When Yun Potian saw Xiao Yan, he immediately bowed and said, "I am Yun Potian. Greetings, Young Master."
Xiao Yan froze for a moment. White Fang immediately flew over and sidled up to him. "Were you tricked over by the boss's words too? Did you sign some kind of contract as well?"
Yun Potian nodded, and the next second, Xiao Yan saw the panel.
Name: Xiao Yan Age: 15 years and 8 months Strength: Four-Star Da Dou Shi Cultivation Method: Flame Mantra (High Xuan Tier) Dou Techniques: Eight Extremities Collapse (High Xuan Tier), Mystic Divination Palm (Low Xuan Tier), Heaven Collapsing Technique (High Xuan Tier) Summoned Powerhouses: Hai Bodong (Seven-Star Dou Emperor) Eight-Winged Black Emperor Snake (Peak Dou Emperor) Yun Potian (Three-Star Dou Wang) Summoning Slots: 3/4 Heavenly Flames: Myriad Beast Spirit Fire Green Lotus Core Flame Item: Mysterious Heavy Ruler Summoning Talisman: None Summoning Points: 6000 (Can be exchanged for various items in the System Mall)
Xiao Yan complained inwardly, "System, what's the meaning of this? Yun Potian was someone from who knows how many years ago, and you summoned him for me! You even summoned a young version of him!"
"Ding. This system told the host from the beginning that the people summoned might be from this world, or they might not be."
Xiao Yan smacked his forehead. So that was what the system had meant!
Hai Bodong muttered the name Yun Potian under his breath.
"I remember that the founding ancestor of the Misty Cloud Sect was also named Yun Potian. This young man...?"
Seeing that Hai Bodong was about to figure something out, Xiao Yan hurriedly explained, "They're probably just namesakes. After all, that was from so many years ago."
Hai Bodong nodded after hearing that and said that made sense.
Seeing that he had fooled him, Xiao Yan judged that the Yun Potian before him had probably not yet founded the Misty Cloud Sect, so he would not have any memories related to it.
A thought suddenly flashed through Xiao Yan's mind. If he got rid of this Yun Potian, would there be no Misty Cloud Sect in the future?
But after thinking of that, Xiao Yan could not help but slap himself.
Did he really need to be afraid of the Misty Cloud Sect?
"From now on, I'll call you Little Tian. Is that okay?" Xiao Yan asked after clearing his throat.
Yun Potian nodded. "Young Master, you can call me whatever you like!"
"Good. Since everything's settled, let's head to the Desert Iron Mercenary Group and say goodbye to my eldest and second brothers." After saying that, Xiao Yan flew toward Stone Desert City.
Qing Lin gazed into the distance. For an entire month, she had come here every day, waiting for Xiao Yan's return.
"Young Master Xiao Yan has been gone for a whole month. Will he still come back?" Qing Lin played with a stone on the ground.
Suddenly, she noticed several figures flying toward her from afar.
Xiao Yan spotted Qing Lin on the ground and shouted loudly, "Qing Lin! I'm back!"
"Young Master Xiao Yan!"
White Fang flew to Xiao Yan's side and said, "Boss, I've already notified the Heavenly Snake Mansion. They've probably sent someone over by now."
Xiao Yan nodded. After giving it much thought, he decided he could not keep Qing Lin by his side. Yet because of her constitution, she would be in great danger if she remained here.
The best choice was to let Qing Lin go to the Heavenly Snake Mansion, just like in the original story. That was why Xiao Yan had asked White Fang to contact them in advance.
Seeing Xiao Yan and the others land, Qing Lin happily walked over.
"Young Master Xiao Yan, you were gone for so long this time. Qing Lin missed you so much."
Xiao Yan looked at Qing Lin and sighed inwardly. He did not want such a kind little girl to be harmed, so he could only have the Heavenly Snake Mansion protect her.
At that moment, everyone in the Desert Iron Mercenary Group saw Xiao Yan's arrival, and the entire group became excited.
The Desert Iron Mercenary Group had now become the dominant force in all of Stone Desert City.
Xiao Ding and Xiao Li came before Xiao Yan. Both of them were startled when they saw White Fang and Yun Potian.
Xiao Yan smiled and said, "Big Brother, Second Brother, these two are our own people."
Only then did the two relax. The three brothers briefly said their goodbyes. Though Xiao Li and Xiao Ding were reluctant to see Xiao Yan leave, they understood that he needed to travel to more places and gain experience.
Xiao Yan walked over and patted Qing Lin's head, then looked toward the sky.
"The people from the Heavenly Snake Mansion are here."
Seeing this, White Fang went over to Lv Man, who was flying in from the distance.
Lv Man snorted coldly and said impatiently, "White Fang, you rotten snake, how dare you betray the Heavenly Snake Mansion? If I hadn't pleaded for you, the elders would have sent people to kill you long ago."
White Fang laughed. "Big Sis, I'm following my boss now. There's no need to try persuading me—I won't go back with you. I called you here to take away a little girl."
As he spoke, White Fang looked at Qing Lin.
The moment Lv Man saw Qing Lin's eyes, she cried out in surprise, "Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils! Such extraordinary eyes really exist in this world!"
White Fang said smugly, "What do you think? I, White Fang, have good judgment, don't I? I called you here so you could earn some merit."
Lv Man quickly said, "Fine, whether you leave or not doesn't matter. As long as this little one comes with me, that's enough."
Seeing Qing Lin clearly trying to hide behind Xiao Yan, White Fang scolded Lv Man, "You crazy woman, can't you keep your voice down? You came here to pick someone up, not to traffic children."
Lv Man wanted to snap back, but she held herself back.
Xiao Yan looked at Qing Lin and said, "Qing Lin, for certain reasons, I can't take you with me. But because of these eyes of yours, your fate is destined to be anything but ordinary."
Qing Lin tugged at Xiao Yan's clothes pitifully and said, "Qing Lin understands."
Seeing how sensible Qing Lin was, Xiao Yan felt a pang of heartache.
"Qing Lin, this big sister will take you away, and she'll treat you well. When you grow up and become stronger, come find me again, all right?"
Qing Lin nodded. Xiao Yan handed her over to Lv Man just like that. After giving a few simple instructions, he watched them leave.
After that, Xiao Yan said goodbye to his two brothers again.
Then the three men and one snake flew toward Black Rock City.
Because Xiao Yan had suddenly leaped through so many levels again, the Dou Qi within him had become extremely unstable.
So they stopped midway in the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
"Teacher, why did you have us stop here?" Xiao Yan asked, looking doubtfully at Elder Yao before him.
Elder Yao said, "Kid, you skipped too many levels. For the sake of your future cultivation, I've decided to compress your cultivation and make your foundation more solid."
Xiao Yan was stunned. To be honest, his realm had indeed risen incredibly quickly. In less than a year, he had gone from three stages of Dou Qi to a Four-Star Da Dou Shi.
So, with the help of White Fang, Elder Yao, and Hai Bodong, along with Elder Yao's medicinal liquid—
Xiao Yan's cultivation was suppressed back to a One-Star Da Dou Shi.
Xiao Yan truly wanted to cry but had no tears. The system's rewards had gone to waste just like that. But for the sake of his future path, Xiao Yan could give up this bit of cultivation.
However, after suppressing his cultivation, Elder Yao said again, "First, stay in these mountains and train your Dou Techniques and alchemy skills properly. Otherwise, with those alchemy skills of yours, there's no point even taking the test."
"You can't grow up relying only on the protection of others. It's time I taught you an Earth Tier Dou Technique!"
Before you continue