Xiao Yi Xian finally agreed to join the Xiao Clan.
Xiao Yan was thrilled that Xiao Yi Xian had relented. Not only did he want to change her name to Xiao Yi Xian, he even insisted on swearing an oath of brotherhood with her, saying they should become sworn siblings.
But Xiao Yi Xian refused, her face flushed red.
Xiao Yan pressed her, asking whether she had any concerns.
Xiao Yi Xian stubbornly refused to explain. All she would say was that anything else was fine, but they absolutely could not become sworn siblings.
Xiao Yan was not entirely satisfied. He still felt that their relationship was not close enough.
Still, what they had now would suffice.
With a little more time to nurture their bond, Xiao Yi Xian would surely become a worthy protective umbrella for him.
Having completed his task of befriending her, Xiao Yan immediately made a trip to Qingshan Town and bought up every last bit of poison in town.
Xiao Yi Xian stared, dumbfounded, at the mountain of poisonous herbs and poisons piled before her.
There was enough to poison everyone in Qingshan Town, and more than enough to last her half a year of secluded cultivation in the valley without ever stepping outside!
If she had gone out to gather this much herself, one herb at a time, she probably could not have collected it all in ten years.
That was precisely the effect Xiao Yan wanted.
He had come to the Magical Beast Mountain Range to temper himself. He could not stay in this valley forever, keeping Xiao Yi Xian company during her seclusion.
He told Xiao Yi Xian that he planned to head out and begin his training first. She felt a little disappointed, but said nothing and gently let him go.
Before he left, however, she reminded him to come back and visit her often whenever he grew tired of training.
Xiao Yan smiled as he said goodbye. "Don't worry. I won't go too far. I'll come back to see you every three months.
"Focus on your cultivation. Hopefully, by the time I return, you'll have reached the Dou Shi level."
Xiao Yan left, heading deeper into the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
The days that followed became monotonous and bloody.
No longer hiding his strength as a Seven-Star Great Dou Master, Xiao Yan began searching the Magical Beast Mountain Range for suitably powerful magical beasts to hone himself against.
With Yao Lao backing him up, Xiao Yan did not have to worry about his safety after each battle.
Every time, he chose an opponent that pushed the upper limits of his strength.
Several battles even left him seriously injured.
But the results were equally remarkable.
Xiao Yan soon fully adapted to the Dou Qi Continent's style of Dou Qi combat, completely abandoning the spell-based fighting habits he had developed in the cultivation world.
Yao Lao had also asked Xiao Yan for his opinion on weapons.
Yao Lao owned a Heavy Xuan Ruler and had always felt that it would suit Xiao Yan perfectly.
But Xiao Yan refused the weapon, using only an ordinary longsword.
To Xiao Yan, as someone who followed the path of keeping a low profile and surviving, using an overly distinctive weapon was no different from laying his identity faceup on the table.
He would rather use an utterly unremarkable longsword.
One day, just after Xiao Yan killed another third-rank magical beast, the ground suddenly began to shake violently!
Two starkly different colors appeared in the distant sky.
One side was an eerie purple, the other a dazzling azure!
Xiao Yan looked up gravely, sensing two world-shattering auras clashing wildly across the heavens!
"What level of experts are fighting?"
Xiao Yan was shaken to his core.
Within his sea of consciousness, Yao Lao's voice also grew solemn.
"Boy, be careful. One of them is the ruler of this Magical Beast Mountain Range, the sixth-rank magical beast known as the Amethyst Winged Lion King.
"The other... is a human woman whose strength has also reached the Dou Emperor level."
Xiao Yan sucked in a sharp breath.
A Dou Emperor!
He had never seen one in his entire life!
The gulf in strength was so vast that Xiao Yan did not dare approach the battlefield.
He feared that a stray shock wave from their battle might kill him.
He climbed to a mountain peak and watched from afar.
From that vantage point, he could make out the battlefield clearly.
A gigantic purple lion, as large as a small hill and wreathed in purple flames, was attacking a woman in luxurious brocade robes who carried herself with cool elegance.
The woman wielded an azure longsword, locked in a fierce, evenly matched struggle with the Amethyst Winged Lion King.
The sight sent Xiao Yan's heart surging.
"So powerful! Is this the destructive might of this world's Dou Emperors?"
The battle lasted a full two hours. At last, the mysterious woman seemed unable to keep up and was struck by a powerful attack from the Amethyst Winged Lion King.
She let out a muffled groan, then used some unknown secret art and vanished in an instant.
The Amethyst Winged Lion King gave a triumphant roar, but he seemed to have exhausted himself as well and did not continue searching for her or give chase.
Satisfied with the spectacle, Xiao Yan prepared to return to his dwelling, a secluded cave.
But as soon as he reached the cave entrance, he was stunned to discover the mysterious woman from earlier lying unconscious outside!
Startled, Xiao Yan instinctively turned to flee.
But Yao Lao's next words stopped him in his tracks.
"That woman is gravely injured. She's close to death."
Surprised, Xiao Yan turned back and looked at the woman on the ground.
Yao Lao continued, "Her Dou Qi is balanced and peaceful. She doesn't seem like a bad person. You might as well save her life."
Xiao Yan hesitated for a moment before asking, "Teacher, are you sure there's no danger?"
Yao Lao did not know whether to laugh or cry. "Even if she stood before you completely unharmed, I could still keep you safe.
"Just look at her now, her breath hanging by a thread. What danger could she pose?"
Xiao Yan breathed a sigh of relief and finally worked up the courage to approach.
The woman lay motionless on the ground, her face as pale as paper and her breathing extremely faint. She had clearly fallen into a deep coma.
But when Xiao Yan saw the wound on her chest, he hesitated.
That wound is in a rather sensitive spot!
To save her, he would have to undo her inner armor.
After a moment's hesitation, Xiao Yan took some wound medicine from his ring, then calmly and carefully undid her inner armor and applied it.
Once he had treated the wound, Xiao Yan took a black robe from his ring and wrapped it around her tattered brocade robes.
Then he hoisted her up and carried her into the cave where he had been staying for the past few days.
Finally, Xiao Yan took out a healing pill and slipped it into her mouth.
With all that done, Xiao Yan stood and dusted off his hands.
Then his gaze settled on the Storage Ring on the woman's hand.
"If I'd followed my own instincts, I certainly wouldn't have dared to save you. But since Teacher spoke up, saving your life was no trouble.
"Still, I can't save you for free. I'll take your Storage Ring as payment."
Having finished muttering to himself, Xiao Yan slid the Storage Ring off her hand without so much as a change in expression.
Watching from within the ring, Yao Lao did not know whether to laugh or cry!
"You brat! You'd pluck a feather from every goose that flew past! Aren't you afraid she'll come looking for trouble once she wakes up?"
Xiao Yan smiled confidently. "She never even saw my face. How would she find me?"
Seeing that the woman's breathing had steadied, Xiao Yan hesitated no longer. He rose and left the cave.
Naturally, he could no longer stay in this cave. He would have to find another dwelling far away.
Before you continue