(Thirty-Four) Accepting a Disciple

Xiao Yan was listless and dispirited.

It wasn't just because of the backlash from the Heavenly Fire Three Profound Transformations; in fact, as Xiao Yan's control over several Heavenly Flames continued to improve, the backlash from the Heavenly Fire Three Profound Transformations had become much smaller.

The main problem is the Heavenly Wrath Soul Breaking Finger. This Heaven-tier Low-grade Dou Technique consumes too much energy, even Six-Star Dou Zun would find it difficult to maintain, let alone Xiao Yan, who had to forcefully raise his cultivation level.

At this moment, Xiao Yan was already in a weakened state, and it was likely that any Dou Zun Xiao Yan could put him in a difficult battle.

But Xiao Yan remained completely calm when facing the Eighth and Ninth Heavenly Venerates.

The Pill Tower is indeed unable to maintain the existence of the Pill Realm, but this does not mean that the Pill Tower does not have dedicated personnel to maintain the Pill Realm.

This time, in particular, there were an unusually large number of shady characters participating in the Pill Gathering.

Xiao Yan's Heavenly Wrath Soul Breaking Finger caused great damage to the space of the Pill Realm. It was because of this that Xuan Kongzi, one of the Pill Tower Three Greats, ran in through the Space Rift.

He was standing behind the Eighth and Ninth Heavenly Venerates with a deep, melancholy gaze.

This is why Xiao Yan wasn't flustered.

Xuan Kongzi was at the Peak Dou Zun and had embarked on the path to becoming Half-Saint. Xiao Yan was not sure of the exact number of transformations he had undergone, but the Eighth and Ninth Heavenly Venerates Venerables truly did not have a chance to react and were killed on the spot by Xuan Kongzi.

If it weren't for concerns that the aftershocks of the battle would harm too many participants and further damage the Pill Realm, Xuan Kongzi would probably have captured the Eighth and Ninth Heavenly Venerates alive.

Xuan Kongzi arrived and left quickly, without exchanging pleasantries with Xiao Yan or looking after his disciple Cao Ying, maintaining a completely businesslike attitude.

However, they did give each person present a replacement Space Stone.

This is understandable, given that the Pill Gathering made such a big mistake, allowing the Soul Hall to enter. There might be other compensation later.

The Soul Hall members were all wiped out, and Yao Xingji received timely medical treatment. The Yan Clan kept a low profile, leaving Xiao Yan with nothing to do for a while.

After collecting Medicinal Herbs required by the Pill Tower, Xiao Yan still had nine days of free time—his strength was among the top of all the participants.

Xiao Yan also tried to find rare and precious materials in the Pill Realm. He came to several areas with the most abundant World Energy, but the situation was not much different from that of the Myriad Medicine Mountain Range. The best items were only things that could help Mortal Realm soul break through to the Spirit Realm or the Early Spirit Realm. They were completely out of Xiao Yan's sight.

Since there weren't many good things in the Pill Realm, Xiao Yan stopped wasting time and energy and arrived at the exit first, using the Life Spirit Flame to regulate his body.

As for Gu Xing, she also gave up the opportunity to explore and obediently followed Xiao Yan.

The exit of the Pill Realm is in a region to the north.

Unlike Xiao Yan, the Alchemist participating in the Pill Gathering were generally of the Sixth Grade or seventh rank, and most of them were at the Dou Ancestor realm. For them, ten days was a relatively tight timeframe.

If someone is lucky enough to complete the requirements of the Pill Tower ahead of schedule, there are many who would like to explore for a couple more days.

Therefore, it wasn't until the last two days that a dense crowd of people began to gather at the exit from all parts of the Pill Realm.

According to the rules, if a participant has not reached the exit by the time the Pill Realm closes, they will be disqualified from the competition.

The elders of the Pill Tower wouldn't even leave the door open; instead, they would simply close the exit and lead the contestants out first.

During this period, even the Space Stone will become useless. If you are targeted by Magical Beast in the Pill Realm and your life is in danger, you will have no way out.

Only after two days, once the Pill Tower has settled all the participants, will it send powerful figures into the Pill Realm to retrieve those who are still lingering there.

Therefore, for their own safety, even those who had not collected any Medicinal Herbs would reserve a last bit of time and rush towards the exit in a great hurry.

The power of the Life Spirit Flame is undeniable. After several days of recuperation, Xiao Yan has fully recovered from his injuries and even has some free time to squint and observe the contestants who are rushing to the scene.

It seemed that Song Qing and Cao Ying had separated. Song Qing arrived first and then searched for Cao Ying in the square where the contestants were gathered. After searching for a while, Cao Ying finally arrived late.

Song Qing naturally went to greet her, wanting to mend his relationship with Cao Ying. However, the hardships they had gone through had made Cao Ying see Song Qing's true nature, and now she had no respect for her senior brother Song Qing whatsoever.

Besides these two, Xiao Yan also set his sights on a timid woman.

It was a petite girl with a timid expression, hiding behind a tall man; the two seemed to be siblings.

Putting aside the girl's appearance, what truly attracted Xiao Yan's attention was that when his Soul Power swept over her, he could feel a strange and seemingly uncontrollable suction force that directly devoured Xiao Yan Soul Power.

This suction force has no effect on Dou Qi; it is specifically targeted at the soul.

At the same time, seemingly as a side effect of this suction force, the girl's body was very delicate.

The girl seemed to sense the Soul Power emanating from Xiao Yan as well, a hint of confusion appearing in her eyes. She then quickly locked onto the source of the Soul Power and met Xiao Yan's gaze.

However, the girl was extremely shy. After noticing that Xiao Yan was also looking at her, she immediately hid behind the man, avoiding Xiao Yan gaze.

"She's a problem girl..."

Xiao Yan stroked his chin, but he didn't intend to give up. He flashed and arrived in front of the girl.

"Want to be friends?" Xiao Yan said, taking out a Pills.

The man was startled, clearly not realizing how Xiao Yan had suddenly appeared in front of him. Almost instinctively, he shifted his position to block the girl before looking at the Jade Bottle in Xiao Yan's hand.

"Ahem, one cannot accept a reward without merit. If it's just about making friends, why would you need to offer such precious Pills?" The man's eyes held a hint of suspicion, clearly not believing Xiao Yan's words and thinking that Xiao Yan might have taken a liking to his sister.

"Precious?" Xiao Yan was slightly taken aback, then turned to look at Gu Xing, who was hurriedly catching up beside him, and asked, "Is the Sect Breaking Pill very precious?"

"Hmm... For the young master, this might be the lowest-grade Pills he possesses, but in the Central Continent, the Sect Breaking Pill is at least a peak Sixth Grade Pills. Its refining difficulty is comparable to some low-grade seventh-grade Pills, and it can increase the chances of Peak Dou Emperor breaking through to Dou Zong. Overall, it is indeed precious," Gu Xing said, carefully choosing his words.

The man's gaze gradually became strange; he began to doubt his own ears.

"I see..." Xiao Yan put away the Pills, and after confirming that he had left an indelible impression on this man, he continued, "May I ask which faction you two belong to?"

"... Dan Family, Dan Xuan, my younger sister Dan Chen." The man hesitated for a moment before introducing her.

Frankly speaking, as an outstanding member of the Dan Family, one of the Pill Tower Five Great Families, Dan Xuan considers himself to be quite well-known.

But the young man in front of him, who seemed to lack common sense, had an aura that Dan Xuan couldn't quite fathom. He seemed to be a core descendant of some reclusive family, who had been secluded since childhood and had only recently been released to participate in the competition for the Three Thousand Burning Flame.

After all, the allure of Heavenly Flames is undeniable.

"Xiao Yan of the Gu Clan, One-Star Dou Zun, and Eighth Grade High-level Alchemist." Xiao Yan also briefly introduced himself.

As expected, Dan Xuan's eyes widened instantly, and he began to doubt his ears again.

Dan Xuan was only Seventh Grade High-level Alchemist, his sister was only at the initial Eighth Grade, and the Dan Family Ancestor had not reached the level of Eighth Grade High-level Alchemist.

Xiao Yan's alchemy skills are probably comparable to those of the Pill Tower Eight Great Elders.

Even the usually timid Dan Chen couldn't help but become interested in Xiao Yan at this moment. She secretly peeked out from behind Dan Xuan, blinking furtively as she sized up Xiao Yan.

"To be honest, I'm very interested in your sister's talent. I wonder if she has a teacher now?" Xiao Yan continued.

When Dan Chen's talent was mentioned, Dan Xuan couldn't help but smile wryly and said, "My younger sister is shy and is taught by the elders in the family. As for the talent that can devour souls, she cannot control it. As long as she has physical contact with others, she will inevitably start to devour their Soul Power."

"If you can't control it, then it's a double-edged sword, isn't it? Perhaps your shyness is also a consequence of this talent?" Xiao Yan said meaningfully.

"That's true." Dan Xuan suddenly thought of a possibility and said seriously, "My younger sister was also a lively child when she was young. If there is a way to control this talent, my younger sister will probably be much happier."

"Don't you have Soul Cultivation Method at home?" Xiao Yan asked.

"..." Dan Xuan pondered the words, unsure of what to say.

"It seems there isn't one. Why don't we have her become my disciple and I'll teach her something?" Xiao Yan revealed his true purpose with a smile.

Gu Xing glanced at her young master, wanting to remind him of the value of the Soul Cultivation Method and that giving it to one person was equivalent to giving it to an entire clan, but after careful consideration, she decided it was better to remain silent.

"..." Dan Xuan opened his mouth, unsure how to refuse.

Dan Xuan knew very well how precious the Soul Cultivation Method was. Only the Pill Gathering Champion Soul Cultivation Method the opportunity to obtain a copy. With the foundation of the Dan Family, the Eighth Grade Alchemist would probably never be cut off again.

No Alchemist could resist such a temptation. If Xiao Yan hadn't spoken to Dan Xuan, but instead mentioned it directly to the Dan Family Head or elders, Dan Chen would have been delivered to Xiao Yan on the spot.

Even if Xiao Yan might have some special ideas, they wouldn't care.

But Dan Xuan is different; he dotes on his younger sister.

"Alright, I'll give you the Soul Cultivation Method first. As for the matter of becoming an apprentice, take Xiao Dan Chen home and discuss it with your elders before making a decision."

Seeing through Dan Xuan's inner turmoil, Xiao Yan delivered another heavy blow, leaving him completely disoriented.

"Cough cough cough..." Gu Xing coughed a few times symbolically, touched his nose, and began to count ants.

Xiao Yan pretended not to hear Gu Xing's cough, reached out and touched Dan Xuan's forehead, and then transmitted a scroll of the Xiao Clan's Soul Cultivation Method to him.

A vast amount of profound and obscure information was injected into Dan Xuan's mind, and a Netherworld longing from his soul told him that this scroll of Soul Cultivation Method was definitely genuine.

"Actually, Xiao Dan Chen's situation cannot be solved by a single scroll of Soul Cultivation Method. In my personal opinion, Soul Cultivation Method might even cause her talent to spiral out of control. That's why I chose to pass on the Soul Cultivation Method to you instead of teaching them directly to her." Xiao Yan's tone shifted, and he began to speak alarmistly.

Dan Xuan's mind was in complete chaos. Too much shocking information had left him disoriented, and he felt dizzy and lightheaded.

Dan Chen's eyes widened involuntarily, and she felt a wave of disappointment wash over her.

Xiao Yan didn't say much. He simply pushed the dazed Dan Xuan aside, exposing Dan Chen to his view, and then opened his palm, summoning a ball of Fallen Heart Flame.

The invisible and colorless Fallen Heart Flame burned quietly. This Heavenly Flames, ranked fourteenth, had many wonderful uses. It could not only devour souls and refine Dou Qi, but also temper the body and open up meridians.

After the flame appeared, Dan Chen was as if bewitched, staring at it without blinking.

Dan Chen looked to be no more than seventeen or eighteen years old. She was petite and delicate, and her beautiful face was unusually pale, without any color in it, giving her a sickly beauty.

If Dan Chen possessed a Fallen Heart Flame, he could unleash his full potential, recklessly learn the Soul Cultivation Method, and use the Fallen Heart Flame to devour the spiritual Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth while simultaneously tempering his physical body and Dou Qi, thereby matching them with his Soul Power and making up for his own shortcomings.

"Heavenly Flames?!"

Dan Xuan, who was in a daze, successfully regained his senses. He was indeed unable to extricate himself from the Soul Cultivation Method, but he also coveted the Fallen Heart Flame.

"That's right, it is indeed Heavenly Flames, the Fallen Heart Flame, ranked fourteenth. I'm sure you know its mystery without me having to introduce it, right?" Xiao Yan nodded.

Dan Xuan's breathing became heavy.

Although the Fallen Heart Flame is powerful, it is undoubtedly inferior to the Three Thousand Burning Flame. Xiao Yan Eighth Grade High-level Alchemist, and his chances of Pill Gathering Champion are not low. If he could obtain the Three Thousand Burning Flame, Xiao Yan might very well separate the Fallen Heart Flame.

Dan Chen became Xiao Yan's apprentice and obtained a Fallen Heart Flame, which made up for the deficiencies in his talent and made his strength advance by leaps and bounds. In addition, with the mysterious background of the Gu Clan that he had never heard of but whose every move revealed nobility, wouldn't Dan Chen have a chance to break through to the Ninth Grade Alchemist?

Upon realizing this, Dan Xuan was even startled by his own thoughts, but then became even more certain—if he simply possessed the potential to break through to the Ninth Grade Alchemist, then Xiao Yan's generosity would naturally make sense.

"Ahem, Senior Xiao, it's like this, Dan Chen has a say in the Dan Family. If she's willing to become your disciple, and Senior Xiao's strength is sufficient, I don't think the elders in the family will object."

After speaking, Dan Xuan looked at Dan Chen with an encouraging and expectant gaze.

Dan Chen glanced at her older brother Dan Xuan, then at the Fallen Heart Flame in Xiao Yan's hand, and timidly said, "Teacher!"

"Hmm." Xiao Yan responded, put away the Heavenly Flames, and rubbed Dan Chen's little head, thus accepting him as his disciple.