powerful experts, and then dealing with the consequences afterward would have placed tremendous pressure upon them.
Watching the exchange between the three men, Gu Xun'er's eyes darkened slightly.
Lin Yuan casually waved his hand.
"This matter can be either serious or trivial. Since neither of you caused any actual harm, let's simply treat it as a procedural oversight. We'll just complete the necessary formalities afterward."
"Thank you, Lin Yuan."
Yao Lao nodded appreciatively.
"Think nothing of it."
Lin Yuan smiled.
"You and I have fought side by side before. We're comrades in battle. This is hardly worth mentioning."
"Speaking of which, I've recently acquired quite a large number of medicinal ingredients, including many needed for the Bone Growing Blood Fusing Pill. Are you interested, Senior?"
"Oh?"
A gleam flashed across Yao Lao's eyes as he stroked his beard.
"And how do you propose we trade?"
"The same as before."
Lin Yuan answered directly.
"Medicinal ingredients in exchange for pill formulas."
After thinking for a moment, he added.
"Exchanging medicinal pills for pill formulas is also acceptable. Without a physical body, it's inconvenient for you to refine high-tier medicinal pills at the moment. As for me, I can handle the refinement of any pill below the Eighth-Grade, though whether the refinement succeeds ultimately depends on fate."
"So Brother Lin has already become a Seventh-Grade Alchemist?"
Xiao Yan looked at him in surprise.
"Pure luck."
Lin Yuan waved his hand dismissively with a smile.
"Brother Xiao, you'll need to work hard. The world is vast. The next Pill Gathering will likely be far more exciting than you imagine. There will be quite a few peers worthy of your attention."
"There are really alchemists among our generation who can rival you?"
Xiao Yan asked curiously.
"Of course."
Lin Yuan smiled.
"As far as I know, the Pill Tower in the Central Plains has produced an unparalleled genius in the Dao of Alchemy. She has already become the disciple of one of the Pill Tower's Three Giants and will likely be one of your greatest competitors during the Pill Gathering."
"A genius from the Pill Tower?"
Yao Lao raised an eyebrow with great interest.
"Tell us more."
"Certainly."
Lin Yuan nodded.
"Her name is Cao Ying, known as the Witch of the Cao Clan. She was born into the Cao Clan, one of the Five Great Families of the Pill Region, and is considered a legendary prodigy among the younger generation there."
"When she was born, she displayed astonishing soul power. Her own mother was nearly killed by it."
"At the age of seven, she officially became an alchemist."
"At fifteen, she successfully advanced to become a Sixth-Grade Alchemist, after which she was accepted as the disciple of President Xuan Kongzi, one of the Three Giants of the Pill Tower."
At this point, Lin Yuan looked meaningfully at both Yao Lao and Xiao Yan before smiling.
"If I remember correctly, President Xuan Kongzi was your rival for the championship of the Pill Gathering, wasn't he, Senior Yao?"
"Perhaps this Pill Gathering will see the disciples of both seniors compete once again."
"In addition, there are still some unconfirmed reports."
"The Dan Clan, another of the Five Great Families of the Pill Region, is also said to have produced a genius no less talented than Cao Ying."
"And Elder Qiu Ling, the Great Elder of the Pill Tower, has a disciple named Song Qing, who is likewise worth looking forward to."
Lin Yuan's information left Xiao Yan deeply shaken.
"Seven years old an alchemist."
"Fifteen years old Sixth-Grade Alchemist?"
Shock filled Xiao Yan's eyes.
Such talent surpassed even his own achievement of becoming a Dou Practitioner at the age of eleven and astonishing the Jia Ma Empire.
The Dou Qi Continent truly hid dragons and crouching tigers.
Xiao Yan had once believed Lin Yuan represented the pinnacle of genius, yet now he discovered even more astonishing monsters existed.
This Cao Ying truly seemed like a little witch blessed by the heavens.
"Xuan Kongzi's disciple..."
Nostalgia flashed across Yao Lao's eyes.
"That old fellow certainly has good fortune to obtain such an outstanding disciple."
"However..."
He glanced at Lin Yuan before shifting his gaze to Xiao Yan, smiling confidently.
"My disciple has been tempered through blood and fire into true gold. In the future, his achievements will be inferior to no one."
Hearing Yao Lao's words, Xiao Yan felt deeply moved, while his resolve grew even stronger.
He silently made up his mind.
For the sake of the faith his teacher had placed in him, he absolutely could not lose to Cao Ying, the disciple of his teacher's old rival.
Meanwhile, neither the Little Fairy Doctor nor Gu Xun'er appeared particularly surprised.
To the Little Fairy Doctor, she herself had reached the Dou Ancestor realm after only two years of cultivation.
As for alchemy, she had already met the fifteen-year-old Lin Yuan, who had been a Sixth-Grade Alchemist even then.
And Lin Yuan's current alchemical abilities.
Impressive as Cao Ying's accomplishments were, she held no advantage whatsoever compared to Lin Yuan at the same age.
As for Gu Xun'er, the news stirred even less emotion.
She knew that when it came to alchemy, there existed an even more extraordinary clan, the Yao Clan.
Among their younger generation were said to be two peerless geniuses: Yao Tian and Yao Ling.
Especially the latter. Rumor had it that she possessed the potential of an Emperor Soul, granting her an exceptionally special status within the Yao Clan.
Even so, Gu Xun'er remained completely confident in Xiao Yan's future. In her eyes, whether it was Cao Ying or those geniuses of the Yao Clan, they merely enjoyed a higher birth and starting point than Xiao Yan. Sooner or later, he would surpass them all.
After a long pause, Yao Lao collected his thoughts and said calmly, "Little Lin, I'll take the ingredients for the Bone Growing Blood Fusing Pill. Tell me, what pill formula do you want in exchange?"
"Senior Yao, do you happen to have any medicinal pill that increases the chances of advancing from Dou Ancestor to Dou Venerate?"
Having decided to focus on restoring his physical body, Yao Lao became far more generous during the trade.
He directly took out two Seventh-Grade pill formulas. Besides trading for the ingredients needed to refine the Bone Growing Blood Fusing Pill, he also exchanged a large quantity of other medicinal ingredients.
After completing the transaction, Xiao Yan and the others took their leave.
Watching them depart, the smile on Lin Yuan's face gradually faded, his eyes becoming deeper and more thoughtful.
'Today's meeting should have completely dispelled their thoughts of coveting the Fallen Heart Flame. I've also obtained the pill formulas I needed. Having a reliable trading partner really is convenient. It's an easy way to convert all the resources I've gathered into practical foundations.'
A faint smile curved Lin Yuan's lips as he looked at the two pill formulas in his hand: the Venerable Beginning Pill and the Heavenly Fate Restoration Pill.
The Venerable Beginning Pill was a peak Seventh-Grade medicinal pill. It tempered both body and soul, increased the chances of breaking through to the Dou Venerate realm, and could eliminate the backlash caused by a failed breakthrough.
This pill would greatly assist the two elders in breaking through.
The Heavenly Fate Restoration Pill was a high-tier Seventh-Grade medicinal pill. It replenished the user's vitality and life force, restored the body, dispelled death energy, and completely healed hidden injuries accumulated from wounds, poisons, seals, backlash, and other similar causes.
This pill would heal the hidden damage within the Little Fairy Doctor caused by her poison, further increasing the chances of successfully condensing the Poison Pill.
Together with the Zong Yuan Pill, which could raise a Dou Ancestor's cultivation by one star, these were the Seventh-Grade medicinal pills Lin Yuan intended to refine.
His Spiritual Strength spread over the pill formulas in his hands, and a vast torrent of information immediately poured into his mind.
After a long while, Lin Yuan stored the two Seventh-Grade pill formulas into his Storage Ring. After taking inventory of his medicinal ingredients, he muttered.
"I've only managed to gather enough ingredients for one Zong Yuan Pill. I'm still missing some ingredients for both the Venerable Beginning Pill and the Heavenly Fate Restoration Pill. I'll have to collect them."
"The Black Emperor Sect."
He tapped his forehead lightly as the familiar yet unfamiliar faction came to mind.
"Once I deal with Old Ghost Di Mo, I'll make a trip to the Black Emperor Sect. They've dominated the Black-Corner Region for many years, and since they operate auction houses, their treasury must be incredibly rich. I'm sure I'll be able to obtain plenty of valuable treasures there."
Thinking of this, anticipation appeared in Lin Yuan's eyes.
Pan's Gate, Inner Academy
After returning, Xiao Yan did not rest. Instead, after making a few preparations, he headed directly toward the back mountain to begin cultivating the Buddha Fury Flame Lotus technique.
Everything he had learned from Lin Yuan had only deepened his sense of urgency.
Gu Xun'er quietly watched Xiao Yan's departing figure with gentle eyes. Only after he had completely disappeared from sight did she slowly walk into a room within the pavilion, open the window, and allow the faint moonlight to stream inside, enveloping her graceful figure.
A cool breeze drifted through, gently lifting her long black hair, adding an indescribable elegance to the young maiden.
"Come out, Elder Ling."
As her calm voice fell, the shadows in the room suddenly began to ripple. Moments later, they condensed into a black figure.
"Young Miss, what are your orders?"
The figure respectfully bowed toward Xun'er. It was none other than Ling Ying.
Turning around, Gu Xun'er's delicate face revealed a faint smile.
"Elder Ling, I've completed your transaction with Lin Yuan on your behalf."
"Thank you, Young Miss."
Ling Ying respectfully nodded.
Gu Xun'er gently shook her head.
"There's no need for thanks, Elder Ling. I understand. Those trades were all for the sake of protecting Brother Xiao Yan."
After a brief pause, she instructed.
"Please continue maintaining our trading relationship with Lin Yuan."
She sighed softly before continuing,
"Brother Xiao Yan has a strong sense of pride. There are some matters where it isn't appropriate for me to intervene directly. I may have to rely on him instead."
At the mention of Lin Yuan, Gu Xun'er's expression grew more serious.
The reason she had accompanied Xiao Yan to meet Lin Yuan today was to determine whether he harbored any ill intentions toward Xiao Yan.
After today's meeting, the conclusion was reassuring.
Lin Yuan was indeed extraordinary. Although his words were gentle, throughout the entire conversation with Xiao Yan, Yao Venerate, and herself, he had firmly remained in control. However, his current relationship with Xiao Yan was one of mutual cooperation and fair competition between gentlemen.
Gu Xun'er did not dislike Xiao Yan having such a rival.
After all, if Xiao Yan wished to stand beside her in the future, the opponents he would have to face, both in hostility and strength, would far surpass Lin Yuan.
What pleased Gu Xun'er even more was that Lin Yuan possessed the same remarkable foresight as she did. He had recognized Xiao Yan's potential so early on and acknowledged it. Although his strength far exceeded Xiao Yan's, he had never looked down on him, instead treating him with considerable respect.
"If only those old fossils in the clan had the same vision as Lin Yuan."
With a soft snort, Gu Xun'er dismissed those thoughts and recalled her earlier conversation with Yao Lao's Spiritual Avatar.
"Elder Ling, do we have any way to contact Venerable Feng directly?"
She deliberately emphasized the word "directly."
After thinking for a moment, Ling Ying answered gravely.
"Young Miss, with the resources we currently have, contacting the Falling Star Pavilion is possible. However, Venerable Feng frequently travels and would be difficult to reach in a short time. If the matter is urgent, we'll have to mobilize some of the clan's resources, but..."
Looking toward Gu Xun'er, he reminded her softly.
"Once we mobilize the clan's forces, the pressure from the clan will greatly increase. At that point, Young Miss, you'll likely have no choice but to return to the Gu Clan immediately."
Silence fell between them.
After a long while, Gu Xun'er slowly spoke.
"Don't alert the clan yet. Senior Yao intends to take Brother Xiao Yan to the Falling Star Pavilion after I return to the Gu Clan. However, the Hall of Souls has been pursuing Senior Yao all this time. I'm worried they may already have agents hidden within the Falling Star Pavilion."
"Elder Ling, arrange for some people to investigate Venerable Feng and the Falling Star Pavilion. Even if you can't contact Venerable Feng directly, find someone there who can be trusted."
Ling Ying nodded. His body dissolved into a blurred shadow before silently merging into the darkness and disappearing.
"Senior Yao, I'm sorry. I'll have to delay what you requested for a while."
Gu Xun'er gazed quietly toward the direction of the back mountain.
"Brother Xiao Yan and I were separated for three years. We've only just reunited. Please give me a little more time."
"Once I return to the Gu Clan. I don't know when I'll be able to see Brother Xiao Yan again."
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