While the outside world was agitated over the events involving Yunlan Sect, Xiao Yan had been spending his days diligently seated in the inner chamber, striving tirelessly to fully heal his internal injuries without leaving any lasting complications. The injuries Xiao Yan sustained this time were the most severe he had ever endured. Even with his robust physical constitution and mastery of herbal medicine, complete recovery would still take a considerable amount of time. Yet Xiao Yan remained calm and undisturbed—recovery required precision; any mishap could compound his internal injuries. For someone of Xiao Yan’s caliber, experiencing injuries was not alarming, but what was truly concerning was the possibility of lingering complications, which could become a significant obstacle in his future pursuit of greater achievements. Yet for Xiao Yan, this concern was far from significant. As a pharmacist, he knew precisely how to employ the most thorough and secure methods to gradually recover—though it would take some time. In a quiet, secluded chamber of the Xiao family estate, a young man in a black robe sat upon a stone bed, hands forming seals. His breathing was calm and steady. With each inhalation and exhalation, ripples of energy spread through the surrounding space, and a visible surge of energy swiftly flowed into his body. This continuous exchange of energy lasted nearly an hour before Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes. A faint glow of fire flickered briefly within his dark pupils before fading away, and his once intense gaze gradually settled into a serene, composed stillness. Exhaling gently, Xiao Yan gently traced his fingers over the Youhai Storage Amulet. A round, emerald-colored pill appeared in his hands. As soon as the pill materialized, a captivating fragrance filled the air. Inhaling deeply, one felt a subtle yet invigorating lift in spirit. This pill is known as "Fuyuan Pill," a type of healing medicine that ranks at the fifth level—quite high indeed. It is specifically designed to treat severe injuries, and due to its gentle nature, it causes no additional damage to the already weakened body, making it an ideal remedy for serious wounds. However, because the pill is of such a high rank and its preparation process is intricate, ordinary strong individuals often find it difficult to access such treatment. This is precisely because Xiao Yan himself is a pharmacist—specifically, a fifth-level pharmacist capable of crafting sixth-level pills. Without such expertise, securing a pill of this caliber would require considerable effort and thought. After swallowing the "Fuling Pill," Xiao Yan flipped his hand once more, and a jade vial containing a deep crimson liquid appeared in his grasp. He lifted his right sleeve to reveal his right hand—already broken at the time—but over the past period, with careful cultivation and nourishment through his battle energy, the fractured bones had gradually healed. Still, to fully restore it to its former condition, mere battle energy would not suffice; additional rare herbs with bone-repairing properties would also be needed. Tilting the vial slightly, the crimson liquid flowed out and finally poured over the palm of Xiao Yan's right hand. As the liquid touched the palm, an unusual "shushing" sound emerged, and Xiao Yan's lips twitched—so intense was the heat that his entire hand felt as though it had been plunged into a furnace. Though his palms radiated阵阵burning pain, Xiao Yan remained calm, knowing this was normal. With a gentle flex of his fingers, a jade tablet appeared in his hand. He then carefully scraped off the crimson medicinal liquid, eventually coating his entire right hand, including the wrist, with the liquid. After the liquid was scraped, it swiftly penetrated through the pores within mere breaths, and at that moment, Xiao Yan's bones in his palms began to feel a wave of tingling sensation. "This Nine-herb Bone-Repairing Ointment truly works well," he murmured, a pleased expression flickering across his face. He could clearly feel the bones in his palms healing rapidly, and the previous weakness when gripping firmly was gradually fading, replaced instead by a growing sense of strength! Only when the medicinal vapor had completely vanished did Xiao Yan cease his movements, placing the jade vial into his storage amulet and gazing at his now vividly red right arm with a gentle smile. At this pace, just a few more applications should be sufficient to fully restore the fractured bones in his palm. "My internal qi has recovered to about nine out of ten, though this level—though slightly less than the previous seven or eight parts—is still quite substantial. Clearly, this battle has yielded significant gains. I'm just unsure whether, when my qi is fully restored, I'll be able to reach the barrier of the Duke of Battle." Feeling the robust qi flowing through his meridians, Xiao Yan murmured softly. As he finished speaking, he paused thoughtfully, then clenched his hands, and a jade-green flame instantly appeared upon his palm. Fixing his gaze on this lustrous lotus-heart flame, he flicked his other hand, causing a faint stream of warmth to radiate from the white, forest-like mark on his forehead. Then, with a soft 'puff,' a white flame rose up from between his palms. Staring in wonder at this streak of pale, white flame, Xiao Yan gently touched the white flame mark on his forehead, feeling its warmth, then exhaled a deep breath of relief in his heart. The Elder had said that as long as the mark remained, Xiao Yan would still be alive—thus, the most dreaded scenario he had feared had not yet occurred. "Master, please rest assured. I will strengthen my abilities as swiftly as possible and rescue both you and Father!" With his fists clenched, a determined gleam passed through his eyes as he spoke firmly within himself. With a subtle mental focus, the unusual flames on his hands swiftly faded away. His gaze then settled once more on the dark ring resting on his fingers—the ring that had once been the Elder's humble abode. Because it was spiritually linked to the Elder, even Xiao Yan had previously been unable to enter it. But now, with the essence of Bone-Spirit Cold Flame flowing within him, Xiao Yan could freely command this ancient, simple dark ring. A faint, silvery-white flame emerged on the tips of his fingers and gently brushed over the dark ring. Xiao Yan's spiritual power flowed seamlessly into the space within the ring without any obstruction. The space inside this dark ring surpassed even the high-tier "Yuhai Storage Ring" held in Xiao Yan's hands. Of course, the most valuable aspect of this ring was not the ring itself, but the vast array of items stored within it. As Xiao Yan's spiritual energy swiftly scanned through the contents, his expression grew slightly stunned. The storage ring contained everything collected by the Elder of Medicine over a lifetime—stacked with prescriptions, cultivation techniques, combat skills, and various odd and unusual items—arranged in such a way that it overwhelmed the viewer with sheer variety. Xiao Yan casually flipped through several cultivation techniques and combat skills, only to be once again astonished to find that almost none of the materials were of lower rank. The most basic cultivation techniques and combat skills were all of Xuanyuan rank, and even during his careful examination, he discovered a few of Earth rank techniques and cultivation arts—though these were clearly rare. After counting them, he found there were no more than twenty such items combined. Nevertheless, the collection here was so impressive that it left Xiao Yan utterly speechless. It was truly a treasure trove that would attract countless admirers. Fortunately, these treasures were known only to him; otherwise, anyone possessing so many high-rank cultivation techniques and combat skills would surely draw intense envy. After roughly browsing through the space, Xiao Yan returned his spiritual energy and, as he stepped out, took out a scroll that appeared as solid and jade-like as a piece of green jade. He gently manipulated the scroll in his hands, a jade-green hue, having previously sensed its soul-energy resonance. Now he knew it was the very method left by the Elder Pharmacist to counteract the "Life-Eating Pill" within his second brother, Xiao Li. Calculating the time since Xiao Li first ingested the pill, he realized it was approaching now. Thus, Xiao Yan had to act swiftly to resolve it—otherwise, once the time arrived, Xiao Li would perish instantly. Then, not only would Xiao Yan himself be overwhelmed with anguish, but he would also face a difficult dilemma in explaining the matter to his elder brother, Xiao Ding. To date, neither of them had mentioned it to Xiao Ding, knowing well that, given Xiao Ding's temperament, both would surely be scolded severely. He slowly unfolded the scroll, and the familiar, strong, and elegant script came into view, prompting him to softly exhale. "Little one, the Life-Draining Pill is far too dominant in its nature. To eliminate its effects, even I find it difficult. Yet, do not be disheartened—there is still a viable solution. This Pill draws upon a person's vitality to generate power. Since we cannot fully counteract it, we can instead enhance the vitality of the person taking the Pill, thereby extending their lifespan. Of course, this is only a temporary measure. To completely eradicate the effects of the Pill, the recipient must eventually reach the Battle Emperor level in their own journey of vitality development. Only then can the Pill be truly neutralized!" Though this method is simple, it does present certain issues—namely, the scarcity of elixirs that enhance vitality. Fortunately, for the renowned herbal master of the continent, this is not a particularly significant challenge. Xiao Yan's gaze slowly shifted downward, finally settling at the very end, and he sighed with relief.