High above, a venerable figure hung in the air, his familiar face unmistakably that of the Herbal Elder who had slumbered within the ring for two years. Now, the form he had solidified was noticeably more substantial than before, and the vast spiritual power radiating subtly from within him revealed that even during his two-year rest, his strength had grown significantly. "You?" Upon seeing the Elder's face, Medusa was momentarily startled, then furrowed her brows. The Elder smiled gently, gazing down at the unconscious Xiao Yan, a look of quiet satisfaction on his face. Though unconscious, he could still sense a steady flow of energy nourishing his soul—such a gesture to aid his swift recovery, who else could there be but Xiao Yan? "I didn't expect you to successfully merge with the soul of the Devouring Sky Serpent. It seems my period of slumber has been quite lengthy." The herbal master glanced at Medusa, who too floated in the sky without any external aid, and smiled faintly. "You're not bad at all. After two years of slumber, your strength has grown this far." Medusa scoffed. She had expected that once she successfully merged the soul of the Sky-Devouring Python, she would surely surpass this enigmatic old man. Yet she hadn't anticipated that during her two-year slumber, the herbal master's spiritual power had grown even stronger. From the lightning-fast clash earlier, Medusa sensed that even now, despite having successfully integrated the Sky-Devouring Python's soul, defeating the herbal master would still prove quite challenging. "Since you've now merged the Sky-Devouring Python's soul, why do you still remain by Xiao Yan's side?" The elder physician's eyes flashed a cold glint. He was well aware of Medusa's long-standing hostility toward Xiao Yan. In the past, as long as he was present, Medusa had to tread carefully, even if she intended to act. But during his period of slumber, with Xiao Yan's current strength, this sharp, unyielding woman might well have harbored some designs of her own. Medusa clearly understood the cold tone embedded in the elder's words. As a proud and high-minded woman, she would listen to a few sentences if spoken kindly, but if the tone displeased her, regardless of who the speaker was, she would simply meet him with a cold expression. Upon hearing the elder's remarks, she lifted her vibrant, alluring face and replied with a cold smile, "Why should I stay here with you? When Xiao Yan treated me so harshly back then, you couldn't have been entirely innocent. Now that we've come together, I've spared you any trouble—yet you come to bother me?" "Ah, what a sharp-tongued girl! When I was traversing the continent, you didn't even know where you were getting your milk from." "The old doctor chuckled weirdly, though the coldness on his face gradually softened. Regardless of whether this woman truly harbored murderous intentions toward Xiao Yan, at least right now, the Xiao Yan he was seeing was still alive. "But right now, I don't have time to waste on you. Once I wake up this youngster, I'll settle everything with you." His gaze swept around, yet suddenly stopped on a large crimson cauldron resting upon a massive stone between the cliffs. He couldn't help but murmured softly, extending his hand—immediately, a suction force surged forth, and the large cauldron floated effortlessly toward him, finally hovering before Xiao Yan. "This cauldron…." Gently running his fingers over the lifelike carvings of various roaring, head-upward-beholding beast motifs on the cauldron's surface, the old doctor's expression of astonishment deepened. He couldn't help but whisper, "This cauldron… it seems to resemble the 'Ten-Thousand-Beasts Cauldron' as recorded on the 'Heavenly Cauldron List'?" Regarding the medicinal cauldron, the Elder Pharmacist's insight was clearly far more seasoned and perceptive than Xiao Yan's. While the latter could only sense its exceptional nature but struggled to fathom its origins, the Elder Pharmacist could already discern certain subtle clues merely through a cursory examination. After shifting his gaze, finally settling on Medusa, who showed no reaction to the cauldron, he quietly exhaled a sigh of relief, gently taking the deep-blue storage ring from Xiao Yan's fingers. As he prepared to store the cauldron within it, he was suddenly struck by surprise—“It has a soul imprint? This is an advanced storage ring? Hmm, it seems this young one has been doing quite well over the past few years.” Yet, as he attempted to place the cauldron inside, the storage ring resisted with a subtle, persistent resistance. The Elder Pharmacist was momentarily stunned, and only after a moment did he turn to the deep-blue ring, pausing to admire it with a quiet sense of appreciation. With no success, the herbalist didn't press further. With a wave of his hand, an invisible force lifted the cauldron and carried it beside him. He scanned the surroundings with his eyes, then moved swiftly, flashing toward a mountain peak. Watching the herbalist and Xiao Yan depart, Medusa furrowed her brows, hesitated briefly, and then activated her form, swiftly following. Medusa's pursuit naturally caught the herbalist's attention, who slightly frowned but didn't intervene. At this moment, the most pressing matter was to awaken this young one. With a subtle tremor, his form, slightly ethereal, glided silently through the sky, eventually vanishing into the mountain range dense with lush, towering trees. In the lush forest, a gentle campfire rose, its bright red glow standing out prominently against the deep, shadowed woods. Beside the fire, an elderly man pressed his palm against the forehead of a young man dressed in black robes, his vast spiritual energy flowing out and nourishing the latter's depleted soul. A few paces away, a cool, elegant woman stood gracefully, her long, slender eyes observing the elder and the youth with quiet detachment. After a long while, the elder physician slowly exhaled, withdrawing his hand from Xiao Yan's forehead. With a flick of his fingers, a pill materialized and was then placed into Xiao Yan's mouth. "It's been two years since I last saw him, and I hadn't expected his spiritual strength to have grown so strong. I just wonder what exact level he has now reached," the elder remarked, shaking his head in admiration as he watched Xiao Yan swallow the pill with a rolling of his throat, his eyes still closed. Since Xiao Yan's energy was at its weakest and his internal qi nearly depleted, even with Yao Lao's sharp perception, it was difficult to clearly gauge his true strength. As Yao Lao softly murmured, Xiao Yan, who had been unconscious, suddenly coughed violently. His eyelashes trembled, and after a moment, the tightly closed eyelids finally slowly parted. With his vision once again clear, the first thing he saw was the familiar, warm, elderly face that had completely reassured him. "Ah…" Gazing at that familiar and comforting face, after a while, Xiao Yan lifted his head, exhaled deeply—seeming to release all his worries and burdens—and leaned gently against the tree behind him, smiling warmly at Yao Lao. "Master, it's been two years since we last saw each other. How have you been?" The old doctor's gaze remained firmly fixed upon the young face—now more mature and resolute than it had been two years ago. He knew, during the time he had been asleep, that this young charge, who had long relied on him, had undergone a complete transformation and had now fully earned the qualifications and strength to stand on his own. Once a fledgling needing constant protection, he now soared high above, flying freely through the skies. In many ways, Xiao Yan had now reached the point of readiness to step out into the world. With a warm yet slightly dry hand, the old doctor gently patted Xiao Yan's head and smiled with satisfaction, "Good work, young one!" Faced with the old doctor's praise, Xiao Yan blushed slightly, fidgeted, and struggled to sit up, only to shake his head in resignation as waves of weakness surged through his body. Raising his eyes, he suddenly caught sight of Mei Du Sha at a distance and smiled, "Thank you, Cai Lin, for your timely rescue." Although he fell unconscious upon the massive stone crashing down, he still faintly sensed that Medusa had rendered him aid. When he thanked her, Medusa showed no reaction at all, merely stating, "I didn't save you—it was he who did. All I wanted was your promise to prepare the pills for me." By now, Xiao Yan had grown thoroughly accustomed to Medusa's stubbornness and thus chose not to dwell on it. Turning to the elderly herbalist beside him, he smiled and said, "Master, it seems your strength has improved considerably." "It's not much of an improvement—merely a restoration of a bit of my former strength. To fully recover, I believe we'd first need to address the issue of my body," the herbalist shook his head, then eagerly asked, "Young one, what about the fallen heart flame?" "I've absorbed it," Xiao Yan smiled. "I knew you wouldn't let me down." Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Yao Lao's face instantly bloomed with a sense of难以 concealed surprise. His hand firmly pressed against Xiao Yan's shoulder. Though when he first regained consciousness and saw Xiao Yan still alive, he had already harbored a faint intuition, the confirmation of that intuition stirred a genuine sense of wonder even in his steady nature. Gazing at Yao Lao's visibly surprised expression, Xiao Yan smiled slightly, hesitated briefly, and then softly added, "By the way, Teacher... the one who defied you—has also been eliminated by my disciples." The soft tone caused Yao Lao to instantly freeze. After a long pause, he exhaled deeply, his face a mixture of sorrow and relief, his hand gently yet heavily resting on Xiao Yan's shoulder. The low, weathered voice, slightly heart-wrenching, echoed softly in Xiao Yan's ears. "Thank you, little one!"