Living Off the Ancient Clan Young Lady

"Xiao Yan!"

Before Xun Er even arrived, her voice had already carried over from afar.

"You broke through to the Dou Zhe level?"

Watching the girl in the purple dress flutter toward him like a butterfly, Xiao Yan smiled and stepped forward to meet her.

"Mm-hmm, it was all thanks to the pills Xiao Yan gave Xun Er!"

Xun Er said with a bright smile.

At her words, the smile on Xiao Yan's face deepened.

He knew perfectly well that Xun Er could have broken through to Dou Zhe even without the pills, but hearing her say that truly gave him all the emotional validation he could ask for.

If this had been his previous life, the gift he gave would probably have only earned responses like, "Why waste money on this?" "I have no use for what you gave me, so don't give me anything next time," or "This is what you got me? My family has plenty of it."

"You," Xiao Yan said with an indulgent smile before asking, "You came all the way to the Back Mountain to find me. Is something wrong?"

At that, the smile on Xun Er's face faded slightly.

Ever since learning that Xiao Yan had an alchemist teacher, Xun Er had asked Ling Ying to investigate in secret. Although he had failed to uncover Old Yao's identity or whereabouts, he had still learned that Xiao Yan was selling medicine at the Miteer Auction House.

"A while ago, something called Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid appeared at the Miteer Auction House. I heard it's very popular. Xun Er is quite curious and wants to take a look. Can Xiao Yan come with Xun Er?"

Xun Er asked with a smile.

"Mm, although you don't need it, if you want Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid, I can just give you two bottles later. There's no need to squeeze through an auction house crowd."

Xiao Yan said directly.

"So it really was Xiao Yan's doing. It seems Xiao Yan's teacher is an extraordinary person as well!"

Seeing Xiao Yan so readily reveal the source of the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid, the smile on Xun Er's face grew warmer.

"I'm not too sure myself, but he really is formidable. In his words, Pill King Gu He is nothing compared to him."

Xiao Yan nodded, a trace of reverence appearing on his face.

Setting aside the fact that he knew Old Yao's strength, during this period of cultivation with Old Yao, whether in Dou Skills, Dou Qi, or Alchemy, Old Yao's guidance had filled him with heartfelt admiration.

Especially Alchemy.

What made Old Yao impressive was not merely the power of his Alchemy.

What was even more impressive was that he could explain the intricacies of Alchemy clearly. With a single glance, he could spot Xiao Yan's problems while refining pills, correcting them on the spot or reviewing them afterward. This allowed Xiao Yan, who was already quite talented in Alchemy, to improve at a tremendous pace.

By now, Xiao Yan could refine three different First-Rank pills, with a success rate as high as eighty-five percent.

Simply put, Xiao Yan was now a genuine First-Rank Alchemist!

Seeing Xiao Yan's expression, Xun Er knew that this mysterious teacher had already earned Xiao Yan's approval.

"Since Xiao Yan has told Xun Er so much, Xun Er also wants to tell Xiao Yan some things about herself..."

Her voice gentle, Xun Er pulled Xiao Yan down to sit with her on the Back Mountain and spoke softly.

"Oh? Is this little girl finally preparing to lift a corner of the mysterious veil covering her face?"

Xiao Yan was somewhat surprised, but he quickly regained his composure and replied with a faint smile.

"Xiao Yan doesn't seem surprised at all?"

Seeing his expression, Xun Er became curious as well.

"Of course I'm not surprised by your mysterious identity. What surprises me is that you're willing to tell me about it now."

Xiao Yan spoke frankly.

"Was it that obvious?"

Xun Er was stunned for a moment.

She had always been rather low-key. How had Xiao Yan discovered it?

"Xun Er, when I was little, I asked Father about your background, but he kept silent about it. Then there are the clothes you wear—they aren't made from ordinary materials. At the very least, they can't be bought in Wutan City. Besides, we grew up together, so naturally I know you better than anyone.

Although you're merely a little girl in front of me, before everyone else, the noble bearing you were born with has never been hidden in the slightest."

Xiao Yan said with a faint smile.

If he were not worried about how difficult it would be to explain, he could have directly listed every notable expert in the Ancient Clan!

"Alright. Since Xiao Yan noticed long ago, Xun Er needn't explain any further. This Storage Ring, along with the cultivation resources inside it, is a gift for Xiao Yan."

Xun Er smiled and nodded, then handed Xiao Yan a golden Storage Ring engraved with flame patterns.

Hm?

Cultivation resources?

Xiao Yan's heart stirred, but he did not immediately accept the Storage Ring. Instead, he asked softly, "This was given to you by your family, wasn't it? If you give it to me, what will you do?"

"I still have more!"

Xun Er flashed a toothy smile, raised her hand, and shook another Storage Ring on her finger.

It was also a golden Storage Ring engraved with flame patterns, only one size smaller than Xiao Yan's.

Whoa, matching couple rings!

Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow.

"Then thank you, Xun Er! I really do need cultivation resources. I won't take these for nothing. In the future, I'll protect you!"

Xiao Yan smiled, took the Storage Ring from Xun Er's hand, and put it on his finger beneath her gaze.

"Mm, alright."

Xun Er nodded, brilliant light flickering in her beautiful eyes like a dazzling river of stars.

"Right, Xun Er. I've already learned that Dou Skill you asked me to teach you before. How about I teach it to you now?"

Without checking what was inside the Storage Ring, Xiao Yan put it on and immediately spoke.

"That Flame Fist?"

Xun Er still remembered that Dou Skill, which could draw upon the power of Heavenly Flames to enhance its might.

"Yes, that one!"

Xiao Yan nodded, rose to his feet, clenched his hand from a palm into a fist, and leaped into the air. Dark red Dou Qi flames instantly gathered around his fist. As he plummeted downward, he threw his fist forward.

Boom!

Flames erupted, leaving behind a scorched crater in the ground.

"Without flames, this Dou Skill requires you to compress your Dou Qi in order to condense flames and increase its power." Xiao Yan turned around and looked at Xun Er, who had already stood up. "But if you have flames, even without compressing your Dou Qi, the power will not differ by much. After all, a Dou Zhe's Dou Qi isn't that abundant. Even if you compress it further, the increase in power is limited."

Xun Er nodded, then saw Xiao Yan walk over and gently tap a finger against her forehead.

"Uh?"

Xun Er was confused, but in the next instant, a stream of information flowed into her mind like a small river.

"These are some of my cultivation insights. I feel that you should have flames on you. This Storage Ring carries your aura, but it also carries the aura of Heavenly Flames. However, Heavenly Flames attract far too much attention, so don't use them unless necessary. That means you must carefully study the technique I developed for compressing Dou Qi.

This technique isn't limited to Flame Fist, either. It seems to have quite good effects when used with other Dou Skills as well. It looks like this technique is the true essence of this Dou Skill. Using it only for Flame Fist would be rather wasteful."

When Xun Er came back to herself, Xiao Yan's patient instruction was already sounding by her ear.