225: News from the Medicine Clan: The future is set.

Inside the quiet room, the atmosphere was solemn.

Mittel Hoper and Ya Fei stood respectfully below, presenting several Jade Slips containing a vast amount of information.

These were the recent major news items from Zhongzhou that the Mittel Family had gathered by utilizing all their intelligence networks, and even through Ya Fei's slight connection with the Pill Tower.

Li Ao’s Soul Power swept over the Jade Slips; a massive amount of information surged into his Sea of Consciousness like a tide, instantly categorized and refined into core points by his powerful Soul Power.

Zhongzhou had indeed been turbulent recently.

The Earth Core Furnace Heavenly Punishment incident was the biggest explosion, attracting attention from all sides.

The Hall of Souls’ activities were frequent, intensifying their search for Soul bodies in the Northern Region and even the core areas of Zhongzhou, their ambition for power expansion clearly revealed.

The Pill Tower was about to hold a new round of the Pill Ceremony, drawing Alchemists from across the continent.

Some ancient clans, such as the Lei Clan and Shi Clan, also had younger generation disciples beginning to move around Zhongzhou, seemingly signaling some kind of change.

Regarding the few points Li Ao was most concerned about:

Hall of Souls: As expected, after suffering a great loss at his hands, the Northern Region branch did not immediately retaliate; instead, they retracted their forces and became unusually quiet.

However, beneath this quietness was an even more turbulent undercurrent.

Intelligence showed that a mysterious powerful individual had secretly arrived at the Northern Region branch, whose aura far surpassed that of ordinary Elders Zun, likely from the Hall of Souls’ main hall.

At the same time, the Hall of Souls had secretly increased the Rank of their search for individuals related to Li Ao by several levels.

Yan Clan: After Li Ao’s “disappearance” in the Earth Core Furnace, the Yan Clan had sent people to investigate, but returned without success in front of the traces of the Heavenly Punishment.

The Elder Yan Jin, who traded the solar essence gold, seemed to have received some criticism within the clan due to this incident.

Now that Li Ao had returned and displayed terrifying strength, the Yan Clan’s internal attitude was ambiguous, with no clear movements for now, but intelligence showed that the Yan Clan was quite interested in the “flames” controlled by Li Ao (which was likely a misinterpretation of the information about the solar essence gold or earth core fire lotus) and that strange power.

Medicine Clan: This was Li Ao’s top priority.

Intelligence regarding the Medicine Clan was relatively scarce; this ancient clan had always been reclusive, rarely interacting with the outside world.

However, a seemingly insignificant piece of news from a few months ago caught Li Ao’s attention—the Medicine Clan seemed to be holding an internal “Medicine Ceremony” within their clan territory in the near future!

It was not a Pill Ceremony like the Pill Tower’s, which was open to the world, but a grand event for the Medicine Clan to test the alchemy skills of their younger generation and possibly use this opportunity for limited exchanges with a few allied forces.

“Medicine Ceremony…” Li Ao’s fingers gently tapped the table, a faint glint in his eyes.

This was an opportunity!

An opportunity to legitimately enter the Medicine Clan and make contact with the core figures of the Medicine Clan! It was much more secure than his previously planned forced entry or private request for an audience.

To revive Xiao Yi Xian, he needed the Medicine Clan’s bone-fusing blood-melting Pill Formula, and most importantly—a Ninth Grade Pill, the Bodhi Great Rejuvenation Pill, or at least knowledge of its exact Pill Formula and refining method.

Such core secrets were absolutely inaccessible to ordinary members of the Medicine Clan.

Only at such a grand event would it be possible to contact the true high-level members of the Medicine Clan, and even… those few remaining Ninth Grade Alchemist Great Grandmasters!

“Medicine Clan’s ‘Medicine Ceremony,’ when does it start? How can one enter?” Li Ao looked at Ya Fei and asked directly.

Ya Fei had already anticipated Li Ao asking about this and quickly replied, “Replying to Mister, according to scattered rumors, the Medicine Clan’s Medicine Ceremony will be held in approximately three months.

As for the method of entry…” She paused, a difficult expression on her face, “The Medicine Clan’s territory is hidden and isolated from the world; ordinary methods cannot find it at all.

Only those holding a ‘medicine spirit token’ issued by the Medicine Clan can enter through a specific spatial passage.

And the issuance of this medicine spirit token is extremely strict, only obtainable by forces or individuals with deep ties to the Medicine Clan.

My Mittel Family… does not possess this item.”

“medicine spirit token…” Li Ao pondered.

This was indeed a problem.

Forcing his way in was not a good strategy; it could completely alienate the Medicine Clan, which would be detrimental to obtaining the Medicinal Pill.

Just then, Medusa, who had been silent, suddenly spoke, her voice clear and cold: “Perhaps, there is a place that might have a clue.”

Li Ao looked at her.

“Jia Nan Academy.” Medusa’s red lips parted slightly, uttering four words, “Or rather, that unkempt old man in the Inner Academy of Jia Nan Academy.”

The Two Elders Qian Bai?

Li Ao’s heart stirred.

That’s right, Jia Nan Academy had a profound foundation, with intricate connections to various forces in Zhongzhou, and the Headmaster Mang Tianchi was a member of the Lei Clan, with unfathomable strength.

Perhaps, there were indeed records related to the Medicine Clan preserved within the Academy, and even… a way to obtain a medicine spirit token?

“Moreover,” Medusa continued, “you have been away from the Jia Ma Empire for a long time, and that boy Xiao Yan is now also at Jia Nan Academy.

You promised to look after him back then, and now that he possesses the Burning Technique, he is likely being targeted by the Hall of Souls, and his situation may not be stable.”

Xiao Yan… Burning Technique… Hall of Souls… A flash of understanding crossed Li Ao’s eyes.

That’s right, Jia Nan Academy was indeed the most suitable next stop at the moment.

He could both search for clues about the medicine spirit token to prepare for his trip to the Medicine Clan, and also check on that boy Xiao Yan along the way, settling an old matter, and perhaps even find some records about ancient secrets, especially those related to “Annihilation” and “Return to the Ruins,” from the Academy’s library, further solidifying his Dao foundation.

The path ahead instantly became clear.

“Target, Jia Nan Academy.” Li Ao made his decision, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

He stood up and said to Hoper and Ya Fei: “Thank you both for providing this intelligence.

Li will remember the Mittel Family’s kindness.

If anyone from the Hall of Souls comes to cause trouble again recently, crush this Jade Talisman, and I will sense it.”

He flicked his finger, and a gray Jade Talisman containing the Concept of Return to the Ruins fell into Hoper’s hand.

This was both a promise and a deterrent, enough to keep the Mittel Family safe in the Northern Region for the time being.

Hoper and Ya Fei were overjoyed and immediately bowed in thanks.

Li Ao said no more, exchanged a glance with Medusa, and their figures subtly flickered, then disappeared from the quiet room, as if they had never appeared.

The next moment, above Tianbei City, subtle ripples appeared in space, and two streaks of light, at a speed beyond perception, directly broke through the air towards the Black-Corner Region, in the direction of Jia Nan Academy.

The winds and clouds of Zhongzhou moved because of him, but he had temporarily withdrawn, heading towards his next journey.

The trip to the Medicine Clan was to save an old friend; the trip to Jia Nan was to pave the way forward.

The grudge with the Hall of Souls was temporarily noted.

Once everything was ready, it would be time for reckoning!