Cloud Yun Seeks Instruction

"No..." Hun Qing replied flatly, then ignored Gu You. The other man's behavior just now had left him somewhat disgruntled.

Seeing that Hun Qing didn't want to talk to him, Gu You didn't press the matter. He actually thought there was nothing wrong with acting that way. Staying alive was better than anything else.

Besides, he didn't believe Hun Qing hadn't felt it just now. That flame could burn souls. Even now, recalling that soul-searing pain sent a shiver of terror through him.

When Zhang Nian returned to the hall inside the mountain gate, Cailin had already gathered all the disciples who were currently able to move.

Huh?

Why did this feel like a tribunal?

"Is everything taken care of?" Cailin's icy tone made it clear this wasn't an ordinary debriefing.

Zhang Nian nodded woodenly. Looking at the three stunning beauties before him, each with her own distinct bearing, he couldn't help feeling secretly relieved. Good thing the other two hadn't woken up yet.

"Mm-hm, it's all taken care of..."

Cailin gave Zi Yan a look. The girl immediately understood and said to Zhang Nian in her soft, childish voice, "Master, have we run into some kind of trouble? We're all your disciples, so we should have the right to know, shouldn't we?"

Whew...

It was no small feat for a child to say such a long string of words that she would never normally utter...

Thinking it over, he realized that was true. They were all his disciples, so he couldn't hide his plans and arrangements for what came next. And he couldn't entirely trust the two people from Soul Hall, either. There really were people in this world who would remain loyal even at the cost of their lives.

"All right. My flame has drawn the attention of some terrifying forces on the continent. The two who came just now were a One-Star Dou Saint and a Half-Saint. If more people come next time, they'll undoubtedly be even stronger."

Zhang Nian wasn't actually worried as he said this. After all, the system's inventory still held a sect-protecting formation. It was a treasure from another world, and he'd been told that nothing short of a Peak Nine-Star Dou Saint could break it. There were only a handful of Peak Nine-Star Dou Saints on the continent right now. Zhang Nian didn't think the Soul Clan would be foolish enough to make such a fuss over what they believed was the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame. They had more important matters to attend to.

Otherwise, Xiao Yan would have been doomed after obtaining the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame in the original story. Zhang Nian had no idea what Hun Tiandi was up to now, but surely he wasn't bored enough to come looking for trouble with him.

"A One-Star Dou Saint?"

Cailin was startled at first, but when she saw Zhang Nian's completely unruffled expression, she smiled serenely. There was nothing they could do about this at their current level. Better to focus on cultivation and wait until they were strong enough to help their master.

"All right. Since everything's taken care of, everyone can go back and cultivate." Cailin sprang to her feet and left the hall without a word. Behind her, Zi Yan and Yun Yun exchanged glances. Though Zi Yan hadn't grown up yet, she knew how formidable a Dou Saint was. She patted Zhang Nian's hand and said,

"Master, why don't you give me some more medicinal herbs? I'll eat more and grow up faster. Next time they come, I'll help you!"

She raised her little pink fist and gave it a few swings. The sharp whoosh of air filled the hall, as if she were trying to prove how powerful it was.

Zhang Nian smiled and ruffled the little girl's hair. Turning his palm upward, he stirred the space and gave her four fifth-grade medicinal herbs, each within the limit of what she could handle. He said gently, "All right, take these for now. If you run out, come ask me for more. You're still young, so it's good to grow up quickly, but you can't just eat herbs recklessly. Let me study them first. From now on, I'll use Heavenly Flames to refine them for you."

Speaking of Heavenly Flames, Zhang Nian suddenly remembered that he still had a map to one. He also had a certain talent for alchemy, so he could consider developing in that direction. With Nanming Li Fire, making pills would take half the effort.

"Emm..."

Forget it, he'd think about it later. The most important thing now was still improving his strength, and he could put all the pills he had to use.

"Master, I'm going back to my room now~" Zi Yan cheerfully left with the herbs. Zhang Nian simply replied warmly, "Go on~"

Only Yun Yun remained in the hall. She had stayed seated without moving, so Zhang Nian asked with concern, "What's wrong? Are those Dou Techniques too difficult to understand?"

He'd hit the mark. In the past month, Yun Yun had only just begun to understand the first high-tier Earth-class wind-type Dou Technique, and she still couldn't perform it properly. She had started doubting herself. Her master had created it in just seven days, yet she was a Dou Wang expert and already knew something about wind-type Dou Techniques. As time passed, her frustration grew, and the confidence she'd started with gradually faded. She even felt she didn't deserve to be Zhang Nian's disciple.

"Master, my talent is just too poor. Maybe I should leave..."

Yun Yun had her reasons for saying this. She had been the third person to enter the mountain gate, so she knew how formidable Cailin was. In just a month, Cailin had cultivated to the Five-Star Dou Emperor level, and her cultivation talent was exceptional. As for Zi Yan, who was always quiet, Yun Yun could tell there was something unusual about her, too. Could an ordinary person really improve by eating pills?

"Uh..."

Zhang Nian was speechless at Yun Yun's words... This girl was far too proud. He hadn't said anything, and she already wanted to leave over this?

He offered some reassurance:

"All right, I'll tell you plainly: your talent is actually decent. It's just that my cultivation level is too high. I take it you still haven't mastered even the first wind-type Dou Technique after a whole month?"

Hearing Zhang Nian say that, Yun Yun was taken aback, then nodded earnestly.

Seeing that, Zhang Nian continued, "That's exactly what I expected. But I'm not very familiar with wind-type Dou Techniques myself. I can use Fire Attribute Dou Qi to demonstrate the principles to you. It's nothing too difficult. Let me start with the movement technique. In my view, that's the most important one."

As he spoke, Dou Qi surged around Zhang Nian. He had suppressed his cultivation to the One-Star Dou Emperor level. His figure turned into a blur and shot forward, while his voice rang out intermittently through the air, offering pointers.

"Cloud-Stepping Shadowless comes down to one word: lightness. Keep the Dou Qi low and make it gentle as a cloud, but let it carry an endless reserve of power, like wave after wave crashing over one another. Layer your strength beneath your feet as time passes. When it reaches its peak, it'll be no weaker than a Heaven-class technique."

Of course, Zhang Nian was exaggerating about the Heaven-class part. He hadn't tested it himself, but it definitely surpassed high-tier Earth-class Dou Techniques.

Watching her master's figure in the sky, Yun Yun's eyes lit with understanding. She carefully memorized his words.

She swore to herself, Yes! I'll definitely master it!