BTTH: Demon Emperor Xiao Yan

"Refine?" Zi Yan's big, dark eyes lit up. "You're an alchemist?"

"Mhm." Xiao Yan flicked his finger. An alchemical cauldron floated out from his storage ring, and then he extended one finger. A wisp of purple-black flame leapt from his fingertip.

When Zi Yan saw the flame, a hint of nervousness flickered in her eyes. She clearly wasn't a fire-type magical beast, so the Nine Nether Illusion Flame triggered a natural wariness in her. But she could also sense that Xiao Yan's flame was far more powerful than the ones used by the old geezers in the alchemy department—meaning he was definitely a high-grade alchemist.

"You'll really help me refine herbs into something tasty?"

"Of course… but not for free." Xiao Yan smiled like a shady uncle tempting an innocent girl with candy. "You'll have to provide the ingredients yourself. And whenever you go herb-hunting in the mountains, you'll take me along. Also, you're not allowed to steal from my stores anymore. Deal?"

"Deal!" Zi Yan agreed without hesitation. With her talent for locating treasures, finding herbs was hardly a problem. Xiao Yan's smile deepened. He wasn't particularly interested in the herbs themselves—he just wanted to build a good relationship with a young Ancient Void Dragon. If she matured, her strength would be terrifying.

"Um… have you ever eaten humans?" Hai Bodong asked hesitantly. He knew many magical beasts had done so before. Xiao Yan might not care, but he personally didn't want to share a roof with a man-eating creature.

"Never. Is human meat tasty?" Zi Yan blinked curiously.

"Not really. Compared to fish, lamb, or pork, it's awful." Xiao Yan shrugged. "Honestly, it tastes worse than the raw herbs you've been chewing on."

"Ugh… then I guess I won't eat it." Upon hearing that, Zi Yan instantly lost interest.

Hai Bodong was just about to ask why Xiao Yan sounded so certain—but when he saw the sly smile on Xiao Yan's face, he decided against it. Something told him that some things were better left unknown… the truth might be scarier than he was prepared for.

"Young Master!" Qing Lin suddenly wrapped herself around Xiao Yan's arm, her voice soft and pitiful. "You're not going to abandon me, right? I'm your most loyal maid, remember?"

"Huh?" Xiao Yan blinked, a bit confused by her sudden outburst. Still, he gently patted her head to reassure her. "Alright, alright, I won't abandon you."

What Xiao Yan didn't realize was that Zi Yan's arrival had triggered a deep sense of insecurity in Qing Lin. Both girls were young and adorable, but Zi Yan was far stronger and even had a rare treasure-sensing talent. Qing Lin, with her long-standing self-esteem issues, instinctively feared being replaced by someone "better."

Simply put—she was jealous. But her childhood of being bullied had trained her to beg and cling when threatened. Once she heard Xiao Yan's promise, she let out a quiet sigh of relief and cuddled up to his palm affectionately. Deep inside, she swore to herself. 'I must get stronger. I must prove I'm useful, so I'll never be cast aside.'

Over the past half-year, Qing Lin had been silently absorbing the power of the Two-Headed Flame Spirit Serpent. Along with her diligent cultivation, she had now reached the level of a Dou Practitioner. The cost, however, was that the serpent's strength had dropped again—now only at the peak of Eight-Star Dou Disciple.

Xiao Yan gave the beast two Purple-Heart Barrier-Breaking Pills, restoring it to the Dou Disciple peak once more. But he wasn't doing this out of kindness—he just wanted its strength to rebound so Qing Lin could keep drawing more Dou Qi from it.

After confirming Qing Lin's progress, Xiao Yan also took some time to guide her in Dou Techniques. Although he hadn't personally practiced the techniques she learned, his own perspective had once reached the Dou Saint peak. With such insight, it was effortless for him to spot and correct every flaw in her movements.

These peaceful teaching days reminded Xiao Yan of the time in his past life when he trained disciples. Still, he had no desire to take on the title of "master" now—and Qing Lin would never agree to call him that anyway. Frankly, Xiao Yan thought: Instead of taking her as a disciple… maybe I should just raise her as an adopted daughter. Though knowing that stubborn girl, she'd probably never accept it.

After finishing the rest of the half-year's worth of alchemy, Xiao Yan also refined a few bottles of medicinal pellets for Zi Yan. These energy pills weren't as complex as true Pills—he just mashed the herbs into round shapes and added some flavoring. They were more like snacks than medicine, requiring almost no skill.

By midday, the pills were ready and handed over to Zi Yan.

Having completed this task, Xiao Yan once again felt the barrier to the Dou Emperor realm. This time, the sensation was even stronger than before. So, after writing a letter and sending it to Jia Nan Academy, he set aside all his affairs and returned to his secluded cultivation room.

No matter what, Zi Yan was technically someone from Jia Nan Academy. If she vanished for too long, the academy would definitely send people to search for her. If they found their way here and caused a misunderstanding, it could lead to unnecessary complications. So Xiao Yan sent the letter in advance to express goodwill and avoid conflict.

"Now then… time to fully focus on breaking through to the Dou Emperor realm." Xiao Yan sat atop the Green Lotus Seat, flicked his finger against his storage ring, and retrieved a vibrant green lotus seed—it was the Earth Flame Lotus Seed, harvested when he first found the Green Lotus Core Flame.

Though he had already reached the barrier, crossing it required a vast amount of energy. This lotus seed, which took a hundred years to form, held astonishing power. With its help, the breakthrough would be far smoother.

Of course, compared to something like a Dou Spirit Pill, the lotus seed wouldn't give him a direct one-star boost. But thanks to its unique qualities, refining it wouldn't leave his Dou Qi unstable from external force. On the contrary, it would temper both his meridians and Dou Qi all over again. That was exactly why Xiao Yan chose to rely on this for his breakthrough to Dou Emperor.

(End of Chapter)

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