All-Round Improvement

When Xiao Yuan returned to Ancient Dragon Island, he noticed a slight change in the atmosphere. The hidden yet powerful aura on the island had subtly increased. This discovery made Xiao Yuan feel a little uneasy. These powerful auras, which he had never sensed before, must be those of the elders who had been cultivating in the void. Now that the Dragon Emperor had regained power, these elders, who were unwilling to fight each other due to internal divisions, had returned to the Dragon Emperor's command on East Dragon Island.

"Now, the strength of East Dragon Island has finally increased. Once Zi Yan fully emerges from her seclusion, she will likely be able to begin unifying the ancient Dragon Clan."

Xiao Yuan murmured to himself. Of course, he understood that this path would not be easy, but it didn't matter. He had confidence in Zi Yan and in himself. With him there, the Void Ancient Dragon Tribe would surely be unified.

"Hehe, young friend Xiao Yuan, you're finally back! That Void Thunder Pool was far too dangerous. I was really worried that something might happen to you there!"

Just after Xiao Yuan and Hei Qing entered East Dragon Island, Zhuo Li Elder appeared before them, smiling and speaking to them.

"Thanks to Zhuo Li Elder Zhuli's concern, I have gained a great deal this time!"

Xiao Yuan smiled and glanced at Zhuo Li Elder's back, where there were two old men in white robes. Xiao Yuan had never seen these two men before, but the faint aura emanating from them made him realize that their strength was probably at least at the Dou Zun Peak, though he didn't know how many turns they had reached.

"Hehe, these two are elders of my Ancient Dragon Clan, but they used to cultivate in the void and have only just returned."

Seeing the curiosity in Xiao Yuan's eyes, Zhuo Li Elder smiled and said.

"Greetings, Elders."

Xiao Yuan smiled but did not bow. Even Zhuo Li Elder was unwilling to accept his bow, so these two would probably be the same. The two elders also nodded with smiles at his smile. They already knew from Zhuo Li Elder about the relationship between Xiao Yuan and the current Dragon Emperor, and they also knew that Xiao Yuan's strength was extremely formidable, so they would not be negligent in any way.

"Young Master Xiao Yuan!"

While Xiao Yuan was talking with Zhuo Li Elder and the others, a joyful voice came from below, and then a beautiful figure in cyan flashed over and appeared in front of him.

"Qing Lian." Looking at the pretty girl in front of him, Xiao Yuan's face lit up with joy. "You've emerged from seclusion?"

"Yes, thanks to the suppression of the dragon energy in the Ancient Dragon Tomb, and the help of several elders, we were able to refine the soul of that Nine-Headed Sky Serpent."

Qing Lian smiled Nalan Yanran.

"Hehe, the soul of the Nine-Headed Sky Serpent in this girl's body has not been completely refined, but after this, it will no longer be able to cause any trouble and will be completely refined sooner or later."

Zhuo Li Elder and smiled.

Xiao Yuan's gaze swept over Qing Lian, and his eyebrows twitched slightly, because he discovered that Qing Lian's aura was now that of a six- Dou Zun.

"Hehe, the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils is the number one extraordinary pupil in the world. She is probably the only one in the entire continent to possess it. Moreover, the soul of the Nine-Headed Sky Serpent is probably unique in the world. If either of these two were missing, this little girl's strength could not have increased so rapidly. On the contrary, you have cultivated for more than two months and have directly reached the peak of the four-star Dou Zun. Such speed is truly embarrassing!"

Zhuo Li Elder couldn't help but sigh.

"Does the elder know approximately when Zi Yan will emerge from seclusion?"

Xiao Yuan pondered for a moment, then changed the subject and said.

"Not yet. His Majesty the Dragon Emperor will need a considerable amount of time this time. Even I am not entirely sure when he will emerge from seclusion."

Zhuo Li frowned slightly.

Xiao Yuan nodded silently and said, "In that case, I'll take my leave now. I have some things to take care of."

Seeing that Xiao Yuan intended to leave, Zhuo Li did not stop him. The atmosphere on East Dragon Island was quite tense, and they were on guard against attacks from the Three Great Dragon Islands. It was not safe for Xiao Yuan to stay here. After all, the three Dragon King would not mind using Xiao Yuan's life as the Dragon Emperor's partner to threaten the Dragon Emperor. That would be troublesome!

After a moment's thought, Zhuo Li nodded, took out a rather exquisite silver jade slip from his Storage Ring, and said with a smile:

"Young friend Xiao Yuan, please Space Jade Slip slip safe. If you ever need to come to my East Dragon Island in the future, just crush it, and the Space Power within will automatically form Space Channel to teleport you here."

Xiao Yuan did not refuse this request, and smiled as he accepted the Space Jade Slip, nodding in agreement.

"In that case, I shall take my leave. If you ever need anything in the future, please feel free to come to me. I, Xiao Yuan, will do my best to help you."

Xiao Yuan cupped his hands in Zhuo Li Elder and smiled.

"Definitely. When you return to the Starfall Pavilion, please give my regards to Yao Chen. He's Dou Sheng, and he's actually turned misfortune into blessing this time!"

Zhuo Li Elder smiled slightly and then nodded to Hei Qing.

Seeing this, Hei Qing waved his hand, tearing a rift in space, and laughed:

"Brother Xiao Yuan, please!"

Xiao Yuan smiled, nodded to the group again, and then stepped inside. Qing Lian and Hei Qing followed closely behind. After all three of them had entered, the Space Rift slowly disappeared.

In the lush green mountains, the occasional deep roar of a beast resounded. As the roar spread, a crack suddenly appeared in the space in mid-air, and three figures emerged from it.

"Call"

Stepping out of the space, Xiao Yuan gazed at the endless mountain ranges and land, then looked up at the azure sky, and couldn't help but let out a soft breath. Compared to the pitch-black, endless Void Space, this vast continent with its blue sky and white clouds was much more refreshing.

"Brother Xiao Yuan, it's less than half a day's journey north from here to reach the Starfall Pavilion. Because of the current situation in the clan, I have to hurry back, so I'm afraid I won't be able to personally escort you two to the Starfall Pavilion."

Hei Qing glanced around to get a sense of the direction, then said to Xiao Yuan.

"Thank you for your help, Brother Hei Qing."

Xiao Yuan smiled slightly.

"Don't mention it, alright, I'm going back now!"

Hei Qing waved to Xiao Yuan, said no more, tore through space again, and slipped inside.

"Let's go."

Seeing Hei Qing leave, Xiao Yuan smiled, turned around, and flew towards the northern horizon, with Qing Lian following closely behind.

Following the direction pointed out by Hei Qing, in less than half a day, the familiar Sea of Forest came into Xiao Yuan's view.

In the council hall of the Starfall Pavilion, Yao Lao, who was discussing something with Wind Venerable, suddenly twitched his brow and chuckled, "You're back."

As soon as Yao Lao's laughter subsided, the space within the hall rippled, and then two figures slowly emerged from that rippled space.

"Xiao Yuan?"

Wind Venerable stared at the newly appeared youth, slightly taken aback. Then, a look of shock flashed across his face, for he sensed that the latter's aura had surpassed his own by a considerable margin! "It seems this trip has been quite fruitful."

The Yao Lao smiled and said.

Xiao Yuan nodded, found a chair to sit down, and then gave a general account of his situation with the Ancient Dragon Clan during this period. Yao Lao and Wind Venerable nodded slightly in response.

"Tsk, I didn't expect you to have such connections with the Void Ancient Dragon Tribe. But it's good, the Ancient Dragon Clan will become a force behind you in the future." Yao Lao sighed, then added, "Recently, news of the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame has emerged."

"Oh?"

Xiao Yuan raised an eyebrow.

"In Central State, every few years there is a rather special Space Trade Fair. Ordinary experts have no way of knowing about this Space Trade Fair, and even some experts who have reached the Dou Zun level cannot know about it without special channels." Yao Lao smiled and said, "Because the first qualification to participate in this Space Trade Fair is that one's own strength must be at least at the Peak Dou Zong. In other words, those who can participate are mostly the true first-class experts on the continent."

"Space Trade Fair? It requires at least the Peak Dou Zong."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan was taken aback, then nodded in agreement. The entry requirements for this trade fair were truly terrifying. Peak Dou Zong was someone that top-tier forces across the continent would deliberately try to recruit, yet here, they were barely qualified to participate.

Moreover, Xiao Yuan had never heard of this so-called Space Trade Fair before, probably because of the so-called channels.

"Will the last fragment of the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame map appear at this Space Trade Fair?"

Xiao Yuan understood.

"Well, at that Space Trade Fair, I made some connections with some people and found out some information. Moreover, the owner of the last fragment of the map also knows that the map is related to the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame. However, since he only has one fragment, he plans to exchange it for other items."

The Yao Lao nodded and continued.

"In that case, the price to be paid for it will probably be quite high."

Xiao Yuan frowned.

"However, we three Eighth Grade Alchemist are not afraid of him asking for a high price. If he is greedy, we will just kill him."

Immediately afterwards, a cold glint flashed in Xiao Yuan's eyes.

"That kind of situation is unlikely to occur. After all, I am now Ninth Grade Alchemist. Even Dou Sheng Expert wouldn't dare to provoke me easily."

Upon hearing this, the Yao Lao shook his head and smiled, his tone clearly showing a hint of pride.

This is not surprising, Ninth Grade Alchemist are among the most rare in the entire continent. Even the Ancient Eight Clans would treat them as honored guests!

"Hehe, congratulations, teacher. Now you have truly reached the pinnacle of this world. It seems that I can be quite arrogant when I go out in the future."

Xiao Yuan said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, the Yao Lao looked at Xiao Yuan with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, and said with a laugh:

"You used to be quite composed, always trying to hide your talents, but now you're getting all cocky!"

"Hehe, as long as I don't encounter Dou Sheng, I can roam freely in Central State without any problems."

Xiao Yuan smiled and said confidently.

"Well, but that Space Trade Fair is held almost once every ten years. If you calculate the time, it will be almost a year before that. Before that, you and Xiao Yan will have to go to the Ancient Clan."

In another month, it will be the Ancient Clan's coming-of -Coming-of-Age Ceremony, held once every twenty years. This is a major event for the Ancient Clan Ancient Clan, as those qualified to participate in the Coming-of-Age Ceremony are the most outstanding young members of the clan.

At this point, the Yao Lao paused, then said, "Xun'er is naturally among them."

"There aren't many forces that can receive an invitation from the Ancient Clan. If I hadn't advanced to the Dou Sheng level this time, I doubt the Starfall Pavilion would have been qualified either."

The Yao Lao took out a black jade slip from his Storage Ring. It was covered with many mysterious patterns and looked quite profound.

"This is the invitation. Only by possessing it can one enter the Ancient World. Originally, I should have gone myself, but you should be aware of the current situation of the Starfall Pavilion. Although many old fellows on the continent have recently joined the Starfall Pavilion because of my name, what truly prevents the Soul Hall from acting recklessly is my strength as a Dou Sheng. Therefore, I cannot personally attend the invitation from the Ancient Clan, so this mission can only be entrusted to you, the Young Pavilion Master."

The Yao Lao smiled slightly, handed the black jade token in his hand to Xiao Yuan, and said.

"Teacher, rest assured, I will not disgrace your name when I go to the Ancient Clan!"

Xiao Yuan put away the jade token, his expression becoming more serious.

Ancient Clan... Before we knew it, the time had come to face this behemoth!

"Haha, I'm not worried about that!" Yao Lao laughed, then patted Xiao Yuan on the shoulder and said, "In a few days, you should take Xiao Yan to the Ancient Clan. You two brothers are going not only on behalf of the Starfall Pavilion, but also on behalf of your Xiao Clan, well, the Xiao Clan. So, it's okay to be assertive. No matter what problems arise, I'll be here!"

"Um!"

Xiao Yuan nodded.

"Brother! You're back!"

Xiao Yan appeared in a flash.

"Hehe, what's wrong? In a hurry to see Xun'er?"

Xiao Yuan glanced at Xiao Yan and realized that this kid had already reached the Five Star Dou Zun realm? "Hmm?"

Xiao Yuan's eyes widened.

"I remember you were only Two Star Dou Zun before you left, right?"

Xiao Yuan asked in confusion.

"Yes, the Three Thousand Burning Flame has accumulated a lot of energy over the years, and I haven't fully refined it yet. But after focusing on cultivation during this period, I have completely refined it."

Xiao Yan said with a smile.

"Good!"

Xiao Yuan nodded in satisfaction.

"When you go to the Ancient World this time, please take Heavenly Flame Venerable and Xiao Yi Xian with you," Yao Lao. "After the pills I helped him refine during this time, Heavenly Flame Venerable's strength has reached the Three-Star Dou Zun Peak, which is quite a force to be reckoned with. Xiao Yi Xian has also come out of seclusion and is on her way back. Hmm, her strength should be around eight or nine stars."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan was stunned. "Huh??? Is this really that outrageous?"

He's only been gone a short time, how come everyone's leveled up like a rocket? "How's Cai Lin doing lately?"

Xiao Yuan returned and, not seeing Cai Lin appear, asked with some confusion.

"Oh, I just refined a Ninth Grade Treasure Pill for her a few days ago, and she has already gone into seclusion."

The Yao Lao said with a smile.

"Oh my god, teacher, I haven't even had any to eat yet!"

Xiao Yuan couldn't help but sigh.