Good news: Yun Shan had finally been contacted again.
Bad news: the person who came was not Protector Wu. This new guardian was even more arrogant, making communication nearly impossible. He did not hide his contempt and disdain, treating Yun Shan, a peak Dou Huang, not as an equal, but as a slave to be summoned and dismissed at will.
After sending this guardian away, Yun Shan's hands clenched into fists, his knuckles white. He had never felt so aggrieved.
He hated it. He hated himself, and he hated this secretive, arrogant Hall of Souls.
The new guardian, Zhu Hua, had not come to humiliate him on purpose. He was simply inquiring about the whereabouts of Protector Wu. Several days had passed in the Jia Ma Empire without any contact, so he had no choice but to go to the Misty Cloud Sect. As far as he knew, Yun Shan was Protector Wu's target and the only person he had contacted.
As for the Spirit Breaking Pill that Yun Shan asked about several times? That was a promise made by Protector Wu. What did it have to do with him, Zhu Hua?
That night, Yun Shan felt more wronged than he had in years.
Two months later.
In a secret room inside the imperial palace, a young man sat cross-legged on a lotus platform. The vast energy of heaven and earth continued to gather around him, being absorbed and refined. At a certain moment, the young man's body shook, and a powerful aura emanated outward.
Chen Guan slowly adjusted his breathing and, after a long moment, opened his eyes. They shone with a brilliant light. When he raised his hand, a dagger made purely of Dou Qi emerged and shot into the wall of the room, leaving a deep hole.
Dou Qi solidified—the mark of a Dou Ling.
"So, this is the strength of a Dou Ling."
After putting away the lotus platform and standing up, Chen Guan checked the Dou Crystal in his body, which had undergone a qualitative improvement. He felt he had never been so powerful before. A blind self-confidence arose, and for a moment, he felt he could take on the world.
Realizing his thoughts were getting ahead of him, Chen Guan shook his head slightly, clearing his mind and calming down. The pleasure of a breakthrough could truly make one inflate with a mysterious sense of overconfidence.
In the past two months, Chen Guan had packed his schedule with practice in Dou Skills, puppetry, and alchemy. Aside from the journey back and forth, he had hardly any spare time. His level of effort was reminiscent of the days when he had first arrived at the palace, still accumulating his initial stages of Dou Qi.
The effect was remarkable. All aspects of his abilities had improved, and even his strength had naturally broken through to the Dou Ling realm without feeling any barriers. His foundation was as solid as it could be.
He walked out of the room and headed toward Yao Ye's palace. She was not there, but he saw the two girls had taken over her palace and were having a great time.
At this time on weekdays, they would usually be in the Alchemist Guild.
However, in the last few days, Fa Ma was preparing to refine the Hunyuan Bone Shaping Pill. He needed to adjust his condition to its peak, so he had given Yao Yue a holiday.
Standing in the pavilion, watching the two little girls laughing and playing, Chen Guan felt that this was actually a good thing.
Especially Qing Lin, who had endured such a hard life before. This period was truly the happiest time for her, and she had become much more lively.
Chen Guan wished she could stay happy like this forever, but the existence of her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils made him feel conflicted. Neither he nor the royal family knew much about them and therefore could not give Qing Lin the best guidance.
"Master, are you thinking about Sister Xiao Yi Xian?"
While he was deep in thought, the little girl had already seen him and came over to ask curiously.
Chen Guan smiled and nodded perfunctorily. He decided to tell her about the nature of her pupils in a few days and let her make her own decision.
"I miss Sister Xiao Yi Xian too, Master. When can we see her again?"
"It won't be long. It will be very soon."
Xiao Yi Xian had been in the Izumo Empire for several months, and during that time, Yao Ye had only received one letter. In it, Xiao Yi Xian had casually mentioned that she had established herself there and he needn't worry. She had also told him not to reply, as it would be difficult for her to receive it with no fixed address.
Perhaps Xiao Yi Xian herself didn't notice the contradiction. The letter only reported good news, never the bad. But as long as she was safe, that was what mattered. If she wanted to gain experience and grow, suffering some hardships was inevitable. Chen Guan was mentally prepared for this.
"Chen Guan," Yao Yue called out as she came over. She almost used his old, teasing nickname but changed her words in time when he shot her a glare. "When you were practicing just now, that Nalan Su came again and said he wanted to see you. I saw you were busy, so I sent him away."
With Qing Lin present, Yao Yue often tried to act more mature to maintain her 'big sister' dignity, but her attempts often seemed quite childish to others.
Nalan Su?
Chen Guan nodded to show he understood. He had seen this person several times, but they had never spoken, let alone had any sort of friendship.
Including today, Nalan Su had come to the palace three times recently, all requesting to see him. Perhaps he was extremely unlucky, as he had missed him the first two times. Once, Chen Guan had been at the training grounds practicing Dou Skills, and the other time he was at the Alchemist Guild. Today, he happened to be breaking through to the Dou Ling realm.
There had to be a reason for his persistence.
The only reason Chen Guan could think of for Nalan Su's eagerness was Nalan Jie's poison.
So the question is, I have never used the Heavenly Flame in public. Only a handful of people know about it, not even Hai Bodong. So where did Nalan Su get his information?
This was a question worth pondering. Chen Guan silently made a mental note, the mark next to a certain name in his internal ledger growing heavier.
"It just so happens that I also want to meet the Lionheart Marshal of the Empire," he said. "Patriarch Nalan has come three times. It would be rude to pretend I don't know."
"You say that, but why do I feel like you don't respect him at all?" Yao Yue complained softly. She was young, but not stupid; on the contrary, she was quite clever.
"You heard me wrong. Go do your homework. Your teacher asked me to supervise you every day."
After dealing with the two girls, Chen Guan, not being one to procrastinate, decided to go straight to the Nalan Clan since it was still early.
Let's be frank: he wanted Nalan Jie's treasure, the Seven Illusions Green Spirit Saliva.
There were not many medicinal herbs that could affect the soul, and even fewer in a place like the Jia Ma Empire.
Now, Chen Guan's soul strength had reached a critical point. To go further would take a long time, even with the continuous effect of the soul-nourishing dust. If he could obtain the Seven Illusions Green Spirit Saliva, perhaps it would act as a catalyst, allowing him to reach the spiritual realm faster.
The benefits of having strong mental power had been fully demonstrated in his study of alchemy these past few months. Having tasted the sweetness, he would not miss any opportunity to improve his soul strength.
(End of Chapter)
***
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