"Stupid snake, ever heard of the Icy Heart Pill?"

  Oe Bst!

  Even with a dirt-covered face, the proud smile on Xiao Yan's face couldn't be hidden by the mud.

  He swiftly closed the distah all of his strength gathered in this puno matter how hard the scales of the Bck Steel Giant Python were, they couldn't protect its scaleless underbelly, nor could it dodge his carefully calcuted strike in time.

  With a long whistle, he unleashed a lethal blow filled with the unstoppable momentum of Oe Bst.

  The punded solidly with a loud bang. Finally, his attack sent the giant Bck Steel Giant Python flying into the air, and the eight yers of hidden force struck it eight times before it fell from the sky.

  With a thud, the Bck Steel Giant Python fell heavily to the ground. Blood spurted from its eyes and mouth. All of its bones were shattered by Xiao Yan's Oe Bst, and its internal auro mush by the dark force.

  After twitg a few times, it died unwillingly.

  Xiao Yan sat on his butt on the body of the Bck Steel Giant Python, took out a cloth from his ste ring to wipe the mud off his body, and ged into a new set of clothes.

  'Rank 2 Magical Beasts are iough to deal with; I actually had to use an Icy Heart Pill.'

  But there wasn't a rule against using medial pills, was there?

  The Icy Heart Pill was a 2nd-tier medial pill with a rather unique effect. Upon iion, it immediately geed a cold current that chilled oo the bone. Not only did it cool the mind and help one calm down, but more importantly, the cold current from the Icy Heart Pill rapidly lowered the temperature of the body's flesh and meridians.

  This was one of the alternative medial pills that he had prepared for dev a Heavenly Fme.

  To devour a Heavenly Fme, one could not simply swallow it directly; otherwise, one would be buro death before even beginning to refihe fme.

  Xiao Yan discovered from the notes of the previous owner of his ste ring, who had absorbed the Bone Chilling Fme, that three items o be prepared in advan order to increase the success rate of abs a Heavenly Fme.

  The first item was the 5th-tier medial pill, Blood Lotus Essence Pill, which could form a tinuous bloody yer to protect the body, allowing him to get closer to the Heavenly Fme. The sed item was the Acceptance Soul, which Xiao Yan had been lucky enough to find in the mysterious ste ring. The third item was the Ice Spirit Cold Fountain.

  If the Blood Lotus Essence Pill was for proteg the exterior, then the Ice Spirit Cold Fountain served as a guardian for the interior. It could protee from being ied into nothingness by the destructive temperature of the Heavenly Fme during its refi.

  Unfortunately, Xiao Yan was out of luck, because while the Blood Lotus Essence Pill at least had a recipe and could possibly be refined by someone else if necessary, he had never even heard of the Ice Spirit Cold Fountain. Therefore, he refihe lower-tier substitute, the Icy Heart Pill, himself.

  If he truly couldn't find the Ice Spirit Cold Fountain and entered a Heavenly Fme, he po use a rge quantity of Icy Heart Pills as a rept.

  Uedly, the Icy Heart Pill proved to be remarkably effective today. It lowered his body temperature, making it impossible for the Bck Steel Giant Python's heat perception to detect him hiding underground, allowing his sneak attack to succeed.

  Xiao Yan did not immediately move on to the challenge. Instead, he sat down and began to skin and dismember the Bck Steel Giant Python.

  'Yay! There really is a Monster Core, the Monster Core of a Rank 2 Magical Beast. I've hit the jackpot this time.'

  Xiao Yan wiped the Monster Core and tossed it into his ste ring. The materials for his practice pills were obtained just like this. He wasn't in Wu Tan City now, so he couldn't afford to waste a single penny!

  He swallowed a 2nd-tier Qi Rec Pill and applied some healing oi before slowly cirg the Fme Mantra. He had already used Oe Bst twice. Even though Oe Bst didn't e much Dou Qi, his body was extremely exhausted.

  Xiao Yan was in no hurry. He khat haste wouldn't lead to success, so he decided to restore his dition first. Fortunately, he had quite a few medial pills in his ste ring as a 2nd-tier alchemist.

  'Sigh, fighting is ihe fastest way to improve one's cultivation. My Dou Qi has increased a bit.'

  Just as people ged themselves when they were most hungry, the same principle applied to cultivation.

  Xiao Yan stood up and stretched. Making use of what was avaible, he stewed the Bck Steel Giant Python's meat into a soup. Only after being fully satisfied did he head toward the portal.

  Although the portal had always been there, Xiao Yan's strong Spiritual Strength told him that its destination was stantly ging.

  'I wonder what kind of oppo I will faext.'

  Xiao Yan himself hadn't even noticed the slight anticipatory smile on his lips! He had bee somewhat excited from beiremely cautious when he first entered. He was looking forward to fighting an oppo of equal strength!

  As soon as he ehe portal, a sudden sense of danger swept over him. He heard a whizzing sound as a cloud of poisonous powder was shot toward him.

  Having ofteured into the magical beast territories around Wu Tan City and even faced life-ah situations, Xiao Yan was well aced to such sudden attacks and was not afraid.

  He circuted his Dou Qi throughout his body and rolled to the side to dodge the sneak attack.

  "Huh? You actually dodged my poison dart?" A surprised voice rang out. Xiao Yan looked up to see a pale-faced man watg him with a look of astonishment.

  Clearly, the man had not expected Xiao Yan to be able to dodge his sneak attack at all.

  "You're a Poison Master?! From the Chu Yun Empire?"

  Generally speaking, alchemists could also refine poisons, simir to what Hun Huzi had done before, but that was because Hun Huzi was a high-tier alchemist. Ordinary low-tier alchemists wouldn't normally deal with poisons, and they might not even have the recipes for them.

  Only Poison Masters frequently refined poisons.

  The profession of Poison Master didn't have a good reputation on the Dou Qi ti. Many people were somewhat wary of dealing with Poison Masters because of their stealthy and deadly poisonihods, which could make any oppo or even a friend uneasy.

  The Chu Yun Empire, neighb the Jia Ma Empire, was a nation dominated by Poison Masters. It could even be said that the Chu Yun Empire was a gathering pce for them.

  Every time there was a war betweewo empires, many soldiers from the Jia Ma Empire died at the hands of the Poison Masters' deadly poisons.

  "Quite perceptive, I am Zhang Wu from the Chu Yun Empire. Now that you know my name, you die in peace," Zhang Wu said with full fidend a cold smirk.

  Xiao Yan remained unflustered as he listeo Zhang Wu's self-introdu. He g the tter and said in a leisurely manner, "Xiao Yan, from Wu Tan City in the Jia Ma Empire, a 2nd-tier alchemist."

  !!!!

  Upon hearing the word 'alchemist,' Zhang Wu's eyes looked as if they wao devour someone, filled with deep rese and bitterness.

  Xiao Yan had deliberately introduced himself in this manner. y pert of Poison Masters became so because they couldn't bee alchemists.

  Alchemist rofession that everyone on the Dou Qi ti aspired to because of its special requirements that deterred most people. Those with the talent for refining medie but uo bee alchemists often choose to bee doctors, healing the sid saving lives.

  Some, however, chose to bee Poison Masters out of jealousy and hatred, refining poisons that were the very antithesis of medial pills.

  As an alchemist, Xiao Yan represented what Zhang Wu had once aspired to but failed to bee. It was as if someone had taken the woman he loved and fuheir affe in front of him.

  "Kekeke. Fine, very fine. I'll let you experience how it feels to have all your limbs lose all sensation, leaving only your head clear while someone slowly cuts the flesh off your body piece by piece!"

  Xiao Yan spread his hands with a look of helplessness and said indifferently, "That is just ahetic surgery, though it seems you ahesiologist's lise."