"Strange Tales? What's that?" Zhang Yuan asked, though he already knew the answer.
"Old me is quite interested as well." Yao Chen stroked his illusory beard, a sharp glint flashing through his eyes.
On the Dou Qi Continent, if there was any organization connected to souls, it would be his mortal enemy, Soul Hall.
The Northwestern Region was far from the Central Region. This Strange Tales might very well be some subordinate faction of Soul Hall.
"I'm not very familiar with it either." Xiao Yan habitually rubbed his nose. "I heard some storytellers and mercenaries mention it casually in a tavern."
Both Zhang Yuan and Yao Chen could tell he was not telling the truth, but neither pursued the matter.
Zhang Yuan stared at Yao Chen. A dense purple-silver aura emerged over his body and slowly adhered to the surface of his black armor, forming a special thin gauze. Arcs of electricity seemed to flicker across it, giving off a sharp and fierce impression.
"Cousin, you're already a Dou Master!" Xiao Yan shouted in delighted surprise.
His voice was filled with admiration and envy, without the slightest trace of jealousy.
Dou Qi Gauze was the signature skill of a Dou Master and also one of the most practical abilities. Once it covered the entire body, it provided a comprehensive boost to speed, defense, attack, and other combat capabilities.
Although Dou Masters were still at the bottom among cultivators on the continent, they were far stronger than the lowest-ranked Dou Zhe.
More importantly, Zhang Yuan had already become a Dou Master at just sixteen. He still had plenty of time to grow even stronger.
"He is not merely a Dou Master. He is also a Nine-star Dou Master and could break through to Da Dou Shi at any time." Yao Chen spoke slowly, admiration in his eyes.
Even in the Central Region, he would have been considered a notable genius within the Falling Star Pavilion that he and his old friend Feng Xian had founded.
Most importantly, Zhang Yuan had grown up under his watch. His character was beyond reproach; he was no ungrateful wretch.
"Hiss." Xiao Yan sucked in a breath.
A Nine-star Dou Master, on the verge of becoming a Da Dou Shi—he was nearly catching up to Xiao Zhan, the strongest member of the Xiao Clan.
"Cousin, you've got a cheat, don't you?" Xiao Yan said.
"A cheat for what?" Zhang Yuan feigned confusion.
He really did have one: a Visualization Diagram deep within his soul.
On the diagram was a towering being with a dragon's body and a human head. The instant Zhang Yuan saw it, he instinctively knew its identity. It was the Thunder God. According to the Classic of Mountains and Seas: Inner Classic: East, it lived in Thunder Marsh and could produce the sound of thunder by slapping its own belly.
He had discovered the Visualization Diagram when he successfully broke through to become a Dou Zhe, and at that time, its first function had awakened.
He could observe it for two hours each day to increase his Soul Power.
When he broke through to Dou Master, its second function had awakened as well: a Flame Seed of the Nine Dragon Thunder Gang Fire.
The Nine Dragon Thunder Gang Fire ranked twelfth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. Its entire body was silver, its weakest form having one dragon and its strongest having nine. It could devour lightning to grow stronger. If someone completely refined it, they could use lightning to temper their body.
"It's nothing. I meant your talent is absurd." Xiao Yan smiled.
"Nothing special. Just luck." Zhang Yuan smiled faintly.
Just luck?
Xiao Yan felt that Zhang Yuan was showing off, and he had proof.
But it did not matter. That line would be his from now on.
"Who are you?" Zhang Yuan looked at Yao Chen and asked calmly, neither humbled nor arrogant.
"A name is merely a designation. Old me has slept for too long and has already forgotten it." Yao Chen maintained the bearing of an expert and said blandly, "You may call me Old Yao."
"You still want us to call you Old Yao? Dream on." Xiao Yan's expression turned savage. "You devoured the Dou Qi I cultivated over the years and turned me into trash stuck at Three-stage Dou Qi. How are you going to explain yourself, old man?"
Yao Chen immediately became somewhat embarrassed.
At first, he had unconsciously devoured Xiao Yan's Dou Qi.
But after his consciousness awakened, he had done so deliberately. On one hand, he wanted to recover some of his strength. On the other, he wanted to temper and test Xiao Yan to see whether he could become the disciple who would help revive him.
Originally, he had planned to reveal himself and take Xiao Yan as his disciple within the next few days. However, Nalan Yanran's arrival and Zhang Yuan's return had disrupted his plans.
Still, speaking of Zhang Yuan, if his Dou Qi attribute was also fire, then his temperament and character suited Yao Chen's standards for a disciple even better.
"Old me had no choice in the past. As compensation, I can help you return to Seven-stage Dou Qi within a year," Yao Chen said.
"You're joking, right?" Xiao Yan's face was full of disbelief.
The foundation of Dou Qi cultivation was especially important. He had once been one of the two greatest geniuses the Xiao Clan had seen in a century.
Yet even when he began cultivating Dou Qi at the age of four, it had taken him a full six years to reach Nine-stage Dou Qi. Even now that his talent had recovered, it was impossible for him to cultivate to Seven-stage Dou Qi in just one year.
"Have you heard of Alchemists?" Yao Chen raised his head slightly.
"You mean you're an Alchemist?" Xiao Yan looked doubtful.
"Not only that, I can make you an Alchemist as well," Yao Chen said.
Since Zhang Yuan had disrupted his plans, he could no longer play coy.
"You're joking, right?" Xiao Yan became even more doubtful, though a hint of excitement entered his voice.
Alchemists, as the name implied, were people capable of refining pills with all sorts of miraculous effects. They were divided into nine grades from low to high. Every Alchemist was someone all major factions strove to recruit.
A powerful Alchemist could summon countless people seeking pills with a single command and have them work at their bidding. They were practically a powerful faction unto themselves.
To become an Alchemist, one first needed the appropriate Dou Qi attribute and, secondly, sufficiently powerful soul perception.
On the Dou Qi Continent, every person's Dou Qi possessed an attribute determined by their soul. A soul generally had only one attribute. Only exceedingly rare people possessed two attributes of differing strengths. To become an Alchemist, one's primary attribute had to be fire, with a trace of wood mixed in to serve as a catalyst during pill refinement.
Among hundreds of millions of people, only one might possess such a mutated soul and the innate qualifications to become an Alchemist.
And even with that foundation, one still needed strong soul perception!
With such harsh requirements, he actually qualified?
"He probably isn't joking." Zhang Yuan spoke with a calm expression. "At the very least, his soul perception is sufficient."
"How do you know?" Xiao Yan turned into a curious child.
Zhang Yuan explained, "Over the past few years in the army, I read many strange tales and records from across the continent."
"One book stated that souls could also be divided into realms: the Mortal Realm, Spirit Realm, and Heavenly Realm. Each realm was further divided into early, middle, late, and peak stages."
"It is said that for an Alchemist to refine a Rank 8 Pill, their soul must first reach the Spirit Realm. To refine a Rank 9 Pill, their soul must reach the Heavenly Realm. Hiss—"
At that point, Zhang Yuan suddenly sucked in a breath. Looking at Yao Chen with caution, surprise, and a trace of delight, he said, "Could it be that you are Venerable Yao, who once shook the Dou Qi Continent!?"
Yao Chen's smile froze. ?
Xiao Yan was full of question marks. Who was Venerable Yao? He sounded incredibly impressive.
"How do you know who I am?" Yao Chen's expression was no longer gentle, and a pale white glint flashed through his eyes.
His current condition was far from good. Even to devour another person's Dou Qi and restore his own Soul Power, he needed them to wear the ring, and its wearer had to possess sufficiently strong soul talent.
If Xiao Yan's strength did not improve and he could only devour Dou Qi, then even after several more decades, he would not recover much Soul Power. He also feared that Xiao Yan might suffer too great a setback and give up cultivating, which was why he had prepared to reveal himself soon.
Only if Xiao Yan became stronger and allowed him to devour his Dou Qi could he restore his Soul Power more quickly and have a chance at revival in the future.
But Zhang Yuan's appearance had thrown him off balance.
"I guessed," Zhang Yuan answered.
"You guessed!?" Yao Chen's expression did not change, but disbelief colored his voice.
Zhang Yuan analyzed calmly, "While training outside, I encountered a fortunate opportunity that allowed my soul to reach the peak of the Mortal Realm. It is stronger than that of some Fifth-grade, Sixth-grade, and even Rank 7 Alchemists. That is also why I was confident I could discover the reason Yan's cultivation had stalled."
"The moment I returned home, I used soul perception to scan Xiao Yan's entire body. I discovered that the ring you inhabit could block my senses. That meant either the ring was of extraordinary quality, or there was a being within it whose Soul Power surpassed mine. It now appears to be the latter."
"In other words, Senior, your soul has at least reached the Spirit Realm, and you are at least a Rank 8 Alchemist."
"A year ago, I was fortunate enough to attend a public lecture by Fa Ma, president of the Alchemist Guild of the Jia Ma Empire. He mentioned that when he traveled the Dou Qi Continent in his youth, he had received three days of guidance from Venerable Yao. Yet this Venerable Yao mysteriously disappeared several decades ago."
"The ring you inhabit was purchased by my grandfather from a stall and given to my father. My father later passed it on as a gift when my aunt married, and it eventually ended up in Yan's hands. I remember that happened in exactly XX year."
"Combined with your calling yourself Old Yao, I have every reason to conclude that you are Venerable Yao, the Advanced Eighth Grade Alchemist known as the continent's number one Alchemist!"
Old Yao: ""
This kid was clever to an almost monstrous degree!
He had actually pieced together his identity from countless clues.
"Holy shit."
Xiao Yan looked at Zhang Yuan and sighed. "Cousin, has Conan possessed you?"
Zhang Yuan: ""
Why not say I'd been possessed by Sherlock Holmes or Di Renjie?
In truth, he knew all this only because, just like Xiao Yan, he was also a transmigrator.
(End of Chapter)
Before you continue