Chapter 243

Greenwood Immortal Vine, an essential ingredient for crafting the Earth Spirit Pill—unexpectedly, I stumbled upon it here; truly a stroke of luck!

Suppressing the surge of delight within, Xiao Yan pushed through the crowd and slowly approached the slightly unusual stone platform; seeing Xiao Yan's actions, the surrounding crowd halted their steps, their gazes fixed on him with an air of anticipation.

Even after two months, Xiao Yan's reputation remained immense; some enthusiasts had already ranked him among this year's Strong List Top Ten.

Lin Yan was the ninth-ranked on last year's Strong List—this collision between the two was bound to be a spectacular show.

"Brother Xiao Yan?" sensing Xiao Yan's movement, Xun Er asked softly.

Stopping before the stone platform, Xiao Yan's eyes locked onto the Greenwood Immortal Vine; after a moment's hesitation, he extended his hand toward it.

Shhh—a sharp gust of wind suddenly pierced the air; its force was so intense it made the fine hairs on Xiao Yan's arm stand on end.

Feeling the piercing sharpness of that wind, Xiao Yan smiled faintly; with a thought, a strand of blood-red flame burst forth from his Nai Ling, swiftly racing through several meridians before erupting from his body to envelop his rapidly retreating hand.

"Huh?"

The instant the blood-red flame wrapped around Xiao Yan's hand, a startled exclamation rang out—and the sharp gust was instantly incinerated by Wan Shou Ling Huo.

Having received a warning from the vendor, Xiao Yan did not force himself to take the Greenwood Immortal Vine; he retracted his hand and looked up at the gray-clad man before him.

At this moment, Lin Yan had opened his eyes, his face showing a trace of surprise as he stared at Xiao Yan and frowned: "Are you Xiao Yan?"

Xiao Yan nodded slightly and smiled: "Hello."

Seeing the red glow in Lin Yan's eyes, Xiao Yan was not unfamiliar with it—anyone who trained too long in the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta would develop this condition, commonly called Fire Poison Infiltration.

Even Xiao Yan, with his unique constitution, could not avoid accumulating some Fire Poison after prolonged exposure, requiring the power of the Xu Wu Flame Devouring to purge it.

Yet the red glow Xiao Yan had seen in others was merely a faint trace; Lin Yan's entire eyes were nearly saturated with it—clearly, the Fire Poison had already reached his heart.

"If you're not buying, don't touch it. Others fear you, Xiao Yan—I, Lin Yan, do not." Lin Yan's bloodshot eyes coldly glared at Xiao Yan.

"Who said I'm not buying? You haven't even priced it." Xiao Yan crossed his arms, exuding an air of wealth and arrogance.

And indeed, who didn't know that two months ago, Xiao Yan had acquired ten thousand Fire Energy—making him the undisputed richest man in the Inner Court.

Lin Yan gave a cold laugh: "Four hundred Heavenly Fire Energy."

The moment the gray-clad man uttered those words, the entire area fell utterly silent; every gaze turned toward him as if he were insane—four hundred was such a colossal sum that some might not earn it in a year, or even two.

No one knew whether Lin Yan was deliberately inflating the price for Xiao Yan or not.

Xiao Yan sneered: "Hey, you're ripping me off! This thing may be unusual, but it's certainly not worth four hundred Heavenly Fire Energy."

Internally, however, Xiao Yan agreed with Lin Yan's price; though four hundred Heavenly Fire Energy sounded steep, this was the primary medicinal material for a Six Rank Pill—equivalent in value to a Five-Grade Pill—four hundred Fire Energy was actually not expensive at all.

"Though I don't know exactly what this Qing Vine is, the fact that two Dou-Wang-level beasts fought to the death over it proves its value is far from low. Moreover, I nearly lost my life to obtain it—so four hundred Heavenly Fire Energy is not expensive. If you can't afford it, step aside. Don't waste my time." Lin Yan glanced sideways at Xiao Yan and waved his hand dismissively.

Though the gray-clad man spoke casually, his words still stirred the crowd—snatching something from two Dou-Wang-level beasts? Lin Yan truly lived up to his reputation as the craziest man in the Inner Court.

Hearing Lin Yan's disdainful words toward Xiao Yan, Xun Er's gaze sharpened with displeasure; she pulled out a Fire Energy Card from her storage ring and said coldly: "I'll buy it."

Seeing the green Fire Energy Card in Xun Er's hand, displaying a four-digit number, even Lin Yan froze for a moment.

This woman is loaded!

Xiao Yan sighed helplessly, recalling how, back in Wutan City, Xun Er had always been this extravagant—pulling out hundreds of thousands of Gold Coins to buy medicinal materials for him to refine Elixirs.

As Lin Yan reached for the Fire Energy Card, Xiao Yan seized Xun Er's hand and pulled it back, speaking calmly: "If you take this Fire Energy, you'll die."

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The onlookers all gasped sharply—death threat!!!!!

Every spectator scrambled backward several meters—Xiao Yan was truly fearless! This was Lin Yan!

"Finally, some action! He's pissed off Lin Yan the madman—even Lin Xiuya and Liu Qing won't dare provoke him—he's the kind who'd chop you twice even if he's dead."

"Hehe, I thought I'd have to wait half a year to see Xiao Yan fight the Inner Court monsters—now I get to see it sooner."

"Senior Student Lin Yan! Crush Xiao Yan—give the senior students some pride!"

As the students retreated, some among them couldn't resist egging on the chaos.

Perhaps because Xiao Yan's arrogant words were so unexpected, Lin Yan stood frozen for half a minute—then, suddenly, a powerful aura, laced with fury, erupted from his body.

Under the sweeping force of that aura, the surrounding students paled and retreated several more steps.

Xiao Yan nodded inwardly—Lin Yan truly deserved his rank as Strong List Ninth; his Cultivation Realm had reached Nine-Star Dou Ling, and his aura was exceptionally profound.

His bloodshot eyes blazed with furious rage as he glared at Xiao Yan and roared: "Then let's see what kind of power you have to kill me!"

Qing! A hatchet materialized in Lin Yan's hand as he swung it violently toward Xiao Yan.

Facing the enraged Lin Yan, Xiao Yan acted as if he saw nothing, speaking calmly: "I can remove your Fire Poison."

!!!

The hatchet, wrapped in pale red Dou Qi, froze abruptly—two inches from Xiao Yan's face—along with Lin Yan's stunned expression.

"What did you say?! You can remove my Fire Poison?!" The crimson in his pupils dimmed slightly; the gray-clad man's voice trembled as he spoke.

Xiao Yan lightly touched the hatchet before gently pushing it aside; he stared straight into the eyes of the Strong List Ninth and said coolly: "I give you two choices. First: you take the four hundred Fire Energy, I take the Qing Vine, and then pray to heaven for divine grace to make your Fire Poison vanish—or find a good feng shui spot to bury yourself."

"Second: you give me the Qing Vine, and I remove your Fire Poison."

Xun Er suddenly understood—Xiao Yan's combat strength was so overwhelming she often forgot he was also an Alchemist. And by his Alchemist Rank, his Pill Alchemy far surpassed his Cultivation!

He could easily live off refining Elixirs—yet he insists on fighting with his fists.

"You're an Alchemist?" Lin Yan frowned, demanding.

"Otherwise? Do you think I bought this Qing Vine to boil soup?" Xiao Yan crossed his arms, giving Lin Yan a slightly smug look of disdain.

Seeing Xiao Yan's expression, Xun Er covered her mouth and giggled.

Lin Yan was momentarily speechless—Xiao Yan's flame had clearly not been Dou Qi condensed into fire, but some special Flame Seed.

Only Alchemists would pay exorbitant prices for Flame Seeds.

In this section of the bustling Transaction Zone, the murmurs had vanished into brief silence; every gaze fixed on Xiao Yan now carried a hint of shock.

This Xiao Yan is also an Alchemist???!!!

All the senior students knew Xiao Yan was powerful—but none expected him to be an Alchemist!

Lin Yan slowly exhaled; his expression shifted for a long moment before finally calming. After regaining composure, he gave Xiao Yan a cold look and said: "Why should I believe you have this ability? My Fire Poison was once examined by the Inner Court's top Alchemists—they all said it was impossible. What makes you think you can?"

Xiao Yan chuckled and said with a smile, "Pill Alchemy? Don't compare me to those Alchemists. I once purged Luo Du from a Dou Wang's body. Is your Fire Poison harder to handle than Luo Du?"

Although Xiao Yan spoke with a smile, the absolute confidence in his Pill Alchemy could not be hidden in his eyes.

When it came to Pill Alchemy, Xiao Yan had immense confidence.

After thinking for a moment, Lin Yan said, "Alright, if you can completely purge the Fire Poison from my body, I'll add another hundred Heavenly Flame Energy—this Green Wood Vine is yours. How?"

Xiao Yan shook his head slightly and said, "Now it's you who needs me. Even if you refuse, I can buy it with four hundred Heavenly Flame Energy—I don't lack Fire Energy."

Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed slightly; he was certain Lin Yan would agree.

Xiao Yan was far too familiar with this kind of thing! Didn't Nalan Jie and Hai Bodong do exactly the same? The method doesn't need to be new—as long as it works!

Lin Yan's gaze hardened, and he nodded firmly: "Fine! But you must completely remove the Fire Poison from my body—I'll give you the Green Wood Vine only then. Not a single trace left."

Xiao Yan waved his sleeve dismissively and said, "Come find me at Xiao Palace tonight. I still need to take Xun Er for a stroll."

"Huh? Aren't you going to purge my Fire Poison right now?"

"That's just a minor matter."

With that, Xiao Yan took Xun Er's hand and continued strolling through the Transaction Zone, leaving Lin Yan standing dumbfounded in the cold wind.

If he didn't soothe Xun Er soon, this girl would be harder to deal with than Fire Poison—after all, Xiao Yan planned to enter seclusion in Room One after ten days, once Zi Yan emerged, and also help Mei Du Sha refine her Heavenly Flame Body.

Xiao Yan and Xun Er wandered the Transaction Zone for half a day, even enjoying a delicious dinner outside, before finally returning, clinging to each other.

Seeing Xiao Yan and Xun Er finally return, Lin Yan—who had been pacing outside the door for hours—rushed over and said, "You're finally back! If you didn't come back, I was going to search the Transaction Zone for you."

Lin Yan felt like crying—this is a matter of life and death! Can't you delay your flirting a little?

Chapter 241 was blocked, awaiting review

(End of Chapter)