Girl, Wanna Be Xiao Yan's Junior Sister?

Hearing Gu Xun Er's urgent questioning, Xiao Yan realized her concern and, recalling Venerable Yao's instruction not to reveal his identity, could only respond to her helplessly.

"Little girl, no matter what has happened to me during this time, I promise you that this cultivation is solid and will not have any negative impact on my future training."

"Alright, Brother Xiao Yan. If there is any problem, you must tell me."

Hearing that Xiao Yan was still holding something back, Gu Xun Er did not press further and simply gave her instruction.

While conversing with Gu Xun Er, a familiar soul force appeared, which both Gu Xun Er and Xiao Yan sensed simultaneously.

"Little girl, I have some matters to attend to and need to head out for a bit."

Brother Xiao Yan is so impatient to leave; this matter of his cultivation must be related to this soul force. Gu Xun Er thought to herself that the situation was not simple, so she decided to secretly follow Xiao Yan while agreeing verbally.

"Alright, Brother Xiao Yan, go ahead and take care of your business."

As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Yan hurried out of the area, heading toward the mountain cave behind the Xiao Clan where he had first met Yao Chen.

Gu Xun Er, meanwhile, hid stealthily behind Xiao Yan and followed him out.

Yao Chen was waiting in the cave for Xiao Yan's arrival, but suddenly sensed that someone was following behind him.

After carefully probing with his soul force and discovering it was Gu Xun Er, Yao Chen made no attempt to hide and stepped out to meet Xiao Yan.

The moment Xiao Yan saw Yao Chen, whom he hadn't seen for over a month, he immediately knelt and performed a salute.

"Greetings, Teacher. It has been a long time; this disciple has missed you dearly."

"Good, my good disciple, stand up and let us talk."

Yao Chen immediately pulled Xiao Yan up; seeing his long-lost disciple, he was quite excited, after all, he could improve himself once again.

"Teacher, in the month you were away, this disciple has reached the level of a two-star Dou Shi, and I have become quite proficient in using the Earth-tier Dou Skill, the Devouring Wave Flame Splitting Ruler."

Xiao Yan reported his cultivation progress to Yao Chen and prepared to demonstrate it.

"My good disciple, truly excellent! Wait here for a moment; you have a little tail following you, and this master needs to handle it."

Yao Chen first praised Xiao Yan, then prepared to deal with Gu Xun Er, who had followed them.

Xiao Yan looked at Yao Chen with a puzzled expression, wondering when he had been followed.

At the entrance of the cave, Yao Chen arrived before Gu Xun Er in the blink of an eye.

Seeing Yao Chen suddenly appear before her, Gu Xun Er was startled and asked him, "Who are you, and what are you trying to do to Brother Xiao Yan?"

Yao Chen, on the other hand, looked at Gu Xun Er with a smile. "You must be Gu Xun Er, right?"

Hearing him call her by her name, she immediately looked at him with guarded eyes, ready to launch an attack at any moment. "Who exactly are you? How do you know my name is Gu Xun Er?"

Ling Ying, who was secretly protecting Gu Xun Er, also revealed himself at this moment.

"Xiao Yan is inside the cave; let us go outside to speak."

After Yao Chen finished speaking, he flew out to the forest, with Gu Xun Er and Ling Ying following behind.

"Speak, who exactly are you? Do you have any ulterior motives toward the Xiao Clan?"

Gu Xun Er glared at Yao Chen, while Ling Ying stood by, ready to send a signal to the Gu Clan at any moment.

Yao Chen laughed heartily for a moment, then turned to face Gu Xun Er and Ling Ying. "Hahaha, this old man has no designs on Xiao Yan or the Xiao Clan. In fact, I know that it is you who have designs on the Xiao Clan!"

Hearing the latter part of Yao Chen's words, cold sweat broke out on Gu Xun Er's forehead, and the Golden Emperor Incinerating Heavenly Flame immediately manifested.

"Little girl, don't be hasty; listen to what this old man has to say first. I do not change my name or surname; I am Yao Chen."

Seeing Gu Xun Er preparing to strike, Yao Chen hurriedly explained, lest she get hurt and he find it difficult to explain to Xiao Yan later.

Hearing him reveal his identity, she asked with suspicion, "Yao Chen? The Venerable Yao of the Star Fall Pavilion? Why are you here instead of staying in the Star Fall Pavilion?"

Seeing this, Yao Chen recounted the relationship between himself and Xiao Yan to Gu Xun Er.

"I am indeed Yao Chen of the Star Fall Pavilion, but I was previously ambushed by the Soul Clan, which caused my strength to plummet. By a stroke of fate, I arrived here and became acquainted with Xiao Yan."

"I saw that Xiao Yan possessed a naturally powerful soul force, and his cultivation and character were both excellent; he was born to be an alchemist."

"Moved by a desire to cherish talent, I took him on as my disciple."

As Gu Xun Er listened to Yao Chen's explanation, the confusion in her heart dissipated somewhat, and she pressed him about Xiao Yan's cultivation.

"So, Brother Xiao Yan rising from the ninth stage of Dou Zhi Qi to a two-star Dou Shi in just one month was all your doing? Is this rapid increase in strength because you fed Brother Xiao Yan pills that overdraw his life force to force his cultivation up?"

"Aren't you harming Brother Xiao Yan by doing this? And you call yourself his teacher, hmph."

Watching Gu Xun Er's little expression as she stood up for Xiao Yan, Yao Chen smiled and said to her, "Little girl, it is true that I helped Xiao Yan improve his cultivation."

"I once obtained a secret technique that allows one to impart their own cultivation to another. After using it, the user loses an equal amount of strength, while the recipient gains seventy percent of the lost portion."

"Therefore, Xiao Yan's cultivation is solid and genuine, without any side effects, so you need not worry, little girl."

As Yao Chen's words fell, the heavy stone in Xun Er's heart finally dropped, and she began to treat Yao Chen with newfound respect.

However, Xun Er remained puzzled as to how Yao Chen knew her true identity, and she voiced her inquiry.

"Senior, since you harbor no ill will toward Brother Xiao Yan, I can rest easy. But may I ask how you know my identity?"

Yao Chen pondered for a long time; he could not tell Xun Er that he had read Battle Through the Heavens in a past life. After a moment of thought, he realized he could use the fact that Xun Er had previously used a seed of the Golden Emperor Incinerating Heavenly Flame as an excuse.

"This old man is an eighth-tier alchemist. Having sensed the seed of the Golden Emperor Incinerating Heavenly Flame within your body earlier, I could deduce that you are a member of the Gu Clan. Besides, Xiao Yan has often mentioned you to me."

Upon hearing Yao Chen's explanation, Xun Er did not overthink it. After all, someone who would spare no effort to use their own cultivation to help Brother Xiao Yan improve his own could certainly not be a bad person.

"Senior, please, you must never reveal my identity to anyone else, including Brother Xiao Yan. I fear that if my identity is leaked, it will attract the Soul Clan, and I worry they might pose a threat to Brother Xiao Yan."

"That goes without saying. As for those people from the Soul Clan, this old man will take his revenge sooner or later!"

Yao Chen agreed, though he gritted his teeth at the mere mention of the Soul Clan.

Watching Yao Chen's hateful expression, Xun Er offered her assistance, as the Gu Clan and the Soul Clan were also at odds.

"If Senior requires help in taking revenge against the Soul Clan, I can assist you from the shadows."

"No need, this old man will exact his revenge with his own hands!"

Seeing the determination in Yao Chen's expression, Xun Er knew she could not be of help. She then bid farewell to Yao Chen, preparing to depart with Ling Ying.

It was only then that Yao Chen realized Xun Er was leaving, and he decided to see if he could take her on as a disciple.

"Little girl, would you like to become Xiao Yan's junior sister?"