"By the way, Sed Brother, what is this dy's name?" Xiao Yan looked toward a graceful figure leaning on a on and panting.

  This young dy appeared to be around twenty years old. Her pretty face was quite exquisite, but her slightly arched eyebrows faintly carried an untamed feeling, like a young female leopard in the desert. Looking at her disposition, one could imagihat although this desert flower was beautiful, she was also covered in thorns.

  She dressed boldly and provocatively, her short clothes barely c her chest and some skin underh, leaving her bronze-colored, sexy, narrow waist exposed. Below her short leather skirt, a se of long, alluring legs was revealed.

  Xiao Li chuckled, "Oh ho, Xiao-Yan-Zi, you've taken a liking to her already? Her name is Xue Lan, and she's the flower of our merary pany."

  Xue Lan's cheeks immediately turned red when she heard Xiao Yan's words. The other meraries looked heartbroken but didn't dare to say anything.

  Xiao Yan gave Xiao Li an exasperated look and said, "Sed Brother, what nonsense are you spouting? Her strength is not bad, her foundation is very good, and she has enough ferocity. Just now, she was the only one who terattacked."

  He then looked at Xue Lan and took out a pill bottle from his ste ring. There was only one medial pill inside. He said, "Your name is Xue Lan, right? I tell you're already a 9-star Dou Practitiohis is a high-grade 2nd-tier medial pill called 'Minor Spirit Pill'. It increase the success rate of breaking through to the Dou Master realm by 50%. With your foundation and level of Dou Qi, having this pill should guarantee your breakthrough to the Dou Master realm."

  Xiao Yan casually tossed the pill bottle toward Xue Lan. Seeing such a preedial pill being thrown over like this, not to mention Xue Lan, even the meraries beside her scrambled to catch it, turning the entire pound into a chaotic mess once again.

  Xue Lan caught the medial pill and looked at the light blue pill ih disbelief. He's just giving it away?! A high-grade 2nd-tier medial pill! And aremely rare ohat helps with breakthroughs!

  Iire Rock Desert City, not to mention purchasing it, they had never even heard of such a pill!

  "I... I..."

  Xiao Yan waved his hand and said, "I don't like taking back things I've given away. Just work hard for the merary pany iure."

  "Thank you, Third pany Leader! I, Xue Lan, will never fet Third pany Leader's kindness!" Xue Lan kneeled on one knee and spoke resoundingly.

  Xiao Ding shook his head, walked up behind Xiao Yan, and patted him on the head. "All right, Xiao-Yan-Zi, we know you're an alchemist now. e, let's go inside and talk."

  He looked at the young man who was nearly as tall as himself, and a trace of doting aleness fshed through his eyes. Unknowingly, Xiao Yan had already grown so tall.

  When Xiao Li saw that Xiao Ding was dragging Xiao Yan into the pound, he quickly hahe pills to a trusted member of the pany and instructed him to distribute one pill to each person as a life-saving measure. Then he hurriedly followed them inside.

  Looking at the three brothers walking away with their arms around each other's shoulders, ughing and talking, the meraries in the pound clicked their tongues and said, "So that's the genius younger brother the two pany Leaders ofteion."

  "Isn't he to? He beat all of us single-handedly. He must be at least an advanced Dou Master. And I heard he's oeen this year!"

  All the meraries couldn't help but swallow in disbelief. Is he really human?

  "My goodness, he's an alchemist and his strength is so terrifying."

  "I feel like Rock Desert City is about to ge."

  …

  On the night of his arrival in Rock Desert City, Xiao Yan, who hadn't touched a drop of alade an exception and drank to his heart's tent with Xiao Ding and Xiao Li.

  "You brat's strength has probably surpassed mine and Big Brother's now, hasn't it?" Xiao Li said, his face flushed and reeking of alcohol.

  Xiao Yan took a sip of his drink and replied, "I just got lucky. After leaving Jia Nan Academy, I came across some opportunities and mao improve my strength a bit. Otherwise, I wouldn't be a match for Sed Brother."

  "Good boy, while everyone else dreams of getting into Jia Nan Academy, you actually left on your own," Xiao Li said with a ugh.

  Xiao Ding asked in a solemn voice, "By the way, Father mentiohe annulled e in a letter over two years ago. What happened with that?"

  Both Xiao Ding and Xiao Li looked at Xiao Yan. When Nan Yanran came to annul the e, they had already left to establish the Desert Metal Merary pany and had not wit firsthand.

  Xiao Yan shrugged, picked up a pieeat, put it in his mouth, and said indifferently, "What else could happen? If she wants to annul it, I'll let her be."

  "Don't you two have some sort of three-year agreement?"

  "Sigh, those rich young misses are all the same. I didn't expect her to be so weak. One blow and she was down. I had already prepared a way out for her, but she couldn't withstand a single punch. As, if I'd known, I would have suggested a game of rock-paper-scissors. If she had won, we could have broken off the e without all this trouble. Now it's such a hassle. I still have to go to the Imperial Capital in half a year." Xiao Yan sighed helplessly.

  Xiao Li saw this Xiao Yan brat ag all i despite taking advantage, and couldn't help but burst into ughter. "Hahaha, you little brat are really something. Suggesting a game of rock-paper-scissors, hahaha, you're killing me here. To think y Brother was so worried about the e matter that he lost sleep and appetite, afraid that you'd brood over it and develop some psychological issues."

  Xiao Li put his arm around Xiao Yan's shoulder, lowered his voice, and poio the girl p wine beside them. "Her name is Qing Lin. She's a half-blood, part Snake-People Rad part human. Her mother was tragically killed in the desert when she was twelve. Big Brother and I found her. At that time, y Brother thought that after the an with Nan Yanran, you might need someoo cheer you up, so he po raise her and give her to you as a maid when she grew up."

  Apparently, someone had told Xiao Ding and Xiao Li that some people, after experieng emotional trauma, might suffer from certain... funs that might falter ao self-doubt.

  TL: Someone must have read too much Mushoku Tensei.

  And the Snake-People Race's women had unparalleled abilities in arousing men's desires; the two brothers only feared that Xiao Yan might not be able to perform...

  Xiao Yan naturally noticed the girl named Qing Lin. Although she was only thirteen or fourteen years old, perhaps due to her mixed Snake-People bloodline, her delicate and exquisite figure was curvy where it should be and ft where it should be. These were all fatal temptations for those with certain peculiar tastes.

  inally, Xiao Yan thought she was just an ordinary servant. Who would have thought!

  Xiao Ding naturally overheard the versation but didn't deny it. He even g Xiao Yan as if to ask: Is everything still w fine? Need some stimution tonight?

  Qing Lin's face turned red all the way to her ears. She stood to the side holding the wi, occasionally stealing g Xiao Yan. Xiao Ding had told her about this matter long ago, hoping that she could stay by Xiao Yan's side and serve him once she came of age.

  Xiao Yan directly rolled his eyes at his two brothers. "You two are truly my brothers."

  His words were filled with both helplessness and warmth toward these older brothers of his.

  "My dear brothers, you didn't write home six months ago and ask me to e all the way to Rock Desert City just to tell me this, did you?"

  More than six months ago, before Jia Nan Academy's recruitment team had arrived, Xiao Ding had written a letter home asking him to e to Rock Desert City. He had replied that he would find time to visit.

  He never expected it to be for something like this!!

  Xiao Ding and Xiao Li's expressions ged immediately upon hearing Xiao Yan's words. Xiao Li said in a heavy voice, "Qing Lin, you stay. Everyone else, leave."

  "Uood, Sed Leader!"

  The meraries standing guard outside closed the door, and everyone sciously left the viity of the pound.

  Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed when he saw the serious atmosphere. It seemed he had misuood.

  Xiao Ding lowered his void said in a very serious manner, "Xiao-Yan-Zi, we have discovered traces of a Heavenly Fme."