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As the final move of the palm technique ended, a light sheen of sweat appeared on You Quan's forehead, yet her bright eyes were filled with pure joy. Her delicate, porcelain-like face carried an expression of excitement.
Drawing back her stance, her beautiful eyes secretly glanced toward the man standing beneath the pavilion eaves. With a touch of nervousness in her tone, she asked softly, "Young Pavilion Master, how did I do?"
"Mm, not bad." Wei Yang smiled and nodded approvingly.
This girl's talent was truly rare.
Even he couldn't help but feel a little stirred — if he were to take her as a disciple, it might not be a bad idea. Hearing Wei Yang's words of praise, You Quan's small face immediately lit up with radiant delight, her heart brimming with happiness.
During this period, she had been training with great diligence. Only after feeling her progress had reached a satisfactory point did she come here to perform her technique before the Young Pavilion Master — all for the sake of earning his approval.
Wei Yang naturally noticed the girl's little thoughts, but he didn't mind them. After offering her a few more words of encouragement, he waved his hand, signaling for her to leave.
Watching her cheerful figure depart, Wei Yang gently shook his head and smiled. Beside him, the surrounding space rippled slightly, and an aged figure slowly emerged — Yao Lao.
Stroking his beard, Yao Lao looked at the departing girl with a faint smile and said, "That girl's talent is indeed quite good. She even carries a trace of the spirit you two once had in your younger days. If properly cultivated, reaching the level of Dou Zun shouldn't be a problem — perhaps even higher."
Wei Yang nodded slightly.
At their level, so-called 'talent' hardly meant much. With just a First Start Pill and a piece of Dou Sheng Bone Marrow, what kind of gifted child couldn't they create? But so what if one reached Dou Zun?
At their realm, such things were no longer important. However, the possibility of someone surpassing that — that was different.
In You Quan, they saw a glimmer of that possibility. The girl possessed an uncommon soul perception and intelligence — a rare kind of insight. That was why she had drawn a bit of their attention.
"What's wrong? Not tempted to take her in?" Yao Lao chuckled as he stroked his beard. "With that kind of talent, she should be enough to move your heart, shouldn't she?"
"We'll see." Wei Yang shook his head lightly. "I've got too many matters on my hands right now — I'm not in the mood for that."
"As you wish," Yao Lao smiled, dropping the subject.
After all, You Quan only carried a bit of potential. The more important thing was still properly nurturing those three precious disciples of his.
Soon, Yao Lao frowned slightly, his tone growing heavy. "Recently, the Hall of Souls has been acting restless. I'm not sure what they're planning, but knowing them — such a strange and unpredictable bunch — it must be something sinister. They've been gathering souls with great effort, surely for a major conspiracy."
"Judging from the fact that they've intensified their collection of souls lately, it seems this plot of theirs is accelerating. According to our latest information, across the continent — aside from Central Plains — wars have broken out in several regions. Countless people die every day, and the shadow of the Hall of Souls can be found behind almost all of it, fanning the flames."
"They're speeding up their soul gathering?" Wei Yang's expression changed slightly.
Could it be that Hun Tiandi was already stirring?
Fortunately, it seemed the Hall of Souls still feared Wei Yang's retaliation — those chaotic wars deliberately avoided the Jia Ma Empire and didn't affect the Yang Yan Alliance. Yao Lao's face was grave. After a long pause, he let out a soft sigh.
Right now, maintaining stability within the Starfall Pavilion was already the best they could manage. As for the rest of the continent — even if they wanted to intervene, they lacked the strength to do so.
"Hm?"
Just as he was about to say more, his gaze suddenly shifted toward a certain direction.
Wei Yang's brows arched slightly, and he too turned his eyes toward the entrance of the Star Realm. There, a familiar black-robed figure appeared. The newcomer seemed to sense their presence as well, and his eyes looked toward them from afar.
"Master, Brother Wei." Xiao Yan grinned widely, then his figure flickered as he flew swiftly toward the lotus pond behind the mountain.
"This brat finally returned," Yao Lao chuckled. "Looks like his progress isn't small either."
"Mm." Wei Yang smiled as he watched the approaching streak of light. "He's already reached One-Change Dou Zun."
"Master, Brother Wei — I'm back." Xiao Yan landed gracefully, stepping forward with a bright smile.
Then suddenly, his footsteps halted — his eyes widened slightly in surprise as he looked at Wei Yang.
"Come on, let's head inside and talk," Yao Lao said with a hearty laugh.
Turning around, he led the way into the pavilion. Following behind, Wei Yang and Xiao Yan entered the pavilion together.
"Brother Wei, not bad," Xiao Yan said in a low voice, a playful smile tugging at his lips. "You've improved so fast. I thought this time I'd finally closed the gap between us."
"Hah, dream on." Wei Yang laughed freely, glancing at him with a teasing smirk. "Your brother will always be your brother."
Xiao Yan could only shake his head helplessly.
This time, his trip into the Heavenly Tomb with the Gu Clan had brought him immense gains. Most importantly, he had met an ancestor of the Xiao Clan — Xiao Xuan.
Inside the Heavenly Tomb, Xiao Yan personally witnessed that even with just a wisp of soul consciousness, that ancestor, Xiao Xuan, had casually crushed two One-Star Dou Shengs from the Hun Clan into dust with a single palm strike.
The aftershock alone had carved a massive, bottomless handprint into the earth, stretching thousands of meters wide.
A mere soul projection — yet so terrifyingly powerful!
Xiao Xuan had lingered in the Heavenly Tomb for countless years, clinging to existence for one purpose — to preserve the last drop of the Xiao Clan's imperial bloodline and await the arrival of a future descendant.
That was also the agreement he had made with the Gu Clan patriarch, Gu Yuan, back when his attempt to break through to Dou Di failed and he perished.
With Xiao Xuan's help, the trace of preserved bloodline had been used to replace Xiao Yan's own blood, completely awakening the dormant Dou Di Bloodline within him.
It became rich and potent once again, no weaker than a so-called Divine-Grade bloodline — and even fused with Gu Xun'er's ancient Gu Clan bloodline. Because of that, Xiao Xuan's centuries of waiting had not been in vain. The Xiao Clan finally had a chance to rise again.
In truth, Xiao Xuan had been a ruthless man. Back then, in his desperate attempt to break through to Dou Di, he had actually extracted the entire Xiao Clan's Dou Di Bloodline to fuel his final gamble.
That move was the very definition of "burning one's bridges" — leaving absolutely no retreat. If he succeeded, all would be well. But if he failed — the result needed no explanation.
The entire Xiao Clan's bloodline was crippled overnight. From one of the Eight Ancient Clans, they fell instantly into decline, reduced to ordinary mortals.
Aside from one person — Xiao Chen, a Dou Sheng who was later trapped and enslaved by the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame — the rest of the clan's members lost their strength completely. Such a mad act was truly shocking.
Fortunately, in the final moments of his failure, Xiao Xuan managed to preserve a sliver of bloodline, allowing him to linger within the Heavenly Tomb, silently waiting for the descendants of the Xiao Clan to arrive.
That final remnant of bloodline had now been inherited by Xiao Yan. He had successfully awakened the Clan Mark. At this moment, if one looked closely between Xiao Yan's brows, one could faintly see a mysterious purple-red flame pattern.
It was the Clan Mark of the Xiao Clan, known as the Skyfire Three Mysterious Change. It was a bloodline secret technique capable of instantly bursting forth to dramatically enhance one's combat strength.
Inside the pavilion, a gentle breeze blew past, carrying the faint fragrance of lotus leaves.
Jingle~ jingle~
The crisp sound of a wind chime rang softly.
Yao Lao and Wei Yang sat quietly, listening as Xiao Yan recounted all that had happened. Afterward, Wei Yang too began telling them about his own experiences in the Ancient God's Cave Mansion.
"The Tuo She Ancient God's Cave Mansion!" Xiao Yan's gaze sharpened, his voice low. "So it really was connected to Tuo She Ancient God!"
Back when he met Tian Huo Zun Zhe beneath the magma, he had already sensed something strange hidden even deeper within that place. More than two years ago, he was even severely injured by two Ban Sheng Lizard and forced to flee miserably.
"The last Dou Di of the continent…"
Even Yao Lao couldn't help but sigh, his face filled with awe.
Even though he had already heard Wei Yang speak of it once before, hearing it again still made it hard to believe. The Dragon Emperor of the Ancient Void Dragon Clan — a Peak Dou Sheng — was actually trapped there, serving as the guardian of the cave mansion.
"Still," Xiao Yan sighed softly, "That girl Zi Yan finally got through her hardships."
"It won't be long now. Once she finishes absorbing the power of the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit and awakens, I'd say she'll at least reach mid-level Dou Sheng." Wei Yang shook his head with a helpless smile.
He could already imagine the smug look that girl would have then.
"Mid-level Dou Sheng?!" Yao Lao and Xiao Yan both sucked in a cold breath, exchanging speechless glances.
Truly… ridiculous!
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