In the quiet chamber, Xiao Yan stared steadily at the white-clad little girl seated cross-legged across from him. He couldn't believe it—such a lovely little girl, yet her true form was that of a beast. This was the first time he had ever seen a beast transform into human form, and he was deeply astonished and enlightened. "It makes sense she dares to eat the herbs raw," he thought. "Her true form is that of a beast. With such a strong and resilient body, even though the herbs' energies are wild and vigorous, they're certainly within her tolerance." "Have you gotten your fill of staring?" the girl growled, her cheeks flushed with irritation. "Now go on—start refining them!" The quiet words of Hao Elder, though soft, had clearly reached her ears. Receiving the "Jingang Bud", Xiao Yan nodded with a smile and waved his hand to summon the cauldron. The cauldron used previously had exploded during the match, so this one was obtained after the event from the trading district—its rank wasn't particularly high, comparable to the one used earlier, though it was sufficient for the purpose. With a flick of his hand, a streak of emerald flame formed at his fingertip. As Xiao Yan prepared to pour it into the cauldron, he was startled to see the little girl nervously shifting toward the side. Noticing the slight tension in her eyes, he paused, suddenly realizing: she must have sensed the unusual nature of the Qinglian Earth-Heart Flame—typically, non-fire-type beasts would instinctively feel a subtle repulsion toward fire elements. "No worries," he said, smiling. With a smile, Xiao Yan tossed the flame into the cauldron, and as soon as the flame entered, the little girl's tense body gradually relaxed. After the flame had roasted the cauldron for a while, Xiao Yan casually dropped in the "Jingang Pu," then waved his hand, causing the flame within the cauldron to surge and whirl vigorously. This kind of preparation wasn't particularly demanding—only requiring sufficient heat—so it didn't require much of Xiao Yan's energy. While attending to the process, Xiao Yan turned his gaze toward the young girl beside him. Since learning her identity, his interest in her had grown significantly. The little girl, with her dark, large eyes, kept them fixed on the cauldron without blinking. "Little girl," Xiao Yan cleared his throat and smiled, "I'd like to ask you a question—could you answer me?" "What?" The girl merely opened her mouth slightly, her gaze never wavering. "I remember that in the Warcraft realm, if a creature were to transform into a human, it would at least have to reach the Battle Sovereign level, right? You must be...," Xiao Yan chuckled, finding it hard to believe that this little girl could possess Battle Sovereign-level strength. Though her power was indeed astonishing, upon quietly assessing her, Xiao Yan thought she might still be hovering around the Battle King level. "I'm not that strong. I simply accidentally consumed a rare herb known as the Transformation Grass, which transformed me into this form—now I can't revert back. I've been taking these herbs to grow faster, so that one day I can freely shift between my beast form and human form." The girl frowned, speaking with a somewhat dull tone, as if she weren't particularly enthusiastic about the topic. "The Transformation Grass?" No wonder... Hearing this, Xiao Yan felt a moment of clarity. The Form-Shaping Grass was the primary ingredient in crafting Form-Shaping Pills, and thus conferred some of the pills' effects. If a creature of Duke-level strength consumed it, it could freely transform into human form; however, if a creature hadn't yet reached that level, it would remain in the human form it had taken after eating the grass until it achieved Duke-level strength. "What about your parents?" Xiao Yan glanced at the "Jingang Pu" slowly melting under the green flame within the cauldron, and asked casually. "None." The little girl lowered her head, her legs curled beneath her, arms wrapped tightly around her knees, her snow-white, even teeth firmly pressing against her lips, a hint of moisture shimmering in her dark, large eyes. "Since I became conscious, I've lived alone in the deep mountains. When I was young, I could only retreat in silence whenever others bullied me. It wasn't until I began consuming the Form-Shaping Grass that I met the Grand Elder of the Inner Courtyard. He brought me to the Inner Courtyard, and ever since, I've stayed here. "微微一怔，望着小女孩紧咬着嘴唇那份倔强，就连萧炎也不由略感心酸，轻轻叹息一声，语气温和地说道：'至少，从现在起，你在这里不会再受欺负了。' '那些家伙可都怕我，怕得要命，哪还敢来欺负我？像你这样，我一口就能把你给吃了。'" The girl's cheeks brightened with pride. "以后可别总说一口把人给吃了，你现在可是人类身呢。" Xiao Yan shook his head, utterly speechless—how could anyone find it credible that such a petite figure could say such a thing with such confidence? "哼，本来就是，虽然我至今还没吃过人呢。" The girl huffed, and after chatting with Xiao Yan for a while, her attitude had improved considerably. "That would be better if we didn't eat it..." Xiao Yan murmured, raising his hand and instantly sending a flurry of powder into the medicinal cauldron, where it quickly blended with the golden, viscous liquid already inside. His fingers then rapidly danced before him, and as each fingertip moved, the golden liquid within the cauldron swiftly separated, eventually forming dozens of small liquid spheres. "Condense!" he softly commanded, and the liquid rapidly solidified, transforming into dozens of bright golden pills that spun smoothly on the emerald flame within seconds. "The process is truly simple. If making pills could be this easy, it would be wonderful indeed..." gazing at the glowing golden pills, Xiao Yan chuckled, then waved his hand, causing dozens of golden pills to burst with a golden glow and shoot out from the cauldron, finally settling into the jade bottle in his hands. "Here you go. Try it—this should taste far better than eating the herbs raw." He smiled and handed the jade vial to the little girl who had been eagerly watching him. "Yes, yes," she nodded eagerly, quickly pouring out a golden pill from the vial. She didn't care about the lingering warmth on the pill's surface, and with a single gulp, she bit into it, chewing vigorously. "Delicious..." In just a few swallows, she crushed the pill and swallowed it whole. The girl licked her lips, still looking at the jade vial with a touch of lingering satisfaction. With a smile, Xiao Yan waved his hand and retrieved the herbs used to prepare the "Dragon Force Pills" from his storage bracelet. "Just take these pills yourself," he said, organizing them as he spoke. "Don't give them to anyone else, or you'll drive them to death." These pills weren't even worthy of being called medicine—only her powerful, beast-like constitution could endure their wild potency. Anyone else, especially a human, would likely survive only with a few layers of skin peeled off. "I still think I'm not doing enough..." murmured the little girl, standing up and deliberately patting Xiao Yan's shoulder with a mature air. "You've done well. Whenever someone bullies you, just come to me—I'll stand up for you. In this inner courtyard, no one dares to bother me without me." Xiao Yan shook his head, smiling, and gently rubbed the adorable girl's head. "Alright, I'll definitely come to you!" "Then, after I finish eating these, will you still be able to help me refine the medicine? That way, I'll repay you for all my protection." At this, the little girl beamed with delight, kneeling before Xiao Yan, her dark eyes full of hope. "...Hmm," Xiao Yan rolled his eyes. He hadn't expected the girl to have such a plan—he had almost thought she was genuinely kind. "Alright, alright. Come back after you've finished eating. Just remember my name and where I live," Xiao Yan said, waving his hand with a weak, tired tone. "I know, Xiao Yan—just now, the old man mentioned that, and he also told me where he lives." The little girl beamed with excitement, thrilled that she no longer had to endure those unpalatable herbs. In her heart, Xiao Yan had already earned the title of a truly wonderful person. "You go on with the alchemy then. It's so monotonous—thank goodness I didn't study it, or else I'd be utterly bored." Having achieved her purpose, the little girl finally stood up, stuck out her tongue at Xiao Yan, and chuckled happily. The little girl furrowed her delicate nose, vigorously waving her small fist in front of her. Suddenly, a sharp voice erupted, and several invisible punches surged forth like storm waves, narrowly brushing past Xiao Yan's head and striking the specially crafted, steel-hard wall at an angle. The impact caused several dark, deep holes to appear on the wall, each accompanied by cracks. Sweat dripped down from her forehead. Xiao Yan reached up, brushing his forehead, and after a moment, glared fiercely at Zǐyán: "Little ghost, do you intend to kill me?" Zǐyán, covering her mouth with her small hand, subtly stuck out her tongue, then hurriedly bowed deeply before Xiao Yan—after all, the current Xiao Yan was her very source of food and clothing, and she could never afford to offend him. "Xiao Brother, go ahead and do it—go ahead and do it. I'll step out first. I'll come back after I've eaten." Saying this, she quickly made her way toward the door. Seeing Pu Yin trying to escape, Xiao Yan sighed, this little girl was indeed adorable, but just a bit too forceful. With a deep breath, he waved his hand, and a streak of emerald flame reformed at his fingertips. "By the way, Xiao Brother, I still have a ranking in the inner courtyard—I'm the number one on that so-called 'Strength List.' If anyone ever bothers you in the future, just mention my name." Suddenly, a small head poked through the door, beaming at Xiao Yan before quickly retreating. "Pffft..." The steadily rising emerald flame instantly vanished, and Xiao Yan's mouth hung open, his eyes wide as he stared at the doorway. Only after a long while did he tremble all over, murmuring in a dazed tone, "Me... me... is she really the top-ranked 'Strength List' member who makes Lin Yan feel as if he's facing a tiger?" At that very moment, Xiao Yan couldn't help but feel that the world was truly full of drama.