Inside the Heavenly Phoenix Palace in Heaven Beyond.
Huang Jiuji, in his soul form, looked at Xiao Tian Ce bowing to him, then nodded with a smile. "This is your territory. You don't need to bow to this old man every time you come!"
"Senior, courtesy must not be neglected. Besides, no one takes offense at an abundance of courtesy," Xiao Tian Ce said with a smile.
Hearing this pleased Huang Jiuji. After all, Xiao Tian Ce's respect for him also meant that his earlier choice had been right.
He shook his head with a smile. "This old man isn't a stickler for formalities. Your sincerity is enough.
"You spent five whole months in seclusion this time, so you must have gained quite a bit. Still, your Dou Qi doesn't seem to have grown much. I imagine your gains lie elsewhere."
At this point, Huang Jiuji suddenly gave a surprised murmur, then clicked his tongue in wonder. "Tsk, tsk. Who would have thought your soul power would reach the middle Heavenly Realm in just five short months?
"Hmm, if this old man isn't mistaken, you must have cultivated that scroll of the Heaven Soul Art, right?"
"You guessed correctly, Senior. I did cultivate that scroll of the Heaven Soul Art. To be honest, the Heavenly Huang Clan's reserves truly aren't something an ordinary clan can compare to.
"That scroll of the Heaven Soul Art alone rivals a high-grade Heaven Tier cultivation method.
"It's hard to imagine just how formidable the Heavenly Huang Clan was at its peak!" Xiao Tian Ce nodded, filled with emotion.
Hearing this, Huang Jiuji shook his head, a look of loss appearing on his face. With deep nostalgia, he said, "No matter how glorious the past was, it's already gone. Now, all that remains of the entire Heavenly Huang Clan is this old man, neither quite human nor ghost, and two juniors who have yet to be born."
"Senior, I once heard a saying: as long as the green mountains remain, there's no need to fear a shortage of firewood.
"Although the Heavenly Huang Clan now has only you and two unborn clansmen left, as long as its roots remain, wildfire cannot burn it all away; the spring breeze will bring it to life again. The day will come when the Heavenly Huang Clan regains its glory," Xiao Tian Ce said earnestly and solemnly.
"As long as the green mountains remain, there's no need to fear a shortage of firewood.
"Wildfire cannot burn it all away; the spring breeze will bring it to life again.
"Boy, this old man will entrust the Heavenly Huang Clan's future to you. I hope you won't disappoint me!"
Huang Jiuji kept murmuring those two verses. At last, the desolation in his eyes gradually faded, and he looked at Xiao Tian Ce as he spoke earnestly.
"Rest assured, Senior. As long as the Xiao Clan exists, it will be the Heavenly Huang Clan's staunchest support. If the Heavenly Huang Clan ever needs help in the future, the Xiao Clan Members of my branch will give it their full support," Xiao Tian Ce said, cupping his hands.
He was not someone who forgot kindness and betrayed his benefactors. He had received so many resources from the Heavenly Huang Clan, along with the cultivation Huang Jiuji had poured into Xiao Qing. To the Xiao Clan as it stood now, this was undoubtedly charcoal delivered in the snow.
As the saying went, adding flowers to brocade was easy; delivering charcoal in the snow was hard.
Although Huang Jiuji had only chosen to give everything he had and support him with the resources of the entire Heavenly Huang Clan because he had no other option, people should be judged by their deeds, not their motives. Facts were facts, and could not be erased.
"Good, good, good. In that case, you can arrange an elder's position for this old man. I'm only a soul now, and although I can no longer cultivate Dou Qi, the knowledge in my head is still a rare treasure. Spending every day idling away in the Heavenly Phoenix Palace is a waste," Huang Jiuji said with a chuckle.
He had come to see that Xiao Tian Ce was the Heavenly Huang Clan's last hope. If one day Xiao Tian Ce could stand at the summit of the Dou Qi Continent, then even as a subordinate clan, the Heavenly Huang Clan would eventually have a chance to return to its peak.
Across from him, Xiao Tian Ce was overjoyed. As people said, an elder in the family was a treasure in the home. With an ancient figure like Huang Jiuji, who had lived for so many years, the Xiao Clan's future rise would surely be faster.
"Since you're willing to lend our Xiao Clan a hand, Senior, the position of elder would be far too low.
"From today onward, you will be our Grand Supreme Elder, with a status equal to mine. You will have the authority to command any member of the Xiao Clan below the Dou Sheng level," Xiao Tian Ce said with a smile after some thought.
"Hahaha, good! Then this old man will humbly accept the position of Grand Supreme Elder."
Huang Jiuji did not decline and agreed outright.
And so Huang Jiuji became the Xiao Clan's Grand Supreme Elder, contributing his strength to the clan's later rise.
Time flowed on, passing swiftly.
In the blink of an eye, nine of the ten years Xiao Xuan had allotted had already passed.
Meanwhile, in the Central Plains, a force named the Heavenly Net rose with unstoppable momentum, while an intelligence organization called the Heavenly Secret Tower also gained great renown among the major powers.
Unfortunately, the members of both forces were extremely mysterious. Aside from those who operated openly, no amount of investigation uncovered the slightest information about where the others hid, how many there were, or how strong they were.
The Xiao Realm.
Xiao Tian Ce had only just returned to the Heavenly Strategy Manor when Xiao Xuan appeared.
"You're quick, Brother Xuan. I only just got back, and you're already here."
The Heavenly Strategy Manor, Ninth Layer.
Xiao Tian Ce had just sat down and poured himself a cup of tea. Before he could take a sip, he saw Xiao Xuan step out of space.
"We haven't seen each other in years. You really are heartless, not even coming back for a look."
Seeing no excitement on Xiao Tian Ce's face, Xiao Xuan could not help giving him a punch before speaking with a chuckle.
"Please sit, Brother Xuan."
After Xiao Xuan sat down, Xiao Tian Ce poured him a cup of tea, then explained with a smile, "With someone as strong as you watching over the clan, Brother Xuan, naturally I have nothing to worry about.
"As for the passing of time, to cultivators like us, it goes by in the blink of an eye.
"Although I haven't returned to the clan these past few years, you know that Second Uncle Xiao Chun has remained here to look after my clansmen for me. So I've still been keeping track of what happens in the clan."
Hearing this, Xiao Xuan nodded. He and Xiao Tian Ce had grown up together, and he knew this brother of his had always been exceptionally rational. When something happened, he would truly step forward, but when nothing was going on, he was practically invisible.
Suddenly, Xiao Xuan sensed Xiao Tian Ce's aura and exclaimed in surprise, "Tian Ce, what happened to you? Why can't I sense your current strength?"
Xiao Tian Ce smiled faintly. Over the years, he had not only cultivated Dou Qi but also kept up his study of spiritual arrays. By now, he could be considered an eighth-tier Spiritual Array Master.
Measured against the Dou Qi Continent's ranks, his strength as a Spiritual Array Master alone had already reached that of an eight-star Dou Sheng.
Combined with his own strength as a late-stage seven-star Dou Saint, he could hold off even a peak eight-star Dou Saint without falling behind.
As for why Xiao Xuan could not discern his cultivation, the explanation was simple: he had placed a spiritual array on himself-the high-grade seventh-tier spiritual array, Shrouding Heaven and Blotting Out the Sun.
As long as he did not wish to be detected, he could conceal himself just like this. Even Xiao Xuan, a peak nine-star Dou Saint, could not determine his exact strength.
After all, Xiao Tian Ce was currently the only Spiritual Array Master on the Dou Qi Continent.
"Hahaha, there's no need to keep probing, Brother Xuan. I've used a few tricks, so even you can't discern my current strength," Xiao Tian Ce explained with a laugh.
"Tsk, tsk. Impressive. Every time I see you, you bring me quite a few surprises.
"Still, this does suit your temperament. Unless you're driven into a dead end, no one will ever know how many cards you still have up your sleeve."
At this point, Xiao Xuan began itching for a fight, so he continued, "Since I can't sense it, why don't we exchange a few moves?"
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