Talking Nonsense

Xiao Yan had not expected to meet the dean of Jia Nan Academy's Outer Academy, only to instead encounter a top figure from the Gu Clan.

A blurry figure stood with his hands behind his back atop a distant rooftop, abruptly entering Xiao Yan's field of vision.

It was strange. Xiao Yan suddenly felt that something about that direction was off. Yet when he looked over, he could see only a back; there was nothing at all in his perception.

"This entrance is seriously overflowing with style. Once I'm strong enough, I'll fool kids like this too."

Perhaps it was Xiao Yan's imagination, but the hand behind the figure's back seemed to tremble slightly.

"Why did he twitch? It must have been my imagination. A top-tier expert like this must have an exceptionally steady state of mind. There's no way a single cheeky remark from me could stir him."

Xiao Yan straightened his appearance and was just about to walk toward this mysterious expert when his vision blurred. By the time he came back to his senses, he had somehow arrived behind the figure.

Xiao Yan touched his chest. The ancient ring that had been there was now gone. Clearly, this senior did not want Old Yao to know about their coming conversation.

"As expected of a senior. With but a thought, you can manipulate space at will. Your cultivation must have long since reached the heavens and pierced the earth, making you invincible in this world."

"..." The figure seemed somewhat speechless, though his attitude remained friendly. "At fifteen years old, you have already cultivated to the Six-star Dou Ling level and become a Sixth Grade Alchemist. Even across the Central Plains, you would be a rarely seen supreme genius."

"Mhm, mhm. That's what I think too." Xiao Yan felt that an expert was indeed an expert—he had seen through the essence of things at a glance.

"..." The figure paused again, then shook his head with a laugh. "Still the temperament of a youth."

"Could you be an elder from Xiao Xun Er's family, Senior, here to lend a hand to this junior?"

"Lend a hand? Didn't you and Xun Er call it a transaction?"

"Whatever Senior takes out in exchange for the Green Fate Fruit in this junior's possession, it would be lending this junior a hand!"

"Hehe, now that you put it that way, it would seem rather cold-hearted of me not to offer something good."

The figure smiled, then slowly turned around.

He was around forty years old and looked like an utterly ordinary middle-aged man. There was nothing remarkable about him, yet he instinctively inspired trust.

"Come to think of it, we met when you had just been born. It was simply that no one knew my identity at the time."

"Then our two families must have had quite a good relationship? May I know Senior's name?" Xiao Yan's thoughts stirred. Could this be Gu Yuan?

"My name is Gu Yuan. I am Xun Er's father."

"A thousand years ago, our two families were still close allies. However, the Xiao Clan... that is, the former Xiao Family, suffered certain misfortunes. The experts of the clan were surrounded and killed by the Soul Clan, leaving only a small branch that fled to the Jia Ma Empire."

"Speaking of which, the Soul Hall is also a force supported by the Soul Clan, and the Soul Hall Master is himself a member of the Soul Clan."

Gu Yuan paused, seemingly giving Xiao Yan time to digest this "shocking" information.

"It seems Senior truly thinks highly of my talent, to be willing to tell me even this much." Xiao Yan stroked his chin.

"Hehe, it is not merely your talent. Before coming here, I also happened to learn a little about what you have done. You have only a teacher whose identity cannot be revealed, yet under your management, in less than two years, the forces of the entire Jia Ma Empire have all begun to rally around you."

"There are many with great talent, but your foresight makes me willing to believe that you can turn your talent into strength in the shortest possible time."

"Therefore, I am also happy to invest in you. Tell me—what do you want?"

Gu Yuan smiled gently, like an approachable elder.

"I do have several requests." After thinking for a moment, Xiao Yan said:

"I discovered that a piece of jade passed down in my family should be the Key to opening a secret realm called the Heavenly Tomb. I hope that once I reach Peak Dou Zun, Senior can use the Key to help me open the Heavenly Tomb."

Gu Yuan froze for a moment, then understood Xiao Yan's meaning. He wanted to trade the Tou She Ancient God Jade for an opportunity to enter the Heavenly Tomb.

"No Key is necessary. If you can reach Peak Dou Zun by the next time the Heavenly Tomb opens, I can open it for you directly." Gu Yuan smiled.

Xiao Yan was stunned. He had not expected Gu Yuan to actively refuse his offer of the Tou She Ancient God Jade.

After giving it some thought, Xiao Yan immediately understood Gu Yuan's intentions—the next opening of the Heavenly Tomb was not many years away. If Xiao Yan could break through to Peak Dou Zun in such a short time, becoming a Dou Sheng in the future would likely not be difficult.

Moreover, Xiao Yan was already a Sixth Grade Alchemist, and Old Yao possessed cultivation techniques for training the soul. Once Xiao Yan broke through to Dou Sheng, becoming a Ninth Grade Alchemist would also be easy.

Even the Gu Clan could not overlook a Ninth Grade Alchemist at the Dou Sheng level.

Furthermore, the Xiao Clan had originally possessed two slots. By voluntarily returning the slots to Xiao Yan, the Gu Clan would undoubtedly be sending a signal of goodwill to the other Ancient Races, making them more inclined toward the Gu Clan in the conflict between the Soul Clan and the Gu Clan.

Besides, even if the Gu Clan obtained the Xiao Family's Tou She Ancient God Jade, they still would not have enough pieces to assemble the Key. Since that was the case, Gu Yuan might as well show goodwill and win Xiao Yan over.

"Then I'll thank you in advance, Senior." Having understood the intricacies, Xiao Yan said cheerfully.

"It is no matter." Gu Yuan smiled from the corners of his eyes. "Is there anything else you want? Tell me what you want right now."

"I would like to ask Senior to help open a Space Wormhole from within the Pill Tower's sphere of influence to connect to this place." Xiao Yan raised another condition.

"Oh? Is it for your teacher?" The middle-aged man glanced at Xiao Yan before continuing.

"If it is for your teacher, you might as well open the Space Wormhole from Starfall Pavilion. Starfall Pavilion is the force your teacher founded back then, and its master, Venerable Feng, has never stopped searching for your teacher all these years."

"I see... but I would still prefer the Pill Tower."

"Oh? Why?"

"My teacher was the Pill Gathering Champion back then, so he should have alchemists he knows in the Pill Tower as well. Compared to Starfall Pavilion, whether in terms of the resources they command or the influence they possess, wouldn't Eighth Grade Alchemists far surpass a Dou Zun?"

"Starfall Pavilion failed to protect my teacher back then. It would be even less capable of protecting him now."

"That is true." Gu Yuan paused before continuing, "But you should know that the Pill Tower is also a major power. Even the Gu Clan must give the Pill Tower some face. Moreover, considering the value of the Green Fate Fruit, it is not even worth the price of opening a Space Wormhole."

Gu Yuan looked at Xiao Yan, and the implication was naturally that agreeing to open a Space Wormhole for him was already a favor.

"So you originally planned to tell Venerable Feng about my teacher and have him open the wormhole?" Judging others by himself, Xiao Yan instantly understood the "truth" of the matter.

This chapter took a very, very long time to write—around three hours. At first, Xiao Yan kept spouting cheeky lines, but a Dou Ling had no right to run his mouth in front of a major figure, so one or two lines were enough. I deleted it and rewrote it. Then Xiao Yan started bragging, but Gu Yuan had lived for thousands of years and seen far too much, so that did not feel appropriate either. I deleted it and rewrote it again, and it finally became what it is now. This author's head is spinning, so I can only stop here.

Happy New Year's Eve, everyone.