Time Flies

Time flies.

After a long, late-night talk with his senior brother, the shackle in Xiao Yan's heart had finally been undone.

The confusion and bewilderment brought by that dream filled with blood and fire had all vanished.

He no longer dwelled on the path that should have been, and instead became even more resolute in the direction before him.

That night, he slept exceptionally soundly, without a single dream.

Early the next morning, before the sky had even brightened, a thin figure had already begun a new day of training on the martial arts field.

Xiao Yan stood bare-chested, sweat beading across his bronze skin. The pitch-black Profound Heavy Ruler on his back pressed down on him like a small mountain.

"Hah!"

He let out a low roar, his legs suddenly exerting force as he bore the thousand-pound weight and practiced his Dou Techniques over and over again.

After this period of bitter cultivation and the nourishment of massive amounts of Beast Flame, his Flame Mantra had long since transformed beyond recognition, and his cultivation had steadily entered the Three-Star Dou Practitioner realm.

But Medicine Elder and his senior brother had both warned him that the foundation of strength was far more important than an increase in realm.

Thus, ever since he had entered the Dou Practitioner realm, Medicine Elder had made him carry this Profound Heavy Ruler.

This enormous ruler was not only heavy; it also suppressed the circulation of Dou Qi within his body. Cultivating while carrying it every day was like tempering his muscles and bones in mountains of blades and seas of fire. Every tiny increase in Dou Qi came with extreme pain, but it also made his strength more condensed and solid.

At this moment, he was training harder than ever before.

Because he understood that the path his senior brother had paved for him was not something to be taken for granted.

The only thing he could offer in return was sweat and an unyielding spirit.

On a pavilion in the distance, Xiao Xun'er, dressed in purple, stood by the railing and watched.

As she looked at the young man drenched in sweat beneath the morning light, a gentle smile appeared on her face.

Farther away, atop the City Lord's Manor, Han Feng took in the entire scene.

He smiled and did not disturb them, instead turning and heading toward another courtyard.

In the courtyard, Qing Lin sat cross-legged on a bluestone, awkwardly practicing her breathing exercises.

She worked very hard, even harder than Xiao Yan, because she knew that everything she had now had not come easily.

"Dou Qi, third stage."

Han Feng appeared silently behind her, his voice gentle.

Qing Lin jumped in fright and hurriedly leaped down from the bluestone. She stood there at a loss, like a child who had done something wrong.

"Lord... Lord Han Feng."

"Call me Senior Brother, or Brother. Either is fine." Han Feng smiled as he stepped forward, habitually reaching out to rub her hair, which had regained its softness.

"Have you gotten used to this place? Is there anything you're not comfortable with?"

Qing Lin's body stiffened slightly, but upon feeling the warmth atop her head, she quickly relaxed.

She raised her head, her jade-green eyes filled with gratitude.

"No! This place is wonderful!" She shook her head vigorously, her voice carrying a trace of delight. "No one bullies me, I get enough to eat every day, and the house I live in is warm... It's ten thousand times better than before!"

"That's good." The smile on Han Feng's face deepened. "If you need anything or want to eat something, just tell the kitchen steward. No one here will ever make you suffer again."

"Mm!" Qing Lin nodded heavily, her eyes reddening slightly.

After comforting the somewhat sensitive little girl, Han Feng turned and headed for the Soul-Gathering Hall where Medicine Elder was staying.

Inside the hall, Yao Chen leisurely sipped fragrant tea while reading an ancient book he had somehow found. Nourished by the Soul-Gathering Formation, his solidified soul body was already no different from that of an ordinary person.

"Teacher, you're quite relaxed." Han Feng entered with a smile and poured himself a cup of tea.

"With you around, I can comfortably be a hands-off shopkeeper. Of course I'm relaxed." Yao Chen put down his book and shot him a sidelong glance. "That brat Xiao Yan is training as if he's been injected with stimulants. I don't need to worry about him at all. Yaoxin is stabilizing her realm, and Qing Lin is on the right track too. Tell me, what else is there for this old man to handle?"

"Doesn't that just make you look like you've planned everything from afar and secured victory from a thousand miles away?" Han Feng chuckled.

"Stop with the nonsense." Yao Chen laughed and scolded him, then sighed with satisfaction. "Still, you're right. Everything has finally gotten on track."

"Yes." Han Feng took a sip of tea and looked out the window. "So you should rest properly, Teacher. Leave the rest to your disciple."

Yao Chen looked at him, his eyes filled with pride.

Leisurely yet fulfilling days always slipped away before one noticed.

A year passed quietly.

Over that year, Sacred City underwent earth-shaking changes.

Tempered by massive amounts of Beast Flame and polished by the Profound Heavy Ruler, Xiao Yan's cultivation advanced with unstoppable momentum.

He broke through the shackles of the Dou Practitioner realm and entered the Dou Master realm.

Under Medicine Elder's guidance and the nourishment of spiritual medicines, Qing Lin's Three-Flower Jade Serpent Eyes had also begun to awaken. Her cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, and she successfully condensed a Dou Qi Vortex, entering the Dou Practitioner realm.

Xun'er had not fallen behind either. The Ancient Clan bloodline within her body and the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame began to reveal their potential in the Dou Qi-rich environment, and her cultivation also improved considerably.

The one who changed the most was undoubtedly Yaoxin.

After successfully condensing her Poison Pill and completely taking control of her Calamity Poison Body, her path of cultivation no longer had any bottlenecks.

The Profound Nether Poison Scripture, combined with the relic left behind by the Nine-Turn Poison Venerable, allowed her to stabilize her cultivation within a year and leap from a Nine-Star Dou Spirit to a Dou Wang.

As for Han Feng himself, after dealing with these trivial matters and focusing on cultivation, his own realm naturally advanced into the late Three-Star Dou Saint stage.

On this day, inside a pavilion in the back mountains of Sacred City.

Han Feng sat across from Medicine Elder, leisurely drinking tea while playing chess on the stone table.

Clack.

Yao Chen placed a white stone, cutting off one of Han Feng's great dragons. Stroking his beard, he laughed. "You brat, your chess skills haven't improved at all."

"My mind isn't on the chessboard, so naturally I can't play well." Han Feng smiled, casually tossed a black stone into the chess box, and conceded defeat.

He lifted his teacup and looked toward the distant mountain range. "Teacher, Qing Lin has already entered the Dou Practitioner realm, and her Three-Flower Jade Serpent Eyes have begun to awaken. I think it's time to take her to Heavenly Serpent Palace."

"Mm." Medicine Elder responded, his expression turning solemn. "This matter should not be delayed any longer. If she wants to obtain the complete inheritance of the Three-Flower Jade Serpent Eyes, she can only go to Heavenly Serpent Palace. This is crucial to her future growth."

"Then I'll set out within the next two days," Han Feng said.

Just as master and disciple were discussing their trip to Heavenly Serpent Palace.

Far away on the Northwest Continent, in the Heavenly Serpent Empire, within the Heavenly Serpent Mountains.

Inside a palace, an elegant, noblewoman in green was handling the affairs of the manor.

Suddenly, she sneezed.

"Achoo!"

She rubbed her nose, her brows knitting slightly as a trace of confusion flashed through her eyes.

"Strange... At my level, how could I sneeze for no reason?"

"Could it be... some blind fool is talking about this Palace Mistress behind her back again?"