Chapter 317

Hearing this, Xiao Yixian's lovely face flushed crimson; she snatched up the white sheet beside her and held it to half her face, revealing only her eyes—beautiful, innocent, yet tinged with doubt, as if asking Xiao Yan: You're lying.

Huddled in her thin blanket, her exquisite eyes seemed ready to overflow with redness; this sight made Xiao Yan's heart pound wildly, and he instantly felt his body grow warm.

Under such intense gaze, Xiao Yan also felt awkward, then forced himself to say: "I swear, the Secret Technique passed to me by the Heavenly Flame Elder truly contains this rule—after all, using Strange Fire to draw the Flame Sealing will burn away clothing."

Seeing Xiao Yan's embarrassed yet 'sincere' expression, Xiao Yixian's blush slightly faded; she bit her red lips, then her slender hand trembled slightly as it reached for the button on her robe.

After casting Xiao Yan a glance full of allure, Xiao Yixian, as if giving up all restraint, began slowly unfastening the Flame Sealing.

Xiao Yixian's white hair further accentuated her ethereal, celestial beauty; her charm was not merely in her face—her figure was also flawless.

Her shoulders were like carved jade, the most sensual Xiao Yan had ever seen in his twenty-two years; her willowy waist swayed gracefully, her jade-white arms devoid of any excess flesh, enhancing her pure beauty.

It was hard to imagine how such slender arms could kill a Dou Zong with a single finger.

Xiao Yixian clasped the sheet tightly in both hands, turned around, and revealed her smooth bare back; when this stunning sight appeared before Xiao Yan, the man who had just sworn an oath could barely suppress a slight deepening of his breath.

If one could remain calm in such a moment, he probably wasn't a man at all.

At this moment, Xiao Yan silently repeated Xun Er's name in his mind, calming his fevered heart.

"That's enough."

!!!!!!!!

Just saying "Xiao Yixian" shattered Xiao Yan's composure!

"Lie down." Xiao Yan bit his tongue hard, forcing himself to calm down—after all, this Flame Sealing concerned Xiao Yixian's life.

Xiao Yixian hugged the pillow and lay face-down on the bed, slowly closing her eyes.

"It might hurt a little, but you can bear it."

Xiao Yan whispered, then let his fingers hover in midair for a long moment before suddenly descending, finally pressing against the nape of Xiao Yixian's neck; as his finger touched, wisps of white smoke rose from her smooth, jade-like skin, within which faint traces of gray mist lingered.

As the white smoke rose, low, muffled groans escaped Xiao Yixian's lips, sounds utterly heartrending.

Where his finger landed, a Strange Fire Mark appeared; Xiao Yan suppressed the pleasant sensation of her softness and slowly traced downward along the path of the "Heavenly Capital Fire Mark."

As Xiao Yan's fingertip moved, more white mist rose, and a fiery scar slowly emerged upon her back, as exquisite as a work of art; yet this additional mark did not mar her delicate form—it added an unusual allure.

As his finger moved, Xiao Yan's expression grew far more serious; now he had to control the flame at his fingertip with extreme precision, so that the Flame Sealing could be completed without the fire harming Xiao Yixian.

His finger moved like a brush, tracing intricate, interwoven lines across Xiao Yixian's body; where these lines converged, a subtle mystery seemed to emanate.

At this moment, images flashed through Xiao Yan's mind: as a child, he had 'accidentally' seen Xiao Yu bathing—but back then, he had only looked, never touched.

Or, several years ago, inside the cave in the territory of the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King, he had experienced a beautiful mishap with Yun Yun due to uncontrolled Myriad Beasts Spirit Fire—but back then, he had lost control and his perception was vague.

Or, two years ago, in Training Room No. 1 of the Tian Fen Lian Qi Ta, Mei Du Sha, her Bloodline Power activated by Myriad Beasts Spirit Fire, had pinned him down—but back then, his hands were held fast, helpless.

As for Xun Er—there was no need to mention it; back then they were still children, and later, they were always separated by clothing.

But this time, Xiao Yan was fully awake! Fully serious! Fully attentive! Xiao Yan swore to heaven—he would never forget this feeling for the rest of his life.

After who knew how long, Xiao Yan finally exhaled, retracting his fingers and the Strange Fire; sensing his fingers withdraw, Xiao Yixian slowly opened her eyes, her gaze soft as silk, her breath fragrant as orchids, her cheeks flushed—whether from the infernal heat of the Strange Fire or from surging emotion, it was impossible to tell.

Just as Xiao Yixian sighed in relief, Xiao Yan's next words made her body tremble, her ears turning bright red.

"There's… the front too."

After who knew how long, Xiao Yan finally stepped out of the small wooden hut; he was more exhausted than when refining a Seven-Grade Pill, his hair soaked with sweat, his steps unsteady, his gaze dazed.

Xiao Yan could swear to Xun Er that he had held firm to that boundary—but beyond that, he had grown considerably, now knowing what such things were like!

Seeing Xiao Yan emerge, the soul-body of the Heavenly Flame Elder drifted over, raised an eyebrow, and gave a knowing smile: "With your Soul Force and Fire Control Power, you shouldn't have taken this long."

Xiao Yan shot the old man a disgruntled glare and snapped: "Since this concerns Xiao Yixian's life, isn't it reasonable to be cautious and thorough?"

"Oh." The Heavenly Flame Elder instantly understood—some things truly required caution and thoroughness.

In the evening, Xiao Yixian prepared a steaming meal; but as she ate, her gaze kept avoiding Xiao Yan, who also felt embarrassed.

"Uh… in a few days, after I refine some Elixirs, I'll return to Jia Ma Sheng Cheng." After finishing his meal, Xiao Yan suddenly spoke.

The Sect Grand Meeting was less than a month away, counting travel time; Jia Ma Empire lay only on the outer edge of the Northwest Region. Though the Sect Grand Meeting's location wasn't fixed, it was always held within one of the several imperial sects at the center of the Northwest Region.

Hearing Xiao Yan was leaving, Xiao Yixian tucked her hair behind her ear and softly said: "I'll go with you."

Without surprise, Xiao Yan shook his head and refused: "Even with the Flame Sealing, your Eternal Calamity Body is already at its limit—you can't afford to use your power freely. Stay here. With the Qing Hun You Lan and the sealing technique suppressing it, you should last three years. I'll find the Puti Huati Yan as soon as possible and refine a Poison Pill for you."

At the mention of the Flame Sealing, Xiao Yixian's face flushed slightly; after a moment's thought, she nodded: "Alright, then I'll stay in the Small Valley and watch over the Yan Alliance for you."

Xiao Yixian knew well that though she was a High-Level Dou Zong with immense strength, she was also a ticking bomb—if anything went wrong and her Eternal Calamity Body erupted prematurely, the Poison Explosion would kill Xiao Yan, and even the Netherworld Poison Flame couldn't withstand the ultimate limit of the Eternal Calamity Body's explosion.

In the following days, Xiao Yan refined several Five-Grade and Six-Grade Elixirs to give to the Lion King and the Little Lion King as payment for their guard duty over Xiao Yixian, and also refined one Seven-Grade Detoxification Pill for Xiao Yixian as a precaution.

Three days later, Xiao Yan departed from Xiao Yixian with mixed emotions, taking Zi Yan and flying toward Jia Ma Sheng Cheng.

Watching the black dot shrink into the sky, a breeze stirred Xiao Yixian's hair; slowly, a charming smile appeared on her face, chilled by the Eternal Calamity Body.

With the combined strength of Xiao Yan and Zi Yan, the flight from Qingshan Town back to Jia Ma Sheng Cheng took only half a day.

Sensing Xiao Yan's return, Hai Bodong and the others finally relaxed.

"You really know how to time it, kid! Can't you ever show up a little earlier? We've only got half a month left, and reaching the destination means crossing half the Northwest Region—even a Dou Huang needs five to seven days!" Hai Bodong glared, his beard bristling—Xiao Yan always arrived right at the last moment.

Everyone present chuckled wryly; they were used to it.

Xiao Yan rubbed his nose and quickly changed the subject: "Which country is hosting this Sect Grand Meeting?"

As always, the regal and charismatic Queen Yao Ye's expression grew grave: "The Tian She Empire, ruled by the Tian She Mansion."

"Tian She Mansion?" Hearing this, Xiao Yan's eyes darkened with seriousness. So it truly was the Tian She Empire.

Xiao Yan had heard the name "Tian She Mansion" many times—not only had Bai Ya and Lv Man, two Snake Race Dou Huangs, belonged to it, but even the Qing Elder who had traveled thousands of miles to the Black Horn Region to buy the Yin Yang Xuan Long Pill, only to be robbed by the Yan Guardian and some ancient woman surnamed Gu, was also from the Tian She Mansion.

Of course, the reason Xiao Yan cared so much was naturally because Qing Lin.

Hearing "Tian She Mansion," Hai Bodong glanced at Xiao Yan and said slowly: "Don't worry—I've sent people to inquire. The girl named Qing Lin is doing well, and she may even represent the Tian She Mansion in this competition."

"Represent the Tian She Mansion?! Qing Lin's cultivation has advanced this fast?! Only a few years have passed!" Xiao Yan was stunned—hadn't it only been four years?

Sensing Xiao Yan had misunderstood, Xiao Ding, representing the Xiao Clan, chuckled: "You're mistaken, third brother. The Sect Grand Meeting isn't just about strength."

"Oh?"

Xiao Ding explained: "The Sect Grand Meeting was originally founded with a simple purpose: to identify the strongest sect in the Northwest Region, the one most worthy of universal recognition, to unify the entire Northwest Region, and thereby gain entry into the Zhong Zhou factions."

"A sect's strength isn't just about its current power, but also its future—its ability to cultivate strong cultivators. If a sect suffers a generational gap, it will not be recognized. The Tian She Mansion is exactly like this. If judged solely by the strength of its strongest member, the Tian She Mansion is undoubtedly the most powerful in the Northwest Region right now, but its young generation is weak."

"On the contrary, there is now a sect called the Thunder Sect, with many strong cultivators within its ranks, especially its Young Sect Master, who possesses extraordinary cultivation talent. The Thunder Sect is now subtly surpassing the Tian She Mansion, and rumors say that within the next twenty years, the Thunder Sect will produce a Dou Zong! That's why Qing Lin was taken away by them for cultivation."

Xiao Yan frowned. It could surpass the Tian She Mansion? Xiao Yan knew well that the reason the Tian She Mansion was so powerful was its deep foundation—it had once been founded by a Dou Sheng, a sect with supreme renown across the Dou Qi Continent, though it had since declined.

"How does this Sect Grand Meeting work?" Xiao Yan asked.

At that moment, Yun Yun, sitting beside him, spoke up. As Sect Master of the Yun Lan Sect, Yun Yun had participated in every recent Sect Grand Meeting.

"First, the strongest member of each sect or faction fights one-on-one to defend the ring, determining the strongest in the Northwest Region. In previous editions, the Tian She Mansion's strongest fighters always barely failed to hold the ring."

Cultivation Realm does not represent combat strength, nor does it represent a sect's strength. For example, one sect may have a Three Star Dou Zong, while another has two One Star Dou Zong—it's hard to judge which sect is stronger.

Moreover, if you wish to command the entire Northwest Region, you must defeat not just one sect, but make all sects submit to you.

Xiao Yan nodded. That made sense. Only when no one dares challenge you can you truly be called the strongest.

"Second, there is the contest of reputation. This requires a cultivation gap of no more than two stars within a sect—each rank must have an undefeated champion. The more renowned strong cultivators a sect has, the more it proves the sect is robust, not just relying on its Sect Master to carry the load. Battles among renowned cultivators within a sect once gave rise to the Ten Greatest of the Jia Ma Empire—for example, Hai Lao's title, Ice Emperor."

"Cough, cough." Hai Bodong deliberately cleared his throat twice, as if recalling something, murmuring: "Ah, that was over twenty years ago. Back then, I fought two at once and defeated two equal-rank Dou Huangs from the Chu Yun Empire. I'm no longer as mighty as I once was."

"Then you were sealed by the Medusa Queen for twenty years," Xiao Yan bluntly exposed Hai Bodong.

Hai Bodong immediately felt embarrassed, shooting Xiao Yan an irritated glance. After all, there were people from the Snake People Empire present—Mei Du Sha's Guard Captain, Hua She Er, and Yue Mei, naturally representing the Snake People Empire.

Hua She Er was no longer a Dou Wang—she had reached Two Star Dou Huang. Yue Mei had reached Star Eight Dou Wang; both were among the top few in strength within the Snake People Empire.

"Then naturally, the final criterion is the strength and talent of the young generation," Xiao Yan asked.

Yun Yun nodded. "Those under thirty compete among the young generation in ring battles, determining the most talented young strong cultivator in the Northwest Region."

As the old saying goes, "Three years old, eighty years seen"—in cultivation, this means age thirty is when one's future potential becomes clear.

Once, Yun Yun held the title of Jia Ma Empire's youngest Dou Huang, reaching Dou Huang at age thirty, astonishing everyone at the Sect Grand Meeting and causing the Chu Yun Empire and two other empires to dare not provoke the Jia Ma Empire for a time.

But then again, when Xiao Yan first met Yun Yun, she was already a Three Star Dou Huang.

Jia Xingtian, seated beside Yao Ye and now a One Star Dou Zong, looked at Xiao Yan with a strange expression. "You've just broken Sect Master Yun Yun's record."

Although the record of becoming a Dou Huang at thirty is not unprecedented in the vast Northwest Region, it is still exceedingly rare. Now, Xiao Yan is only twenty-two—and already a Three Star Dou Huang!

You took pills!

One more chapter coming soon.

(End of chapter)