Everyone Step Back, I'm About to Show Off!

Inside the tent.

The atmosphere remained strange. No one dared underestimate the handsome young man sitting there so casually. Outside, Luo Bu was still squatting in the sun with his hands over his head, and even Ruo Lin's attempts to persuade Xiao Yan had done no good.

"What rating did your cousin get?" Xue Ni whispered to Xiao Yu in amazement. The girls nearby pricked up their ears, curious too.

"SSS?" Xiao Yu hesitated.

After all, she only knew that Xiao Yan had broken through to Dou Shi. She had no idea how many stars he had reached. Surely even a One-Star Dou Shi would be enough to send Ruo Lin into a frenzy.

"Eight-Star Dou Zhe?" Xue Ni's eyes widened.

Xiao Yu shook her head.

Xue Ni and the other girls breathed a sigh of relief.

Then Xiao Yu said uncertainly, "Higher..."

The girls stared at her in disbelief.

"All right, what happened earlier was an accident. Don't be nervous. Let's start with introductions." Ruo Lin looked around with a gentle smile, pointed to a young man, and said, "You first."

"Luo Feng. Eighth Stage Dou Qi. Twenty years old..."

A young man was the first to speak.

The atmosphere gradually grew livelier. Seeing the little tyrant sitting quietly among them, everyone found their courage.

"Xiao Ning. One-Star Dou Zhe! Twenty years old."

Xiao Ning grinned, pride glinting in his eyes. Just two days earlier, he had used the Qi-Raising Powder Xiao Yan had given him to break through.

"D-Rank. Very good." Surprise flashed through Ruo Lin's eyes. She glanced at Xiao Yu. From what Xiao Yu had told her, this cousin of hers should not have been so strong. Had Xiao Yu been holding back information even from her own instructor?

Xiao Yu felt thoroughly aggrieved. How could she have known that a Three-Rank Alchemist would appear during the six months she was away from home?

By her estimate, Xiao Ning should have reached Ninth Stage Dou Qi at most. But that monster had tossed him a Qi-Raising Powder as casually as if he were throwing money around. It was an outrageous display of wealth.

"Xiao Yi Xian. Eighth Stage Dou Qi. Sixteen years old."

Ruo Lin nodded. The girl was talented, but she was still far from the main attraction, so Ruo Lin moved on.

Xiao Yi Xian was happy to keep a low profile. Sitting behind Xiao Yan, she occasionally produced a silver needle and let it dart between her nimble fingers like a slender snake.

Xiao Yan felt a chill down his back.

"Xiao Xun'er. Nine-Star Dou Zhe. Sixteen years old."

When Xiao Xun'er rose and walked up to Ruo Lin, cries of surprise broke out around the tent. Another powerhouse!

Ruo Lin's hand froze over the registration book. She looked up at Xiao Xun'er in astonishment.

Then her smile grew wider.

"Well, no wonder Yu'er spoke so highly of you and Xiao Yan and insisted I wait here. Your talent really is monstrous."

"Next, Xiao Yan."

At Ruo Lin's words, everyone fell silent. Their eyes settled on the handsome young man resting with his eyes closed. He had crippled Luo Bu with a single punch. He had to be at least a Six- or Seven-Star Dou Zhe.

Another freak above S-Rank. Everyone was secretly stunned. How had Wutan City produced so many monsters?

Even Xiao Yi Xian and Xiao Ning watched with curiosity. Xiao Yan's cultivation had always been a mystery; he had never revealed it in front of them.

Xiao Yan opened his eyes, rose, and walked up to Ruo Lin. "Xiao Yan. Five-Star Dou Master. Sixteen years old."

"..."

The entire tent went still.

Even Ruo Lin's lips parted in shock as she stared at Xiao Yan, her eyes full of disbelief.

A Five-Star Dou Master! At sixteen!

Could even the monsters in the Inner Academy reach such heights?

The moment she submitted this report to the academy headquarters, those old fellows would probably rush thousands of miles to fetch him themselves.

Those few words meant far too much. Barring some mishap, he would become a Dou Zun at the very least.

In this desolate northwestern region, that would be enough to dominate an entire territory.

No wonder the boy was so proud!

Fervor rose in Ruo Lin's eyes. She absolutely could not let him slip away. If she did, never mind the academy's old monsters—she would never forgive herself.

Hum... Xiao Yan made no effort to hide his aura. Pale-green Dou Qi formed a Veil around him, the mark of a Dou Master.

His pressure left the lackeys who had followed Luo Bu pale-faced. They glanced outside at Luo Bu, still squatting beneath the sun with his hands over his head, apparently grumbling to himself.

They really had offended someone they should never have touched.

Xiao Ning and Xiao Mei'er, meanwhile, looked excited, as though his achievement were their own.

"Inc—no, excellent!" Ruo Lin took a deep breath and forced down her shock.

Joy flashed in her eyes as she said softly, "Your Dou Qi seems to be primarily fire-aligned, with a faint Wood Attribute. That meets the requirement to become an Alchemist. If you join Jia Nan Academy, we have quite a few elders skilled in alchemy. They can certainly help you become one!"

Her tone was enticing as she laid out the academy's advantages.

"What rank is the academy's strongest Alchemist?" Xiao Yan asked after a moment's thought.

"Probably... fifth rank," Ruo Lin replied with a gentle smile.

The new students in the tent looked stunned. To them, a One-Rank Alchemist was already an extraordinary figure. Fifth rank was almost beyond imagining.

Even across the Jia Ma Empire, there were probably no more than a handful at that level.

"Then I'm afraid there isn't much they can teach me." Xiao Yan shook his head regretfully. Under Ruo Lin's astonished gaze, he opened his palm and conjured a Dark-Green Flame from his Dou Qi.

"I forgot to mention that I'm also a Three-Rank Alchemist."

Ruo Lin went completely still, her mouth forming an O.

She turned to Xiao Yu in a daze. Her prized student nodded and said sheepishly, "Sorry, Instructor. I thought you wouldn't believe me, so I didn't mention it..."

"Xiao Yan really is a Three-Rank Alchemist. My younger brother only broke through to Dou Zhe because of the Qi-Raising Powder he refined."

"Would you like me to refine a pill here?" Xiao Yan asked with a smile.

"..." Ruo Lin swallowed and shook her head.

Conjuring flame from Dou Qi was something only a Fourth-Rank Alchemist should be capable of. Judging by the boy's mastery of the flame, there was no chance he was faking it.

She had not merely found a genius. She had unearthed a peerless monster.

"Instructor Ruo Lin, I've passed, haven't I?" Xiao Yan asked.

"Of course!" Ruo Lin nodded at once.

"Then here's my condition." Xiao Yan smiled.

"I need a year's leave. If that isn't possible, I'll turn around and walk away." A smile rested on his handsome face.

"I... well..." Ruo Lin hesitated. Every day this precious student remained outside Jia Nan Academy was another day something could go wrong. Yet the look in his eyes left no room for negotiation.

At last, she gritted her teeth. "Fine!"

"Then sorry for the trouble, Instructor Ruo Lin." Xiao Yan gave her a radiant smile and left with Xiao Yi Xian and the others.

Only after he was gone did everyone in the tent seem to come back to their senses. He had not deliberately exerted his pressure, but his presence had made it hard for them to breathe. At last, it was gone.

So this was the gulf between them and a top-tier monster.

"What a find! What a treasure!" Stars shone in Ruo Lin's eyes. She clenched her pale fist, pulled Xiao Yu against her, and grinned. "Yu'er, I knew I could count on you. All the care I've given you was worth it."

The girls began chattering again, and every conversation was about Xiao Yan.

"By the way, Instructor, there's one more thing." Xiao Yu felt a little awkward pressed against Ruo Lin's ample figure. She had nothing to be ashamed of herself, but being held this close was embarrassing.

"Say it! If I can do it, it's yours!" Ruo Lin declared with a wave of her hand.

"Xiao Yan reached Five-Star Dou Master in less than a year."

Ruo Lin blinked. "What do you mean?"

Xiao Yu hesitantly explained how Xiao Yan had lost his cultivation and been considered a cripple, only to make a comeback in a mere six months. Ruo Lin went rigid once more.

"No, I have to drag him back!" Ruo Lin snatched up her whip and rushed out of the tent. But the group was already gone. Faced with the sea of people outside, she had no idea where to look. She returned in frustration and gave Xiao Yu's ear a light tug.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I forgot..." Xiao Yu said awkwardly. Xiao Yan's display of strength had stunned her too, and the matter had slipped her mind.

Ruo Lin slapped her forehead, her face full of regret. She should have been firmer and hauled that little monster back to the academy. Anything would have been better than worrying about him now.

She had a feeling she would scarcely get a good night's sleep over the coming year.

Meanwhile, on a nearby hill, Xiao Yan stood with his arms folded. From there, he saw Ruo Lin charge out of the tent with a whip, search the Plaza below, then return empty-handed. He chuckled.

For now, it was best not to clash with a Da Dou Shi. Otherwise, he would have to reveal some of his trump cards to escape.

Jia Nan Academy could help him, but not by much.

This continent had no need for hothouse flowers.

Besides, he had yet to claim Elder Hai's Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame Fragment Map. And he had not even seen Queen Medusa once—not even from afar...

"Let's go!" Xiao Yan waved a hand.

A smile lit Xiao Yi Xian's face. With her hands clasped behind her back, she followed him in light, deerlike skips, her pale-purple dress swaying.

As for where they were going...

Who cared? Wherever he went, she would go too.

"Wait. You didn't request leave, did you?"

Xiao Yan stopped and looked back at Xiao Yi Xian.

"It doesn't matter. Worst case, I just won't enroll." The girl smiled, her skirt swaying. Perhaps in a few years, Jia Nan Academy would see her as a poison woman and want her dead. The Woeful Poison Body was, after all, one of the most reviled things on the continent.

She had come here for one reason alone: to stay with him.

Whew~

The girl brought a bamboo whistle to her lips and blew gently.

Screech!

A moment later, a giant blue bird circled overhead and landed beside them.

"Such a good Blue Treasure~" Xiao Yi Xian stroked the bird's head with a smile, then gave Xiao Yan a smug look.

See? You do need me.

"Heh, such a good girl..." Xiao Yan smiled and ruffled her pale-purple hair.

His Rainbow Escape was several times faster than the Blue Bird, but it consumed a great deal of stamina. Earlier, he could have made the journey here from the Magical Beast Mountain Range in an hour or two at full speed. Black Rock City, however, was at least two days from Wutan City even at his top speed, and that did not include stops to recover.

For a long journey, the Blue Bird was more reliable.

"Tch." Xiao Yi Xian glared at Xiao Yan and turned her face away with a pout of distaste. Yet she never moved her head out from under his hand, and her fair earlobes reddened slightly.

Xiao Yan glanced sideways at her. Who knew she had such a stubborn streak?

Half a month later.

A vast azure shape swept across the sky.

Xiao Yan sat cross-legged on the giant bird, holding his breath and focusing his mind. The Dou Qi that had flowed steadily around him began to surge. Ink-green Dou Qi gathered around his body like a barrier.

It was a poisonous flame that would terrify anyone else, yet Xiao Yi Xian licked her lips. Sitting cross-legged beside him, she greedily savored the Netherworld Poison Flame leaking from his body.

An unhealthy flush even crept across her pretty face. Yes, that was the scent...

If Xiao Yan had not been cultivating, she might have thrown herself at him and breathed in as much as she could.

Hum...

Xiao Yan's brow furrowed. The surrounding energy rushed toward him, where he stripped away its impurities and converted it into his own Dou Qi—droplets of liquid within his dantian.

He had already accumulated more than a hundred droplets of liquid Dou Qi. This was the difference between a Dou Shi and a Dou Zhe: Dou Qi turned to liquid, allowing far more energy to be stored and giving it greater force.

But now...

A tremor ran through him, as though a shackle had shattered. Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes. He had broken through to Six-Star Dou Shi!

He raised an arm and studied his translucent skin, which now had a faint jade-like quality. So this is what the Vajra Art does. It was smooth as jade, yet impervious to blades and fire.

He was also beginning to see the benefits of a unified system of cultivation.

As he cultivated the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts as his main technique, every related technique grew stronger alongside it. For now, the Vajra Art was the foundation of his physical strength. Once he cultivated the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts to completion, he would truly become a flesh-and-blood sage, unmatched beneath the heavens.

"Have we reached Black Rock City?"

Xiao Yan looked down. At the edge of his vision, the hazy outline of a city had appeared.

Spending half a month on the journey was already a luxury.

As for the examination slot recommended by the Mittel Auction House...

He had no intention of continuing to hide his identity as an Alchemist. Within the Jia Ma Empire, rather than somewhere like the Black-Corner Region, most people's first thought upon learning he was an Alchemist would be how to win him over, not assassinate him.

Revealing himself would not be parading through the streets. It would make him safer.

Countless people had learned just how terrible the cost of offending an Alchemist could be.

Besides, Alchemists were remarkably united. Offend one of them, and your family could forget about receiving any help from the Alchemist Association.

So his identity as a Three-Rank Alchemist would prove quite useful.

"Let's go. Time for the examination!"

Xiao Yan swept his sleeve and leaped calmly from the Blue Bird.

Xiao Yi Xian followed. She blew her bamboo whistle again, and the Blue Bird circled once in the sky before vanishing from sight.