Yao Chen Was Stunned: I've Been Sealed?

"Thank you, sir!" Xiao Yan bowed deeply. His father had been urging him all along, but he no longer cared about that. He would thank him first.

If Ling Yuan could truly help him, it would be an immense favor, one that could never be repaid enough.

Ling Yuan still wore the calm, aloof bearing of an expert, but inwardly, he was feeling immensely pleased.

"That's right, Brother Xiao Yan. Hurry and give it a try."

Gu Xun'er, who had been watching from the side, was also growing impatient.

She liked Xiao Yan, but she was equally aware of the gap between their statuses.

If she and Xiao Yan wanted to be together, Xiao Yan could not only not be a good-for-nothing, but he also had to reach the Dou Saint level.

Otherwise, no one in the clan would agree to let her marry outside.

This was an unspoken rule among Dou God Clans. Women with rich bloodlines either remained in their clans or entered political marriages with powerful families.

The Gu Clan was powerful enough that it did not need marriages with other clans to maintain its relationships.

Having enjoyed the benefits and privileges granted by the clan, one had to possess the awareness to contribute to it.

Clearly, as the daughter of the Gu Clan's patriarch, Gu Xun'er did not even possess that much awareness.

Gu Xun'er thought, If Xiao Yan can recover his cultivation this time, then there may still be a chance for us...

No matter what purpose Ling Yuan had come with, Xun Er felt that it was fine as long as he did not take the Ancient Jade or harm Xiao Yan.

If he truly cured Xiao Yan, she would repay Ling Yuan as well.

Ling Yuan merely gave Gu Xun'er a faint glance before shifting his gaze away.

He had noticed Gu Xun'er long ago; he had simply chosen to ignore her.

Though this woman was quite pretty, Ling Yuan had no interest in her.

She had been inseparable from Xiao Yan since childhood. They had grown up together, and their feelings had long since taken root and seeped into their bones. Anyone with eyes could see that her entire heart was devoted to Xiao Yan.

Ling Yuan understood this perfectly. Under such circumstances, even if he had wanted to steal her away, he would never be able to. Winning her over was even more impossible.

Taking a step back, even if their families truly arranged a political marriage, Ling Yuan could guess how it would end.

Given his understanding of Gu Xun'er's temperament, she might even flee the marriage outright. Then, not only would he gain the reputation of having his marriage called off, he might even end up being cuckolded, all in exchange for her saying, "I want to pursue free love."

Just like Nalan Yanran, except Nalan Yanran pursued strength, while Gu Xun'er was purely love-brained.

If Ling Yuan actually went after Gu Xun'er under these circumstances, then water must have gotten into his brain.

He withdrew his gaze from Gu Xun'er and casually ran his hand through Zi Yan's soft purple hair. Having Zi Yan was enough for him.

Both were wealthy young women of extraordinary birth, but Zi Yan was far, far better than Gu Xun'er.

Zi Yan was easy to win over. A few pills could make her happy for half a day. She was simple-minded and easily satisfied. More importantly, she possessed the pure imperial bloodline of the Ancient Void Dragon Clan. Sooner or later, she would rule the entire Ancient Void Dragon Clan, providing him with real, tangible support.

In contrast, Gu Yuan was timid and submissive even within the Gu Clan, always worrying about the elders' opinions. Gu Xun'er had even less standing; hardly anyone listened to her, and her growth rate was far inferior to Zi Yan's.

As long as Zi Yan was given the Dragon-Phoenix Origin Fruit, she could truly advance to the Dou Saint level and unify Dragon Island. She would hold actual power, and most crucially, Zhu Kun listened to Zi Yan especially well.

Thinking of it this way, Ling Yuan instantly felt that bringing Zi Yan over had been the wisest and most correct choice he had ever made.

The gluttonous Zi Yan watched the show while eating pills, her little mouth never stopping. After learning that Ling Yuan was not short on pills, the little girl had begun consuming them wildly.

She called it eating more so she could grow up faster and become Ling Yuan's wife.

Over here, Xiao Yan looked at the anticipation in his father Xiao Zhan's eyes, then at Gu Xun'er's encouraging gaze beside him. He took a deep breath and nodded heavily.

"Alright!"

That response carried the desire he had suppressed for years. He had long been impatient to find out whether he could cultivate again and cast off the label of "good-for-nothing."

Xiao Yan deeply cupped his hands toward Ling Yuan, who sat in the seat of honor. "Sir, thank you for offering your aid. I will first attempt to cultivate. If anything goes wrong during cultivation, I hope you will offer me further guidance. Xiao Yan will be eternally grateful."

But Ling Yuan did not acknowledge him at all. His fingers continued slowly stroking Zi Yan's purple hair.

Xiao Yan was not angered. Experts all had their tempers.

Besides, the other party was helping him without asking for compensation. Xiao Yan had even less right to be angry.

He said no more. Sitting cross-legged on the spot, he closed his eyes and followed his usual cultivation method, slowly circulating the remaining Dou Qi within his body as he began absorbing the Dou Qi of heaven and earth around him.

Time passed bit by bit, and before long, two hours had gone by.

Xiao Yan gradually noticed something different—previously, the Dou Qi he had just absorbed would always vanish into thin air without warning. But today, that Dou Qi remained steadily within his body, flowing slowly through his meridians without showing the slightest sign of disappearing.

This discovery made Xiao Yan's entire body tremble. Wild joy instantly surged into his heart, spreading through his blood to every limb and bone.

The problem that had plagued him for years had truly been solved by this lord!

His talent had returned. He was no longer that third-stage Dou Qi good-for-nothing people spoke of, the one who could only hold his family back!

Xiao Yan had always been composed, but faced with the humiliation and resentment he had bottled up for years, he could no longer suppress the excitement in his heart. His eyes grew slightly hot.

Xiao Yan opened his eyes, which were filled with excitement.

He said excitedly to Xiao Zhan and Gu Xun'er, who were waiting for the result, "Father, Xun Er, my Dou Qi didn't disappear. I can cultivate again!"

Meanwhile, within the ancient ring in Ling Yuan's hand, the phantom of an elderly man dressed in white, with white hair and beard, slowly opened his eyes.

This man was Yao Chen, the true culprit who had caused Xiao Yan to become a third-stage Dou Qi good-for-nothing.

For the past several years, the first thing Yao Chen did every day was absorb the Dou Qi within Xiao Yan's body, using it to restore his damaged soul and strength.

"Xiao Yan, hold on a little longer. After I absorb it for one more day, I'll have mostly recovered. Then I'll compensate you." With that thought, Yao Chen began absorbing.

As the thought fell, Yao Chen activated his soul power, preparing to absorb the Dou Qi within Xiao Yan's body as usual.

But in the next instant, he froze.

No matter how he urged his soul power, he could not absorb even a shred of Dou Qi. He could not even sense any movement from the outside world.

Yao Chen was completely dumbfounded. His phantom swayed slightly, his face filled with disbelief. "?? What is going on?"

He had merely fallen asleep to rest for a while. How had everything changed when he woke up?

Yao Chen hurriedly focused his mind and probed his surroundings with all his strength.

Only then did he discover that the entire ring had been cut off by a layer of invisible soul power.

This barrier not only prevented him from absorbing Xiao Yan's Dou Qi, but also made it impossible for him to investigate what was happening outside.

"Have I... been sealed?" Panic colored Yao Chen's voice.

No, he was just a little short of recovering enough to appear...