Flap, flap, flap-

The birds hidden in the surroundings were startled into flight by the destructive power of the martial technique.

"So strong!" Tang Yan was deeply astonished. He wondered just what kind of status the Artifact Pavilion held in the Northern Spirit Realm. A martial technique casually tossed to him by Shen Shan could actually unleash such formidable power.

Knowing such a massive commotion would surely attract attention, Tang Yan stored away his heavy sword and activated the Phantom Step, darting off into the distance.

A quarter of an hour later, a man and a woman touched down in the area.

"Young Master Bai, what do you think?" asked the woman in the blue dress, looking at a massive fissure carved through the valley's scattered rocks.

The tall man beside her stepped forward. He carefully examined the traces Tang Yan had left behind and said slowly, "There are no signs of battle around here. Someone must have been practicing.

To produce such powerful force, either this person is extremely strong, or they are practicing a high-grade martial technique.

An expert would not leisurely come to a place like this to practice a low-grade technique, so it must be someone cultivating a high-grade martial technique."

If Tang Yan had stayed, he would have been thoroughly shocked. This young man's deduction was perfectly accurate!

"Young Master Bai is truly brilliant, it is no wonder even my father praises you endlessly."

A trace of admiration flashed through the blue-dressed girl's eyes, drawing attention to the deep, snowy valley at her chest. With a soft laugh, she pressed close to Young Master Bai, allowing her springy curves to rest against his arm. Breathing orchid-scented air, she whispered, "What grade would you say this cultivation technique is? Compared to you, Young Master Bai, could they put up a fight?"

The young man known as Young Master Bai subtly swept his gaze over the girl's ripe curves and smiled with confidence. "The technique grade should be at the Earth Rank. Although this person has some skill, compared to me, they still fall short."

"Then why don't we find that person and seize their technique?" The blue-dressed girl giggled, her body swaying like a blooming branch in the wind, stirring an unbearable itch in Young Master Bai's heart.

"That is not a bad plan, but we haven't even seen a shadow of this person. Tracking them down won't be easy. We can only hope to run into them by chance." A flicker of greed also passed through Young Master Bai's eyes. Earth Rank techniques were extremely difficult to come by.

If he could seize and learn it, his combat strength would definitely rise, giving him a better chance to claim the top spot among this batch of new students.

Then, the resources of the Azure Dragon Academy would undoubtedly tilt heavily in his favor.

"It is getting late, and finding that person will not be easy. The selection area isn't too large; we can take our time searching. This area looks quite remote-why don't we find a place to rest?" The girl winked at Young Master Bai, her seductive eyes sending further ripples through his heart.

"There was a disturbance here just now, which will definitely attract others. Let's move a bit further away." Young Master Bai wrapped his arm around the blue-dressed girl's waist.

After a token show of resistance, the girl stopped struggling. The two activated their movement techniques and darted off into the distance.

Not long after they left, another group arrived at the scene.

Throughout the night, everyone who came here was stunned by the sword marks Tang Yan had left behind.

Many recognized the destructive power of a high-grade martial technique. One by one, their eyes burned with desire. Harboring the same thoughts as Young Master Bai, they fully intended to seize the technique if they ever crossed paths with its owner.

Having lived two lives, Tang Yan understood human nature perfectly. Knowing that his move would surely draw covetous eyes, he had simply left the area altogether.

When Tang Yan finally stopped, he found a hidden spot and took out the seven White-Spotted Tiger Beast Cores.

Without hesitation, he tossed them all into the Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron.

"Buzz!"

Although there were many of them, under the Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron's gluttonous digestion speed, the seven Beast Cores instantly transformed into Spiritual Qi and converged within the cauldron.

After the Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron digested the vast majority of it, streams of Spiritual Qi finally overflowed, surging toward Tang Yan's limbs and bones.

Unlike pills, the Spiritual Qi refined by the Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron could be absorbed by Tang Yan much more directly, rapidly enhancing his strength.

Feeling this incredibly rich Spiritual Qi, Tang Yan rejoiced inwardly and devoted himself to refining it.

When Tang Yan opened his eyes again, it was already dawn the next day.

Sensing the vigorously surging Spiritual Qi within his Dantian, Tang Yan's heart stirred. After a night of refinement, his strength had actually reached the peak of the Black Rank, Fourth Grade.

With just one more opportunity, he could easily step into the Fifth Grade.

Taking a deep breath, Tang Yan was not in a hurry to hunt Spirit Beasts for experience. Instead, he took out the seized Divine Capture Art to study.

Just from the name alone, Tang Yan was drawn to this martial technique.

Channeling a thread of True Qi into the scroll, a flood of information rushed into his mind.

Carefully reviewing the technique, a look of wild joy flashed through Tang Yan's eyes.

This Divine Capture Art was truly miraculous-it was actually a mental attack!

Cultivated to Mahayana, it could completely influence an opponent's mind, and even control their consciousness!

However, the cultivation requirements for this technique were extremely harsh, demanding powerful Mental Power. But this threshold posed almost no obstacle to Tang Yan.

As an outstanding Alchemist, Tang Yan's Mental Power far exceeded that of ordinary people.

But cultivation methods of this kind were exceedingly rare. Unable to grasp its intricacies right away, Tang Yan thoroughly memorized the cultivation method and decided to seek out Spirit Beasts for the time being. He would slowly comprehend the technique later.

It had to be said, there were many Spirit Beasts in this area, but most were Third Rank. Finding a Fourth Rank Spirit Beast would require luck.

As for Fifth Rank Spirit Beasts, Tang Yan also wanted to see one, though he did not know if he would encounter any.

Over the better part of the day, Tang Yan dispatched seven Third-Rank Spirit Beasts, and the mark on his body finally turned into one point.

Glancing at the sky, Tang Yan was planning to find a place to refine these Beast Cores when his nose suddenly twitched. A faint, subtle fragrance drifted into his nostrils.

As an Alchemist, Tang Yan immediately recognized it-there had to be a high-quality spiritual herb nearby.

Soon, the Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron began to stir, further confirming Tang Yan's suspicion.

Following the scent, Tang Yan moved swiftly, activating the Phantom Step to stealthily advance.

After creeping forward for nearly a hundred meters, he leaped atop a two-meter-high mound, and the view before him suddenly opened up.

A sprawling swamp covering over ten acres prominently appeared ahead.

And right in the center of this swamp, a plant about half a meter tall stood gracefully.

The plant's stem was about as thick as a thumb, entirely emerald green, tender, and delicate.

Its long, strip-like leaves drooped slightly, while a single white flower at the center shot straight up, swaying in the wind.

Tang Yan's eyelids twitched, his heart burning with excitement.

If he was not mistaken, this plant was the Spirit-Baleful Orchid!

Spirit-Baleful Orchids generally grew in swamps, absorbing the filthy mud and marsh gas, yet emerging unsullied from the mire.

It possessed miraculous healing effects for those with damaged souls.

It was widely known that Alchemists required exceptional Mental Power. If the soul was damaged, the supply of Mental Power would inevitably fall short.

The Spirit-Baleful Orchid could easily be considered an Alchemist's second life. It was priceless, highly sought after, and incredibly precious.

However, the surrounding swamp posed a major obstacle. Unless one could fly, retrieving it from the very center of the mire would be extraordinarily difficult.

Just as Tang Yan was pondering his options, his brow suddenly furrowed. He turned his head to look into the distance.

A group of people was rapidly approaching the area.