[Tang Huo Er]: So does that mean my Burning Flame Valley was a force supported by the Xiao Clan?
[Huo Zhi]: According to my aunt, the founder of the Burning Flame Valley, the Burning Flame Ancestor, was a wandering cultivator who met the young ancestor of the Xiao Clan, Xiao Xuan, while traveling the continent. The two became companions, and Xiao Xuan saved the Burning Flame Ancestor from danger many times. He also created the Skyfire Three Mysterious Change secret art and passed it on to the Burning Flame Ancestor.
[Tang Huo Er]: The secrets of our Burning Flame Valley were actually passed down from Xiao Xuan, the ancestor of the Xiao Clan!
[Tang Huo Er]: It seems Xiao Ting and I are destined to be together.
[Tang Huo Er]: Then he will definitely come to the Burning Flame Valley in the future, so it's only natural for me to become friends with him, right?
[Huo Zhi]: Don't think it's natural and just jump into his arms.
[Tang Huo Er]: I'm not such a shallow woman. I've never even met Xiao Ting. I just want to be friends with him.
[Xun Er]: You should work a little harder. Don't end up like Sister Yun Yun. Sister Yun Yun looks gentle, but she's actually more stubborn than Sister Cai Lin.
[Yun Yun]: I was quietly cultivating in the Life-and-Death Gate, so why did this happen to me?
[Xun Er]: You know very well how you obtained the inheritance left by Yun Po Tian for the talented descendants of the Misty Cloud Sect.
[Yun Yun]: Because I am a talented junior of the Misty Cloud Sect.
[Little Fairy Doctor]: That's not your talent—it's Xiao Ting's talent.
[Qing Lin]: You are just a junior of the Misty Cloud Sect. All your talent comes from Young Master Xiao Ting.
[Yun Yun]: Cai Lin, you betrayed me!
[Cai Lin]: Xiao Ting said that if she dual-cultivated with him, her sword intent would be strengthened by soul power and she would obtain Yun Po Tian's inheritance—he didn't tell them that. Now your strength has almost reached the peak of Dou Emperor, right?
[Yun Yun]: Cai Lin!!!
[Yun Yun]: Xiao Ting and I are conducting proper dual cultivation!
[Zi Yan]: No one said you're vulgar.
[Yun Yun]: I don't have time to deal with you all.
[Cao Ying]: Sisters, may I ask what forces the major ancient clans have supported?
[Huo Zhi]: Let's not talk about the past. Now, the ancient Ye Clan merchant guild of the Ye Clan, the Hall of Souls of the Hun Clan, the Lei Clan's Jia Nan Academy, and my Yan Clan are cooperating with Elder Shen Nong to support forces.
[Yao Ling]: I see. No wonder our clan invited Elder Shen Nong many times but he never came.
[Zi Yan]: Does this old man have some special background?
[Huo Zhi]: A powerful figure who existed before the Xiao Clan's destruction. He holds a very high status in the alchemy world, possesses the status of a ninth-rank Xuan Pill Grandmaster and six-star Dou Saint cultivation, and controls the Life Spirit Flame, ranked fifth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking.
The women heard this for the first time and exclaimed: !!
[Zi Yan]: This is amazing.
[Huo Zhi]: After the Xiao Clan's defeat, Elder Shen Nong accepted our clan's invitation and secretly formed an alliance with us. His Life Spirit Flame is so powerful that the Yao Clan has always coveted it.
[Huo Zhi]: The Yao Clan does not support external forces; instead it stagnates and isolates itself from the world.
[Cao Ying]: As expected of the Yao Clan.
This statement seemed to say nothing, yet also said everything.
[Huo Zhi]: Later I heard that the Yao Clan wanted to support Falling Star Pavilion to bring Yao Chen back into the clan, but Yao Chen's conditions were rejected by the Yao Clan's punishment elder, so the matter fell through.
[Huo Zhi]: The Yao Clan still wants to support the Pill Tower, but the founder of the Pill Tower—the current founder's predecessor—was one of the most powerful figures closest to Dou God at the time, so the matter was dropped.
[Zi Yan]: As expected of the Yao Clan.
[Yao Ling]: After spending so much time with you all, I think there might be something wrong with our people's way of thinking.
Pfft!
Many women couldn't help but laugh.
If everyone points this out to you and you still pretend to be asleep or unable to get up, then you don't deserve to obtain a copy of the Journal.
[Huo Zhi]: The Ling Clan supports Sound Valley, but for some reason it has become less prominent in recent years. Both the Ling Clan and Sound Valley are in similar situations.
[Huo Zhi]: The Shi Clan supports the Beast Clan, which has little influence on the Central Plains and mainly operates on the Northern Continent.
[Huo Zhi]: That's all.
[Cai Lin]: Beastmen? If Xiao Ting really wants to investigate the forces supported by various clans, I have some ideas.
[Zi Yan]: What are your thoughts?
[Cai Lin]: We'll talk about that later. Xiao Ting has arrived at the library. I'll also check if there's anything in the secret arts left by Jia Nan Academy's founder that he should pay attention to.
…
At that moment, Xiao Ting, led by Su Qian, arrived in front of a pavilion built on the mountainside.
Two people in gray robes sat directly in front of the attic door. Their faces were hidden, but their figures were almost identical.
Xiao Ting stared at the two men, thinking inwardly that they must be the two elders, Qian Mu and Bai Lie.
[Both elders are peak Dou Ancestor experts. Even if they joined forces, they could barely hold off the weakest Dou Venerate for a short while.
As expected of a force supported by the Lei Clan, it was only natural for such powerful individuals to be hidden in front of the library.
"Elders, this gentleman beside me wishes to enter the library. Please allow him to choose three or four items from the collection. Please open the door." Su Qian clasped his hands in greeting to the two elders.
Compared to the respectful attitude Hu Gan had shown when bringing the top five of the Inner Academy selection tournament to the library, Su Qian's behavior was merely polite.
After all, he was an Inner Court elder, a three-star Dou Ancestor, and his status and strength far surpassed Hu Gan's.
The two elders, Qian Mu and Bai Lie, were stronger than him and were also guardians of the academy, so they were equals.
"Choose three or four items from the collection." The two gray-robed men raised their heads. The man on the left asked in surprise, "Su Qian, is this really okay?"
Su Qian had expected them to ask this question, so he immediately replied, "This student is named Xiao Ting. He has just enrolled in Jia Nan Academy and is not yet sixteen, yet he possesses Dou King-level strength and is also a fourth-rank alchemist. On the way here, he apparently killed a Dou King elder from the Demon Flame Valley."
"Oh?!" The faces of the two elders hidden beneath their robes showed expressions of shock.
Such a talented student would be a core disciple in any top force, yet Jia Nan Academy rarely recruited someone like him.
It was only natural for Su Qian to offer such special treatment. He was truly a student worth investing in.
An academy that nurtures students naturally does not pursue excessive loyalty like a sect or faction.
Xiao Ting's identity as the slayer of a Demon Flame Valley Dou King elder made his position completely justified.
"Xiao Ting, you seem to be even more remarkable than Su Qian described." The gray-robed man on the right suddenly spoke, a ray of light appearing in his eyes.
Su Qian suddenly turned toward Xiao Ting. A strange light shone in his pupils.
He was thinking, "Xiao Ting told me he is a fourth-rank alchemist, so why did he hide the fact that he could better demonstrate his talent?"
"I smell flames from you. Do you possess a Heavenly Flame?" the gray-robed man on the right asked.
"I don't have any Heavenly Flames." Xiao Ting raised his hand and summoned the Purple Beast Flame. "But I have something even more special than a Heavenly Flame."
With his power having reached the Dou King level, the might of his Purple Beast Flame had also reached the fifth rank, comparable to those ranked lower on the Heavenly Flame Ranking.
However, even if a Heavenly Flame appeared before the Purple Beast Flame, it would only kneel obediently.
"This flame is very strong!" The two elders sensed some threat from the Purple Beast Flame and found it hard to believe.
The gray-robed man on the right added, "This isn't just a flame. You're hiding something else."
Su Qian: ? ? ?
When will this end?
Is Xiao Ting not just a genius, but a descendant of a Dou God?
…
…
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