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At the mountain peak, a translucent elder’s silhouette hovered in mid-air.
Both young men stared at the figure.
One with calm composure.
The other filled with terror.
From Xiao Yan’s perspective, this ethereal elder was undoubtedly a ghost.
After all, his knowledge was still limited at this stage. The fact that he was even managing to hold himself together was already remarkable.
If it weren’t for Wei Yang’s presence, Xiao Yan might have already lost his nerve completely.
Even so, his voice trembled as he asked,
"Master Wei... w-what is this... thing?"
Wei Yang held back a laugh before explaining,
"This senior is currently in a soul form, not a ’thing.’"
"Soul form? Isn’t that just a ghost?" Xiao Yan muttered under his breath.
"Uh... if you put it that way... I suppose you’re not entirely wrong." Wei Yang thought for a moment before nodding.
"Little brat, throwing things around like that is quite rude."
Holding onto the black ring, the elder’s expression twitched as he gave Xiao Yan a disapproving glance.
Xiao Yan pursed his lips, choosing to remain silent.
Then, the elder shifted his gaze toward Wei Yang.
Stroking his white beard, he nodded in approval and praised,
"Young man, your soul power is truly formidable. Quite the talent indeed."
With his level of insight, the elder immediately saw through Wei Yang’s true potential.
Even someone as experienced as him couldn’t help but feel a bit surprised.
"Who would’ve thought that in such a remote place like the Jia Ma Empire, a young man of this caliber would appear?"
"He looks... what? Seventeen? Maybe eighteen?"
Yet, his soul power was already nearing the later stages of the Mortal Realm!
(Soul cultivation is divided into four realms: Mortal, Spirit, Heaven, and Emperor. Each realm has four stages: Early, Mid, Late, and Peak.)
A seventeen or eighteen-year-old with peak Mid-Mortal Realm soul power was extremely rare.
As for Wei Yang’s Nine-Star Dou Ling cultivation, the elder found it far less remarkable in comparison.
What truly impressed him was Wei Yang’s soul talent.
As a renowned Yao Zun Zhe of Central Plains, he naturally had an eye for prodigies.
A talented young alchemist was always a pleasing sight to him.
After being betrayed by his cherished disciple, Han Feng, the elder had become highly cautious about taking on new students.
Perhaps if this was before meeting Xiao Yan, he might have been tempted.
He glanced at Xiao Yan, who was hiding behind Wei Yang, and a hint of satisfaction flickered in his eyes.
Xiao Yan was someone he had observed and tested for a long time before finally deciding to accept him as his disciple.
Besides, Xiao Yan’s soul talent was quite promising as well.
Wei Yang cupped his hands and spoke respectfully,
"Thank you for your praise, Senior. I am Wei Yang. It is an honor to meet you."
The elder stroked his beard, his tone indifferent.
"Young Wei, what business do you have with this old man?"
Wei Yang, however, simply smiled and asked,
"May I have the honor of knowing Senior’s name?"
The elder’s hand paused for a brief moment, but he quickly resumed stroking his long white beard.
"This old man’s surname is... Yao."
Wei Yang nodded slightly.
The elder’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"You don’t seem surprised upon hearing my surname?"
Wei Yang pretended to be startled, then asked innocently,
"Is there something special about that surname?"
The elder was momentarily stunned before asking,
"Are you a native of the Jia Ma Empire?"
"I was born and raised in Wu Tan City. I have never left the Jia Ma Empire."
Hearing this, the elder’s expression softened considerably.
Yet, internally, he was shocked.
"I can’t believe it..."
"In this tiny corner of the Jia Ma Empire, in the remote Wu Tan City of all places, TWO soul-talented prodigies have appeared?!"
His gaze flickered between Wei Yang and Xiao Yan, both of whom possessed exceptional soul talent.
For the first time in years, he was speechless.
In the small, remote city of Wu Tan, two prodigies with exceptional soul talent had appeared at the same time, belonging to the same generation.
"Could this be Heaven’s favor toward me, Yao Chen? Delivering two outstanding talents right to my doorstep for me to choose from?"
Meanwhile, Wei Yang secretly chuckled to himself.
"This old fellow is really cautious, huh? Deliberately probing into my origins."
But Wei Yang remained unfazed—after all, he was indeed a local of Wu Tan City, born and raised.
Seeing no issues, Yao Lao recovered his composure and returned to his usual calm demeanor.
"Young Wei, you still haven’t told me what brings you to this old man?"
Wei Yang couldn’t help but laugh.
"Senior Yao, do you really have no idea what you’ve done?"
Saying this, he glanced at Xiao Yan, who stood beside him. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ Nove1Fire.net
Yao Lao stiffened, looking slightly embarrassed.
Alright, fine—so he was caught red-handed.
At that moment, Xiao Yan seemed to faintly grasp something, and he turned to look at Wei Yang.
Wei Yang nodded and spoke slowly,
"Xiao Yan, the reason your cultivation has regressed over the past three years—your Dou Qi mysteriously disappearing—it’s because of this Senior Yao. He... absorbed your Dou Qi."
As soon as those words fell, Xiao Yan’s expression darkened instantly.
His gaze locked onto the translucent elder hovering in mid-air, his voice cold and sharp, every syllable squeezed through clenched teeth.
"So it really was you?"
"Heh heh, I had no choice, little brat. Don’t hold a grudge, alright?"
Although Yao Lao looked slightly awkward, he didn’t deny it.
"That being said, I should at least thank you for your three years of nourishment. Without you, I might still be in deep slumber."
Xiao Yan, who had endured three years of humiliation, finally snapped.
His face twisted with rage, his body trembled violently, and he pointed at Yao Lao, his voice shaking,
Wei Yang patted his shoulder, coughed lightly, and whispered,
"Brother Xiao Yan, calm down. We’re not his match."
Xiao Yan’s breath hitched, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
Yes... if not for the vast difference in power, he would have rushed up and torn this old bastard apart.
Seeing Xiao Yan’s fury, Yao Lao remained completely unfazed, even chuckling as if amused.
"Oh, come now, little brat. No need to get so worked up. It was just three years of Dou Qi, wasn’t it?"
Wei Yang slapped his forehead.
"Old man, must you not only rob but also break his spirit?"
Anyone watching would think he was tormenting an enemy, not testing a disciple.
Sure enough, Xiao Yan’s face twitched violently, almost losing control again.
He took several deep breaths, barely restraining his rage, and spoke through gritted teeth,
"Old bastard, since you were hiding in that ring, you must have known how much humiliation and ridicule I suffered because of you!"
Yao Lao chuckled lightly, his tone indifferent.
"And yet, haven’t you grown because of it? Do you think, if not for these three years, you’d have developed such patience and maturity?"
While his words seemed casual, deep down, Yao Lao was pleased.
This was his final test for Xiao Yan.
And now, he was satisfied.
He had officially decided—he would accept this boy as his disciple.
At this moment, Wei Yang also spoke up,
"Brother Xiao Yan, I believe this was also a test from Senior Yao. To be honest, three years ago, you were a bit... arrogant. Look at me—my talent isn’t any worse than yours, right? But I always kept a low profile."
Xiao Yan furrowed his brows.
His breathing gradually steadied, his emotions calming.
Thinking back to three years ago, he had indeed been too proud and reckless...
But after enduring three years of hardship, he had changed.
Looking back now, his past self did seem a bit immature.
With this realization, Xiao Yan exhaled deeply, finally regaining his composure.
And then, joy began to take root in his heart.
It didn’t matter anymore—now that he knew the true cause of his Dou Qi’s disappearance...
His talent was still there!
No—his talent had never been lost!
At that moment, a feeling of rebirth washed over him.
The title of "trash" would soon be a thing of the past.
When he looked at the old man again, he no longer found him as detestable.
Sometimes, only by losing something, does one truly understand its value.
And when it is regained, it becomes even more treasured.
Xiao Yan’s eyes narrowed slightly.
A thought flickered in his mind—he was beginning to understand.
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