Three Years

Time passed silently, slipping away unnoticed from everyone's side.

Ever since Xiao Yun broke through to the Dou Ling realm, his cultivation speed had slowed, no longer allowing him to break through as easily as he had in the previous realms.

Such daily life was undoubtedly dull and tedious, lacking the thrill and excitement of adventuring outside. Every day was merely a repetition of cultivation, accumulating the Dou Qi within his body and progressing as slowly as grinding water through a millstone. Most people could not persist unwaveringly once they reached this stage. They began seeking pleasure and giving up on themselves, but that was reality. If one wanted to grow stronger, one had to endure hardships ordinary people could not bear.

Fortunately, Xiao Yun had grown accustomed to this kind of grueling cultivation back in the Xiao Clan. Moreover, there were no teaching courses in the Inner Academy, so he could freely arrange his time. Besides cultivating, he would occasionally head to the back mountain to get struck by lightning, visit the Arena to fight, or help Zi Yan and other Inner Academy students refine pills. It was not all that boring.

As spring turned to autumn, while Xiao Yun cultivated diligently in the Inner Academy, a major event also occurred within the Xiao Clan of Wutan City, Jia Ma Empire.

Because of Xiao Yun, the Xiao Clan, which had not even been the foremost clan in Wutan City, gradually became known throughout the entire Jia Ma Empire. People learned that Xiao Yun, the genius who had become a Dou Zhe at seven and reached the Dou Ling realm and become a Fourth-Tier Alchemist by ten, came from the Xiao Clan.

Recently, however, the Xiao Clan's second genius, Xiao Yun's cousin Xiao Yan, had caused an uproar due to what people called heavenly punishment. He had originally possessed the potential to become a Dou Emperor, yet when he became a Dou Zhe, his Dou Qi Cyclone inexplicably dissipated. The Dou Qi within his body regressed to the level of the Eighth Duan of Dou Qi and could no longer improve in the slightest.

"Father, can neither you nor the three Elders see what is wrong with my body?"

In the Xiao Clan's council hall, Xiao Zhan and the three Elders sat in the seats of honor, while Xiao Yan, his face filled with pain, sat below them and spoke sorrowfully.

Seeing the once high-spirited Xiao Yan reduced to such a state, Xiao Zhan's heart ached as his father. Yet even after he and the three Elders examined him together, they could reach only one conclusion: Xiao Yan's body was extremely healthy, without the slightest problem.

"Yan'er, do not panic or grieve. Perhaps your father and the Elders are simply too weak to see what is wrong with your body." Xiao Zhan looked at the despairing Xiao Yan and gently comforted him. "But do not lose heart. Even if we cannot see it, your cousin Xiao Yun will surely have a way. He was already a Fourth-Tier Alchemist years ago, and his strength must be even greater now. He will definitely find the reason your Dou Qi dissipated!"

"That is right. Xiao Yan, your father is correct. Even if us old fellows cannot do anything, that child Xiao Yun surely can."

"Yes, yes. I heard Xiao Yun broke through to the Dou Ling realm three years ago. His strength far surpasses ours."

The three Elders all nodded in agreement. Although they usually fought Xiao Zhan for power and profit, this concerned the clan's second genius. Even though Xiao Yan was Xiao Zhan's son, they still hoped his talent could be restored.

"Cousin Xiao Yun... can he really find a way? But he is so far away at Jia Nan Academy and has not returned home for several years. Would Cousin really come all the way back because of this?" Xiao Yan's eyes lit up upon hearing Xiao Yun's name, only to dim again immediately. Jia Nan Academy lay deep within the Black-Corner Region, far from the Jia Ma Empire. Would Xiao Yun truly be willing to spend one or two months traveling back for him?

Hearing Xiao Yan's doubtful words, the First Elder immediately flared up. "You brat! That child Xiao Yun is kind-hearted. He brought so many cultivation techniques back for the clan before, and even us old fellows broke through in cultivation thanks to him. He certainly has not forgotten the Xiao Clan!"

Even Xiao Zhan nodded in agreement. "The First Elder is right. Yan'er, you are not allowed to speak ill of your cousin again. As for your matter, I will write a letter and send someone to deliver it to Jia Nan Academy. Once Xiao Yun sees it, he will definitely return!"

Within a pavilion in Jia Nan Academy's Inner Academy.

Warm sunlight streamed through the gaps between the leaves, illuminating the entire room. Inside, a black-clothed youth sat cross-legged on the bed, his eyes gently closed and his hands forming a strange seal before him as he immersed himself in cultivation.

The surrounding natural energy rose and fell with the youth's chest, continuously being drawn into his body.

After a long while, the youth opened his eyes. A red glint flashed through them like lightning, and a powerful aura erupted from within his body. "Sigh, the three-year deadline has arrived, yet I have only reached the Two-Star Dou Wang realm. Sure enough, I cannot compare to Xiao Huohuo." His calm words carried a hint of helplessness.

If the others in the Inner Academy heard such a humblebrag, especially those Elders who had been trapped at a minor stage of the Dou Wang realm for years, they would likely vomit blood in anger.

In three years, he had gone from a One-Star Dou Ling to a Two-Star Dou Wang. Although Xiao Yun had also spent considerable time studying alchemy, such cultivation speed was already unimaginable to ordinary people. Yet Xiao Yun still felt it was somewhat slow. After all, Xiao Yan cultivated as easily as if he were playing around. In twenty years, he would traverse a path that others could not finish in several lifetimes, or even dozens of lifetimes, and become the youngest Dou Di on the Dou Qi Continent.

Looks like I still have to go out and adventure. Burying my head in cultivation cannot save the Dou Qi Continent!

Xiao Yun thought to himself. Ever since he had broken through to the Dou Ling realm, his cultivation speed had inevitably slowed. Even if he soaked in the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower every day, his progress could no longer return to its former pace. After all, what he used was not the real Falling Heart Flame, but merely a sub-flame. For those at the Dou Ling level, unless they were at the very bottom of the realm, the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower's accelerating effect could practically be ignored.

The Dou Wang realm was the dividing line between ordinary cultivators and true powerhouses of the continent. Countless peak Dou Ling experts were blocked at this threshold and could never break through. Although Xiao Yun had no bottlenecks thanks to his cheat, it could not increase his cultivation speed.

After breaking through to the Dou Wang realm, Xiao Yun had spent five months before successfully reaching the Two-Star Dou Wang realm. At this rate, he would need nearly another four years to break through to the Dou Emperor realm, not to mention the realms beyond, where progress would only become slower. If he continued cultivating in seclusion like this, Hun Tiandi might already begin destroying the world by the time he finally reached the Dou Zun realm in his thirties.

Compared to his slow progress in Dou Qi, Xiao Yun's advancement in alchemy had been meteoric. In just three years, his alchemy had nearly surpassed his own teacher's. An Alchemist's talent was largely related to Soul Power. Many Alchemists, including Fire Elder, remained stuck at a certain tier because their Soul Power was insufficient. Take Fire Elder, for example. If he could break through to the Dou Emperor realm, the increase in cultivation would drive the growth of his Soul Power, allowing him to easily become a Sixth-Tier Alchemist.

Xiao Yun's Soul Power had been exceptionally powerful from birth, meaning he was destined to possess extraordinary talent in alchemy. When he broke through to the Dou Ling realm, Xiao Yun had already become a Fourth-Tier Alchemist. Then, after only one year, he broke through to the Fifth-Tier Alchemist realm. By now, he could be considered a Fifth-Tier Peak Alchemist. Even when refining Sixth-Tier Pills, he had a success rate as high as thirty percent, whereas Fire Elder's success rate was not even ten percent.

Back when Xiao Yun was still a Fourth-Tier Alchemist, Fire Elder had already run out of things to teach him. At that level and above, most Alchemists had already mastered the majority of refining techniques. What mattered was whose flame was better and whose Soul Power was stronger.

As for how to refine pills, one could only comprehend it oneself. It could not be taught at all. Therefore, all Fire Elder could do was pass every pill formula he knew to Xiao Yun, and Xiao Yun did not disappoint his expectations, quickly mastering every formula he had been given.

Knock, knock, knock.

A series of knocks interrupted Xiao Yun's thoughts, followed by a deep voice. "Cousin Xiao Yun, a letter from the clan has arrived for you."

"Alright, I'll be right down. Come in." As he replied, Xiao Yun stood up. With a light tap of his feet, he drifted down to the ground, pushed open the door, and walked outside.

Standing in the second-floor corridor, Xiao Yun watched a tall figure enter the hall. The visitor was Xiao Long. Over the past few years, Xiao Long and the other two had greatly improved their cultivation with Xiao Yun's help. The brothers Xiao Long and Xiao Hu had both reached Seven-Star Dou Shi. During this year's Inner Academy Selection Tournament, they had squeezed into the Inner Academy in second-to-last and last place. After entering the Inner Academy, Xiao Yun had directly allowed them to join the Xiao Sect, providing them with protection and a certain amount of cultivation resources. Xiao Ding, being too young, would likely need several more years before he could meet the minimum requirement for entering the Inner Academy.

"Who sent it? Did something happen in the clan?" Xiao Yun walked down the stairs and looked up at Xiao Long.

After respectfully handing the envelope to Xiao Yun, Xiao Long scratched his head and grinned foolishly. "The clan leader sent it. I came to find you as soon as I received the letter, Cousin, so I do not know what it is about either."

"Alright. Here, a little something to speed up your cultivation. Take it and use it." Xiao Yun casually tossed a jade bottle to Xiao Long, then sat on the sofa in the hall and opened the envelope to read.

Delight appeared on Xiao Long's face as he hurriedly caught the jade bottle. To him, even some little trinket casually given by the immensely powerful Xiao Yun was a rare treasure. Seeing Xiao Yun begin reading, Xiao Long did not disturb him further and quietly slipped out of the hall.