With an expression of indifference, Xiao Yan left the hall and, somewhat absent-minded, followed his usual habit of slowly climbing up the family」s back mountain. He sat on the mountainside, calmly gazing at the steep peaks shrouded in mist across from him, where the famous Beast Mountain Range of the Jiamar Empire lay. Where can I find the fastest novel updates? Please recognize this.
"Heh, strength... In this world, without strength, you're even worse than a pile of dog shit. At least, no one dares to step on dog shit!" The boy's self-deprecating laughter, laced with bitterness, echoed softly at the mountaintop.
With his ten fingers buried in his black hair, Xiao Yan bit his lip tightly, letting the faint taste of blood spread at the corners of his mouth. Although he didn」t show any inappropriate emotions in the hall, those words from Nalan Yanran were like knives cutting into his heart, making Xiao Yan tremble all over…
"I don」t want to suffer this humiliation a second time today!" Stretching out his left hand, which had a blood mark on it, Xiao Yan's voice was hoarse but firm.
"Hehe, little kid, looks like you need some help, huh?"
Just as Xiao Yan carved his vow in his heart, an old, eerie laughter suddenly rang in his ears.
His expression changed, and Xiao Yan abruptly turned around, his eagle-like sharp gaze sweeping behind him, but he didn」t find a single shadow...
"Hehe, don」t look for it, it」s on your finger."
Just when Xiao Yan thought it was just an illusion, that eerie laughter rang out again, boundless and unrestrained.
With a narrowing of his eyes, Xiao Yan's gaze suddenly fixed on the black ancient ring on his right hand.
"Are you the one talking?" Xiao Yan forced himself to suppress the terror in his heart and tried to keep his voice calm.
"The little brat has pretty good composure, actually not scared enough to jump down." A mocking laughter echoed from within the ring.
"Who are you? Why are you in my ring? What do you want?"
After a brief silence, Xiao Yan clearly asked the crucial question.
"You don't need to worry about who I am for now; I won't harm you anyway. Sigh, after all these years, I finally ran into someone with a decent soul strength, what luck! Hehe, but I still have to thank the little brat for the past three years of offerings, otherwise, I might still be stuck in slumber."
"Offering?" With a puzzled blink, after a moment, Xiao Yan's small face suddenly darkened, and cold words painfully slipped out from between his teeth: "The Dou Qi that mysteriously disappeared from my body, was it you who did it?"
"Hehe, I was forced into it too, don」t blame me, little guy."
"Fuck your mom!"
Xiao Yan, who usually prided himself on being calm and collected, suddenly erupted like a madman at this moment, his small face twisted in rage. He didn't care that this was a relic left by his mother; without a second thought, he yanked off the ring from his finger and hurled it down the steep cliff with all his might…
The moment the ring left his hand, Xiao Yan felt a rush of clarity in his heart, and he hurriedly reached out to grab it, but the ring had already fallen straight down the cliff…
Staring blankly at the ring that vanished into the mist, Xiao Yan was stunned for a moment, and his small face slowly calmed down, annoyedly patting his forehead: "What an idiot, so reckless, so reckless!"
Just finding out that the culprit behind three years of humiliation was actually the ring he had been wearing all along, it」s no wonder Xiao Yan lost control like this.
After sitting at the edge of the cliff for a while, Xiao Yan helplessly shook his head, got up, turned around, and his eyes widened sharply, his finger trembling as he pointed at the thing in front of him…
In front of Xiao Yan, there was a pitch-black ancient ring hovering, and what shocked Xiao Yan the most was the transparent figure of an old man floating above the ring…
"Hehe, little brat, no need to get so furious, right? It's just that I've absorbed three years' worth of your fighting spirit." The transparent old man grinned as he stared at the dumbfounded Xiao Yan and spoke.
Xiao Yan's lips twitched, his voice holding back anger: "Old geezer, since you」re hiding in that ring, you should know how much mockery I've faced because you absorbed my fighting spirit, right?"
"But during these three years of mockery, you」ve grown, haven」t you? Do you think three years ago you could have had the patience and mindset you have now?" The old man chuckled lightly, not denying it.
Furrowing his brows, Xiao Yan gradually calmed down. After his rage, joy followed; since he had uncovered the mystery of the disappearance of his fighting spirit, then surely his talent must have returned as well!
Just thinking about finally having the chance to shed the title of waste made Xiao Yan's body feel almost reborn with ease, and the annoying old man in front of him didn't seem so hateable anymore.
Some things, you only realize their value when you lose them! Getting them back makes you cherish them even more!
Gently stretching his wrist, Xiao Yan let out a long breath and said while looking up: "Although I don't know who you really are, I want to ask, do you still want to rely on the ring to absorb my Dou Qi in the future? If that's the case, I'd advise you to look for another host because I can't afford to keep you."
"Hehe, not everyone has your strong soul perception," the old man chuckled while stroking his long beard. "Since I've chosen to show myself, I naturally won't absorb your Dou Qi without your permission in the future."
Xiao Yan rolled his eyes and sneered in silence; he had made up his mind that no matter how sweetly this old man talked, he wouldn't let him follow him anymore.
"Hey kid, do you want to get stronger? Do you want to be respected by others?" Even though Xiao Yan had already decided to keep his distance from the old man, these words still made his heart skip a beat.
"Now that I know the reason why the Dou Qi disappeared, do I still need your help to get stronger with my talent?" Taking a slow breath, Xiao Yan said, knowing in his heart that there's no such thing as a free lunch, and accepting the favor of a mysterious person for no reason wasn't a wise decision.
"Little kid, your talent is certainly impressive, but you have to realize that you're already fifteen years old, and your Dou Qi is only at the third stage. I seem to remember hearing that you」re supposed to undergo the adulthood ceremony next year, right? Do you really think you can skyrocket to the seventh stage of Dou Qi in just a year, relying solely on hard work? Plus, you」ve been betting against that girl for three years; her talent isn」t going to be much lower than yours. You think you can catch up to her and surpass her? It」s not going to be that easy." The old man's wrinkled face looked like a blooming chrysanthemum at that moment.
"If it weren」t for you absorbing my Dou Qi, would I have been humiliated like this? You old bastard!" Hitting a sore spot, Xiao Yan's small face darkened again, and he angrily cursed through gritted teeth.
After a round of scolding, Xiao Yan fell into a slump again. At this point, no amount of cursing would help; the foundation of fighting spirit cultivation was crucial. Back when he was four, he practiced for six whole years to reach the ninth level of fighting spirit. Even though his talent had returned now, wanting to cultivate to the seventh level of fighting spirit in just one year was basically impossible…
Sighing in frustration, Xiao Yan glanced at the old transparent man who was pretending to be profound and mysterious. A thought crossed his mind, and he smirked, saying, "You have a way, right?"
"Maybe," the old man replied with a vague, creepy laugh.
"If you help me reach the seventh level of fighting spirit in a year, then we can call it even for the three years of fighting spirit you absorbed from me, how about that?" Xiao Yan asked tentatively.
"Hehe, this little kid is quite the schemer."
"If you」re not gonna help me, then why should I drag a useless burden around? I think you should just find another poor sucker to lean on..." Xiao Yan sneered, and after chatting for a while, he realized that this transparent old man couldn」t just casually absorb someone else's fighting spirit.
"You really don」t look like a fifteen-year-old boy at all. Seems like you」ve grown a lot in these three years. Can I consider this my own karma?" Looking at the slick Xiao Yan, the old man was taken aback, then shook his head with a wry smile.
Xiao Yan shrugged and said nonchalantly, "If you want me to keep supporting you, you need to show some sincerity, don」t you?"
"What a sharp-tongued little brat. Alright, alright, who told this old man he needed something from you, you little rascal?" The old man helplessly nodded, his figure descending to the ground, his gaze sizing up Xiao Yan several times, a devious grin quickly appearing on his face before vanishing. After hesitating for a moment, he seemed extremely reluctant to say, "Do you want to become a pharmacist?"