The Ninety Percent That Felt Off

The tumultuous scene before him did not elicit any reaction from the old man, as if it were just an ordinary occurrence. However, Xiao Yan was startled.

Amidst the churning waves, bubbles hundreds of meters in diameter continuously emerged—these were water vapors that had evaporated during the explosion.

Water vapor rises into the air, cools and condenses, eventually forming large swaths of scorching clouds.

"How are you feeling?" the old man asked.

This old man is one of the Ancient Clan Three Immortals, a Seven Star Dou Sheng. He is usually in seclusion, trying to break through to the eighth star. However, the Gu Clan has been making some big moves recently, and the Dou Sheng level experts in the clan, as well as the elites in the Black Annihilation Army, are all on standby at any time.

Xiao Yan rested his chin on his hand. The explosion before him was indeed astonishing. Even Dou Zun expert would find it difficult to gain an advantage if caught in it. Considering that it was caused by the Sea Heart Flame, ranked fifteenth, and the Fire Cloud Water Flame, ranked sixteenth, two Heavenly Flames at the Dou Zong level, its power was truly astonishing.

"It feels stronger than my teacher's Bone Spirit Cold Flame, but with Uncle's cultivation level... he shouldn't be unable to suppress it, right?" Xiao Yan replied.

"Hehe, the Patriarch wants to use the eruption of the two Heavenly Flames to deeply feel their original power, and then continuously improve them in order to find a state that can maintain balance," the old man laughed.

"A state of balance..." Xiao Yan pondered these two words, vaguely sensing that something was amiss.

To be precise, the whole sentence is terrifying.

To use Soul Power to get involved when the Heavenly Flames erupts—what a treacherous statement! Aren't they afraid of being torn apart by the Heavenly Flames?

All I can say is that the Emperor Realm Soul are simply unreasonable.

"The Flame Mantra is indeed exquisite, but its limitations are too great. Starting at the Yellow Tier Low, it is probably hundreds of times worse than the Xuan Tier Advanced. The amount of Heavenly Flames consumed to evolve step by step to the peak is immeasurable."

Gu Yuan appeared out of nowhere, his face and clothes showing no sign of dishevelment, and slowly began to explain to Xiao Yan:

"For a lone cultivator, the Exotic Flame Fusion is indeed a shortcut to breaking through barriers; but for a race like ours with a large family and many members, losing a Heavenly Flames means losing a genius's opportunity and an elder's trump card."

"The more powerful the Exotic Flame Fusion, the more difficult they will be to refine. For example, the Yan Clan Patriarch went to great lengths to Fusion Heavenly Flame just to break through the bottleneck of the Nine-star Dou Sheng."

"Otherwise, a fused flame that is even more violent than a normal Heavenly Flames would be almost impossible for the younger generation to refine, and thus they would not be able to use the Heavenly Flames to temper their bodies."

"Now that Yan Jin has successfully broken through, that Fusion Heavenly Flame, which is comparable to the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, doesn't offer much of an advantage to someone at the Nine-star Dou Sheng level. It's better to pass it down."

"Yan Jin did the same thing, but whether he passed it on to the Dou Sheng in the clan to help them comprehend the Heavenly Flame Origin and break through their realm, or to the younger generation to lay a foundation, is something he had to do."

After listening, Xiao Yan had an idea pop into his mind. "So Uncle is researching a special Dou Technique that can allow the Sea Heart Flame and the Fire Cloud Water Flame to 'join forces' and unleash greater power, forming something like Formation to increase the Gu Clan's foundation?"

"Yes and no, mainly because many clan affairs are now being managed by the Black Annihilation King, and my strength has reached a dead end, and I haven't made any progress in cultivation, so I wanted to find something to do." Gu Yuan's answer was surprisingly down-to-earth.

"..." Xiao Yan fell silent. What kind of outrageous words were these?

To abandon one's post and become idle?

"Patriarch, is it really okay for you to be so negative in front of the young people?" The old man beside him couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

"Sigh..." Gu Yuan sighed heavily, "Xun'er is already in seclusion trying to break through to the Divine Bloodline. I think she can succeed and will be Peak Dou Saint in the future. I also have no doubt about Xiao Yan's potential. He is a sure thing to be Peak Dou Saint."

"What I should do now is to relax and enjoy my retirement. As long as I can ensure that they are still alive when they reach their peak, then my Gu Clan will have three Peak Dou Saints."

"I also want to work hard, but I have no choice but to rest more and take care of my health."

Gu Yuan's expression, one of profound loneliness, silenced the old man.

It's unclear what triggered Gu Yuan, but ever since he protected Xiao Yan and retrieved a Fallen Heart Flame, he's completely changed.

"Alright, enough with the pretense. Xiao Yan, do you want to refine the Three Thousand Burning Flame?" Gu Yuan paused for a moment before finally remembering the important matter.

Who's been pretending all along?! The old man's eyelids twitched wildly, but he still patted Xiao Yan's shoulder and said seriously, "I've checked him. Xiao Yan's foundation is incredibly solid, even Gu Qingyang can't compare. He should have no problem refining the Three Thousand Burning Flame."

"Hmm, I can tell." Gu Yuan's gaze locked onto Xiao Yan's brow. "But you should prioritize refining the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame. If you devour all those Subordinate Flame, it will be enough for you to break through to the Peak Dou Zun and start the Nine Revolutions."

"As for the Three Thousand Burning Flame and the Eight Desolations Destruction Flame, you can refine them slowly after you enter the Heavenly Tomb."

"Okay." Xiao Yan did not refuse, and the flow of time inside the Heavenly Tomb was even faster.

After Xiao Yan left, the old man stayed behind.

"Are you looking for the Ancient Void Dragon?" the old man asked.

The Ancient Void Dragon has not appeared for thousands of years. In this day and age, no one has ever seen the Ancient Void Dragon, let alone found the Dragon Island where the Ancient Void Dragon of the Void is located.

Furthermore, according to the Gu Clan records, Dragon Island drifts in the void. Without a clear target to guide you, finding an island in the vast void of the Dou Qi Continent is more difficult than finding a needle in a haystack.

"The Ancient Void Dragon Clan ..." Gu Yuan sighed, his expression suddenly turning melancholy. "Do you think Xiao Yan would have gone to the Jia Nan Academy if he hadn't been with Xun'er?"

"Jia Nan Academy? Founded by that little Lei Clan member? Relying on the Fallen Heart Flame, it certainly has its merits." The old man pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized something, his eyes widened, and his eyebrows and mustache stood on end. "The little princess of the Ancient Void Dragon Clan, uh, the young lady with the Dragon Emperor Bloodline, could she be at the Jia Nan Academy?!"

"Yes, and it just so happened to eat an unripe Form Transformation Grass, which turned it into human form," Gu Yuan continued wistfully.

"..." The old man was at a loss for words.

"Furthermore, that little girl is extremely greedy and has almost no resistance to Pills. She needs a Seventh Grade Alchemist to refine a Form Transformation Pill for her to get rid of the influence of the immature Form Transformation Grass."

The old man was also filled with melancholy.

They didn't know the current situation of the Ancient Void Dragon, but it was once far more powerful than the Gu Clan.

So, in this sense, Gu Yuan actually made a huge profit by taking Xiao Yan as his son-in-law?

"Even the little princess with pure Dragon Emperor Bloodline is in exile. The situation of the Ancient Void Dragon Clan is probably not optimistic!" The old man forced himself to dismiss those strange thoughts.

"Perhaps! But this is also an opportunity. The Magical Beast races value bloodlines even more than our Ancient Race. By supporting that little princess's growth, our Gu Clan will also gain the friendship of the Ancient Void Dragon Clan." Gu Yuan replied listlessly, adding in his mind:

It sounds far-fetched, but I feel that the friendship of the Ancient Void Dragon Clan is not as important as Xiao Yan's...

Xiao Yan slipped back to Little Medicine Mountain and began to cultivate the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame in seclusion.

This is something Xiao Yan has been doing since he reached the Dou Wang realm; the only difference is the amount of flame he absorbs.

Of course, even though Xiao Yan is now Four-star Dou Zun, he dares not underestimate the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame —according to the Gu Clan records, there have been precedents of Dou Sheng Expert having their Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame Dou Qi.

With Xiao Yan also going into seclusion, Little Medicine Mountain immediately fell into tranquility.

Old Yao is in seclusion, Dan Chen is in seclusion, and Xiao Yan is also in seclusion. Gu Xing doesn't know whose orders to take.

To ensure that someone would be present when the three emerged from seclusion, Gu Xing dared not enter seclusion in isolation; fearing that he might disturb their seclusion, Gu Xing also dared not refine high-grade Pills that could attract Pill Lightning.

Gu Xing didn't want to give up such a cushy job.

Therefore, Gu Xing could only ponder the Emperor Seal Art Dou Technique from a short distance away.

This is a skill that all members of the Black Annihilation Army must learn. It consists of five seals. Those at the Dou Wang realm obtain the first two seals, and those at the Dou Ancestor realm obtain the last three seals. When the five seals are combined, their power is comparable to Heavenly Tier Dou Technique.

The speed at which the Seal Technique are released naturally becomes of paramount importance.

Gu Xing also began to form hand seals not far away, and then disperse them to increase his casting speed.

Half a year has passed slowly.

On this day, Gu Xing was routinely practicing the Emperor Seal Art when he suddenly felt a suffocating pressure rising from Little Medicine Mountain.

Seemingly having discovered that two other people were in seclusion, the terrifying pressure lasted only for a brief moment before being withdrawn.

However, Gu Xing was truly overwhelmed by the pressure, feeling dizzy and weak in the hands and feet. He even had difficulty controlling his Dou Qi, and the Seal Technique in his hands scattered.

"Is it Young Master Xiao Yan or Venerable Yao?"

Gu Xing didn't know who it was, but he still flew over immediately.

What came into view was an elderly man with white hair and a somewhat thin figure, but he was in good spirits. When he noticed Gu Xing approaching, he even managed a smile.

"Congratulations on Venerable Yao's emergence from seclusion!" Gu Xing immediately bowed and said.

"Hehe, I remember you. You're the young man who's always been by Xiao Yan's side." Old Yao nodded to Gu Xing. "However, you can now call me the Medicine Saint."

Gu Xing's heart skipped a beat. This was a major mistake caused by insufficient strength. He quickly corrected himself, saying, "Congratulations on your emergence from seclusion Medicine Saint!"

"Alright, you should also go into seclusion and cultivate. Break through to the Dou Zun Realm as soon as possible, otherwise the strength of Dou Zong will ultimately be lacking." Old Yao replied casually, tossing out a Pills.

Back then, Venerable Feng was raised by Old Yao, so it feels strangely familiar that he's now losing his Pills.

"Thank you, Medicine Saint!" Gu Xing accepted the Pills, but did not immediately refuse them. Instead, she told the Old Yao about some things that happened during her seclusion.

First, Xiao Yan refined the Nine Dragon Thunder Gang Fire and is currently in seclusion to break through his cultivation level, preparing for the Gu Clan Coming-of-Age Ceremony and his trip to the Heavenly Tomb.

Next was Xiao Yan's disciple Dan Chen, who was also beginning to refine the Fallen Heart Flame.

Finally, Miss Xun'er came to visit once, but all three of them were in seclusion at Little Medicine Mountain.

The Old Yao nodded, somewhat satisfied with Gu Xing, and then said, "I plan to go out and see some old friends. Please make the arrangements."

"Yes!" Gu Xing quickly agreed, feeling extremely excited.

The Old Yao acted quickly, mainly because there weren't many people he wanted to see, only Venerable Feng, the Pill Tower Three Greats, and the Flower Sect Leader.

The Gu Clan also attached great importance to the safety of Old Yao, fearing that the Soul Clan might cause some trouble again. They directly sent a Dou Sheng to accompany him, carrying Gu Yuan's Space Jade Slip, so that he could call on Gu Yuan for support at any time.

Not long after Old Yao returned to the Gu Clan, Dan Chen also emerged from seclusion.

Refining the Fallen Heart Flame did not bring Dan Chen a leap in strength, but it strengthened her essence. Her originally pale and sickly face now had a rosy glow, making her look much healthier.

The Old Yao was fairly satisfied with the little disciple that Xiao Yan had poached from the Pill Tower—at least Dan Chen was no less capable than Xuan Kongzi's disciple Cao Ying.

Although Dan Chen's final Pills at the Pill Gathering was indeed slightly inferior to Cao Ying's, wouldn't it be even better if Dan Chen could surpass Cao Ying after receiving guidance from the Old Yao?

So when Xiao Yan came out of seclusion, he saw Old Yao carefully instructing Dan Chen.

Even when Xiao Yan leaned forward to share his joy at the breakthrough, Old Yao slapped him away, warning him not to disturb Dan Chen's alchemy.

"Is this what they call the bond between grandparents and grandchildren? I can already imagine what it will be like to have two kids in the future." Xiao Yan walked away, shaking his head and swaying his body, with his hands behind his back.

Go find Gu Xing.

Only Gu Xing would remain quiet and even actively cater to Xiao Yan's boasting.

Gu Xing was already a Peak Dou Zong expert at this time, but the Gu Xing Dou Zun Realm seemed to be a significant hurdle for him. With his original talent, it would be difficult for him to break through to the Dou Zun.

Xiao Yan casually boasted a few words, mentioning that he had broken through to the Nine-star Dou Zun, evolved his cultivation technique to the Heaven Class Mid Grade, and that his physical body was so strong that he could shatter a Dou Zun- level puppet with a single finger. After that, he let Gu Xing leave.

I also slipped him a Green-Gold Lotus Seed.

Gu Yuan also knew about the lotus flower in Xiao Yan's hand, but Gu Yuan never asked about the specifics, clearly regarding it as something like Little Medicine Mountain, leaving it to Xiao Yan to handle himself.

For Xiao Yan, each new Heavenly Flames he refines will cause the lotus to evolve further, while the lotus seeds will become obsolete.

Since that's the case, why not give it to Gu Xing to help him break through his bottleneck? Having such a comfortable subordinate by your side for a long time will surely make you feel attached to him.

Life gradually became more leisurely, but the Ancient Realm was far from peaceful.

One after another, forces from Ancient Race headed to the Ancient Realm, and even the reclusive super powers of the Central Continent began to emerge— the Gu Clan Coming-of-Age Ceremony was about to begin.

During this period, two disturbing events also occurred.

One reason is that the Spirit Realm suddenly closed without warning, and the other Ancient Race could not contact it at all, nor did they send anyone to the Ancient Realm.

Secondly, the Ancient Void Dragon Clan, which had been in seclusion for thousands of years, suddenly sent a dragon to participate in the Gu Clan Coming-of-Age Ceremony.