The next day, when Xiao Yan stepped out of his room, he just happened to see Hu Jia and Wu Hao arriving at the grand hall. Hu Jia remained much as usual, but Wu Hao looked somewhat less impressive—his face occasionally bearing patches of bruising. Yet despite the numerous marks on his face, the battle-mad man radiated excitement and enthusiasm. Observing him, Xiao Yan sensed a subtle sharpness and vigor in Wu Hao, suggesting that his recent experiences in the arena had indeed brought him growth. "Xiao Yan! You've advanced?" Both of them were surprised to see the slightly fuller, more robust aura that Xiao Yan now exuded compared to the previous few days. Xiao Yan nodded with a smile, sat down in the hall, and turned to Wu Hao with a warm expression, "How was the arena?" "There are many strong contenders, all of whom have been forged through actual combat—far surpassing the mere practitioners in the outer academy who focus solely on cultivation. I spent four days there, fighting eight battles, winning three and losing five, and ultimately losing nearly twenty days' worth of fire energy." Wu Hao nodded, clearly impressed with the arena's caliber. "Oh?" Hearing this, Xiao Yan was also somewhat astonished. Even someone of Wu Hao's strength couldn't maintain a half-win rate in the arena—clearly, the competition was exceptionally fierce. This sparked his interest. "If you have time, you should give the arena a try—it's an excellent place to hone your skills." Wu Hao took a piece of pastry from his hand and chewed it slowly, saying, "I'm not sure I'll be visiting the Tianfen Qi Tower much anymore. I believe the arena suits me better." Xiao Yan smiled and was about to speak when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned to see Xun'er descending from the upper floor. Greeting her with a gentle smile, Xiao Yan paused and said, "It's perfect—everyone is here. I'd like to tell you all about my plan: I'll be meditating in the Tianfen Qi Tower for some time, and during that period, the affairs of Panmen will be entrusted to you three." "Meditating?" The three in the hall were somewhat surprised upon hearing Xiao Yan's words. After a moment, Xun'er softly asked, "For how long?" "Until I reach the eighth star level," Xiao Yan said with a light smile. "Hmm? You only recently reached the seventh star, and now you want to break through again? Even with the assistance of the Tianfen Qi Tower, I don't think you could achieve such speed," Hu Jia remarked, frowning. "Indeed, in the first or second layers, we wouldn't be able to make such progress. But don't we have the Qinghuo Crystal Cards? Hehe—these cards will allow us to reach the fifth or even sixth layer for training," Xiao Yan said with a smile Upon hearing this, Wu Hao's eyes widened instantly, saying, "Fifth and sixth floors? Didn't you know that as one descends each floor of the Tian Fen Qi Tower, the heart flame grows increasingly robust and intense? With your current status as a Seven-Star Battle Seer, you could at most reach the third floor. The fifth and sixth floors, however, would require at least a Four-Star Battle Spirit or higher to withstand the intensity." Beside him, Huo Jia also nodded slightly, having grown familiar with the inner courtyard over this period and thus learned several key facts about the Tian Fen Qi Tower. "Rest assured, Brother Xiao Yan is capable. Haven't you seen quite a few unexpected incidents happen to him?" In contrast, Xun'er only paused briefly upon hearing Xiao Yan's words, then gently lifted her cup, took a light sip, and smiled softly. She knew Xiao Yan better than either of the others, and she understood well that, by nature, Xiao Yan would never undertake anything without confidence. Xiao Yan nodded with a smile. As one who possessed the Qinglian Earth-Heart Fire, he need not worry about the intensity of the fire nor the erosion of fire-toxin—factors that might be significant obstacles for other students. Yet, to him, they posed no delay at all. Seeing Xiao Yan had made up his mind, Wu Hao and Huo Jia also nodded in agreement. Nodding slightly, with Xun'er in charge, Xiao Yan naturally felt completely at ease. He truly didn't regard Bai Cheng as anything special. "By the way," Xiao Yan said, after finishing his tea, "is there any place within the inner courtyard where one can obtain various herbs or magic cores?" "Having remembered the location, Xiao Yan finally settled himself, waved a greeting to the three, and then proceeded straight to leave the new student residence area, heading toward the eastern sector of the inner courtyard as described by Xun. This time, his meditation session would last a considerable duration, and to maximize its effectiveness, he would need to prepare several items. The inner courtyard was exceptionally spacious; it took Xiao Yan nearly half an hour to travel from the new student zone to the eastern sector. Fortunately, the trading area within the inner courtyard was one of the busiest spots, so the path leading to it was always bustling with activity, and Xiao Yan never found himself lost. Half an hour later, he stopped outside a broad, spacious plaza. Within the plaza, several stone platforms had been erected, each now filled with an array of diverse goods. Outside the platforms, the crowd was dense and lively, the vibrant atmosphere leaving Xiao Yan in awe. Stepping into this vast trading district, the bustling noise almost caused Xiao Yan to lose his sense of direction. Twisting his body and weaving through the crowd, he continuously scanned the items displayed on the stone platforms beside him. As his gaze moved, his astonishment grew—he discovered that many of the goods being sold here were no less impressive than those found in some of the major cities within the Black Angular Region. Perhaps due to the fact that the inner courtyard lay deep within a vast mountain range, certain rare items were even hard to find in stores throughout the Black Angular Region. After a moment of wonder, Xiao Yan began searching for the medicinal herbs he needed. Since these herbs were not required for crafting high-tier elixirs, they were not particularly difficult to locate. After spending an hour browsing, he managed to gather nearly all of them, having expended nearly thirty days' worth of fire energy. Staring at the now significantly diminished "fire energy" on the Qinghuo Crystal Card, Xiao Yan shook his head in resignation. He had originally thought that over a hundred days' worth of "fire energy" would be quite good, but it seemed to be far more expendable than expected. After sighing over the dwindling reserves in his heart, Xiao Yan decided to leave this bustling area. However, as he was about to turn around, a voice from Yao Lao suddenly echoed in his mind: "Young fellow, go check out the eighth stall ahead." Startled by Yao Lao's unexpected words, Xiao Yan turned to face the direction, his gaze settling on the eighth stall. To his surprise, the normally crowded crowd there appeared as though separated from the rest—some passing students darted past like rabbits, swiftly making their way to that spot. With a lingering sense of curiosity, Xiao Yan stepped forward, pushing through the crowd, and made his way toward that unusual section. As they approached the spot where the crowd had broken, Xiao Yan glanced at the stall. There, behind it, a man dressed in light gray robes sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, completely unbothered by the flow of people passing by. This appearance was far from that of a vendor. "This man... his aura is truly strong—probably even surpassing Bai Cheng. He must be another top-tier contender on the Strong Ranks list. Yet, his aura carries a certain intensity and aggression; clearly, he's not one for patience." Leveraging his sharp spiritual perception, although the gray-robed man had carefully restrained his aura, he still remained noticeable to Xiao Yan, who was momentarily struck by surprise. His gaze then shifted from the man to the stone platform before him, and slowly swept across it. As his gaze swept across, Xiao Yan's growing astonishment deepened. On the stone platform, there were numerous magic cores of various attributes, all at around fourth stage—levels sufficient to match even a Battle Spirit master. It was surprising that this person had gathered so many at once. Shaking his head in admiration, Xiao Yan's steadily moving gaze suddenly sharpened, and he murmured a quiet "Huh!" beneath his breath, fixing his eyes firmly on the item situated at the very center of the platform. Although visually, Xiao Yan could tell this was the most unusual item on the stone platform, his own experience and insight still failed to identify exactly what it was. "The Jade Green Spirit Vine!" The old medicine master smiled gently, his voice laced with unmistakable excitement. "The Jade Green Spirit Vine?" Xiao Yan paused, then his heart stirred with sudden astonishment, his face lighting up with surprise. The Jade Green Spirit Vine was an essential ingredient for crafting the Earth Spirit Pill—unexpectedly, he had stumbled upon it here. Indeed, it was sheer fortune!