"Damn it," Zhou Yan gritted out.
As the words left his mouth, Zhou Yan’s gaze swept over the old man, a vicious glint in his eyes, clearly harboring a grudge.
Zhou Yan secretly vowed revenge, planning to find an opportunity to strike back.
...
"Young friend, I apologize."
The middle-aged man’s face was etched with anxiety. "I had some personal matters to attend to outside earlier and returned late, which caused..."
"You don't need to explain, I understand,"
Zhou Yan said, shaking his head. "Don't worry, I'm not selling the Black Dragon Crystal!"
"Young friend, why must you be so stubborn?"
Seeing Zhou Yan's unwavering stance, the middle-aged man pleaded urgently, "This Black Dragon Crystal is immensely valuable, and you can't possibly safeguard it. It would be better to exchange it for some silver and live out your remaining days peacefully, rather than doing foolish things."
Zhou Yan remained silent, simply looking at the middle-aged man.
"Young friend, listen to me. This Black Dragon Crystal can absolutely help you transform and greatly increase your strength. It might even allow you to step into the realm of Martial Masters."
The middle-aged man earnestly advised, "If you would be willing to part with it and sell the Black Dragon Crystal to me, I will reward you handsomely and give you a Yuan Gathering Pill as compensation."
"Yuan Gathering Pill?"
At the mention of it, Zhou Yan's eyes brightened, and he pressed further, "What grade is the Yuan Gathering Pill?"
"Seventh-grade Yuan Gathering Pill!"
The middle-aged man paused slightly, then proudly stated, "Yuan Gathering Pills are one of the fundamental ingredients for refining elixirs. They are extremely difficult to refine, and only a few shops in the entire Jiangbei Commandery sell them. Moreover, they are extremely scarce, and each pill is exceptionally expensive."
"Young friend, if you hand over the Black Dragon Crystal, I will immediately give you three Yuan Gathering Pills."
"Then... I'll consider it."
Zhou Yan hesitated, appearing somewhat conflicted.
"Good."
The middle-aged man's face lit up with joy, and he nodded. "As long as you give me the Black Dragon Crystal, I promise to give you three Yuan Gathering Pills."
"Kid, make up your mind quickly, or you’ll miss your chance if I change my mind."
"Three Yuan Gathering Pills!?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yan's expression shifted dramatically, his eyes filled with longing.
Yuan Gathering Pills were elixirs that Body Tempering realm martial artists dreamed of obtaining.
Yuan Gathering Pills possessed the effects of tempering the body, washing the marrow, and strengthening the muscles and bones.
Furthermore, this type of elixir was highly effective for both healing injuries and breaking through bottlenecks.
As such, the moment Yuan Gathering Pills appeared, they became objects of contention for countless martial apprentices.
In the Jiangbei Commandery, the value of a seventh-grade Yuan Gathering Pill was equivalent to a hundred Yellow-tier elixirs, and they were in short supply. Some smaller families, after exhausting their lifelong efforts, could only gather a quota of ten Yuan Gathering Pills.
Yet, this middle-aged man so casually offered three.
"How about it? Young friend, as long as you hand over the Black Dragon Crystal, our Yunlan Sect will definitely not treat you unfairly."
At this moment, the old man approached and said indifferently, "This Black Dragon Crystal was obtained from an ancient tomb and is immeasurably valuable..."
"Get lost!"
Zhou Yan's gaze turned cold as he flicked his hand.
*Whoosh!*
Immediately, a wisp of true qi dissipated, arriving in an instant and transforming into a sharp sword energy, striking towards the old man.
*Shing!*
The old man's face changed, and he quickly dodged, narrowly avoiding the attack.
"You... you can actually mobilize true qi?" the old man exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief.
The purpose of Yuan Gathering Pills was to help Body Tempering martial artists improve their strength. However, to achieve ideal results, one needed to integrate martial skills, methods for circulating true qi, and experience accumulated through combat.
Yet now, Zhou Yan was effortlessly wielding true qi, implying that Zhou Yan's strength far surpassed ordinary individuals, exceeding even the peak of Body Tempering.
"Hmph, so you're a Martial Practitioner!"
The old man took a deep breath, his expression becoming solemn and extremely vigilant. "However, I must tell you, in front of me, you are no more than a weak ant..."
"Heh heh, an ant?"
Zhou Yan grinned and asked, "Are you sure?"
*Swish!*
With that, Zhou Yan lunged forward abruptly, his right palm extending to grasp at the old man's chest.
"You scoundrel!"
The old man’s face contorted with rage. With a flip of his palm, a sharp sword materialized, radiating a chilling glint, and he thrust it towards Zhou Yan with extreme speed.
*Clang, clang, clang...*
In an instant, the two engaged in a fierce battle.
*Bang, bang, bang...*
Zhou Yan's fists rained down like a storm, his attacks ferocious, clashing with the old man’s blows repeatedly. Fist shadows densely filled the air, engulfing the old man entirely.
"You little bastard, you're too despicable..."
In a short span of time, the old man was forced to retreat, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"Despicable? Heh heh..."
Zhou Yan sneered, "You attacked me by surprise, and you call that despicable? Since you consider me an ant, then today I shall crush you, this ant!"
"You dare?" the old man roared.
"What is there that I don't dare?"
Zhou Yan sneered repeatedly, his eyes icy. His fingers moved like lightning, directly piercing the old man's shoulder.
*Crack! Crack...*
The crisp sound of bone cracking echoed in all directions, sending a shiver down one's spine.
Immediately after, the old man cried out in pain and collapsed to the ground.
"Young friend..."
Beside them, the middle-aged man's face turned pale, his expression filled with shock.
Zhou Yan's strength was simply too formidable.
One must remember that the old man was at the ninth level of Martial Soldier, a top-tier expert even within Nanyang City.
Yet now, he was utterly incapable of resisting.
"Old man, your strength is too poor. I still need to consider," Zhou Yan retracted his true qi and snorted coldly. "If you know what's good for you, scram!"
"You impudent brat, don't be so arrogant..."
The old man's face turned ashen, and he gritted his teeth. "Kid, you'd better hand over the Black Dragon Crystal obediently, and I'll spare your life..."
"What if I don't?"
Zhou Yan curled his lips dismissively.
"No? Then don't blame me for being ruthless..." the old man said darkly, word by word. "Today, I will take your life!"
As he spoke, he slowly reached into his robes, pulled out a jade slip, and crushed it.
*Whoosh!*
Immediately, a gust of wind swept by, and a burly figure suddenly appeared.
The newcomer wore a gray robe, his face resolute, his gaze sharp as a knife, like two balls of flame burning.
"Sect Master, save me..."
Upon seeing the newcomer, the old man was ecstatic and immediately cried for help.
"Hmph?!"
Instantly, Zhou Yan's brows furrowed, his eyes flashing with a sharp light as he fixed his gaze on the burly figure who had suddenly arrived. He could sense a dangerous aura.
It was evident that the burly figure's cultivation had likely reached the peak of Martial Apprentice, just a step away from the Martial Master realm.
"Yunlan Sect Master, Han Yun?"
The middle-aged man’s gaze swept over, a hint of apprehension on his face.
"Who are you?"
The burly figure looked at Zhou Yan expressionlessly and asked indifferently.
"Han Yun?"
Upon hearing the name, Zhou Yan's pupils contracted. He vaguely felt the name was familiar. After thinking for a long time, he suddenly realized, murmuring, "So, you were the one who chased me and my father with a bunch of trash back then!"