Jia Nan Inner Academy.
"Hu!"
Xiao Yan let out a long breath, suppressing the restless Dou Qi within him. Just now, he had successfully broken through to the level of a Four-Star Dou Spirit.
Having been in the Inner Academy for nearly two years, he was now somewhat famous within the academy.
"Teacher, Han Feng seems to have disappeared in the Black-Corner Region over the past few years. Finding him will be quite difficult without some influence!"
Xiao Yan snapped out of his cultivation state and communicated with Yao Lao's soul within the black ring.
"No need to rush. With your current strength, even if you find that traitor, you won't be able to defeat him! Let alone seize his Heavenly Flame."
Yao Lao spoke bluntly.
Though his words were a bit discouraging, they were the truth.
From the information Yao Lao had gathered, Han Feng had reached the peak of the Dou Emperor long ago.
Xiao Yan, on the other hand, was only at the Dou Spirit level. Even with the aid of Yao Lao's soul power, he could barely hold his own against a Dou Emperor.
Han Feng, who possessed a Heavenly Flame, was far stronger than the average Dou Emperor, making it impossible for Xiao Yan to defeat him.
"You should leave the Inner Academy in a while!"
Yao Lao suddenly suggested.
"Where to?" Xiao Yan asked, slightly puzzled.
"The Southern Region of Central Plains!"
Yao Lao replied, his tone carrying a hint of nostalgia as he recalled the Falling Star Pavilion, where his old friends resided.
With the help of those old friends, both Yao Lao's recovery and Xiao Yan's progress could be significantly faster.
"Alright!"
Xiao Yan agreed without asking further.
Just then, Xiao Yan received a letter from home, sent by Xiao Ning from the Outer Academy.
"What? Father is missing?"
As Xiao Yan read the contents of the letter, his expression changed dramatically.
During his childhood, when he went from being a genius to a "waste," most people around him mocked and looked down on him.
But his father, Xiao Zhan, never neglected him and always encouraged and supported him.
Xiao Zhan was the person Xiao Yan cared about most in his life.
"I need to hurry back and find my father!"
The letter was instantly crushed in Xiao Yan's hand, and he prepared to leave the Inner Academy.
"Don't panic. Let's first understand what happened."
Yao Lao appeared in time to calm Xiao Yan down.
With Yao Lao's advice, Xiao Yan managed to regain his composure.
Thinking carefully, Xiao Yan realized that his father couldn't have disappeared without reason.
Though Xiao Zhan was a Dou Master, a relatively low level of strength, in a small place like Wu Tan City, there should be no one capable of making him disappear without a trace.
"There must be something suspicious about this!"
Xiao Yan became aware of this.
"Indeed, be careful. I sense that the Jia Ma Empire has not been peaceful lately. As you return, caution should be your top priority!"
Yao Lao warned.
"I understand, teacher. There's no time to lose; I'll request leave from the Inner Academy right away!"
Originally, in the novel, Xiao Yan's father would be taken by the Hun Clan's experts during the Three-Year Agreement. However, due to Gu Fei's protection, their plan was delayed.
But eventually, what was meant to happen, happened.
...
"We're almost at Jia Nan Academy. Zi Yan, do you want to visit it?"
In the Black-Corner Region, after a month of travel, Gu Fei and his group finally returned.
At this moment, they were riding on the back of the Amethyst Winged Lion King, flying through the skies of the Black-Corner Region. The Lion King's massive body, large enough to block out a vast portion of sunlight, immediately attracted a lot of attention.
"Look! What is that?"
"It's a magical beast! And it seems incredibly powerful. It looks like the Amethyst Winged Lion King!"
"Look closely! There seem to be many people on the Lion King's back... Such a powerful magical beast is being used as a mere mount!"
"Who could be powerful enough to make the Amethyst Winged Lion King willing to serve as a mount?"
The appearance of the Amethyst Winged Lion King shocked many experts in the Black-Corner Region, even causing some Dou Emperors to eye it warily.
The Lion King had now reached the level of a Rank Seven Magical Beast. The arrival of such a creature in the Black-Corner Region was enough to cause an uproar.
But in front of Gu Fei and his group, a Rank Seven Magical Beast was nothing significant, so the Lion King was still content to serve as a mount.
"Let's wait until the return trip to visit."
Hearing Gu Fei's words, Zi Yan hesitated for a moment before shaking her head.
"Alright, we'll visit on the return trip!"
"Let's head to the Jia Ma Empire first!"
Gu Fei commanded the Lion King, who then flapped its wings, causing a gust of wind as it flew swiftly toward the Jia Ma Empire.
With the Lion King's current speed, it would only take two or three days to fly from the Black-Corner Region to the Jia Ma Empire.
From the Lion King's back, the surrounding scenery turned into blurred streaks as they rapidly left everything behind. A few days later, they arrived at their first stop, Qingshan Town.
Upon reaching Qingshan Town, the Lion King reverted to human form and landed on the ground, and the group entered the town together.
"So this is Sister Xiao Yi Xian's hometown?"
Zi Yan looked around the town with great curiosity.
"There are quite a few cultivators here, but they all seem strong in appearance yet are actually quite weak," Zi Yan muttered as she walked.
"Zi Yan, not everywhere is like Jia Nan Academy, where geniuses gather. This is where ordinary people live their real lives."
Qing Lin, who came from humble beginnings, understood this well.
"Is that so?"
Zi Yan appeared not to understand fully.
From the time she could remember, Zi Yan had lived in Jia Nan Academy, a place teeming with geniuses. Naturally, she never saw the people who licked blood off the blade's edge.
Later, she followed Gu Fei to the Central Plains, but the areas they visited were mainly large cities with powerful clans, as well as places like Holy Pill City, Ancient Void Dragon Island, and the Gu Realm.
These were all places where the elite gathered, vastly different from Qingshan Town.
Zi Yan was like a princess born with a silver spoon in her mouth, never knowing the taste of simple food.
The strong have their ways of surviving, and the weak have theirs.
Qingshan Town, being close to the Magical Beast Mountain Range, often attracted mercenaries seeking to hunt magical beasts.
Most mercenaries were rough men of limited strength.
Their living conditions were harsh, and they rarely saw beautiful women.
Now, under Gu Fei's leadership, several beautiful women had appeared, immediately drawing the attention of many mercenaries, some even stopping in their tracks to watch.
Cai Lin noticed their gazes and immediately released a cold aura, finding these people filthy.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, Gu Fei subtly released his aura to intimidate the crowd.
Most of the mercenaries were only Dou Practitioners or Dou Masters, and in front of a Dou Venerate like Gu Fei, they were as insignificant as ants.
Feeling Gu Fei's pressure, they quickly averted their gazes and became more disciplined.
This allowed Gu Fei and his group to continue strolling through Qingshan Town without any further trouble.
"Qingshan Town doesn't seem to have changed much since last time," Gu Fei remarked softly.
Xiao Yi Xian arrived with a cheerful heart, but as she walked, she realized there weren't many places she truly missed here.
In fact, recalling her past experiences here, Xiao Yi Xian felt a bit angry.
The only place she truly missed was there.
"Let's go to the little valley!" she suggested.