A Dou Venerate Under Twenty, Yao Lao Appears

Since a powerful expert at the Peak Nine-Star Dou Saint apologized to him, Xiao Yan naturally wouldn't pursue the matter further.

"It's alright, Clan Chief Gu Yuan."

I understand how you feel.

Gu Yuan nodded and smiled, "That would be perfect."

This time, Gu Yuan carefully examined Xiao Yan.

People judge a book by its cover, Gu Yuan was no exception.

Looking at Xiao Yan's flawless face, he felt a surge of goodwill towards him.

A person with such a handsome appearance is unlikely to be a bad person.

He acted like an elderly father interviewing his son-in-law, asking Xiao Yan, "What is your current cultivation level?"

Xiao Yan was somewhat surprised that Gu Yuan hadn't immediately checked his cultivation level upon reappearing.

Gu Yuan probably showed him some respect because Xiao Xun'er was there.

Knowing he couldn't hide it from Gu Yuan, Xiao Yan frankly said, "Clan Chief Gu Yuan, I only broke through to the Dou Venerate cultivation level a few days ago, and my current cultivation level is One-Star Dou Venerate."

"Dou Venerate... that cultivation level is acceptable." Gu Yuan nodded calmly, but he quickly realized something, and his expression suddenly became serious.

Gu Yuan suddenly remembered that he had met Xiao Yan before, when Xiao Yan had just been born.

He was old, but his perception of time had not diminished.

Roughly speaking, it's only been a little over a decade since then.

If we start counting from when Xiao Yan began his cultivation, this time might not even be fifteen years.

In fifteen years, he cultivated from an ordinary child to the Dou Zun Realm?!

Moreover, he cultivated to the Dou Venerate in the Northwest Continent, in the Jia Ma Empire, in Wutan City —a place among the most barren of barren lands!

When Gu Yuan realized this, he was shocked.

This Heaven-Swallowing Talent reminded him of someone.

Xiao Xuan, the genius of the Xiao Clan who once dominated the entire continent!

At six years old, one becomes a Dou Zhe; at ten Dou Ling; at eleven, Dou Wang; at twelve Dou Emperor; at fifteen, Dou Venerate; and at twenty, Dou Sheng.

This speed of cultivation far surpassed all his peers.

Even he and the Hun Tiandi were much weaker than Xiao Xuan.

If it weren't for Xiao Xuan's impulsive act back then, wanting to rely on the entire clan's Dou God Bloodline to attack Dou Emperor, then the continent would not be in the hands of his Ancient Clan and Soul Clan today.

Let's get back to the main topic.

Xiao Xuan's cultivation speed is much faster than Xiao Yan's.

But this kind of comparison is inappropriate.

Xiao Xuan's cultivation environment back then was much better than Xiao Yan's.

Before Xiao Xuan was born, although the concentration of Dou God Bloodline in the Xiao Clan was already the lowest among the Eight Clans, it was still one of the Emperor Clan. The clan also had Dou Sheng Expert, and resources below Dou Sheng were not lacking.

In the Xiao Realm, the concentration of energy in the heavens and earth far exceeds that of the most fertile places in the Central Plains.

At the same time, Xiao Xuan could enjoy the support of the entire Xiao Clan, and all kinds of cultivation resources; he could have whatever he wanted.

In addition, Xiao Xuan is also a rare case of Dou God Bloodline returning to its ancestral form, with an extremely rich Dou God Bloodline.

It was precisely because of the help of the Dou God Bloodline that Xiao Xuan was able to successfully break through Dou Venerate and Dou Sheng, and eventually reach the Half-Emperor Realm.

Of course, even without the Dou God Bloodline, Gu Yuan believed that with Xiao Xuan's talent, he could still reach the pinnacle of the continent, but that time would be delayed by an unknown number of years.

But what about Xiao Yan in front of us?

At less than twenty years old, in the barren Northwest Continent, without the resources of the Dou God Clan, he managed to achieve the cultivation of One-Star Dou Venerate at such a young age by relying on his own Heaven-Swallowing Talent.

Gu Yuan dared not imagine how far Xiao Yan would have grown if he had been provided with the resources of the imperial clan and had the bloodline of a Dou Di.

There's a high probability he's already reached the Dou Sheng, even faster than Xiao Xuan.

After staring at Xiao Yan for a few seconds, a hint of regret flashed in Gu Yuan's eyes.

Xiao Yan's Heaven-Swallowing Talent is indeed extraordinary; it could even be said that he is unprecedented and unlikely to be surpassed in the future.

However, in the Dou Qi Continent, the speed of cultivation is not the same as the speed of breaking through realms.

Xiao Yan's cultivation speed does sound astonishing, but he is ultimately at the Dou Zun Realm.

In the Dou Qi Continent, the Dou Saint Realm is the true pinnacle.

Breaking through from Dou Venerate to Dou Sheng is incredibly difficult; countless exceptionally talented individuals have been stuck at this level, dying in frustration.

The breakthrough from Dou Venerate to Dou Sheng depends not only on Heaven-Swallowing Talent, but also on opportunities, comprehension, and other mysterious factors.

There were reasons why these Ancient Emperor Clans pursued the Dou God Bloodline.

This is all because, as long as the Dou God Bloodline is of a high enough grade, breaking through to Dou Sheng is a certainty.

Falling behind in the early stages is not a problem. As long as they reach the later stages, relying on the Dou God Bloodline, they can overtake others at the Dou Venerate and Dou Saint Realm.

Xiao Yan doesn't have the Dou God Bloodline. No matter how fast he cultivates in the early stages, he will get stuck at the Dou Zun Realm and when he breaks through to Dou Sheng. In that case, he might be overtaken by the Emperor Clan who have the Dou God Bloodline.

Even so, Xiao Yan's Heaven-Swallowing Talent should not be underestimated.

In short, he is a good match for Xiao Xun'er.

Despite having many thoughts running through his mind, Gu Yuan's expression remained largely unchanged.

He continued to interrogate Xiao Yan: "Besides your cultivation level, do you have any other merits?"

Xiao Yan scratched his head. "What's commendable about it?"

After thinking it over, Xiao Yan decided to show off his skills in front of Gu Yuan.

He opened his palm, and the transparent Fallen Heart Flame appeared in it, then transformed into a lifelike Fire Python, watching Gu Yuan warily.

"Hmm? This Flame Control Technique is quite interesting. Who did you learn it from?" Gu Yuan became somewhat interested.

He had no Heaven-Swallowing Talent for alchemy and was not Alchemist, but his long experience gave him a clear judgment on many things.

For example, Xiao Yan's Flame Control Technique is in no way inferior to many High-Rank Dou Venerate and Eighth-Rank Alchemist with fire attributes.

As for the Fallen Heart Flame, its flame properties are quite good, but its ranking isn't high enough to warrant his attention.

When Gu Yuan asked about his teacher, Xiao Yan, thinking of the things he would be trading with the Ancient Clan later, did not hide anything. "Clan Chief Gu Yuan, my teacher's name is Yao Chen."

"Yao Chen ...that Alchemist Conference Yao Clan Gathering? I heard he has already perished," Gu Yuan said.

Xiao Yan showed a surprised expression.

Upon seeing this, Gu Yuan laughed and said, "Hehe, I also pay attention to the outside world."

Yao Chen's Heaven-Swallowing Talent for alchemy is undeniable; he even has the potential to become Ninth-Rank Alchemist, making him a genius that all Emperor Clan are watching closely.

Unfortunately, he was outmaneuvered by the Soul Clan and died at the hands of his own disciple.

Xiao Yan nodded knowingly.

He recalled that in the original story, the Soul Clan had noticed Yao Chen early on, and even wanted to train Yao Chen to become Ninth-Rank Alchemist so that he could refine medicine for the entire Soul Clan and even participate in the God Pill Project.

This demonstrates just how highly regarded Yao Chen's Heaven-Swallowing Talent alchemy is.

Thinking of this, Xiao Yan smiled with pride and tapped the Bone Flame Ring.

The next second, Yao Lao's Soul Body floated out.

The Yao Lao hovered before Gu Yuan, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Greetings, Clan Chief Gu Yuan."

Gu Yuan revealed a curious expression. "Oh? Soul Body still exists in the world. I didn't expect you to still be alive."

The Yao Lao smiled and simply said, "I was lucky enough to survive back then, and my soul remained in my Storage Ring. My disciple was fortunate enough to find it, which is why I've been clinging to life until now."

"Living on in a state of limbo? I observe that your soul is full of vitality, and your Soul Power has reached the Peak Spirit Realm, even faintly touching the threshold of the Heavenly Realm. This is not the appearance of merely living on in a state of limbo." Gu Yuan smiled slightly, with considerable interest appearing in his eyes.

Looking at the Yao Chen before him, he could clearly see the presence of Ninth-Rank Alchemist.

A Ninth-Rank Alchemist is someone even the Ancient Clan cannot underestimate.