Xiao Xun'er was puzzled and murmured to herself, "Who is this old gentleman? Could he be the one who helped Brother Xiao Yan improve his strength?"
Xiao Xun'er was full of curiosity and couldn't help thinking to herself.
Although she didn't know what this old gentleman wanted or why he had approached Xiao Yan, Xiao Xun'er secretly made up her mind.
No matter who he was, if he dared to hurt or deceive Brother Xiao Yan, she would never let him off easily.
She hoped this old gentleman wouldn't try any tricks.
Otherwise, with the power behind her, dealing with him wouldn't be difficult.
In the entire Xiao Clan, only a handful of people knew about the power behind Xiao Xun'er. Even fewer could comprehend just how powerful the Ancient Clan behind her truly was.
Inside the room, Yao Chen naturally noticed Xiao Xun'er secretly watching from a corner.
With his current Dou Sheng cultivation, if he couldn't even detect that, he would truly be unworthy of his Dou Sheng strength.
Over the next few days, with the help of the pills Yao Chen refined, Xiao Yan's strength increased rapidly.
Before long, he successfully broke through to the Fifth Stage Dou Qi.
Xiao Yan was incredibly excited and could barely contain himself. "Teacher! I never imagined my Dou Qi would improve so quickly with your help!"
"How long has it even been? I've already recovered to the Fifth Stage Dou Qi?"
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Xiao Yan wouldn't have believed he could improve so quickly.
Three years ago, his cultivation speed had been nowhere near this fast, so it was only natural that he reacted so strongly.
Watching him get so worked up, Yao Chen gave him a helpless look and grumbled inwardly, What a small-time outlook.
Xiao Yan chuckled and hurriedly said, "Teacher, how could I compare to you?"
"I'm already more than satisfied to have recovered to the Fifth Stage Dou Qi in such a short time."
Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Yao Chen felt even more helpless.
But then he thought it over. Xiao Yan hadn't even made it out of the beginner's village yet, and his horizons and experience were still limited. It was only natural for him to react this way.
He turned to look at the System Panel, where several lines of text were clearly displayed.
[Current Task: Help Xiao Yan reach the Fifth Stage Dou Qi.] [Task Reward: Soul Power +10] [Task completed. Reward issued.]
After completing the system task, Yao Chen checked his personal status panel and confirmed that his soul power had indeed increased.
The increase wasn't large, but it was extremely valuable.
Improving one's soul power was no easy feat, so he was reasonably satisfied with the reward.
More importantly, Xiao Yan was only at the Fifth Stage Dou Qi now.
As long as he continued helping him improve and followed the subsequent series of tasks shown on the panel,
the rewards he could earn in the future would keep coming without end.
At the thought of the generous rewards, Yao Chen couldn't help smiling, the corners of his mouth slowly lifting.
While Xiao Yan was still caught up in his excitement, he suddenly sensed someone approaching.
Seeing this, Yao Chen immediately slipped into the ring.
Before long, a figure made his way to the back mountain.
It was Xiao Yan's father, the current head of the Xiao Clan, Xiao Zhan.
"Yan'er, I haven't seen you for the past few days," Xiao Zhan said as he approached Xiao Yan.
"I asked Xun'er and learned you've been cultivating in the back mountain these past few days."
Looking at his youngest son, Xiao Zhan's eyes were filled with concern.
Of course he hoped to see Xiao Yan regain the astonishing talent he'd once possessed and become outstanding again.
What father didn't hope his son would rise to greatness?
But even more, he didn't want his son to bear too much pressure. It would only break his heart as a father.
He'd come mainly to persuade Xiao Yan not to put so much pressure on himself.
Xiao Yan had been cultivating day and night these past few days, and Xiao Zhan hadn't even caught sight of him. He was genuinely worried.
"Don't worry, Father. I'm fine," Xiao Yan said firmly.
"Nalan Yanran and I made a Three-Year Agreement."
"Three years from now, I'll go to the Misty Cloud Sect and challenge her."
"This isn't just about me. It's about you, too," Xiao Yan continued.
"I don't want you to be mocked by the clan because of this."
"Even if I don't do it for myself, I'll do it for you. I'll keep my word and defeat Nalan Yanran!"
Although his current strength at the Fifth Stage Dou Qi was no match for Nalan Yanran,
Xiao Yan was full of hope. He believed that with his teacher's help, he might still have a chance.
Although he didn't know where his teacher had come from, Xiao Yan trusted Yao Chen completely.
Still, he sometimes wondered: his teacher had been so powerful in life, so how had he suffered such grievous injuries?
If his teacher hadn't been an Alchemist, with a soul stronger than that of ordinary cultivators, he would probably have perished long ago. He wouldn't have been able to survive in his current soul form.
Whoever had hurt his teacher back then, Xiao Yan felt he ought to cultivate diligently and improve his strength faster.
That way, he could both help his teacher get justice and fulfill his promise to Nalan Yanran, washing away the humiliation his father had suffered.
All in all, there was still so much he had to do, and time was short.
Just then, a new task appeared on Yao Chen's System Panel.
[Current Task: Help your disciple, Xiao Yan, cultivate the Eight Extremities Collapse.] [Task Reward: Two White Blind Boxes.] [Accept the task? Please choose.]
Yao Chen accepted without hesitation.
There was no one in the back mountain except him, a soul, and Xiao Yan.
Looking at Xiao Yan, he said, "Kid, since you're my disciple now, and I've promised to help you defeat Nalan Yanran and win the Three-Year Agreement,"
"your strength has now reached the Fifth Stage Dou Qi and is gradually recovering. I'll teach you a Dou Technique called Eight Extremities Collapse."
"If you cultivate it well and draw out its full potential, its power can rival a Low Earth Tier Dou Technique."
"A Low Earth Tier Dou Technique?" Xiao Yan instantly grew excited.
He couldn't wait to start cultivating. He rubbed his hands eagerly and waited quietly for Elder Yao to teach him the Dou Technique.
As soon as a scroll was handed to him, Xiao Yan began cultivating.
With Yao Chen's guidance, it took him just half an hour to successfully perform Eight Extremities Collapse.
"As expected of a High-grade Profound Tier Dou Technique—it's no simple technique, and its power is truly impressive!" Xiao Yan exclaimed sincerely.
"As expected of Teacher. The techniques you teach me start at the High-grade Profound Tier, and they're this powerful, too."
Meanwhile, after seeing Xiao Yan successfully perform Eight Extremities Collapse, Yao Chen's attention had already shifted to the reward.
He knew Xiao Yan's cultivation talent, and with his guidance, he wasn't surprised that Xiao Yan had mastered it so easily.
At the moment, Yao Chen was quite curious about what he might draw from the two White Blind Boxes.
[Current Task: Help Xiao Yan cultivate the Dou Technique Eight Extremities Collapse.] [Reward: Two White Blind Boxes.] [Reward issued successfully. Added to the system inventory.]