Upon returning to Jia Nan Academy, the first thing Xiao Yan did was pay a visit to Elder Su Qian. After all, he was still nominally an elder of the academy, even if he had only stayed there for a few days in total. Since he had come back, it was only proper to inform the elder.
Su Qian was overjoyed when he heard of Xiao Yan's return and immediately ordered accommodations to be prepared for him and his group. At first, Su Qian thought the women traveling with Xiao Yan were his disciples. He found it odd that Xiao Yan only accepted female students. But upon learning they were all his lovers, the look in his eyes became exceedingly strange.
If it had been a few years ago, Xiao Yan might have tried to explain himself. But by now, he had grown entirely accustomed to such looks. Being judged a little wouldn't kill him. What was worse was that, thanks to so many people calling him a "loli-con," he'd even started to doubt himself—wondering if he really was into that sort of thing.
Xiao Yan didn't immediately head to the magma world beneath the Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower. Instead, he chose to stay in the academy for a short while, occasionally showing up at the academy's cultivation fields to offer pointers to students, and spending the rest of his time accompanying Zi Yan and the others as they toured the campus.
Now that Xiao Yan had reached the true peak of the Dou Qi continent, he was at the ceiling of the lower realm. If he wanted to continue advancing rapidly, he would have to go to the Great Thousand World. In fact, his recent cultivation had progressed too quickly. What he needed now was time to stabilize his foundation—so he took the opportunity to relax.
After a few days of sightseeing around the academy, the girls began to grow bored, the novelty wearing off. So Xiao Yan finally brought Zi Yan with him to descend into the magma world beneath the tower. That place, being related to Dou Di-level power, couldn't be exposed to too many people. If it weren't for the fact that the one imprisoned there was Zi Yan's father, he wouldn't have brought even her.
Normally, opening the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's cave would require gathering all pieces of the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade. But with Xiao Yan's current strength—already above the Ancient Emperor's former level—and the aid of the Space Ancestral Symbol and the Dragon-Phoenix bloodline, breaking the space seal that had trapped Zhu Kun for thousands of years was as simple as waving a hand.
Zi Yan had been puzzled at first, wondering why Xiao Yan brought her to such a strange place. But the moment she saw the middle-aged man being released, she froze. As the saying goes—blood runs thicker than water. Though they had never met before, they recognized each other's identities at first glance.
While father and daughter were reuniting, Xiao Yan casually looted the entire cave dwelling, taking all its treasures. With his current strength, even refining the Emperor-grade embryonic pill and absorbing all the source energy from the inheritance wouldn't significantly improve him. But he could use them to create two new Dou Di experts.
Xiao Yan's power now far exceeded that of ordinary Dou Di. His sense of the Great Thousand World was growing sharper by the day. If he wanted to, he could tear open the barrier between realms and enter it at any time. However, there were still unfinished matters holding him back, which was why he delayed.
Once he left, the Xiao Family would need a powerful figure to hold the fort and deter enemies. So Xiao Yan planned to wait until Xiao Xuan was resurrected before departing. The ancient inheritance was prepared for Xiao Xuan, who was only one step away from becoming a Dou Di. Once revived, he could use that inheritance to break through instantly.
As for the Emperor-grade embryonic pill, Xiao Yan reserved that for Zhu Kun. After all, on the entire Dou Qi continent, only two or three people were near the Dou Di level. With Hun Tiandi dead and Xiao Xuan yet to revive, only Zhu Kun and Gu Yuan remained—and both were now his fathers-in-law. Though Gu Yuan held the same title, he was far less reliable. Xiao Yan decided to put him on hold for now.
Giving the inheritance to Xiao Xuan and the pill to Zhu Kun was a calculated decision. Xiao Yan understood that breaking through with a pill would always result in a slightly weaker and less enduring foundation than breaking through naturally. That way, even if Zhu Kun ever developed disloyal thoughts, he would be no match for Xiao Xuan. Besides, Xiao Yan had left behind hidden safeguards within the pill, just in case.
Zhu Kun soon figured out what had happened. When he learned that Ancient Dragon Island had fractured during his absence and that the Three Dragon Kings had tried to kill his daughter, he was filled with fury and nearly stormed off to massacre them all—until he found out they had already been dealt with by the Northern Dragon King.
What shocked him more was discovering that his daughter already had a man in her heart… and they had already taken that step. Honestly, he couldn't quite accept it at first and was even planning to make things hard for his future son-in-law.
But the moment he laid eyes on Xiao Yan, he gave up on that idea completely.
'Damn… This guy's aura is even more terrifying than the Ancient Emperor Tuoshe back in his prime. He's definitely a Dou Di… No wonder he could open the cave so easily. If we really fought, I might not even survive one blow. Who's going to make things hard for who here…?'
Not to mention, Zi Yan clearly still held grudges against her father, but when she looked at Xiao Yan, she was all sweet affection. If he dared show the slightest dissatisfaction toward Xiao Yan, she'd probably be the first to turn on him.
As the saying goes—a wise man adapts to circumstances. Zhu Kun was clearly wise. Though he found it strange how Xiao Yan could become a Dou Di without even opening the Emperor's cave, he still treated Xiao Yan with the utmost respect and friendliness.
Xiao Yan didn't harbor any ill will toward this new father-in-law. If he did, he wouldn't have released him. But his real purpose was simply to have the old dragon return to Ancient Dragon Island and manage things on Zi Yan's behalf. After a brief conversation, Xiao Yan subtly suggested that Zhu Kun should head back to the island for now—he and Zi Yan were going on a honeymoon.
Zhu Kun didn't know what a 'honeymoon' was, but judging by Zi Yan's happy, lovestruck expression, he understood that the young couple wanted some alone time. It'd be awkward for him to stick around, so he left.
As for the Emperor-grade embryonic pill, Xiao Yan didn't hand it over immediately. He planned to wait until Xiao Xuan revived and broke through to Dou Di, then let him give it to Zhu Kun. That way, Zhu Kun's breakthrough would occur at least half a year after Xiao Xuan's. The power gap would be maintained, and the gesture could serve as a bridge between the two clans. Both men were cunning—Xiao Yan didn't even need to explain. They would know what to do.
(End of Chapter)
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