"Hei Yan, go see what he wants. If he has nothing important to say, tell him to shut up!" Ning Xuan ordered the mercenary captain, who had just finished distributing their loot.

"Understood, Miss Ning. Rest assured, we only ignored them on the way here because we didn’t want to interfere with your plans. To think that kind of trash would dare to pull dirty tricks behind our backs... In truth, if you just give the word, my men and I could tear them limb from limb right now!" Hei Yan’s gaze was ferocious as he stared at the man raising a fuss in the distance.

They had been hired by Ning Xuan to hunt the Ice Python, an extremely dangerous Fierce Beast. They had expected that even if the mission was a success, they would likely suffer heavy injuries or have their strength severely diminished. But who could have predicted that with an outstanding Doctor and Alchemist like Miss Ning around, only one person ended up seriously injured on the entire trip? Even the others who were hurt recovered their strength quickly. As a result, their whole team was now at full combat strength. ’It’d be better if that gang behind us hoping to steal our loot just grew a spine and charged us directly!’

As if sensing Hei Yan’s killing intent, the man fell silent, like someone had grabbed him by the throat.

"They don’t have anything worth taking; it’s not worth the effort. If they don’t know when to back off and get too annoying... well, if it comes to killing them, I’ll pay you for it. I won’t let you do it for free." Ning Xuan’s impression of Hei Yan had improved steadily over the course of the trip.

Hei Yan was the captain of the six-man squad that had accompanied her on the previous expedition. Unlike Luo Sen, Hei Yan had a much more forceful style; none of his subordinates would dare question or defy his decisions.

Hei Yan grinned, gave Ning Xuan a slight bow, then turned and strode toward the group of people in the distance. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Ning Xuan ignored the commotion and refocused on her Cultivation. After her last session of Body Refinement, both the toughness and the length of her Ghost-faced Red Vine had increased dramatically. To test its new strength, Ning Xuan had deliberately wrapped Chen Nan in the vines and told him to try and break free. The result was telling: last time, Chen Nan had snapped them with ease, but this time, it took him a great deal of effort to escape.

Although her Spiritual Power Level had not increased, her physical strength, Comprehensive Combat Power, the fine control she had over her spiritual power, the power of her Plant Pet’s vines, and the rate at which her blood generated energy were all rising quickly.

Ning Xuan discovered that the Water Element Energy here in the Black Water Ice Prison was exceptionally active. Ever since her last Body Refinement, her abilities had expanded. She could already use the Guiding Spirit Scripture to refine the Fire Element Energy produced in her blood, as well as absorb external Fire Element Energy in an Earth Fire Room. But now, she could also absorb external Water Element Energy in places where it was abundant. In fact, just a moment ago on the Ice Lake, she had even managed to absorb a small amount of Ice Energy. She could temporarily store these energies in her Dantian, just as she had done when refining the Ice Beast Inner Core.

After this discovery, Ning Xuan specifically asked Chen Nan about his cultivation method. It turned out that aside from combat and some physical training, he didn’t have a formal technique. After he awakened his Companion Spirit, the energy generated in his blood would automatically disperse into his limbs and muscles to strengthen his body.

As for the time before awakening his Companion Spirit, he said he was too young and couldn’t remember.

Ning Xuan couldn’t help but wonder, ’Is it because I’ve been cultivating so diligently, refining all the energy my blood produces, that I haven’t been able to awaken a Companion Spirit?’

Her proficiency with the Cultivation Technique had reached a point where she no longer needed to consciously guide the process; the Fire Element Energy in her blood would flow into her meridians automatically.

Hei Yan, having gone to deal with their followers, had returned. He respectfully reported to Ning Xuan, "Miss Ning, his name is Mo Si. He leads a Mercenary Corps of about twenty-some men and brought half of them with him. He was following us, hoping to see what secret we had for hunting the Ice Python. He’s got sharp eyes. He saw you pour that medicine into the trap area. The reason he was kicking up a fuss just now is that he wants to make a deal—he wants to buy that medicine from you."

"Is that so?" Ning Xuan scoffed. "Tell him to get lost."

"Yes, ma’am. Rest assured, I’ll see to it at once!" Hearing the tone in Ning Xuan’s voice, Hei Yan gave up any hope of a deal. ’That’s right,’ he thought. ’A medicine that can lure and kill an Ice Python... how could Miss Ning possibly sell something like that so easily?’

During his previous expedition with Ning Xuan, Hei Yan hadn’t understood why a seemingly delicate woman like her would want to leave the safety of the city to go exploring. He had even assumed Chen Nan was the real employer. Consequently, he hadn’t made much of an effort to stand out in front of Ning Xuan, which was why she had favored Luo Sen at the time.

Someone on Luo Sen’s team had leaked the information about the Ice Python hunt, attracting the avaricious attention of Mo Si and his ilk. Luo Sen failed to handle the trouble his own team member had caused, and as a result, he wasn’t included in this mission. This, in turn, gave Hei Yan the opportunity to prove his own worth.

After Hei Yan sent Mo Si and his men packing, the group rested for a bit before it was time to move on. The rest of the journey went smoothly. Along the way, to test her own Combat Power, Ning Xuan engaged several A-level Mutant Beasts in head-on combat. The results were astonishing: she fought seven battles and emerged victorious every time, with not a single loss.

Whether it was a flying A-level Mutant Beast, a Water-type Mutant Beast, or a terrestrial fierce beast, all were drained dry of their blood essence and energy by Ning Xuan’s vines, leaving them dead.

One of Hei Yan’s subordinates watched Ning Xuan’s Black-red Vines wreak havoc in every direction, and asked with a shiver, "Captain, do you have any idea which ancient family Miss Ning comes from? To have such a powerful Plant Pet... my god, that’s terrifying!"

"And did you see her movement technique? It’s incredibly fast! I couldn’t even clearly see how she got from over here to over there."

"And Miss Ning is an incredible Doctor and an even more incredible Alchemist. Wow, she’s just too amazing... I want to be her Contractor! I’d warm her bed for her!" a few of the younger members couldn’t help but whisper amongst themselves.

"Shut your mouths! I’m warning all of you, you’d better be on your best behavior. If any of you dare to offend Miss Ning, I’ll personally whip you to death!"

"But," he added, "if one of you could actually catch Miss Ning’s eye, I’d put him on a pedestal myself!"

Hei Yan thought to himself, ’Miss Ning is an outsider, with only Chen Nan by her side. And she doesn’t even treat him with much intimacy. I’ve got a few handsome young men on my team... what if Miss Ning takes a fancy to one of them?’

「Back in the safe zone」

Ning Xuan immediately went into seclusion again to create a Body Refining Potion. Once she succeeded, she began her second Body Refinement.

Chen Nan stood guard within the courtyard while Hei Yan watched from outside, both protecting her and waiting for her second Body Refinement to conclude.

The following afternoon, Chen Nan heard a clear, sonorous cry emerge from the room. The sound was bright and resonant, its piercing quality so strong it felt as though it could strike one’s very soul.

Then, he saw flames erupt from the room where Ning Xuan was in seclusion, soaring toward the sky. The entire building was enveloped in a brilliant crimson glow. He could almost feel a wave of heat washing over his face, scorching his skin, while the intense light made his eyes ache.