Zhao Li's mere existence, even if he did nothing, was enough to cause enormous ripples, simply because he was one of the strongest individuals on the Continent!
But for Yao Chen, he didn't just watch; he personally guided him for a period of time and even passed on the essence of his own understanding of the Dao of the Soul!
Although this change didn't allow Yao Chen to escape the fate of his physical body perishing, in the decades since his demise, Yao Chen didn't nearly dissipate as he did in the original story. On the contrary, he was doing quite well!
Within just a few years, he had fully recovered! After that, he had been in secluded cultivation, seeking a breakthrough, quietly waiting to astonish everyone!
Over these decades, Yao Chen cultivated Soul Power in a soul state, unexpectedly severing the limitations his physical body placed on his growth. He progressed extremely quickly, reaching Heaven Realm Perfection over ten years ago!
But his rapid progress stopped there, because the gap between Emperor Realm Soul and Heaven Realm Perfection wasn't something he could cross through simple cultivation.
Even though he could clearly feel himself improving, he still couldn't truly touch the legendary Emperor Realm.
It wasn't until this Little Guy's birth over ten years ago that his Soul Power was nourished by a special energy, allowing him to gain insight into the Dao of the Primordial Spirit.
He repeatedly split his Soul Power into Yin-Yang Primordial Spirits, then cultivated each to its current limit before merging them again and again. Each fusion, while not doubling his Soul Power, would indeed raise its upper limit!
Afterward, he would again endure the pain of soul splitting to separate them, cultivating each to the upper limit achieved after the fusion, before merging them once more!
Repeating this process, he became almost numb, but Heaven rewards the persistent; he finally stepped into the Emperor Realm!
If Zhao Li gave him the key, then the Phenomenon that occurred when Xiao Yan was born was like delivering the locked box right to his doorstep...
He still felt some gratitude towards this kid, so seeing Xiao Yan's shocked expression, he chuckled softly and said something that made Xiao Yan furious:
"Little Guy, I should thank you for these three years of tribute."
Absorbing Xiao Yan's Dou Qi was a purely instinctive action when he was merging his Yin and Yang. At that time, his entire being was focused on the fusion; he had no energy to spare for anything else.
"Three years of tribute? You're the one who made my cultivation disappear!"
Hearing his words, Xiao Yan immediately exploded in anger. He didn't even care that the person before him was at least a Dou Sect, or perhaps even higher. He lunged directly at Yao Chen.
Then, his entire body passed right through Yao Chen. Don't forget, Yao Chen was standing at the edge of the cliff, so Xiao Yan's movement looked like he was possessed, deliberately jumping off the cliff.
The feeling of rapid descent instantly made Xiao Yan's blood rush to his head, his face turning red. This intense stimulation made him calm down instantly, and he exclaimed:
"Senior, save me! This kid was wrong."
Now that he knew it was this unknown powerhouse who messed with him and made his Talent disappear, and with his Talent returning today, plus his previous cultivation experience, Xiao Yan was confident he could become a Dou Disciple again. And although he hadn't made any progress in the past few years, he hadn't stopped for a single day. He knew his cultivation speed was much faster than before.
He had finally seen hope again; how could he be willing to just jump off a cliff and die so inexplicably?
Seeing this, a smile appeared on Yao Chen's face. Then, with a flick of his sleeve, he brought Xiao Yan back up. Although he didn't intentionally absorb Xiao Yan's Dou Qi, it had indeed caused this Little Guy considerable trouble. With his temperament, he naturally wouldn't just ignore it.
Besides...
"This kid's Talent and Temperament are quite good, combined with this tenacious nature, he is indeed qualified to become my disciple."
Yao Chen had the thought of Taking on a Disciple. Although he was very strong now, strong enough to roam the Central Plains with just his Soul Power, he had a reason to live again!
A white light flashed in his eyes, as if he saw once more the scene of that woman, in order to save him, making a contract with an unknown entity to exchange her Soul and falling into the abyss. Her final sigh and the hope in her eyes made it necessary for him to bring her back!
And to succeed, it was utterly impossible without reaching Dou Di! To achieve Dou Di, he had to be resurrected and possess a physical body again! Moreover, it had to be a physical body that was compatible with his Soul, otherwise, let alone Dou Di, he probably wouldn't even reach the Strength he had in his lifetime.
And the refining method in the Flame Mantra was undoubtedly the best choice. After all, Heavenly Flames were Heavenly Treasures; just one was enough to burn away the imprint of the original owner within the body, but it required three!
He had actually considered others, like that Senior who gave him such great Creation. Not only did he help him break through to the Emperor Realm, but he also learned Han Shanshan's whereabouts, which was truly a double blessing. But in the end, he suppressed the thought. Some things, after all, he had to do himself!
Many thoughts flashed through Yao Chen's mind, finally solidifying into a determination. Of course, although he had made a decision in his heart, the choice still lay with Xiao Yan; he wasn't a tyrannical person.
He brought Xiao Yan in front of him, looking at him with a smile, and teased:
"Hehe, Little Kid, don't be so stingy. It's just absorbing three years of your Dou Qi Stage, what's the big deal?"
He was indeed qualified to say this. Anything that casually flowed from his hands could almost make up for those three years.
Xiao Yan, however, didn't know this. His calmed mood was once again ignited by Yao Chen's insensitive attitude, and he sneered:
"Heh heh, not a big deal? So it's not a big deal because you weren't the one being absorbed?"
Although he was angry, he suppressed it. This Old Man's Strength was too great, but there were some things he had to say:
"Since you were hiding in the Ring, you should also know how much mockery I've endured because you absorbed my Dou Qi, right?"
Yao Chen nodded, noncommittal, continuing his act. It was just a Little Kid, wasn't he easy to handle?
He was like a devil tempting a Mortal, and his first words struck Xiao Yan's inner desire:
"Kid, do you want to become strong? Do you want to be respected by others?"
As soon as he said this, Xiao Yan's heart beat much faster. Everything that had happened in the past few days made him particularly crave Strength.
He took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, barely suppressing the turmoil in his heart. He said lightly:
"Without Senior making things difficult for me, I am confident I can become a powerhouse again."
Because of that old Sect Master from the Cloud Mist Sect, there were actually several volumes of Mysterious Tier, High Grade Cultivation Techniques widely circulated in the Jia Ma Empire. Don't underestimate them just because they were Mysterious Tier, High Grade; for Xiao Yan, they were already considered Divine Techniques!
Although they were widely circulated and many people cultivated them, which wouldn't allow him to pull ahead of others, Xiao Yan was extremely confident in his Talent. As long as he was given Time, he would definitely catch up!
Listening to Xiao Yan's words, which were calm but not lacking in confidence, Yao Chen also nodded inwardly, but the words that came out of his mouth pulled Xiao Yan back to reality:
"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, don't bully a young man for being poor! Good ambition! It's just, I wonder if you can still be so calm when that young lady comes knocking a year from now."
Xiao Yan instantly wilted. Although he was confident, catching up required Time, and that was exactly what he lacked!
Immediately after, as if he thought of something, he looked at Yao Chen with bright eyes and asked:
"Senior, do you have a way for me to surpass her within a year?"
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