"An Intermediate Di Class Soul Secret Technique?! This Soul Fusion Technique is indeed rather strange. However, this method of forcibly devouring souls clearly has significant drawbacks. It might cause one's strength to soar in the short term, but frankly, if it came down to using this, I would rather risk using the third move of the Asura Soul Reaping Technique. My soul has already reached the Soul State now, so perhaps it won't be as perilous as last time. Forget it; I'll just sell it."
"A Rank 7 Monster Core? Useful, but not very."
Zi Yan watched Xiao Yan continuously muttering to himself. Although he claimed these things were useless, he shamelessly stored every single one in his storage ring.
"Hey Xiao Yan, you can't hoard everything for yourself! Little Fairy Doctor and I contributed too!" Zi Yan reached out, blocking Xiao Yan from taking the last wooden box. She was dissatisfied; he was taking everything, what about her?
"You can't use these Qi Methods and Dou Techniques anyway, so what do you want them for?" Xiao Yan said irritably. Magical beasts had their own cultivation methods. Although there were Dou Techniques that magical beasts could cultivate, most weren't compatible.
"I can trade them for medicinal ingredients too," Zi Yan said with a grin.
"One."
"Three."
"Deal."
Just like that, the big one and the little one struck a deal. Xiao Yan gave Zi Yan three tier 7 medicinal ingredients. Only then did Zi Yan feel satisfied, thinking her efforts hadn't been in vain.
Xiao Yan shook his head helplessly and picked up the last scroll, an extremely ordinary-looking bamboo slip.
The bamboo slip was grayish-brown in color, and its material appeared quite common. Xiao Yan knew, however, that anything Old Ground Demon Ghost stored here couldn't possibly be an ordinary item.
He gently untied the thin cord on the bamboo slip and slowly unfurled it. Then, large, blood-dripping characters exuding a hint of viciousness abruptly appeared under his sweeping gaze, causing his heart to leap violently.
"Sky Demon Puppet!"
"Sky Demon Puppet. This method is neither a Qi Method nor an ordinary Dou Technique. Instead, it is a puppet skill passed down from ancient times. To refine the Sky Demon Puppet, three things must be gathered: a body, a soul, and a Monster Core. Use the body as the vessel, the soul as the guide, and the Monster Core as the heart. This, accompanied by many other ingredients, will ultimately form a Demon Puppet. Demon Puppets are divided into three grades: Sky, Ground, and Man. The differences between them are determined by the ingredients and the flame used during the refinement. A Demon Puppet possesses an unending amount of strength, and does not have any emotion nor does it feel any pain. It is truly an instrument of slaughter."
Seeing this description, First Elder Su Qian suddenly realized, "No wonder there's a Rank 7 Monster Core stored here. That Old Ground Demon Ghost was likely preparing to use it to refine this Sky Demon Puppet."
Xiao Yan immediately grinned. Wasn't this quite the coincidence? Wasn't Old Ground Demon Ghost's soul right inside the Soul Command Token? He had even thoughtfully prepared a Monster Core for him.
Although Old Ground Demon Ghost's body had been turned into corpse water by Little Fairy Doctor's poison, and Mo Tianxing had self-detonated, the body of that Old Ying Shan was still intact. The fact that his head was smashed by Zi Yan probably wouldn't affect things much.
Old Ground Demon Ghost probably never imagined, even in his wildest dreams, that the Sky Demon Puppet refinement method he had collected would one day use his own soul as material.
"Let's go, there's nothing else here. Xiao Yu, have people from Xiao City come in a few days to inventory everything. Leave a portion to donate to the academy." Xiao Yan understood the importance of gestures of goodwill.
"Got it," Xiao Yu nodded.
"You brat... ah well. This old man will thank you for your kindness on behalf of the many students of the Academy." First Elder Su Qian stroked his beard, very pleased with Xiao Yan's generosity.
When Xiao Yan emerged from the stone cave, he saw Hu Jia, Wu Hao, and others already waiting. These two could be considered veterans of the Xiao Hall. They greeted Xiao Yan enthusiastically upon his arrival, and Xiao Yan fulfilled his host duties, greeting each of them in turn.
…
The atmosphere was somewhat tense yet excited in the spacious and bright main hall. Several gazes, laden with various emotions, were fixed on the young man reclining in the central chair.
There were not many people in the main hall, just a handful, and all were familiar faces. Aside from that Xin Lan, the others were people who had entered the Inner Academy with Xiao Yan back then. Of course, some had already graduated, while others like Wu Hao and Hu Jia had stayed behind in the academy and become elders.
Xiao Mei stood obediently beside Xiao Yan. A stream of water flowed from the teapot in her hand as she carefully poured it into the teacup before him. As she bent slightly, an alluring glimpse of snowy white skin inadvertently appeared, catching the eye.
Xiao Yan kept his eyes straight ahead. Only when Xiao Mei finished pouring the tea and straightened up did his gaze drift toward her with a slight smile. His gaze then swept over the others in the main hall as he smiled and said, "Everyone, please sit. We're all friends here; why be so formal? How have you all been these past few years?"
Immediately, everyone began chattering excitedly, recounting their impressive exploits over the years. When Xiao Yan heard that Cai Lin had smashed his statue to pieces with a single palm strike after emerging from the tower, he choked on his water and started coughing, utterly speechless at her actions.
"Are you really the legendary genius alchemist, Xiao Yan?" Xin Lan, who had been staring at Xiao Yan with a peculiar gaze while he chatted with the group about past events, finally couldn't resist asking.
"Legendary is a bit too much. At least I'm still alive." Xiao Yan laughed heartily.
At his confirmation, Xin Lan gently bit her lower lip, looking as though she had something to say. Just as she was about to speak, Deputy Headmaster Hu Gan appeared in the hall as if by teleportation.
Upon his arrival, Xiao Yan, who had just been joking and laughing with everyone, instantly seemed to change. A solemn and sharp aura burst forth from his eyes.
"I know the medicinal pill you intend to refine is definitely not as simple as a low-grade tier 7 one. Therefore, I discussed it with the Qian Bai Two Elders. We will activate the guardian grand formation of the Book Collection Hall. You can refine your pill with peace of mind," Hu Gan said in a deep voice.
Xiao Yan cupped his hands toward Hu Gan and said, "Xiao Yan thanks the Deputy Headmaster."
He then turned his head to look at Little Fairy Doctor, who was sitting quietly to the side. She slowly stood up and nodded. She knew time was of the essence.
"Xiao Yan," Xiao Yu suddenly grabbed his sleeve.
"Don't worry, it's just refining a pill. Haven't you seen me refine pills many times before?" Xiao Yan gently patted the back of her hand reassuringly.
Of course, Xiao Yu had seen him refine pills before, but this was the first time his expression was so grave! Was this really just ordinary alchemy?
"Miss Xin Lan, whatever you have to say, let's talk about it after I return from refining the pill." Xiao Yan had sensed that Xin Lan had something to tell him, but right now, he had no mind to think about other matters.
Xin Lan understood that no matter how urgent her matter was, she couldn't compare to Little Fairy Doctor in importance, so she nodded in acknowledgment.
At the speed of Xiao Yan's group of three, it took them less than five minutes to reach the Book Collection Hall.
Outside the main entrance, the guardians from back then, the two elders Qian Mu and Bai Lie, stood steadfastly at the doorway as always.
"Heh heh, who would have thought... after so many years, we would actually encounter another possessor of the Woeful Poison Body. Truly unexpected," Qian Mu remarked with some emotion.
"Alas, but it's a pity... Every possessor of the Woeful Poison Body ultimately meets a similar end. Born of woe, die in woe," Bai Lie also sighed wistfully.
After all, the Woeful Poison Body was quite famous throughout the Dou Qi Continent, although it was not a good reputation.
Xiao Yan smiled, a trace of confidence appearing on his face as he said, "Elder Qian, Elder Bai, starting today, you will witness a second ending for the Woeful Poison Body."