Reaching the pinnacle from Doupo

Chapter 548 Reunion with Yao Lao, Xiao Yan's Advancement
The atmosphere in the astral realm was peaceful.

Although the alien space where the Starfall Pavilion is located cannot compare to the Small Pill Tower in size, it is still large enough to accommodate hundreds of thousands of people. Moreover, since it is naturally formed, its space is exceptionally stable and does not require regular maintenance by powerful individuals, making it a true paradise.

Compared to a few years ago, the Star Realm today has a completely new feel.

Some of the rugged mountains in the world have been carved out and built into clusters of magnificent buildings, with a constant flow of people coming and going, making it seem exceptionally lively.

On the vast plaza at the edge, numerous disciples of the Starfall Pavilion were practicing and exchanging skills.

Within those massive mountain peaks in the center, numerous powerful auras emanated, each one possessing a strength no less than that of a Dou Zun.

This level of strength far exceeds the scope of the Four Pavilions.

Compared to the Starfall Pavilion, the other three pavilions, which are also part of the Four Directions Pavilion, are only famous among ordinary people; in terms of actual strength, they are practically nothing special.

Meanwhile, a considerable voice has recently emerged among the Star Domain Pavilion's higher-ups that they are no longer satisfied with the title of 'one of the four pavilions'.

Suddenly, a streak of icy blue light flashed out from the entrance with a "whoosh," tearing through the sky with tremendous force and heading straight for the main peak at the center of the star realm.

As this streak of light appeared, angry shouts suddenly resounded from the mountains within the astral plane.

"Who dares to trespass into my sect's star realm?"

Immediately, more than ten figures exuding the aura of Dou Zun appeared mysteriously above the main peak amidst the whooshing sounds of wind being cut through, and then shouted in unison: "Condense—"

In an instant, a strange wave spread out like lightning.

Under this fluctuation, the space around the main peak instantly solidified, transforming into an indestructible spatial barrier that blocked the icy blue light.

However, the stream of light not only continued, but its speed suddenly increased.

Under the astonished gazes of many, it broke through the solidified space without any hindrance, then disappeared mysteriously. The next instant, the figure shrouded in azure light appeared like a ghost behind those Dou Zun.

These horrified Battle Venerables were about to turn around when they were horrified to find that the space around them had been solidified, and they were completely unable to move.

"A... a half-saint level expert?!"

Sensing the aura emanating from the light and shadow, the gray-robed elder leading the group, an eight-star Dou Zun level expert, spoke with barely concealed shock.

Such a powerful aura, he had only ever felt from the Pavilion Master before!

Lin Yuan's gaze swept around, and the somewhat aged voice, disguised as it was, accompanied by the powerful aura of a half-saint, echoed throughout the entire star realm: "Old ghost Yao Chen, an old friend has come to visit, shouldn't you come out and greet him personally?!"

Before he finished speaking, the space in front of Lin Yuan rippled, and then an old figure slowly emerged. It was none other than Yao Lao, whom he had not seen for several years.

With the appearance of the old doctor, the solidified space around him quickly returned to its original state.

"I've met the Pavilion Master!"

Upon seeing Elder Yao appear, the members of Xingyun Pavilion quickly bowed and respectfully greeted him.

Most of the time, Master Yao is in seclusion and doesn't show his face often. Therefore, in the eyes of these people, he is a very mysterious figure. They never expected that the Pavilion Master would personally show up to "welcome" this mysterious person today.

The old apothecary casually waved his hand, indicating that everyone should dispense with formalities, but his gaze, filled with doubt and surprise, fell directly on the light and shadow in front of him.

The elaborate illusions they created could not escape his notice.

That's why Elder Yao was so puzzled—what was Lin Yuan up to this time?; and so astonished—this kid had actually broken through to the Half-Saint realm?!
Of course, although he was a little confused, he wouldn't be foolish enough to undermine Lin Yuan.

"Hehe, it's an old friend! Forgive me for not welcoming you sooner!" Old Yao laughed heartily, raising his hand in an invitation: "If you don't mind, please come with me to the back mountain for a chat, and let me treat you well as a true host..."

"Then I'll have to trouble you to entertain me, old friend!" Lin Yuan nodded slightly, then transformed into a streak of light and flew towards the stone tower rich in star power.

"An old friend has come to visit, everyone, there's no need to be nervous... Disperse!"

The old doctor waved his hand, gave a casual instruction to everyone, and then moved, following Lin Yuan towards the stone tower.

After the two disappeared from everyone's sight, lively whispers arose among the crowd below.

"I wonder which powerful figure has come to visit?"

"Hehe, judging from the voice just now, that person must be quite old... He's an old friend of the Pavilion Master, so he must be several hundred years old, right?"

"That person's aura is so strong, he must be a half-saint level expert."

"So it's a semi-saint level expert who has come to visit... The Pavilion Master's circle of friends is indeed extensive; he truly deserves to be the number one alchemist on the continent!"

"If only that semi-saint powerhouse could join my Starfall Pavilion..."

"Indeed, if our Starfall Pavilion could gain another half-saint, its prestige would surely surpass the two sects and rival that of the Palace and the Tower!"

"Speaking of which, shouldn't we change the name of our Star Domain Pavilion? There are still quite a few people outside who think we are at the level of the Four Pavilions... Tsk, what level are the Wind and Thunder Pavilion, the Myriad Swords Pavilion, and the Yellow Springs Pavilion? Do they even deserve to be on par with our Starfall Pavilion?"

"Same here! Speaking of which, the Four Directions Pavilion Conference is about to be held. Do you think there's anyone who can rival the Young Pavilion Master this time?"

"Of course not, Young Master's strength is truly too great!"

"A few days ago, I saw the young master and Elder Huang sparring. Their strength... Feng Qing'er, who competed with the young master for the championship last time, probably won't even be able to last a single move this time!"

"Hiss, Elder Huang, isn't that a Dou Zun expert?"

"That's right, now you know how strong the young master is, right? He's a disciple of the Medicine Saint!"

"Alas, Master, if only you could take on a few more disciples..."

"Don't even dream about it. With our talents, do you think we can catch the eye of the Pavilion Master? Even if he were to take on more disciples, he would only take on geniuses like Junior Sister Youquan... As for us, well, we should be thanking our lucky stars if we could even become disciples of a Dou Zun Elder!"

"Junior Sister Youquan...tsk, a four-star Grand Dou Master at the age of thirteen, her cultivation talent is no less than that of the Young Master!"
-
"Such pure stellar power! No wonder it can construct this stable alternate dimension of the astral plane!"

At the top of the stone tower, Lin Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the black stone platform before him with great interest. Sensing the vast stellar energy concentrated within it, he couldn't help but marvel.

Thanks to the Three Thousand Burning Flames, even without using his soul power to probe, he could keenly sense the flow of star power in this place.

It could be said that this stone tower was the core of the entire star realm. At this moment, Yao Lao's gentle voice, tinged with a hint of mockery, came leisurely from behind Lin Yuan: "Young Lin, no matter how much you like this Starfall Platform, I can't give it to you."

"The place where the Starfall Pavilion was built was originally a meteorite from outer space."

"The stellar power contained within that meteorite, after countless years of sedimentation, remains condensed and does not dissipate; instead, it perfectly merges with the ley lines of this place. The Star Boundary is a space constructed using this immense stellar power, and the Meteorite Platform is the central hub of the entire Star Boundary's ley lines!"

After a brief pause, Yao Lao's voice became more solemn: "Once we lose the Starfall Platform as the central node, the entire Star Boundary may completely collapse and turn into nothingness."

"Hehe, Senior Yao, you're overthinking it!" Lin Yuan turned around, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"I'm just curious and want to explore the mysteries of this place... After all, this kind of naturally formed alternate dimension is much rarer than the alternate dimensions created by Dou Sheng powerhouses."

"I hope you will not take offense if I have offended you."

"It's alright, taking a look won't cost us anything!" Old Yao waved his hand and said calmly.

"If you need it, I can teach you all the tricks of using the power of stars to set up formations and create spaces..."

"After all, I really should thank you properly."

"Xiao Yanzi told me everything that happened in the Tianyun Mountains more than half a year ago after he came back!"

"Whether it's sharing the improved version of the Three Lights Seal Technique and the Heavenly Capital Fire Manual, or taking care of Xiao Yanzi, I owe you a debt of gratitude... Especially the latter, if you hadn't helped Xiao Yanzi cover up the traces of the strange fire, he might have really encountered some danger."

"That boy is usually calm and reliable, but when it comes to Xun'er, he easily loses his mind and acts impulsively!"

"It was nothing, senior, you don't need to worry about it." Lin Yuan shrugged and said quietly, "On another note, impulsiveness... isn't that the spirit and style that young people should have?"

"Hehe, 'young man'?" The old man carefully examined Lin Yuan for a moment, his eyes filled with scrutiny and doubt. He then shook his head and laughed, "The tone of your voice is almost the same as this old man's... If I remember correctly, you and Xiao Yanzi are the same age, right?"

At this point, he looked at Lin Yuan meaningfully: "On another note, your strength is far beyond the level of a young person. You broke through to the Half-Saint level in just a few years?!"

Even in her gentle voice, a hint of surprise and astonishment still lingered.

As a half-saint who had only broken through a few years ago, Yao Lao was well aware of how difficult it was for ordinary people without bloodlines to break through to the saint realm. Countless geniuses were stuck at this hurdle until their deaths.

Even he himself, if he hadn't gone through a life-or-death ordeal, probably wouldn't have been able to break through the bottleneck.

However, this young man whom I have known for a long time seems to have no bottlenecks on his path of cultivation. He crossed the Holy Realm barrier in less than a year since the incident at the Tianyun Mountains.

Such astonishing speed is something even those with divine bloodlines would find difficult to achieve!
Moreover, upon closer inspection of Lin Yuan's aura, it was clear that he had not just broken through, but had already entered the intermediate half-saint realm, just like himself.

How on earth did they do that?!

Even with Yao Lao's temperament, he couldn't help but be curious about Lin Yuan's cultivation secrets.

"You flatter me, senior. It was just a fluke!" Lin Yuan said, revealing a smile that reminded Yao Lao of himself. He then asked, "Senior, haven't you also made rapid progress? If my perception is correct, you're probably only one step away from becoming a high-level half-saint, aren't you?!"

As Lin Yuan had predicted, Yao Lao, who already possessed profound knowledge and skills, entered a period of rapid growth after successfully breaking through the bottleneck of the semi-saint realm.

In less than three years, he has improved to his current level, and his aura is not much weaker than that of the Heavenly Nether Demon.

"Just a fluke!" Yao Lao thought to himself with a sense of pride, but his face remained expressionless. He waved his hand and said, "Your Fire Saint Yuan Mirror has helped me a lot these past few years... This technique is indeed extremely effective for cultivation before becoming a Dou Sheng."

After saying that, he gently shook his head, changed the subject, and brought it back to the main point: "Speaking of which, you never come here unless you have a reason. Is there something you need this time?"

Lin Yuan nodded slightly, "There is indeed something, but..."

As he spoke, he glanced around at the monotonous surroundings and said with a playful tone, "Let's find another place to talk! After all, this isn't a suitable environment for entertaining guests... Senior, you should at least choose a better place to show your hospitality, shouldn't you?"

Having seen the Starfall Platform that piqued his interest and figured out the structure of the astral plane's atmosphere, Lin Yuan had lost much of his enthusiasm for this place.

"Haha, that's right!" The old doctor nodded and said with a smile.

"Come with me to the secluded cultivation spot in the back mountains. The scenery there is quite beautiful. After we finish our business, we can have a long-awaited discussion about the Dao and exchange ideas on alchemy..."

"There aren't many people at our level in the entire Dou Qi Continent, so it's always a good thing to exchange ideas!"

"Just what I wanted!" Lin Yuan nodded slightly and replied with a smile, "Let's call Brother Xiao over too. I have a letter to give him. It was asked to be brought to me by an unexpected old friend... That guy, he's got quite the luck with women!"

"An old friend of Xiao Yanzi? A lucky charm?" Yao Lao raised an eyebrow, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes, but he didn't ask any more questions. "Alright, let's go to the back mountain first."

As he spoke, he flicked his sleeve, tearing open a spatial rift.

With a flash, Yao Lao stepped inside, followed closely by Lin Yuan. The two figures quickly disappeared into the crack.
-
Behind Xingyun Pavilion lies a rather secluded valley.

"This is... Sister Yafei's letter?"

Upon receiving the letter from Lin Yuan and hearing that familiar name, Xiao Yan suddenly felt as if he had been transported to another world, so he quickly opened the letter to read it.

The friendship forged in his humble beginnings is the one he cherishes most.

Over the years, especially after entering Zhongzhou, many talented women have had feelings for him. Among them are a few who are beautiful and have strong talents and cultivation, but most of them are just passersby and few can enter his heart.

On the contrary, women like Ya Fei, whom he had feelings for when he was still young, were particularly unforgettable to Xiao Yan, even if they were not particularly talented.

Seeing this, Lin Yuan's eyes flashed with a thoughtful look, and he gained a better understanding of Xiao Yan's personality.

As for Xiao Yan's cultivation level, he already knew it—peak of Dou Zong!
"In just over half a year, he has improved his cultivation to the fifth level of Dou Zong?" Lin Yuan turned his gaze to the old man sitting opposite him, thinking to himself, "It seems that Elder Yao has lifted the restrictions on pills and has begun to use alchemy to directly help Xiao Yan improve his cultivation!"

"That makes sense. He was cautious about using pills to improve Xiao Yan's cultivation because he was afraid that overuse of pills would become an obstacle for Xiao Yan to break through to the Dou Sheng realm in the future."

"But if Xiao Yan can obtain Xiao Xuan's bloodline inheritance, breaking through to Dou Sheng will be a piece of cake."

"Under these circumstances, Elder Yao will naturally change his training strategy—to improve Xiao Yan's cultivation level and prioritize ensuring that the latter can successfully inherit Xiao Xuan's bloodline, which is the best course of action!"

"With his near-ninth-grade alchemy skills, helping Xiao Yan improve his cultivation would be incredibly easy."

After a brief analysis, Lin Yuan had a general understanding of Xiao Yan's situation.
(End of this chapter)