The Black-Corner Region.
The mountain ranges surrounding the Inner Academy stretched endlessly, serving as a paradise for countless magical beasts.
Today, a gust of wind that sounded like a dragon's roar suddenly rang out across this desolate, uninhabited region. After a few breaths, a cyan whirlwind came roaring from the distant horizon and stopped in midair.
Immediately afterward, the whirlwind trembled lightly before transforming into countless specks of light that scattered away. The figure of an old man dressed in cyan robes then appeared.
The old man flipped his hand and took out a map, carefully studying it.
After a moment, he raised his head and looked directly toward the southwest, muttering, "The Black-Corner Region, Jia Nan Academy, So it's in that direction? Hmm? This feeling it's Pill Lightning. Old fellow, could it really be you?"
A hint of joy flashed through his eyes. Suppressing the excitement surging within his heart, the old man put away the map.
He then waved his hand, causing violent winds to rise around him. A cyan whirlwind wrapped around the old man, and with a sharp whoosh, it tore through the sky and shot toward the Inner Academy.
"Old fellow, your old friend has come. You really made me search everywhere for you!"
Jia Nan Academy, Inner Academy
The heated Strong Ranking Tournament had already ended more than a month ago.
Deep within a secluded valley in the rear mountains, the clear sky suddenly darkened. Layer upon layer of dark clouds rapidly gathered overhead. Within the clouds, silver lightning could be seen darting about like silver snakes.
"Rumble..."
Low and deep thunder rumbled faintly from within the thick layers of clouds.
The students in the distant Inner Academy sensed the heavy pressure spreading through the area and turned their gazes toward it. However, after seeing the sky covered by dark clouds, they simply turned their attention back.
"Pill Lightning, Another high-grade pill has appeared. Tsk tsk, I never thought we'd actually become accustomed to seeing such a spectacle!"
"Elder Lin Yuan is amazing. As expected of my idol."
"How many times has it been this month. The fourth time, right? Are high-grade pills that attract Pill Lightning really this easy to refine?"
"What are you thinking? It's not that high-grade pills are easy to refine. It's because my idol is amazing."
The students continued discussing the matter while carrying on with whatever they were doing. The sudden appearance of Pill Lightning in the distance did not disrupt their rhythm in the slightest.
During this period, they had already witnessed Pill Lightning too many times and had gradually become accustomed to it.
Meanwhile, within the secluded valley, Su Qian and Yao Chen stood side by side on a mountain cliff, while Xiao Yan quietly stood behind them.
His aura and strength had both improved tremendously compared with a month ago.
A month earlier, Xiao Yan had defeated all the strongest students in the Inner Academy, including Liu Qing and Lin Xiuya, in the Strong Ranking Tournament, successfully claiming first place on the Strong Ranking.
Afterward, he had accepted the tournament reward, the "Origin Heart Flame Body Tempering," which removed all obstacles preventing him from advancing to the Dou King realm. His cultivation had subsequently entered a period of rapid improvement, and he was now only a step away from reaching the Dou King level.
On the Dou Qi Continent, only after reaching the Dou King realm could one truly break away from the masses and initially enter the ranks of the continent's powerful experts.
However, although he was about to complete this step, Xiao Yan was not the slightest bit arrogant.
As for the reason.
He sighed inwardly and shifted his gaze between the thick thunderclouds in the sky and the calm figure of Lin Yuan standing like an immovable mountain on the green stone platform.
Even though Xiao Yan had always been quite confident in himself, a trace of helplessness could not help but flash through his eyes at this moment.
Clearly, his progress during this year at the academy had been astonishingly fast, so why had the gap between his strength and Lin Yuan's not only failed to narrow, but instead continued to widen?
Lin Yuan clearly had no particularly powerful background and no formidable teacher. So why was his progress so unbelievably fast?
According to his master, Lin Yuan was already not far from reaching the six-star Dou Ancestor realm.
Xiao Yan was becoming increasingly aware that Lin Yuan was an opponent of an entirely different level and type from Nalan Yanran.
Just as Xiao Yan was thinking about this, Yao Chen's emotional voice softly rang in his ears.
"Refining two pills in a single batch. It really is a nostalgic sight."
As he spoke, Yao Chen shifted his gaze away from the thunderclouds in the sky and landed on Lin Yuan atop the green stone platform.
A trace of admiration involuntarily rose within his heart.
Lin Yuan's progress in alchemy was visible to the naked eye. He had already begun to develop the extraordinary bearing of a true grandmaster.
With Lin Yuan's alchemy skills having reached their current level, perhaps only a ninth-grade alchemist would be qualified to become his teacher.
As for himself, Yao Chen smiled faintly and suppressed the thought that had quietly emerged within his heart.
At this moment, the immense power within the thunderclouds had also finished accumulating. Wisps of silver electric arcs flowed through the clouds.
Seeing this, Lin Yuan slightly raised his brows, and his clear voice immediately echoed through the secluded valley.
"Great Elder, Brother Xiao, now."
As he spoke, he first flicked his finger.
A dark-silver puppet flashed out from the Nethersea Ring and flew toward the thunderclouds above.
Hearing Lin Yuan's words, Su Qian and Xiao Yan also stirred their minds and released two puppets.
In the next instant, violent silver lightning poured down from the thick thunderclouds like a torrential storm.
"Boom!"
The silver lightning carried an enormous amount of energy as it descended from the sky and collided with the three Heavenly Demon Puppets arranged in a triangular formation, completely enveloping the surrounding area in a sea of lightning.
The lightning transformed into countless tiny electric snakes that seeped into the puppets' bodies, tempering the three puppets.
This frenzied rampage of lightning continued for nearly half an hour before gradually weakening.
As the thunderclouds slowly dispersed, sunlight poured down from the sky, rapidly driving away the darkness that had filled the valley.
The three puppets suspended in midair now glowed with dazzling silver radiance, and their auras had also become considerably stronger than before they endured the Pill Lightning.
After letting out a long breath, Lin Yuan lowered his gaze from the sky and looked at the Ten Thousand Beasts Cauldron before him.
In the next moment, two pills with alternating shades of green and purple shot out from the cauldron and flew rapidly toward the sky.
Seeing this, Lin Yuan gently waved his hand.
Two streams of powerful wind flew out and swept the pills into a jade bottle beside him.
Looking at the exquisite jade bottle floating before him and the swirling pill mist within it, a smile appeared in Lin Yuan's eyes.
After closing his eyes and carefully sensing the pills for a moment, he nodded in satisfaction.
"The quality is excellent, the medicinal power is abundant, and they're both top-grade pills!"
"With this, my task of refining pills for Jia Nan Academy is finally complete."
At this thought, Lin Yuan finally relaxed.
During this month, apart from refining the Demon Poison Spot, he had spent most of his remaining time refining pills.
Today's batch was already the fourth.
During the first batch, he refined the Heaven's Mandate Restoration Pill for Xiao Yixian.
During the second batch, he refined one Origin Pill.
During the third batch, he began refining two pills in a single batch and refined two Origin Pills.
During the fourth batch, he once again refined two pills in a single batch, producing two Origin Pills.
However, although this month had been arduous, the harvest had also been exceptionally substantial. The effort he had put in was completely worthwhile.
Six Seventh-Grade pills, even in the Central Plains, represented an enormous fortune.
With a hearty laugh, Lin Yuan lightly flicked his finger. Two jade bottles containing pills flew out of the Nethersea Ring and floated side by side in front of him. He then casually waved his sleeve, sending a gentle force that carried all four jade bottles over to Su Qian.
"Great Elder, these four Origin Pills are my gift to the academy. I'll leave them in your hands."
Looking at the four pills before him, a trace of excitement appeared in Su Qian's eyes. These four pills were enough to make up for several years, or even a decade, of arduous cultivation.
"You've gone to a lot of trouble, Lin Yuan." He nodded and put the pills into his Storage Ring.
"Hehe, it's nothing!" Lin Yuan replied with an easygoing smile.
At the same time, the three puppets descended from the sky and landed directly in front of the three of them.
At this moment, the three puppets possessed an imposing presence. Each one emitted an aura no weaker than that of a five-star Dou Ancestor. In particular, the one Lin Yuan had brought out possessed an aura that had already reached the level of a six-star Dou Ancestor.
This puppet was none other than the toy Lin Yuan had previously given Zi Yan.
Before Zi Yan broke through, this puppet, which had originally only been at the three-star level, had served as her punching bag. After Zi Yan's breakthrough, she could easily beat the puppet to a pulp.
Thus, Lin Yuan took it back and made some special modifications to it, strengthening it while simultaneously using it to gather Wind Lightning Power.
After putting away his puppet, Lin Yuan looked at Yao Lao and Xiao Yan with a playful smile.
"Senior Yao, Brother Xiao, the puppets have been upgraded. According to our agreement, the two of you owe me a favor now."
"Of course!" Yao Chen nodded, a trace of cunning flashing through his eyes.
Owing Lin Yuan this favor had been intentional on his part. That way, this favor would only possess its greatest value once he, was completely resurrected.
Although Lin Yuan had already agreed to help him resurrect, having another layer of mutual interest would provide an additional guarantee that the other party would fulfill his promise.
After clearing his throat, Yao Chen was just about to say something.
Suddenly, his and Lin Yuan's expressions changed at the same time. They simultaneously looked toward the northeast.
An extremely powerful aura had suddenly appeared within their perception, rapidly approaching from that direction.
A moment later, as though he had recognized the aura, an intense look of joy flashed through Yao Chen's eyes.
"Feng Xian you've finally come…"
Just as Xiao Yan and Su Qian were wondering what was happening, a roar of wind resembling the howl of a dragon suddenly rang out.
"Feng Xian, is that the legendary Venerable Feng…?" Lin Yuan's expression became slightly more solemn as his clear eyes gazed toward the distant horizon.
The moment his voice fell, the continuous roar of wind, resembling a dragon's howl, rapidly thundered closer. Moments later, a massive cyan whirlwind appeared within the sight of everyone in the valley.
As soon as the cyan whirlwind appeared, Yao Lao stared fixedly at it, while the fist hidden within his sleeve suddenly clenched tightly.
At the same time, a sigh that seemed to come from another lifetime echoed throughout the valley.
"Old fellow… I've finally finally found you!"
Before the words had even finished, the cyan whirlwind trembled slightly and dispersed. Immediately afterward, an old man dressed in cyan robes rode a strand of clear wind down from the sky, slowly landing in front of everyone. His eyes were firmly fixed on Yao Lao's somewhat illusory figure.
Looking at his old friend, whose bearing remained unchanged from the past, Yao Lao felt as though he had been transported back to another lifetime, and his heart was filled with countless emotions.
After remaining silent for a long time, all the words in his heart ultimately became a single sentence.
"Feng Xian, to see you again, it's truly wonderful!"
Yao Lao and Xiao Yan left with Venerable Feng.
The two of them had already planned to leave Jia Nan Academy soon, and all the necessary preparations within the academy had already been completed. Venerable Feng had arrived at exactly the right time.
After briefly catching up with Yao Chen, Venerable Feng was given a simple introduction to both sides by Yao Chen. Then, somewhat impatient to leave, Venerable Feng politely declined Su Qian's invitation to stay at the academy as a guest and took Xiao Yan and Yao Chen directly toward the Central Plains.
Retracting his gaze, Lin Yuan looked at Su Qian.
"Great Elder, they've already left. Let's return to the academy."
Su Qian nodded, but he could not help feeling somewhat regretful.
Venerable Feng had been in too much of a hurry to leave, so they had missed the opportunity to gain some benefits from him and have the Two Elders, Qian and Bai, seek his advice on the secrets of breaking through to the Dou Venerable realm.
For the Two Elders, Qian and Bai, compared with the academy's headmaster, whose bloodline originated from the Dou God, the breakthrough experience of an ordinary person like Venerable Feng would be far more valuable as a reference.
Secretly lamenting the missed opportunity, Su Qian slowly withdrew his gaze from the northeast and turned it back toward Lin Yuan. His eyes then fell upon the strange token in Lin Yuan's hand, which bore the character "Star." The black token faintly radiated a starlike glow.
"The Star Token of the Starfall Pavilion. That's quite a generous gesture." Su Qian stroked his beard and said.
"Indeed, it's quite good!" Lin Yuan nodded and chuckled. "Just as the rumors say, Venerable Feng truly carries himself with the bearing of an elder. The way he conducts himself makes people feel as though they are bathing in a spring breeze. However, it's also understandable. After all."
A meaningful look appeared on his face.
"The resurrection of the Venerable Yao still requires me to lend a hand!"
"Then, Lin boy, when do you plan to head to the Central Plains?" Su Qian looked at Lin Yuan with great interest. "If my guess is correct, it should be soon."
"It will be soon." Lin Yuan nodded slightly and said calmly, "I'm waiting for a friend to come."
"A friend?" Su Qian murmured. After thinking for a moment, he said thoughtfully, "Speaking of friends, I have an old friend in the Pill Region. He is something of a local authority there. If you plan to go to the Pill Tower, he might be able to help you."
After a pause, he continued, "However, my old friend has encountered some trouble at home. If it isn't too much trouble, I hope you can help him."
Hearing this, Lin Yuan waved his hand casually.
"Since he's an old friend of the Great Elder, helping him is naturally no problem. Just tell me what happened."
"Thank you. That old friend of mine is from one of the five great families of the Pill Tower, the Ye Clan."
As they spoke, the two of them walked toward the Inner Academy.
High above the azure sky, a fierce wind suddenly erupted.
In the next instant, a massive cyan eagle, carrying a powerful storm, streaked across the sky like lightning. Upon closer inspection, this enormous eagle was not a living creature at all, but was instead condensed from pure Wind Attribute energy.
Yao Chen and Venerable Feng stood atop the eagle's head, quietly reminiscing about the past, while Xiao Yan sat cross-legged on its back, silently cultivating.
Venerable Feng's control over Dou Qi was exceptionally high.
Therefore, although this energy eagle flew at an extremely fast speed, its flight was remarkably stable.
Glancing at Xiao Yan, who was quietly cultivating, Venerable Feng smiled.
"Old fellow, your disciple is quite impressive. He's neither arrogant nor impatient! His luck is pretty good too. At such a young age, he already possesses a Heavenly Flame, not to mention that little girlfriend of his…"
"If it weren't for that little girl, I never would have imagined that you would be in such a remote place."
"You mean Xun'er?" Yao Chen let out a faint sigh. "That girl truly has deep feelings for Little Yan. I hope the two of them can have a good ending."
"That little girl's identity is not simple. The obstacles between the two of them are considerable!"
Venerable Feng sighed, then a teasing look appeared on his face.
"Old fellow, if you want those two to end up together, you, as his master, need to get yourself back on your feet first. You have to completely resurrect yourself before anything else. Speaking of which, how are your preparations for resurrection going?"
As Yao Chen's close friend, Venerable Feng naturally knew about the method for refining a perfect physical body as well as the Flame Mantra.
Thinking of the Flame Mantra, Venerable Feng's voice became somewhat more solemn.
"Xiao Yan is cultivating the Flame Mantra, right? You took him to Jia Nan Academy because you were after the Heavenly Flame there? If so it would be best to give up on that idea."
Venerable Feng paused before continuing.
"The Jia Nan Academy of today is truly no longer simple."
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