Old Guy, Long Time No See

As Xiao Yuan stepped out of the Secret Chamber, his gaze immediately focused on the old man in the green robe in the courtyard.

It was obvious that he was a handsome old man. Although he was old, the heroic spirit between his brows and his deep eyes still made him look dignified and imposing.

Even with Xiao Yuan's current soul power Seventh Grade Alchemist, he could not lock onto that ethereal aura.

The Wind Attribute energy in the world also became significantly more active. There were faint fluctuations of Space Power around the courtyard, sealing it off. It seemed that they did not want anyone to disturb their conversation.

"As expected of Dou Zong, to have such strength at such a young age is truly extraordinary."

The old man in the green robe glanced at Xiao Yuan and nodded.

"You must be Wind Venerable, right? This junior Xiao Yuan, greets Old Feng!"

Xiao Yuan bowed to the Wind Venerable standing in the center of the courtyard, then activated his Wind Attribute cultivation technique, with azure Dou Qi swirling around him.

"Cyclone Wind Riding Art"

Sensing the Wind Attribute Dou Qi emanating from Xiao Yuan, the Wind Venerable's pupils contracted, and the joy in his heart was almost beyond words.

This technique is possessed only by Yao Chen and others in the world. It was brought out from an ancient cave and the Flame Mantra. Although it is not as miraculous as the Flame Mantra, his achievements today are largely due to this technique.

"You and him, are you?"

Wind Venerable suppressed his excitement, his face softening as he slowly asked.

"Master and disciple!"

Xiao Yuan raised his head, looked into Wind Venerable's eyes, and said firmly.

Wind Venerable nodded slightly, and with a swift movement, appeared directly in front of Xiao Yuan. His gaze towards Xiao Yuan held a hint of kindness as he softly said, "This is the answer I most want to hear, but you need to give me evidence."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan smiled and then took out the Black Demon Cauldron from his Storage Ring.

Wind Venerable stared blankly at the black medicine cauldron before him. He was no stranger to this cauldron. Back when he was on the verge of death, if it weren't for this cauldron, he probably wouldn't be the Wind Venerable he is today. Furthermore, with Wind Venerable's perception, he could clearly sense a familiar scent of soul power emanating from the medicine cauldron.

Clearly, this proves that Yao Chen is still alive! Moreover, he seems to be in good condition! As if sensing the soul power of his old friend, the Soul Imprint in the medicine cauldron fluctuated slightly, and an old, illusory figure appeared.

"Long time no see, old man."

Looking at the familiar face before him, Wind Venerable's eyes couldn't help but well up with tears.

"I never expected to see you again in this way."

The Yao Lao master nodded, floated in front of the Wind Venerable, and sighed.

"We can talk about catching up when you come to the Pill Domain. I'm not in a good state to show up right now, and this kid has caused quite a bit of trouble. I don't have much soul power left, so I can't maintain this state for long. I won't stand on ceremony with you. Please protect Xiao Yuan for me."

The Yao Lao apothecary seemed to have heard about the big commotion Xiao Yuan had caused, and gave some helpless instructions.

"Don't worry, since he's your disciple, no one can harm him before I die!"

Upon hearing this, Wind Venerable nodded and said domineeringly.

"Hehe, your cultivation progress has slowed down quite a bit while I've been away. Help me gather some materials. Xiao Yuan knows what I need, just ask him. See you in the Pill Domain!"

The Yao Lao nodded, looked Wind Venerable up and down, smiled and nodded, his figure gradually dissipating into specks of Soul Spark.

"Little one, tell me about what has happened over the years."

Wind Venerable watched as Yao Lao's figure vanished, lost in thought for a long time before finally coming to his senses and speaking in a deep voice with some emotion.

"Hehe, Old Feng, please come inside. It's not proper to let you stand in the courtyard."

Xiao Yuan didn't rush to tell the story. Instead, he led Wind Venerable into the secret cultivation Secret Chamber.

"Such a rich aroma of medicinal pills! Looks like you've been refining quite a few medicines lately!"

As soon as he entered the Secret Chamber, Wind Venerable smelled a rich fragrance of elixirs, which immediately brought back memories of the days when he cultivated with Yao Chen.

"Yes, my alchemy skills have just broken through to the seventh rank, and I'm currently consolidating them."

Xiao Yuan nodded and said with a smile.

"At such a young age, you are already Seventh Grade Alchemist. Your talent is even greater than that of Yao Chen back then!"

Upon hearing this, Wind Venerable couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

With his keen eye, he could naturally see that Xiao Yuan was indeed only twenty years old. To become Dou Zong and Seventh Grade Alchemist at such a young age, his future achievements would surely be no less than Yao Chen's!

"Old Feng, you flatter me. If it weren't for your guidance, I would have found it extremely difficult to even enter the field of alchemy, let alone have the opportunity to grow to this level."

Xiao Yuan smiled and said modestly.

Without Alchemic Grandmaster like Yao Lao, it's questionable whether he would even be able to learn alchemy today.

After all, the ordinary alchemists one might encounter outside are no match for the great master Yao Lao in any way.

"Hehe, now tell me about that old guy."

Upon hearing this, Wind Venerable was quite satisfied with Xiao Yuan. This young man was outstanding in appearance and had a very good temperament, much more pleasing to the eye than Han Feng.

Xiao Yuan's expression turned serious upon hearing this, and he slowly said, "Old Feng must also know about what happened to my teacher back then, right?"

"When he had his accident, he wasn't with me. By the time I found out, Han Feng had announced that the old man had suffered a backlash while refining pills and died from a self-destruction. Of course, I didn't believe that. I questioned Han Feng several times, but he was extremely cunning and I couldn't get anything out of him. However, after several such interrogations, he disappeared in Central State. This made me vaguely realize that the old man's disappearance was probably related to this guy. But after searching in Central State for so many years, I still haven't found any news about Han Feng."

Wind Venerable stared intently at Xiao Yuan and said in a deep voice.

Xiao Yuan sighed softly and said in a low voice, "Teacher was indeed harmed by Han Feng back then."

"Bang!"

As soon as Xiao Yuan finished speaking, the Wind Venerable's face turned cold instantly, and a chilling killing intent surged out from his body, causing the temperature of this area to drop significantly.

"That beast! Yao Chen raised him from an abandoned baby to adulthood and taught him all his skills, and he still dares to betray his master? You wicked creature, you have no conscience at all! I should have slapped that beast to death back then!"

Enraged, Wind Venerable roared.

"Hmph, once I get back, I'll issue an arrest warrant. I'm sure that beast Han Feng is still alive. If he falls into my hands, I'll make him wish he were dead!"

After regaining his composure from his rage, Wind Venerable spoke with a grim expression.

"There's probably no need for a warrant," Xiao Yuan shook his head and explained. "Han Feng has already been dealt with by the master himself. Although the master can only exist in soul form now, after being replenished with some Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, he now has the strength of Dou Zun. And since he's in the Pill Domain, he should be quite safe."

"That's good."

Upon hearing this, Wind Venerable's aura calmed down considerably, his expression softened, and he nodded.

"Speaking of which, Han Feng's betrayal of his teacher is also closely related to the Soul Hall."

Xiao Yuan then continued.

"Soul Hall?" Upon hearing this name, Wind Venerable's expression changed slightly.

"Old Feng, it seems that what the Soul Hall is doing is targeting the teacher's soul power. Fortunately, things haven't reached the worst point yet. The people of the Soul Hall should not have discovered that the teacher is in the Pill Domain yet. This time, I took the initiative to expose my identity and lure you here. One reason is for the matter of the Wind and Thunder Pavilion, and the other is to hope to shift the Soul Hall's attention to me, so that the teacher can be safer."

However, the Soul Hall might not immediately see through the hidden meaning in my words. If my teacher hadn't mentioned that when we founded the Starfall Pavilion, you insisted on having him as your leader and honoring him as the Pavilion Master—a stubborn man, but also the person he trusted most—I wouldn't have dared to take such a risk to lure you here. Therefore, I guess the Soul Hall won't be targeting me for the time being. In that case, I still have some time to cultivate. Perhaps by the time they belatedly realize what's happening and send their Venerable Elder, I'll already be able to fight them head-on."

Xiao Yuan said in a deep voice.

"It really is related to those bastards!"

Wind Venerable gritted his teeth and said that through his investigations over the years, he had vaguely discovered some things about the Soul Hall, but he still did not expect that those who attacked Yao Chen back then were really these persistent ghosts.

But then he realized how risky Xiao Yuan's actions were.

"You're quite bold to provoke the Soul Hall." Wind Venerable shook his head helplessly, but then changed the subject and said, "However, being bold and meticulous is indeed good. I've been in charge of the Starfall Pavilion all these years, so in people's minds, I am indeed the person in charge of the Starfall Pavilion. That old guy has been gone for too long, and many people have already forgotten about him."

"Hey, I've been hiding for too long, it's time to show my true colors."

Xiao Yuan smiled upon hearing this, his eyes flashing with a mad flame.

"Unless the Venerable Elder himself comes, I will kill any of the Soul Hall's protectors who come!"

Xiao Yuan said with a confident expression.

"Not bad, you have the same spirit we had back then. Over the years, I have been traveling around, seemingly carefree, but in reality, I have been searching for that old guy's whereabouts. Now that I have finally found his trail, I can feel a little more at ease. How about this, I will stay here with you for a few days."

The fact that the old man gave you my cultivation technique means you must be very suitable for it. I can take this opportunity to give you some pointers. On the way here, Thunder Venerable even asked me if I was his disciple, so now I can answer him with a clear conscience.

Wind Venerable nodded with satisfaction upon hearing this. He had already inquired about it beforehand, and it was true that Xiao Yuan had once single-handedly killed many powerful figures from the Wind and Thunder Pavilion.

Therefore, he didn't think there was anything wrong with Xiao Yuan's seemingly arrogant words.

After praising Xiao Yuan, Wind Venerable took out Message Jade Slip and sent out a message.

"However, you should also be careful. According to my investigation, what the Soul Hall wants is probably not just the old man's soul. Perhaps what they value even more is his alchemy ability. Back then, I vaguely knew that the Soul Hall seemed to be secretly carrying out a huge plan, and this plan required many outstanding alchemists."

Long ago, during a massive battle for an ancient cave dwelling that shook the Central State, Yao Chen and I clashed with the Soul Hall. It was probably around that time that he was targeted."

After sending the message, Wind Venerable put the jade slip back into his Storage Ring, pondered for a moment, and then suddenly spoke again.

"An ancient cave dwelling?" Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan was taken aback.

"It was a grand event from a long time ago. That cave was inherited from ancient times and attracted almost half of the experts above the Dou Zong level in the Central State back then. However, the treasures inside were indeed astonishing. The Flame Mantra that Han Feng coveted was obtained by Yao Chen there back then."

Wind Venerable sighed, then, as if suddenly realizing something, grabbed Xiao Yuan's wrist and began to probe.

"Hmm? Five different types of Dou Qi?"

A moment later, Wind Venerable looked at Xiao Yuan with surprise and disbelief, and said.

"There are indeed five types, but there are more than five types."

Xiao Yuan nodded, then flipped his palm, and five colors of Dou Qi —green, red, yellow, white, and black—condensed and surged in his palm.

"It can even transform into other similar attributes!"

Having lived for so many years, Wind Venerable had never seen such an outrageous situation before, and he couldn't help but get a little excited.

"I knew something felt off. How could an alchemist possibly cultivate Wind Attribute technique? Now I know!"

Wind Venerable nodded in realization and sighed.

"But you probably haven't shown this special ability of yours before, right? Otherwise, it wouldn't just be the Soul Hall that's eyeing you now."

Immediately afterwards, Wind Venerable asked with some concern.

"Don't worry, Old Feng. So far, I have only revealed the wind and thunder attribute Dou Qi. Although it is rare, it is not impossible."

Xiao Yuan said with a smile.

"Okay, that's good."

Wind Venerable nodded in satisfaction, his appreciation for Xiao Yuan, his old friend and disciple, growing even stronger.

"By the way, can you tell me what has happened between you and Yao Chen over the years?"

Wind Venerable asked with some curiosity.

Upon hearing this, a look of reminiscence flashed in Xiao Yuan's eyes, and he slowly said, "It all started with the fall of a genius."

On the Thunder Throne in the main hall of the Wind and Wind and Thunder Pavilion in the Wind and Thunder Mountain Range, Thunder Venerable's face suddenly darkened as he read the reply from Wind Venerable. His powerful Dou Qi stirred up thunder, and the entire mountain range was shrouded in dark clouds, with thunder rumbling.

"This is outrageous! This is outrageous!"

Thunder Venerable was so angry that he felt cold and trembled all over. He almost crushed the Message Jade Slip slip. The information on it was very simple, but it was extremely domineering.

"Xiao Yuan is the Young Pavilion Master my Starfall Pavilion. Whoever touches him, Starfall Pavilion will wage war against them, until the very end!"

"This brat is allowed to kill members of my Wind and Thunder Pavilion, but my Wind and Thunder Pavilion is not allowed to kill him? This is outrageous!"

Enraged, Thunder Venerable instantly transformed into a bolt of lightning and flew away from the Wind and Thunder Mountain Range.