"Whew…"
A light breeze stirred as the group arrived at the Misty Cloud Sect. With the arrival of Xiao Xun'er and the others, Yun Shan, Yun Leng, and the rest were swiftly subdued by the Spear Venerate and his allies. Even the Soul Clan's branch hidden deep within Misty Cloud Mountain was thoroughly purged.
Once everything had settled, Xiao Xun'er and Xiao Yan left the Misty Cloud Sect and made their way together to the Xiao Clan in Wu Tan City.
At the mountain's summit, Yun Yun stood alone at the cliff's edge, gazing at the slowly descending sun in the distance. The golden rays of sunset painted half the sky in radiant hues—resplendent and captivating.
"Yan Xiao… farewell."
She whispered softly, and then—like the light of dusk—her figure vanished, leaving only her fading voice to echo through the world.
At that same moment, Xiao Yan, just having left Misty Cloud Mountain, suddenly felt a strange ripple in his heart. As if sensing something, he turned his head slightly, glancing back.
"Brother Xiao Yan, is something wrong?"
Xiao Xun'er's clear and curious voice chimed from beside him. Xiao Yan awkwardly turned his head back and smiled.
"It's nothing. Let's go."
He gently tousled Xun'er's silky hair, then reached out to take her delicate hand. Staring sweetly at the woman beside him, his eyes shimmered with fading light.
"Farewell, Yun Zhi."
He whispered in his heart. With that, Xiao Yan and his companions resumed their journey without pause.
As the affair concluded, Hai Bodong and the others also parted ways with Xiao Yan. Before leaving, Hai Bodong gave Xiao Yan a pat on the shoulder, a strange feeling rising in his chest—as if this farewell might be their last.
"Sigh… if you ever get the chance, come back and visit."
He sighed. Although their time together had been short, they had shared trials and tribulations, forming a bond like lifelong friends.
"Elder Hai, take care. I'll be back."
Xiao Yan replied earnestly. Then he and Xiao Xun'er continued on their path home.
Standing at the city gates of the empire, Hai Bodong watched them depart, their figures growing smaller in the distance. In his eyes, it was as if a vast, boundless road stretched out before them.
"I hope we meet again in this life…"
He murmured to himself, before turning back with a hint of desolation. Beside him walked the elder Miteer and Jia Xingtian.
Half a day later.
Xiao Xun'er, wishing to spend more time with Xiao Yan, didn't rush to fly back. Instead, she suggested they travel by foot—enjoying the mountains and rivers along the way.
The Spear Venerate and other elders raised no objections. They followed leisurely behind Xiao Yan's group, treating it as a much-needed break.
"Xun'er, over these past few years… your cultivation?"
As they walked side by side, already having left the Jia Ma Empire's capital behind, Xiao Yan could no longer suppress the doubt and curiosity building in his heart.
Foremost on his mind was Xiao Xun'er's strength. Earlier, she had walked through the air—an ability marking a Dou Ancestor. He had held his tongue before, but now he couldn't help asking.
"Oh, Brother Xiao Yan, I'm a Dou Venerate now."
Xiao Xun'er smiled sweetly at his question and gave him a playful wink.
"Teacher said you'd better hurry and work hard, or else if I get bullied, you won't be able to protect me anymore."
She leaned forward, her arms wrapped around Xiao Yan's shoulders, cheeks blushing as she spoke softly with shy affection.
"Oh… oh…"
Xiao Yan could only blink blankly in response, his mind struck as if by thunder. His thoughts crashed into disarray, completely stunned.
A Dou Venerate!? It had only been three years… and she had advanced all the way to Dou Venerate!?
This speed—wasn't it faster than riding a rocket!?
Xiao Yan had thought that rising to a Two-Star Dou Grandmaster in three years was already astonishing progress. But now… he felt like a snail in comparison.
He looked deeply at the woman beside him, still feeling a sense of disbelief. What even was this?
My girlfriend's a Dou Venerate?
No—my girlfriend's a big-shot Dou Venerate!?
Xiao Yan felt his mind go blank. He realized his own efforts weren't enough. Maybe he needed some outside help…
"Teacher… have you ever seen someone go from Dou Disciple to Dou Venerate in three years?"
Cough… cough cough…
Only a few soft coughs echoed in his mind, followed by complete silence. Xiao Yan blinked, puzzled by the non-response.
"Brother Xiao Yan, don't worry. As long as you return to the sect with me, Teacher can help you break through quickly."
Noticing his unease, Xiao Xun'er smiled gently, her voice comforting and full of understanding.
"What? Really? How?"
The word "breakthrough" made Xiao Yan cry out in surprise. Xun'er's cultivation level had truly given him enormous pressure—their gap was like heaven and earth.
"Here, this."
Xun'er's right hand flashed, and from her storage ring appeared a milky-white pill. Engraved with nine golden lines and surrounded by a radiant aura of eight-colored lightning, the pill released a faint fragrance the moment it appeared.
Just inhaling that aroma made Xiao Yan's Dou Qi boil. His One-Star Dou Grandmaster cultivation surged instantly, breaking through to Two-Star on the spot!
"What kind of pill is this?!"
Xiao Yan managed to choke back his shock. The pill's medicinal power was simply terrifying—just smelling it had pushed him to break through.
"A nine-marked, eight-colored Thunder Pill… That's impossible!"
Yao Lao's voice suddenly rang out in his mind, filled with disbelief. A surge of soul force burst uncontrollably from within Xiao Yan, trying to examine the pill closely.
"Teacher…"
Xiao Yan gasped, eyes glued to the pill in Xun'er's hand. As an alchemist himself, he couldn't even identify the grade of the pill before him.
But judging by Yao Lao's reaction, this pill was anything but ordinary.
"This… this can't be real! How can a pill like this exist in this world?!"
Yao Lao murmured over and over, stunned beyond words. His strength might not be the greatest, but when it came to alchemy, few on the continent could rival him.
Yet this pill shattered his understanding entirely.
Pill marks only appeared when a pill had been refined to its absolute peak. Each line symbolized power far beyond the norm. A pill with nine lines represented medicinal potency at its pinnacle.
Usually, such marks only appeared on low-grade pills—simple in both composition and refinement. A skilled alchemist could occasionally extract pill lines from these.
Yao Lao had succeeded once himself, but it was incredibly rare.
And yet… this pill before him not only bore nine marks, but also eight-colored pill lightning—a phenomenon associated with Eight-Tier pills undergoing tribulation!
An Eight-Tier pill with both peak refinement and tribulation-level potency?
Even a Nine-Tier Mysterious Pill might pale in comparison!
Yao Lao slowly withdrew his soul force from Xiao Yan's body, letting out a long, weary sigh.
"…Sigh, it seems I truly have grown old."
-------
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my Patreon ——— patreon(.)com/igotneonlight [remove the parenthesis ( )]