One Year Later! Preparing for the Technique's Evolution!

"Isn't this exactly what you wanted?"

Xuan Yi's calm words reached Xuan Kongzi's ears.

Xuan Kongzi nodded.

"These young members of the families have lived too comfortably in Sacred Pill City. They've already developed the mindset of muddling through life."

"With Soul Hall watching from beyond, if they want to become the pillars of Sacred Pill City, they'll have to weather some storms sooner or later."

Thus, the current situation might not have come about without his secret encouragement.

After all, Sacred Pill City had finally received such a bold young man after all these years.

And one with an impeccable background, at that.

"There's also news from the Ye Family. Cao Yuan and Ye Zhong entered Black Fire Sect territory to investigate, and they did indeed find traces of forces from outside the Pill Region."

"What about Black Nether, the Black Fire Sect's sect master?" Xuan Yi sharply caught the issue in his words.

"Cough, cough. They didn't see him!"

Xuan Kongzi replied somewhat awkwardly.

He had also been greatly surprised when he saw that report.

For a high-level Battle Sovereign to let a Dou Zong escape was simply absurd.

Before Xuan Yi could press further, Xuan Kongzi hurriedly added.

"However, according to Tian Leizi's explanation—ah, no, according to the message sent back—it seems that after the news from the Ye Family spread, Black Nether had already abandoned the Black Fire Sect's disciples and fled."

"He even left behind a puppet that could maintain his aura for two months. That puppet was Soul Hall's handiwork... and the Soul Hall members who had once stirred up trouble throughout the Pill Region have also vanished without a trace."

"No wonder he was so cautious..."

Xuan Yi's bright eyes fixed on Xuan Kongzi, making him feel somewhat uneasy.

"Given that he encountered you, being that cautious was only right."

"Xuan Yi, you can't put it that way. You know Tian Leizi doesn't like using his brain. It had nothing to do with me."

Xuan Kongzi opened his mouth and still tried to argue a few words.

"So, you still left him with a threat to his life."

Xuan Yi shot Xuan Kongzi a glance. "We originally planned to keep the Black Fire Sect under our watch. Aside from seeing whether we could learn Soul Hall's next moves, it would also give Ye Yan enough pressure."

"Who would have thought that you people would manage to give him pressure, but one completely beyond our control!"

This time, Xuan Kongzi had nothing to say. They truly had mishandled this matter.

Because he knew that once Ye Yan's cultivation advanced further, he intended to travel outside.

Once he left Sacred Pill City, who knew when that venomous snake Black Nether would strike at Ye Yan.

Therefore, he did not take Xuan Yi's accusation to heart.

After all, Xuan Yi had finally entertained the thought of taking a disciple. Ye Yan would be their future martial nephew, so it was only natural for her to worry about his safety.

Seeing Xuan Yi's grave expression, Xuan Kongzi cautiously changed the subject.

"Don't worry. That kid won't be traveling outside anytime soon, and information such as his appearance hasn't been leaked."

"When he does venture out, we'll drag that venomous snake out."

After saying that, Xuan Kongzi wiped away his cold sweat and quietly left.

Although he was considerably older than Xuan Yi, and the Pill Tower was jointly overseen by the three of them, she was the only woman among the three giants.

Over the years, Xuan Kongzi and Tian Leizi had naturally come to regard her as a younger sister.

The next day.

In the courtyard.

Ye Jingheng was looking at Ye Yan with some concern.

Ever since news of Han Li's declaration to challenge the geniuses of every family in Sacred Pill City had spread yesterday.

Ye Jingheng had naturally learned of it, as expected.

He had even taken the initiative to ask Ye Yan and learned from him that Sacred Pill City's Han Li was Ye Yan.

"Xiao Yan, should I send word back to the family and have them dispatch another Dou Zong expert?"

Ye Jingheng was worried.

He did not doubt Ye Yan's talent. He feared that Ye Yan's fame would become too great and drive members of many families into desperate measures.

"Don't worry."

Ye Yan said slowly, "What does killing Han Li, the rogue alchemist of the Pill Region, have to do with Ye Yan of the Ye Family?"

"Besides, this is Sacred Pill City. What danger could I possibly face here?"

"That's true!"

Ye Jingheng suddenly understood and nodded.

Seeing this, Ye Yan clicked his tongue and said helplessly, "With the way you are, I really don't know how Sister Qingzhi came to like you."

"Of course, it's because of your brother's handsome face!"

Ye Yan looked at Ye Jingheng's face, the corner of his mouth twitching, and did not continue the topic.

"Oh, right, Brother Heng. Help me purchase some Green Wood Vine from the apothecaries in Sacred Pill City."

After saying that, he turned and stepped into the distorted spatial rift ahead.

Only a few breaths later.

Ye Yan appeared in the cultivation chamber.

Xuan Yi stood before the Earth Fire Vein, her brows and eyes as picturesque as a figure in a painting.

Only the rod of unknown material beside her made the scene somewhat discordant.

"President!" Ye Yan shifted his gaze away from the rod, looked at Xuan Yi, and cupped his hands.

"Cultivate." Xuan Yi looked at Ye Yan and uttered two words.

"Yes." Ye Yan straightened his waist slightly and replied calmly.

Bang.

Before his words had even faded, the sound of the rod striking his body rang out.

Ye Yan let out a muffled groan, allowing the rod to fall upon him like raindrops.

Xuan Yi gave an almost imperceptible nod, appreciation appearing in her eyes.

Although she was satisfied with Ye Yan's attitude toward arduous cultivation, holding back was impossible.

After the rod's lesson ended, Ye Yan continued soaking in two medicinal liquids to recover.

Then, without pause, he moved on to the next task—strengthening the toughness of his meridians!

After completing those two training sessions related to the Blazing Flame Force, Ye Yan began attempting to refine second-tier medicinal pills.

At night, Ye Yan returned to the courtyard and used the Green Wood Vine Ye Jingheng had gathered to extract Wood Qi.

Time quietly passed amid Ye Yan's routine of moving between three places.

Before one game had even ended, nearly a year had passed in the blink of an eye.

Only six days remained until Ye Yan's tenth draw.

Over this year of grueling cultivation and Xuan Yi's no-expense-spared assistance, his realm had reached the peak of the Nine-Star Dou Zhe level.

A year ago, he had already reached the Three-Star Dou Zhe level. Before reaching the Seven-Star Dou Zhe level, he had almost broken through one star every month, a speed that could be called astonishing.

As everyone knew, the final three stars of every realm were the hardest to break through, with an immense degree of difficulty.

Especially since Ye Yan's earlier breakthroughs had come too quickly, Xuan Yi and Xuan Kongzi had strongly insisted that, for the final three levels, he wait for his Dou Qi to naturally accumulate and transform.

He could not be too impatient, lest it produce the opposite effect and cause the solid foundation he had painstakingly built to collapse.

Yet even so, Ye Yan imitated Xiao Yan's various methods of bitter cultivation from the original work: enduring the torrent beneath waterfalls while sparring against wooden stakes; with no Heavy Profound Ruler, he burdened his body with sufficient Profound Iron; and each time his Dou Qi was exhausted, he would continue cultivating while trembling...

That was how, at only ten years old, he had reached the point of breaking through to Dou Shi.

Even the Heaven-Burning Furnace Fire Art, after a year of nurturing and absorbing Earth Core Fire and Millennium Earth Vein Fire, was about to evolve to the peak of the high Huang tier.

After he nurtured a Life Fire Seed the size of a mung bean, it even pushed the technique to evolve once more.