A faint smile appeared on his face.
Then his thoughts drifted elsewhere.
To a certain girl far away.
Gu Xun'er.
You can replace that section with this:
It had been quite some time since Xiao Feng had last seen Xun'er.
However, even though they were separated by distance, they still kept in contact through letters.
In one of the letters he had sent to her not long ago, Xiao Feng had written something that remained deeply in his mind:
"Stop hiding your talent."
"Stop suppressing your cultivation."
"Show the world what you are truly capable of."
Xiao Feng knew better than anyone how terrifying Xun'er's talent truly was.
For years, she had deliberately concealed her abilities, quietly staying by his side and avoiding unnecessary attention.
But now things were different.
With the Xiao Family growing stronger, the Fire Faction rising rapidly, and Fire City beginning to establish itself within the Black-Corner Region, Xiao Feng no longer wished for Xun'er to continue limiting herself.
He wanted her brilliance to shine.
He wanted the entire Canaan Academy to witness the talent of the girl from the Ancient Clan.
Thinking about this, Xiao Feng couldn't help but smile.
He wondered how she was doing now.
Had she finally listened to his advice?
Had she stopped holding back?
Or was she still quietly cultivating while pretending to be ordinary?
A trace of anticipation appeared in Xiao Feng's eyes.
"Xun'er..."
"I wonder how much stronger you've become since receiving my letter."
The gentle breeze drifted through the courtyard as Xiao Feng gazed toward the distant horizon, unaware that far away, a certain young lady had already begun revealing the talent he had encouraged her to unleash.
After thinking about Xun'er for a while, Xiao Feng returned to his room and sat down at his desk.
Taking out a blank sheet of paper, he began writing a letter.
The letter contained updates about everything that had happened recently—the establishment of Fire City, the rapid growth of the Fire Faction, the successful completion of the Inner Academy Competition, and the progress of many of their friends.
He also wrote about his own cultivation and reminded Xun'er not to overwork herself.
Near the end of the letter, Xiao Feng paused for a moment before smiling slightly.
He then added another line.
"Remember what I told you before. Stop hiding your talent and show the world what you are capable of. No matter what happens, I will always support you."
After finishing the letter, Xiao Feng carefully folded it and sealed it with a special wax seal.
He then called over a trusted Fire Faction member.
"Take this letter to the Xiao Family and make sure it reaches Xun'er safely."
The member immediately cupped his fists.
"Yes, Faction Leader!"
After receiving the letter, the member quickly departed.
Thus, another peaceful day passed.
Before he knew it, an entire week had gone by since his visit to the Outer Academy and his reunion with Xiao Yu.
During this period, Xiao Feng spent most of his time cultivating, refining pills, managing Fire City, and guiding Fire Faction members.
Everything was proceeding steadily.
Early that morning, Xiao Feng had just left his residence and was preparing to head toward the alchemy room.
He planned to refine a few batches of pills before continuing his cultivation.
However—
Before he could take more than a few steps—
A purple blur suddenly shot toward him like lightning.
Boom!
A figure crashed directly into his chest.
Even with Xiao Feng's powerful soul perception, the impact came so suddenly that he barely had time to react.
Instinctively, Dou Qi surged through his body.
Just as he was about to counterattack—
A sweet and familiar voice entered his ears.
"Xiao Feng!"
"Did you miss me?"
"I missed you!"
"And thank you for helping me!"
The moment he heard that voice, Xiao Feng immediately stopped his movements.
Lowering his head, he finally saw the person currently hugging him tightly.
A beautiful young girl stood before him.
She possessed long purple hair tied into twin tails that flowed down her back.
Her large purple eyes sparkled with excitement and happiness.
Her previously childlike appearance had undergone a tremendous transformation.
Her figure had grown considerably.
The petite little girl from before had now become a beautiful teenage girl around sixteen or seventeen years old.
Her facial features had become even more exquisite and delicate.
Her skin was smooth and fair like jade.
Her once-flat figure had begun developing graceful curves, giving her the appearance of a young beauty entering adulthood.
Most importantly—
The playful and energetic expression in her eyes remained exactly the same.
Seeing her appearance, Xiao Feng was momentarily stunned.
"Zi Yan?"
The girl immediately puffed out her chest proudly.
"Of course it's me!"
"Hmph! Were you shocked?"
Xiao Feng looked her up and down before smiling.
"It seems your transformation was very successful."
Hearing his praise, Zi Yan's smile immediately brightened.
"Hehe!"
"I knew you would notice!"
Thanks to the body-tempering process, the resources Xiao Feng had prepared, and the numerous medicinal pills he personally refined, Zi Yan had successfully advanced into a genuine Sixth-Tier Magical Beast.
Her strength had reached the level of a One-Star Dou Huang.
With the terrifying physical strength of the Ancient Void Dragon bloodline, her combat power could even threaten many mid-level Dou Huangs.
Although she had not completely transformed into the mature appearance she originally hoped for, she was still extremely satisfied.
At the same time—
Inside the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower.
Su Qian was still standing where Zi Yan had left him.
The moment Zi Yan completed her transformation and opened her eyes, he had been shocked beyond words.
Before he could even finish congratulating her—
The girl had immediately rushed out.
Without stopping.
Without looking back.
Without saying anything else.
Straight toward the Fire Faction.
Remembering that scene, Su Qian couldn't help shaking his head helplessly.
"I watched that little girl grow up for so many years."
"I personally protected her countless times."
"I was even preparing a congratulatory speech."
"And yet..."
"She didn't even wait for me to finish one sentence before running to find Xiao Feng."
The nearby elders couldn't help laughing.
One of them joked.
"Acting Dean, are you jealous?"
Su Qian's face immediately darkened.
"Nonsense!"
The elder laughed even harder.
"Then why do you look so resentful?"
Su Qian snorted.
"Hmph."
"That brat Xiao Feng may be the most talented student in Canaan Academy's history..."
"But sometimes he really is annoying."
Back at the Fire Faction courtyard, Zi Yan continued clinging to Xiao Feng's arm.
Meanwhile, Xiao Feng could only smile helplessly as he listened to her endless stories about her recent breakthrough.
The originally peaceful morning instantly became much livelier.
Here's the combined and expanded version with the additional scene integrated naturally, keeping it wholesome, romantic, and within the established relationship dynamics:
Xiao Feng was naturally happy to see Zi Yan again after such a long time.
So he allowed her to hug him for a while.
However, several minutes passed, and Zi Yan still showed no intention of letting go.
"Zi Yan..." Xiao Feng said helplessly. "You've already hugged me long enough."
"Hmph. No."
Zi Yan tightened her grip slightly and buried her face against his shoulder.
"I haven't seen you for so long. Let me enjoy this moment."
Xiao Feng could only smile bitterly.
After advancing to a Dou Huang and completing her transformation, Zi Yan's strength had increased tremendously. Even though he could free himself if he truly wished, he had no intention of using force against a close friend.
Finally, he sighed.
"Alright, alright. What is it that you want?"
Zi Yan immediately raised her head.
A mischievous smile appeared on her face.
"What if I said I want you to marry me?"
Xiao Feng froze for a moment before shaking his head.
"There you go again."
In his eyes, Zi Yan was simply teasing him as usual.
After all, she had always enjoyed saying shocking things just to see people's reactions.
Seeing that he didn't take her seriously, Zi Yan puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction.
"I'm serious!"
"You always think I'm joking."
Xiao Feng chuckled.
"Because ninety percent of the time, you are."
"Hmph!"
Zi Yan crossed her arms and looked away dramatically.
The action only made Xiao Feng laugh even more.
Seeing his reaction, Zi Yan became even more annoyed.
"Xiao Feng!"
"What?"
"You laughed at me!"
"I did not."
"You did!"
"I definitely did not."
The two immediately began arguing like old friends who had known each other for years.
Nearby Fire Faction members watched the scene with strange expressions.
The mighty Zi Yan, who could now defeat many Dou Huangs, was currently acting like an upset little girl.
And the only person capable of handling her was Xiao Feng.
After a while, Zi Yan finally calmed down.
She sat beside Xiao Feng and began excitedly talking about everything that had happened during her breakthrough.
Her transformation.
The body tempering process.
The shocked expressions of the elders.
And especially Su Qian's reaction.
"Hahaha!"
"When I ran out immediately after finishing, Grand Elder Su Qian's face was priceless!"
Xiao Feng couldn't help laughing.
"Poor Grand Elder."
"He probably wanted to congratulate you."
Zi Yan proudly lifted her chin.
"Of course he did."
"But seeing you was more important."
Hearing those words, Xiao Feng paused briefly before smiling.
"Welcome back, Zi Yan."
For a moment, Zi Yan's mischievous expression softened.
Then she grinned brightly.
"Mn."
"I'm back."
The atmosphere became warm and peaceful.
The two continued chatting while walking through the Fire Faction courtyard.
Zi Yan excitedly told him about every little detail of her breakthrough, while Xiao Feng patiently listened.
The surrounding members wisely kept their distance.
Everyone could see how happy Zi Yan was.
Then, suddenly—
Zi Yan stopped walking.
Her purple eyes stared directly at Xiao Feng.
A strange seriousness appeared on her face.
"Xiao Feng."
"Hm?"
"I really wasn't joking earlier."
Xiao Feng blinked.
Before he could react—
Zi Yan suddenly stepped forward.
Because of the height difference after her transformation, she was now almost eye-level with him.
The sudden movement caught Xiao Feng completely off guard.
"Zi Ya—"
Before he could finish speaking—
Zi Yan stood on her toes and quickly kissed him.
It was only for a brief moment.
Yet it was enough to make the entire courtyard fall silent.
Even the nearby Fire Faction members froze like statues.
Xiao Feng's eyes widened.
His mind completely blanked.
A few seconds later, Zi Yan finally stepped back.
Her beautiful face was slightly red.
Yet she still stubbornly raised her chin.
"Hmph."
"Now you know I'm serious."
Xiao Feng stood there speechless.
For one of the few times in his life, he genuinely did not know what to say.
Looking at his stunned expression, Zi Yan suddenly burst into laughter.
The nervousness in her heart disappeared instantly.
"Hahaha!"
"Look at your face!"
"You look so stupid right now!"
Only then did Xiao Feng regain his senses.
"You..."
"What am I supposed to do with you?"
Zi Yan immediately wrapped her arms around one of his again.
"Nothing."
She smiled brightly.
"You just need to keep treating me well."
"And when I become even stronger, I'll protect you too."
Hearing those words, Xiao Feng couldn't help but smile.
"Isn't that supposed to be my line?"
Zi Yan proudly snorted.
"Not anymore."
"I'm a Dou Huang now."
"Maybe I'll be the one protecting you in the future."
The two looked at each other before bursting into laughter.
The awkward atmosphere disappeared almost immediately.
Meanwhile, the Fire Faction members watching from afar exchanged helpless glances.
One thing was certain.
After today—
The entire Inner Academy would probably know that the little ancestor Zi Yan had returned.
And that the first thing she did after breaking through to Dou Huang...
Was run straight to Xiao Feng.
Just like that, Xiao Feng and Zi Yan separated after spending some time together.
Xiao Feng headed toward his personal alchemy room within the Fire Faction.
There were many pills he needed to refine, and with the Inner Academy becoming increasingly busy, he wanted to prepare enough medicinal resources for his close friends and the Fire Faction members.
Meanwhile, Zi Yan wanted to test her newly obtained strength after advancing to the Dou Huang realm.
She also wanted to search for treasures and rare medicinal ingredients within the Magical Beast Forest behind the Inner Academy.
Before leaving, she waved at Xiao Feng.
"Don't lock yourself in the alchemy room for too long!"
"I'll come find you later!"
Xiao Feng smiled helplessly.
"Try not to cause trouble."
"Hmph."
Zi Yan puffed her cheeks.
"I'm not a little girl anymore."
"I'm a Dou Huang now."
With that, she proudly raised her head before disappearing into the distance.
Watching her leave, Xiao Feng could not help shaking his head.
Although Zi Yan had matured considerably after her transformation, some things would probably never change.
However, one thing had changed greatly.
Ever since meeting Xiao Feng for the first time, Zi Yan's habits had slowly improved.
In the past, whenever she discovered a medicinal herb, she would simply take it without a second thought.
Many elders and students had suffered headaches because of her actions.
After all, who could stop a magical beast with an ancient bloodline?
But after being scolded by Xiao Feng numerous times and receiving his patient guidance, Zi Yan gradually understood the value of rules and fairness.
Although she still loved treasures and medicinal herbs more than almost anything else, she no longer took them without permission.
If she wanted a medicinal ingredient, she would either ask for permission from its owner or exchange something of equal value.
Sometimes she would even use precious treasures she found herself to make trades.
Many students who had once feared seeing Zi Yan near their herb gardens now had completely different opinions of her.
Some even willingly traded medicinal ingredients with her because they knew Zi Yan would always offer a fair exchange.
Thinking about this, Xiao Feng smiled slightly.
Perhaps Zi Yan herself had not noticed it.
But compared to the little troublemaker who had once stolen medicinal herbs everywhere, she had become much more mature.
Far away in the Magical Beast Forest, Zi Yan suddenly sneezed.
"Ah-choo!"
She rubbed her nose suspiciously.
"Who is talking about me?"
Then her purple eyes quickly locked onto a distant mountain.
A mischievous grin appeared on her beautiful face.
"Hehe."
"Let's see if there are any treasures hiding over there."
The next moment, her figure flashed forward like a purple meteor, disappearing into the depths of the forest.
Meanwhile, Xiao Feng finally arrived at the alchemy room.
As the heavy stone door slowly closed behind him, his expression became focused.
The flames of the Strange Fire quietly rose within his palm.
Another round of alchemy had begun.