//Hey guys, I'm still alive!
Fortunately, everything went well with the extractions. I just had to deal with a lot of sleepiness and fatigue for the first few days due to the antibiotics, but I'm feeling much better now and hope to resume a regular update schedule starting tomorrow.
From this week onward, the update schedule for this story will change to 5 chapters per week!
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"Observing for a week is merely a precaution in case the Searing Poison has any unknown properties. It's just to be careful. If the old master feels fine, he can get out of bed and walk around now."
"Remember to wait until your body cools down before drinking water. Drinking water now would be like drinking boiling water. It's only because you still have the Ice Spirit Cold Fountain in your body that you don't feel the high temperature," Xiao Yan explained, sounding like an experienced and knowledgeable divine physician.
Upon hearing this, Nalan Jie actually got out of bed and took a few steps. That feeling of lightness brought tears to his eyes. He hadn't felt like this in years.
"Father, how do you feel?" Nalan Su asked hurriedly.
"Great, absolutely great. I feel more relaxed than ever," Nalan Jie said with a smile on his face as he sensed his body's condition.
Then he looked gratefully at Xiao Yan, who was standing calmly nearby. He said with relief, "Little Yan, I'm just a rough old man who doesn't understand too much about etiquette or formalities. Our Nalan Clan once publicly declared that anyone who could cure the Searing Poison would be given a satisfactory reward."
Before Xiao Yan could decline, Nalan Su patted his shoulder and said, "Virtuous nephew, please don't refuse. The matter with Yanran back then caused our clan to lose credibility. This time, let us fulfill our promise."
"You need medicinal ingredients for alchemy, don't you? Although our Nalan Clan isn't an alchemist clan, we do have a collection of precious medicinal ingredients and heavenly treasures. Among them are heavenly treasures that can increase Spiritual Strength. You alchemists really need such things, right?"
Xiao Yan's eyes lit up upon hearing that there were heavenly treasures capable of increasing Spiritual Strength. Such treasures were extremely rare and held immense value for alchemists.
After all, cultivation methods for Spiritual Strength had been lost on the Dou Qi Continent. The only way for alchemists to increase their Spiritual Strength was through medicinal pills and heavenly treasures.
Heavenly treasures that could increase Spiritual Strength were inherently difficult to grow in the first place. Coupled with the fact that all alchemists competed fiercely for them, they became even harder to obtain on the market.
Typically, heavenly treasures that could increase Spiritual Strength were valuable enough to be auctioned at the Di class auctions of the Miteer Auction House.
Xiao Yan followed Nalan Su as they slowly walked out of the room. Nalan Su said, "Virtuous nephew, why don't you stay at our mansion for the next few days? Your old room is still available."
Just as Xiao Yan was about to decline politely, he saw Nalan Yanran gracefully hurrying over from a distance.
She had likely heard of Xiao Yan's arrival at the mansion and had rushed over in a hurry.
"Xiao Yan!"
"What's the matter?"
Nalan Yanran stopped in front of Xiao Yan, gritted her teeth, and said with a serious expression, "I know there's bad blood between us, but if you possess a Heavenly Flame, could you please save my grandfather? Whatever you require in return, just name it. I'll do everything in my power to fulfill your request."
"It's already been resolved."
"Even if it's already... eh?"
Nalan Su frowned when he saw her confused expression and said dissatisfied, "Yanran, mind your manners! How can you judge a gentleman with such a petty mindset? Virtuous nephew Xiao Yan has already detoxified your grandfather. We were just about to go to the medicine room to retrieve ingredients so he can refine medicinal pills to help your grandfather recuperate."
Nalan Yanran's eyes widened in disbelief. The Searing Poison that even Elder Gu He was helpless against was actually resolved! And how long had she been gone? Not even an hour!!
"Just a small poison, not worth mentioning."
Xiao Yan maintained a gentle smile as he walked leisurely along the gravel path, his gaze fixed ahead as he followed Nalan Su toward the medicine room. Nalan Yanran tagged along out of curiosity when she heard that he was going to refine medicinal pills to aid in her grandfather's recovery.
As she trailed behind Xiao Yan, she couldn't help but steal glances at the young man who was chatting amicably with her father. Though her pretty face remained calm, she was greatly shaken in her heart.
After all, their engagement had yet to be annulled!
Over the past three years, she had been constantly reevaluating this engagement. This was the first time she had observed Xiao Yan up close.
"Virtuous nephew, did you come to Jia Ma Sacred City this time to participate in the Alchemist Grand Meeting held every eight years?" Nalan Su asked.
"That tournament isn't for me; it doesn't seem challenging enough," Xiao Yan replied. When he arrived, Hai Bodong had mentioned the Alchemist Grand Meeting to him.
Hai Bodong had encouraged him to participate in the competition. In the past, Gu He had won the championship with his tier 4 alchemy skills and was subsequently invited by Yun Shan, the former Sect Leader of the Misty Cloud Sect, to join as a guest elder.
It was also thanks to the abundant resources provided by the Misty Cloud Sect that Gu He was able to reach tier 6 in less than ten years and even dared to vie for Queen Medusa's Heavenly Flame.
However, just as Xiao Yan said, participating in such a competition would be akin to bullying others. He was already at the peak of tier 4, on the verge of reaching tier 5, and his Spiritual Strength had reached the late stage of the Mortal State, not to mention his three kinds of Heavenly Flames.
Xiao Yan participating in the Alchemist Grand Meeting would be like a college student bullying elementary school children. It would be too shameless.
"Your tone is just as boastful as it was three years ago," Nalan Yanran couldn't help but retort. This guy was truly confident! He might as well have the word 'confidence' engraved on his face.
Xiao Yan turned his head to look at Nalan Yanran, smiled, and said, "But just like three years ago, I'm only speaking facts."
Nalan Su cleared his throat lightly and interrupted, "We've arrived. Virtuous nephew, if there's anything you need here, you can take it without needing anyone's permission."
Upon entering the medicine room and seeing the vast space, Xiao Yan couldn't help but admire the deep foundation of the Nalan Clan.
This wasn't just a medicine room; it was a full-fledged medicinal ingredient warehouse. Countless shelves were stocked with a wide variety of precious medicinal ingredients. The lowest grade among them was middle-grade; low-grade ingredients didn't even qualify to be placed here.
It could rival the treasury of the Snake-People Tribe.
'Medusa, you sure are poor,' Xiao Yan muttered to himself.
Just like gold, precious medicinal ingredients were also a form of hard currency that could be used to preserve wealth. Some ingredients even became more valuable the longer they were stored.
Following Nalan Su all the way inside, they entered a secluded chamber where a plant in a jade flowerpot appeared before Xiao Yan.
"This is Seven Magical Green Spirit Saliva!!" Xiao Yan recognized at a glance the rare flower before him. It was a top-grade heavenly treasure.
"Virtuous nephew has sharp eyes. This is a heavenly treasure Father came across by chance," Nalan Su explained with a smile.
Nalan Yanran swallowed upon seeing the Seven Magical Green Spirit Saliva. Even Gu He had wanted it back then, as it could directly increase Spiritual Strength, but Nalan Jie hadn't sold it in the end.
The entire room was filled with a faint, calming fragrance.
This plant was entirely green in color, appearing as if it was carved from top quality green jade. Atop the plant, a flower possessing seven different colors was slowly blooming.
Xiao Yan carefully examined the Seven Magical Green Spirit Saliva before him and thought, 'With the help of this Seven Magical Green Spirit Saliva, I might be able to further increase my Spiritual Strength!'
He already had an exceptionally high innate talent for Spiritual Strength. Combined with his cultivation of the Spirit Heart Gathering Soul Technique and the remnant soul of the Eight-Winged Flame Demon Tiger, his Spiritual Strength had reached the level of a high-grade 5th-tier alchemist.
He had initially thought that breaking through to tier 6 in Spiritual Strength would take a long time, but he hadn't expected Nalan Jie to possess the Seven Magical Green Spirit Saliva!
'My Spiritual Strength is so much higher than my Dou Qi cultivation. I'm really becoming more and more like someone from the Hun Clan,' Xiao Yan couldn't help but mock the huge disparity between his Dou Qi cultivation and Spiritual Strength.