While the player is in Battle Through the Heavens, the system is in The Great Ruler.

Chapter 183 Xun'er: "Brother Yu, it's been so long..."

"Judging by this momentum, he's probably aiming for the Nine-Star Dou Zong realm. Truly a formidable young man..."

Venerable Tianhuo stroked his beard and sighed deeply, his eyes filled with emotion.

Before he finished speaking, the clear water of the Heavenly Mountain Blood Pool suddenly surged upwards, and then a white figure broke through the water and landed lightly on the rocks by the pool. It was Little Fairy Doctor.

Before she could fully conceal her aura, a powerful pressure far exceeding her previous level naturally spread out, indicating that she had successfully stepped into the Nine-Star Dou Zong realm!

What's even more surprising is that the faint burning sensation that had been lingering in her energy has completely disappeared, replaced by a smooth and clear energy. It's clear that she has completely refined the fire poison in the Tianshan Blood Pool and turned it into her own.

She slowly opened her eyes, a glint of light flashing in them. Feeling the surging power within her, a faint smile appeared on her beautiful face.

Congratulations...

Lu Yu smiled as he looked at the Little Fairy Doctor, whose aura had stabilized, and was about to say something more.

Just then, in another secluded cultivation place, a fiery and vigorous aura also erupted, soaring straight into the sky!

The powerful energy fluctuations attracted the surrounding天地能量 (heaven and earth energy), and the level-five spirit-gathering array that Lu Yu had personally set up shone brightly, gathering a large amount of energy.

At the center of the vortex, a figure in black robes stood proudly in mid-air, surrounded by black and white flames, his aura steadily rising – it was Xiao Yan!

With the abundant energy provided by the Level 5 Spirit Gathering Array and the powerful medicinal effects of the Breaking Emperor Pill he took, he successfully broke through the barrier and reached the Dou Huang realm in one fell swoop!

He slowly opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them. Feeling the battle qi within his body, which was far stronger than before, an excited expression appeared on his face.

"Haha, I've finally broken through!"

"It seems today is a day of double happiness..."

A genuine smile appeared on Lu Yu's face, and he couldn't help but laugh.

The old doctor beside him stroked his beard and smiled, his eyes full of satisfaction, clearly pleased with Xiao Yan's progress.

"Excellent! Your foundation is solid, and your aura is deep and composed. It seems you have refined the medicinal power of that Broken Emperor Pill extremely thoroughly, without blindly pursuing the speed of breakthrough. Very good!"

Yao Chen commented with a smile, his tone filled with undisguised praise.

When ordinary people break through with the help of elixirs, they inevitably leave behind the hidden danger of weak fighting spirit, which requires time to hone. However, Xiao Yan's fighting spirit is exceptionally solid this time.

Clearly, this was the result of intense suppression and careful refinement during the breakthrough process, which greatly pleased his teacher.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yu smiled and nodded. Xiao Yan's situation was different from his; he had broken through to the peak of the mid-stage of the Spirit Realm by consuming three portions of top-grade Spirit-Nourishing Powder.

The medicinal power of this grade eight elixir is immense and difficult to fully digest and absorb in a short period of time. Some of its power will inevitably accumulate in the body and need to be slowly refined over time.

The Breaking Emperor Pill is only a sixth-grade pill, and the medicinal power contained within it is not difficult for Xiao Yan, who possesses multiple different flames, to refine it.

Thanks to the efficient tempering and control of energy by the strange fire, Xiao Yan was able to easily digest and absorb the power of the pills and perfectly transform it into his own fighting spirit.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan walked happily to Yao Lao and Lu Yu. He first bowed respectfully to Yao Lao, saying, "Thank you for your guidance over the years, teacher."

He then turned to Lu Yu, cupped his hands and smiled, "Thank you very much, Brother Lu, for providing the spirit-gathering array and this treasure land."

Lu Yu smiled and shook his head, saying, "It's nothing. I've already taught you how to set up the Spirit Gathering Array. If you need it, you can set it up yourself in the future."

Xiao Yan nodded, feeling the abundant Dou Huang power within his body. His eyes gleamed, and he suddenly looked up at Yao Lao, asking with a hint of anticipation, "Teacher, now that I have advanced to Dou Huang, with the power of the Burning Flame Technique, perhaps I can try to subdue a higher-ranking Strange Flame. I wonder about the Nine Dragons Thunderfire of Burning Flame Valley..."

Before he could finish speaking, the old doctor smiled knowingly and waved his hand to interrupt him: "Hehe, you lad, you have quite the ambition, directly eyeing someone else's Valley-Suppressing Fire."

The old doctor stroked his beard, a look of reminiscence in his eyes: "Don't even think about the Nine Dragons Thunderfire. When I was young, I had the same idea as you and even went to Burning Flame Valley to try it out myself."

His tone carried a hint of regret and helplessness: "But that strange fire has been imprinted with an extremely strong blood soul mark by successive Valley Masters of Burning Flame Valley using secret methods, and it is already connected to the bloodline of Burning Flame Valley. It is impossible to separate and subdue it unless one is a direct descendant of the Tang family or has the unanimous approval of the Valley Master and all the elders. I hit a wall back then, and this matter cannot be forced."

Changing the subject, Yao Lao's eyes gleamed again: "However, we still have to go. Burning Flame Valley still holds a complete version of the Three Transformations of Heavenly Fire. The latter two transformations are exceptionally powerful and will greatly benefit your combat strength. I plan to take you there soon to see if I can use some pills or favors to retrieve those latter two transformations for you."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan's eyes lit up. He had already personally experienced the power of the Heavenly Flame Three Transformations. If he could obtain even more powerful transformations, it would undoubtedly be a huge boost to his strength.

Just as he was about to ask for details, he suddenly sensed several extremely powerful auras coming from the distant horizon, rapidly approaching their location.

Everyone sensed something and looked up. A ripple appeared in the space not far away, and more than ten magnificent black magical beasts suddenly materialized. These beasts had single silver horns on their heads, covered with mysterious patterns, faintly emitting sounds of wind and thunder; their four wings were broad, whipping up gusts of wind with each flap.

As Lu Yu gazed into the distance, he saw a familiar figure in green robes standing alone on the back of the enormous four-winged unicorn at the head of the group. Her graceful figure was none other than Xun'er, whom he had not seen for a long time.

Behind her, several powerful figures stood solemnly like rocks, their sharp gazes fixed on Lu Yu with undisguised scrutiny and cold hostility, as if they harbored an irreconcilable hatred for him for stealing their wife.

However, Xun'er seemed completely oblivious to the piercing gazes behind her. The moment her eyes met Lu Yu's below, her lips unconsciously curved into a slight smile, a faint smile that she only showed when facing him.

In the next instant, she moved slightly, and like a light green leaf, she gracefully drifted down from the sky. Her movements were elegant and composed; her toes lightly touched the ground, and she landed steadily in front of Lu Yu, bringing with her a gentle breeze.

"Brother Yu, it's been a long time."

She spoke softly, a slight smile in her eyes, a smile as gentle as a spring breeze across a lake, rippling softly in her clear eyes.

Under the gaze of countless eyes, some astonished, some angry, and some with complex emotions, the girl slightly raised her bright eyes and quietly stared at the young man who was standing close to her.

When she could clearly see the other person's barely concealed joy at the unexpected reunion, and that rare, slightly stunned expression, she finally couldn't help but smile gently.

That smile was like the only bright moonlight that suddenly bloomed in the boundless silence of the night—cool and pure, yet enough to illuminate all gloom and make everything in the world pale in comparison.

She took two steps forward, extended her fair and delicate hand, and gently touched the top of his head, a soft smile curving her lips. Her usually calm and expressionless eyes were now filled with a clear and captivating smile.

"You've grown a bit taller," she said softly, her tone tinged with nostalgia, as if she could see a glimpse of his former self through his present appearance.

"The same to you……"

Lu Yu finally spoke, his voice gentle, "More than before..."

He paused, as if searching for the right words, and finally just smiled, as if he had said something, but said nothing at all.

In a smile exchanged between them, the years of separation seemed to vanish in an instant. Lu Yu naturally opened his arms, Xun'er paused slightly, then her eyes curved into a smile as she gently nestled into his embrace.

As she gently pressed her cheek against his shoulder, Xun'er closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and was instantly enveloped by that familiar and reassuring scent.

Lu Yu felt the weight and warmth in his arms and couldn't help but grin, carefully wrapping his arms around her. The surging emotions in his heart made his fingertips tremble slightly, but he maintained his usual composure.

He lowered his head slightly and could see her delicate profile and trembling eyelashes. Several years had passed, and the once naive girl had blossomed into a graceful and elegant young woman, so beautiful and refined that he couldn't take his eyes off her for a moment.

However, this heartwarming scene instantly ignited the fury on the back of the monster behind them.

"presumptuous!"

A cold, angry shout suddenly rang out!

A figure, like a black lightning bolt, swooped down from the back of the largest four-winged unicorn, landing heavily beside the two, creating a shockwave.

The newcomer was tall and slender, dressed in a meticulously tailored dark blue satin robe, his black and white hair dancing wildly in the wind. His face was handsome yet unusually cold and stern, especially his eyes, which were as sharp as a hawk's and were now burning with raging anger as he stared intently at Lu Yu, as if he wanted to tear him apart.

"How dare you! You mere ants, how dare you desecrate me..."

Before he finished speaking, Lu Yu didn't even lift his eyelids, but simply flicked his finger casually.

"Om-"

An invisible yet immense force instantly tore through the air, carrying a heart-palpitating pressure, and arrived with a speed beyond visual perception!

"boom!"

The black-and-white-haired figure didn't even have a chance to react. His protective battle aura shattered like paper, and he was sent flying backward as if struck by a heavy blow. He drew a messy arc in the air and finally crashed heavily onto the ground dozens of feet away, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The entire movement was effortless, as if it were merely brushing away a speck of dust.

Seeing this, Xiao Yan crossed his arms and sneered, "What kind of trash is this? How dare you bark at my Brother Lu? You're a piece of trash who can't even catch a finger, yet you want to steal my Brother Lu's woman?"

The scene fell into a deathly silence as all eyes were focused on the ever-calm young man in white. At this moment, though he did not reveal any imposing aura, he seemed like an insurmountable, towering mountain.

Are there such powerful figures outside of this place?

(End of this chapter)