I and countless versions of myself simultaneously travel through time.

Yunshan gazed at the figure standing with his hands behind his back in the void, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

There was a time when he dared to call her "Little Ye" with an air of seniority, but now, the words on his lips have become "Ye Zi" (Leaf).

It wasn't that he was deliberately trying to please, but rather that the terrifying pressure that crushed the void made him instinctively lower his stance.

This is the truth of the fantasy world: seniority is worthless in the face of strength; might makes right.

Ye Yan's appearance today, tearing through the void to descend above the Yunlan Sect, was so grand and imposing that everyone present swallowed back any reason they wanted to refuse.

"It's a Dou Zun level expert!"

This exclamation was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up ripples.

After the initial uproar, a tidal wave of congratulations followed.

"Congratulations to Sect Master Ye on reaching the Dou Zun realm! With Sect Master Ye in charge, the Yunlan Sect is truly a blessing for the Jia Ma Empire and for us all!" A white-haired old Dou Wang clasped his hands and shouted, his voice booming.

"Sect Leader Ye is a prodigy, having reached the Dou Zun level at such a young age. How many people throughout history have achieved this? Congratulations, Sect Leader Ye!" Another middle-aged Dou Wang dressed in fine clothes followed up with flattery.

"The emergence of a Dou Zun is an unprecedented event in the history of our Jia Ma Empire! Sect Master Ye is mighty!" Congratulations rose and fell, each one more obsequious and louder than the last. Everyone knew that from this day forward, the world of the Jia Ma Empire had completely changed.

Yunshan smiled and agreed, but his gaze involuntarily swept towards Yunyun behind Ye Yan.

His smile froze instantly upon that glance.

Yun Yun's aura clearly indicates that she has already reached the Dou Zong level!

What?

Are there more experts?

"Yun'er, you...you've also broken through to the Dou Zong realm?!" Yun Shan's eyes widened.

He relied on the resources accumulated by the Yunlan Sect over decades and also took advantage of Ye Yan's influence to barely step into the Dou Zong realm.

What about Yunyun?

Just a few days ago he was only a Dou Huang, how did he become a Dou Zong in the blink of an eye?

Yunyun blushed slightly as the teacher stared at her so intently. She lowered her head, twisting the hem of her clothes with her fingers, and stammered, unable to speak.

Yunshan was an old and shrewd man. Seeing his disciple's girlish demeanor and recalling how Ye Yan had been inseparable from Yun Yun these days, he instantly understood seven or eight parts of the situation.

His lips twitched, his heart filled with mixed feelings. Could something like that really improve one's cultivation?

Is there any justice left in this world?

He even wants to be a girl!

Ye Yan noticed Yun Shan's subtle thoughts, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, casting a half-smile at him.

Yunshan blushed, coughed heavily, and waved his hand, "It's nothing, it's nothing, I'm just happy, happy."

Ye Yan withdrew his gaze, surveyed the entire room, and spoke in a voice that, though not loud, clearly reached everyone's ears: "I have invited you all here today to announce something, and I would like to ask you all to join the Ye Alliance."

After he finished speaking, the room fell silent.

"I, Hai Bodong, the Ice Emperor, will be the first to join!" Hai Bodong stepped forward first, his voice booming.

After regaining his Douhuang strength, he became much more energetic, and his gaze towards Ye Yan was full of admiration.

The Ice Emperor's decisiveness caused the others present to hesitate.

They looked at each other, none of them daring to express their opinions easily.

Ye Yan wasn't in a hurry. With a casual wave of his hand, a massive purple-gold winged lion king fell from the void and crashed heavily into the entrance of the Yunlan Sect's main hall.

The aura of a fifth-tier magical beast wafted over, yet it was as docile as a house cat, lying prostrate on the ground, trembling.

"This...this is the Purple-Gold Winged Lion King of the Monster Mountain Range?" Someone recognized the infamous monster.

A dignified fifth-tier magical beast was actually thrown out by Ye Yan like trash and used as a watchdog at the door?

Nalan Jie took a deep breath and stood up: "My Nalan family joins the Ye Alliance."

He is Nalan Yanran's grandfather and a veteran Dou Wang powerhouse in the Jia Ma Empire. This statement carries immense weight.

With the Ice Emperor and Nalan Jie taking the lead, it became even harder for others to refuse. Representatives from the Mittel family, the Mu family, the Gemir family, and other powerful families of the Gama Empire stood up one after another, expressing their willingness to join the Ye Alliance.

Just then, a fragrant breeze wafted by, and several graceful figures descended from the void.

The leader was Queen Medusa, followed by several elders of the snake-people tribe.

The arrival of the snake people surprised everyone present. They were the snake people who had been enemies of humans for generations. Why were they here to join in the fun?

Medusa ignored the wary gazes around her and walked straight to Ye Yan, bowing slightly: "The Snake-People Clan is willing to join the Ye Alliance as a whole. The resources of the Tagor Desert are at the Ye Alliance's disposal."

These words shocked everyone present.

The Snake People have occupied the Tagor Desert for hundreds of years, and countless rare and precious treasures are buried beneath that vast expanse of yellow sand.

Now that even the snake-people have taken the initiative to join them, the Ye Alliance's territory has expanded several times over in an instant.

After a long silence, Jia Xingtian, the representative of the Jia Ma royal family, finally sighed and slowly raised his hand: "The Jia Ma royal family is also willing to join the Ye Alliance."

The situation is settled.

"Uh... I am from the Izumo Empire..." The envoy wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his voice trembling. He was just a nobody sent by the empire to gather intelligence; he had never seen anything like this before. With a Dou Zun in charge, Dou Zong members gathered, and even the entire Snake-People race had pledged allegiance, what right did a mere envoy like him have to refuse?

"My Alchemist Guild..." The vice president next to Fama hesitated before speaking, but was interrupted by Ye Yan before he could finish.

"It's alright, you don't have to join." Ye Yan waved his hand, his tone as casual as if he were commenting on the weather. "People might just disappear someday. I'm a kind person, I never force anyone. You can all take your time to consider it. Join my Ye Alliance and you'll get seventh or eighth-grade pills, or if you don't join... you'll at least get a whole corpse."

As he spoke, the oppressive aura of the Heavenly Realm's soul was inadvertently released for a moment.

The overwhelming and suffocating power of the soul swept across the entire area, causing the expressions of everyone in the Alchemist Guild to change drastically, and they all turned to look at Fama.

Fama took a deep breath, closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, he had made up his mind.

"My Alchemist Guild joins the Ye Alliance." Fama's voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear.

As a fifth-grade alchemist, he knew better than anyone what a Heavenly Realm Soul meant—a terrifying existence capable of refining ninth-grade pills.

Ye Yan's strength might be able to catch up, but no one in the entire Jia Ma Empire can match his level of soul mastery.

Seeing that even the Alchemist Guild had bowed their heads, the envoy from the Izumo Empire dared not hesitate any longer and quickly bowed, saying, "My Izumo Empire also joins the Ye Alliance!"

Ye Yan nodded in satisfaction, and with a wave of his hand, more than a dozen radiant pills flew out of his storage ring and landed precisely in the hands of several Dou Huang powerhouses present.

The Imperial Pill, a sixth-grade elixir, can help a Dou Huang (Battle Emperor) powerhouse increase their star level; each one is a priceless treasure.

Ye Yan casually offered more than a dozen pills, a display of generosity and boldness that delighted everyone present.

"I'll state a few rules for the Ye Alliance," Ye Yan said, standing with his hands behind his back, his voice echoing throughout the hall. "First... second... and finally... those are the rules."

The rules are simple and blunt, yet they hit the nail on the head.

Everyone nodded, secretly calculating which level they would be assigned to.

Ye Yan then took out another pill from his storage ring and threw it at the Purple-Gold Winged Lion King, who was prostrate outside the hall.

As soon as the Transformation Pill entered its mouth, the enormous creature shone with golden light. Its massive body rapidly shrank and transformed within the light. A moment later, a middle-aged man with golden hair and golden eyes knelt on one knee, his face resolute and his demeanor extraordinary.

"Thank you for the pill, Master!" The Purple-Gold Winged Lion King's voice boomed after he transformed, his eyes filled with awe.

Ye Yan nodded and looked up at the sky.

The elixir was successfully refined, and the tribulation lightning arrived as scheduled. Dark tribulation clouds gathered above the Yunlan Sect, with rolling thunder and terrifying power.

Ye Yan remained calm and composed. With a wave of his hand, the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame soared into the sky, blocking all the pill lightning. At the same time, he condensed the prototype of a seventh-grade pill in his hand.

"Seven...seventh grade?!" Fama's eyes widened, and the teacup in his hand fell to the ground with a clatter.

Several elders from the Alchemist Guild even stood up from their chairs, staring in disbelief as Ye Yan calmly refined medicine amidst the lightning tribulation.

There is a vast chasm between the sixth and seventh ranks. For thousands of years, no seventh-rank alchemist has ever appeared in the entire Northwest Continent, but today, they have witnessed one with their own eyes.

When the elixir was completed, thunder scattered.

Ye Yan put away the seventh-grade pill, and the crowd below bowed in unison, their congratulations surging like a tide.

Ye Yan waved his hand, turned around and stuffed a pile of tokens and ledgers into Yun Yun and Yun Shan's hands: "You two handle these trivial matters. I'll just leave it to you."

Yun Yun sighed helplessly, while Yun Shan stood there, holding the pile of things, stunned.

Ye Yan rose into the air and arrived at the summit of Yunlan Mountain.

The mountain wind howled, and the sea of ​​clouds surged.

Medusa was already waiting there, her purple dress fluttering, her serpentine tail gently slapping the rocks.

Yun Yun followed and landed beside Ye Yan. Her gaze met Medusa's in mid-air. A subtle tension filled the air after the battle.

Ye Yan's figure appeared silently in the sky above the Black Corner Domain.

Beneath their feet lay a chaotic and disorderly town, the air thick with a strange stench of pills mixed with the stench of blood.

He looked down and saw Han Feng sitting upright in front of the alchemy furnace, focused on his work, flames surging around him, completely unaware that death was approaching.

The aura of a Dou Zun was released without reservation.

The overwhelming, suffocating pressure descended like the sky collapsing, causing the alchemists within a radius of several miles to change color simultaneously, their pill furnaces crashing to the ground.

"It's a Dou Zun expert! Retreat! Retreat!"

Someone screamed first, and then dozens of figures frantically fled in all directions, wishing they had more legs.

"Since you're already here, stay." Ye Yan's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

He raised his hand, his five fingers loosely clenched, and the power of space erupted instantly.

Spatial strangulation!

Yunshan's classic move after winning the revival match.

An invisible force of strangulation spread through the void. The fleeing alchemists didn't even have time to scream before their souls were forcibly stripped away and turned into wisps of black energy that flowed into Ye Yan's palm.

Han Feng suddenly raised his head, his pupils shrinking sharply.

He sensed that his soul power was being drawn by a terrifying force, as if it would be pulled out of his body at any moment.

"Who...who are you?!"

Ye Yan looked down at him, a cold smile curving his lips: "Soul Hall, disciple of Yao Lao, Xiao Yan."

Before the words were even finished, the entire Black Corner Region began to tremble.

Ye Yan spread his arms, and the power of space surged in all directions like a tide, bringing one town after another under his control.

Under the soul-devouring attack, dozens of cities and tens of thousands of cultivators in the Black Corner Region were all wiped out.

When everything fell silent, this once sinful place had become a dead zone.

"So powerful!!" Ye Yan was overjoyed. He killed evil cultivators and enemies along the way, leaving rivers of blood in his wake.

...

Canaan College.

Xiao Yan was sitting cross-legged in the foot massage room, his internal energy slowly circulating, when suddenly a familiar aura broke through the air and arrived.

Ye Yan landed in mid-air, his robes fluttering. He casually carried a black cloth bundle in his hand, threw it to the ground, and the bundle unfurled, revealing a ferocious-looking head. It was none other than Han Feng from the Black Corner Region.

"By the way, in the Black Corner Region, someone said they used your name to kill Han Feng. Now everyone outside is saying that you, Xiao Yan, are a member of the Soul Hall."

Xiao Yan suddenly opened his eyes, his fighting spirit trembling, almost causing him to fall off the rock: "What?! When did I join the Soul Palace?!"

His eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief.

I'm just a nobody, a mere Dou Shi, I don't even know which way the Soul Hall's gates face, so how did I inexplicably become a member of the Soul Hall?

This person is being unfairly blamed!

Xiao Xun'er was standing not far away, holding a cup of tea. Upon hearing this, the teacup in her hand hovered in mid-air, her red lips slightly parted, and even she, who was usually calm and composed, looked bewildered.

She came from the Ancient Clan, one of the eight ancient clans, and knew the Soul Palace inside and out. It was the most mysterious and ruthless organization on the continent, specializing in capturing the souls of alchemists.

When did Brother Xiao Yan get involved with them?

Then I saw Ye Yan.

Seeing their expressions, Ye Yan burst into laughter, his voice echoing through the mountains: "What a coincidence, what a coincidence, it really was me! But Xiao Yan, you've reached the Dou Shi level so quickly? It seems the pills I gave you worked quite well; my efforts weren't in vain."

Xiao Yan's lips twitched. For a moment, he didn't know whether to question "Why did you impersonate me?" or thank him for the pills.

Just then, the black storage ring on Xiao Yan's finger trembled slightly, and a phantom-like, aged figure floated out—it was Yao Lao. He had heard it clearly from within the ring, and his expression was even more complex than Xiao Yan's.

The old man's gaze fell on the head at Ye Yan's feet. He was stunned for a moment, as if he could not believe his eyes, and then he laughed loudly.

The laughter shook the leaves of the trees on the back hill, causing them to fall in a rustling sound. They laughed heartily, laughing until tears streamed down their faces.

The old apothecary pointed at Han Feng's head, his finger trembling slightly, and his laughter echoed through the sky: "You wicked disciple! You've finally met your match! You've finally met your match!"

As he laughed, his eyes reddened, and his voice choked with emotion.

The disciple he once treated like his own son, whom he had taught without reservation, conspired with the Soul Palace to ambush him for the sake of the Strange Fire and the Burning Technique, destroying his physical body and leaving him only a wisp of remnant soul clinging to life.

He had kept this hatred and resentment in his heart for so many years, and today he finally got his revenge.

Ye Yan stood with his arms crossed, watching Yao Lao laugh heartily, a slight smile playing on his lips.

From then on, Xiao Yan embarked on a fast track of leveling up by taking drugs.

Qi Gathering Powder, Foundation Building Elixir, Three-Pattern Azure Spirit Pill... He consumed the pills Ye Yan sent him like food, and his cultivation level soared, allowing him to sweep aside all opponents along the way.

Fighters, Fighting Masters, and Great Fighting Masters—the barriers of realms are like paper before him.

Several months later, carrying a heavy ruler, Xiao Yan, along with Yao Lao and Xiao Xun'er, embarked on his journey to Canaan Academy with high spirits.

"Yeah, I just happened to be passing by and picked up a Fallen Heart Flame. I still have to go to Zhongzhou afterward. Good luck, these are the resources to reach the peak of Dou Huang. Here you go." Ye Yan casually tossed a storage ring to Xiao Yan.

"Huh?" Xiao Yan caught it with a blank expression, still not recovered from the shock of "the Fallen Heart Flame being taken away casually".

[Xiao Yan, the Chosen One, Daily Feedback on Destiny Points: 120]

Ye Yan looked at the numbers flashing on the panel, then at Xiao Yan, and the more he looked, the more he felt that this kid was a walking treasure, even more valuable than the Burning Blade Technique.

This is the true value of the fantasy world of the Great Thousand Worlds. A future Yan Emperor, who provides more than a hundred Destiny Points every day, is practically a living money printing machine.

"Remember, don't worry about powerful enemies, your brother Ye is behind you. I'm just afraid your strength is improving too slowly." Ye Yan sighed, his tone full of disappointment.

Seeing Xiao Yan's red-rimmed eyes, as if he was about to cry at any moment, Xiao Xun'er couldn't help but gently grasp his hand to assert her ownership. Ye Yan only glanced at it.

Now, Ye Yan's loyalty based on strength has surpassed Xiao Xun'er's romantic feelings. This is not a regret, but rather a great thing!

On the path of cultivation, the Dao heart is of utmost importance; how can one allow tender feelings to ruin one's foundation?

Even if Ye Yan engages in dual cultivation, his goal is to reach the peak. His occasional romantic interactions are merely a way to cultivate tacit understanding, not an indulgence in it.

This isn't a typical urban romance story about college students and office workers going on blind dates; this is a fantasy world where the strong reign supreme and strength is the eternal pursuit.

Romantic relationships should be used as a embellishment, not as the main theme.

Xiao Xun'er was like an incompetent wife at this moment.

Xiao Yan took a deep breath, held back his tears, and nodded solemnly: "Brother Ye, I'll remember."

Ye Yan patted his shoulder, turned around, shattered the void, and disappeared above Canaan Academy.

Ye Yan casually tossed a jet-black Soul Hall branch token to Xiao Yan, saying in a nonchalant tone, "If you really want to join the Soul Hall in the future, take this token; it will make things easier."

After saying that, he turned around, his body surging with black energy, and instantly transformed into the appearance of the Soul Palace's Flame Protector, laughing strangely as he drifted towards the Fallen Heart Flame.

The old apothecary floated out of the ring, his eyes wide: "What? You really want him to join the Soul Hall? I don't want to raise another Han Feng!"

Xiao Yan scratched his head and grinned like Ye Yan, "Hehehe."

The old apothecary slapped him on the back of the head: "Fuck your mother! Get back to cultivating properly!"

"Hey, what are you doing?"

Yao Lao tapped Xiao Yan on the head with a look of exasperation: "You need to be more rational! Everyone else has already reached the Dou Zun level, and you've only reached the Dou Shi level after consuming so many top-tier resources in a month. Why don't you reflect on yourself? Your cultivation hasn't improved at all after all these days."

Xiao Yan's eyes widened, his face full of grievance: "One month as a Dou Shi isn't enough? How am I supposed to be rational?!"

The old doctor shook his head and sighed, "It's simply not good enough for Zhongzhou. If you're weak, you need to practice more. When I was alive, I was a Nine-Turn Dou Zun."

"But you're dead."

The old medicine doctor: "..."

"Oh dear, I'm just being cheeky."

My Nine-Turn Douzun Master

...

"Who goes there?!" Su Qian instantly became alert, his fighting spirit surging, unleashing the aura of a three-star Dou Zong.

"Soul Palace, Xiao Yan."

Ye Yan held the Xuanzhong Ruler in his hand, took a slow step forward, black energy swirling around him, and a half-smile played on his lips.