Beyond the wooden door lay a spacious room bathed in a soft, glowing light. As Xiang Yan stepped in slowly, his gaze swept the room, and a growing sense of wonder spread across his face. The entire inner walls were encased in a layer of milky-white jade, and even the floor beneath his feet was composed of perfectly fitted, seamless white jade blocks. The gentle luminescence emanated directly from these white jade surfaces. "Indeed a grand undertaking," Xiang Yan murmured in admiration. These jade blocks were quite costly, yet exceptionally effective for preserving medicinal herbs. Within this sealed environment, the precious herbs retained nearly all their potency, with their shelf life significantly extended—far surpassing the storage capabilities he achieved using his Naji storage device. Within the spacious room enclosed by white jade, several corridors stretched out, each flanked by towering counters crafted entirely of white jade. Xiao Yan strolled casually into one of the corridors, glanced briefly at the counters, and immediately noticed various unusual herbs standing quietly—clearly rare and exceptional—emitting subtle, distinct aromas of medicinal fragrance. "Yin-containing Demon Flame Grass... Purple Spirit Body-Building Blossom... Hmm, this one—what's its name? Is it... Cold-Blood Fruit?" As he walked slowly along the counters, the array of strange herbs deepened his growing sense of wonder. By the time he reached the end, he could no longer recall the names of many of them, though the fragrances emanating from each herb clearly indicated that they were among the most exceptional medicinal treasures—indeed, one in a hundred. It took nearly ten minutes for Xiao Yan to walk down the corridor, though he didn't find the dragon-hair ice-fire fruits he was seeking. Nevertheless, the various rare herbs scattered along the way caused his heartbeat to quicken significantly. He swallowed hard, pressing down on his impulse to gather all these precious herbs into his storage bracelet—had it not been for his sense of rationality, he might have done so immediately. But that thought passed through his mind only briefly before he suppressed it. If he truly acted on it, he’d likely have to leave the inner courtyard altogether, and thus, his hopes of obtaining the "Falling Heart Flame" would be dashed. While these herbs were indeed rare, they paled in comparison to the latter. His eyes were fixed intently on a peculiar, dry branch, its entire body resembling blood and its form twisted and sinuous, like a coiling python. The saliva flowing from his mouth seemed to secrete at a noticeably faster pace. He recognized this plant—Dr. Yao had once mentioned it to him: "Blood Python Branch," a rare medicinal ingredient, and a primary component in the preparation of the "Battle Spirit Pill." The "Battle Spirit Pill" was nearly the most sought-after among the six-rank elixirs on the continent, typically consumed by those at the Battle King level. Taking just one pill during this stage could guarantee a safe promotion to the next rank—though only one pill could be taken per stage; any additional doses would be rendered ineffective due to the pill's resistance. Indeed, reaching the next level at the Battle King stage could take several years, and yet this single pill could eliminate years of accumulated effort without any adverse effects. It was no wonder that Battle King-level强者 were utterly captivated and driven to frenzy by such a marvel. "Oh, I can see it but can't reach it." With a wry smile, Xiao Yan struggled to shift his gaze away from that "Blood Serpent Branch," then forcibly turned his body, pushing himself to walk down another corridor in search of the herbs he needed. ... Throughout the spacious white jade room, there were nearly six or seven corridors branching off at various angles, each storing over a hundred rare herbs. As Xiao Yan walked down one corridor after another, his steps finally came to a halt again just before reaching the final corridor, his eyes fixed and intense on the counter before him. Inside the counter stood a refined jade plate, upon which a fruit of palm-sized dimensions rested. This fruit was remarkably unusual—half red, half white. Even at a distance of two feet, Xiao Yan could still sense the intense heat radiating from the red half, while the white half exuded a distinctly different, cool, icy temperature. The two opposing attributes—extremely contrasting—were perfectly harmonized within a single fruit. Indeed, nature was truly extraordinary. Moreover, subtly etched across the surface of the fruit, which embodied both ice and fire, were faint lines that spread out in irregular patterns. Though these lines appeared to follow some hidden order, upon closer inspection, they seemed merely tangled and disordered, utterly unstructured. Staring in amazement at this unusual fruit, although Xiao Yan had never personally seen the appearance of the famed Dragon-Hair Ice-Fire Fruit, he could still confidently identify it from the elder's description as precisely the last herb he had been searching for—the Dragon-Hair Ice-Fire Fruit! "Finally found! The inner courtyard truly holds an impressive collection—rare herbs like this are well preserved." Xiao Yan's joy was hard to conceal; he excitedly rubbed his hands and reached out to grasp the "Dragon-Hair Ice-Fire Fruit." Yet, as his hand was just about to extend, a slender, delicate hand appeared as if by magic, taking the Dragon-Hair Ice-Fire Fruit from the jade tray right before Xiao Yan's astonished gaze. With his target snatched, Xiao Yan failed to react at all, his eyes fixed blankly on the now-empty jade tray. Moments later, he suddenly snapped around, turning sharply to gaze at his side with a touch of astonishment. When the stunned gaze settled upon the young girl beside him, a slight twitch passed across Xiao Yan's lips. Standing beside him was a pale girl whose height reached only to his waist. She appeared to be no more than twelve or thirteen years old, with long, soft lavender hair flowing straight down to her waist. Her cheeks were delicate and porcelain-like, and her large, dark, luminous eyes blinked gently at Xiao Yan, as if imbued with a magical charm that instantly dispelled his sense of awe. Xiao Yan's throat rolled slightly as his gaze slowly descended, and he noticed that the girl was holding a golden herb resembling metal in her left hand, while her right hand was firmly clutching the very fruit he had come seeking—the Ice-Fire Dragon Hair Fruit. Blinking, Xiao Yan recalled the earlier scene, and a sudden sense of astonishment surged within him—how had this girl come to be beside him so suddenly? Had it not been for her reaching out earlier to grasp the ice-fire dragon stem fruit, Xiao Yan might still have been unaware that someone stood beside him. The white little girl stared at Xiao Yan with her innocent, wide eyes for a long while, then suddenly picked up the herb in her hands—resembling something metallic—and pressed it firmly into her mouth, as if she intended to bite it down in one go. "No!" As soon as she did this, Xiao Yan instinctively shouted, recognizing the herb: a rare one known as "Jingang Bu," used in medicine preparation. Its body was as solid and tough as gold or iron—so sturdy that even ordinary flames could not touch it, let alone be broken by teeth. Yet, completely unheeding to Xiao Yan's call, the little girl bit down with her neatly white teeth, and immediately—crisp, resonant sounds like rocks breaking echoed throughout the spacious room. Xiao Yan stared in disbelief at a small crack on the "Jingang Pu" above, where faint traces of tooth marks could still be seen. One by one, golden-yellow droplets dripped from the crack and fell onto the snowy white jade plate, standing out vividly. "Crunch, crunch..." The little girl, her mouth wrapped around the "Jingang Pu," continuously bit down, a golden-yellow liquid seeping from her lips and finally tracing down her chin. What was once as solid and strong as golden iron was effortlessly crushed by the little girl's teeth and swallowed whole, like a common snack. Her expression of astonishment lingered for a long time, and only after a while did it ease. Gazing at the golden liquid now glistening at the edge of the little girl's lips, Xiao Yan felt a deep sense of sorrow—how utterly wasteful! With a delicate swipe of her pale palm, she gently wiped away the golden liquid at the corner of her mouth. The young girl in white glanced at Xiao Yan, her dark eyes subtly distant, then raised the "Ice-Fire Dragon Hair Fruit" in her other hand. Her lips slightly parted, as if she too intended to bite it down at once. This sudden move sent Xiao Yan's spirit soaring—this "Ice-Fire Dragon Hair Fruit" he had only just managed to find. If she took it in one bite like that, when would he ever see another one? "Wait!" he cried out again, realizing the strange behavior of the girl before him. He quickly extended his hand, eager to reclaim the fruit. As his hand was just about to reach out, the girl's hand, holding the "Jingang Bu" fruit, also shot out with lightning speed. Finally, two pale, delicate fingers of hers gently closed around Xiao Yan's palm,夹紧了 it. Although the little girl's movements were quite graceful, when her two fingers tightened around Xiao Yan, the latter's face suddenly changed, and he struggled hard to pull his hand free—yet the little girl's arm remained completely steady. Finally, a look of astonishment broke upon his face. What on earth was this child? A being of such extraordinary strength that even ordinary Supreme King-level warriors would not possess at her age! His thoughts raced through his mind. By now, Xiao Yan felt a cold sweat spreading across his back.