Breaking the Masked Man

Zi Yan wiped her mouth and said to Yao Yan with some joy.

"I never lie to children."

Yao Yan chuckled lightly.

Upon hearing this, Zi Yan pouted slightly, looking a little unhappy, and said in a cute but fierce tone, "I'm not a little kid, I just grow up a bit slowly. I used to be much bigger!"

As a member of the ancient dragon royal family of the Void, Zi Yan's true form is obviously not small; at the very least, she is a giant creature over ten meters long.

However, Yao Yan had obviously never seen it before. He just smiled when he heard this, walked over, picked up the other person, and then transformed into a streak of light and flew out of the cave. Before leaving, he made sure to collapse the entire cave to prevent any foolish magical beasts from entering the underground world and destroying that Earth Core Tempering Milk.

After doing all this, Yao Yan carried Zi Yan and flew towards the inner courtyard.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 148 That Clan?!

The inner courtyard of Canaan Academy remained unchanged despite Yao Yan's return. In fact, many of them were unaware of Yao Yan's existence. Compared to the relatively unknown Yao Yan, Zi Yan, known as the "King of Brute Strength," was far more famous. Since Su Qian brought Zi Yan back to the inner courtyard, she had caused quite a bit of trouble, and many students had been beaten by her, usually with just one punch.

That brute force, so overbearing and unreasonable, subdued all the students, including Xiong Zhuang, the tyrant of the inner academy.

Xiong Zhuang was quite impressed with his great-aunt, Zi Yan.

After all, they've been hammered before.

At this moment, Xiong Zhuang stood beside Zi Yan with an honest and simple expression. Because of their body sizes, there was a peculiar contrast that was quite endearing. Of course, the "endearing" here was used to describe Zi Yan. Zi Yan, who was only a few years old, had the cute appearance of a porcelain doll, with a head of smooth purple hair and purple eyes that had a 'coldness' that did not match her appearance.

Perhaps because she has spent so much time with monsters, she has not yet integrated into the human world, which has given her a somewhat detached and emotionless nature.

Su Qian and Yao Yan stood not far away, chatting idly.

"I didn't expect you to run into Ziyan on your trip to the back mountain. It seems you two get along quite well, which is quite rare. She has a somewhat eccentric personality and has caused quite a few headaches for the elders in the inner courtyard. If you can take good care of her, it will be a great relief for Canaan Academy."

Su Qian stroked his white beard, a smile playing on his lips, and spoke softly.

Zi Yan was brought back by him. As the Grand Elder of the Inner Court of Canaan Academy, he naturally had to take responsibility for her. He couldn't just bring her back and then ignore her. However, how to teach her was a big problem. Many elders in the Inner Court had no way to deal with her. They never expected that Yao Yan would get along so well with her, and even allow him to hold her.

Even Su Qian didn't receive this kind of treatment.

Using brute force is a separate matter.

Yao Yan smiled upon hearing this and said softly, "She just has a big appetite. Once you've filled her stomach, she's quite easy to talk to."

Su Qian's lips twitched slightly, and she was speechless for a moment.

It was no easy task to fill Zi Yan's stomach, especially to ensure she was well-fed at every meal. After all, what Zi Yan needed to eat was not ordinary meat or vegetables; what she truly needed were rare and precious natural treasures filled with the energy of heaven and earth. Canaan Academy could not possibly supply such things to Zi Yan alone.

He pondered for a moment, his gaze shifting slightly, and suddenly asked, "Since you are from the Medicine Clan, you should be able to see what Zi Yan's true form is, right?"

"I do have some guesses, but I can't be sure. After all, if she really is from that clan, Zi Yan shouldn't be in the Black Corner Region."

Upon hearing this, Yao Yan's smile vanished, and he feigned seriousness, speaking in a low, deceptive tone.

"That clan?!"

Su Qian was slightly taken aback when he saw Yao Yan's solemn expression. The fact that Yao Yan could show such an expression clearly meant that Zi Yan's original magical beast family was very unusual.

Yao Yan shook his head and slowly said, "It's impossible to be sure for now. After all, that clan is extremely mysterious. I've only read about them in books and haven't had any contact with them. Whether Zi Yan is a member of that clan is still up for debate. However, her talent is indeed terrifying... What she lacks now is only the resources for cultivation."

Seeing that Yao Yan was unwilling to say more, Su Qian hesitated for a moment but did not ask any further questions. He could tell that Yao Yan had no ill intentions towards Zi Yan, and that was enough.

As for whether the other party is faking it... he can continue to keep an eye on them; there's still plenty of time.

“Canaan Academy can provide her with some resources… but not too many, since Canaan Academy also has to take care of the other students,” Su Qian said slowly.

“I will take good care of her. Actually, I lied to Elder Huqian before. I am not a fifth-grade alchemist, but a seventh-grade alchemist.”

Suddenly, Yao Yan blurted out, revealing his identity.

"?!"

Su Qian paused in stroking his beard, almost pulling off the white hairs on his chin. His eyes widened as he stared intently at Yao Yan, filled with disbelief.

An eighteen-year-old seventh-grade alchemist—what does that even mean?!

This is even more terrifying than an eighteen-year-old Dou Zong!

When did becoming an alchemist become so easy? Han Feng, the renowned Medicine King of the Black Corner Region, is almost fifty years old, while the other party is only at the sixth rank. You should know that Han Feng's master is the Medicine Venerable, famous in the Central State, the former champion of the Pill Gathering, and known as the number one alchemist in the Central State.

Yao Yan remained calm, as if recounting an ordinary matter, without a trace of pride. His composed demeanor seemed to be an answer to Su Qian, confirming that he was not joking.

"...Are you serious?"

Su Qian was stunned for a moment, then swallowed hard and couldn't help but ask a question.

"The Imperial Pill and Breakthrough Pill that were auctioned in Black Seal City not long ago were made by me. This matter caused quite a stir at the time, and I'm sure Canaan Academy has heard about it." Yao Yan continued to reveal his identity, with a hint of helplessness on his face: "When I first came to Black Corner Region, I just wanted to gather some cultivation resources, but I never expected the scene to become so big."

In terms of performance, Yao Yan is a professional.

Su Qian's head was buzzing, and he didn't know what to say for a moment. He didn't expect that the chaos in the Black Corner Region was caused by this kid in front of him. Thinking of the Imperial Extreme Pill and the Breaking Sect Pill, he couldn't help but feel a little confused. Could it be that he had been in the Black Corner Region for too long and had fallen behind the outside world? Is the Central Continent so crazy now?

A young man under eighteen years old can become a seventh-grade alchemist. Such monstrous talent is still allowed to be expelled from the family. Does that family have that many geniuses?!

He finally couldn't hold back and asked, "How could the Medicine Clan bear to expel you?"

“The Grand Elder doesn’t understand the Medicine Clan. For the Medicine Clan, the inheritance of bloodline is more important, and talent can only be ranked second… However, for the Medicine Clan, bloodline concentration is also a symbol of talent. I guess the Grand Elder doesn’t understand these things.” Yao Yan said softly, stating an extremely cruel fact.

The major imperial clans are all similar. Bloodline concentration is the most important, while talent can only be ranked second. No matter how strong an individual's talent and ability are, without sufficient bloodline concentration, no one will recognize them. After all, the latter needs time to grow and prove itself, while the former is real and tangible. Even if someone has a bad temperament, their value as a 'stud' is far greater than that of the latter.

After all, this bloodline is related to the word "Emperor"!

"Bloodline inheritance?"

Su Qian clearly didn't know much about the Dou Di families. He knew those families were terrifying, but he didn't know that those families were related to Dou Di, or even that he himself had the bloodline of a Dou Di.

After all, given his past strength, he was not qualified to even come into contact with this level.

Even in the Central Continent, where many forces exist, one's strength must be at least at the Dou Zun level to make contact with this level, and even then, there is no guarantee of access; one would need someone to guide them.

Yao Yan didn't want to say anything more on this topic, so he went straight to the point: "Actually, I entered Canaan Academy partly to seek refuge. Those people in the Black Corner Region are too crazy. I don't like excitement, and I don't like being famous. I hope the Grand Elder can understand."

Upon hearing Yao Yan's sincere words, Su Qian pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "...With your talent, coming to the Black Corner Region is a bit of a waste. Even Canaan Academy wouldn't be able to offer you much help."

Because the genius disciples of Canaan Academy, after reaching the Dou Wang level, would choose to go to the Central Continent for training instead of hiding in the Black Corner Region. The Central Continent is the core area of ​​the Dou Qi Continent, where the energy of heaven and earth and the strength of the people are far superior to those of other regions.

Given Yao Yan's talent, if he were in Zhongzhou, he would definitely grow very quickly. In less than ten years, he might even hear of Yao Yan's name.

"A place I've been interested in since childhood, I finally have to visit!"

Yao Yan smiled and spoke the truth. He was indeed very interested in Canaan Academy. His interest was not only in the Fallen Heart Flame, but also in the people of Canaan Academy, such as Zi Yan and Elder Su Qian. These were rare normal people in the original work.

Su Qian smiled upon hearing this and said, "That is truly a blessing for Canaan Academy... Since you have explained, then please settle down here. With the reputation of Canaan Academy, no one in the Black Corner Region will be foolish enough to cause trouble."

"Then thank you very much, Elder!"

Yao Yan cupped his hands and said.

Su Qian took the opportunity to make a request: "However, I hope you will take good care of Zi Yan."

Even if a seventh-grade alchemist spilled some food between his fingers, it would be enough to feed the young Zi Yan. In this way, he could be considered to have fulfilled his responsibility of finding Zi Yan. Su Qian still felt somewhat guilty for throwing her to the back mountain before, but he had to consider the entire Canaan Academy and could not only think about Zi Yan.

"I will."

Yao Yan nodded, then looked at Zi Yan not far away and said.

Upon hearing this, Su Qian stopped saying anything more during the New Year's greeting. Yao Yan's honesty had earned him some trust. Besides, the fact that the seven-grade alchemist, who was not even eighteen years old, was so shocking that he didn't know what to say for a moment. He was still somewhat confused and had a slight doubt in his heart. It was simply too unbelievable and completely beyond his comprehension.

At this moment, Su Qian was no different from Hai Bodong and the others; they were all shocked.

Yao Yan, who was standing to the side, walked up to Zi Yan, reached out and patted the 'King of Brute Strength' on the head, and said with a smile, "Let's go, I'll take you to get something good to eat."

"it is good!"

Zi Yan's eyes lit up, and she looked at Yao Yan expectantly. Then she reached out her chubby little hand and pinched the hem of Yao Yan's clothes.

Yao Yan tossed Xiong Zhuang a bottle of third-grade cultivation-aid pills as a reward for looking after Zi Yan. Then, she led Zi Yan towards her hut, intending to find a quiet place to refine some pills and, incidentally, refine the Ice Heart Pill, the auxiliary pill needed to devour the Fallen Heart Flame.

……

Su Qian did not disturb Yao Yan's alchemy, and even offered his own courtyard, perhaps wanting to see Yao Yan's true skill level.

"Duang~"

As a jet-black medicine cauldron flew out, a heavy rumble resounded from the ground.

"Whoo~"

Yao Yan raised his hand and summoned the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame to ignite the medicine cauldron. He then took out a medicine bottle containing Earth Core Tempering Milk, extracted three drops from it with his soul power, and put them into the Black Demon Cauldron. Immediately afterwards, he took out a lot of medicinal herbs for nourishing the body from his storage ring and threw them all into the fire.

As he formed a hand seal, his battle qi and soul power surged into the Black Demon Cauldron, causing the burning Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame to instantly reach its peak intensity. The terrifying temperature even caused the patterns on the surface of the Black Demon Cauldron to turn red.

Zi Yan watched all this with curiosity, remaining quiet and undisturbed.

In this respect, she and Ling'er are quite similar; they both know that Yao Yan won't fool around when he's doing something serious.

As the temperature rises, hundreds of medicinal herbs within begin to wither simultaneously, extracting their essence and energy, which transforms into crystal-clear drops of liquid that merge into the three drops of Earth Core Tempering Milk. Under the baking of the Azure Lotus Earth Core Fire, the three drops of Earth Core Tempering Milk gradually develop a greenish halo, as if they have gained some vitality and are no longer so cold.

Earth Core Tempering Milk, a natural treasure, doesn't require any refining. It is an extremely pure treasure of heaven and earth. It only needs to be supplemented with other medicinal materials to fully activate its medicinal properties, and it can become the best foundation-building medicine, which has excellent effects on both humans and magical beasts.

These kinds of pills don't have a grade, but in terms of value, they're probably not even as good as a Royal Extreme Pill.

However, as a seventh-grade alchemist, Yao Yan's value of pills could not be measured by the standards of ordinary people. Compared to the future benefits that Zi Yan could bring him, what was a little Earth Core Tempering Milk? He did not deny that he had other purposes for contacting Zi Yan, but one thing he was sure of was that he had no ill intentions towards Zi Yan.

Rather than letting the other party grow up at Canaan Academy, it would be better to take them away and even help them unify the Ancient Dragon Clan of the Void in the future. The Soul Clan would probably be very interested in this.

After all, among the magical beast families, the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan is undoubtedly the most powerful. If Zhu Kun had not been imprisoned in the Dou Di Cave, his power would have been enough to rival the Hun Gu Clan. Although it is now divided, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. The divided island is enough to crush all the magical beast families on the Dou Qi Continent.