Arriving at the freshmen dormitory in the East District, Tang Yan found Du Shu.

Fang Xuan was still out cultivating and had not returned. Only Du Shu was hunched over a table, sketching and writing. With the aid of Tang Yan's pills, Du Shu's injuries were mostly healed.

"Du Shu, these are the pills I refined." Tang Yan flipped his hand, and a row of porcelain bottles appeared on the table.

"So fast!" Intense joy flashed through Du Shu's eyes. Staring at the pills, he asked, "What kind of pills are these?"

"This pill is the Youth-Preserving Pill, and there is only one. After taking it, one's appearance will not age for twenty years. Even after those twenty years, the rate of aging will be incredibly slow. The medicinal ingredients are precious, and the refinement technique is complex. Fewer than five people under the heavens can refine it." Tang Yan picked up a porcelain bottle to introduce it.

"Twenty... twenty years without aging? Chief, are you messing with me?" Du Shu exclaimed.

"It's true!" Tang Yan nodded.

"Really? Damn, with just this one pill, we're going to be rich!" Du Shu was ecstatic.

"Look at you, such little ambition," Tang Yan scolded with a laugh, then continued. "This is the Soul-Tempering Pill. It can temper Mental Power and even reduce the chances of encountering an Inner Demon during future cultivation. Its grade is Second Rank, High Grade."

"This is the Blast Pill. After taking it, you will not feel fatigue for a quarter of an hour, lasting until your True Qi is completely exhausted."

"This is the Upper Clarity Pill. It can neutralize most poisons."

"..."

Tang Yan concisely explained the effects of the various pills, and Du Shu's eyes grew wider and wider.

After a long moment, Du Shu finally let out a deep breath. "Chief, we're definitely going to make a killing this time!"

"Good, I trust you. How exactly you handle the business is up to you. If you need any help, just talk to Juechen and the others. I'm going into Secluded Cultivation for a while." Tang Yan patted Du Shu on the shoulder, then stood up to leave.

From start to finish, Tang Yan never asked how Du Shu planned to operate.

Watching Tang Yan's retreating back, Du Shu could not help but clench his fists.

You trust me this much; how could I ever let you down!

Tang Yan arrived at the Nine Nether Fire Sea. Upon entering the third layer, he found a secluded corner, sat cross-legged, and began to cultivate.

The familiar power of fire-spirit energy continuously surged into his body.

His increase in strength had significantly expanded the storage capacity of his Dantian.

Only after five shichen did a feeling of fullness finally emerge from his Dantian.

The familiar swelling ache pulsed through his meridians. Tang Yan merely furrowed his brow slightly before settling his mind to cultivate.

The violent fire-spirit energy, refined by the Heaven and Earth Creation Flame, transformed into Spiritual Qi and converged into Tang Yan's Dantian.

The constant swelling pain and the ever-growing True Qi made Tang Yan deeply understand what it meant to experience both ice and fire.

Time passed minute by minute: six shichen, eight shichen, ten shichen...

Tang Yan completely immersed himself in this state.

Initially, no one paid much attention to Tang Yan. However, as time went on, several gazes began to fall upon his corner.

Able to stay on the third layer of the Nine Nether Fire Sea for a whole day? Just what kind of ruthless figure was this?

When they finally sensed the fluctuations of Tang Yan's aura, their jaws dropped. They stared at him with wide, round eyes, as if they had just seen a ghost.

Mother of heavens, the person sitting here cultivating this whole time hasn't even reached the Earth Rank?

Is this guy really just a Black Rank martial artist?

The Nine Nether Fire Sea was an incredibly important cultivation resource belonging to the Azure Dragon Academy, used to temper a student's endurance, willpower, Soul Power, Spiritual Qi, and other attributes.

It was divided into nine layers. Apparently, even the most outstanding students of the Azure Dragon Academy had only ever reached the sixth layer, finding it incomparably difficult to break into the seventh.

Even just to enter the third layer, one generally required Earth Rank strength.

To stay there for several shichen raised the requirements across all aspects to an entirely different level.

A fierce individual like Tang Yan, stubbornly staying on the third layer for a full day relying merely on Black Rank strength, was truly unheard of!

A day and a half, two days...

When two days had passed, the regular cultivators of the third layer could no longer sit still.

"Just who is that guy? He's been sitting there for two days!"

"Could he have stepped out while we weren't looking?" one person asked curiously.

"Impossible. His posture and position haven't changed at all, and no one saw him leave."

"Could he be dead?"

"Screw off, since when do dead people breathe?"

"It's true that no one saw him leave. Wang Hao, aren't you known as the information broker? Do you know him?" a young man in blue robes asked.

Seeing many eyes fixated upon him, Wang Hao smiled bitterly. "This... I've truly never seen him before. Could he be a new student?"

"A new student?" Many were shaken, their gazes turning somewhat strange as they looked at Tang Yan.

They remembered that the so-called number ones of the North District and South District were both cultivating on the second layer. Could there be an existence even more badass than those top rookies?

"I remember now! This guy is Tang Yan!" one person said, pointing at him.

"Tang Yan? Who's that? It sounds a bit familiar," someone muttered.

"He's the number one of the East District freshmen! Back then, he represented the East District in battle with the strength of a Seventh Grade Black Rank, and unprecedentedly, no one in the East District objected." That person laid out Tang Yan's information. "Three days ago, his strength was only Seventh Grade Black Rank."

"Seventh Grade Black Rank? Old Wang, you aren't joking, right?" his companion asked, eyes wide.

"How could I be wrong? That day in the Rookie Zone, the strength this guy displayed was exactly Seventh Grade Black Rank. Plenty of people saw it." Old Wang immediately defended his credibility.

"Damn, with that kind of strength, he can stay in the Nine Nether Fire Sea for two days?"

"Don't underestimate him. Even though his strength is only Seventh Grade Black Rank, he managed to defeat a Ninth Grade Black Rank." Old Wang then recounted the process he had witnessed that day in detail.

Hearing Old Wang's introduction, the crowd looked at Tang Yan with even greater amazement. This new student seemed very interesting!

Array Pavilion.

"Old Zhen, how is that student of yours doing?" Elder Huo, bearing the aura of a transcendent immortal, asked his old friend.

Elder Zhen's mouth twitched. After a long while, he sighed and said, "I haven't seen a trace of him for three days. Does this kid expect me to go looking for him?"

"He hasn't come?" Elder Huo raised an eyebrow.

"Mm."

Elder Zhen nodded solemnly, expecting his old friend to offer a few words of comfort. Who knew that upon hearing this, Elder Huo would grin, revealing a brilliant smile.

"Old Zhen, I know the answer to this one. That kid is using practical actions to tell you that he no longer wants to learn Formations; he wants to learn alchemy from me!"

"Screw off! Stop scheming after Tang Yan!" Elder Zhen could not help but roll his eyes.

Knock, knock, knock- Just as the two elders were discussing Tang Yan, a series of knocks rang out from the door.

Immediately after, Xiao Cangshan pushed the door open and entered.

"Cangshan, how do you have the time to come over?" Seeing the visitor, Elder Zhen asked with a smile.

"I came to congratulate Elder Zhen on taking in a good student," Xiao Cangshan laughed heartily, getting straight to the point.

"You mean Tang Yan?" Elder Zhen was startled. He hadn't gone out these past two days, so he genuinely didn't know what his disciple had been up to.

"Yes, that kid is truly remarkable. To think he's been cultivating on the third layer of the Nine Nether Fire Sea for so long," Xiao Cangshan could not help but praise.

Hearing this, Elder Huo laughed. "Didn't I tell you before? That kid could cultivate on the third layer for three shichen. Has his time increased now?"

"Indeed. Tang Yan has already been inside for two days. Today marks the third day!" Xiao Cangshan's tone carried a hint of excitement.

"Alright, I know, isn't it just three... Hmm? What did you just say?"