Along the way, Zi Yan kept chattering non-stop at Xu Ran, her entire demeanor had changed completely.
In Canaan Academy, Zi Yan's aloofness was well known; even in the presence of Su Qian, she remained unapproachable. But when she was with Xu Ran, she completely let her guard down, like a curious baby, endless with her words.
Zi Yan's transformation left Su Qian gobsmacked, a stark contrast to the image of the solitary Zi Yan he knew. However, this change in Zi Yan was for the better. At least now she had someone to talk to.
"Hey hey hey, Xu Ran, will you speak? Why are you ignoring me?" Zi Yan asked, floating in the air barefoot and pouting uncomfortably at Xu Ran's apparent reluctance to engage with her.
"When did you become such a chatterbox? The Great Elder didn't mention this to me before. Otherwise, I definitely would not have agreed to let you stay by my side for cultivation," Xu Ran retorted with a slight curl of his lip.
Perhaps no one had ever spoken to Zi Yan since her birth. With the pride of a Taixu Ancient Dragon, Zi Yan felt disdainful of befriending ordinary people.
So, after meeting Xu Ran, someone who could understand her, the "weirdo" by her side, Zi Yan turned into a chatterbox. As aloof as she had been, that's how chatty she became now.
Most importantly, Zi Yan still had many questions in her heart.
Even if she could hardly believe Xu Ran's strength was enough to eradicate the Soul Hall experts, if it wasn't the case, those from the Soul Hall should have come looking by now.
"Think I fancy it?" Zi Yan muttered, saying one thing but meaning another.
"Elder Su Qian, does the Academy's Library Pavilion have any records on puppet refining? I want to learn a bit about it," Xu Ran changed the subject, now curious about the art of puppet refining.
Puppet refining seemed to require a powerful Demon Core, a Soul Body, and the corpse of a strong being.
Xu Ran had not thought about refining puppets when he killed the Great Celestial Venerable and the Second Celestial Venerable; otherwise, he definitely would not have obliterated their souls.
"You want to refine puppets? Could it be… Our Canaan Academy doesn't have much on this subject. If you want, I'll go look for the materials and bring them all to you," Su Qian said with a twitch at the corner of his mouth. Xu Ran had barely finished one great battle before he started on puppet refining. What did this suggest?
Xu Ran must possess the bodies of several Soul Hall experts.
If Xu Ran could turn the Soul Hall's experts into puppets, that would be the utmost affront to the Soul Hall.
"I want to study it first; then see if I can refine a puppet for each of the girls like Xun Er, so that even if I am not by their side in the future, I don't have to worry about their safety."
If each of the girls like Xun Er had a puppet of High-Level Dou Zun or even Dou Sheng level, what would he have to worry about?
In time, gathering a puppet army could sweep the entire Continent.
Especially since Xu Ran estimated that in a few days, many more Soul Hall experts would come to deliver themselves, and by then, there would likely be numerous Dou Sheng level bodies and souls.
As for the Demon Core…
Xu Ran's gaze traveled up and down, assessing the adorable form of Zi Yan.
"What are you looking at me for? Pervert!" Zi Yan blushed and spat lightly. Xu Ran, this big flirt, had been quite the playboy, something she hadn't understood before but was all too clear on now.
Xu Ran, this lecher, couldn't be lusting after her young body, could he?... trembling in fear.
But she is a Magical Beast, not an ordinary person, and although she looks young, she isn't really that young.
Besides, her body might only seem to be that of a twelve or thirteen-year-old, but it's developed where it should be, curvy where it should be, and her figure is indeed excellent.
In Xu Ran's words, if she were in a certain country's comics, this would absolutely be a top-tier character design.
"Hmm? Why is your face red? Don't tell me you've fallen for me? You're getting infatuated with me after meeting for just a short while? Although I admit I'm impressive, isn't this moving too fast?" Xu Ran teased. The little loli in front of him, with her exquisite face and loli figure and face, was indeed a type many people fancied.
In this day and age, while mature big sisters have infinite charm, the allure of a cute and adorable little loli is not small either.
One is salty, and the other is sweet.
"I would never. Don't flatter yourself," Zi Yan said, crossing her arms and proudly tilting her white neck.
"Alright, I'll stop teasing you, I really want to make a trade with you. You'll definitely profit from it, how about it?"
"You now want to cultivate and need a vast amount of elixirs, and I can provide these for you or even help you become a Douhuang within one month. But, these elixirs are not free, you need to exchange something for them, how does that sound?" Xu Ran said with a smile.
Although with his strength, hunting Magical Beasts wasn't difficult. But now, as the leader of the Beast Clan, if he hunted powerful Magical Beasts without good reason, his conscience wouldn't allow it. After all, the forces of the Magical Beasts were already quite weakened.
As the strongest family in the Magical Beast Realm, the Taixu Ancient Dragon must have collected a variety of demon cores from various beasts.
Through this girl, Zi Yan, he could obtain a large number of demon cores, which should be quite a good deal.
Of course, relying solely on Zi Yan wouldn't be wise. Once he rescued the Tai Xu Ancient Dragon Emperor, asking him for some demon cores shouldn't be difficult.
"Why do I feel like you're up to no good? But it's a deal, only if the elixirs are at least Fifth Grade and above," Zi Yan said, unable to help swallowing her saliva, craving Xu Ran's elixirs tremendously.
Especially since she knew Xu Ran could create powerful Seventh and Eighth Grade elixirs, but the last time she visited Xu Ran's room, she only had Third and Fourth Grade elixirs. If she could eat more powerful elixirs, her breakthrough to Douhuang would be just around the corner.
A powerful Magical Beast's breakthrough wasn't as simple as that of a human cultivator. At least in the early stages, they essentially just needed to continually accumulate energy to break through.
"Don't worry, you won't be at a loss. Once you return to your clan, send me a few dozen Seventh or Eighth Tier demon cores. In exchange, I can provide you with elixirs that can help you break through to an Eighth Tier Magical Beast," Xu Ran communicated telepathically, ensuring only Zi Yan could hear him.
"Is my clan really that powerful?" Zi Yan marveled, licking her lips.
She knew nothing about her mysterious clan, and now, after hearing Xu Ran's words, she realized just how formidable her own family was. Seventh and Eighth Tier demon cores? Xu Ran sure was ambitious. And he must know that her clan could afford to hand over such powerful demon cores for him to propose this deal.
"If I break through to Eighth Tier Magical Beast, wouldn't that make me a Dou Zun?" Zi Yan kept swallowing her saliva. She was only a Douwang now, far from reaching the Dou Zun level.
But, her cultivation had been so slow previously because she needed to search for various treasures herself. If someone could continuously provide elixirs, she would certainly grow up in the shortest amount of time.