Chapter 40: Zi Yan Advances Once More!
"A treasure?"
"What treasure could I possibly not have seen before?"
With a light laugh, Elder Huo walked over with an air of unconcerned indifference. Although his strength could not match Su Qian's—he was merely a Dou Huang—as a seasoned, veteran tier 5 alchemist and a newly promoted tier 6, he could pat his chest and boldly declare:
Even Su Qian was not necessarily richer than him!
What treasure had he, Elder Huo, not laid his eyes upon before? The First Elder was making a fuss over nothing, it seemed!
"This item... I fear you truly have never seen before!" Toward Elder Huo's dismissive, unconcerned attitude, Su Qian paid no heed. A mysterious, enigmatic smile surfaced on his face.
Under Su Qian's signal, Jiang Yun stepped forward and cupped his fists. "Student Jiang Yun pays respects to Elder Huo!"
No matter what, Elder Huo had shown him the grace of teaching and instruction. The proper courtesies still had to be observed.
"So you're Jiang Yun!" Elder Huo looked at the Jiang Yun before him and spoke with keen, intrigued interest. The name Jiang Yun thundered like roaring thunder in the ears of the Inner Academy!
As a new student, he had first rampaged straight through the Fire Energy Hunt, and then, as a mere Da Dou Shi, had fought and defeated an 8-star Dou Ling old student—a monstrous, peerless figure publicly acknowledged by the entire academy.
What's more, rumors had been swirling within the Inner Academy that he and the First Elder shared some undisclosed, secret relationship.
As an old partner and comrade, what relatives did Su Qian have that he, Elder Huo, did not know of? Jiang Yun clearly did not fall into this category. He swept a glance at Su Qian off to the side. Now, looking at things... these rumors were not entirely baseless and fabricated, after all!
"Don't let your imagination run wild. Do you still remember those two children I brought back a few years ago?" The teasing, ribbing look in Elder Huo's eyes made Su Qian's face darken with black lines. He spoke out in explanation.
"He is one of those two children?!"
At this moment, Elder Huo was even more astonished and surprised. He had indeed heard some vague, passing rumors that Su Qian had brought back two children from the Demonic Beast Forest a few years ago. Yet he had never seen them with his own eyes.
Now, looking with his own eyes...
"Indeed, innately gifted and extraordinarily talented! He truly is a fine 'treasure'!"
Gazing at the youth before him, seemingly around eleven or twelve years of age, and sensing the vigorous, surging Dou Qi upon his person—in this very instant, he understood even more deeply and profoundly just what the word 'monster' truly meant.
Seeing that Elder Huo had misunderstood his meaning, Su Qian could only explain, "A few days ago, Jiang Yun had a slight stroke of fortune and obtained an unknown, unidentified Heavenly Flame. Because of this, he now possesses the potential and qualifications to become an alchemist. His soul power was innately, inbornly powerful to begin with. So..."
"What—"
"A Heavenly Flame—"
Su Qian's words were cut off and interrupted. Elder Huo appeared directly in front of Jiang Yun in a single bound. He seized both of Jiang Yun's hands, his eyes blazing and scorching hot as he demanded, "Quick! Let me see your Heavenly Flame!"
Although the Inner Academy's Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower contained a Heavenly Flame—this diminished and reduced not in the slightest the deadly, magnetic allure a Heavenly Flame held for an alchemist.
Hearing this, Jiang Yun extended his right hand. With a whoosh, the white Undying Sacred Flame materialized in his palm.
The very instant the flame appeared, Elder Huo's eyes became utterly entranced and captivated, gazing fixedly, obsessively at that dancing, leaping sprite. Feeling the trembling and quivering of the rank 7 beast flame within his own body, he grew even more certain of the other's identity.
"When the Heavenly Flame appears, ten thousand flames bow and submit!" A moment later, Elder Huo withdrew his reluctant, lingering gaze and sighed with deep, profound feeling.
"This Heavenly Flame of yours—it's the first time it has ever appeared. It doesn't exist on the Heavenly Flame Ranking at all. Yet, according to my observations and estimations... it should be capable of ranking within the top twenty of the Heavenly Flame Ranking!"
After calming and steadying himself, Elder Huo gave the matter careful, meticulous thought. He then spoke with solemn gravity.
"Oh, right! The First Elder said you have the talent for alchemy?" As if only just now recalling something, Elder Huo asked aloud. Then, pointing at Su Qian, he scolded with a laugh, "I finally understand now! The First Elder has come to catch a laborer!"
"Heh heh!" Su Qian did not refute or deny it. Instead, he stated, as if it were only right and proper, "You are the chief, foremost elder of the Alchemy Department. Teaching and instructing disciples—isn't that precisely what you ought to be doing?!"
"Don't you go looking down on Jiang Yun just because he's only just started learning alchemy! His alchemy talent is absolutely not one whit inferior to his cultivation talent! Take a look! This tier 1 pill—he refined it himself!"
As he spoke, Su Qian handed Elder Huo the very same Revitalizing Spring Pill Jiang Yun had given him just moments ago.
Elder Huo took it curiously and poured one out to examine. The moment he looked, his eyes immediately bulged wide. He stared at Jiang Yun in utter, stark disbelief. "You refined this?!"
"Precisely so!"
"..." Receiving the affirmative confirmation, Elder Huo shook his head as if struck and wounded. Su Qian couldn't perceive the subtle intricacies and nuances within—but could he, Elder Huo, not see?!
This bottle of Revitalizing Spring Pills—its quality was flawless, utterly perfect! Even many tier 3 alchemists might not necessarily be capable of refining such quality!
In other words—Jiang Yun either possessed a heaven-defying, mind-boggling alchemy talent... or his alchemical skill had already reached the tier 3 level!
Either one... left Elder Huo deeply, heavily stricken and crushed.
"First Elder! This student—I cannot teach!"
"Why?! Jiang Yun's talent for alchemy is exceedingly, exceptionally high! He merely watched a few Outer Academy instructors demonstrate, and yet he could perfectly replicate and reproduce a tier 1 pill! Such an excellent, promising seedling—and you're not tempted and moved?!" Seeing Elder Huo refuse, Su Qian grew somewhat anxious and agitated.
"Oof—" Elder Huo clutched his heart. Inwardly, bitterness and misery surged and flooded. Just where had this monster and freak come from?! Had he come specifically to crush and devastate 'useless wastes' like them?!
Was it that he didn't want to teach?! It was that he feared he was incapable of teaching!
"Let's do it this way! Grant Jiang Yun the status and identity of an Alchemy Department student. Pill formulas tier 4 and below—he may borrow and peruse them all at will, using his Fire Energy. A host of materials and resources will also be fully, completely opened to Jiang Yun. Whatever he does not understand—he may seek guidance and instruction from any elder at any time!"
In the end, Elder Huo proposed such a solution—granting Jiang Yun an exceedingly high degree of freedom and autonomy.
In the end, the First Elder departed with Jiang Yun in complete satisfaction, leaving behind an Elder Huo with a face full of sorrow and melancholy.
"Truly—in every generation, talents emerge and rise anew, each dominating and leading the winds for centuries untold!"
After resolving Jiang Yun's matters, Su Qian also had to take his leave. As the First Elder, he was exceedingly, exceptionally busy.
After exhorting and urging Jiang Yun to train and cultivate well, Su Qian stepped across the void and departed step by step. Jiang Yun watched this Dou Zong-exclusive 'skill,' a shimmering, radiant light flickering in his eyes.
Was this the application and manipulation of spatial power?
The thought flickered past and vanished in an instant. Jiang Yun's figure blurred into motion. Invisible, formless spatial power condensed beneath his feet. With a single stride, he had already appeared a thousand meters away.
Then, a single human silhouette moved almost as if teleporting, heading directly back toward the dormitory.
"Shua—"
Silently, soundlessly, Jiang Yun returned to the dormitory. Standing at the doorway, he murmured thoughtfully to himself, "Crudely, shallowly augmenting and enhancing with spatial power—achieving short-distance, instantaneous teleportation. Its speed is not inferior to a Mysterious Class High-tier movement technique. Yet to achieve that effect I envision in my mind... it's still lacking just a bit. For now, let's simply call it the Flowing Cloud Step!"
Having casually, offhandedly created and originated an entirely new Dou Technique, Jiang Yun's heart remained as calm and still as an ancient, undisturbed well. Over these past years, he had been doing exactly this all along. He had discovered—compared to his talent for cultivation, his comprehension and insight were even more terrifying and monstrous.
Whatever he studied—he grasped and mastered the moment he learned it. Cultivating Dou Techniques was, to him, even simpler and easier than eating or drinking water.
Over these years, he had also created and originated quite a few Dou Techniques. Yet they could only serve as ordinary, routine, conventional methods. His true, hidden, final trump card Dou Technique—that still had to be his Four Symbols Seal!
Suddenly, Jiang Yun sensed the ambient, surrounding energy of heaven and earth begin surging and converging in this direction.
"Zi Yan!"
Jiang Yun immediately rushed swiftly, urgently toward the interior of the room. He saw Zi Yan lying in deep, heavy slumber. Beside her bed still lay the remnants and fragments of several Life-Death Profound Fruits.
At this moment, Zi Yan's face shone with a shimmering purple light. Her entire body was scorching hot, like a blazing furnace. This condition—Jiang Yun was intimately, thoroughly familiar with it. The last time Zi Yan advanced to Dou Wang... it had been exactly like this.
Before entering the secret realm, Zi Yan had already reached the peak of rank 5. She was merely a single, proverbial footstep away from advancing to rank 6. This time, within the secret realm, she had obtained so many medicinal ingredients and the precious, treasured collections of Dou Huangs and Dou Wangs.
And wasn't this the result? Zi Yan had still been unable to hold back and restrain herself. Without even waiting for Jiang Yun to return, she had eaten several Life-Death Profound Fruits. Now, looking at things, she had already reached the conditions and requirements for advancement!
Just like the last time—an even denser, richer purple radiance surged forth from within her body. Finally, it transformed into a purple cocoon of light, a full zhang and more in width, completely, thoroughly enveloping and encasing her entire form.
On the surface of the cocoon of light, the purple radiance flickered bright and dim, bright and dim—like the beating of a heart, possessing an extraordinary, distinct rhythm.
Every single time the cocoon of light flared and blazed brilliantly, the masses of energy within the surrounding air would all be completely drawn and absorbed into the cocoon, making the light of the cocoon's body even brighter and more radiant.
"Allow me to lend you a helping hand!"
Watching the purple cocoon of light Zi Yan had transformed into, a soft, tender warmth surfaced in Jiang Yun's eyes. He spoke with gentle, warm words.
As if having heard Jiang Yun's words, the giant purple cocoon brightened considerably, as if responding to Jiang Yun.
Seeing this, Jiang Yun chuckled lightly. He spread his palm wide. Black and white Dou Qi flickered and shimmered. Then, it transformed into one spiritual seal after another, leaping and blazing with light.
Under his precise, exact control, these spiritual seals fell one by one into the air before him—like raindrops vanishing into the sea, dissolving and disappearing without a trace. Only the faint, faint ripples of peculiar, strange fluctuations spreading outward allowed anyone to even faintly perceive them.
What Jiang Yun was about to set up and deploy now was a spiritual array very commonly, widely used within the Great Thousand World.
The tier 3 Spirit-Gathering Array!
The Spirit-Gathering Array differed from ordinary, conventional spiritual arrays. Although it possessed absolutely no offensive or attacking properties whatsoever, it was nonetheless an absolute, essential necessity for many factions and powers—and also a symbol and emblem of a faction's strength, a symbol and emblem of a faction's foundational heritage and deep reserves.
Such a widely renowned, famous, illustrious grand array—back when he was in the Xie Ling Clan, how could Jiang Yun possibly not have observed and studied it?!
Right now, Jiang Yun did not have on hand the materials required to set up and arrange a Spirit-Gathering Array. He could only rely on spiritual seals to set up a temporary, provisional Spirit-Gathering Array. It could not last long or endure permanently. Yet for Zi Yan—this was already more than sufficient!
When over a hundred spiritual seals had melted and fused into that air, forming and shaping some points of light nearly, barely visible to the naked eye, Jiang Yun's mind stirred and shifted. Those points of light extended and stretched out strand after strand of light, finally intersecting and converging with one another.
The Spirit-Gathering Array, compared to other arrays and formations, was not at all complicated or complex. Very quickly, an arcane, profound, mysterious array diagram slowly materialized and took form.
Instantly, a powerful, mighty fluctuation erupted and exploded outward from the midair. Vast, sweeping expanses of magnificent, glorious light descended and blanketed the entire area. Every single person within the entire Inner Academy could feel it—great, massive quantities of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth were, as if drawn and attracted by some irresistible force, madly surging and converging toward the direction of the dormitory area!
"It seems the commotion is... somewhat, slightly large!"
Having finished setting everything up, Jiang Yun looked at the disturbance and upheaval in the sky above and spoke with a somewhat awkward, embarrassed, sheepish air.
At the very same time—the very instant Jiang Yun's array took form—one silhouette after another appeared outside. They whispered and murmured amongst themselves, discussing and debating animatedly.
"What's going on?!"
"The energy of heaven and earth is rapidly surging and converging toward the dormitory area!"
"Could there be some kind of treasure in the dormitory area?!"
"Look! Quickly! The elders are all rushing over there!"
Jiang Yun withdrew and exited the room. He immediately saw the First Elder, Su Qian, accompanied by Elder Huo and the once-met, briefly acquainted Elder Qing. They were standing within the small courtyard, all of them silently, intently watching and observing Jiang Yun.
"Zi Yan has begun her advancement?" The First Elder was the first to inquire about Zi Yan's condition.
"Indeed. She has already formed her cocoon and is lying within it," Jiang Yun nodded and replied softly. "Does the First Elder wish to go in and take a look?"
"No. Just confirming that she is indeed undergoing a breakthrough is sufficient." Hearing that Zi Yan had already commenced her breakthrough and advancement, Su Qian stroked his beard with gratified approval and declined Jiang Yun's suggestion.
"If memory serves, Zi Yan had already reached the peak of rank 5! This time, after her breakthrough... I'm afraid she will become a rank 6 demonic beast sovereign!" At this moment, Elder Qing at the side sighed with some deep, rueful lament. His face was brimming with a myriad of complex, tangled emotions.
His face was utterly filled with complicated, tangled feelings. He never imagined that Zi Yan, this little girl who had only just entered the Inner Academy, would catch up to and surpass him so quickly, so soon. And as for his own opportunity to break through to Dou Zong... just where was it?
He cast a fleeting, furtive glance at Elder Huo beside him. Elder Qing gave a subtle, hidden, imperceptible shake of his head. Elder Huo had only just advanced to tier 6. If they had to wait for him to refine the peak tier 6 pill, the Sect-Breaking Pill—who knew how many countless ages and eons that would take?!
Rather than place his faith and hopes on him—Elder Qing would much rather place his faith and hopes on Jiang Yun, this utterly irrational, illogical monster and freak.
"..." Although Elder Qing's movements were very concealed, hidden, and surreptitious—among the several people present, his soul power was second only to Jiang Yun's. Could he possibly not detect Elder Qing's look and gaze?!
After so many years as partners and comrades—how could he not understand Elder Qing's meaning? Even as he inwardly fumed and burned with embarrassed, shamed anger, he secretly swore and vowed to himself: he absolutely had to intensify and accelerate his training and cultivation of alchemy! When the time came... he would make that Elder Qing come begging to him on his knees!
"Oh, right. This is an array, isn't it?" At this moment, the First Elder gazed at the Spirit-Gathering Array before them and asked. Yet within his tone was absolute, unshakable certainty and conviction.
"Precisely. This is a type of array called the Spirit-Gathering Array. As the name implies and suggests—it can gather and converge the energy of heaven and earth, allowing those within the array to experience an accelerated, enhanced cultivation speed."
Jiang Yun slightly, faintly nodded his head. Since it had already been exposed, he had no intention or plan of concealing or hiding it any longer.
Jia Nan Academy had treated him and Zi Yan with great generosity and kindness. How many medicinal ingredients had Zi Yan smoothly, effortlessly 'borrowed' over these past years? And the First Elder had never once voiced a single word of complaint or resentment. If he could leave behind and establish a few Spirit-Gathering Arrays for the academy—it could also be considered as finally repaying that 'cultivation loan' from back then!
"You also know how to set up arrays?!"
"This array was also obtained from within the ruins. Just now, I was merely testing and experimenting with its effects. Now, looking at it..."
"It seems... quite decent, actually!"
Su Qian sank into a deep, heavy silence. Jiang Yun was constantly, ceaselessly refreshing and redefining his understanding and conception of what a genius was, again and again. He knew Jiang Yun's origins were mysterious and enigmatic. Yet he had never once sought to delve or probe deeply into them. He believed in what he saw with his own eyes.
For people like them—just how vital, how critical the importance of the Spirit-Gathering Array was... it went without saying. He desperately, achingly wanted the Spirit-Gathering Array. Yet he also knew—this kind of precious, priceless thing, just like an alchemist's pill formula, was not lightly or casually shared or passed on to outsiders.
What's more, with Jiang Yun's status as a mere student, he felt too embarrassed and awkward to open his mouth and ask. For a time, Su Qian found himself caught in a difficult, awkward dilemma—torn between left and right.
"Although the academy already possesses the invaluable, precious treasure-ground that is the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower... I feel that the academy's vast, sprawling grounds can still accommodate and make room for a few Spirit-Gathering Arrays. What do you think, First Elder?"
Perceiving and discerning Su Qian's inner struggle and conflict, Jiang Yun spoke in a casual, half-joking manner.
Before Su Qian could even speak, Elder Huo beside him burst into great, booming laughter. "Excellent! As expected of the monster and prodigy of our Alchemy Department! His words and manner are straightforward and magnanimous! Jiang Yun, from now on, whatever pills you want or need—just come and find me, anytime!"
"Wait a moment! Since when did Jiang Yun become a member of your Alchemy Department?!" Elder Qing shot back with a face full of contempt and scorn.
"As of today—he just became one!" Elder Huo giggled with a sly, crafty, sneaky grin. Suddenly, Elder Qing was seized by an overwhelming, irresistible urge to punch him squarely, solidly in the face.
At this moment, Su Qian also snapped back to his senses. He looked at Jiang Yun, his expression filled with a complex, tangled mixture of emotions. His eyes brimmed and overflowed with gratified approval and deep, heartfelt appreciation. He spoke, "You are a good, fine child. The academy cannot simply take and accept this from you for nothing. Tell me... what do you want?"
(End of Chapter)