"Mm, this little one's soul strength barely meets the standard. He seems a little immature, and I don't know what kind of person he is. I'll watch him a little longer..."
"Hm? A Mortal Realm soul? His bone age is only fifteen, and he's a Seven-Star Dou Ling? What incredible talent!"
The white-haired young man walked atop the white mist, his silver hair streaming as he circled twice around Yun Zimo, who lay curled around Xiao Yan.
Could he be from some great clan?
"Ah, what a pity. His soul has wind and water attributes, which are worlds apart from the fire and wood attributes an alchemist needs."
After carefully examining him, the young man shook his head regretfully. But as he gazed at Zi Mo's handsome face, he felt it would be a shame to waste such talent.
"Boy, I am Venerable Yao, Yao Chen. If you ever get the chance to go to the Central Plains, seek out Venerable Feng, Feng Xian, at Starfall Pavilion and ask him to take you as his apprentice. This incomplete soul cultivation art can help your soul advance further!"
A surge of pale-white flame sprang from Yao Chen's palm. He sealed an image and a map deep within Yun Zimo's soul. Once the boy had passed his test and reached the required strength, the seal would naturally lift.
"Little one, until we meet again..."
Yao Chen's gentle voice gradually faded away. In the vast white mist, only the two figures, one big and one small, remained, nestled together in sleep.
"Ah! Ah! Ah!"
Xiao Yan scrambled to his feet and straightened his rumpled clothes. Yun Zimo's hair fell loose around his shoulders as he lazily stretched on the grass. Propping his head up with one hand, he leaned on the ground and watched Xiao Yan's flushed face with amusement.
"You, you, you...!"
Xiao Yan stammered. In his fury, a white light flared in his palm, and he struck at Yun Zimo.
Yun Zimo raised two fingers and lightly caught Xiao Yan's little hand between them. He blew on it, then grinned playfully.
"I haven't even gotten back at you for using me as a pillow all night."
Hearing Yun Zimo turn around and blame him, Xiao Yan laughed in anger. If it weren't for you, I'd still be lying in bed right now!
"Little Yanzi, accept your fate. When the odds are stacked against you..."
Yun Zimo pinned Xiao Yan to the grass again without the slightest effort. After yawning, he let the wailing little brat go.
"Don't call me Little Yanzi!"
Xiao Yan snorted, then charged straight into the white mist. He refused to believe he couldn't get out!
"I won't accept this!"
After trying several times and realizing he really couldn't escape the sea of mist, Xiao Yan simply sat down with his arms folded. He still felt deeply aggrieved.
"What won't you accept?"
Yun Zimo pulled Xiao Yan into his arms and ruffled his hair with gusto.
"You—you're older than me and stronger than me! You're only bullying me because you're more powerful!"
Xiao Yan said, breaking free of Yun Zimo and running over to lean against a bamboo stalk, sulking.
"Heh..."
Yun Zimo laughed. The aura around him weakened in an instant, and in a matter of moments, he had suppressed it to the level of a One-Star Dou Zhe.
"There. Now we're equals. I won't use any Dou Techniques, and I'll even let you have one hand. Want to try again?"
A quarter of an hour later, Xiao Yan was sprawled on the grass once more, beginning to doubt his own existence. When he heard Yun Zimo make a smug comment about how he was only fifteen and sigh, Xiao Yan was so devastated that he stayed facedown on the ground, unwilling to get up.
"I still won't accept this!"
Xiao Yan challenged him again. I refuse to believe it. If I can't beat you, surely I can at least outtalk you! Having lived through the information explosion of his old world, he was confident he could hold his own in a battle of words!
"I... I really am useless..."
Before long, the dejected, fish-on-dry-land edition of Xiao Yan was muttering under his breath. His eyes were blank, and he was still questioning his entire existence.
"Hey, it's fine. You'll have plenty more moments like this in the future, so you'd better be ready."
Yun Zimo, still unsatisfied, gently patted Xiao Yan, who had nearly been played to pieces, and drew the boy who had stopped resisting into his arms.
Hearing Yun Zimo's soul-piercing words, Xiao Yan gave up fighting back. Fight? No, I'd get beaten to a pulp. Argue? Uh... Xiao Yan felt that even in his old world, Yun Zimo would have ruled the battlefield of words.
"Let's properly introduce ourselves. My name is Yun Li. Li, as in modest and courteous."
"Xiao Yan. Yan, as in scorching."
"Modest and courteous?"
Hearing Yun Zimo introduce himself, Xiao Yan froze. Then he thought about how Yun Li had defeated him in every way imaginable that day. Forget it...
"Look at you. You lack talent, and you don't even study. What are you going to do in the future? Stay in this little city and inherit your family's dozens of marketplaces?"
Yun Zimo suddenly froze, too. Oh, right. I forgot the Xiao Clan's pretty well-off.
"Hey, young people should set their sights on the horizon, not get hung up on that little family business. Strength rules on the Dou Qi Continent. If one day you're at home, eating dinner and singing a song, and some powerful passerby casually wipes out your whole family, wouldn't that be a miserable life?"
Realizing he'd said the wrong thing, Yun Zimo hurriedly changed the subject.
Xiao Yan looked so lifeless and dejected that Yun Zimo was taken aback. Little guy, don't let me play you to pieces!
But Xiao Yan was Xiao Yan, after all. Before long, his eyes shone again, and his fighting spirit rose.
"I may not have your talent, but I'll train a hundred or a thousand times harder than you. I may not know as much as you, but I'll study hard. I'm only twelve, and I've got all the time in the world. One day, I'll leave you as thoroughly crushed as you left me today!"
Xiao Yan looked wild and defiant. His inexplicable confidence seemed to fill his whole body with strength.
"Good. I'll be waiting. I hope you can keep that attitude, no matter when, until the day you surpass me."
Yun Zimo smiled and withdrew the soul power he had used to test the Bone Flame Ring.
Yesterday, it clearly... Why isn't it reacting now?
Yun Zimo sighed inwardly. It seemed the ring's response yesterday had only been a reflexive defense. Thinking of that, he found this place a little dull, too.
"I'll be here waiting for you tomorrow."
Yun Zimo stood up and left the little bamboo grove, waving as he disappeared into the white mist.
"Hey!"
Xiao Yan tried to call Yun Li back, but he had already vanished into the mist. Behind Xiao Yan, a little path emerged from the fog, and its far end led straight out of the bamboo grove.
The place was silent and deserted. A shiver ran through Xiao Yan, and he hurriedly fled, swearing to himself that he'd never come back.
"Will you come tomorrow?"
"Only a fool would come back here!"
"Brother Xiao Yan!"
A young girl in green called out to the running Xiao Yan. She was a little puzzled; wasn't he supposed to be staying in his room?
"Hey, Xun'er! What a coincidence!"
Xiao Yan stopped and greeted her.
This little girl's talent is amazing, too. She's actually a high-tier Da Dou Shi! Hah, wait, she's sealed her cultivation?
Xiao Yan thought he heard a voice. Something about a Da Dou Shi—but when he listened closely, there was nothing. He couldn't help turning his gaze toward Xiao Xun'er.
"Xun'er is a Da Dou Shi?"
Xiao Yan scoffed, deciding he must have imagined it.
"Brother Xiao Yan, weren't you in your room already?"
Xun'er muttered softly as she watched Xiao Yan walk into the courtyard...
"Yun Li! Yun Li!"
At dawn the next day, Xiao Yan still couldn't resist sneaking out of his room. He tiptoed to the bamboo grove and shouted for Yun Zimo.
"Stop shouting. I'm right here..."
White mist billowed as Yun Zimo mumbled from where he lay on a Cloud Bed. Xiao Yan didn't hesitate for a moment, flopping onto it like he owned the place. The soft bed of clouds drew a contented groan from him.
"You sure are comfortable."
"Didn't you say you weren't coming?"
Yun Zimo teased him. Xiao Yan's cheeks reddened; he hadn't realized Yun Zimo had heard him grumbling to himself.
"All right. Starting today, I'll teach you alchemy theory and combat techniques. How much you learn depends on you."
The Storage Ring on Yun Zimo's hand flashed, and a thick stack of books and scrolls piled up into a small mountain.
"Here's your present. Happy?"
Yun Zimo pointed to the pile of handwritten classics, his face warm and gentle. Xiao Yan, however, felt a chill run from his head to his toes.
"I don't want to memorize any more books!!!"
Xiao Yan's wails echoed through the bamboo grove. But all around him, only the bamboo leaves rustled, as though they were sympathizing with some poor soul forced to memorize books...
Before you continue