Staring at the cave behind the stone wall, Xiao Yan reached out and pulled Zi Yan, her face filled with excitement, to his side. He exchanged glances with the three members of the Little Healer, allowing his inner qi to subtly circulate, before finally settling his gaze on the crack that Zi Yan had forcibly created and slowly stepping forward. After traversing the short tunnel, Xiao Yan and his companions came to a halt outside the cave entrance. From here, they could faintly see the scattered lights emanating from within the cave. On the surrounding stone walls, various monster motifs were painted, appearing formidable and imposing. Yet for Xiao Yan and his companions, this mere display of intimidation proved entirely ineffective. Su Qian led the way, maintaining the most complete state of strength among the group. Though he had not expended much energy during his prolonged exchanges with the old man from Ying Mountain, the cave itself might harbor unseen mechanisms—by staying at the forefront, he ensured the greatest safety. Inside the cave, a long stone staircase stretched downward into the faint darkness, its end barely visible. Along the cave walls, embedded moonstones softly emitted a gentle glow, gradually banishing the shadows. The group descended the staircase slowly, and after about ten minutes, they reached the end. There, a heavy stone door stood firmly before them. Seeing this, Su Qian smiled, gently pressing his dry palms against the stone gate. Then, his eyes suddenly sharpened, and a mighty aura—so powerful it could shake mountains and split stones—surged swiftly up his arms, finally crashing down with a thunderous roar onto the stone gate. "Boom!" As fragments of stone flew outward, the gate was instantly covered in cracks, then collapsed with a loud crash, emitting a brilliant, sudden flash of light. At the very moment the light burst forth, everyone instinctively slightly narrowed their eyes. Immediately, Xiao Yan's expression changed, and he murmured, "Senior Elder, take care!" As soon as his words fell, a sharp gust of wind erupted from behind the fallen gate, rushing directly toward Su Qian with fierce force. "Hmph!" The sudden upheaval did not disturb Su Qian in the slightest. With a cold exhalation, he curled his palms, and his soft robe instantly hardened as if forged from gold and iron. Then, he swept it forward with a forceful motion, and the sharp gust of wind echoed resonantly within the cave. "Crack!" The robe propelled a surge of wind like a tidal wave, striking the object that had been launched at them. Instantly, a piercing, agonized cry rang out, and the massive form was violently driven backward, crashing heavily onto the ground. The warehouse housed numerous shelves, upon which scrolls were neatly arranged. On the other side, there were several crystal cabinets, within which various rare herbs were carefully displayed. As the eyes slowly swept across the warehouse, the gaze of Xiao Yan and the others settled on the massive serpentine beast lying on the ground—clearly, the attacker from earlier. "A monster of Duke-level rank dares to attack me?" Su Qian stepped into the warehouse, glanced at the creature coiled up, its fierce head thrusting out its tongue, and smiled gently. "It must be one of the guards here." Xiao Yan also smiled, his eyes briefly passing over the beast before shifting to the warehouse. After taking in the numerous scrolls, a sense of wonder passed through his eyes. He admired them with quiet praise: "Indeed, this is a well-established force with a long history—these collections are truly impressive." "All of these have been organized and categorized." Xiao Li approached a row of bookshelves, gazing at the characters inscribed on them—"Xuan Stage, Basic"—and couldn't help but smile. Xiao Yan nodded, glanced briefly, and then proceeded directly toward the deeper part of the storage room. He wasn't particularly impressed by ordinary Xuan-level combat techniques or cultivation methods; instead, he was curious to see if the Mo Yan Valley held any high-level techniques or cultivation arts that would even astonish him. "Shhh!" As Xiao Yan and his companions freely searched through the storage room, the massive serpent covered in deep green scales instantly coiled up. With a jet of breath from its snout and a powerful flick of its tail, it sent a strong force sweeping directly toward Xiao Yan and his companions. Just as the tail had been swung up and was still far from reaching its target, it was suddenly grasped by a small hand whose size was utterly disproportionate to the massive serpent. The owner of the hand glanced briefly at the giant snake, gave a slight disdain, then pulled firmly on its tail, dragging it steadily out of the warehouse—no matter how desperately the serpent struggled, that small hand remained unmoved. "I'm not entirely sure either. When I first met this girl, she had already consumed the mature form of the transformed herb. Yet, her ability to possess such formidable power even in her childhood suggests that her true essence must be extraordinary..." Su Qian furrowed his brows and then added, "It's said that in the southern regions of the Central Continent, there are numerous unusual monster clans, each of which boasts considerable strength. Perhaps there, we might find some information about her true nature." "Monster clans?" Hearing this term for the first time, Xiao Yan's steps paused slightly. "In those places, the beasts mostly gather in groups. Once they reach a certain level, some—particularly those with ancient bloodlines—develop intelligence no weaker than that of humans, and even take on human form. Combined with their long lifespans, their depth and strength are truly impressive. Even ordinary human factions dare not challenge them. Of course…" At this point, Su Qian fixed her gaze on Xiao Yan, saying, "except for certain human races that also trace their lineage back to antiquity..." Her words hung in the air as Xiao Yan's footsteps suddenly stilled. After a brief pause, he nodded silently. He knew that Su Qian might be referring to something akin to the unusual race behind Xun'er. "Xun...?" The hand within his robe clenched tightly, and a surge of intense warmth shimmered in Xiang's eyes. He remembered clearly what Xun had said when she departed—before reaching the level of Dou Zong, she must not be allowed to meet him. Surely, she was concerned about the formidable resistance from her own family. "Dou Zong..." The young face, illuminated by the candlelight, now carried a resolute determination. Once, the title of Dou Zong seemed out of reach, but now—now it felt within grasp. "Wait for me. When the time comes, I'll have every member of your family know—your judgment is the best!" In a soft, quiet murmur, Xiang's eyes blazed with a warmth and intensity he had never seen before—there was ambition, and there was also genuine anticipation. The once-considered useless heir of the Xiao family would surely astonish everyone. As Xiao Yan drew his mind back, his steps also slowed, for without realizing it, he had reached the far end of the storage room. Beside the shelf, unlike the stacks of scrolls seen earlier, there were only four simple, ancient wooden boxes arranged neatly. The area surrounding the shelf also differed from the others—instead of being unprotected, it was enclosed by a faint luminous aura. The rich energy subtly radiating from within the aura caused a subtle surprise in Xiao Yan's eyes, a clear indication that truly valuable items often possess something unique. With this thought passing through his mind, Xiao Yan did not immediately rush to break through the aura. Instead, he slowly scanned the surroundings of the shelf, and then paused at two simple characters inscribed on the shelf itself.