Chapter 118: Consuming the Dou Ling Dan, Reaching Nine-Star Dou Wang!
Upon hearing Xiao Ze's affirmative response, all the elders showed great joy. Compared to the temperamental Huo Laotou of the alchemy department, Xiao Ze's willingness to make pills was a huge relief for them.
"Of course, Xiao Ze, do your best," said the thin elder, forcing a stiff smile. Normally, he had a severe expression, so his attempt to smile looked strained.
"In that case, elders, please take your ingredients back. I will prioritize making pills for Elder Lin and the others first," said Xiao Ze, bowing to the elders before returning to his training room.
The elders looked at each other, puzzled.
"Is Xiao Ze going to seclude himself again?"
"With that level of dedication and talent, it's no wonder he has achieved such accomplishments."
"Xiao Ze is terrifyingly impressive. His future won't be limited to this northwest continent."
The elders sighed, impressed by Xiao Ze's fervor for training.
After their comments, all eyes focused on Elder Lin, who held a Dou Ling Dan made by Xiao Ze.
"Old Lin, take out that Dou Ling Dan and let us see it," said one of the elders. Lin didn't hesitate, opening the bottle and letting a pearly, shining Dou Ling Dan drop out. The aroma of the pill filled the air around the elders, who inhaled deeply, feeling rejuvenated.
Additionally, the Dou Ling Dan emitted a faint pulse of energy.
"This quality is excellent!"
"I can't believe Xiao Ze's pill-making skills have reached this level!"
"It's clear that making the Dou Ling Dan wasn't a matter of luck; he truly has the talent!"
The elders looked at Lin with envy. Even those who had helped Xiao Ze felt the same, regretting not speaking to him first, thinking that Dou Ling Dan could have been theirs.
Lin, noticing the envious glances around him, smiled and placed the pill back in the bottle. "How lucky I am! I'm going to break through my years-long stagnation," he said, shaking the bottle in a showy gesture before leaving.
"If we had known Xiao Ze earlier, we wouldn't have to see Lin being so boastful."
"Xiao Ze is truly admirable. Despite his age and being at the Dou Wang level, he is not arrogant at all, but kind and respectful."
"And the most incredible thing is that, being an alchemist, he doesn't have that typical arrogance of others."
The elders continued to praise Xiao Ze, not intending to flatter him since they were sure he couldn't hear them from his closed room. They were simply impressed by what they had witnessed.
Meanwhile, Xiao Ze, content, was reviewing the ingredients he had received. "I definitely couldn't have gathered so many ingredients on my own. The accumulation of ingredients by the Inner Academy over the years is incredible. Probably, the elders collected them on their own, hoping to find a capable alchemist."
With this confirmation, Xiao Ze decided to make the most of it and not disappoint the elders. "I will prioritize making the Dou Ling Dan for the elders who have helped me. With my success rate, I will need ten batches of ingredients for five pills."
Thus, Xiao Ze continued his routine of training and pill-making. Time seemed to fly as he immersed himself in his work.
The constant practice with high-level pills accelerated his progress, as such opportunities were rare. "Finally, I finished the Dou Ling Dan for the elders."
After delivering the pills, Xiao Ze returned to his training room, taking out the best Dou Ling Dan he had made. "The best things should be kept for oneself."
He headed to his training platform, not rushing to consume the pill, and concentrated on his spiritual space. The Source Tree was growing strong, already reaching eighty meters, absorbing energy from the space.
He knew that his training speed was astonishing, rivaling that of Xiao Yan after obtaining the Fallen Heart Flame. He thought about the possibility that, as he advanced in levels, his spiritual space would expand even more, improving his cultivation speed.
Determined, Xiao Ze consumed the Dou Ling Dan. The powerful energy of the pill flowed into his spiritual space, nourishing the Source Tree and making it grow even more. Soon, his aura intensified, and the Source Tree reached ninety meters.
"Nine-Star Dou Wang... now I must prepare to reach the Dou Huang level!"
He reflected on his time at the academy and decided it was time to return to the Xiao family.
"After so much time, I must return and visit the Xiao family."
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Chapter 119: Back Home!
After making his decision, Xiao Ze began preparing to return to the Jia Ma Empire.
Xiao Xun Er, after returning to the Ancient Family, has rapidly progressed in her power. She is probably about to advance to the Dou Wang level, having been stuck at the ninth star of Dou Ling for a long time.
Whenever someone in his circle reaches a significant level, Xiao Ze gets the opportunity to link to them. When Xun Er advances to Dou Wang, he will have two accumulated linking opportunities.
The first objective upon returning to the Jia Ma Empire is to use these linking opportunities, as they are key to his power growth.
In the Jia Ma Empire, an individual with exceptional talent is Qing Lin from Desert Stone City. Xiao Ze is concerned because Medusa has not yet evolved through the Blue Lotus Flame. Therefore, he cannot link with the lineage of the Devouring Rainbow Serpent.
"Well, that can wait. Plans don't always go as expected. The main thing now is to use the linking opportunities I have."
"Qing Lin's Three-Flowered Green Snake Eyes have great power over snake-type magical beasts. I just need to recruit her so she can slowly absorb the strength of these beasts."
"This is the main reason why Qing Lin can keep up with Xiao Yan's terrifying cultivation speed."
Another important task is to resolve the Xiao family's problems. Xiao Ze plans to relocate the Xiao family to prepare for any eventuality.
On one hand, he wants to cut off any investigation the Hall of Souls might be conducting in the Jia Ma Empire to find the Ancient Emperor Flame. This should buy them some time.
On the other hand, he wants to relocate the Xiao family because he cannot always be there to protect them. With Xiao Yan's propensity to get into trouble, it's likely to attract the attention of some powerful force. If neither he nor Xiao Yan are present, any first or second-tier force in the Jia Ma Empire could crush the Xiao family.
Therefore, Xiao Ze plans to move the Xiao family to Jia Nan City. With the protection of Jia Nan Academy, their safety would be guaranteed. Additionally, being in the Black Corner Territory, the information is so confusing that it would be difficult for the Hall of Souls to track anything.
Xiao Ze has been making Dou Ling pills for many elders of the academy. When he mentions his plan, the academy elders will probably not hesitate to help the Xiao family. With so many Dou Wangs looking after the family, their survival in Jia Nan City would be much easier.
And if the Xiao family doesn't want to move? That's ridiculous! The Xiao family already had to flee from the Central Region in the past, so moving again to avoid trouble shouldn't be an issue.
Convincing the Xiao family will be easy. He just needs to show a bit of his Dou Wang power to gain maximum authority within the family. Then, he will explain the external threat, and they will understand they need to leave immediately.
These are the two main tasks Xiao Ze must tackle upon returning to the Jia Ma Empire. However, the details will have to be resolved once he is there.
First, he asked the Great Elder for permission to leave and then asked Xiao Yi Xian if she wanted to accompany him to the Jia Ma Empire.
The Great Elder was very understanding of Xiao Ze's leave request. After all, Xiao Ze hadn't returned to his family in two years, so it was understandable that he wanted to visit home. Moreover, as an elder of the academy, he wasn't as restricted as the students.
Even if Xiao Ze wanted to take a few years to travel the continent, the Great Elder wouldn't stop him. He knew that talents like Xiao Ze don't fully develop if they always stay in the academy.
Xiao Yi Xian was delighted to be able to return to the Jia Ma Empire, as it is the place where she was born. She wanted to visit Qing Shan Town, although she was a bit disillusioned with the Thousand Medicines Hall. Still, she had some memories of that place.
When Zi Yan learned that Xiao Ze was going back to the Jia Ma Empire, she insisted on going with him.
"No problem with you coming along. The Jia Ma Empire doesn't have as many restrictions as the academy."
"But who will make pills for me if you go?" Zi Yan asked with her big, bright eyes.
"You glutton! I'll prepare a good amount of pills for you before I leave. You'll keep them and eat them slowly." Xiao Ze patted her head. With that promise, Zi Yan was happy.
"Perfect! But come back soon, I don't want to have to eat those horrible herbs again."
Thus, Xiao Ze and Xiao Yi Xian set off for the Jia Ma Empire. Thanks to Xiao Ze, Xiao Yi Xian's leave was approved quickly.
They left Jia Nan City, traversed a primordial forest, and reached the border between Jia Nan Academy and the Black Corner Territory: Peace Town.
"Time flies. The last time I was here was two years ago," Xiao Yi Xian commented while looking at Peace Town. With the academy uniform, the town guards didn't bother her. However, Xiao Ze caught the guards' attention.
But when he showed his elder's badge, the guards bowed respectfully.
"Greetings, Elder Xiao!"
With the guards watching them leave, Xiao Ze and Xiao Yi Xian donned black cloaks and ventured into the Black Corner Territory.
"The name Xiao Ze sounds familiar."
"He's the student who broke all those records! Isn't he?"
"Has he become an elder?"
The guards were astonished to recall Xiao Ze's story.
Using their Dou Qi wings, Xiao Ze flew with Xiao Yi Xian in his arms at high speed.
"Xiao Ze, we've been traveling for days. Could we rest in some town?" Xiao Yi Xian said while fixing her hair, tousled by the wind.
"Sure, I've detected a small town nearby."
They landed on a hill and headed toward the town.
At the entrance, Xiao Ze looked up and read the sign: "Hu Sha City."
"Imposing name," Xiao Ze commented, though in his perception, the strongest fighter in the city was just a Dou Ling.
They paid the entrance fee and entered the city.
Ah!
As soon as they entered, they heard a scream and saw a man being decapitated.
"What a friendly place the Black Corner Territory is," Xiao Ze commented sarcastically, ignoring the incident while leading Xiao Yi Xian to an inn.
Their black cloaks made the townsfolk cautious. They didn't dare attack without more information.
In the inn, Xiao Ze poured the tea onto the ground, where it began to emit steam.
"Seems they mistook us for easy prey."
Xiao Ze's eyes gleamed coldly. He didn't plan to be lenient. In the Black Corner Territory, he didn't need to hold back.
Xiao Yi Xian dipped a finger into the teacup and then shook it off.
"Deadly poison. Even for a Dou Shi, this would be lethal."
"Let's meet who's behind this," Xiao Ze opened the door, extended his hand, and pulled a man from a corner.
"I'll only ask you once, who sent you?"
The man, struggling to breathe, barely managed to respond.
"It... it's the Hu Sha Band!"
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