Listening to the voice resonating within his mind, Xiao Yan gently blinked his eyes and subtly nodded with his chin. He didn't immediately reach for the black iron slab. Instead, he lightly tossed the green magic crystal streaked with blood in his hands, smiling warmly at the mercenary man behind the vendor, who seemed a bit suspiciously watchful. "Which type of beast's crystal is this?" "Heh, sir, your eyes are sharp! This is a first-tier magic crystal from the Wood-Eating Fox—a true gem among first-tier crystals. To obtain this single crystal, our Sharp-Toothed Mercenary Corps had to guard for three full days, defeating five Wood-Eating Foxes before finally securing it..." Seeing Xiao Yan's distinguished attire, the mercenary quickly and enthusiastically explained. "If the young lord is interested, just five hundred gold coins would be sufficient—hey, to hunt down the Wood-Eating Fox, several of our brothers have sustained serious injuries..." Xiao Yan wiped the blood streaks from the magic crystal with his finger, and indeed noticed they hadn't fully coagulated yet. He gave a slight nod, glanced at the two golden stars on the other man's chest, and casually remarked, "That's a bit on the higher side. Typically, a first-tier magic crystal costs between four hundred and four hundred fifty gold coins. Now, the Wood-Eating Fox is indeed a beast, but not particularly powerful in attack. I assume your team members haven't even reached the Duelist level, have they?" "Twisted the corner of his mouth, the knight merchant chuckled dryly, clearly surprised that the young man knew so much about market prices and the beasts. With a bashful smile, he said, 'Four hundred seventy, that's the minimum—after all, we need to make a living too.'" "Ahh..." With a sigh, Xiao Yan bent down and randomly reached through the stall, just as the odd iron piece was among the items he picked up. He held up a handful of goods and said, "Four hundred seventy, all together." His eyes scanned the items in Xiao Yan's hands with a critical gaze, and the knight merchant quietly breathed a sigh of relief—thankfully, they were all reasonably inexpensive. "Deal!" With a cheerful toss of a small pouch of gold coins, Xiao Yan immediately picked up the items and turned to leave without a word. "Hey, Xiao Yan, good job—buying something so carefully," the Ye-Lao thought to himself, smiling lightly as he watched him go. "These guys are all scalpers—whenever you show any interest in something, they immediately raise the price. I don't want to end up being the fool paying the premium..." With a calm, matter-of-fact remark in his mind, Xiao Yan no longer paid attention to the odd old man in the ring, simply accompanying Xun, strolling leisurely through the marketplace before slowly returning to the family compound. "Master, I've taken the iron plate," said the elder, smiling. "It seems to hold a certain technique within it. However, the person who crafted it might also have been a pharmacist, so only those with exceptional soul perception can sense it." "What kind of technique?" asked Xiao Yan, eyes brightening, and quickly inquiring, "What level?" On the Continent of Qi, techniques were valued no less than cultivation techniques. A refined technique could enable a person to unleash forces far exceeding their own during combat. Like cultivation techniques, techniques generally ranked in four tiers—Heaven, Earth, Supreme, and Yellow—ranging from the four levels. Among the general public, techniques circulating widely were typically only at the advanced Yellow level. Higher-tier techniques, however, could only be obtained through attending academies or monastic sects. Of course, the Continent of Qi is vast and boundless—there must always be some ancient Qi techniques lost over time due to various reasons, eventually discovered by fortunate individuals. Perhaps the black iron plate that Xiao Yan has just obtained was precisely left behind by such an ancestor. Yao Lao flipped through the iron plate and after a moment smiled, saying, "Absorb Palm: a low-level technique of the Xuan Stage!" "A low-level Xuan Stage technique?" Xiao Yan's face brightened. He hadn't expected such a seemingly ordinary, worn-out item to conceal a technique of the Xuan Stage. After all, the most advanced technique in his family only reached the mid-level of the Xuan Stage, and even then, it was accessible only to the Clan Elder and a few senior elders. "Absorb Palm: when perfected, it can lift a stone weighing a thousand catties. Should an opponent appear, the intense suction force can forcibly draw blood from the human body!" "Draw blood out of the body?" Xiao Yan was startled, swallowing a lump in his throat, and exclaimed in amazement, "That's incredible! If blood leaves the body, how could anyone survive?" "This technique can only handle opponents of equal or lower rank. If faced with someone stronger than you, they'll simply leverage their strength, close in, and it'll be you who ends up in the awkward position again..." The old doctor casually tossed the iron plate over, speaking with a calm, indifferent tone—clearly, he didn't hold much regard for this technique. As a prominent figure, the old doctor naturally had high standards, yet in Xiao Yan's eyes, this was a high-level technique. He was delighted to pick up the black iron plate and smiled, saying, "No matter what, this 'Suction Palm' is far better than the ordinary techniques in our family. From now on, I'll learn it!" "Hmph. With your three-tiered Qi flow, even lifting a branch is impressive. To think you'd manage to draw blood from someone?" The old doctor shook his head, pursing his lips. Xiao Yan, meanwhile, rolled his eyes, didn't bother to pay attention to the odd old man, and simply chuckled to himself, holding the iron plate. "Look at you! A mere low-tier technique from the Yuan Stage has completely bewitched you—what a shame..." Shaking his head in resignation, the herbalist picked up a magic crystal from the table and instructed Xiao Yan, "Go fetch a large basin of water." Seeing that the herbalist seemed ready to begin, Xiao Yan quickly put away the black iron slabs and hurried off to prepare. Xiao Yan stared intently at the white flame, his heart stirred with astonishment. Though he wasn't fully clear about the pharmaceutical process of a medic, the phenomenon of qi radiating outward and manifesting as tangible substance—something even his own father could never have achieved—was truly remarkable. The elderly pharmacist maintained a calm expression, and the white flame gently fluttered, eventually engulfing the purple-leaf orchid plant. As the flame surged, the orchid was almost instantly reduced to a small pool of green liquid. Xiao Yan then grasped another purple-leaf orchid with his right hand and tossed it directly into the white flame. After placing all three orchid plants into the flame, the green liquid had clearly expanded significantly. A green liquid continuously writhed within the flames, its intense heat relentlessly burning away impurities... As the flames worked, the green liquid shrank steadily, until, after a short while, it had dwindled down to only the size of a thumb. Next, the herb physician cast two more stems of Wash-Bone Flower into the flame, allowing them to be scorched and then fully dissolved into the green liquid. Then came the process of refining the magical crystals. These three steps lasted approximately one hour, yet the herb physician remained vibrant and alert, showing no sign of fatigue. After one hour, the once-hard crystals had been completely transformed into a pale green liquid, and the fierce energy contained within them had been purified and washed away through the physician's remarkable medicinal properties. The white flame in his hands gradually faded, eventually vanishing entirely. Staring at the droplet floating in the elder's palm, resembling jade in color, Xiao Yan rubbed his hands. His exceptional soul perception allowed him to clearly sense the immense energy contained within the liquid. "Master, shall I simply drink this?" Xiao Yan blinked, eager to act. "If you want to die, just drink it—your meridians are already showing signs of deterioration; you'll become a true waste soon." The elder gave Xiao Yan a withering glance, then lightly tapped his finger, causing the jade-like liquid to fall into the clear water in the room. Instantly, the entire basin transformed into a vibrant green hue. "From now on, train within this water. With your natural talent, reaching the seventh stage within a year won't be difficult." The elder smiled and clapped his hands. Xiao Yan was delighted, quickly nodding in agreement. "Oh, almost forgot—this medicinal liquid only lasts for two months. That means you'll need to purchase these supplies again every two months." The elder smiled warmly. His little face went stiff, and Xiao Yan nodded with a slightly mournful expression.