A trace of murderous intent flickered across Li Yunxiao's face as his soft voice reached Jia Rong's ears. "You better not hold a grudge against me. Those who have been hostile towards me have rarely survived in this world. I wouldn't want you to accidentally lose your life after going through all that trouble to save it. By the way, your right hand will probably only last three more days. If you can't find the materials within that time, your right hand will be completely useless. Unless a Ninth-tier Emperor-level Alchemist shows up, you'll never be able to craft anything again."
Li Yunxiao's words were soft, but they filled Jia Rong with such terror that it felt as though his body was being shaken apart. He almost screamed as he gathered the courage to ask, "Three days? I've never even heard of most of these materials! And how do I know you're not lying to me?"
Li Yunxiao smiled lightly. "You're quite clever, I believe you'll figure something out. Take the leaves of the White Moon Bamboo and the Cang Wolf Rare Herb to make an elixir. Take it three times a day, morning, noon, and night, to relieve the pain in your three major acupoints, and it'll keep your right hand functional for another two days. But, that's all. If you can't gather the materials within five days, don't come looking for me. Good luck, dear~"
Jia Rong was still lost in thought over the two ingredients when he snapped back to reality and found that Li Yunxiao had already disappeared. His face immediately darkened with anger, his hand digging into his flesh without even noticing the pain.
"He's just an ordinary youth, neither a martial artist nor an alchemist, so why do I feel such a shiver in my spine in front of him?" Jia Rong thought furiously. His mind howled in rage, "Let him act arrogant for a few more days. Once I find a way to resolve this, I'll tear him apart! Jia Lan Academy, Li Yunxiao!"
He walked toward the crumpled piece of tissue, his face burning with shame as he picked it up under the astonished gazes of those around him. He wrapped it in a cloth and stuffed it into his storage bag.
The crowd around him quickly averted their gazes, feeling the oppressive anger and killing intent emanating from Jia Rong. Fear spread through the onlookers, who dispersed quickly, too scared to look any further.
In a luxurious office on the third floor of the Alchemist Tower.
"Here are ten jin of Spirit Crane Root and White Phoenix Dragon Lotus, as requested by Chancellor Lan Hong. They are extremely rare. Deliver them directly to the Chancellor's residence and personally hand them over to Lan Hong," Liang Wenyu instructed carefully.
"Spirit Crane Root? White Phoenix Dragon Lotus?"
Lu Yao paused for a moment, murmuring, "Do these things really exist?"
Liang Wenyu frowned. "What's the matter? Why are you muttering?"
Lu Yao quickly snapped back to attention. "Sorry, Liang-daren. A young boy, about twelve or thirteen, came to me earlier with a list, asking for the materials. I didn't recognize any of the items on it and thought he was just making things up. But among them were the Spirit Crane Root and White Phoenix Dragon Lotus."
"A young boy?" Liang Wenyu fell into thought. "The Spirit Crane Root and White Phoenix Dragon Lotus are both used to enhance a martial artist's strength. What was on the list?"
Lu Yao carefully responded, "Just now, Lord Jia Rong called me up, and he handed that list to the boy."
"Oh," Liang Wenyu's face showed slight disappointment. "Do you remember what else was on it?"
Lu Yao began to recall. "There was Mo Yu Ghost Flower, Yanluo Hell Fruit, Vacuum Milk, Shiva Flower, Flying Immortal Bud..."
As she listed them off, Liang Wenyu's expression went from puzzled to surprised, then to shocked, and finally, he was left dumbfounded.
"There were a few more I can't remember," Lu Yao said, furrowing her brows. "I only glanced at it briefly, but to remember this much... I have quite a remarkable memory."
Liang Wenyu snapped out of his daze and hurriedly wrote down all the materials on a piece of paper. "Did the boy leave his name or any contact details?"
Lu Yao shook her head, though inwardly she was amazed. For Liang Wenyu to treat this so seriously, the boy must have been someone extraordinary. She cautiously asked, "Liang-daren, I've been in the Alchemist Guild for over three years. How have I never heard of these materials?"
Liang Wenyu looked at the incomplete list, sighing. "There are a few items on here I've never heard of either, but when combined, these materials give me the feeling they make up an incredibly powerful elixir. It would be of great benefit to a martial artist's cultivation!"
"Even Liang Wenyu-daren has never heard of them!"
Lu Yao was stunned, covering her red lips with her jade hand, her eyes filled with disbelief. "Liang-daren, do you think this list might just be a bunch of random nonsense?"
Liang Wenyu shook his head. "No. Some of these ingredients, when combined, are extremely mysterious. I can't figure out the exact relationships between them right now. But if that boy comes back, you must find a way to keep him here and notify me as quickly as possible!"
"Understood!" Lu Yao said, filled with awe and anxiety, as she left with the storage bag.
Li Yunxiao walked alone down the street, deep in thought. "These materials are a bit too difficult for Jia Rong. I can't rely on that fool completely. I'll need to come up with another plan."
Looking at the storage ring in his hand, he probed it with his divine sense, scanning through the various random, disorganized items inside.
"What are all these odd things? Even aphrodisiacs... oh, right, these are the things I secretly bought last time and never used," he muttered. He casually tossed aside a small vial, then picked up a large, black sword, holding it in his hand with a slight sense of surprise. He laughed bitterly. "I suppose this black iron sword will do for now. Weighing 32 jin 7 liang... I can barely lift it. I miss my Sword of Starcut, I wonder where I left it?"
"Well, I'll just make do with it until I open up the seven meridians."
With that, Li Yunxiao hefted the heavy sword onto his shoulder and walked toward Jia Lan Academy. "Once I've condensed my Qi, I'll forge myself a Xuán weapon."
By the time he returned to the academy, he was already out of breath.
"Hm? Chen Monkey, Han Fatty, you two are waiting for me at the gate?"
At the gates of Jia Lan Academy, his friends Chen Zhen and Han Bai were pacing anxiously. When they saw Li Yunxiao, Chen Zhen immediately shouted, "Young Master Yun, where have you been? We've been looking all over for you!"
"Chen Stick, what are you trying to do?!"
Suddenly, a loud voice came from behind them. Du Feng suddenly appeared from behind Chen Zhen, glaring at him with a sinister smile. "You don't want to mess with Boss Lan, do you?"
Chen Zhen's face changed drastically, and he gritted his teeth, "Cut the crap, I was just relaying Teacher Luo's message. Young Master Yun, about your next..."
"Shut up!" Du Feng bellowed, cutting him off, then rushed forward with his hands like eagle claws reaching for Chen Zhen's throat.
Chen Zhen's face turned pale, quickly retreating. Du Feng had unlocked four meridians and his spiritual power far surpassed Chen Zhen's.
"Du Feng, don't go too far!"
Han Bai couldn't stand it anymore, stepping forward with a punch, "Wham!" He struck Du Feng's claw with a force that sent both of them stumbling back. Both were martial artists who had unlocked four meridians, so their powers were on par, and they were both forced to retreat.
"Han Fatty, if you dare to make a move again, I'll teach you a lesson!"
Du Feng sneered, then another person stepped forward beside him—an arrogant-looking man with his arms crossed. "I, Roger, just unlocked five meridians last week. I've been looking for someone to spar with. Han Fatty, I'll use you as a target to see how much of a difference there is between someone with four meridians and five."
"Ha! The difference is that you'll be eating dirt after a single punch!" Du Feng laughed loudly, pointing at Chen Zhen and Han Bai, "You've got three minutes to leave, or else!"
At this moment, a crowd of academy students had gathered, whispering and pointing, curious to see what was going on.
Chen Zhen and Han Bai were both furious, but just then, a cold voice rang out from behind them, "Let's see how you make us leave!"
They turned to see Qin Ruxue, furious, her voice cold with authority. "I'm telling Li Yunxiao that you absolutely must attend Teacher Luo's class, and there's nothing you can do about it!"
Du Feng and Roger's faces changed, realizing they had offended someone they couldn't afford to. Du Feng pointed at them with a sneer. "Chen Stick, Han Fatty, and you, garbage, consider yourselves lucky this time! Let's go!"
He waved his hand to leave, though Roger's status was higher due to his five meridians, Du Feng's family influence far outweighed Roger's. Therefore, in the pecking order of Lan Fei's henchmen, Roger still held a lower position.
Li Yunxiao touched his nose, a smirk playing on his lips. "What's all this drama about? And now you want to leave after making a scene?"
Du Feng stopped in his tracks, his pupils shrinking slightly. "What? You've got a problem?"
Li Yunxiao placed his hand on the hilt of his heavy sword, smiling lazily. "Not really. Just curious to see what the difference is between someone who has unlocked five meridians and someone with zero."
Du Feng and Qin Ruxue froze, the latter gasping. "Li Yunxiao, you..."
"Haha, interesting!" Du Feng laughed loudly, interrupting Qin Ruxue. "Since you're looking for trouble, I'll be happy to help you out!"
In a flash, Du Feng kicked off the ground, soaring toward Li Yunxiao with a punch aimed at his head.
This idiot really dares to speak up?
Du Feng sneered inwardly, full of mockery. Especially when he thought about Li Yunxiao's identity—the direct grandson of the Li family, the most powerful military clan in the Tianshui Kingdom! This exalted status gave Du Feng a twisted sense of pleasure as he imagined punishing the young master.
"Be careful!"
Chen Zhen and the others shouted in alarm, but it was already too late to stop him. Even Qin Ruxue was terrified, her face pale as she covered her mouth with her hand.
Li Yunxiao, an ordinary person, could never withstand a martial artist at the four-meridian level!
"Boom~!"
There was a heavy sound of impact, and Du Feng's body froze in mid-air, his fist just inches from Li Yunxiao's temple. But Li Yunxiao's expression remained completely calm, with not a trace of pain.
"Wait!"
Roger's eyes widened, his pupils shrinking. He instantly realized something was wrong—Du Feng's fist had never made contact with Li Yunxiao's face, stopping just half a centimeter away!