Accepting Disciples, Ten-Thousandfold Returns: Starting from Battle Through the Heavens

Once his strength improved further, or when he was preparing to leave the Jia Ma Empire, if they could offer terms that satisfied him, he would not mind making a move.

Name: Qin Hao

Attributes: Dual fire-wood affinity [wood within fire]

Cultivation: Five-Star Dou King

Dou Qi Cultivation Art: Chaotic Heaven-Devouring Art [Beyond Heaven Tier]

Soul Cultivation Art: Soul-Devouring Art [Includes soul combat skill God-Slaying Thorn]

Dou Skills:

Low Earth Tier: Ninefold Savage God Force, Eight Desolations Fire Dragon Slash, Parting Flame Astral Energy, Phoenix Dance Across the Nine Heavens, Nine-Palace Phantom God Steps, Nine Profound Flame Transformations [Only cultivation arts and Dou Skills cultivated by the protagonist are displayed]...

High Xuan Tier: Crimson Sun Palm... [Replaced cultivation arts will not be displayed]

Mid Xuan Tier: Crimson Flame Finger, Explosive Flame Fist, Heavenfire Incineration...

Items: One strand of Origin Emperor Qi, one Dou Saint Experience Card, Azure Profound Cauldron, low Earth Tier cultivation art Netherworld Profound Flame Art, various other cultivation arts and Dou Skills, some gold coins...

Besides the Jia Ma imperial family, quite a few other people and factions soon sent calling cards one after another, hoping to pay him a visit.

Without exception, they were all major powers of the imperial capital, as well as some prominent "important figures."

Qin Hao neither accepted nor declined these invitations. He planned to wait until the imperial banquet was over that evening before deciding.

For now, he focused his efforts on gathering information. Since he had arrived in the Jia Ma Empire, he intended to investigate thoroughly and completely determine the current timeline.

Given Qin Hao's status, gathering information could not have been easier. Before long, he had learned quite a few important details about the Jia Ma Empire.

As expected, it did not take much effort for him to uncover the information he wanted.

Completely Determining the Timeline! Attending the Banquet! Jia Xing Tian!

What Qin Hao most wanted to know was undoubtedly the news concerning the Xiao Clan of Wutan City.

Wutan City could only be considered a remote little city within the Jia Ma Empire. After all, among its so-called three great clans, the strongest merely had a Great Dou Master. That alone showed just how unimpressive Wutan City was.

Normally, it would not have been easy to gather news about a clan from such a small city while in the imperial capital. But the Xiao Clan of Wutan City was an exception.

That was because the Xiao Clan was not originally a native force of Wutan City. The Xiao Clan had once been prosperous. Setting aside its origins as the Xiao Clan, one of the ancient eight clans, even several decades ago, the Xiao Clan had moved within the circles of the imperial capital.

Back then, the Xiao Clan had a Dou King expert. Otherwise, Xiao Yan would never have entered into a so-called marriage engagement with Nalan Yanran. After all, the Nalan Clan, to which Nalan Yanran belonged, was one of the imperial capital's famed three great clans.

This world placed great importance on matching social status. Since they could form a marriage alliance with the Nalan Clan, the Xiao Clan of that time could not possibly have been weak.

Unfortunately, the Xiao Clan later suffered a calamity. Its Dou King expert, Xiao Yan's grandfather, died unexpectedly, causing the clan to decline and relocate far away to Wutan City.

Although the Xiao Clan had fallen, its marriage engagement with the Nalan Clan naturally kept many factions watching it closely.

According to the information he had obtained, the Xiao Clan had produced a peerless genius. He began cultivating Dou Qi at four, possessed nine stages of Dou Qi at ten, and successfully condensed a Dou Qi Cyclone at eleven, becoming a true Dou Practitioner.

An eleven-year-old Dou Practitioner might not amount to much across the entire continent, but in the Northwestern Region, especially in a place like the Jia Ma Empire, an eleven-year-old Dou Practitioner with such talent was exceptionally impressive. He could absolutely be called a genius.

That genius was none other than Xiao Yan.

Many people speculated that, under Xiao Yan's leadership, the Xiao Clan might one day return to the imperial capital and even surpass the Xiao Clan at its former peak nearly a century ago.

But what no one expected was that, a year ago, this genius renowned throughout the Jia Ma Empire had not advanced by leaps and bounds as everyone imagined. Instead, he had fallen like a comet.

His cultivation had not only failed to progress, it had actually regressed—from a Dou Practitioner back to the third stage of Dou Qi.

This matter was no secret throughout the Jia Ma Empire. The Xiao Clan had paid a considerable price to invite many experts to examine Xiao Yan, but without exception, none of them found anything.

His cultivation only began regressing a year ago... In that case, there are still about two years before the original plot begins...

Qin Hao thought to himself. From this information, he had finally confirmed the current timeline.

When the plot began, Xiao Yan had just gone through three years of his "waste" period. Only one year had passed so far, so according to the plot's progression, Xiao Yan still had to endure another two years of hardship.

"Two years... Good. Very good!"

Qin Hao was clearly quite satisfied. Two years was enough time for him to accomplish many things.

Besides the Xiao Clan's affairs, Qin Hao also learned quite a bit of other information.

For instance, three years ago, the Nalan Clan's young lady had officially been accepted as a disciple by Yun Yun, the sect master of the Misty Cloud Sect.

The pillar of the Nalan Clan and its only Dou King expert, Nalan Jie, had slain a fifth-rank Magic Beast, the Scorching Iron Poison-Stripe Python, only to be poisoned by its scorching venom. He had spent recent years seeking treatment everywhere.

Even Gu He, the famed Pill King and guest elder of the Misty Cloud Sect, had been helpless.

There was also Yun Shan, the former sect master of the Misty Cloud Sect, who had entered secluded cultivation to break through to the Dou Sect realm. Some rumors claimed Yun Shan had died in seclusion, while others said he had succeeded. In any case, opinions varied greatly.

Through the information he had gathered, Qin Hao gained a rough understanding of the current Jia Ma Empire.

Evening soon arrived, and Qin Hao led the group from Canaan Academy toward the imperial palace.

Before long, Qin Hao's group arrived outside the palace. He discovered that many luxurious carriages were parked there, and many bore the distinctive emblems of various factions.

Clearly, the imperial family had invited quite a few other guests to that evening's banquet.

Just as Qin Hao's group reached the palace entrance, another group emerged from within and came forward to greet them.

At their head was an elderly man in magnificent robes, exuding a powerful and steady aura.

Qin Hao possessed a Spirit Realm soul, so he easily sensed the other man's cultivation. He was unmistakably a Dou Emperor—and not an ordinary one, but a Dou Emperor at the peak of the ninth star.

In an instant, Qin Hao guessed his identity. Within the Jia Ma imperial family, no one besides its guardian, Jia Xing Tian, could possess such cultivation.

In the original story, he had been portrayed as an old man in coarse hemp robes. Yet now he wore splendid attire, showing just how highly he valued Qin Hao's arrival.

Behind him stood two young women.

Both wore gorgeous palace gowns and possessed beauty rare enough to be called stunning.

However, their temperaments were entirely different. The slightly older one carried a mature, cool elegance that gave her a calm and composed air.

The other was the exact opposite, seeming lively, mischievous, and impish.

Judging by their clothing and the information from the original story, the two accompanying Jia Xing Tian were most likely the eldest princess Yao Ye and her younger sister, Yao Yue.

"Master Qin Hao, you have finally arrived. This old man is Jia Xing Tian. Thank you for attending the banquet!"

The elderly man in splendid robes, Jia Xing Tian, hurried forward and spoke warmly.

"Elder Jia is too courteous. I have troubled Elder Jia to personally welcome us."

One did not strike a smiling face, much less when Qin Hao had no conflict with him. Seeing Jia Xing Tian lower his stance so much, Qin Hao naturally returned his smile.

"As I should, as I should! I never expected Master Qin Hao to reach the legendary realm of a sixth-rank alchemist at such a young age. It is truly astonishing!"

Jia Xing Tian looked Qin Hao over. When he saw Qin Hao's excessively youthful face, an incomparably emotional look flashed through his eyes.

Although he had already known Qin Hao was very young, seeing him in person still left him unable to suppress his shock.

Moreover, he could sense that Qin Hao was genuinely young, not some old monster wearing a youthful appearance.

After all, the Dou Qi Continent was a fantasy world, and countless experts possessed methods to preserve their appearance.

For example, the ancestor of the Pill Tower in the original story was an old monster who had lived for an unknown number of years, yet looked like a shepherd boy.

Appearance could indeed be maintained, but the aura of accumulated years was difficult to conceal.

Qin Hao before him was brimming with youthful vitality, fundamentally different from those old monsters who had preserved their looks.

"Hmm?"

At that moment, Jia Xing Tian, who had been sizing Qin Hao up, suddenly narrowed his eyes. A flash of shock passed through them as his gaze lingered for an instant on the adorable-looking Magic Beast at Qin Hao's feet.

At first, he had assumed it was merely an ornamental pet. On the Dou Qi Continent, many people kept Magic Beast pets, with some powerful ones assisting in battle.

However, many others specifically raised ornamental pets with beautiful appearances but little strength, perhaps even almost no combat ability.

At first, when he saw the attractive pet at Qin Hao's feet, Jia Xing Tian assumed it was an ornamental pet Qin Hao had raised.

But just now, the instant he inadvertently met the Magic Beast's gaze, an inexplicable sense of dread arose in his heart.

His mind immediately trembled. As a veteran peak Dou Emperor, he naturally understood what that meant. This seemingly harmless Magic Beast was clearly a terrifying fiend.

Although he could not see through its exact strength, for it to make him feel this way, its power had to be extraordinary. At the very least, it would not be much weaker than him.

Under normal circumstances, so long as the Twin-Winged Scarlet Qilin King did not reveal his aura, even an ordinary peak Dou Emperor could not see through him.

But Jia Xing Tian was an exception, because the Jia Ma imperial family also possessed a powerful sixth-rank Magic Beast, the Nethersea Flood Dragon.

They had fought side by side for many years, making Jia Xing Tian exceptionally sensitive to the aura of powerful Magic Beasts. That was why he noticed the Twin-Winged Scarlet Qilin King's abnormality.

Jia Xing Tian had never expected that, besides being a sixth-rank alchemist himself, Qin Hao also possessed such a terrifying trump card. Qin Hao's standing in Jia Xing Tian's mind immediately rose another level.

However, Jia Xing Tian quickly returned to normal and did not make a fuss, as though he had noticed nothing.

"Master Qin Hao, allow me to introduce them. These are my two juniors, Yao Ye and Yao Yue."

After recovering himself, Jia Xing Tian spoke again and introduced the two young women beside him to Qin Hao.

"So they are the two princesses. I have heard of both princesses before."

Hearing Jia Xing Tian's introduction, Qin Hao thought, As expected, and immediately spoke.

"Greetings, Master Qin Hao!"

Neither of them dared slight him in the least. They promptly stepped forward and bowed.

Although their status was exceedingly noble, before a sixth-rank alchemist, they still fell far short.

Even Princess Yao Yue, who had a particularly lively temperament, did not dare show the slightest breach of etiquette.

As an imperial princess, she might have been lively and mischievous, but that did not mean she lacked manners. After all, imperial princesses received strict court etiquette training.

Qin Hao then introduced the group from Canaan Academy at his side. Finally, led by Jia Xing Tian and the others, the group entered the palace.

The palace was decorated with lanterns and colorful ornaments everywhere that day, looking exceptionally festive. Clearly, the Jia Ma imperial family had put considerable thought into the banquet.

Before long, the group arrived at a luxurious grand hall, where quite a few people had already gathered.