First Meeting with Xiao Yan

"Girl, let's go! Brother Lin Ming will accompany you to meet this distinguished guest who can produce five Gathering Qi Pills." After saying this with a meaningful smile, Lin Ming immediately spoke up.

Then, Lin Ming said to Qing Lin, "Qing Lin, wait here for a moment. Brother Lin Ming will accompany Sister Ya Fei and be right back."

"Brother Lin Ming! You guys go ahead!" Qing Lin nodded in response.

"Girl, let's go!" Lin Ming stood up, called to Ya Fei, and walked outside. Seeing Lin Ming leave, Ya Fei quickly followed him.

"I apologize, Old Sir, I had some matters to attend to and kept you waiting." Upon arriving at the Reception Room and seeing the man in black robes waiting inside, Ya Fei immediately spoke apologetically.

"It's nothing," the man in black replied calmly, then asked Ya Fei, "Miss Ya Fei, who is this?"

"My name is Lin Ming, a member of Ya Fei's clan. I have met Old Sir." Upon hearing the question from the man in black, Lin Ming spoke up without waiting for Ya Fei to introduce him.

After finishing speaking, Lin Ming looked at the man in black robes and nodded in response, then continued, "Back in the Imperial City Lin Ming, I heard about Xiao Yan, the third young master of the Xiao Family in Wutan City, who accomplished the feat of advancing from the 3rd Stage Dou Qi to the 8th Stage Dou Qi within a year. I never imagined that only three months have passed and Brother Xiao Yan would already be a Dou Zhe. Congratulations!"

"Brother Lin Ming Lin Ming, have you met Xiao Yan?" Before the man in black could react, Ya Fei asked first.

"Look, isn't Brother Xiao Yan right here?" Lin Ming said with a smile to the man in black robes in response to Ya Fei's question.

"Xiao Yan is here? But besides Ya Fei and Brother Lin Ming, the only other person here is this Old Sir!" Ya Fei muttered to herself, puzzled. Then, as if she had just realized something, she immediately looked at the man in black and exclaimed, "Old Sir, you are Xiao Yan?"

Seeing Lin Ming's calm and smiling expression, Xiao Yan felt a sense of being completely seen through. After a moment of stalemate, the man in black robes pulled down the black robe covering his face, revealing a young man's face.

"Brother Xiao Yan, is it really you?" The moment the black-robed man's face was revealed, Ya Fei's exclamation rang out again.

"Sister Ya Fei, I'm sorry." Xiao Yan said apologetically to Ya Fei's exclamation. After speaking, Xiao Yan to Lin Ming and asked, "I believe I've concealed myself flawlessly. Young Master Lin Ming, could you please tell me how you knew I was Xiao Yan?"

"Brother Xiao Yan, there's no need to address me as 'Young Master.' I, Lin Ming Xiao Yan, am a few years older than you. If you don't mind, please call me Brother Lin. Of course, you can just call me Lin Ming." Lin Ming replied with a smile in response to Xiao Yan's question.

"Brother Lin, then I Xiao Yan, will shamelessly address you as such," Xiao Yan said after Lin Ming finished speaking.

"Haha! Alright. As for the question you asked, Brother Xiao Yan, because I am Alchemist, my Soul Power is a little stronger than that of ordinary people, which is why I was able to recognize you, Brother Xiao Yan." After hearing Xiao Yan address him as "elder brother," Lin Ming immediately replied to Xiao Yan's question with a smile.

"Brother Lin, are you Alchemist?" Xiao Yan asked in shock as soon as Lin Ming finished speaking.

"Brother Xiao Yan, didn't you also meet the requirements to become Alchemist? So what's so shocking about this?" Lin Ming replied with a smile, seeing Xiao Yan's astonishment.

After hearing Lin Ming's words, Xiao Yan was shocked, and the feeling of being seen through intensified.

"Alright, Xiao Yan, tell me why you've come!" Seeing Xiao Yan's shock, Lin Ming got straight to the point.

Hearing Lin Ming's words, Xiao Yan thought to himself, "Now that I've been recognized, I must accomplish my purpose for coming here." So, after Lin Ming finished speaking, Xiao Yan said, "Brother Lin, Sister Ya Fei Xiao Yan, I've come here again because of the medicinal herbs. Sister Ya Fei, I hope you can provide another batch of the herbs you gave me last time."

Half an hour later, Xiao Yan smiled and pulled up his black robe again to cover his face before leaving the auction house.

"Brother Lin Ming, you're amazing! Ya Fei had been in contact with this man in black robes for so long and didn't discover his identity, Brother Lin Ming only needed one look to know that he was Xiao Yan." After Xiao Yan left, Ya Fei hugged Lin Ming's arm and whispered sweetly in Lin Ming ear.

"Little girl, do you know you're all grown up now?" The softness on his arm made Lin Ming swallow unconsciously.

"Hehe!" Ya Fei's laughter rang out.

After leaving the Mittel Auction House, Xiao Yan found a secluded spot, removed his black robe, and ran towards the Xiao Family as fast as he could. Upon returning to the Xiao Family, Xiao Yan went to the Back Mountain and then entered a cave in the cliff face.

"Teacher! What happened to you just now? I couldn't get a response from you when I tried to communicate with you." Xiao Yan asked immediately after entering the cave.

"Teacher! Teacher!" After saying that, seeing that no one responded, Xiao Yan immediately called out again.

"I never expected to encounter such a person in the Jia Ma Empire!" After Xiao Yan exclaimed again, an old voice suddenly rang out, and then a phantom emerged from the ring on Xiao Yan's hand, floating in mid-air.

"Teacher, I feel completely seen through by Lin Ming." Upon seeing this figure appear, Xiao Yan finally felt relieved and spoke.

"Xiao Yan, do you know what level of cultivation Lin Ming is at now?" After Xiao Yan finished speaking, Old Yao looked at Xiao Yan and asked.

"Teacher, could Lin Ming have reached the Da Dou Shi level?" Seeing that Old Yao was asking him to guess, Xiao Yan immediately replied.

Judging from Lin Ming's appearance, he wasn't much older than Xiao Yan. Therefore, Xiao Yan's guess that he had reached the Da Dou Shi level like his father was an extremely exaggerated guess.

Hearing Xiao Yan's guess, Old Yao smiled slightly and then said to Xiao Yan, "Hehe, Da Dou Shi. Da Dou Shi couldn't even withstand a single move from Lin Ming. Lin Ming's cultivation has already reached the Dou Wang level."

"A... Dou Wang!" Upon hearing Elder Hai's words, Xiao Yan exclaimed in disbelief.

Most of the top ten powerhouses in the Jia Ma Empire were only at the Dou King cultivation. But Lin Ming, who looked not much older than himself, had already reached such a level. How could this not shock Xiao Yan?

"Compared to his cultivation level, Lin Ming's Soul Power is even stronger. From my brief observation just now, Lin Ming's Soul Power is stronger than that of many 6th Grade Alchemists. That's why I cut off my connection with you directly at the Mittel Auction House. Otherwise, Lin Ming would definitely have noticed it." Just as Xiao Yan was shocked, Old Yao's voice came again.

After hearing Old Yao's words, Xiao Yan stammered, his mouth stiff, "Six... 6th Grade!"