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When Liu Huabai and the others saw Xiao Yan heading out of the hall, they exchanged glances and frowned, then followed him.
Xiao Yan strolled out of the hall and glanced back at the few people following him. He smiled faintly and waited until they reached him before speaking.
"Since you're helping me take care of Lian'er, I'll leave you something else as payment for looking after her."
As soon as he finished speaking, without waiting for Liu Xincheng and the others to respond, he moved, flying off toward the Liu Clan's library first. Seeing this, Liu Huabai and the others told Liu Xiang to stay behind and look after Lian'er, while the two of them hurried after Xiao Yan.
A little later, Xiao Yan and the other two arrived in front of the Liu Clan's library. Xiao Yan strolled ahead and came once more before the Gold-Inscribed Plaque.
The Gold-Inscribed Plaque had now become the Liu Clan's most important secret cultivation method, because it contained a trace of an ancient sage's soul imprint.
At least, that was what Liu Huabai had told the rest of the clan. He had no wish for word of their ancestor Liu Feng to spread far and wide; that would do the Liu Clan no good at all.
Thanks to Liu Huabai, the Liu Clan learned what the Gold-Inscribed Plaque was for: the clan's outstanding juniors could come here to gain insights and improve their strength.
When Liu Huabai told the clan, its members immediately erupted with excitement. Strength was the foundation of a clan, and a clan's rise and fall rested upon it. With strength, a clan could prosper; without it, the clan was certain to perish.
A clan's strength came from its younger generation. The main reason the Liu Clan had failed to prosper for so many years was that its juniors were too weak. Now that they had such an opportunity, the Liu Clan members were naturally overjoyed.
Thus, the clan's library became a place every Liu Clan junior longed to visit.
This was not because the Gold-Inscribed Plaque stood outside the library, but because every clan disciple entering the library for the first time, regardless of strength, could contemplate the Gold-Inscribed Plaque for half an hour.
As soon as the news spread, the entire clan erupted with excitement, and every junior's heart surged.
Each shut themselves in their room every day, cultivating ceaselessly and forgetting food and sleep, all so they could reach the required strength sooner and have a chance to enter the library.
As a result, the Liu Clan's overall strength rose by a great margin in a short time, making all of Qingyang City look at them in a new light.
At that moment, in front of Xiao Yan and the other two, many of the Liu Clan's younger disciples were coming and going from the library in a steady stream.
A long line had also formed in front of the Gold-Inscribed Plaque, waiting for the person at the plaque to leave.
Xiao Yan smiled. This was what a clan striving forward together should look like. Only a clan like this could rise up on this tumultuous continent.
Xiao Yan smiled, and Liu Huabai and Liu Xincheng laughed heartily beside him. How could the clan's leaders not be happy to see such a sight? Seeing the clan grow strong in their hands was surely what made them happiest. After all, wouldn't any clan head think the same?
Their laughter drew the gazes of quite a few Liu Clan disciples. Seeing the three of them, everyone hurried to bow respectfully. The three waved casually and remained standing in front of the library.
Seeing Xiao Yan standing before the Gold-Inscribed Plaque all this time, Liu Huabai and Liu Xincheng seemed lost in thought. A moment later, Liu Huabai took a few steps forward, came to Xiao Yan's side, and asked:
"Senior Xiao Yan, are you planning to use the Gold-Inscribed Plaque? If so, I'll have these little fellows move aside right now and let you finish using it first."
Before he had finished speaking, he was already walking forward. Xiao Yan hurriedly pulled him back and gave Liu Huabai a helpless smile.
"Come on, you're a clan head, no matter how you look at it. Why do you go about things like a child?"
"Can't you see that the person contemplating the plaque has reached a critical moment? If his luck isn't bad, he should break through on the spot. If you go over and wake him now, I'm afraid he won't just fail to break through-his strength will regress from the backlash. When that happens, I'd like to see how your clan explains itself to him."
Hearing this, Liu Huabai smiled awkwardly. If things really came to that, he couldn't very well tell the fellow that Senior Xiao Yan wanted to use the Gold-Inscribed Plaque.
If he did, he really would be finished. At the thought, another sheepish smile appeared on Liu Huabai's face. He said no more and waited quietly where he stood.
Time passed slowly beneath those many respectful gazes, and four hours slipped quietly by. Liu Huabai finally got his chance. The crowd in front of the Gold-Inscribed Plaque parted, respectfully making way for Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan smiled and walked forward slowly.
Xiao Yan sat cross-legged before the Gold-Inscribed Plaque, a smile on his lips as he looked at it. He raised his hand gently and placed it against the plaque, and a flash of golden light swept past.
Xiao Yan's Soul Power appeared in that world once more. Looking around, he saw the same wilderness as before, with mountains rising on all sides, birds and beasts flying freely, and forests covering the wilds.
Unlike before, however, the sights were far more illusory, making it impossible to tell whether they were real or a vision. Everything seemed elusive and indistinct, insubstantial and fleeting.
"Why have you come again? Don't tell me you're just here for a chat."
As Xiao Yan looked around, a middle-aged man's voice suddenly rang out. Xiao Yan was not surprised. He slowly withdrew his gaze and turned to look behind him, where a middle-aged man stood. It was none other than Liu Feng.
Xiao Yan smiled at the sight of him. After quite a while, he spoke.
"You should be able to guess why I came to see you, shouldn't you?"
Liu Feng frowned slightly at his words. After a moment's silence, he asked quietly:
"You're leaving?"
Xiao Yan smiled without saying a word. Liu Feng's brows drew tightly together. A moment later, he sighed and slowly spoke.
"You really are leaving? So soon?"
This time, Xiao Yan nodded. After a brief hesitation, he spoke.
"Originally, I wanted to stay a while longer too, but unfortunately, if I stay, I'm afraid I'll bring a disaster down on the Liu Clan. So I think it's better for me to leave first and take the opportunity to accomplish my goal for the near future."
Liu Feng's brows, which had just relaxed, furrowed again. He looked at Xiao Yan and said with a trace of anger:
"As the future guardian of my Liu Clan, you're still going around stirring up trouble. That really is the way of a junior. You're unworthy of all that strength."
Xiao Yan curled his lip and ignored him. Then his expression turned serious, and he continued:
"All right, enough joking with you. First, I'll help you stabilize this space and leave my spiritual imprint here, as payment for those juniors of yours taking care of the little girl for me, and as compensation to you."
Liu Feng raised an eyebrow. He was just about to say something more when he saw that Xiao Yan had already begun. His hand seals changed, and streaks of light shot out, merging into the sky and vanishing, as though everything just now had been an illusion.
Liu Feng's lips twitched slightly at the sight. This fellow really didn't stand on ceremony, treating the place like his own home. Liu Feng curled his lip helplessly, and with a flicker, his figure gradually vanished into the space.
Xiao Yan paid him no heed. His hand seals continued to change, and streak after streak of light flew out, shooting into the earth or the mountains. Ripples spread before the lights vanished.
A long time later, Xiao Yan lowered his hands and looked at the real world around him with a faint smile. Liu Feng manifested his figure once more. Xiao Yan smiled at him and raised his eyebrows, but Liu Feng curled his lip and ignored him.
Xiao Yan descended from the air and landed on the ground. He found a huge rock, and with a thought, Soul Power surged out like a tide. In mere moments, the entire rock glowed with a soft light.
Xiao Yan let out a long breath, glanced at Liu Feng, and smiled faintly. With a flicker, he vanished from that world.
Outside, Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes and stood up. Liu Huabai and Liu Xincheng hurried forward to greet him. Xiao Yan turned, smiled faintly at Liu Huabai, and said:
"I've just left a soul imprint of my own inside the Gold-Inscribed Plaque for the Liu Clan's juniors to contemplate. That should make the younger generation's cultivation progress much faster."
Everyone's faces lit up with delight. They all bowed to Xiao Yan to express their thanks, and he returned each with a smile. Afterward, Xiao Yan saw Lian'er again, along with the little beast that had come with her after hearing he had returned.
At the sight of the little beast, Xiao Yan's eyes lit up. He bent down and gathered it in his arms, lowered his head slightly, and murmured something no one could make out. The little beast nodded repeatedly, leaving everyone watching speechless.
After speaking to the little beast, Xiao Yan turned to Liu Huabai and the others and gave them a few instructions. Then he turned and walked out of the Liu residence, leaving the gathered Liu Clan members behind.