"You guys are relentless! You forced my hand! Nine Tribulation Heavenly Flame Hand!"
A terrifying Aura surged from Xiao Li's body. He rapidly formed hand seals, then waved his right hand, and a giant purple flaming hand shot towards the three Azure-Eyed Lions.
Roar!
The male Azure-Eyed Lion and the female Azure-Eyed Lion naturally sensed the terror of Xiao Li's attack. To protect their cub, they charged forward without hesitation.
"Bye-bye, now!"
Xiao Li popped two Qi Recovery Pills to quickly restore his Dou Qi and immediately fled. Although that attack could injure the Azure-Eyed Lions, the damage wouldn't be fatal. Demonic Beasts have incredibly strong Physical Bodies.
Xiao Li planned to use that move to make a quick escape. Two Rank 4 Demonic Beasts, one of which was at the Peak of Rank 4—only a fool would fight them to the death.
Xiao Li vanished in a gust of wind… After running for an unknown amount of time, Xiao Li circled around the Magical Beast Mountain Range. After all, some Demonic Beasts have very sensitive senses of smell, so leaving more scents behind would confuse them.
Xiao Li, who had been Cultivating in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, had naturally set up an Immortal Cave. He scattered many Demonic Beast-repelling powders around the Immortal Cave.
"Phew~ Finally, I can rest for a bit." Xiao Li dragged his exhausted body into the Immortal Cave.
"Yo! Lier is back? Why are you in such a sorry state?" An unharmonious, teasing voice came. It was Old Wang, who was currently grilling fish.
"Heh heh, I don't feel like talking! Hmm? Who is this Senior?" Xiao Li then noticed an Old Man sitting beside Old Wang.
The Old Man wore a very simple white robe and had long, snow-white hair, exuding an ethereal and elegant Aura of a hermit. He looked slightly younger than Old Wang.
"Haha, Lier, your master will introduce you. This is the Sect Master of the Cloud Mist Sect, Yun Shan! Yun Shan is an old friend of your master. I happened to run into him today and dragged him along to chat with this Old Man."
Old Wang pointed at Yun Shan and said with a smile.
"Xiao Li greets Sect Leader Yun." Xiao Li cupped his hands towards Yun Shan, showing his respect.
"Hmm~ Old Wang! Is this your Disciple? So young, yet his Cultivation has reached such a Realm? Truly, the younger generation is formidable."
Yun Shan scrutinized Xiao Li, and upon seeing his Cultivation, he was quite surprised. This young man looked only a year or two older than his own Disciple, yet his Cultivation was several major Realms higher.
"Heh heh, this Old Man's lifelong collection has all been poured into Lier, just like that girl in your family. Don't you also invest all your heart and soul into her?
That girl was only a Dou Practitioner, yet you brought her to the Magical Beast Mountain Range to Cultivate." Old Wang stroked his beard and chuckled.
Yun Shan hadn't expected Wang Ming to go to such lengths for this young fellow! A Sixth-Rank Alchemist's lifelong collection—who knew how many good things it contained.
"Young fellow, since you are Old Wang's Disciple, don't be so formal. In private, don't call me Sect Leader Yun; just call me Old Yun."
Yun Shan said with a warm smile, his words giving people a feeling of being bathed in spring breeze.
"Old Yun!" Xiao Li cupped his hands again. This young fellow must be thorough with his etiquette. After all, he was only in the lowest, ant-like Realm among the three major Realms.
Where bowing is due, bow. Too much courtesy is never a fault, right? He wasn't like Xiao Yan, that stubborn fellow. Lying low helps prolong life.
"Hmm~ Young fellow, sit!" Yun Shan was quite pleased with Xiao Li. Excellent Cultivation and impeccable manners—which Elder wouldn't like that?
Yun Shan looked at Wang Ming: "Old Wang? Since this young fellow is your Disciple, he must also be an Alchemist, right? Let me guess, he is currently a Rank 2 Alchemist, correct?"
Old Wang stroked his beard and shook his head.
"Could he be a Rank 3 Alchemist? Or is he not an Alchemist at all?" Yun Shan was baffled by Wang Ming.
Old Wang chuckled: "My Disciple is now a Peak Rank 4 Alchemist. He is capable of refining the Purple Heart Barrier Breaking Pill! And his success rate is around seventy percent."
Hiss—
Yun Shan gasped. Not to mention having the strength of a Nine-star Great Dou Master at such a young age, he also possessed such an amazing talent in alchemy. Such a Genius, even in the Central Plains, the gathering place of Geniuses, it would be difficult to find such a young fellow.
"Lier, are you hungry? Here! The fish your master grilled." Old Wang handed the grilled fish to Xiao Li.
Xiao Li took the grilled fish and began to devour it. Although at his Realm he could go without food for days, he still needed to satisfy his appetite.
After finishing the grilled fish, Xiao Li began to meditate. He formed the Cultivation hand seals, crossed his legs, and entered a Cultivation state.
"This child is diligent. With such talent and diligence, he will surely achieve great things in the future." Yun Shan sighed.
He was not an ignorant person and had seen many Geniuses, but people as diligent and hardworking as Xiao Li were few and far between. Hmm~ his own Disciple was also diligent. Although her talent couldn't compare to this young man, it would be easy for her to surpass this Old Man in the future.
Thump thump thump—
Footsteps suddenly came from the cave entrance. A young girl walked in.
The young girl wore a plain cyan dress, holding a somewhat peculiar long sword that emitted a cyan glow. Her black hair was styled into a noble Phoenix headdress. Her beautiful face was calm and serene. Although she was young, she exuded a hint of grace and nobility.
"Teacher, Old Wang, I'm back!"
This young girl was Yun Yun. She was fourteen years old and already a Five-star Dou Practitioner.
"Yun'er, you must be tired, sit down!" Yun Shan's face showed tenderness when he saw Yun Yun return. It had been several years since he picked up Yun Yun. The little girl was very pitiful, an orphan, and Yun Shan, unable to bear seeing her starve or freeze to death, adopted her.
Later, Yun Yun displayed extraordinary talent, and Yun Shan decided to take her as his Disciple to train her to become the Young Sect Master of the Cloud Mist Sect.
"Heh heh, little girl, you've done well! From a Four-star Dou Practitioner to a Five-star. You'll be much more formidable than your master in the future!" Wang Ming looked at Yun Yun with satisfaction.
"Old Wang, you flatter me. Everything Yun Yun has was given by Teacher. By the way, who is this?"
As soon as Yun Yun entered the cave, she noticed the young man Cultivating against the wall. The young man looked to be about her age, but the Aura he exuded was similar to that of the Elders in the Sect. 'Could he be a Great Dou Master? Forget it, I won't think about it. Time to Cultivate.'
"Ah, him, he is my Disciple, named Xiao Li, the young master of the Xiao Family in the Imperial Capital. He is currently following me in Cultivation and just returned today. You young people can interact more."
Wang Ming said with a chuckle, and it seemed he had a hidden meaning in his words.
Yun Shan naturally noticed the hidden meaning in Wang Ming's words. As an Old Father, seeing Xiao Li's face immediately made him unhappy.
However, given Xiao Li's talent and his talent in alchemy, if he were to marry Yun'er, it might be acceptable. Becoming a Peak Rank 4 Alchemist at fifteen—wouldn't becoming a Sixth-Rank Alchemist in the future be a sure thing?
Yun Shan was already a Seven-star Dou Huang. In the future, reaching the Peak of Dou Huang and wanting to break into the Dou Zong Realm would certainly be incredibly difficult. If he could obtain a Break-Sect Pill, Yun Shan believed his chances would be much greater.
Moreover, if Yun'er had an Alchemist husband, she could go much further in the future.
"Xiao Li?" Yun Yun murmured, then she gazed at the young man who was Cultivating.
'He's quite handsome. Why do I feel an Elder's Aura from him? Could he be a Great Dou Master? Never mind, I won't think about it. Cultivate, Cultivate.'