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"From now on, Master won't just be known as Yao Zun Zhe, but as Saint Yao instead," Xiao Yan said with a smile.
"It's just a title," Yao Lao chuckled lightly.
"Yao Lao, what's your current soul realm?" Wei Yang asked curiously.
"Hmm, I've stepped into the Heaven Realm. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to reach the Dou Sheng Realm. In fact, I even advanced straight to the peak of the early stage of the Heaven Realm," Yao Lao said with a gentle smile, stroking his beard.
"Hiss… the peak of the early Heaven Realm!" Hearing this, both Wei Yang and Xiao Yan gasped softly.
That was practically mid-Heaven Realm already!
"Then Master, doesn't that mean you can already refine a Tier 9 Treasure Pill?" Xiao Yan asked, his face full of admiration.
"In theory, yes," Yao Lao nodded, before adding humbly, "Though, I haven't actually tried yet."
"With your mastery of alchemy, Yao Lao, that's only a matter of time," Wei Yang said with a light smile.
Xiao Yan nodded in agreement, smiling as well. Yao Lao only smiled quietly, stroking his beard, though a faint glimmer of confidence flashed within his eyes.
A Tier 9 Treasure Pill, huh? That shouldn't be too difficult. As the number one alchemist on the surface of Central Plains, he naturally had that much confidence.
After all, once an alchemist reached the Tier 8, differences in skill, experience, and knowledge were actually quite minimal.
What one should know, they all already knew. They were all Tier 8 grandmasters—no one was significantly better than the other. What truly made the difference were things like pill formulas, soul realm, and soul perception.
So, if one's soul realm had reached the required level, and their Dou Qi strength was up to standard—having both the pill formula and ingredients in hand—then the Tier 9 threshold wasn't that insurmountable after all.
The three chatted casually for a while. Then, Yao Lao's gaze lifted, as if it penetrated the walls of the chamber, looking toward the outside world.
Out there, the violent surge of heaven and earth energy caused by his breakthrough had begun to gradually subside. Even the massive, five-colored energy vortex above the mansion was slowly dissipating.
"During my breakthrough, I could faintly sense fluctuations from a battle outside. Was it people from Hall of Souls?" Yao Lao asked.
"Yes," Wei Yang nodded. "It was Eighth and Ninth Tian Zun. I've already dealt with him."
He briefly recounted what had happened a few days ago, including the attitude of the Pill Tower, mentioning it in passing.
Hearing that, Xiao Yan's brows furrowed deeply. Although he had been guarding Yao Lao during the breakthrough, his senses had occasionally stretched outward.
Back then, when he sensed the Three Leaders of the Pill Tower stepping in to stop the Eighth Tian Zun, he'd actually felt quite touched. His impression of the Pill Tower had improved because of it.
But to think there was such filthy scheming going on behind the scenes!
Instantly, Xiao Yan's favorable impression of the Pill Tower plummeted. Yao Lao, however, seemed rather calm about it. He didn't show much disappointment.
"In the eyes of the Pill Tower, the three of us have always been outsiders, not part of their main bloodline. So, their attitude isn't really unexpected," Yao Lao said indifferently.
"As for you two, because of your connection to me, even though you both won the championship at the Pill Gathering and became candidates for Pill Tower leadership, you'll never truly gain the favor of those old fossils inside the tower."
Wei Yang and Xiao Yan both nodded.
They had long been branded as Yao Chen's disciples. If Yao Chen had truly died, that would've been one thing—but now that he had returned to life, the situation had completely changed.
The Pill Tower's attitude toward the two of them had shifted subtly. They weren't the tower's direct disciples to begin with, and now that Yao Chen was back, they were naturally seen as belonging to Falling Star Pavilion.
"In that case, we'll return to Falling Star Pavilion in a few days," Yao Lao said, stroking his beard. "After all, we're only guests here. Falling Star Pavilion is our true home."
"Alright," Xiao Yan nodded in agreement.
Before, he might have cared somewhat about his identity as a candidate for Pill Tower leadership. After all, it was quite advantageous to have such a massive organization behind him.
But now, with the trust between them broken, that title no longer held any meaning. Besides, Yao Lao was his real support—the great tree that would shield him from the storm and stand behind him no matter what.
With a Dou Sheng sitting in Falling Star Pavilion, its safety was by no means inferior to that of the Sacred Pill City. Even the Hall of Souls would have to think twice before making a move.
"Brat Wei?" Yao Lao turned his gaze toward Wei Yang; a questioning looks in his eyes.
Wei Yang smiled, just about to speak.
But Yao Lao quickly raised his hand to stop him, saying, "Wei Yang, don't speak yet. Let me talk first. There's something I've kept in my heart for a long time, and today I want to finally say it out loud."
Wei Yang was startled, then suddenly seemed to understand something. He nodded lightly. Xiao Yan's eyebrows also lifted slightly, his eyes faintly filled with expectation as he secretly winked at Wei Yang.
Yao Lao pretended not to notice Xiao Yan's antics. He took a deep breath, and his gaze toward Wei Yang gradually turned complicated.
After a moment of silence, he slowly spoke. "Do you still remember the first time we met? Back then, in the back mountains of the Xiao Clan. I must say, you kid had some guts—daring to approach me for a deal like that. And the conditions you offered… I couldn't even refuse. You really caught me off guard."
"Then it was the Tagore Desert… the Black-Corner Region… In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed." Yao Lao's voice unconsciously carried a trace of nostalgia.
Wei Yang and Xiao Yan listened quietly at the side, their expressions somewhat dazed. Back then, the two of them had just been young men setting out into the world.
Now, both were already at the Dou Zun level.
Thinking back to his reckless actions in those days, Wei Yang couldn't help but feel a little speechless. He truly had been bolded back then.
At that time, Yao Lao's soul was weak, yes, but he still possessed the Bone Chilling Flame and the experience of a veteran powerhouse. If he had harbored any ill intent…
Honestly speaking, Wei Yang would've been doomed. Because now that he himself had reached the Half-Step Heaven Realm in soul power, he understood clearly just how terrifying such strength was.
Truly, the ignorant fear nothing. Even a broken ship still has some nails left in it. How could someone like his past self—a mere Dou Ling—have been qualified to act so casually before a being like that?
"For Xiao Yanzi, I'm very satisfied," Yao Lao said softly. "I don't feel that I owe him anything."
He turned his eyes toward Wei Yang and sighed. "But for you, Brat Wei… I've always carried a sense of guilt. I've always felt that I owe you."
"Eh, Yao Lao, you're exaggerating." Wei Yang quickly waved his hand.
But before he could finish, Yao Lao raised his hand to cut him off. "Brat Wei, let me finish first."
Wei Yang had no choice but to close his mouth.
"To be honest, I do have regrets," Yao Lao continued. "Not because I chose Xiao Yanzi back then and not you… but because I regret that I didn't act more decisively, that I didn't take you in as a disciple as well."
He gave a self-deprecating laugh. "To tell the truth, I wanted to. But I was too prideful. I couldn't lower my face to ask you. I was embarrassed. Also, I didn't have much confidence back then. After all, I'd fallen from grace. I was afraid that if I asked and you rejected me, I'd have no face left to show."
"The most important thing is that your growth rate was just too fast. Every time we parted ways and met again, you gave me a new shock. That made it even harder for me to bring up the matter, and so this thing was delayed until now."
Yao Lao smiled, sighing softly. "This has been one of the regrets I've carried for many years. You kid may have called it a 'deal,' but you've helped me and Xiao Yanzi too much. If it weren't for your help, neither of us would be where we are today."
Xiao Yan nodded seriously beside him, his gaze toward Wei Yang filled with deep gratitude.
Indeed, both he and his master owed Wei Yang far too much. There was nothing shameful about admitting that. As for Xiao Yan, the five Heavenly Flames he had fused—each and every one—had been acquired thanks to Wei Yang's help, some even directly gifted by him.
If not for Wei Yang's assistance, Xiao Yan doubted he would have even reached the Dou Huang level by now. As for Yao Lao, that was even more obvious. Wei Yang had been the main force in rescuing him from the Death Soul Mountain Range.
The fact that Yao Lao had now advanced to the Dou Sheng realm. That, too, was entirely thanks to Wei Yang. Two Dou Sheng Skeletons!
Do you think that's something you can just casually hand out?
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