"Thank you for your concern, Senior. I'm fine." Xiao Yan shook his head. Though he was anxious inside, he did not show it.
Seeing Xiao Yan's expression, Ruolin seemed to understand something. "Stop forcing yourself. Go back and rest. I haven't forgotten about that year of leave you requested."
"This child took one of my Xuan-tier Dou Techniques just to ask for leave. It must have put quite a burden on him as well."
"Impressive. To think a Dou Zhe could withstand a mentor's Xuan-tier Dou Technique. Even I couldn't have done that back then."
Wu Yong was somewhat moved. If a Dou Zhe could truly withstand a Da Dou Shi's Xuan-tier Dou Technique with his own strength, then Wu Yong genuinely admired him.
Unfortunately...
Wu Yong seemed to understand why Xiao Yan's complexion looked so terrible. Was it because that Yao Lao had suddenly gone offline?
Then again, was his own presence really that oppressive?
Glancing at the reverent looks everyone around him gave him, Wu Yong bid Mentor Ruolin farewell as well and flew away with Xiao Yi Xian.
A thick barrier now stood between him and these people.
Watching Wu Yong take Xiao Yi Xian into the sky and vanish beyond the horizon, the atmosphere inside the tent immediately relaxed considerably.
Ruolin found it rather amusing as she watched the students all breathe sighs of relief in unspoken unison.
"You all... Wu Yong is your Senior. He won't attack you, so there's no need to be so nervous."
"We weren't nervous. It's just that Senior Wu Yong's aura was too oppressive, even if he didn't mean to be."
At some point, Xiao Yan's complexion had returned to normal, though his face still carried a look of amazement.
Ruolin blinked and teased the youngster, "Then are you still determined to take leave? You should know that Wu Yong only took three years to cultivate from a Dou Zhe to a Dou Wang..."
"Three years!?"
Sharp gasps rang out one after another inside the tent. Everyone stared intently at Ruolin. Surely she was not joking?
Xiao Yan gave a bitter smile. If he did not take leave, he might not even win the Three-Year Agreement, let alone reach the Dou Wang realm.
"I'm sorry, Mentor Ruolin, but I have to take this leave."
"Fine, you troublesome brat. Just don't regret it when someone steals your sweetheart away."
"Heh... probably not. He already has one."
Xiao Yan looked at the girl beside him and smiled awkwardly.
Once registration ended, everyone went their separate ways.
On the way back, an aged voice sounded within Xiao Yan's heart.
"There is no rule on the Dou Qi Continent saying that a man can only have one woman, especially not a strong man."
"Teacher, why did you suddenly act like that just now?"
"That boy's soul power is rather strong. Although that Jia Nan Academy mentor said his character was decent, this old man did not want to gamble on it. What a pity. That boy has the Wind Attribute. If he were an Alchemist, this old man might have been tempted."
"Ah? Teacher, is Wu Yong's soul power really that strong?" Xiao Yan found it hard to believe. Was Yao Lao trying to spur him on this way?
"...Don't dwell on it. No matter how strong his soul power is, he isn't an Alchemist, and this old man will not take him as a disciple."
"Oh, then Teacher, that Di-tier Dou Technique you promised before... you haven't forgotten, have you?"
"I haven't forgotten. You bring it up five or six times a day."
Magic Beast Mountain Range.
After returning from registration, Wu Yong sent Xiao Yi Xian back to the clinic before heading deep into the Magic Beast Mountain Range alone.
The wind had told him that there was a substance here that perfectly met his requirements.
Following the wind's guidance, Wu Yong arrived here.
The moment Wu Yong revealed himself, the enormous lion head of the massive beast atop the mountain, whose entire body radiated purple light, turned toward him.
"Human? Leave at once!"
He was merely a Dou Wang, but this human Dou Wang appeared very young and was most likely from an extraordinary background. The Amethyst Winged Lion King tried its best to avoid fighting such a human.
It would be fine if it could kill him on the spot, but if it failed, it would have no end of trouble in the future.
Wu Yong roughly assessed the strength of both sides and immediately made his choice.
He was not yet sure what he had come to take, but one thing was certain: it was inside the Amethyst Winged Lion King's cave.
In that case, he could only defeat or kill the Amethyst Winged Lion King before searching the place inch by inch.
So this battle was unavoidable.
Thus, Wu Yong directly began provoking it.
"What if I don't leave?"
"Human, are you toying with this king?"
A vicious aura rose from the Amethyst Winged Lion King. Its enormous body, nearly ten meters long, had already taken to the air, its fierce gaze locked tightly onto the human youth.
It was as though it would tear this human apart the very next moment!
"I can't be bothered explaining my reasons to you. You aren't worthy of hearing them."
The battle saber he had not used in a long time fell into Wu Yong's hand. At the same time, countless cyan wind blades shot toward the Amethyst Winged Lion King.
However, the hastily condensed wind blades could only leave shallow marks on the layer of purple crystal armor covering the Amethyst Winged Lion King's body. They seemed utterly incapable of breaking its defense.
The remaining wind blades that came from tricky angles were also deliberately blocked by the Amethyst Winged Lion King.
"Human, die!"
The next instant, the Amethyst Winged Lion King appeared directly above Wu Yong. Its enormous beast claw descended toward his head with a dull roar that crushed the air.
Yet the instant its claw fell and touched Wu Yong, the Amethyst Winged Lion King realized that something felt wrong!
"Behind me!"
Almost instinctively, the Amethyst Winged Lion King spun its enormous body around with agility utterly disproportionate to its massive size.
But after turning around, it did not see Wu Yong.
Raising its head, it saw that human high in the air, extending one hand toward it.
His middle and ring fingers slowly separated, while the smile on his face grew increasingly cruel.
"Die. Open!"
Before his words had even faded, the Amethyst Winged Lion King sensed that peculiar fluctuation of power. An incredulous expression appeared on its enormous lion face.
"This is... the power of space? How is that possible!?"
The stretch of space where the Amethyst Winged Lion King stood was like a sheet of white paper, effortlessly sliced apart by a pair of invisible scissors.
The giant beast was decapitated along with it.
That Space Slash came too fast for the Amethyst Winged Lion King to react. It had no chance to resist as its lion head separated from its body.
Still, it could not really be blamed for being unprepared. Who could have imagined that a Dou Wang could wield the power of space to such a degree?
The vast majority of Dou Zong powerhouses could not use the power of space to launch a Space Slash like this.
The severed space had already begun to heal, but the lion head could no longer return to its body.
Once the sixth-tier Fire Attribute magic core was removed from its head, the Amethyst Winged Lion King left this world with a head full of questions.
Before you continue