The Strange Flame Rekindles in Battle Through the Heavens

Chapter 15 Purchasing Medicinal Herbs

Under the scorching sun, the earth was like a steamer, with waves of heat rolling in, making the heat unbearable. Yet, in such weather, two figures were constantly colliding and bumping into each other in the woods, each collision sending the surrounding dry leaves flying everywhere.

"Bang!" The two figures collided violently again. This time, both of them exerted all their strength in the collision, and the resulting shockwave formed a powerful shockwave. Leaves fell one after another, tree trunks trembled, and even the soil on the ground was rippled.

"Brother Xiao Yan's strength has improved too quickly. He's already at the seventh level of Dou Qi. He's also reached the third level of Dou Zhuan Xing Yi, while Xun'er has only reached the second level. In addition, with Brother Xiao Yan's terrifying defense and strength, Xun'er's strength at the ninth level of Dou Qi can't gain any advantage at all." Xun'er wiped the sweat from her face and body and said with a smile.

Xun'er's little hands kept waving up and down, creating a gentle breeze that caressed her cheeks. Only in this way could she feel a little cooler in the sweltering summer.

Seeing Xun'er's clothes soaked with sweat, clinging tightly to her skin, making her look even more exquisite and beautiful, Xiao Yan felt his body heat up even more. He took off his long robe and wiped the sweat from his face, then used the robe as a towel to wipe the sweat from his body.

"Hehe, that's because Xun'er didn't use her full strength. This weather is just too hot!" Xiao Yan looked up at the sky and felt that the sun seemed much bigger than usual. The scorching sunlight made him feel even hotter. Helplessly, he walked to a stone bench next to a big tree, sat down, and drank a big gulp of the plum juice that Xun'er had prepared in advance. Only then did he feel a little better.

"Xun'er really did her best. But Brother Xiao Yan seems to have gotten so much darker!" Xun'er walked up to Xiao Yan, took the plum juice from his hand and drank a sip. She then sat down on a stone bench to cool off, and took out a fan from somewhere to fan Xiao Yan.

A cool breeze swept by, and Xiao Yan felt the heat on his body subside considerably. He gently took the fan from Xun'er's hand and began to fan her. Xun'er's originally delicate face had darkened considerably. She should have been reading in a cool study like a young lady, but now she was sparring with him, a grown man, under the scorching sun.

Gently stroking Xun'er's cheek, she said with heartache, "These past five months have been tough for Xun'er; even her little face has gotten tanned."

Feeling Xiao Yan's pained gaze and the cool breeze, Xun'er lowered her head and murmured, "This is what Xun'er should do. Brother Xiao Yan suffers even more, not only having to spar with her but also undergoing grueling training."

"Perhaps Xun'er shouldn't spar with me. It's too hot. I can just cultivate on my own," Xiao Yan said calmly.

"No way!" Xun'er refused outright. If she didn't spar with Xiao Yan, he would have to endure cruel training indefinitely, and she didn't want him to suffer like that.

Seeing Xun'er's strong reaction, Xiao Yan was slightly taken aback. Every time he mentioned it to Xun'er, she reacted the same way. This puzzled Xiao Yan greatly. It was just a sparring match, why did it need to be so frequent?

Moreover, after so much sparring, his strength has improved rapidly; he has even mastered five levels of the Eight Extremes Collapse technique. His Cloud-Dispelling Palm can generate five levels of energy with a single strike, like waves, each higher than the last. He just hadn't used it on Xun'er yet, so a little less sparring wouldn't matter. However, seeing Xun'er's objection, Xiao Yan had no choice.

"Brother Xiao Yan, are we going to spar again this afternoon?" Xun'er asked softly, pursing her lips.

"No, I need to buy some medicinal herbs this afternoon!" Xiao Yan said, his toothache slightly aggravated.

Although the results of the six months of training were very encouraging, the expenses were also considerable, requiring one dose of medicinal herbs every month. Each dose cost 100,000 gold coins, and the 600,000 gold coins Xun'er had given him were all spent so far. If it weren't for his father Xiao Zhan's additional 50,000 gold coins, he would have been completely penniless, but even 50,000 gold coins couldn't buy one dose of medicinal herbs.

Does he have to borrow from Xun'er again? How can he keep asking Xun'er for money? It seems he needs to earn some money himself.

"Is Brother Xiao Yan going to the market to buy things? Xun'er wants to go too!" Xun'er perked up immediately when she heard that Xiao Yan was going to the market.

"Let's go together then! I'll take you out for some good food while I'm at it," Xiao Yan said with a smile.

"Then Brother Xiao Yan, go back and wait for Xun'er for a while. Xun'er will go back and change her clothes, and then come to find you." When Xun'er heard that Xiao Yan was going to take her to eat something delicious, she immediately ran to change her clothes excitedly.

After Xun'er walked away, Xiao Yan said to Yao Lao, "Teacher, I want to get some Foundation Establishment Elixir to sell."

"Why don't you keep asking that little girl for money? After all, she has plenty of money." Yao Lao's voice echoed in Xiao Yan's mind.

"How can I keep asking girls for money?! What about my reputation?!" Xiao Yan rolled his eyes.

"Suit yourself! Further cultivation will require a considerable amount of gold coins, and it's really not appropriate to keep borrowing money!" Elder Yao said calmly.

After Yao Lao agreed, Xiao Yan prepared to descend the mountain. However, knowing exactly how long a girl's "a while" would last, Xiao Yan proceeded slowly and without any hurry. He returned to his room, took a shower, changed into clean clothes, and cultivated on the bed for a while before Xun'er knocked on the door to call him out.

Upon opening the door, Xiao Yan saw Xun'er, her pale blue gauze dress fluttering in the wind, dressed like a fairy, waiting for him at the entrance. Xiao Yan immediately perked up and said teasingly, "Which fairy has descended to the mortal realm?"

Hearing Xiao Yan's praise, Xun'er beamed with joy, walked up and took his arm, smiling as she said, "Then, Brother Xiao Yan, would you like to accompany this fairy to go shopping?"

"With pleasure!" Xiao Yan took Xun'er's arm with his left hand and held up the parasol with his right.

Seeing how thoughtful Xiao Yan was, Xun'er's adorable dimples appeared on her face as she happily pulled Xiao Yan towards the gate.

When the two encountered their clansmen on their outing, they were greeted warmly. The competition a few months prior had once again cemented the young man's reputation as a cultivation prodigy in the eyes of his clan.

However, Xiao Yan only responded politely. At this point, neither contempt nor praise could stir any emotion in him.

Leaving the Xiao family residence and arriving on the main street of Wutan City, it was midday, the hottest time of day, and most people were eating at home, so the streets weren't very crowded. The two naturally wouldn't go shopping at this time, so Xiao Yan led Xun'er towards one of their usual restaurants.

Upon entering the restaurant, a noticeable coolness was felt. Although this world lacked air conditioning, it didn't hinder the merchants; obtaining ice to cool down was easy. After all, ice-attribute battle qi existed in this world, making ice was a breeze, and there were merchants on the streets who specialized in selling ice.

After finishing their lunch, the two bought some popsicles on the street and walked deeper into the market while eating them, because only there could they find the medicinal materials needed to refine the Foundation Establishment Elixir.

Deep within the market, Xiao Yan casually bought five portions of slightly older Purple Leaf Orchids and Bone Cleansing Flowers. Since they weren't for his own use, he wasn't too picky. However, magic cores didn't have an age system; even after browsing for a long time, the two only managed to buy four wood-type magic cores.

"Brother Xiao Yan, don't worry, we can stroll around a bit more. There's still plenty of time," Xun'er said reassuringly when she saw that Xiao Yan was getting anxious.

"I'm just worried that Xun'er will get sunburned, after all, the weather is so hot." Xiao Yan took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the sweat off Xun'er's face.

Seeing Xiao Yan so considerately wiping her sweat, Xun'er blushed slightly and lowered her head. But she immediately became excited and pointed ahead, saying happily, "Brother Xiao Yan, there's another stall up ahead! I saw that person took out quite a few magic cores; I guess there's something Brother Xiao Yan needs."

Xiao Yan looked in the direction Xun'er was pointing and saw a merchant dressed as a mercenary, who was slightly overweight. He spread a cloth on the ground and kept taking out various goods from his bag, including magic cores for sale.

Xiao Yan led Xun'er to the newly opened stall and squatted down to carefully examine the various goods on display. However, after looking for a long time, he only found earth-type or water-type magic cores, but not wood-type magic cores. A look of disappointment appeared on Xiao Yan's face.

Seeing that Xiao Yan was dressed in fine clothes, clearly a big customer, the shrewd merchant immediately greeted him warmly, "Just tell me what you need, sir. I have plenty more in this bag; I guarantee you'll find what you need."

"I need a wood-type magic core. Do you sell them?" Xiao Yan stated his needs directly.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! It's one I just got recently." The merchant hurriedly rummaged through his bag and pulled out a blood-stained magic core, handing it to Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan picked up the magic core and examined it, discovering it was indeed a wood-type magic core. Although it was stained with blood, it couldn't hide the fragrant aroma emanating from it, which was quite refreshing.

"This is the magic core of a first-tier magical beast, the Emerald Lizard. This beast's skin and hard shell make it adept at defense and counterattack, comparable to even second-tier magical beasts. Our mercenary group paid a heavy price to hunt it down, losing several members in the process. If you want it, give us eight hundred gold coins!" the merchant explained to Xiao Yan. When he spoke of the lives lost, a few tears welled in his eyes.

After listening to the vendor's introduction, Xiao Yan smiled and said, "Although this kind of magical beast has strong defense, its attack power is only average. As long as you are willing to spend more time, I think it won't be difficult to kill it."

Even after being exposed by Xiao Yan, the merchant wasn't embarrassed. Instead, he chuckled and said, "Hehe, this young master is truly knowledgeable. This kind of magical beast is indeed top-tier among first-tier magical beasts. How about 650 gold coins? After all, we need to eat too."

"Well, fine, I'll just take the loss! Actually, this magic core is only worth six hundred gold coins, but this weather is just too hot!" Xiao Yan said with a hint of helplessness.

(End of this chapter)