[Yao Lao was rendered speechless by a single line from the 'Flame Emperor.']
[But my dear 'Brother Yan' didn't notice, and continued to perform steadily, saying, "Looks like when I get a chance to head to Central Plains in the future, I must go all-out against any opponent—no holding back whatsoever."]
…
"What's wrong with that line?"
The five girls were each puzzled in their own way.
From Xiao Yan's perspective, if he believed everything Yao Lao had said was true, then having such a thought only proved he had a good mindset.
From Yao Lao's viewpoint, that line wasn't really another stab; the truly lethal blow had been the earlier sentence.
But in the very next moment, the five finally got their answer.
…
[After Brother Yan became famous throughout the Jia Ma Empire, showed off in Jia Nan Academy and Black-Corner Region, he then headed to Central Plains.]
[The rise of the newest Dou God in tens of thousands of years naturally brought a hurricane of bloodshed, flowers and applause, countless opportunities, friends and enemies.]
[But since Brother Yan is "the number one," he was destined to surpass all geniuses and even his seniors.]
[True, Central Plains has more geniuses than other regions—not even counting the seven hidden Ancient Clans in the shadows.]
[There are many twenty-something Dou Emperors, and the first echelon reaches Dou Ancestor!]
[If the Ancient Clans are included, then their first echelon starts at Dou Venerate.]
…
Queen Medusa: ???
Yun Yun: "…"
…
[But once Brother Yan arrived in Central Plains, those geniuses met the strictest father of their lives—and thus Brother Yan earned the title "Central Plains Genius Corrector."]
…
Hiss—
Central Plains Genius Corrector.
Just hearing the title felt inexplicably awe-inspiring.
…
[Leaving the Ancient Clans aside, just talking about One Hall, One Tower, Two Sects, Three Valleys, Four Pavilions.]
[Among the juniors, the typical representatives who were "corrected" by him were Feng Qing Er and Cao Ying.]
…
"Two more names again."
Xun Er rubbed her temples with mild frustration.
Judging by the information she had right now, she could tentatively conclude that Medusa, Little Fairy Doctor, and Yun Yun all possessed copies of the Journal, while Xiao Zhan, Xiao Yan, and Yao Lao did not.
These were all people who had been mentioned in Xiao Ting's diary, just like herself. She suspected anyone who'd been mentioned by name in the diary likely had an "observation copy."
The diary copy had shown her both the "erasure warning" and "blessing reward."
If she voluntarily revealed the existence of the Journal and its contents, or if she took the initiative to harm Xiao Ting, she would be "erased."
Anyone whose name Xiao Ting wrote in his diary would receive a Plane's Blessing that very day.
Yesterday, she herself had been given a seven-day cultivation experience for an Earth-rank battle skill as a blessing.
Based on these two points, she suspected that the owners of Journal copies were exactly those whose names had been written in it.
Now these Feng Qing Er and Cao Ying would become the next targets of her investigation. Since they were from One Hall, One Tower, Two Sects, Three Valleys, Four Pavilions, the scope wasn't even that hard to narrow down.
…
[Feng Qing Er is a direct descendant of the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe, possessing one of the top magical beast bloodlines in today's Beast Realm—second only to the Ancient Void Dragon Clan—with dual attributes of wind and lightning.]
[When she reached fifth-rank, she used a secret method passed down within the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe to transform into human form early, then became the disciple of Lei Zun-zhe of the Wind Lightning Pavilion.]
[She met the 'Flame Emperor' when both of them were preparing to break through to Dou Ancestor. Their first battle broke out at the Four Pavilions Convention, and the 'Flame Emperor' was victorious.]
[Ever since, Feng Qing Er refused to accept it, but every time they met and fought again, she was taught another lesson—and every time she saw that the 'Flame Emperor' had grown even faster than she had.]
[Cao Ying is renowned as the "Cao Clan's Enchantress." She is the disciple of Xuan Kong Zi, one of the Pill Tower's three giants. From birth, her soul power was astonishing; by age seven, she'd already become an alchemist. At fifteen, she was exceptionally accepted into the Pill Tower as a core disciple and allowed into the Small Pill Tower to cultivate. At twenty, she became the youngest 7th-rank alchemist in the Cao Clan's history. At twenty-two, she advanced to 8th-rank, mastered the high Profound-rank soul skill Soul Handprint, and her soul strength reached the Spirit State—yet at the Pill Gathering she still lost to the twenty-five-year-old "Flame Emperor."]
…
Yun Yun, Queen Medusa, Little Fairy Doctor, and Qing Lin: "…"
At this moment, they finally understood the weight behind Xiao Ting's phrase "Central Plains geniuses."
They weren't even Fighters at age seven, but this girl was already an alchemist at seven. By twenty, she was already a 7th-rank alchemist.
In the entire Jia Ma Empire, there was currently only one 6th-rank alchemist—Gu He—and he was nearly forty.
Yet even such geniuses ended up being "corrected" by Xiao Yan.
No wonder Xiao Ting had "mourned" for those geniuses.
…
[In this life, with my help, the 'Flame Emperor' will grow even faster and more smoothly. I only hope they won't be hit so hard that they become completely broken.]
[But this is the real Battle Qi Continent. Things may not unfold exactly like the original "plot."]
…
Finishing that, Xiao Ting felt it was about enough and "put down his pen."
After carefully completing his breathing adjustment, he didn't go looking for Yao Lao's guidance. Instead, he directly began cultivating.
Cheats was certainly comfortable and enjoyable—but he still needed his own effort. He had no intention of becoming a kind of alternative good-for-nothing who only relied on "cheats."
"Cultivation is also the cultivation of the heart."
"Only by clarifying one's heart can one comprehend the Dao."
While cultivating the Eight Trigrams Lightning Steps, Xiao Ting contemplated the mysteries of lightning power.
…
"What are you looking at?"
Yao Lao's voice suddenly sounded behind Xiao Yan.
"Teacher, I don't feel like I'm working hard enough."
A determined light flashed in Xiao Yan's eyes.
"Brother Ting is stronger than me and still works harder than me. This won't do."
A trace of gratification flashed in Yao Lao's eyes.
"Good. At least you understand that a stupid bird must fly early."
Xiao Yan: "?"
…
At the same time, in the northern region of Central Plains—the Wind and Lightning Mountain Range.
Inside a luxurious building within the Eastern Pavilion, a cold-faced young woman walked in.
Her bearing and beauty were both top-tier. Her face was slightly thin, forming a perfect goose-egg shape. Her most striking feature was a pair of violet-brown gemstone-like eyes that radiated beauty and holiness. She wore a multi-colored short dress and naturally exuded noble grace. Beneath the dress were a pair of long legs wrapped in white silk stockings.
This was none other than Feng Qing Er, who had just taken Lei Zun-zhe as her master and joined the Eastern Pavilion of the Wind Lightning Pavilion.
She'd originally been unwilling to take a human teacher. She was, after all, a direct descendant of the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe, and her mother was a Dou Saint powerhouse.
Although with her current freshly-advanced fifth-rank strength, having just transformed via the clan's secret arts, it was impossible for a Dou Saint to personally guide her, the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe had Dou Venerate and Dou Ancestor experts.
But after seeing Lei Zun-zhe's methods and witnessing part of the Wind Lightning Pavilion's legacy, her resistance had greatly diminished.
With merely the strength of a human Dou King, she could still become the sole personal disciple of a Dou Venerate. That wasn't unworthy of her status.
"Hm?"
Just as she sat down on the table, Feng Qing Er saw an ancient-looking book suddenly appear out of thin air before her.
"Is this some sort of secret treasure of the Wind Lightning Pavilion? A special method of transferring techniques?"
Frowning slightly, she reached out to catch the book.
Only then did she see the line of words written on the cover:
[Xiao Ting's Great Dao Journal (Feng Qing Er's Observation Copy)]
…
At the same time, within the Pill Region where the Pill Tower was located.
In the Cao City, inside a heavily guarded alchemy room—
"Boom!"
A surge of aura rose as a special wave of energy spread out.
Several Cao Clan elders appeared, their expressions excited.
"Little Ying is about to succeed!"
A thirteen-year-old 4th-rank alchemist was about to be born. In two more years she could attempt 5th-rank, and would surely be exceptionally accepted as a core disciple into the Pill Tower to train in the Small Pill Tower.
"Bang!"
Suddenly, an explosion sounded inside the alchemy room.
The elders, who had just been daydreaming about the Cao Clan becoming masters of the Pill Tower: ???
…