Northwest Continent.
Black-Corner Region, Yan City.
A Space Ship emerged from the Space Wormhole and docked at the plaza.
Tian Shu Alliance members kept watch nearby. When they saw the Space Ship and Xiao Yan's group stepping off it, they greeted them at once.
Xiao Yan nodded in response, then took Xiao Yi Xian and the others back to the courtyard.
Having just returned to familiar ground, Xiao Yan naturally wanted to catch up on what had happened. He left Xiao Yi Xian and the others to rest in the courtyard and headed to the Tian Shu Alliance himself.
Knock, knock, knock—
After knocking, Xiao Yan entered Xiao Ding's office.
The office looked much the same as before. Only Xiao Ding and Yao Ye were there, though the dossiers on the desk had grown into a larger pile.
Xiao Ding showed no surprise at Xiao Yan's arrival. He had clearly received word already.
Yao Ye smiled at Xiao Yan, said a word to Xiao Ding, and tactfully withdrew.
Once Yao Ye had left, Xiao Ding spoke first. "Third Brother, how much did you gain over this past year or so?"
Xiao Yan sat down and answered lazily, "Not bad. Everything went smoothly.
"See? I even came back ahead of schedule."
Xiao Ding nodded, then said, "It did take far less time than planned. There are ten months left before your Three-Year Agreement with the Ancient Clan. How do you intend to spend them?"
Xiao Yan thought for a moment. "I worked out how long it takes me to absorb Ninth-Rank Magical Beast Blood Essence. One portion takes about four months. Now that I've reached Semi-Saint, I should absorb it faster—perhaps in only three months per portion. But to be safe, and allowing time for travel, I need to set aside