"What was this old man... trying to do?" Xiao Hua was rather puzzled, but he could not let go at this moment. He could only increase his strength along with Elder Ji Lan. After a moment, Elder Ji Lan's face had reddened somewhat, and Xiao Hua said with a smile, "Elder, did you come to offer thanks, or to compete in strength?"
Hearing this, a strange glint flashed through Elder Ji Lan's eyes. The force in his arm gradually weakened, and the redness on his face slowly faded as well. Then he smiled. "Naturally, this old man came to thank you, Young Master! However, I heard that you rescued Mo Han from beneath a huge boulder, and I wished to test your strength. That was why I was somewhat presumptuous!"
"Oh, so that was it!" Xiao Hua suddenly understood. The boulder that had pinned Mo Han down that day had been enormous, incomparably heavy. Even with Xiao Hua's strength, he had needed to exert great effort to rescue Mo Han. Elder Ji Lan must have heard of it and been stirred to compete.
"Young Master Xiao!" Zi Ming said with a smile from the side. "Elder Ji Lan possesses the greatest natural strength in all Houtu Village. Even many young people nowadays cannot compare with him!"
"Ashamed, ashamed. Before Young Master Xiao, this bit of strength is nothing!" Elder Ji Lan waved his hand, reached into his robes, and actually took out a small storage pouch, offering it to Xiao Hua. "This old man is a Soul Master and has spent his life traveling within Meng Mountain. Though I have encountered some Dao Sect cultivators, their cultivation was all shallow. What I obtained from them... was nothing good, and I mostly threw it away casually! As for the things we