"She did indeed consume some kind of spiritual essence, but I heard it was in a moment of desperation, to deal with a sudden crisis. Who knew it would turn out this way later," Wang Liyan nodded in response.
Ye Xun looked at the other four tasks and said, "It seems that to use the teleportation array the fastest, we can only choose the first task. We can also save someone and do a good deed along the way."
"I think you can save people too. How about you take the lead this time?" Zhou Yan suggested.
"My memory hasn't recovered yet, and I can only recall bits and pieces of combat. I'm afraid I won't be of much help," Ye Xun replied.
"Fine, it seems I have to take matters into my own hands," Zhou Yan declared.
Seeing Zhou Yan's confidence, Wang Liyan continued, "If you can really cure Xiong Yaochen, City Lord Xiong Jue will surely repay you handsomely. But I think you should consider carefully; if you're not confident, you might end up harming yourselves."
"That's right, this is no joke. If you can't save her and end up losing your own lives, that would be terrible," the woman chimed in.
"This isn't something just anyone can cure. Many people have confidently claimed they could cure Xiong Yaochen before, but sadly, they all got scared away in the end," another man added.
"Let's go find Xiong Jue," Zhou Yan turned and headed towards the City Lord's mansion.
Wang Liyan and the others watched Zhou Yan and his group leave. They exchanged glances and said, "This kid is so confident, could he really be able to cure Xiong Yaochen?"
"Do you think it's possible? They're so young, how could they have the strength?"
"I also think they're just boasting. They'll probably be scared away by the energy emanating from Xiong Yaochen once they see her."
Wang Liyan pondered for a moment, then said, "Let's follow them and see."
"Let's go, let's go see."
The group followed behind Zhou Yan, wanting to see if Zhou Yan was truly capable or just bluffing.
"Why are you back again?" the previous guard asked.
"I want to see Xiong Jue and tell him I can cure his daughter's illness," Zhou Yan said.
"This... please wait a moment," the guard said, looking at Zhou Yan and his companions. They were indeed very young, but he still went in to report.
Before long, Xiong Jue hurried out, asking, "Who just said they have a way to save my daughter?"
Xiong Jue looked at Zhou Yan and his group, then at Wang Liyan, and asked, "Wang Liyan, did you bring these people here?"
Wang Liyan quickly replied, "City Lord, I didn't bring them. I just happened to see them wanting to help, and I was curious if they could cure your daughter."
Xiong Jue understood and turned to Zhou Yan, asking, "Are you truly confident?"
"If I say I have ten-tenths certainty, you won't believe me. Let's cure her first, then talk," Zhou Yan replied.
"Good! As long as you can cure my daughter, I will grant you anything you wish!" Xiong Jue declared.
"That's not necessary. I only need to use the teleportation array," Zhou Yan replied.
"Just the teleportation array? That's too simple. Even if you wanted anything else, as long as I can provide it, I won't hesitate," Xiong Jue said immediately.
Zhou Yan nodded and walked into the City Lord's mansion.
"Please, this way." Xiong Jue led the way.
Everyone headed towards a courtyard filled with various exotic flowers and plants. The scenery and environment were excellent.
As soon as they entered the courtyard, Zhou Yan felt a wave of intense heat. The surrounding flowers and plants had all withered due to some powerful temperature.
The pond not far away had no water left, and the bottom of the pond was cracked.
Arrays had been set up around the area, and it was because of these arrays that the buildings hadn't collapsed.
"Oh, so she consumed the Ice-Fire Sun Profound Ice Fruit. This thing is indeed a great tonic for those with an ice-fire dual-attribute physique."
"But for those without such a physique, they aren't so lucky. If not for the various methods used to sustain her, she would have perished long ago."
As soon as Zhou Yan arrived, he understood what Xiong Yaochen had consumed from the surrounding aura.
Xiong Jue was shocked upon hearing this. He had heard of this rare spiritual essence in the world, but he had never seen it, nor did he know its properties.
Wang Liyan and the others were also shocked. They had naturally heard of this rare treasure of the world and didn't expect Xiong Yaochen to have such good fortune to encounter such a spiritual essence.
However, Xiong Yaochen's luck was also bad, as she had consumed it. If it were any other spiritual essence, there would be no problem, but the Ice-Fire Sun Profound Ice Fruit could only be consumed by special individuals.
For others, consuming it would have dire consequences, as evident from Xiong Yaochen's suffering.
Wang Liyan and the others were indeed surprised. They hadn't expected Zhou Yan and his companions to be so formidable, able to determine the ailment just from the temperature.
"Is what he's saying true?"
"It seems true, but it's not certain yet."
"Let's just watch," Wang Liyan said with a smile.
Upon hearing Zhou Yan's words, Xiong Jue stepped forward and cupped his hands, saying, "You are truly remarkable. You could determine the symptom without even seeing my daughter. Do you know if it can be cured?"
"No problem," Zhou Yan replied confidently.
"Quick, please come in!" Xiong Jue said hurriedly.
Everyone entered the courtyard and passed through a soundproof array. As soon as they entered, they heard a heart-wrenching scream. The sound emanated from a room, indicating the immense pain Xiong Yaochen was enduring.
The temperature here was several times stronger than outside, as if they had entered a place of burning flames.
Zhou Yan waved his hand, and streaks of spiritual light appeared in his palm. The intense flames throughout the courtyard were all condensed by Zhou Yan.
This display greatly astonished Xiong Jue. He hadn't expected Zhou Yan's methods to be so powerful, capable of collecting these flames with a mere wave of his hand.
"You all wait here. I'll go in and resolve this trouble for your daughter," Zhou Yan said.
"Mm," Diao Chan and the others replied.
"I'll help you break the array," Xiong Jue offered.
"No need." Zhou Yan stepped forward and, with a wave of his hand, broke open the sealing array.
"So strong!" Xiong Jue was greatly surprised.
This array was not simple; it had been set up by a master array cultivator whom Xiong Jue had invited. He hadn't expected Zhou Yan to solve it so easily.
This further increased Xiong Jue's confidence in Zhou Yan. He said, "Daughter, I hope you can truly be safe this time."
"This person not only has profound cultivation but also exceptional mastery of formations. I truly don't know who he is," Wang Liyan remarked.