Staring at the fallen beast beside him, Xiao Yan tossed aside the stained cloth in his hands, then flicked out a dagger with a swift motion, crouched down, and carefully severed the creature's head. He then slowly searched through the remains. After a while, Xiao Yan frowned, shook his head in resignation, wiped the blood from the dagger clean, and set it aside. Standing up, he shrugged slightly at the group who were steadily gazing at him without blinking: "It seems I've been rather unlucky—nothing at all." As Xiao Yan spoke, the group gradually regained their composure, looking at his empty hands. Cagang sighed in sympathy, then raised his hand and shouted loudly, "Everyone, let's help the团长 deal with the other beast!" Hearing Cagang's command, the battle-hardened mercenaries quickly grasped their weapons and rushed toward Fei Lei's battlefield, surrounding the second beast under Fei Lei's command, beginning the encirclement and assault. Holding a measuring ruler, Xiao Yan leaned against the trunk, biting into a stalk of grass, gazing down at his fists—worn thin and bleeding steadily—his eyes blazing with excitement. Though the initial blow that had felled this second-tier beast had been due to elemental synergy, the power of the purple flame had truly exceeded Xiao Yan's expectations. Normally, even with his full mastery of the Eight-Point Collapse technique, he could only wound such a beast; a complete kill remained a distant possibility. "Hey, Xiao Yan, are you okay?" The girl's delicate voice made Xiao Yan lift his head lazily, glance casually at Ling'er, and then pause briefly on the woman beside her—athletic and statuesque—before drifting back with a relaxed expression. He simply didn't have much interest in the girl who had left him with an impression of being impetuous, so he replied indifferently, "I'm fine." Ling'er's face flushed slightly as she opened her red-lipped mouth, trying to speak, yet couldn't find the right words to ease the atmosphere. She must have realized what impression she had left behind the previous time. "Your hand is bleeding—do you need me to wrap it?" the athletic woman finally broke the silence, her clear, crisp voice now echoing softly in Xiao Yan's ears. Gazing at the rather attractive woman, Xiao Yan scanned her figure with a slight shake of his head, expressing a quiet sense of resignation: "No thanks, truly, there's nothing much." Xiao Yan's demeanor was as unremarkable as it had been earlier, which slightly surprised Qingye—though not overly self-conceited, she had rarely encountered such understated treatment from someone of her appearance. Still, being proud and reserved, she ceased her inquiries upon seeing Xiao Yan's refusal, and thus, the atmosphere among the three once again grew dull. This dullness persisted for a while until it was finally broken by a burst of enthusiastic cheers from deep within the forest. Raising their heads, they realized that the beast which had been battling Fei Lei had now been jointly defeated by the group, explaining their excitement. He tossed the orcs' bodies aside and ordered several mercenaries to search for and extract the magical cores. With a hearty laugh, Ferre, accompanied by Kagan and the others, strode toward Xiao Yan, his booming laughter sending numerous birds soaring from the forest canopy. "Ha ha! Xiao Yan, I've long heard of your name, but never had the pleasure of seeing you in person. Today, truly, thank you!" Xiao Yan smiled gently and shook his head slightly. After Kagan offered a polite greeting, he turned to the sturdy, generous-looking man and said, "What could I possibly be known for in Qingshan Town?" "Heh, at your young age, even the cunning Mu Snake fell at your hands—your reputation isn't bad at all. In fact, I'd say no one in my Blood Battle Mercenary Company comes close to you." Ferre studied Xiao Yan carefully, silently sighing and shaking his head again. From the way Xiao Yan had fought earlier, he was convinced the news of Mu Snake's defeat must be true. He simply couldn't understand—how could someone so young, barely twenty, have developed such extraordinary abilities? Smiling casually, Xiao Yan looked up at the sky and sighed, "I'm sorry, but the beast inside that one doesn't have a second-stage wood-type magical core. So I'll have to keep searching. I恐怕 won't be able to join you for more conversation." With that, he slipped the Xu Zhong Chi over his shoulder and prepared to re-enter the forest in search of his target. "I'm truly sorry to have wasted your efforts. If you don't mind, would you mind taking the magical crystal from the other beast? It's a soil-type one," Feele said, spreading his hands in apology. "No matter, I only need a second-stage wood-type core. Keep that one, please," Xiao Yan replied, waving his hand and turning to walk deeper into the forest. "Wait." A clear and pleasant voice suddenly came from behind, causing Xiao Yan to pause and turn, looking at Qingye with curiosity. "Do you really need a second-stage wood-type magical core?" Qingye asked, her eyebrows slightly furrowed. "Yes, I do have some urgency." "Heard this, Qingye hesitated slightly before gently removing the pendant from the length of her neck. One end of the pendant had been tucked inside her leather jacket; as she lightly pulled, it fully emerged. To her surprise, at the very end of the pendant hung a smooth, round green ice crystal. "This is the magical core of the second-tier beast, Kui Mu. Since you helped us during our fierce battle against the Blood Battle Guild, I'd like to offer it as your reward," Qingye said, gently touching the beautiful core before tossing it toward Xiao Yan. "Haru... " As Haru's actions became evident, Frey couldn't help but exclaim, pausing briefly before sighing and saying, "Since you've decided to do this, go ahead. However, this is your personal property—when we return, we'll compensate you with other items. After all, this is part of our team regulations." "No thanks. If it weren't for his assistance, we'd likely have lost at least half of our companions here." Shaking her head, Haru smiled. "Indeed, a second-tier wood-type magic core." Feeling the energy within the magic core gently, Xiao Yan smiled warmly and politely took it, then looked up at Qingye's delicate face, saying, "Thank you. But this is your item, and I truly don't want to make you feel short-changed. How about this—?" After furrowing his brows and thinking for a moment, Xiao Yan flipped his hand, and a small jade vial appeared in his palm. He then tossed it toward Qingye with a cheerful smile, saying, "Inside are five Revitalizing Qi Pills that will allow you to quickly restore your qi in times of danger. In value, they're no less than your second-tier magic core. I'm giving this to you now—what a fair exchange!" Though she hadn't originally intended to accept anything from him, upon hearing the words "Revitalizing Qi Pills," Qingye's face slightly paused, and she quickly reached out, carefully catching the vial. Opening it, her face lit up with surprise, "Truly, it's pills!" "Heard this, Ferre and the others were also deeply impressed. In their region, it was rare to see truly authentic pills crafted by master alchemists, so when Xiao Yan managed to present five Regenerating Pills, they were genuinely astonished. 'This young man truly has a solid background. The way he's handling things suggests he's likely a young noble from a prominent family. Mu the Snake must have been rather unlucky,' Ferre thought, gazing at Qingye's jade vial. 'Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much. Xiao Yan still has urgent matters to attend to, so I'll have to leave now. Goodbye!' With the magical core secured, Xiao Yan was eager to return and begin preparing the two types of pills needed to absorb the purple flame. He bowed politely to Ferre and the others, then swiftly planted his feet firmly on the ground, launching himself into a rapid flight through the dense forest, eventually fading from sight. Staring at Xiao Yan, who was slowly fading into the darkness of the dense forest, Fei Lei couldn't help but sigh, chuckling, "I had originally intended to invite Xiao Yan to join our Blood Battle Guild. But seeing the scale of his ambition, I simply don't have the courage to bring it up." "Let's go, stop overthinking it. With his talent, he simply won't be able to settle within our modest guild. I suspect he's coming to the Dragon's Mountain region for training and experience. Given his natural aptitude and strategic mind, the wider world beyond will be his true stage for growth. We, on the other hand, should just content ourselves as ordinary mercenaries. Perhaps in ten or twenty years, when he returns to Qingshan Town, he'll already be a powerful Du Sheng or even Du Ling cultivator." After securing the jade bottle, Qingye turned and spoke calmly. "Heh, that makes sense." With a self-deprecating shake of his head, Feray raised his hand, leading his numerous subordinates, singing a triumphant song loudly as they carried the bodies of the two beasts back toward Qingshan Town. Though they didn't possess Xiao Yan's innate talent for pursuing power, ordinary people still found their own contentment in ordinary lives. During the flight, Xiao Yan took three returning-breath pills, and only then gradually saw the small valley shrouded in thick mist. He was instantly energized and broke through the mist, flying directly into the valley. As he approached the ground, his wings slightly trembled and transformed into tattoos, settling on his shoulders. After enduring a fierce battle and returning to the tranquil valley, Xiao Yan couldn't help but exhale in relief. He hurried to the thatched cottage in the valley and met the young physician, who had been anxiously waiting. Seeing Xiao Yan return unharmed, the young physician likewise felt a great sense of ease. After greeting her, Xiao Yan quickly gathered all the required herbs for the two types of pills throughout the valley. Only after completing this task did he carry the herbs and leap into the cave within the mountain wall, ready to begin crafting these two essential pills crucial for consuming the purple flame.