Deathly silence filled the Council Hall.
The three elders looked utterly lost, but Xiao Zhan burst into laughter, slapped his thigh, and stood up!
"Hahahaha! Good! Wonderful! I knew my son was a dragon among men!
I knew my son wouldn't lie!"
Xiao Yan smiled at his father, who looked as proud as a rooster.
This might be a farce, but if it made his father happy, then let the farce continue!
Turning back to Gu Ni, Xiao Yan composed his expression, put on a look of nervous humility, and began trading polite refusals with him.
He had to maintain his low-key persona, after all!
After some back-and-forth, faced with Gu Ni's adamant insistence, Xiao Yan reluctantly accepted the position of senior apprentice brother.
Once they had both settled into their seats, Xiao Yan looked at Gu Ni with a trace of admiration in his eyes.
This old fellow really did have a few tricks up his sleeve!
To learn a pill formula, he had thrown every last scrap of dignity to the winds!
Still, it really had worked!
He had certainly put me in a good mood. I'll acknowledge this favor!
Next time we meet, I'll give him some proper instruction in refining the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid!
Time flew like a shuttle, and half a year passed in the blink of an eye.
The fragrance of medicine filled Gu Ni's pill-refining room at the Mittel Auction House.
Gu Ni carefully removed three portions of crystal-clear Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid from the furnace, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.
After half a year of painstaking practice under Master "Li Feiyu's" attentive guidance, he could finally refine this exceptional medicine consistently!
Standing beside him, Ya Fei smiled. "Congratulations, Master Gu Ni. You've successfully mastered the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid Formula."
Gu Ni smiled as well. "At last, I have something worth keeping as my ultimate trump card.
The next time I meet others in my profession, I'll be able to straighten my back and speak with confidence.
I have no regrets left in this life!"
But a moment later, Gu Ni sighed again.
"My talent is only average. I fall short even compared to Senior Apprentice Brother Xiao Yan. Compared to Master Li, I'm nothing but a firefly trying to rival the sun and moon!"
At that, Gu Ni suddenly felt rather dispirited.
Becoming Master Li's apprentice had brought him benefits, but it had also dealt a tremendous blow to his confidence!
Master Li was nothing short of a monster!
Over the past half year, he had personally watched Master Li start with ordinary third-tier pills and work his way up to advanced third-tier pills.
By their last meeting, Master Li had already begun refining Tier Four Pills!
Those were Tier Four Pills!
Across the entire Jia Ma Empire, every alchemist capable of refining Tier Four Pills was a major figure whose fame shook an entire region!
Yet Master Li had reached that level in a mere half year!
Was he even human?
No! Was this even the alchemist profession I knew?
In the most difficult profession on the Dou Qi Continent, where advancing was as hard as ascending to heaven, Master Li progressed as easily as a Dou Zhe becoming a Dou Shi!
At that thought, an idea suddenly stirred in Gu Ni's mind.
He turned to look at Ya Fei.
"Miss Ya Fei," Gu Ni lowered his voice, "you've seen Master Li's talent yourself.
In my opinion, within ten years-no, perhaps five!-he'll surely become a grandmaster alchemist who is no less accomplished than Pill King Gu He!"
Ya Fei's beautiful eyes shifted, her expression unreadable.
"Master Gu Ni, please speak your mind."
Gu Ni rubbed his hands together. "Miss Ya Fei, you lost your standing in your clan's power struggle and were sent here to Wutan City. They called it training, but in truth, it was exile.
Without an extraordinary turn of fortune, returning to the imperial capital and reclaiming everything that belongs to you will be as hard as ascending to heaven!
However..."
Gu Ni left the rest unsaid, but his meaning was obvious.
Ya Fei smiled. Keenly intelligent, she naturally understood what he meant.
Wasn't Li Feiyu precisely that extraordinary turn of fortune?
Hadn't I lost that struggle because I had cunning, but no strength?
If I could win Li Feiyu's backing, combining my methods with his strength, returning to the imperial capital-or even taking control of the clan-would no longer be impossible!
As for how to win him over?
When a woman wanted a man to back her, marrying him was naturally the first choice.
After a moment of silence, Ya Fei gently shook her head.
"Master Gu Ni, you underestimate me.
I admit that I desperately want to return to the imperial capital. I also admit that Master Li is a man of peerless brilliance and unmatched talent, the kind of outstanding man you could hardly find anywhere else in the Jia Ma Empire."
But I, Ya Fei, am not someone who would sell her feelings for personal gain!
If I marry, love must come first, and benefits second.
She paused, then gave a smile whose meaning was difficult to discern.
"But look at our Master Li. His heart is devoted entirely to cultivation and alchemy. When has he ever spared a glance for a woman like me? Without mutual affection, how can there be talk of marriage? Where would that turn of fortune come from?"
Gu Ni stared intently into Ya Fei's eyes.
"Miss Ya Fei, a turn of fortune is something you must strive for yourself. I'll ask you just one thing: do you like Master Li?"
After another long silence, Ya Fei finally spoke.
"Heh, no."
Another half year passed.
A full year had now gone by since Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran made their three-year agreement.
The Xiao Clan's Back Mountain.
Xiao Yan sat cross-legged, the Dou Qi surging around him more than ten times as powerful as it had been a year before!
At a certain moment, his eyes snapped open, and a brilliant gleam flashed through them!
A faint crack rang through the air inside the cave, and an overwhelming aura soared skyward!
Fortunately, Yao Lao had set up a formation here in advance to contain his aura.
Otherwise, the entire Xiao Clan would likely have been shaken!
Standing nearby, Yao Lao stroked his beard with a satisfied smile.
"Excellent, excellent. You've reached six-star Da Dou Shi!
Even with an ample supply of pills, I hadn't expected you to break through to six-star Da Dou Shi so quickly.
It seems I still underestimated your potential!
Absorbing your Dou Qi over those earlier years really did hold back your cultivation considerably!
That's why it took you three years to advance from Six-Star Dou Zhe to merely Six-Star Dou Shi.
Advancing from Six-Star Dou Shi to six-star Da Dou Shi in this past year-that's the speed your true talent allows!"
Xiao Yan slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. Feeling the power surging within him, he gave a satisfied smile.
"Teacher, it's all thanks to your guidance and the unlimited supply of pills you've given me that I've been able to cultivate this quickly."
Yao Lao smiled, unwilling to debate credit with his apprentice.
"Now your cultivation has reached six-star Da Dou Shi, and your alchemy has reached the fourth tier.
With Gu Ni looking after your clan, you have nothing to worry about there, either.
Your preparations are already more than sufficient.
Once you've attended your clan's coming-of-age ceremony and registered for Jia Nan Academy's admissions, come with me to the Magical Beast Mountain Range for training."
Xiao Yan nodded and said with a smile,
"Teacher, I'll keep working hard. Not just for myself, either. I haven't forgotten your resurrection for even a moment."
Yao Lao smiled warmly.
"Heh, your thoughtfulness means a great deal. But there's no rush. Take it slowly."
Inside a VIP room at the Mittel Auction House.
Xiao Yan had come to bid farewell to Gu Ni and Ya Fei.
"Mr. Gu Ni, Miss Ya Fei, Xiao Yan and I have both completed our cultivation here. We'll soon be leaving Wutan City to train in the outside world, so I've come to say goodbye."
Gu Ni gazed at the black-robed figure before him, countless emotions welling up in his heart.
This day had finally come!
"Master Li, take care on your journey!" Gu Ni bowed solemnly.
"As for the Xiao Clan, please rest assured. As long as I, Gu Ni, am here, no one will dare harm them in the slightest!"
Ya Fei watched Xiao Yan quietly, a complicated look in her eyes.
One year.
I've quietly watched this man for an entire year.
From any perspective, he was an outstanding man, more than capable of stirring a woman's heart!
Yet this man named "Li Feiyu" had almost never approached her of his own accord, apart from coming to instruct Gu Ni in alchemy.
She had her pride, too.
If he would not approach her, then no matter how much she admired him, all the thoughts in her heart would remain buried deep within it!
"Master Li." Ya Fei smiled charmingly and handed him a purple-gold card.
"This is our Mittel Auction House's highest-ranking purple-gold VIP card. With it, you can enjoy the finest treatment at any Mittel Auction House in the Jia Ma Empire.
As we part, I don't have much else to give you. Please accept this."
Xiao Yan accepted it readily, without any false modesty.
"Thank you, Miss Ya Fei."
Master Li left.
Watching Master Li's retreating figure, Ya Fei remained silent.
Only she knew that she had specially made that purple-gold VIP card overnight.
On the back of the card, a single faint character was written.
"Fei."
Farewell, Master Li. If fate does not bind us, this will be our final goodbye.
If fate does bind us, then when we meet again, that card will be our token!
After returning to the Xiao Clan, Xiao Yan changed back into his own clothes and arrived at the clan's square, brimming with fighting spirit.
The coming-of-age ceremony was about to begin!
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