Xiao Yan's Return

Jia Nan Academy, Outer Academy Plaza.

Today seemed somewhat unusual. Quite a few students had gathered here, all eyes fixed on the testing crystal at the center of the plaza.

A young man in a black robe stood there.

Compared to a year ago, much of the youthfulness had faded from his face, replaced by the resolve forged through hardship.

His gaze was calm, no longer as prone to revealing his emotions as before, like a pool of deep water.

This person was none other than Xiao Yan, who had been missing for a long time and was rumored to have perished in the Monster Mountain Range!

His return alone had already caused quite a stir.

What shocked everyone even more was the aura currently emanating from him—a One-Star Da Dou Shi!

When Xiao Yan placed his palm against the testing crystal and its steady, brilliant glow confirmed his rank, a wave of uncontrollable gasps rose from the plaza.

"A One-Star Da Dou Shi?! He actually broke through to Da Dou Shi!"

"It's only been a little over a year, right? From a Dou Practitioner to a Da Dou Shi—this speed..."

"Looks like the rumors were wrong. Not only did he not die, he even turned disaster into fortune!"

Whispers spread through the crowd.

Back then, Xiao Yan had already drawn considerable attention when he obtained special admission with the strength of a "One-Star Dou Practitioner."

Later, when he vanished during his training journey, many believed that this former genius had ultimately been nothing more than a brief flash in the pan.

Now, he had not only returned, but returned carrying the might of a Da Dou Shi. It was truly astonishing.

Xiao Yan seemed deaf to the discussions around him. He calmly withdrew his hand and swept his gaze over the crowd, but did not see the figure he both wanted and did not want to see—Gu Long.

That made him feel slightly relieved, but the deeply buried wariness and hatred in his heart had not diminished in the slightest.

He had indeed broken through. By devouring the Mysterious Yellow Flame, the Flame Mantra had evolved to the mid Xuan tier, and his cultivation had surged all the way to One-Star Da Dou Shi.

However, only he knew the immense price hidden behind this power.

The process of devouring the Mysterious Yellow Flame had been a near-death ordeal. Had Han Feng not forcibly protected him at the cost of his soul essence, he would have long since been reduced to ashes.

Even so, his already unstable foundation had nearly been completely ruined by this forced devouring, and his meridians were riddled with hidden injuries that would be difficult to heal.

Though the quantity of his Dou Qi had increased, its quality was far less solid than that of Da Dou Shi at the same level. Whenever it circulated, it felt sluggish and brought faint, stabbing pain.

His personality had also become more composed as a result—or rather, more repressed.

Much of his former flamboyance and youthful spirit had been ground away by the successive blows, pursuits, and the extreme agony he had endured while devouring a Heavenly Flame.

He had learned to hide his emotions deep within his heart, and he had also learned to assess the situation.

Because he knew that his greatest trump card and support—the "teacher" within the ring—was in no better condition than he was.

To help him devour the Mysterious Yellow Flame this time, he had expended an enormous amount of strength and had fallen into a deep slumber. No one knew when he would awaken.

Xiao Yan was now truly alone, and he carried a priceless treasure—the Mysterious Yellow Flame. He had to be even more cautious.

"Cousin Xiao Yan!"

A delighted voice rang out. Xiao Yu squeezed out from the crowd and hurried over, a genuine smile on her face.

"You're finally back! And you even broke through to Da Dou Shi. That's wonderful!"

Seeing the concern in his older cousin's eyes, a trace of warmth rose in Xiao Yan's cold heart.

He nodded and revealed a somewhat unnatural smile. "Cousin Xiao Yu, I'm back."

"It's good that you're back. Good that you're back!"

Xiao Yu looked Xiao Yan over and keenly sensed that he had changed greatly. He was less lively and more somber.

But she merely took it as maturity gained through life-and-death trials. "Come on, let's go see Instructor Ruolin first. She's been very worried about you too."

Xiao Yan nodded and followed Xiao Yu away from the plaza.

He needed to reintegrate into the academy, and he also needed a relatively safe environment to stabilize his unsteady cultivation and find a way to treat the hidden injuries in his meridians.

At the same time, he had to begin making more thorough preparations for the three-year agreement.

Nalan Yanran... Misty Cloud Sect...

He touched the black ring on his finger, and a shadow passed through the depths of his eyes.

His teacher was asleep, and the road ahead was difficult, but he had no way back.

In the distance, beside the window of a pavilion, Gu Long stood with his hands behind his back, taking in everything that had happened in the plaza.

Ling Ying stood silently behind him like a ghost.

"One-Star Da Dou Shi... His foundation is unstable, his Dou Qi is sluggish, and his meridians are riddled with hidden injuries."

Gu Long's calm voice sounded, as though he were merely stating a fact unrelated to himself.

"It seems Han Feng truly paid a heavy price to preserve him as a cultivation vessel."

Ling Ying said in a low voice, "Should this subordinate..."

"No need." Gu Long waved his hand.

"A fledgling bird that could barely fly wasn't worth making a fuss over. The more he relied on that false power, the deeper he would sink. Besides..."

His gaze flickered slightly as he stood with his hands behind his back.

"That 'teacher' of his is probably not having an easy time either."

He could sense that the soul aura within Xiao Yan's ring had become extremely weak and unstable, far inferior to what it had once been.

Forcing himself to help Xiao Yan, who was in terrible condition, devour a Heavenly Flame was undoubtedly a heavy burden on Han Feng's already incomplete soul.

"Just keep an eye on him. As long as he doesn't take the initiative to provoke Xun Er, let him be," Gu Long instructed.

In his eyes, Xiao Yan was merely a chess piece on the board—one that did not need attention for the time being and could be left to develop on its own.

His focus remained on Falling Heart Flame and dealing with Soul Hall's schemes.

"Yes." Ling Ying accepted the order.

Xiao Yan's return stirred up a small wave in Jia Nan Academy's Outer Academy, but it soon subsided.

The academy was never short of geniuses. Although a Da Dou Shi was worthy of attention, he was not enough to cause a lasting stir.

Xiao Yan was more than happy to have some peace and quiet.

He completed his enrollment procedures again and collected the resources allotted to him. Afterward, he spent most of his time in his residence or went to the training tower, trying to stabilize his cultivation and nurture his meridians.

He became reclusive and kept his distance from others, seeming rather solitary.

Only when facing the few Xiao Family members, such as Xiao Yu, did he reveal a trace of genuine emotion.

To others, his composure appeared to be a sign of maturity, but only he himself knew that it was a choice born of necessity, forced by his lack of strength and limited trump cards.

He had to endure. He had to wait for his teacher to awaken. He had to find a way to heal his meridians.

Occasionally, from afar within the academy, he would see Xun Er smiling sweetly while she was with Gu Long.

Every time, his heart felt as though it had been pierced by needles, and his hatred for Gu Long deepened by another degree.

Yet he never showed it. He merely turned that hatred into motivation and trained even more desperately.

However, the drawbacks of his forced advancement gradually began to show.

In the training tower, he absorbed energy far more slowly than others at the same level, and the stabbing pain caused by Dou Qi flowing through his meridians became increasingly obvious.

He tried to cultivate higher-tier Dou Techniques, only to discover that, with the condition of his meridians, he simply could not withstand their energy impact.

The road ahead seemed covered in thorns.

And all of this was clearly within Gu Long's perception.

He was like a calm observer, watching his prey struggle in the trap and sink ever deeper.

"False prosperity is nothing more than an illusion in the end."

Gu Long withdrew his gaze from the direction of Xiao Yan's residence and turned to enter the Quiet Room.

He too had to begin making the final preparations for the inevitable eruption of Falling Heart Flame that would come before long.

Xiao Yan's return was no more than an insignificant interlude in his grand chess game.