Chapter 244: Chapter 244: Black-hearted

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    Word Count: 2,228 Words

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    Xiao Yan hurried to the door and opened it with a creak. Standing behind it was Xun Er, dressed in a simple white dress.

    "What''s the matter, Xun Er? It''s so late." Xiao Yan flashed a confident smile.

    Xun Er blinked her beautiful eyes at him and pointed outside. "It''s morning now, Xiao Yan ge-ge."

    Xiao Yan''s heart skipped a beat!

    He had spent half a day helping Medusa condense her body. What was originally nighttime had naturally turned into morning!

    "Oh, right. Look at me-immersed in cultivation, I''ve lost track of time and didn''t realize half a day has passed." Xiao Yan suppressed the panic in his heart and smiled politely.

    Xun Er''s eyes flashed with a hint of insight as she gazed into his eyes. Then she tilted her head to peer into the room, wearing a smile that wasn''t quite a smile. "Won''t Xiao Yan ge-ge invite me in to sit for a while?"

    Gulp.

    Xiao Yan swallowed hard. Was this the famed woman''s sixth sense??

    He laughed, "Haha, Xun Er, really now... If you''re tired, come in and rest for a bit."

    Xun Er smiled and entered Xiao Yan''s room with graceful, lotus-like steps. She looked left and right, but aside from a medicinal cauldron currently refining medicinal ingredients, there was nothing else.

    The entire room was filled with the scent of medicinal ingredients.

    "My room is filled with the smell of medicinal residue. If it gets on Xun Er''s clothes, I''d feel terrible," Xiao Yan hastily explained.

    Xun Er looked at his smile, blinked her beautiful eyes, and without saying more, took out a storage ring and handed it to him. "Here is a large batch of medicinal ingredients purchased using the Xiao Hall''s Fire Energy. Is Xiao Yan ge-ge planning to refine pills?"

    Xiao Yan spread his hands helplessly and said, "I''m out of Fire Energy. Cultivating in the No. 1 cultivation room costs thirty Fire Energy per day. Moreover, the Xiao Hall has just gotten on track; income and expenses have only just balanced out. The money I need to spend can only be earned by myself."

    Poverty was always a big problem; even Xiao Yan was not immune.

    Fortunately, he had a big money-making weapon called alchemy. In the Dou Qi Continent, medicinal pills were precious commodities everywhere and acted as hard currency.

    So he used the spare Fire Energy he had left in the Xiao Hall to purchase a batch of medicinal ingredients for tier 3 pills.

    In the Inner Academy, most were Dou Grandmasters, and even low-star Dou Dou Spirits could use tier 3 pills, so tier 3 pills were the best sellers.

    Xiao Yan suddenly thought of something and asked, "By the way, Xun Er, are there others in the Inner Academy selling medicinal pills?"

    At this, Xun Er''s delicate brows furrowed slightly. She smiled wryly and nodded. "There are indeed others selling pills, and not just one person but an entire faction."

    "A faction?" Xiao Yan was a bit surprised.

    "This faction is called the Medicine Gang. All its members are alchemists who entered the Inner Academy from the Alchemy Department. That Lu Mu, who once pursued Cousin Xiao Yu, has joined the Medicine Gang," Xun Er explained thoughtfully.

    Not all freshmen joined the Xiao Hall; only those without backgrounds joined to seek Xiao Yan''s protection.

    Xun Er continued, "This Medicine Gang has almost monopolized ninety percent of the medicinal pill sales in the Inner Academy. Other scattered alchemists find it hard to compete with them. It''s said that the leader of the Medicine Gang is a high-grade 4th-tier alchemist."

    "If Xiao Yan ge-ge also wants to sell medicinal pills, I''m afraid there will be a direct conflict with this Medicine Gang."

    Xiao Yan smiled faintly, took the storage ring Xun Er handed over, gently stroked her jade- like hand, and said confidently, "Just a 4th-tier alchemist? I, Xiao Yan, may not yet be the strongest in the Inner Academy, but when it comes to alchemy, I can confidently say that I am the strongest alchemist here!"

    When it came to alchemy, it was hard for him to keep a low profile.

    Since he was young, he had obtained a mysterious storage ring containing a powerful alchemist''s inheritance. He had studied various herbal classics and memorized entire volumes of medicinal texts. He possessed a Heavenly Flame and the Flame Mantra, and his Spiritual Strength had reached the peak of Tier 6. Not long ago, he had even refined a tier 6 pill with the help of the Black Demon Cauldron.

    Xiao Yan was truly the number one alchemist in the Inner Academy.

    They all knew that Xiao Yan planned to refine pills to sell and had been waiting in the living

    room.

    Xiao Yan slowly walked out under their gaze. Although his handsome face showed some fatigue, the joy between his brows was unmistakable.

    "You''ve only been refining pills for two hours. Is that enough? The Medicine Gang has dozens

    of alchemists refining together." As usual, Xiao Yu''s short skirt revealed those slender, long legs that were still so eye-catching.

    Xiao Yan couldn''t help but take a good look. Only when Xiao Yu''s cheeks flushed did he

    withdraw his gaze. He tossed storage rings containing the pills to Hu Jia, Xiao Yu, and Xun Er, and said, "Hu Jia, your storage ring contains the Qi Returning Pills, which can restore Dou Qi for Dou Grandmasters. You, along with Wu Hao and the other brothers, go to the arena. That''s where they''ll need pills that can quickly restore Dou Qi the most."

    "Xiao Yu, you, along with Xiao Ning, Xiao Mei, Xiao Yue Liang, and Xiao Meng, take the Minor Blood Recovery Pills to the Mission Hall to sell. Those heading out need these kinds of injury-healing pills the most."

    "As for the third type, the Marrow Washing Cold Spirit Liquid, this spirit liquid can clear fire

    poison from the body. I''ll go with Xun Er to the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower to sell it. The Inner Academy students who cultivate there need this the most."

    Everyone was stunned for a moment upon hearing about the effects of the Marrow Washing Cold Spirit Liquid and exclaimed, "It can remove fire poison!"

    Wu Hao said excitedly, "Even the Medicine Gang doesn''t have this! Many people don''t dare to

    stay in the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower for long because they''re afraid of fire poison. We''re

    going to make a fortune this time."

    They even wanted some for themselves! "Stop eyeing it greedily. Sell the pills and come back, and I''ll refine better Marrow Washing

    Cold Spirit Liquid for you. I didn''t put much effort into making these; the quality is just average," Xiao Yan saw through them immediately and gave a straightforward promise. Hu Jia patted her chest confidently and said, "Hmph, you only spent two hours refining these. I''ll help you sell them all in one day."

    Xiao Yan revealed a meaningful smile and said, "Oh, really? Then I''ll be looking forward to

    it."

    Not long after, when Hu Jia sensed the sheer quantity of pills in the storage ring, she cried out

    that she''d been tricked!

    ...

    Without a doubt, as soon as the Marrow Washing Cold Spirit Liquid was launched, it

    immediately caused a stir throughout the Inner Academy. Students, like parched lands in desperate need of rain, eagerly flocked to learn more.

    Although many initially doubted whether Xiao Yan''s Marrow Washing Cold Spirit Liquid

    could actually eliminate fire poison and hesitated to purchase such an expensive spirit liquid, once Xiao Yan brought in Lin Yan as a ''spokesperson,'' all doubts vanished. "What? That madman Lin Yan''s fire poison was really cleared?!"

    "I remember now! Two months ago, Xiao Yan seemed to have bought a medicinal ingredient

    from Lin Yan''s stall. I heard that the condition Xiao Yan offered was to clear the fire poison in Lin Yan''s body in exchange!"

    "You''ve got to be kidding! Wasn''t Lin Yan''s fire poison something that even the entire

    Alchemy Department was helpless against? I heard even the elders said they had no way!" Immediately, everyone''s gazes were fixed on the small jar of Marrow Washing Cold Spirit Liquid on the stall, as if they were looking at a treasure.

    A glint flashed in Xiao Yan''s eyes as he showed a broad smile, rubbing his thumb and index finger together. "Want the Marrow Washing Cold Spirit Liquid? It''s not expensive. Not ninety-nine, not eighty-eight. Today, for just five days'' worth of Fire Energy, you can buy a

    jar!"

    Everyone was stunned.

    Black-hearted!