"The city lord isn't human!!???"
Xiao Yan felt as though something was wrong with the world.
First, Xiao Wu had turned out to be a transformed Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.
And now the city lord was one too!?
Were Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts as common as cabbages in this world!?
"Maybe it's because you naturally attract the opposite sex."
"The opposite sex!?"
"The opposite species."
Xiao Yan was speechless.
Yao Lao was actually teasing him at a time like this.
Yao Lao was also somewhat uncertain. He reminded Xiao Yan, "Listen to what Yu Tianming has to say first."
Only Xiao Yan and Yu Tianming remained in the hall on the second floor.
After the city lord left, his expression had turned grave.
A trace of warmth welled up in Xiao Yan's heart.
He knew Yu Tianming was worried about him.
"There's something very wrong with the city lord..." Yu Tianming murmured.
"Did you notice something!?" Xiao Yan asked.
Yu Tianming nodded. "In all this time, you've never seen the hall master. Don't you find that strange?"
Xiao Yan froze.
He really had never seen the hall master.
Yu Tianming seemed to handle everything at Spirit Hall.
His expression grave, Yu Tianming said in a low voice, "Several months ago, the hall master and the city lord agreed to go Soul Hunting in the Star Dou Great Forest. Neither was seen again."
"Didn't the city lord come back!!?" Xiao Yan was baffled.
"Yes, the city lord actually came back!"
"I didn't even know about this before. Having Lan He deliver the invitation was just a test."
"He and the hall master went to the Star Dou Great Forest together, but in the end, he was the only one who returned, without a sound."
His pupils contracted. Xiao Yan said uncertainly, "You suspect the city lord killed the hall master?"
"Him? How could he possibly?" A thoughtful look appeared on Yu Tianming's face.
"Do you know how strong the city lord was before he disappeared?"
"He was just a prospective Soul Emperor who needed his Sixth Soul Ring!"
"But now, he's a Soul Saint!"
Xiao Yan was dumbfounded.
In just a few months, the city lord had risen more than ten levels in succession!
Xiao Yan's cultivation speed was considered fast.
But what level was Xiao Yan?
The difference between a Soul Emperor and a Soul Saint was nothing a Soul Scholar could compare to!
Many people needed a lifetime to advance from Soul Emperor to Soul Saint!
"And ever since the city lord returned, I haven't seen his Martial Soul again." Yu Tianming's expression grew uglier.
He had arrived at a cruel deduction.
The answer was on the tip of his tongue.
The city lord... had been replaced!
Who exactly was the current city lord!?
Yu Tianming was utterly baffled.
But Xiao Yan understood!
A damn Soul Beast had become a spirit and run out of the great forest!
"No wonder this guy knew so much about Soul Beasts!"
"So this guy was a native of the Star Dou Great Forest!"
There was only one thing he couldn't figure out:
"Why did he encourage me to hunt the Heavenly Yin Demonic Beast, the Water Qilin?"
"Could the Water Qilin have a grudge against him?"
Yao Lao smiled. "That might well be the case!"
Xiao Yan nodded.
He looked at Yu Tianming and asked, "Did the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family's ancestral texts say anything about the Heavenly Yin Water Beast's enemies?"
After thinking for a moment, Yu Tianming recalled, "The Heavenly Yin Water Beast contains the power of water and fire and is the ultimate expression of yin. Its counterpart, the Emperor Auspicious Beast, is its natural enemy!"
The Emperor Auspicious Beast!
She was the social butterfly of the Soul Beast Realm!
As long as one cultivated beside her, one could get twice the result with half the effort.
"Earlier, there was a glint in the city lord's eyes that was difficult for ordinary people to notice. I thought something was wrong at the time!" Yao Lao affirmed what Yu Tianming had said.
"From the look of it, this city lord is the Emperor Auspicious Beast who ran out of the Star Dou Great Forest!"
Xiao Yan felt numb all over.
"Don't tell me she's another Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast."
"Fortunately, she's only a few tens of thousands of years old."
Xiao Yan breathed out a mouthful of hot air.
But on second thought,
What the hell was the difference between a hundred thousand years and tens of thousands!?
I can't beat her either way.
Seeing that Xiao Yan was still asking about the Water Qilin, Yu Tianming thought he was still plotting to go after it.
"Hunting the Water Qilin is far too dangerous. You'd almost certainly go and never regret it."
"And the city lord's identity is a mystery. The information he gave you might not be accurate!"
He wanted to stop Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan smiled. "Don't worry. I'm not brave enough to rush into the Star Dou Great Forest's forbidden zone of life at level seven."
Even if Yu Tianming took him along, that wouldn't do!
In that place, which even Soul Beasts called a forbidden zone,
Any random ant could easily crush Xiao Yan as he was now.
Terrifying to such an extent!
That said, in the end, he still had to cultivate.
"When the time comes, come find me. Don't worry about troubling me. I truly consider you my brother!"
"Brother Yan!" Yu Tianming patted Xiao Yan on the shoulder.
His eyes were full of feeling.
A month later, Xiao Yan successfully recovered his full strength.
He became a level ten Soul Scholar!
At that moment, he couldn't help remembering the time Tang San had mocked him.
If the two fought at the same level,
Xiao Yan firmly believed he could crush Tang San.
"The only things I have to worry about are that guy's poison and Hidden Weapons!"
They were damn insidious!
"Finally level ten, are you? Your Soul Power has also reached roughly the same level as our tenth stage of Dou Qi." Yao Lao smiled in satisfaction.
"Once you've hunted a Soul Ring, I'll be able to pass that ultimate cultivation technique on to you!"
The corner of Xiao Yan's mouth twitched.
The old swindler was promoting his Yellow Tier Cultivation Technique again.
What was it called?
Flame Mantra!?
"I can't stand that look on your face, brat. Today, your teacher will pass a cultivation technique on to you!"
The moment he heard he was going to learn a cultivation technique, Xiao Yan perked up.
"With our Dou Qi Continent's cultivation techniques, it's as though I have countless Self-Created Soul Skills in this world!"
"People will think I'm just making a basic attack."
"But every move I make will be an ultimate!"
Xiao Yan could already imagine his future opponents staring dumbstruck.
"Your greed knows no bounds. Today I'll only teach you one cultivation technique," Yao Lao chided.
Xiao Yan chuckled. "I was only saying it, anyway."
At last, a yellowed, ancient-looking cultivation manual appeared.
"High Xuan Class Dou Technique: Eight Extremes Collapse!"
Yao Lao smiled faintly. "Once mastered, this move should be about as powerful as someone else's first Soul Skill!"
Xiao Yan took the manual and was slightly surprised.
The technique was actually a form of close combat.
"I thought you'd give me a fire-control technique, teacher."
His Martial Soul was fire, and he could call upon flames with every move.
A fire-control technique would complement it and make his path of fire even more formidable.
What was this close combat for?
Xiao Yan had thought he was a fire-attribute mage.
Yet from the look of it, Yao Lao wanted him to fight at close range?
Although Yao Lao was in spirit form, he could still take physical shape.
He slapped Xiao Yan hard enough to make his head buzz.
"What do you know?"
"For a true expert, the physical body is an indispensable part!"
"If your body can't keep up, no amount of offensive power can hide your weak defense."
Xiao Yan retorted, "If my flames are strong enough, how would an enemy have any chance to counterattack?"
"But what if someone specializes in fire resistance? What would you do then?"
"I'll use Eight Extremes Collapse to smash him to death!"
Yao Lao froze for a moment.
Xiao Yan chuckled. "Listen to teacher, and Eight Extremes Collapse will grow bigger."
Yao Lao burst out laughing.
(End of chapter)