Inside the Dan Tower's lounge, on an incense table, a young woman was grinding medicinal herbs into powder and then lighting it. Wisps of fragrance wafted throughout the lounge, making one feel relaxed and refreshed.

Because Chi Gan had to continue supervising the assessment, he only sat with Qin Xin for a short while before leaving in a hurry, leaving Ming Ningzhu leaning against the sandalwood chair, her chin resting on her hand, as if she had something on her mind.

"Miss Ningzhu, I can collect the badge here alone; you don't need to accompany me." Sensing the slightly awkward atmosphere, Qin Xin spoke softly to the woman before him.

"Qin Xin comes from the Qin Clan of Tianyuan and has mediocre talent."

"He condensed his martial bone at the age of fifteen, but it was poached by someone and is now on the main peak of the Kun Sect in the inner courtyard."

...

"Am I right?"

Ming Ningzhu slowly raised her delicate face, her beautiful eyes fixed on Qin Xin, a smile on her face.

“That’s right, it seems that Miss Ningzhu has already investigated my background.”

He was somewhat surprised that Ming Ningzhu could accurately recite all of Qin Xin's information.

However, as the granddaughter of the Pill Tower Master, it was only a piece of cake for Ming Ningzhu to completely understand the background of the Qin Clan in the small Tianyuan City.

"Young Master Qin, please don't misunderstand. They have no ill intentions. Now that you have joined the inner courtyard, it's natural to want to know your background thoroughly."

As Ming Ningzhu spoke, her smile was as gentle as a spring breeze, making people feel very comfortable. Even though her background had been thoroughly investigated, she did not feel any aversion.

"If you have something to discuss with me, young lady, please feel free to speak frankly. There's no need to beat around the bush," Qin Xin said bluntly.

"It's nothing, just pure curiosity. A martial artist who was only at the Acquired Realm a year ago has now entered the Opening Realm. Even some peerless geniuses would probably be far behind in terms of such cultivation speed."

Ming Ningzhu smiled as she looked Qin Xin up and down, a hint of shrewdness flashing in her eyes.

"It's just that she broke through after some cultivation. That doesn't mean anything, does it?" Qin Xin looked at the intelligent Ming Ningzhu in front of him, and a murderous intent rose in his heart. He said coldly.

A person who knows themselves too well is a terrifying person.

"Young Master Qin, you are overthinking it. They were just curious, so they looked up your information."

"I can only say that you've been quite a troublemaker at the Eastern Wilderness Academy. Some martial artists have expressed strong dissatisfaction with you," Ming Ningzhu said to herself, circling her finger on the tea table.

"Miss Ningzhu, you flatter me. I was merely acting in self-defense." Qin Xin naturally hadn't expected outsiders to have such a view of him.

"Indeed, but if Young Master Qin has the time, he could go back to the outer courtyard and take a look. Perhaps it will change some of your views."

After Ming Ningzhu finished speaking, she got up and left, seemingly to participate in the assessment for a fourth-grade intermediate alchemist.

"Back to the outer courtyard?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Xin also considered returning. He had finally made it back to Black Dragon City, and he didn't know how long it would be before he could return again. Moreover, he missed Jin Yuanbao and the others.

Without his nagging beside him, Qin Xin suddenly felt very quiet, and for a moment it felt a little unfamiliar.

After waiting for a while, Qin Xin took the completed alchemist badge. The badge bore Qin Xin's true qi imprint, which no one else could replace. This served as a kind of anti-counterfeiting mark to prevent enemies from stealing it and impersonating Qin Xin as an alchemist to swindle people.

~~~~~~

When Qin Xin stepped into the outer courtyard of the Eastern Wilderness Academy, he found it as lively as ever. The students were not upset about Qin Xin and the others' departure; instead, they were all diligently cultivating, taking on tasks to earn more points, and exchanging them for high-quality cultivation resources.

Upon arriving at the location of Class 17 of the Weaponry Academy, Qin Xin immediately noticed something amiss. Although it had been cleaned up and looked very quiet, a faint smell of blood kept wafting out.

"Boss, why did you come out from the inner courtyard?"

"Could it be that the boss also heard in the inner courtyard that Heng Hua led a group of people from the Sword Gang to surround our Class 17?"

Shangguan Lingyan, who came out of Class 17, was very excited when she saw Qin Xin return, but her face turned worried.

"Tell me what happened while I was away."

Seeing that Shangguan Lingyan's expression was somewhat unpleasant, Qin Xin quickly asked her to explain the specific situation.

"Boss, just two days after you left, that bastard from the Sword Gang came to provoke us, and Yuanbao couldn't hold back and fell into their trap."

"Although Yuanbao has recovered somewhat, all of his tendons in his feet and hands have been severed, and he cannot make a living for the time being."

Upon hearing what Shangguan Lingyan said, Qin Xin finally understood why Ming Ningzhu had asked him to return to the outer courtyard to take a look.

He had already joined the inner courtyard. Although Heng Hua and the other members of the Sword Clan wanted revenge, they couldn't extend their reach into the inner courtyard, so they could only target the people around Qin Xin.

"And there's Mo Wen. He just successfully condensed his acupoints. The day before yesterday, he went out on a mission and was suddenly attacked by a group of strangers. If it weren't for the deacons in the academy rescuing him, he probably wouldn't have made it back alive."

"According to Mo Wen's recollection, although those people were all masked, judging from their physique and martial arts techniques, they were indeed all from the Weaponry Academy, and all of them were related to the Sword Gang."

As Shangguan Lingyan spoke, her eyes reddened slightly, seemingly worried about Jin Yuanbao's injuries. Her own breathing was also somewhat unsteady. Qin Xin could tell from her gait that she also seemed to have several wounds on her body, but she didn't say anything.

"Why don't you send a message to me in the inner courtyard?"

Qin Xin was filled with rage. This was not the first time Heng Hua had attacked those around him, and he already harbored murderous intent.

"Yuanbao and Mowen said they didn't want to cause too much trouble for the boss, after all, there are many hidden talents in the inner courtyard, and they didn't want to distract you."

Shangguan Lingyan spoke with her head down, seemingly seeing the chilling killing intent in Qin Xin's eyes, and for a moment dared not look up and meet Qin Xin's eyes directly.

"Take me to see them!"

After saying that, Qin Xin followed Shangguan Lingyan to Jin Yuanbao's courtyard.

On the way, Qin Xin gave Shangguan Lingyan a second-grade healing pill and a Qi Condensation Pill.

After accepting the healing pills, Shangguan Lingyan kept declining the Qi Condensation Pill, feeling it was too valuable. After all, this grade three pill required tens of thousands of points to obtain in the outer courtyard.

After Qin Xin took out the other Qi Condensation Pills from the Qiankun Bag and mentioned that he also had a share in the gold ingots and Mowen, Shangguan Lingyan finally agreed to accept them.

However, when Shangguan Lingyan learned that Qin Xin was now a third-grade alchemist, her eyes revealed a hint of admiration.

Before long, the two arrived at Jin Yuanbao's residence. To make it easier for them to take care of each other, Mo Wen also moved in, and the three of them lived there.

Upon entering the courtyard, the strong smell of medicine was somewhat pungent.

In the courtyard, a burly man was squatting on the ground, holding a palm-leaf fan, staring at the medicinal herbs that were being steamed in front of him.