Xiao Jietian smiled faintly and said softly, "It's good that you passed; I feel relieved now."
Falkland breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing they had passed, as he had been on edge the entire time.
"What counts as passing? This time, they…"
Just as Otto was about to announce Xiao Jietian and his companion's results, a commotion erupted behind him.
"It's Pill King Gu He's disciple, Liu Ling. He must have taken first place in this test—he's a prodigy of the younger generation."
Lin Fei looked at Liu Ling, the source of the commotion, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
"Maybe it's Little Princess Princess Yao Yue," Xue Mei, Lin Fei's rival, interjected from the side.
Liu Ling walked out of the crowd. Seeing Xiao Yan's back, his expression darkened, but he quickly composed himself, putting on a gentle smile. He bowed slightly to Otto and Falkland, then said to Xiao Jietian and his companion:
"Mr. Xiao Jietian, Mr. Yan Xiao, congratulations."
"It was just luck, nothing worth mentioning."
"Luck."
Xiao Jietian and his companion shook their heads with calm expressions.
Liu Ling had no intention of chatting with Xiao Yan and his companion. He simply bid farewell and left.
"Mr. Xiao Jietian, Mr. Yan Xiao, there's a gathering tonight. Would you like to come?"
Little Princess, who was following behind Liu Ling, stopped. A smile, cultivated by royal upbringing, appeared on her face.
"No, I have an appointment tonight."
"I have something else tonight."
"In that case, I won't insist. Farewell, see you again."
Little Princess's expression froze momentarily, then instantly returned to a smile. She performed a simple curtsy and departed.
"What are they congratulating you on?" Lin Fei asked curiously.
"Nothing much, just congratulating us on passing. You'll find out later. We're leaving first, see you tomorrow."
Xiao Jietian said faintly, putting his arm around Xiao Yan's neck and walking out of the guild.
"What exactly were their scores?"
Seeing Xiao Jietian's demeanor and the congratulations from others, Lin Fei, whose brain capacity was usually insufficient, felt her head almost smoke.
"Not much. Xiao Jietian refined the Black Iron Spirit Leaf ten times, Xiao Yan eight times, and Liu Ling six times. That's all."
Otto mimicked Xiao Jietian's calm demeanor and spoke blandly.
Otto: Don't tell me, using the most understated words to show off like this is quite satisfying.
"What?" The three who heard this opened their mouths wide enough to fit a duck egg.
At night, Ya Fei did not attend the Nalan Family's gathering invitation. She 'borrowed' Xiao Jietian from Little Fairy Doctor and Qing Lin.
The two held hands, strolling through the streets. Many of Ya Fei's admirers were heartbroken. Although rumors had circulated, seeing it firsthand was a very different experience.
Xiao Jietian and his companion chose to ignore them.
Suddenly, in the northwestern direction of Jia Ma Sacred City, two terrifying auras soared into the sky.
"Hmm? Isn't that Old Hai's aura? The other should be Jia Xingtian of the Imperial Family."
"The two of them are even more combative than young people."
Seeing this scene, Xiao Jietian understood what was happening.
"What's going on? Such terrifying auras."
Ya Fei looked at Xiao Jietian, puzzled.
"Old Hai and Jia Xingtian, the Imperial Family's guardian, are fighting."
"They're fighting? Is the Imperial Family trying to suppress the Ice Emperor to keep him from having any ill intentions?"
"There's that meaning. A Dou Emperor is quite dangerous for the Imperial Family. And partly, it's also two old friends sparring."
"Let's go. I'll take you to witness a Dou Emperor-level battle."
"Can we really?"
"Of course. Don't worry; I'm with you."
Xiao Jietian directly manifested his Golden Feathered Sky Wings.
"What beautiful and magnificent wings—they look just like real ones."
"Mine evolved from a Flying Dou Technique combined with Dou Qi Transformation into Wings. As for Dou Qi Transformation into Wings, you'll attain it when you reach the Dou King stage. You have a special physique now, so your cultivation speed will be very fast."
Xiao Jietian gently flicked Ya Fei's delicate nose.
"Come here; we'll go directly."
Ya Fei walked into Xiao Jietian's open arms, thinking, Still such a warm embrace. I still like it when you hold me as we fly.
Xiao Jietian held the delicate body tightly in his arms. His wings vibrated lightly, and he transformed into a streak of light, flying toward the northwest.
At Xiao Jietian's full speed, in less than a minute, he arrived outside a huge mausoleum with Ya Fei in his arms, landing on a giant tree.
"Is this the aura and battle of a Dou Emperor?"
Ya Fei looked at the two enormous yellow and white light clusters above the mausoleum. As the two light clusters continuously collided, fierce and incomparably huge energy ripples erupted outward.
Xiao Jietian chose not to use Dou Qi to protect Ya Fei, allowing her to more directly feel the Dou Emperor's aura, which would greatly aid her growth.
"Yes, feel the aura within and observe carefully. This will be very helpful for your growth. Pay attention to Old Hai, the white light cluster; he and you are both ice-attributed."
"Later, I'll have Xian'er train you to give you more practical combat experience."
"Mm-hmm." Ya Fei nodded upon hearing this, then looked up, seriously observing the battle between the two sides.
At this time, three streaks of light also arrived near Xiao Jietian.
Xiao Jietian and Ya Fei turned to watch the three streaks of light land on a nearby giant tree.
"Ignore them; continue observing."
Xiao Jietian's voice entered Ya Fei's ears, and she obediently continued her observation.
The newcomers were none other than the flying Xiao Yan and two old men.
"Brother Yan Xiao, Elder Tengshan, Old Sir."
"Young friend Xiao Jietian."
Xiao Jietian greeted the three, and Miteer Tengshan smiled amiably.
Nalan Jie and Xiao Yan also responded with simple politeness.
Xiao Jietian and Xiao Yan had a tacit understanding, pretending to know each other but not being familiar to avoid exposing Xiao Yan's hidden identity.
Hearing Miteer Tengshan's address to Xiao Jietian, Nalan Jie frowned slightly, finding the name very familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before.
Just as the battle was nearing its end, others who had rushed over using movement Dou Techniques also landed on other giant trees.
They also noticed Xiao Jietian on the large tree.
Nalan Yanran came to Nalan Jie's side, her expression solemn as she looked at Xiao Jietian not far away.
"Yanran, do you know that person?"
Nalan Jie saw Nalan Yanran's slightly strange expression.
"Yes, he is Xiao Jietian of the Xiao Family."
"He's Xiao Lin's third grandson, Xiao Yan's older brother—the one who once made you feel immense pressure?"
Nalan Jie secretly sized up Xiao Jietian.
"He was also first place in the Alchemist internal test," Nalan Yanran added.
"It seems Xiao Lin has an outstanding junior. That old fellow is truly lucky."
Xiao Jietian felt Nalan Jie's gaze on him, turned his head, and gave a polite, slight smile.
"Hmm? This young fellow is quite sharp to notice. He's not simple at all."
Meanwhile, Liu Ling and Princess Yao Yue, not far from Nalan Yanran, occasionally cast strange glances at Mu Zhan, who stood beside them with a livid expression.
What a pitiful child. The woman he admired was now being held in a man's arms, her slender waist embraced.
Looking at the Third-Tier Alchemist robe on Xiao Jietian, Mu Zhan sneered inwardly, Ya Fei, can a Third-Tier Alchemist really have you? But a man must speak with strength.
"No more fighting, no more fighting—it's boring."
The white light cluster retracted its aura, revealing Hai Bodong's figure.
"Old Ice, it's been many years. Why hasn't your strength improved much?"
Hai Bodong pouted, "I had my reasons, and you don't need to worry about those issues. I'm not interested."
The yellow light cluster retracted its aura, revealing a white-haired old man dressed in simple hemp robes.
Xiao Jietian narrowed his eyes, thinking, This must be Jia Xingtian, the guardian of the Jia Ma Imperial Family, a peak Nine-Star Dou Emperor.
"Xiao Jietian, why are you here too?"
Hai Bodong flashed to Xiao Jietian's side.
"With such a huge commotion here, how could I not come? What if you got killed?"