And...
If she really did make this deal with Xu Ran, then she wouldn't have to worry about whether she could return to her family in the future.
If she owed Xu Ran a lot of high-order magic cores, it was likely that Xu Ran would want to send her back to her family even more than herself.
Even if the cost of magic cores she had to pay for this deal seemed a bit high, for her, it was definitely a worthwhile transaction.
Most importantly, she wanted Xu Ran to help her rescue her father. If Xu Ran could help, it would surely make things much easier when the time came. And after rescuing her father, with his influence, he would be able to offer Xu Ran the most substantial benefits and promises.
Upon returning to Canaan Academy, Su Qian immediately sent over all the texts about puppetry.
The method of refining puppets was an extremely rare thing, with even the records of puppetry in Canaan Academy's Library Pavilion being scant.
However, Xu Ran only needed to grasp some basic principles to analyze and create a complete set of puppetry techniques on his own – they might even be stronger than the originals. There was more than one way to Rome, and it wasn't only through the secrets of puppet refining found on the Continent that one could craft a puppet.
Xu Ran pondered while quickly recording the analysis he came up with.
Seeing Xu Ran enter the zone so quickly and begin his research on puppetry based on his own analysis, Su Qian's old face turned to shock.
Xu Ran was actually creating a brand-new path...
Although he was only a Douzong, his insight was sharp.
Xu Ran was actually beginning to create his own puppetry techniques based solely on some very basic puppet-making principles recorded by the Canaan Academy! What kind of monstrous talent was this?
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed it.
He now understood why Xu Ran could refine such terrifying elixirs. With such talent, what couldn't he achieve? The terrifying talent suggested that the elixirs Xu Ran refined were probably different from the conventional elixirs on the Continent.
"Elder Su Qian?"
Xu Ran had only spent about ten minutes to grasp the essence of puppetry, leaving only some advanced aspects that required further pondering and improvement.
For Xu Ran, who had seen through the essence of the world, it was not difficult to discern the laws of some secret techniques.
"Oh, yes. I have something I want to ask Elder Xu Ran. Did those Soul Hall experts really fall by your hand? Those experts should also be Heavenly Venerates of the Soul Hall, right?" Su Qian was somewhat worried.
Last time, Xu Ran killed the Ninth Heavenly Venerate, and now it seemed he had taken down Soul Hall experts again.
Xu Ran and the Soul Hall had become mortal enemies, and because of Xu Ran, Canaan Academy had also made an enemy of the Soul Hall, which worried him.
If Xu Ran couldn't withstand the pressure from the Soul Hall, then their Canaan Academy would be doomed as well.
"The Soul Hall's Great Celestial Venerable and the Second Celestial Venerable, one a Dou Sheng and the other at the peak of a Semi-Saint. They should be among the top echelon in the Soul Hall. But their strength was still a bit lacking." Xu Ran brought out the bodies of the Great Celestial Venerable and the Second Celestial Venerable.
Even reduced to corpses, the oppressive aura of the two Heavenly Venerates was not weakened in the slightest, as both were long-established super experts of the Continent.
"A Dou Sheng... My god!"
"A Dou Sheng actually died at your hands! I underestimated you, Elder Xu Ran." Su Qian's expression was mixed. It was a fortune for Canaan Academy that Xu Ran had joined them.
But the threat Xu Ran brought was something Canaan Academy could scarcely bear.
That was the Soul Hall, after all!
The mere thought of the terror of the Soul Hall filled him with incessant worry.
With the power of the Soul Hall, they could easily crush Canaan Academy.
Could Xu Ran truly stand against the Soul Hall? Xu Ran was just one person, whereas the foundation of the Soul Hall… The Great Celestial Venerable was a Dou Sheng, meaning the Lord of the Soul Hall was bound to be even stronger.
"Don't worry, even if the Lord of the Soul Hall himself were to come, he wouldn't be my match. As long as I am here, no one will be able to harm Canaan Academy."
"Moreover, given the special location of Canaan Academy, even if we don't provoke the Soul Hall, in time all the major forces will vie for Canaan Academy. The secret of Canaan Academy involves matters too obscure, and even the Dean won't be able to safeguard Canaan Academy." Xu Ran was referring to the Ancient Emperor's Cave House beneath the ground of Canaan Academy.
Now, Canaan Academy still maintained its peace, but it was soon to face an unprecedented crisis.
"Elder Xu Ran is referring to?"
Su Qian was greatly shocked, as he had never heard of anything special about Canaan Academy that could attract the attention of the forces across the Continent.
"You'll find out in due time. There are things you're not yet convenient to know about now, and even if you did, you wouldn't be able to do anything; it would only trouble your mind."
"If that's the case, then I will rely on Elder Xu Ran to protect Canaan Academy as much as possible when the crisis comes." Su Qian offered a respectful bow to Xu Ran. If it was true as Xu Ran said, then other members of Canaan Academy had no means of resistance, and only a supreme expert like Xu Ran could ensure the academy's safety.
...
"Xun Er, now that Xu Ran has died, come back to my side, only I can protect you."
Having learned from Yao Lao that Xu Ran had been targeted by the Soul Hall Expert, he had already concluded that Xu Ran's death was inevitable.
"Xiao Yan, what did you just say? Are you looking for death?"
Xun Er and the other women all glared at Xiao Yan with anger.
"Xiao Yan, don't think I won't kill you. If you dare to say another word against Brother Ran, I will kill you." Xun Er looked coldly at Xiao Yan, and with a stretch of her hand, she delivered a heavy palm strike to Xiao Yan's chest.
"Dou Spirit? I didn't expect you would break through so quickly, to have reached Dou Spirit already?" Xiao Yan was sent flying backward, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
He hadn't expected Xun Er to advance to Dou Spirit so swiftly. Was this due to the Elixirs refined by Xu Ran?
He felt some jealousy.
Even the teacher said that compared with Xu Ran, his prowess in elixir-making was inferior.
Someone so powerful was truly terrifying.
If Xu Ran hadn't offended the Soul Hall, he would never be a match for Xu Ran.
"But, I'm not just any Great Fighter." Xiao Yan wiped the blood from his mouth, climbed up from the ground, and his face took on a sinister smile.
"Xun Er, Xiao Mei, Xiao Yu… Since you are all here, I'll tell you. Xu Ran has offended the Soul Hall, and those unnatural phenomena before were a result of the Soul Hall Expert coming to execute Xu Ran. According to my estimate, the Soul Hall even dispatched a Dou Sheng Expert! Do you think Xu Ran could have survived?" Xiao Yan scoffed.
The Soul Hall was regarded as the foremost power in the world, and behind it, the Hun Clan was unparalleled in strength. How could Xu Ran possibly contend with such a force?
With Xu Ran gone, he could have Xun Er, and perhaps even acquire the company of others close to Xu Ran. As for Xiao Yu and Xiao Mei, he would give them the harshest punishment to teach them the cost of betraying their family.
Xiao Yan gazed at the breathtakingly beautiful women before him, his eyes becoming increasingly malevolent.