Ten Thousandfold Returns for Taking Disciples: Starting from Battle Through the Heavens, Part 37

After investigating, he discovered that Yao Chen was currently in a semi-dormant state. In other words, the other party's soul had only just begun showing signs of awakening and was still far from the fully awakened state he had been in at the beginning of the original story.

At present, his absorption of Xiao Yan's Dou Qi was likely unconscious. As long as he was not stimulated by outside forces, he would not awaken for the time being.

This made it much easier for Qin Hao to take Xiao Yan as his disciple. At the very least, there would be no unexpected complications.

"Master Qin Hao, how is Yan'er's condition?"

Seeing Qin Hao withdraw his hand, Xiao Zhan hurriedly asked. Beside him, Xiao Yan was also looking at him with a tense, expectant expression.

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with your son's body. His decline in cultivation has nothing to do with his body at all! As for the reason behind his regression, I have more or less guessed what happened. His Dou Qi is disappearing because of an external factor!"

Looking at Xiao Zhan and Xiao Yan, Qin Hao did not keep them in suspense and answered directly.

"Really!? Master Qin Hao, have you truly found the reason for Yan'er's declining cultivation? Wonderful, this is wonderful!"

Upon hearing Qin Hao's answer, Xiao Zhan's face immediately filled with overwhelming excitement.

Over the past year or so, he had invited countless renowned physicians and experts to examine Xiao Yan, yet every result had left him deeply disappointed. Now that he had finally heard good news, his feelings were easy to imagine.

"Please help me, Master. As long as you can restore my talent for cultivation, I am willing to brave fire and water!"

However, Xiao Yan was undoubtedly the most excited. Qin Hao's words made him feel as though he were a drowning man grasping his final lifeline, and he looked at Qin Hao with utter excitement.

The experiences of the past year had shown him the fickleness of human relationships. He did not want to live this kind of life for even another moment.

"Alright, you two, calm down. It is not impossible for me to help, but I have one condition!"

Qin Hao said.

"Please speak, Master. As long as it is something our Xiao Clan can accomplish, we will certainly do everything in our power to fulfill it!"

Xiao Zhan hurriedly said.

"It is not that serious. From my examination just now, I found that your son's aptitude is quite good. More importantly, his constitution possesses both fire and wood attributes, and his soul strength is also decent. Such talent is very suitable for alchemy. As you know, I am an alchemist, so I wish to take your son as my disciple and teach him the art of alchemy!"

Qin Hao got straight to the point.

"What!? Take him as a disciple!? Master, you are willing to accept Yan'er as your disciple!?"

After hearing Qin Hao's words, Xiao Zhan could scarcely believe his own ears, afraid that he had misheard. His previous tension instantly vanished without a trace, replaced by boundless excitement.

"Master, you say I have the talent of an alchemist? I can become an alchemist?"

Xiao Yan likewise looked at Qin Hao with delighted surprise.

What a joke. He knew perfectly well what being an alchemist meant.

Among the three great clans of all Wutan City, not a single one possessed an alchemist—not even the lowest-ranked first-tier alchemist.

This showed just how rare alchemists were. Now that he had learned he possessed the talent to become one and could even study under a sixth-tier alchemist, the excitement in Xiao Yan's heart was easy to imagine.

"That is indeed the case. Are you willing?"

Qin Hao asked.

"Yes, yes, I am willing! This disciple, Xiao Yan, pays respects to Master!"

Upon hearing Qin Hao's question, Xiao Yan spoke hurriedly before Xiao Zhan could even remind him. His face was filled with wild joy as he respectfully performed a deep bow toward Qin Hao.

"Congratulations to the host for accepting Xiao Yan as a disciple! Reward: Emperor-tier Alchemist Inheritance!"

"Detected that the host's disciple Xiao Yan is this plane's Child of Destiny. Additional reward granted! Reward: special constitution, Pure Yang Sacred Body!"

The instant Xiao Yan became his disciple, the system notification sounded in Qin Hao's mind once more.

"Emperor-tier Alchemist Inheritance!? A special constitution?"

Upon hearing the rewards for taking this disciple, Qin Hao's eyes lit up completely. He had not expected to receive two rewards this time.

Although he did not yet know the exact effects of that special constitution, the Emperor-tier Alchemist Inheritance alone was enough to make him incomparably excited.

An Emperor-tier alchemist was an existence above the ninth tier.

In the original story, aside from the protagonist Xiao Yan, only the Medicine Emperor of the Medicine Clan, one of the ancient eight clans, and Tuoshe Ancient Emperor had reached this level.

For an alchemist, the value of an Emperor-tier Alchemist Inheritance was self-evident.

This was not only immensely useful to Xiao Yan; it was also of tremendous use to Qin Hao.

It was far more precious than the eighth-tier Alchemist Inheritance he had obtained before.

If Xiao Zhan and Xiao Yan had not been standing before him right now, he would have been unable to wait to inspect the contents of the Emperor-tier Alchemist Inheritance.

"Good! Good! Good! Since that is the case, from this day onward, you are my third disciple, and also my first disciple with talent for alchemy!"

After forcefully suppressing the excitement in his heart, Qin Hao spoke directly.

Seeing that Xiao Yan had successfully become Qin Hao's disciple, Xiao Zhan was even more excited beyond measure. Xiao Yan becoming the disciple of a sixth-tier alchemist would bring immeasurable benefits, whether to Xiao Yan himself or to the entire Xiao Clan.

Calling it soaring to the heavens in a single leap would not be an exaggeration.

"Master, what exactly is the culprit behind my declining cultivation?"

After calming the excitement in his heart somewhat, Xiao Yan spoke again. Clearly, he still could not let go of the culprit that had made him endure over a year of scornful looks.

Xiao Zhan beside him was also full of curiosity about the matter.

"It is very simple. The culprit making your Dou Qi disappear is on your finger!"

Qin Hao said directly.

"On my finger? Wait... Master, are you referring to this?"

Xiao Yan's gaze fell upon the fingers of both hands before finally settling on the black ring on his hand. He spoke with disbelief.

"How is that possible? Master Qin Hao, are you saying Yan'er's Dou Qi was absorbed by this ring?"

Xiao Zhan beside him was also filled with disbelief.

After all, he knew the origin of this ring. It had belonged to his late wife.

"Whether it is or not, we will know after trying it. Take off the ring first, then cultivate and see what happens!"

Qin Hao did not explain further and spoke directly.

"Alright!"

Although he was somewhat unwilling to believe it, Xiao Yan did not argue. He carefully removed the ring, then sat cross-legged on the ground and began cultivating.

A full quarter of an hour passed before Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was filled with incomparable excitement.

Although the Dou Qi within his body had not increased by much during that quarter of an hour, he could clearly sense that the Dou Qi he had cultivated this time had not vanished like water through a sieve as it had before.

"How is it, Yan'er?"

Xiao Zhan asked with concern.

"Father, I... I think I'm really better. The Dou Qi in my body is no longer disappearing!"

Xiao Yan said excitedly. Then, as if recalling something, his gaze fell upon the black ring beside him, and an incomparably complicated expression appeared on his face.

This was the only keepsake his mother had left him. He had never imagined that the culprit behind his disappearing Dou Qi would be this very object.

"Wonderful, this is wonderful!"

Upon hearing this result, Xiao Zhan's face filled with wild joy. His son's talent had now recovered, and he had become the disciple of a sixth-tier alchemist. It was truly a double blessing.

"Master, what exactly is going on? Could this ring be some evil demonic artifact? Why would it devour the Dou Qi in my body?"

Xiao Yan finally asked the question in his heart.

"There is nothing wrong with the ring itself. It is merely that a soul body is residing within it. For that soul body to awaken, it must replenish its energy, so it can only devour the Dou Qi within your body!"

Qin Hao explained.

"What!? A soul body!? Is it a ghost?"

Xiao Yan blurted out. Qin Hao's words immediately reminded him of the ghosts from myths and legends of his previous life.

"A ghost... You can understand it that way!"

Qin Hao said.

"I never expected such a vicious thing to be hidden within this ring!"

Xiao Zhan beside him was also utterly shocked.

"Father, do you know where this ring came from?"

Xiao Yan could not help asking.

"I do know. Back when your mother and I were out shopping, we found it at a mercenary's stall. Its design was rather unusual, so we bought it for ten gold coins. I never expected that inside it there would be..."

Xiao Zhan said.

"Master, do you have a way to destroy the vicious thing inside?"

Xiao Yan asked at once. After all, this was the only keepsake his mother had left him, so he clearly did not wish to discard it.

"There is no rush. Let your master awaken him first. This soul body may not necessarily be evil. Otherwise, you would have long since been completely drained dry by him!"

Qin Hao said. Now that he had accepted Xiao Yan as his disciple, he naturally no longer had to worry about Yao Chen stealing him away.

As for Yao Chen's strength, after examining him with his Double Pupils just now, Qin Hao had already seen through him completely.

Although Yao Chen had possessed a Heaven Realm soul at his peak, he had lost too much of his origin. In his current state, he was far inferior even to the soul body of the Profound Ice Venerable from before.

With Qin Hao's current strength, he could easily suppress him. If Yao Chen truly harbored ill intentions or failed to recognize what was good for him, Qin Hao would not mind devouring him.

"Uh... Master, there won't be any danger, right?"

Xiao Yan asked uneasily.

"What danger could there be? If his soul origin were at its peak, then your master would naturally have to avoid him. But now, he even needs to rely on a little fellow like you, at the third stage of Dou Qi, just to sustain himself. How strong could he possibly be?"

Seeing Xiao Yan's expression, Qin Hao said with a smile.

Without further hesitation, he grabbed the ring in his hand. Then, the pure Dou Qi within his body surged wildly into it.

This ring was not an ordinary ornament, but a storage ring. The reason Xiao Yan's mother and Xiao Yan himself had been unable to discover this before was that it was a high-grade storage ring with a master-recognition function.