Seeing Yun Shan Again

"It's been a long time, Yun'er." Xiao Li looked Yun Yun up and down. Only a little over two years had passed, yet Yun Yun had gone straight from a young girl to a mature woman. That was far too much growth, wasn't it?

"Mmm~ It's been a long time, Eldest Brother Xiao Li." Yun Yun's pretty face was crimson, still embarrassed by what she had done earlier.

"A Two-Star Dou Ling? It seems you've worked hard these past two years as well." Xiao Li saw through Yun Yun's cultivation at a glance.

When they had parted, Yun Yun had only been a Two-Star Dou Master. Advancing by an entire Great Realm each year was honestly a little absurd.

Still, with the pill support of Old Wang, a Rank 6 Alchemist, it was understandable.

The investment of a Rank 6 Alchemist could naturally raise one's realm quickly. Xiao Li's cultivation had improved slowly back then mainly because he had been polishing his Alchemy, spending most of his time studying pill refinement.

Yun Yun, on the other hand, had focused solely on cultivating Dou Qi. Unlike Xiao Li, she did not need to divide her attention among other matters, so her realm had risen quickly.

Yun Yun: "Have you been doing well lately?"

Xiao Li: "How have you been these past two years?"

Xiao Li and Yun Yun: ...

Screech—

Suddenly, a cyan handprint shot straight toward Xiao Li.

"Hmph!"

Xiao Li clenched his right hand into a fist. A mass of golden flame suddenly emerged around his right arm, wrapping around his fist. It gleamed brilliantly, drawing everyone's eyes. Looking closer, it seemed as though golden magma flowed within the flames, making for a rather peculiar sight.

"What kind of flame is that?"

"It feels so powerful!"

Boom—

The golden fist collided with the cyan palm, triggering violent energy ripples that sent the low-cultivation Misty Cloud Sect Disciples around them flying.

Yun Yun crossed her arms before her body to shield herself against the energy wave.

"Good lad, you really are impressive." An aged voice rang out. The newcomer was an old man dressed in white robes, with white hair and a white beard. He was rather tall but thin, carrying the air of an immortal sage. Yet the aura he emitted was unmistakably that of a Dou Emperor Expert.

"Great Elder..." Yun Yun was just about to speak.

"Do not panic, Young Sect Master. This old man merely wished to test the capabilities of the man who has captured the Young Sect Master's heart. It seems the Young Sect Master truly has excellent judgment."

The old man stroked his beard with his left hand and smiled faintly. His right hand, however, was hidden behind his back. He did not want anyone to notice that he had suffered a loss in that exchange. At that moment, his right hand burned with pain, blackened from the flames.

"Xiao Li, don't be a stranger. This is the Great Elder of our Misty Cloud Sect, Yun Ji." Yun Yun walked to Xiao Li's side and introduced the old man.

"Great Elder Yun Ji, please forgive this junior for any offense." Xiao Li cupped his fists in salute.

From their brief exchange, Xiao Li had roughly gauged Great Elder Yun Ji's cultivation. It was likely somewhere between Two Star Dou Emperor and Three Star Dou Emperor.

In terms of strength, he should be about equal to Xiao Li's current grandfather, Xiao Ting. Since Xiao Ting cultivated a relatively high-grade Cultivation Method, though his realm was slightly lower, his aura was no weaker than Yun Ji's.

"Hehe, it's nothing, it's nothing. Yun'er, take our Honorary Elder to see the Sect Leader." Yun Ji said with a smile.

Yun Yun then led Xiao Li toward the Main Hall. Only after they had gone far away did Yun Ji let out a breath of relief. Raising his right hand and feeling the burn wound upon it, Yun Ji sucked in a cold breath from the pain.

"That boy strikes rather ruthlessly. That golden flame from before was truly powerful. A Heavenly Flame? Probably not. If it were a Heavenly Flame, this old man's right hand would have been ruined. It should be Beast Flame.

"It is likely a Tier 7 Beast Flame. Tsk, this boy is truly remarkable. According to the Sect Leader, he is also Old Wang's final disciple, and his Alchemy is exceptionally high.

"With his current Dou Wang cultivation, his Alchemy is probably at least Rank 5. I wonder whether Yun'er can win him over."

Yun Ji continued pondering. He thought highly of Yun Yun. At such a young age, she had already reached the Dou Ling level. Though he did not know how the Sect Leader had nurtured her, the facts were before him. The Sect Leader could not possibly harm Yun Yun.

Once the matters of the Strongest Experts Convention were settled a year later, Yun Yun would have to undergo the final trial to inherit the position of Sect Leader: the Gate of Life and Death!

Completing the Gate of Life and Death trial would not only greatly raise her cultivation, but also bring many benefits. After all, when Sect Leader Yun Shan had emerged from the Gate of Life and Death, his cultivation had reached Six Star Dou Wang, allowing him to successfully inherit the Sect Leader's position from the Old Sect Leader.

To make a Dou Emperor Expert suffer a hidden loss with one punch, Xiao Li's own foundation had to be sufficiently formidable. That golden flame truly was Beast Flame, a Tier 7 Beast Flame: Phantom Gold Flame.

After a young Tier 7 Phantom Fire Scorpion Dragon Beast hatched from its shell, this Phantom Gold Flame would remain within the shell's remains. Within three days, the residual shell would be burned to ashes by the flames attached to it. To obtain the Phantom Gold Flame, one could only find the hatchling's shell within those three days.

By coincidence, the Library Pavilion of the Inner Academy possessed this Beast Flame in its collection, and Xiao Li had taken it to cultivate the Heavenly Burning Flame Demon Body. He still had three more Beast Flames like it on him.

Unfortunately, Mang Tian Ruler had refused to give him that Rank 8 Beast Flame. A Rank 8 Beast Flame was far stronger than a Tier 7 Beast Flame.

Apart from the flame, Xiao Li's Physical Body was sufficiently powerful. Cultivating the Heavenly Burning Flame Demon Body had made his Physical Body no weaker than that of a Rank 5 Magical Beast.

If such a setup still could not defeat a low-level Dou Emperor, he might as well buy a block of tofu and smash his head into it.

"Li, what is your cultivation now? You actually managed to fight Great Elder Yun Ji to a draw? Have you become a Dou Emperor?"

Yun Yun asked. She had worked very hard over the past two years, cultivating diligently to catch up to Xiao Li, yet the gap was still so great.

"I naturally had my own opportunities. I'm currently an Eight Star Dou Wang, not a Dou Emperor. I only narrowly won just now by relying on a Tier 7 Beast Flame and a body-tempering Battle Skill."

Xiao Li waved his hand.

So he's a Dou Wang. Good, Yun Yun. You can do it, keep going! Catch up to Li—you can definitely do it!

Yun Yun kept encouraging herself.

They entered the Main Hall.

At the head of the Main Hall sat that familiar figure in white hair and white robes. Yun Shan leaned back in his chair, supporting his head with one hand. He appeared utterly at ease, as though he were dozing.

"You're here?"

After Xiao Li and Yun Yun entered, Yun Shan's voice drifted over. Xiao Li sensed Yun Shan's aura. It was actually stronger than that of every Dou Emperor Elder in Jia Nan Academy!

It even carried a faint trace of Great Elder Su Qian's presence.

Could Elder Yun have broken through?

Xiao Li had guessed correctly. Since Yun Shan met Old Wang two years ago, Yun Shan had signed a series of "unequal" agreements with him.

For the sake of allowing his disciple's talent to fully manifest, Yun Shan had asked Old Wang for pill support. In exchange, Yun Shan had no choice but to gather medicinal ingredients in the Magical Beast Mountain Range of the Jia Ma Empire, the Tagor Desert, and even the territories of other empires.

Yun Shan had fought many Magical Beasts and human experts. The more he fought, the more insights he gained.

Moreover, Yun Shan had previously received an Imperial Origin Pill and an Imperial Wind Spirit Pill from Old Wang.

The Imperial Origin Pill could raise a Dou Emperor's cultivation by one to two stars. Of course, at Yun Shan's realm, it could probably only raise him by one star.

The Imperial Wind Spirit Pill was a medicinal pill exclusively for Wind Attribute Dou Emperors to improve their cultivation. As long as a Wind Attribute Dou Emperor consumed it, its effect was equivalent to that of an Imperial Origin Pill.

With these two pills, Yun Shan's cultivation had risen from Seven Star Dou Emperor to Nine Star Dou Emperor, faintly touching the barrier of the Dou Zong realm.

If Yun Shan could break through that barrier, he would become a Dou Ancestor Expert. Unfortunately, countless people on the Dou Qi Continent were trapped at this barrier, unable to break through.