Chapter 254

Xiao Yan did not immediately return to the Inner Court; he cultivated right where he was.

Mao Wu sat on Xiao Yan's shoulder, legs crossed in a convincing imitation.

After all, a Sixth-Grade High-Level Elixir had just been forged here; as a transmigrant, Xiao Yan possessed knowledge from nine years of compulsory education—he knew molecules were in motion.

That blue column was Medicinal Mist; the pungent Pill Fragrance was also a form of energy emitted by the Elixir. Adhering to the principle of never wasting anything usable, Xiao Yan activated the Burning Decree to absorb the Medicinal Mist drifting in the air.

This was at least a pure form of energy.

Mao Wu had grown up on these "leftovers" all along.

He cultivated until sunset, as day turned to night, before slowly opening his eyes—a flicker of flame passed through his gaze as he exhaled.

"My Soul Force is stuck at Sixth-Grade Peak…"

Xiao Yan's Soul Force had reached Sixth-Grade for some time now, and he'd even consumed a Sixth-Grade Elixir to enhance it, yet even with the Spiritual Heart Soul Gathering Decree, he remained stuck at Sixth-Grade.

"After all, this is only an Arcane-Rank High-Level Soul Decree. Though reaching its peak grants one chance to break through to the Spirit Realm, advancing from Sixth-Grade to Seventh-Grade is already difficult for an Arcane-Rank High-Level Soul Decree."

Xiao Yan fully understood the importance of Cultivation Methods—an Arcane-Rank High-Level Method already began to strain at the Dou Emperor realm; imagine how much harder it would be to raise Soul Force past Seventh-Grade.

Don't be fooled by how fast Xiao Yan's Soul Force had soared earlier—that was because his Rank was still low, and the Arcane-Rank High-Level Soul Decree could easily boost it; combined with his naturally strong Soul Force, the increase came even faster.

But now that he'd reached Sixth-Grade Peak, the Spiritual Heart Soul Gathering Decree began to show its limits. Xiao Yan had originally chosen it mainly because reaching its peak granted one chance to break through to the Spirit Realm—to transition from mortal to spirit.

The more Soul Gathering Xiao Yan accomplished, the greater his chance to break through to the Spirit Realm at Seventh-Grade Peak.

Xiao Yan slowly stood up, untroubled—enhancing Soul Force was no different from enhancing Cultivation Realm; it didn't require blindly relying on a Cultivation Method alone. Elixirs and Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures could help too.

Otherwise, Alchemists without Soul Decrees would never be able to improve their Soul Force at all.

Meow~~~

"It's time to head back!" Xiao Yan stretched, preparing to return.

Not every Cultivation Method could evolve like the Burning Decree—seeking stronger Methods was something every cultivator constantly pondered.

Just as he was about to unfold EagleWings and leave, a deafening beast roar erupted like thunder from the distant mountains.

"Such a powerful roar—just from the sound alone, this must be at least a Dou King-level Demon Beast?" Xiao Yan, startled by the sudden roar, quickly looked up toward the distant mountains, astonished.

A flicker of surprise crossed Xiao Yan's face; having just forged an Elixir, he felt a touch of curiosity and smiled: "Go take a look?"

Miao!! Mao Wu let out a loud cry.

Hearing this, Xiao Yan smiled, his wings snapping open from his back, a slight flap lifting him upward as he shot toward the source of the roar.

When he reached the edge of a Small Valley, Xiao Yan saw a massive white giant ape standing upright, its body radiating sharp icy energy. Its arms were unusually long, its claws each the size of two adult heads; every now and then, as it swung its claws, powerful gusts shot out.

The Giant Beast's blood-red eyes overflowed with fury and killing intent, fixed now on the six figures surrounding it.

"Huh? This is a Snow Demon Sky Ape. Judging by its Spiritual Pressure, it's at least a Three-Star Dou King." Xiao Yan instantly felt surprise within as he spotted the giant ape at the valley entrance.

"Interesting—these six are truly bold."

Xiao Yan focused his gaze and realized all six were Inner Court students, two of whom were among the Strong List Top Ten.

Lin Xiuya, ranked second; Yan Hao, ranked fifth; the others were all top-twenty Inner Court powerhouses.

Among them, the only woman Xiao Yan recognized was Han Yue—the same woman he'd met when first entering the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta. After half a year of cultivation, Han Yue had now reached Seven-Star Dou Spirit. Though her progress lagged behind Xiao Yan's, it was still far faster than most students'.

Watching the six below battling the Snow Demon Sky Ape, Xiao Yan rubbed his chin, thinking: "Places with powerful Demon Beasts usually harbor Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures. And since this is not far from the Inner Court, with Zi Yan's treasure-finding talent, she should've discovered this place long ago."

Looking at the six below, locked in a stalemate with the Snow Demon Sky Ape, Xiao Yan wore a strange expression.

Knowing Zi Yan as he did, either the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures here weren't suitable for her, so she didn't come, or she couldn't beat it.

On several occasions, Zi Yan had gone to provoke Sixth-Rank Demon Beasts and returned bruised and battered—Xiao Yan had healed her with Yin-Yang Spiritual Flames.

"Foolish humans, do not dare to steal the Earth Heart Tempering Milk! Retreat now, and I may spare your lives!" The Snow Demon Sky Ape lifted its massive head, its blood-red gaze locked on the group. After a long silence, its deep, furious voice suddenly boomed like thunder into every ear around it.

Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed—he too felt a jolt in his chest.

Earth Heart Tempering Milk was a treasure! It had divine effects of purifying marrow and refining bones, and due to its extraordinarily pure, immense Earth energy, it could even, on a minuscule chance, help those at the peak of their Rank break through the barrier between levels.

"If this were Earth Heart Tempering Milk, Zi Yan would have no reason to ignore it—so the Snow Demon Sky Ape's strength must be such that even she couldn't defeat it alone, which is why she gave up."

As expected, when the battle reached its peak, the Snow Demon Sky Ape suddenly unleashed its Bloodline Power—its eyes instantly turned a deep crimson.

A faint red flash shot out—its speed was terrifying, causing everyone to freeze for a moment. Then, their faces turned pale. Without needing orders, each of them scrambled away like rabbits.

"Han Yue, run!" Seeing the Snow Demon Sky Ape's target was Han Yue, Yan Hao and the others froze, then shouted urgently.

Han Yue was the weakest among them—she likely provided the intelligence on this place.

Roar!! After unleashing its furious Bloodline Power, the Snow Demon Sky Ape's strength surged to High-Level Dou King—no wonder Zi Yan refused to fight it head-on.

In that split second, Han Yue did not panic. Instead, she fought desperately for the slimmest chance of survival.

Instantly, her Dou Qi solidified into an ice shield before her.

Just as everyone believed the beautiful white rose would be mercilessly crushed, a streak of fire shot down from the sky.

Boom! Xiao Yan used Flame Splitting Wave Ruler to blast the Snow Demon Sky Ape slightly off course—the lethal punch barely grazed Han Yue's side. Even so, the shockwave flung her backward.

Thud! Han Yue suddenly felt her body grow light—she looked down and realized Xiao Yan was holding her securely.

Xiao Yan looked down at the beautiful face in his arms—once cold and alluring, now pale and vulnerable. Though her slender waist felt incredibly soft against his arm, under the watchful eyes of the others nearby, he could only help her stand upright, smiling lightly: "Senior Han Yue, are you alright?"

"You're Xiao Yan?" came Han Yue's disbelieving voice from her rosy lips.

Xiao Yan only smiled, saying nothing, instead turning to face the giant ape, its entire body glowing red and steaming.

"Though Bloodline Rage boosts physical strength to its limit, it also robs the user of reason. Friends, I'll hold it off for a while—whether you succeed in claiming the Earth Heart Tempering Milk depends on your own strength!" Xiao Yan stepped forward and used Soul Resonance to speak.

The six exchanged glances and silently nodded. They'd expected to leave empty-handed—yet now, Xiao Yan had appeared.

Roar! Boom boom boom! The Snow Demon Sky Ape pounded its chest, emitting thunderous thuds, its blood-red aura locking instantly onto Xiao Yan—the one who had ruined its plans.

It transformed into a red blur, charging at terrifying speed, aiming to crush Xiao Yan into pulp with a single punch.

Instantly, Xiao Yan unleashed the Ten Thousand Beasts Spiritual Flame within him, activating and strengthening his Dragon Qi. He drew a deep breath, then unleashed a deafening Dragon Roar toward the charging Snow Demon Sky Ape.

Wooooo!!!!!! Boom boom boom!! The terrifying Dragon Roar slammed into the Snow Demon Sky Ape like a shockwave.

The Ancient Dragon Roar, already infused with Dragon Qi and amplified by the Ten Thousand Beasts Spiritual Flame, was utterly identical to the true roar of a Grand Void Ancient Dragon.

The Snow Demon Sky Ape, its eyes crimson and mindless, suddenly showed fear—clutching its ears in agony.

"Qing Xuan Wind Kill!"

"Ice Mountain Falls!"

Seeing Xiao Yan roar to halt the frenzied Snow Demon Sky Monkey, the other six knew this was their chance—they exhausted all their Dou Qi to unleash their strongest Dou Techniques.

After all, they were all top-tier strengths of the Inner Court, with access to abundant resources; even Lin Xiuya's Dou Technique subtly carried the power of a Ground Rank.

"Eight Extremes Shatter!"

Xiao Yan lunged forward, punching the Snow Demon Sky Monkey's heart—directly securing victory!

Seeing the giant ape fall, even Lin Xiuya, who had reached Half-step Dou Wang, couldn't help cheering.

"Good!"

"You kid really is powerful—no wonder you command the entire Medicine Guild."

All the Strong List Conference masters scrutinized Xiao Yan, surprised that in just half a year, his Cultivation Realm had advanced to such a level—clearly, another formidable contender had emerged for the Strong List Conference in over a month.

Han Yue sighed, her beautiful eyes fixed on Xiao Yan: "Half a year ago you were still a New Student; now your strength has already surpassed mine."

She still remembered that half a year ago, Xiao Yan didn't even know how to descend into the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta—now his power had unquestionably outstripped hers.

Han Yue advanced one Star every half year using the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta, but Xiao Yan not only possessed astonishing Pill Alchemy skills, his Cultivation Realm leapt from Three-Star Dou Spirit to Seven-Star Dou Spirit—four times faster than her!

Facing this beautiful woman whose fame spread throughout the Inner Court, Xiao Yan merely smiled faintly.

"Enough talk—it's time to claim the rewards."

(End of Chapter)