Later that evening, Xiao Ming and Ying Huanhuan slowly descended the hill, with the latter's aura still somewhat unstable.
"Master, why did you put the Ancestral Stone back again? It's the second-ranked divine item on the Ancient Divine Item List! Are you really just letting it go like that?" Ying Huanhuan's face was filled with distress.
Such a waste! This Master of hers was really too extravagant! If he didn't want it, he could have just given it to her. She wouldn't have minded at all!
"The Ancestral Stone places a heavy emphasis on compatibility. If the compatibility isn't high, taking it won't be of much use," Xiao Ming said indifferently.
The Ancestral Stone was of no use to him, and likewise, it wouldn't be of much use to Ying Huanhuan either. Furthermore, he gained a deep understanding of the Symbol Master profession by studying the Ancestral Stone, a culmination of the Symbol Ancestor's thoughts. He could eventually create his own Ancestral Stone if he so desired. Therefore, he decided to put it back.
Ying Huanhuan shook her head in disbelief. Even if their compatibility wasn't high, he could have let someone else try instead of just leaving it behind, right?
Wasn't she supposed to be the capricious one here? Why did her Master's actions seem even more capricious than hers?
Lost in thought but continuing her steps, Ying Huanhuan followed Xiao Ming down from the top of the cliff. By the time they reached the middle of the hill, they had come upon some familiar faces.
"Big Brother, you're coming down the hill!"
Xiao Ming and Ying Huanhuan heard the call and turned around to see the young boy they had met earlier, Lin Dong. He was wearing training clothes and practicing martial arts with his father, Lin Xiao, while Qing Tan was sitting not far away.
Upon noticing Xiao Ming and Ying Huanhuan, the father and son duo stopped their martial arts practice, and Qing Tan quickly ran over to them.
"Mr. Xiao, did you find what you were looking for?" Lin Xiao asked curiously.
"Fortunately, I did," Xiao Ming replied with a light laugh.
"In that case, I would like to congratulate Mr. Xiao. By the way, Mr. Xiao, you lent a helping hand this morning, and I haven't had a chance to thank you properly. Please, come to my humble abode. I would like to host a small banquet in your honor."
Xiao Ming was a bit surprised by the sudden warmth in Lin Xiao's tone. This morning, Lin Xiao had been as cautious as if he were guarding against a thief. Now, he had become so hospitable all of a sudden?
In the midst of his surprise, Xiao Ming noticed Lin Xiao glancing at Qing Tan, whose cheeks were flushed, and the happy expression on Lin Dong's face. He had a hint of understanding in his mind. However, he still chose not to accept the invitation.
"The sky is getting dark, and it might be inconvenient."
"It's alright. You're welcome to stay at my humble abode, Mr. Xiao," Lin Xiao insisted.
"Brother Lin, if you have something to say, just say it straight out."
Lin Xiao's face showed a hint of embarrassment. Back when he was considered a genius, others used to flatter him. That's why he wasn't very good at dealing with people. He hadn't expected that his ulterior motives would be so transparent and easy to see through.
In truth, if he had a choice, he would rather not get involved with Xiao Ming at all. However, he couldn't resist Lin Dong and his wife's heartfelt concern for Qing Tan. Therefore, he had been waiting for Xiao Ming on this inevitable path for quite some time.
Lin Xiao cleared his throat to conceal his embarrassment and continued, "Actually, it's related to our little daughter Qing Tan's constitution. We live in a remote area and have no understanding of her unique constitution. We also don't have the means to treat her condition. That is why I would like to ask Mr. Xiao for some assistance."
"Qing Tan's constitution?" Xiao Ming tilted his head and observed Qing Tan, recalling her background information.
Qing Tan originally came from the Great Thousand World. She had arrived on the Tian Xuan Continent as a baby under unknown circumstances and was adopted by the Lin family, where she was named Qing Tan. She possessed an extremely rare and powerful Yin-natured body constitution known as the Terminus Devil Body.
This Terminus Devil Body was an extremely dominant Yin-natured constitution that repelled any Yang Energy from existing within it.
Furthermore, this body constitution continuously absorbed the Yin Energy from the world around her. Only after condensing a Yin Dan could she gradually control the Terminus Devil Energy within her body. Until then, she would frequently suffer from the backlash of this Yin Energy.
This was the reason why Qing Tan would periodically experience outbreaks of intense pain caused by a kind of Grade 5 Yin Energy every now and then.
However, if she could master this accumulated demonic Yin Energy that had been gathering for over a decade, she would possess an unparalleled foundation for cultivation.
Had Xiao Ming not yet risen to power, he would have placed great importance on Qing Tan's constitution and might even have personally intervened to take her under his wing, just as he had done with Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin back then.
However, Xiao Ming was now more interested in Qing Tan's identity as a person from the Great Thousand World. With Qing Tan by his side, he could directly head towards the Great Thousand Plane without taking any detours.
When he had previously wandered through the dimensions with Zhu Kun and others, he had taken several wrong turns. Of course, having Qing Tan with him or not didn't make a huge difference to him. It would just mean taking a longer route.
Lin Xiao, thinking that Xiao Ming's silence was due to a lack of sincerity, bit his lip and continued, "After the matter is settled, all of my family's assets can be handed over to Mr. Xiao. It's not a large sum, but I hope Mr. Xiao won't find it too meager."
Ying Huanhuan almost burst out laughing upon hearing this. Her Master had just casually discarded the second-ranked divine item on the Ancient Divine Item List. He didn't even care about such a thing. Would he be interested in your petty wealth?
Fortunately, Ying Huanhuan knew the occasion was rather serious, so she restrained herself from laughing out loud, thus avoiding making the situation awkward for both parties.
"Brother Lin, you've misunderstood," Xiao Ming waved his hand to indicate that he had no such intentions.
"I was just thinking about the information regarding Qing Tan's special constitution. In fact, it's a top-tier Yin-natured body. The flare-ups of chilling cold are simply due to it not being properly controlled."
Lin Xiao and his family were overjoyed to hear this. Lin Dong, who was especially excited, asked, "Can Big Brother solve this constitution issue?"
"It's not difficult to do so," Xiao Ming explained, "Even removing this constitution is possible. However, since it's a top-tier constitution, I don't recommend doing that. With the right guidance, Qing Tan could break through to the initial Yuan Dan Stage in less than a year. Becoming one of the strongest in this world is only a matter of time."
Lin Dong and Lin Xiao were thrilled by this revelation. They had originally thought that Qing Tan's condition was a disease, but they had never imagined that she was such a great genius!
What was the concept of breaking through the initial Yuan Dan Stage in less than a year?
The most talented person they had heard of was Lin Langtian from the main family.
He started cultivating at the age of 10, broke through to the Tempered Body 9th Layer at 12, entered the Earthly Yuan Stage at 14, advanced to the Heavenly Yuan Stage at 15, and at the age of 20, the Yuan Power in his body exchanged Yin and Yang, and finally succeeded in forming a Dan.
He leaped like a carp transforming into a dragon, becoming one of the rare few in the Great Yan Empire who had ever formed a Yuan Dan before the age of 30!
It was this Lin Langtian who had defeated Lin Xiao in a single move at the clan gathering ten years ago!
Yet Qing Tan could achieve such a feat in merely a year, making her many times more talented than him!
Even if Mr. Xiao's words were somewhat exaggerated, Qing Tan's constitution was undeniably extraordinary.
Xiao Ming was not surprised to see Lin Xiao and his son's keen interest in Qing Tan's potential to reach the initial Yuan Dan Stage that quickly. He had mentioned it that way on purpose. Lin Dong had not yet risen to the top, and their perspective was still limited to the small Qingyang Town. They didn't have much of a concept of higher cultivation stages.
When Qing Tan saw the joyous expressions on the father and son duo, she smiled as well. However, her smile was not for her own happiness. In fact, she didn't particularly enjoy cultivating. She was happy simply because her family was happy.
Lin Dong suppressed his excitement and asked, "Then, can Big Brother take Qing Tan as a disciple?"
He was quite clever not to ask where Qing Tan could find a Master. After all, what would they do if that place was too far away? Instead, he asked directly if Xiao Ming could accept Qing Tan as his disciple. He had a hunch that the extraordinary-looking 'Big Brother' in front of him was an incredibly powerful figure.
Xiao Ming, upon hearing this, subconsciously touched the little head of his first disciple beside him.
'Why does it seem like I came to the Tian Xuan Continent just to accept disciples...'
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