Chapter 559: Chapter 349 Three Souls Connected Together_2
In this Beast Kingdom, fortunately, there were only beasts. In the end, if they couldn’t manage themselves in the cities, they could choose to return to the forest and unleash their beast instincts. Then, they could revert to their original form.
When Yan Xiaobao returned to the Capital, he was excited and hopeful, fervently wishing that Wan Qiao’s mood would be cheerful. He couldn’t help but wonder what kind of training awaited him now.
Although Yan Xiaobao was happy to follow the training arranged by Lan Feng’s caretaker, he couldn’t suppress the peculiar feeling as though someone was tugging at his soul; as though he had missed something entirely apparent.
Yan Xiaobao shook his head and mocked himself. Even if something seemed amiss, he couldn’t shake the feeling that eventually, he would understand what was happening. Either way, worrying about such feelings wouldn’t benefit him. He couldn’t afford to concentrate on things he didn’t understand. He needed to grow stronger, tougher, so strong that he could return to the Sun Kingdom; strong enough to see his friends who he missed dearly.
When Yan Xiaobao arrived at the palace, he was stopped by a pair of guards. The two guards were pleased to see Yan Xiaobao return safely yet another time. While they wished to block his entry and ensure he couldn’t enter the palace, they knew full well that he was Wan Qiao’s personal guest. Denying him entry was extremely risky, as they would likely face punishment from their mistress — punishments that ranged from lashes to being personally torn apart by her. Though they were strong beasts, Wan Qiao’s strength easily surpassed any beast within the Divine Domain; everyone feared her wrath.
As the two guards glared at Yan Xiaobao, they had no choice but to step aside for the white-haired, slightly disheveled young man. At every turn in Wan Qiao’s chambers, the guards who encountered Yan Xiaobao stared at him intently, but none dared to act beyond that. Each of them held tremendous respect for Wan Qiao.
Yan Xiaobao paid no attention to the guards. His only focus was meeting Wan Qiao to prove he had returned on time. Once that was done, he hoped to return to the training grounds. Reflecting on it, every time Yan Xiaobao thought of the friends waiting for him, his chest tightened with pain. They had been waiting for well over a year. The young man couldn’t help but wonder whether they would continue waiting for him.
Clenching his teeth, he saw Wang Julong’s figure in front of him. However, as always, she would turn her back and walk away from him, leaving his heart trembling in agony. Her retreating figure left him feeling restless and anxious, worried that it may become reality. Nearly panicking, he hastened towards Wan Qiao’s quarters.
Upon arriving at his destination, Yan Xiaobao knocked forcefully on the door. "Enter." A voice from inside answered, and Yan Xiaobao stepped into the room to present himself.
Yan Xiaobao had expected Wan Qiao to be alone in the room, but he quickly discovered Li Meilin was accompanying her. The two women were speaking in hushed tones. Upon his entrance, they halted their conversation and turned their gazes toward him. Li Meilin’s surprise was evident in her eyes — it was clear she hadn’t expected the young man to return on time. While surprise was plainly visible in Li Meilin’s expression, satisfaction was written across Wan Qiao’s face.
"Welcome back, my little beast," Wan Qiao said with a smile as she looked at Yan Xiaobao. When she had first taken him under her wing, he had been a blank slate, filled with immense potential yet in disarray. But now, as she gazed at him, she saw a young man who exuded strength. His cultivation foundation seemed no longer uneven or erratic; instead, it was evidently stable. The young man carried a certain arrogance and confidence that he had never displayed before. Witnessing this transformation, Wan Qiao could easily envision him as the perfect pillar of stability.
"I will need to discuss those mysterious phenomena with you later," Wan Qiao said, intentionally avoiding elaborate details because she didn’t want anyone else to discover the secrets hidden within Yan Xiaobao — particularly the woman who represented another Empire here.
Yan Xiaobao understood her meaning and bowed slightly to the two women before stepping out of the room, heading towards the quarters previously assigned to him.
After returning to the Capital, Yan Xiaobao had traveled day and night, incessantly engaging in battles until he finally returned. On his return journey, Yan Xiaobao spent time becoming more accustomed to his newfound power, though he lacked the time to formally cultivate.
Typically, during his travels, he would dedicate each night to cultivation, but this time, fearing punishment for his lateness, he knew he couldn’t spare the time to cultivate.
Now that he had returned, it was finally time for him to resume cultivation.
Entering his room, he found that none of his belongings had been touched during his absence. This gave him a sense of relief, as he had worried the guards might seek vengeance. But it seemed he had misunderstood them. While they might loathe him, they wouldn’t stoop to such low measures.
Yan Xiaobao shut the door, sat on the bed, and began steady breathing exercises. A faint, involuntary smile appeared on his face as a soothing calm enveloped him. His consciousness entered his Lower Dantian, where his two beasts — a wolf and a bird — awaited.
Yan Xiaobao let out a deep sigh and began roaming through each meridian, including his Dantian People and veins, to inspect any significant changes within his body. He realized the energy he had absorbed was far stronger than the energy belonging to the Middle Dantian; however, no matter how thoroughly he searched, he was utterly unable to locate even a trace of this astonishingly powerful force. He recalled this force from the laws and realms he resided in — a power known as the Ancestor World’s Great Might.
Failing to uncover any indications of this immense force, Yan Xiaobao could only sigh and return to his Lower Dantian to begin cultivating. As he cultivated, he fell into a deep trance. While engrossed in this trance, the blue clouds from one of his Dantian caves began to stir into action.
The cloud left the cave, encircling the unconscious young man. A thin white mist began emerging from his body, condensing into a dense fog from every vein and pore. The mist gradually transformed from white to the grand blue spectacle of a starry sky. Stars shimmered brilliantly within the expanse, their golden radiance glinting magnificently. Soon, one by one, the stars touched Yan Xiaobao’s forehead and then slowly dissolved. Immersed in cultivation, Yan Xiaobao was oblivious to everything. The only change he felt was a slight increase in cultivation speed, but he deemed investigating it unnecessary.
After hours of cultivation, every star had been absorbed into his forehead. Yan Xiaobao opened his eyes, furrowing his brows slightly as he wondered what he had just experienced.
Seeing no apparent difference from usual, he shrugged and concluded that he’d find out later whether it mattered. He rose and returned to Wan Qiao’s quarters, knocking on her door once again. As before, her voice called for him to enter.
This time, the room was empty except for Wan Qiao. Upon seeing Yan Xiaobao arrive, she smiled faintly, though the smile was far from comforting. Yan Xiaobao had long understood that Wan Qiao’s smile often signaled danger. Whether she had arranged for him to fight against another extraordinarily powerful opponent or had concocted a new way to torment him, the threat lingered beneath her pleasant demeanor.
Although she sought to shape him into a steadfast pillar, Wan Qiao couldn’t help but think of Lan Feng whenever she looked at the young man, a memory that left her profoundly bored. Fortunately, she had long mastered the art of merging her desire to torment him with her intention to teach him. She felt immense joy crafting training regimens for him from Hell itself. What she hadn’t anticipated was the young man’s unshaken adherence to her schedule—following it to the letter. While she harbored distaste for Blue Phoenix, she felt pride and maternal affection toward Yan Xiaobao. Eventually, she abandoned her desire for revenge against the bird, focusing instead on honing the skills of this gifted young man.
"Come in and sit," Wan Qiao said cheerfully upon seeing Yan Xiaobao. She gestured to the chair where Li Meilin had sat earlier. At her instruction, Yan Xiaobao sat down, his face showing a gentle smile. He knew Wan Qiao was rigorous in training him, yet he yearned deeply to reunite with his friends and family.
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