[Cao Ying]: Big Sister Xun Er, Teacher Xun Er, can I really not meet Teacher Xiao Ting earlier?
[Xun Er]: It's not appropriate. Too many women are already appearing around Big Brother Xiao Ting, and you're all from the Central Plains.
[Cao Ying]: Fine. Actually, I just want to share Teacher's worries as soon as possible—nothing else.
[Yao Ling]: I see you just can't let go of your bad idea to show off against my Yao Clan.
[Cao Ying]: Nonsense. I'm strictly following Teacher's orders. If Miss Yao Ling doesn't want this to happen, you shouldn't deal with me—you should eliminate Teacher's hostility toward the Yao Clan. Otherwise, even without Cao Ying, there would be Gu Ying, Yun Ying, or even Teacher himself taking action.
[Huo Zhi]: That's actually true.
[Yao Ling]: You all just gang up on me. I will definitely change Xiao Ting's prejudice against the Yao Clan! I will!
[Tang Huo Er]: Isn't it more like correcting the Yao Clan's blind arrogance that doesn't even put the Gu Clan in their eyes?
[Yao Ling]: ...
The group suddenly became lively.
…
Xiao Ting knew nothing about this.
In the following period, he cultivated seriously. With the boost from the plane's blessing, his alchemist rank and strength grew rapidly.
After reaching third-tier alchemist, he even used a flying Dou Technique to visit the nearest Alchemist Guild for assessment. After summoning the Purple Beast Flame, he smoothly completed three assessments in one day, obtained the third-tier alchemist badge, and received the dedicated alchemist attire.
Hiding one's strength and keeping trump cards was something every transmigrator knew, but Xiao Ting had no interest in pretending to be weak to eat tigers. Whenever he appeared, he directly wore the alchemist attire.
People often respected the clothes first and the person second, because attire reflected one's status and identity.
As time passed this way, Xiao Yan's cultivation finally rose to seven-star Dou Practitioner.
From Xiao Yu, he learned that the Jia Nan Academy recruitment team would soon arrive, and he prepared to attempt refining the Green Lotus Core Flame.
…
"Boom!"
After a day and night, the energy barrier set outside the Green Lotus Core Flame's area opened a gap.
Xiao Yan, dressed in sturdy clothes, walked out. His aura had changed slightly, and his face carried an excited expression.
"Brother Yan, success?" Xiao Ting asked knowingly.
"Correct." Xiao Yan walked up to Xiao Ting and nodded excitedly. "The Flame Mantra has risen to mid-level Profound-tier. The next target is Jia Nan Academy's Fallen Heart Flame—at least it should rise to low-level Earth-tier then."
"Good." Xiao Ting was happy for Xiao Yan. His gaze sharpened slightly. "Your cultivation seems to have broken through too?"
"Mhm. After polishing it a bit more, I can break through to Dou Master." Xiao Yan clenched his fist. Battle Qi surged within him, forming a thin gauze-like layer around his body.
The gauze was incomplete—the head wasn't covered—and it lacked the various amplification effects a proper Dou Master gauze provided.
"Good news. Once your realm stabilizes, you can take this pill to break through to Dou Master." Xiao Ting smiled and nodded, casually tossing Xiao Yan a porcelain bottle.
"What is this?" Xiao Yan opened the lid and sniffed. His expression changed slightly. "Dou Master Pill?"
"Mhm." Xiao Ting nodded calmly. "A few days ago when I took the third-tier alchemist assessment, I bought a stone statue from a stall. My soul perception detected something inside. I smashed it open and found a storage ring three zhang in diameter that could grow spiritual herbs. There were several pills inside—this is one of them."
Naturally, this was a benefit he obtained through the plane's blessing. Among the many items in the ring, the Dou Master Pill wasn't particularly precious.
The most valuable was a thousand-year warm jade that increased a cultivator's sensitivity to external fire-attribute heaven and earth energy and boosted fire-attribute cultivators' training speed.
With this thousand-year warm jade, once he entered Jia Nan Academy's inner academy and used the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower, his cultivation speed before breaking through to Dou King would skyrocket.
"Xiao Ting, Third Brother won't be polite with you then." Xiao Yan thumped his chest hard. "When you go propose to Xun Er's family in the future, Third Brother will definitely risk everything to support you."
Xiao Ting didn't exchange too many pleasantries with Xiao Yan.
After receiving accurate information, he headed to Xun Er's residence to let her cultivate the Flame Mantra with peace of mind.
…
Meanwhile, inside the separate courtyard where Xun Er lived, an uninvited guest appeared.
"This one smells so good."
On the windowsill of Xun Er's boudoir facing the lake, there was a jade flowerpot. The soil inside looked like gold and was clearly extraordinary. Planted in it was a red flower that swayed like burning flames in the wind.
At this moment, a petite figure in a white dress suddenly appeared and reached out to pick the flower.
Just as her hand was about to touch it, Xun Er's ethereal voice rang out.
"If that flower is plucked, you'll have to suffer a bit."
The white-dressed girl paused, turned her head toward the purple figure sitting in the lakeside pavilion, and said somewhat defiantly, "I, Zi Yan, am not someone who scares easily. Hmph."
She prepared to continue, but then the purple-dressed girl's surprised voice came from the other side: "You're Zi Yan? From Jia Nan Academy?"
"You know me!?" Zi Yan shot her a puzzled—and somewhat wary—look.
She had never left Jia Nan Academy before, so logically no one outside should recognize her.
If someone did, they must know Jia Nan Academy extremely well and possibly harbor ill intentions.
"My name is Xun Er—Gu Xun Er!"
The purple-dressed girl raised her head, revealing a fresh, otherworldly, and breathtakingly beautiful face.
"Xun Er?" Zi Yan's eyes suddenly widened. "So this is the Xiao family?"
"If it's you, no wonder there's such a spiritual herb that makes my mouth water."
"Wait, that's not right. How do you know me?"
Zi Yan scratched her head in confusion.
Fortunately she wasn't stupid. She quickly reacted, and her pretty eyes widened even more. "Don't tell me you also…"
"Correct. I'm the same as you—and many others are too." Xun Er beckoned to Zi Yan. "Come sit over here."
Zi Yan reluctantly glanced at the spiritual flower beside her, then flashed over to the pavilion. The void seemed to ripple slightly.
"Eh." A strange look flashed in Xun Er's eyes.
Zi Yan's cultivation should be at Dou King level, yet her movement technique actually carried spatial power.
To have such means—her identity was clearly extraordinary.
"That Fire Spirit Flower is only sixth-tier, but its rarity is no less than many seventh-tier heavenly materials. It can't be plucked casually." Xun Er pushed forward the plate of pastries in front of her. "These are made from spiritual ingredients. You can try them."
Xun Er remembered Xiao Ting mentioning in his Journal that Zi Yan had good relationships with her, Little Fairy Doctor, and Queen Medusa.
Since in the original trajectory the other party could become her friend, now that she was a Journal peer, there was naturally no issue.
"Pastries?" Zi Yan glanced at them, licked her small cherry lips, and said, "Are you trying to coax a child?"
…
…
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