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"Dou... Dou Zong? The same cultivation level as Old Man Su? Old Man Lin, you're actually a Dou Zong?"
Perhaps frightened by the Dou Qi erupting from Xiao Lin, Zi Yan's mouth hung open in an "O" shape. It had already been several days since Xiao Lin and Zi Yan formed their "Pair of Chaos-Bringing Demons."
However, up until now, it had always been Zi Yan using her instincts to open spatial tunnels, while Xiao Lin quietly used his Heavenly Realm soul power to shield them from others' perceptions and erase the fluctuations caused by the tunnels.
Consequently, Xiao Lin naturally had no opportunity to reveal his Dou Zong cultivation in front of Zi Yan. In her eyes, Xiao Lin was merely an Elder whose personality clicked with hers.
As for his cultivation, in Zi Yan's usual understanding, he was probably either a Dou Wang or a Dou Huang. In the entire Jia Nan Academy, aside from the Headmaster whom she had never met, Zi Yan only knew of three Dou Zong powerhouses.
They were Grand Elder Su Qian and two other old men who loved living in seclusion—she remembered them being called Qian Mu and Bai Lie, the Guardians of Jia Nan Academy!
How did another Dou Zong Elder suddenly appear in the Academy?
It wasn't surprising that Zi Yan was unaware of Xiao Lin's strength. Primarily, she was still in a deep sleep when Xiao Lin joined Jia Nan Academy. That sleep had helped her break through directly from the Dou Zhe level to Da Dou Shi.
Immediately after waking up, she had been sent to Xiao Lin's place by Grand Elder Su Qian. Following that were their days spent raiding the various Elders' residences together.
Therefore, she naturally didn't know that not long ago, a Dou Zong powerhouse had joined Jia Nan Academy, not only set up a Spirit Gathering Formation for the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower, but also became an Elder of the Academy himself!
If she had known earlier that Xiao Lin was a Dou Zong, Zi Yan probably would have been even more arrogant when raiding those Elders' homes recently!
"Little girl, with me around, are you still afraid of those 'stinky fish and prawns' in the Black-Corner Region?"
After withdrawing his Dou Qi, Xiao Lin looked at the shocked Zi Yan and asked with a smile. It was true; although Xiao Lin treated the Black-Corner Region as a place for tempering himself.
In reality, if he utilized his Heavenly Realm soul power, even if there were Dou Zong hidden within the Black-Corner Region, they would be insignificant to him. Of course, the prerequisite was that Xiao Lin used his soul power.
If he chose not to use it, he would still feel some pressure when facing a Dou Zong. But if he encountered a life-threatening danger, would Xiao Lin be foolish enough to care only about "tempering" and ignore his own life?
Now, to give Zi Yan confidence, Xiao Lin naturally didn't mind revealing a bit of his strength. Moreover, Xiao Lin had no intention of hiding it in the first place. He was out adventuring under the name "Lin Xiao" anyway; why bother hiding his strength?
The one who needed to stay hidden had always been Xiao Lin, not Lin Xiao!
"No wonder you adapted to the spatial tunnels even faster than Old Man Su when we traveled together, Old Man Lin."
"It turns out you're actually a Dou Zong too! And the Dou Qi you just released was clearly a notch stronger than Old Man Su's. I'm so jealous... when will I be able to break through to Dou Zong?"
At this moment, Zi Yan understood many things. She also realized why Old Man Su had dumped her onto Old Man Lin the moment she woke up this time. It turned out the guy was also a Dou Zong!
If he was a Dou Zong, he indeed had the qualifications to take care of her current self.
Thinking back to when she first met Old Man Lin and confidently felt he wasn't qualified to look after her, Zi Yan's small face couldn't help but turn slightly red.
She thought Old Man Lin was just like the other Elders, but she hadn't expected him to be even stronger than Old Man Su!
Since Old Man Lin's temperament suited her perfectly, Zi Yan felt like she had latched onto another "thick thigh" to support her.
Of course, Zi Yan also secretly vowed that once she became stronger and surpassed them in the future, she would become the "thick thigh" for the two of them!
Funnily enough, Xiao Lin—who was currently thinking about relying on his grandson, the Flame Emperor, in the future—originally intended to build a good relationship with Zi Yan to secure a powerful helper for the Xiao Clan later on.
It must be said that these two truly cherished one another (or rather, were two peas in a pod)!
Even their thoughts at this moment were remarkably consistent!
"So? Do you have the confidence to go explore the Black-Corner Region with me now?" Xiao Lin asked with a smile as he watched Zi Yan's gaze gradually become determined.
"Since you're a Dou Zong, Old Man Lin, what is there to fear? Black-Corner Region, here we come! High-tier medicinal herbs and medicinal pills, you better wait for me!"
Thinking of the future where she could sleep amidst a pile of high-tier herbs and pills, the smile at the corner of Zi Yan's mouth could no longer be hidden; she was even starting to drool!
"Alright then, let's go say hello to the Grand Elder, and then we'll set off for the Black-Corner Region!"
After speaking, Xiao Lin and Zi Yan went together to the office of Grand Elder Su Qian. As the actual manager of Jia Nan Academy, Grand Elder Su Qian naturally had an independent office separate from his residence.
When Xiao Lin arrived at Su Qian's office and expressed his intention, the other man was completely stunned. No, he did mean for Lin Xiao to use his Dou Zong strength to lead Zi Yan and help her grow faster.
But that was supposed to be limited to within Jia Nan Academy; he didn't expect the man to be so crazy as to want to go stir up trouble in the Black-Corner Region!
For a moment, even Grand Elder Su Qian's brain experienced a brief stall. It took a while before he finally recovered.
"Old Lin, isn't doing this a bit too risky?" Grand Elder Su Qian asked cautiously.
Although Lin Xiao was currently a Dou Zong powerhouse even stronger than himself, he was still worried about him taking Zi Yan into the Black-Corner Region. Of course, he wasn't worried about Lin Xiao's safety—he was worried about Zi Yan!
Although Zi Yan was special, she was currently only a Da Dou Shi.
The Black-Corner Region was a place that ate people without spitting out the bones. Having raised Zi Yan like his own granddaughter, Su Qian naturally didn't want her to take excessive risks.
As for Xiao Lin, his lips couldn't help but twitch when he heard Grand Elder Su Qian call him "Old Lin." However, since it was a fake name anyway, Xiao Lin didn't mind too much. Rather, Su Qian calling him that was an expression of intimacy.
Since the other man wanted to call him that, Xiao Lin let him be.
However, Xiao Lin remained firm about taking Zi Yan to the Black-Corner Region.
"Grand Elder, rest assured. Since I have the confidence to take Zi Yan there, I naturally have the certainty that I can bring her back completely intact, without a single hair missing!"
"Besides, Grand Elder, don't you think the power in the Black-Corner Region has become a bit too bloated, even threatening the Jia Nan Academy students who go out for training? Elder Huo and his party of five from last time are the best example of this."
Knowing Su Qian's concerns, Xiao Lin wasn't in a hurry and simply tried to persuade him slowly.
"Old Lin, what do you mean?" Hearing Xiao Lin bring up a matter he cared about, Grand Elder Su Qian frowned and asked.
"I believe our Jia Nan Academy should not allow the power of the Black-Corner Region to expand excessively; it is irresponsible toward the lives of our students who go out for training."
"True, the Black-Corner Region can temper students, but once its power becomes too bloated, that 'tempering' might turn into 'sending them to their deaths.' Therefore, I suggest the Academy weaken the strength of the Black-Corner Region every once in a while."
"Keep the power of the Black-Corner Region within a range we can control. That way, when students go there to train, their safety will be better guaranteed, won't it?"
After reflecting for a moment and organizing his words, Xiao Lin shared his thoughts with Grand Elder Su Qian. As Xiao Lin finished speaking, Grand Elder Su Qian's eyes instantly lit up.
It must be said that to Su Qian, Xiao Lin's suggestion truly struck a chord. His heart was instantly moved. After all, this suggestion was indeed made from the perspective of the Academy's development!
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