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**
She had already warned those old geezers in the Inner Academy, yet those senile fools still let it happen.
If it weren't for that old man Su Qian, she definitely wouldn't have bothered to clean up the mess for those old fogeys in the Inner Academy.
Even though she often liked to complain about Su Qian…
In her heart, she was still filled with gratitude toward the one who had brought her into human society and given her so much help.
Otherwise, she would never care about anything related to Jia Nan Academy.
"Oh right, after Xiao Yan stole the Heavenly Flame, those old men captured all the members of the Xiao Clan still at Jia Nan Academy. But after interrogation, they discovered that those people had also been completely kept in the dark by Xiao Yan they knew nothing at all."
Thinking of this, Zi Yan said with another disdainful snort.
She deeply despised actions that betrayed one's own people.
Hearing what she said, Lin Feng furrowed his brow slightly.
When Xiao Yan decided to go all out, he really didn't care about anything or anyone.
Even his remaining clansmen—he could discard them just like that.
...Uh.
Lin Feng suddenly remembered: in the original story, when Xiao Yan conspired with Yao Chen to steal the Fallen Heart Flame from Jia Nan Academy, he didn't seem to spare a thought for the safety of his clan members either.
That guy had spent the first part of his journey trying to defeat Nalan Yanran to redeem the shame he and his father suffered, and to solidify his father's position within the clan.
After the Three-Year Agreement ended, Xiao Zhan went missing, and only then did Xiao Yan begin to focus on saving his father.
As for the rest of his clan? That seemed to be... incidental.
At this thought, Lin Feng's vigilance toward Xiao Yan quietly rose to a new level.
Putting aside how ruthless he could be, just the plan to seize the Fallen Heart Flame was full of intricate steps—he had flawlessly exploited Jia Nan Academy's need to treat soul injuries.
He even took the initiative to hand over the prescription to Elder Huo for review, under the guise of "guilt."
That move undoubtedly lowered the academy's guard even further.
Moreover, the prescription he offered just so happened to be of a grade that the academy's alchemists couldn't refine.
This left the elders of the Inner Academy with no choice—they had to ask him to refine the pill personally.
And he seized upon their urgency to treat Su Qian's injuries, quickly obtaining a special token that allowed him unrestricted access in and out of the Inner Academy.
Lin Feng remembered those kinds of tokens were typically only held by Inner Academy elders or the Outer Academy headmaster. They could bypass space barriers and freely enter or exit the Inner Academy.
His earlier few victories over Xiao Yan had mostly relied on his knowledge of the original plot—using the advantage of information asymmetry to outmaneuver his opponent.
But now that the plot had diverged so far from the original, his edge had become far more limited.
Without that edge, if he and Xiao Yan were to compete in strategy... it was hard to say who would win or lose.
Just then, sensing the presence that had been trailing behind him for quite some time, Lin Feng decided he couldn't be bothered to keep pretending.
He stopped walking, looked toward the space behind him, and said calmly, "You've followed us long enough. Come on out."
"Hehe, so you noticed that guy too, huh, Lin Feng?"
Hearing his words, Zi Yan also turned her gaze to a certain point behind them.
Ever since she had broken through to the sixth rank, her ability to manipulate space was on par with a human Dou Zong.
The person who had been following them had been emanating space fluctuations the entire time—she had noticed long ago.
Realizing his presence had been exposed, the space at the point where both their gazes landed suddenly began to distort.
A moment later, an elder with a hooked eagle nose and grey hair slowly stepped out of the rippling void.
His sharp gaze fixed on Lin Feng and Zi Yan as he sneered, "Heh heh, I didn't expect two juniors like you to actually notice this old man's presence."
"Elder Ying Shan."
Looking at the eagle-nosed old man, Lin Feng spoke his name aloud.
However, he remained puzzled as to why this Elder Ying Shan would try to ambush them.
"Youngster... looks like you still don't know why this old man has come looking for you, huh…"
Seeing Lin Feng's confused expression, Elder Ying Shan curled his lips into a sinister smile.
Recalling what he had read in the ancient alchemist's storage ring, a fierce, burning heat flickered in the depths of his eyes.
When he thought about the ignorance of today's alchemists, a trace of disdain appeared on his aged face.
Gazing at the two figures in the distance, he slowly said, "I heard from Mo Tianxing that he used a portion of Bodhisattva Body Transformation Saliva to exchange with you for the Life Devouring Pill.
That item... just so happens to be what this old man is looking for. Hand it over, and I'll leave immediately. How about it?"
"Bodhisattva Body Transformation Saliva?"
Lin Feng narrowed his eyes slightly. He remembered that, in the original novel, this Elder Ying Shan seemed to know something about the true effects of that item.
Moreover, this old bastard's soul power was also unnaturally strong.
Although it still wasn't as powerful as his own now, it had grown significantly compared to the time of that auction.
It seemed this old thing also had some secrets unknown to others…
"Old fool, I've roamed Black-Corner Region for many years. You think you can trick me into handing over the Bodhisattva Body Transformation Saliva? You think I'm some three-year-old child?"
Lin Feng sneered coldly at his words.
He didn't believe for a second that the man would just let him walk away peacefully after handing over the Bodhisattva Body Transformation Saliva.
After all, the revenge of a peak sixth-tier alchemist would be nothing short of troublesome even for a Dou Zong-level powerhouse.
And the best way to avoid that future trouble... was naturally to kill the alchemist before he became one!
As he sneered, the Glazed Lotus Heart Flame suddenly erupted from within Lin Feng.
A violent surge of fire-attributed energy spread rapidly from his body, then was quickly reabsorbed into every part of him.
His Dou Qi cultivation, originally at Six-Star Dou Huang, began to climb rapidly—leaping several stars in succession.
Only after reaching the peak of Dou Huang did the rise finally come to a halt.
"Sure enough… even with only one transformation, it's still not enough to break into the Dou Zong realm."
Sensing the barrier stopping him just before the breakthrough, Lin Feng sighed inwardly with slight disappointment.
"Secret technique? Hmph. Futile struggle. A sixth-tier alchemist without a protector is nothing more than a lamb for the slaughter."
Seeing Lin Feng refuse, Elder Ying Shan's dry, withered face gradually lost its smile.
A moment later, the oppressive aura of a Four-Star Dou Zong burst forth, enveloping the surrounding space.
"Old bastard! Just so happens that since I advanced to Dou Huang, no one's come to help me test out my strength. Today, you can be my training dummy!"
Zi Yan, who was already in a foul mood, was extremely irritated by this sudden appearance.
As her shout rang out, her petite figure shot forth like a bolt of lightning, her slender arm clenched into a fist as she hurled it toward the elder.
"Hmph! A mere Dou Huang dares to challenge a Dou Zong? What a joke!"
Watching the small figure charge in, Elder Ying Shan showed a sneer of contempt.
Under normal circumstances, even two peak Dou Huang experts working together could only stall a beginner-level Dou Zong for a short time.
Let alone these two, who didn't seem to possess any specialized combination Dou Techniques or cultivation methods.
To challenge him so recklessly—it was pure suicide!
Just as Zi Yan's fist was about to strike, the elder raised his palm swiftly, condensing a dark Dou Qi shield in an instant.
The next moment, her seemingly delicate little fist slammed into the shield with force.
"Crack!"
The dark shield held for just a blink of an eye before it was shattered by Zi Yan's monstrous strength.
"I underestimated her... how does this little brat have such terrifying strength?"
With his shield broken, Elder Ying Shan's previously dismissive expression turned to one of surprise.
Cursing inwardly, he quickly retreated, pulling himself out of Zi Yan's attack range.
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