Reuniting with Yun Shan

"Long time no see, Yun'er." Xiao Li looked Yun Yun up and down. Only a little over two years had passed—how had Yun Yun gone straight from a young girl to a mature beauty? She had changed far too much, hadn't she?

"Mmm~ Long time no see, Big Brother Xiao Li." Yun Yun's pretty face flushed red, still embarrassed by what she had done just now.

"Two Star Dou Spirit? Looks like you worked hard these past two years as well." Xiao Li saw through Yun Yun's cultivation at a glance.

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

But with the pill support of Old Wang, a Rank 6 Alchemist, it was reasonable enough.

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. He had spent most of his time studying the art of alchemy.

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—

A cyan handprint suddenly 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 and was extremely eye-catching. Looking closely, it seemed as though golden magma flowed within the flames, making it quite extraordinary.

"What kind of flame is that?"

"It feels so powerful!"

Boom—

The golden fist collided with the cyan palm, unleashing violent energy ripples that sent the nearby Misty Cloud Sect Disciples with weaker cultivation flying.

Yun Yun crossed her hands before her chest, resisting the energy ripples.

"Good kid, 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 tall but thin, carrying an immortal, transcendent air. Yet the aura emanating from him 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 abilities of the one who captured the Young Sect Master's heart. Now that I have seen them, the Young Sect Master truly has excellent taste."

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 discover that he had suffered a loss in the exchange just now. At this moment, his right hand burned with searing pain, completely charred black.

"Xiao Li, don't stand on ceremony. This is the Great Elder of our Misty Cloud Sect, Yun Ji." Yun Yun came to Xiao Li's side and introduced the old man.

"Great Elder Yun Ji, this junior has offended you. Please forgive me." Xiao Li clasped his hands in salute.

From their exchange just now, Xiao Li had roughly gauged Yun Ji's cultivation. It was likely somewhere between a Two Star Dou Emperor and a Three-Star Dou Emperor.

In terms of strength, he should have been about equal to Xiao Li's grandfather, Xiao Ting. Because Xiao Ting cultivated a relatively high-grade Cultivation Method, although his cultivation 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 meet 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 sigh of relief and raise his right hand. Feeling the burns on it, Yun Ji sucked in a breath from the pain.

"This kid really hits hard. That golden flame just now was incredibly powerful. A Heavenly Flame? Probably not. If it had been a Heavenly Flame, this old man's right hand would have been crippled. It should be Beast Flame."

"It is probably a Rank 7 Beast Flame. Tsk, this kid is truly impressive. According to the Sect Leader, he is also Old Wang's last disciple, and his alchemy is exceptionally advanced."

"With his current Dou Wang cultivation, his alchemy is probably at least Grade 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 Spirit level. Though he did not know how the Sect Leader had cultivated her, the facts were right before him. The Sect Leader could not possibly harm Yun Yun.

Once the matters concerning the Strongest Experts Convention were settled a year from now, Yun Yun would have to complete the final trial for succeeding as 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 the Six Star Dou King level, allowing him to successfully take over the position of Sect Leader from the Old Sect Leader.

For a single punch to make a Dou Emperor Expert suffer a hidden loss, Xiao Li's own build had to be strong enough. That golden flame truly was Beast Flame—a Rank 7 Beast Flame, Phantom Gold Flame.

This flame could only remain within the shell after a young Phantom Fire Scorpion Dragon Beast hatched. The shell would be burned to ashes by the lingering flames within three days. To obtain this Phantom Gold Flame, one could only find the shell of a young Phantom Fire Scorpion Dragon Beast during those three days.

By coincidence, the Library Pavilion of the Inner Academy had collected this Beast Flame. 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 Chi refused to give him that Rank 8 Beast Flame. A Rank 8 Beast Flame was much stronger than a Rank 7 Beast Flame.

Besides the flame, Xiao Li's physical body was strong enough. Cultivating the Heavenly Burning Flame Demon Body had made his body no weaker than that of a Rank 5 Magical Beast.

With such a setup, if he still could not defeat a low-level Dou Emperor Expert, he might as well buy a block of tofu and bash his head against it.

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

Yun Yun asked. She had worked extremely hard these past two years, cultivating diligently in order to catch up with Xiao Li's pace, yet the gap was still so great.

"Of course I had my opportunities. I am currently an Eight Star Dou King, not a Dou Emperor. Just now, I merely won narrowly by relying on a Rank 7 Beast Flame and a body-tempering Battle Skill."

Xiao Li waved his hand.

"So you're a Dou Wang. Good. You can do it, Yun Yun. Keep it up, keep it up! Catch up to Li—you can definitely do it!"

Yun Yun kept encouraging herself.

They entered the main hall.

At the seat of honor in the main hall sat the familiar figure in white robes, with white hair. Yun Shan leaned against his chair, supporting his head with one hand. He appeared extremely relaxed, as if taking a light nap.

"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 the auras of all the Dou Emperor Elders at Jia Nan Academy!

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

Could Old 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 Old Wang.

In order to let his disciple turn her talent into real strength, Yun Shan had asked Old Wang to provide pill support. For that reason, 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 battles he fought, the more insights he gained.

Previously, Yun Shan had also obtained 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 specifically for Wind Attribute Dou Emperors to raise their cultivation. As long as a Wind Attribute Dou Emperor consumed it, its effects were equivalent to the Imperial Origin Pill.

It was precisely because of these two pills that Yun Shan's cultivation rose from Seven Star Dou Emperor to Nine Star Dou Emperor, faintly touching the barrier of the Dou Emperor realm.

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