The Black-Faced Dou Wang, Terrifying Beyond Measure!

The tests on the Training Ground continued. Naturally, some rejoiced while others despaired. Five years of hard work bore their respective fruits at this moment.

Chen Guan did not go over to Join the Fun. He had little interest in the results and sat alone on the steps by the main gate, lost in thought.

Nalan Yanran was about to take a master. Could the annulment of the engagement be far off?

At this point in time, Xiao Yan was slightly older than Chen Guan, probably around ten years old. That meant Xiao Yan's Dou Qi would gradually disappear in about a year, and after more than three years of lying low, he would formally rise to prominence.

In just over four years, less than five, the story would officially begin.

"I need to cultivate even harder."

Originally, reaching Four-Star Dou Practitioner in one month had made Chen Guan too embarrassed to brag aloud, though he had secretly felt rather pleased with himself and even shown off in front of Yaoye.

But now that he had calmed down and thought it through, the road ahead was difficult and the burden was heavy.

Although he could get a head start by several years, Xiao Yan had an old grandpa backing him up. That was totally unfair. Chen Guan strongly demanded a rematch.

One year later.

Inside a sealed cage, a Green-robed Young Man wielded a longsword as he fought seven Swift Wind Wolves.

Swift Wind Wolves were Tier 2 Low-Level Magical Beasts, comparable to human Two-Star Dou Masters.

In fact, due to the innate physical advantages of Magical Beasts, ordinary Two-Star Dou Masters could only flee for their lives if they encountered one.

Yet the scene inside the cage overturned common sense. Seven Swift Wind Wolves had surrounded and attacked one person for a quarter of an hour. They were exhausted, drooling heavily, yet had not even touched the Young Man's clothing. It was enough to make them question their lives as wolves.

Meanwhile, seeing how pathetic his opponents were, the Young Man's face filled with disappointment.

"Bullying weaklings is really boring. Let's end this."

As soon as he spoke, the Young Man stopped holding back. Stepping through Drifting Cloud Steps, he took the initiative to attack. Over Ten Breaths later, he ended their miserable lives.

Clap, clap. Crisp applause rang out as Yaoye stepped forward to open the cage and handed him a towel.

"You really are a monster. At most, in a few more months, you'll be stronger than me," Yaoye said with a sigh.

Even she could at most handle seven Swift Wind Wolves about as well as Chen Guan had.

She had practically watched Chen Guan's growth with her own eyes. Precisely because of that, she was even more shocked.

When they first met, Chen Guan had been at Dou Qi Stage Nine, while she had been a Dou Zhe.

When they met a second time, Chen Guan had become a Dou Zhe, while she was still a Dou Zhe.

She had finally become a Dou Master, yet before she could maintain her lead for even a year, he had caught up again.

Yaoye felt that having a little brother like this was far too stressful!

"No matter how strong I get, would I bully you? Shouldn't you be at the Training Ground at this hour? How did you find time to come back?"

"Can't I come see you because I missed you?"

"Guess whether I believe that."

"How boring. Can't you at least pretend to be touched? I just received word that something happened to the Xiao Family you asked me to keep an eye on. Xiao Yan, the genius said to appear only once in a century, has run into problems with his cultivation. He fell from Dou Zhe to Dou Qi Stage Eight. The Xiao Family wanted to conceal the news, but unfortunately, paper can't cover fire. It still spread."

Chen Guan froze for a moment, and an urgent sense of pressure immediately rose within him.

"Alright, I understand. You don't need to keep watching them from now on."

"Do you have some connection to the Xiao Family? Xiao Yan's talent was decent before, but he was nowhere near your level. He shouldn't be someone you regard as an opponent, right?"

"No connection. I just found it interesting."

"Let's not talk about that. Sister Yaoye, I want to leave the Imperial Palace and gain some experience outside. Don't rush to refuse. Hear me out first."

"I know you're concerned for my safety, but I'm already a Three-Star Dou Master. With the Thousand Flame Sword Art and Drifting Cloud Steps, no one below Da Dou Shi can threaten me. I won't go anywhere dangerous either, just train around the edge of the Magical Beast Mountain Range. I'll have no trouble protecting myself. And if worse comes to worst, I have your token and can go to the local City Lord's Mansion for help."

Chen Guan spoke seriously. This was not a spur-of-the-moment impulse, but a decision he had considered carefully.

Yaoye knew him quite well by now. One look at him told her that further persuasion would be difficult, so she put away her joking manner as well.

"You absolutely have to go?"

"Sister Yaoye, you know me. Fighting the Magical Beasts in these cages never gives me any real sense of danger. I need to experience a true baptism of blood. You don't want me to get beaten senseless by geniuses of the same rank someday and become someone else's backdrop, do you?"

Yaoye pondered for a few seconds, then nodded slightly, agreeing.

After all, everything Chen Guan had said was true.

A Dou Zhe who had crawled out of heaps of corpses and a Dou Zhe raised in comfort were entirely different kinds of creatures.

"Fine. But I'll send several people to follow you. They will always remain one day's journey behind you. If you run into danger, just turn back and find them. This is not up for discussion. It won't affect your training. As long as you don't seek them out yourself, they won't interfere in anything you do."

"No problem."

"Also, write once every half month. If I don't receive a letter for more than half a month, I'll have someone drag you back."

"No problem with that either."

"Try to come back early. If you still haven't returned by my Coming-of-Age Ceremony, you can wait to die."

"..."

After Yaoye forced him into signing a series of unequal agreements, Chen Guan was finally allowed to leave.

It would be a lie to say he was not excited. After coming to the Dou Qi Continent for so many years, he had yet to truly experience this world.

After packing everything he needed into his storage ring, Chen Guan went to Yaoyue's palace.

He had intended to say goodbye so that the Girl would not grab onto him and refuse to let go later, but unfortunately, he could not find her.

Chen Guan knew at a glance that she had probably been summoned by her teacher, Fa Ma, the president of the Jia Ma Empire's Alchemist Guild, to study alchemy. It had happened before. Every time the Little Girl returned, she would complain to him for ages. She truly did not know how fortunate she was.

Since he did not see her, Chen Guan did not force the matter. He instructed the guards to inform her that evening, then set off directly, his path completely unobstructed.

The Imperial Capital was bustling and prosperous, a completely different world from the quietness within the Imperial Palace.

Taking in the local customs and atmosphere, Chen Guan Walked Towards the City Gate. Though he had already decided where to train, he still chose to travel on foot. That in itself counted as cultivation.

"Dou Qi Wings—a Dou Wang expert!"

"Gasp, who is that? His strength is incredible."

"You can tell he's not from the Imperial Capital. He doesn't even recognize the Nalan Family's Old Master. He's one of the empire's Top Ten Experts!"

"Is he really that formidable? Why does he look like he's flying so unsteadily? And his face is so black."

"..."

A sudden commotion broke out. Hearing the discussions around him, Chen Guan hurriedly looked up and saw a gray-haired old man streak past through the air, his expression cold and blank.

And his face really was black! Nalan Jie, a Dou Wang and Nalan Yanran's grandfather.

The old man's information flashed through Chen Guan's mind. He quietly watched him, and seeing that even flying seemed difficult for him to sustain, he could not help forming a guess.

Could it be that he had been afflicted with Scorching Poison today?

This seemed like a small opportunity as well, but the prerequisite was possessing Heavenly Flames.