"Let us speak!" an old voice rang out. Two elderly figures then appeared in the study. One of them said, "We have a request for you this time."
Xiao Jietian recognized them at once—they were none other than the guardians of the Hidden Scripture Pavilion: the Two Elders Qian and Bai.
"Please, take a seat, Elders!" Su Qian gestured toward them and introduced them to Xiao Jietian: "These are our pavilion guardians, Elder Qian Lie and Elder Bai Mu."
"The two elders sensed your Dou Zun aura earlier and asked me to act as an intermediary. They wish to seek your guidance on breaking through to Dou Zun."
Xiao Jietian could naturally sense their cultivation: both at peak Dou Zong, and they had been stuck at that bottleneck for many years.
"Lord Xiao Jietian!" The two elders bowed slightly. In the cultivation world, strength commanded respect—even if the other party was younger, the more capable became the teacher.
"You are too courteous, Elders. I am also part of the academy. If I can help, it is no trouble at all." Xiao Jietian stopped their bows and looked at them. "If now is convenient…"
"Thank you, Your Excellency. There is no time like the present—delaying would only waste your time." The Two Elders Qian and Bai spoke quickly. They turned to Su Qian and said, "Su Qian, we'll borrow your secret chamber."
"Feel free, Elders," Su Qian replied with a light chuckle.
"Great Elder, would you like to listen in as well?" Xiao Jietian asked Su Qian.
Su Qian waved his hand. "No need. Dou Zun is still far away for me."
"Very well. Then I'll let Zi Yan out for a moment." Xiao Jietian sensed Zi Yan's condition—she was currently munching on pills. With a casual wave, Zi Yan appeared in the study.
"Where am I?" Zi Yan blinked in confusion at the sudden change of scenery. Spotting Xiao Jietian, she flashed over and plopped straight onto his lap.
Su Qian's eyelid twitched slightly. He felt as though his own little cabbage had been completely stolen away.
"Old Su!" Zi Yan shouted happily when she saw him sitting opposite.
"Zi Yan, I have something to handle soon. You can stay here and reunite with the Great Elder."
Xiao Jietian gently stroked her little head as he spoke.
"Mhm, mhm, go ahead." Zi Yan nodded obediently and sensibly, then hopped off his lap and ran to Old Su.
"Lord Xiao Jietian, please follow us." Elder Bai said politely. He and Elder Qian then led the way, with Xiao Jietian following right behind.
After Xiao Jietian left, Zi Yan immediately pulled out a jade bottle and shook it teasingly in front of Old Su, a mischievous grin on her face. "Old Su, want some? These are really good—I got them with great difficulty."
Old Su looked at the troublemaking little girl in front of him, his eyelid twitching helplessly. "You eat so many pills? I don't want any."
"No way! These are pills refined by Xiao Jietian. One pill increases a Dou Zong's cultivation by one star, and you can only take two in a lifetime. What a pity—someone actually doesn't want them."
Old Su raised an eyebrow, surprise flashing in his eyes. "You're serious?"
Zi Yan proudly shook the jade bottle again and placed it in his hand. "Of course! Xiao Jietian told me to give them to you."
Old Su was stunned. "This…"
"Oh, stop hesitating! Just take them. There are two inside. Eat them, and you'll break through two stars."
Old Su opened the bottle and glanced at the pills. Just the fragrance made his body feel invigorated. After a moment of hesitation, he looked up. "These pills are extremely valuable. Does Xiao Jietian know you took them?"
Zi Yan pouted, looking disdainful. "He gave them to me! Just eat them—he has plenty more."
(In truth, Xiao Jietian had originally planned to give them to Old Su himself. Zi Yan had happened to ask about them, and he seized the chance to make her beg for a long time before "reluctantly" agreeing to let her have them and pass them on. If Zi Yan ever learned his real thoughts, she would probably explode in anger.)
Old Su knew Zi Yan well—she never lied about serious matters. "Then I'll accept them. Please thank Xiao Jietian for me."
He was genuinely excited about the two pills. Two stars of cultivation—at his current stage, that would normally take an extremely long time.
The grandfather-granddaughter pair chatted happily in the study. Old Su could clearly feel Zi Yan's genuine joy during this time.
He was happy for her too. Little Zi Yan had few friends growing up and had often been very lonely.
About half an hour later, the Two Elders Qian and Bai returned behind Xiao Jietian, their faces radiant with joy—as though the guidance session had brought them enormous benefits.
Old Su saw their expressions and smiled. "Judging by your faces, Elders, it seems you now have confidence?"
Elder Qian grinned like a blooming chrysanthemum. "All thanks to Lord Xiao Jietian's generous pointers. We two old men can finally see hope of reaching Dou Zun."
He didn't forget to bow deeply to Xiao Jietian again, and Elder Bai followed suit. Xiao Jietian accepted the bows without evasion.
After chatting briefly, the Two Elders Qian and Bai excused themselves in a hurry to enter seclusion and attempt their breakthroughs.
Once they left, Old Su approached Xiao Jietian. "Thank you very much, Xiao Jietian."
Xiao Jietian glanced at the pill bottle on the desk and immediately understood.
"You're too polite, Great Elder. This is thanks to Zi Yan. I'm already part of the academy—it's only right to give back. Besides, we are allies. Your strength benefits everyone."
Xiao Jietian waved his hand casually. Beside him, Zi Yan puffed out her chest proudly. "Old Su, don't worry. I'll take care of you in your old age. You won't lack good things!"
Xiao Jietian and Old Su both burst into hearty laughter. Deep in Old Su's eyes flickered a trace of relief—he hadn't raised her all these years in vain.
After Xiao Jietian sent Zi Yan back into the Eternal Heaven World, he bid farewell to Old Su.
Passing the entrance to the underground world, he gave it a deep look. It wasn't the right time to go down yet.
Not to mention the two Half-Saints still below, along with an unknown number of Dou Zun-level Lizardmen. There was also the extremely powerful Zhu Kun—even Seven-Star Dou Sheng Xiao Yan had nearly been instantly killed and forced to self-destruct.
Even if he went with Zi Yan, if he couldn't control the situation, it would be a pointless death. The current Zhu Kun had nothing to offer him anyway.
So Xiao Jietian decided to wait until he reached Half-Saint or Dou Sheng before entering.
He also stopped by Pan Gate. The current acting leader was Ah Tai, who managed the entire faction very well. Xiao Jietian left him a generous supply of pills.
When he reached the Outer Academy, Hu Jia was sitting on a rock at the exact spot where he had left her earlier.
"Tiger Girl, finished reuniting with your grandfather?"
Xiao Jietian's sudden voice startled Hu Jia out of her thoughts. "Why are you always so elusive?"
"It's not that I'm elusive—you were just lost in thought. It's not safe to be like that outside." Xiao Jietian walked up to her. "What were you thinking about?"
"Nothing much. I just finished seeing Grandpa off to seclusion, so I was waiting here for you."
Hu Jia recalled how excited her grandfather had been when she gave him the Break-Sect Pill—he had nearly jumped for joy. She had never seen him lose composure like that.
Thinking of this, she looked deeply at Xiao Jietian, eyes full of gratitude. That Break-Sect Pill had been given to her by the man in front of her during their journey here.
It could not only help her grandfather break through to Dou Zong but also significantly extend his lifespan.
"Then let's go. Time to head back." Xiao Jietian waved casually.
Suddenly, Hu Jia leaped onto him. The two looked at each other.
Seeing Xiao Jietian's puzzled expression, Hu Jia averted her eyes and mumbled, "I'm just… making it easier for you to carry me while we travel."
Xiao Jietian smiled without saying anything. He stepped into the air and flew into the distance.