"You are not bad yourself, a Three-Star Dou Huang. It seems the life creation pill had decent results."

Mu Qingluan nodded vigorously, her eyes filled with gratitude and admiration: "It is all thanks to Senior Brother!"

"If not for the Medicinal Pill you left behind and the energy that dissipated during this seclusion, I fear I would still be stuck at the Peak Dou Wang stage for a long time."

Qing Xuan looked at Xiao Qing with a glint of something different in her eyes. She had let go, setting aside the pride that belonged to a queen.

Rather than trying to catch up to Xiao Qing, it was better to follow in his footsteps; after all, he was a freak who could not be measured by conventional logic.

Zi Yan, who had been waiting for a long time on the side, stepped forward and circled around Xiao Qing, saying happily: "Xiao Qing, you have become so powerful!"

"You are the second most powerful person I have ever met!"

The first most powerful was naturally Yao Chen, the Nine-Star Dou Saint.

"Is that so?" Xiao Qing patted Zi Yan's head, chuckled, and said.

"Then you can cultivation diligently in the future and become the third most powerful person!"

Just then, Venerable Feng seemed to receive some kind of message. His expression shifted, a smile appearing on his face as he said to Xiao Qing: "Xiao Qing, your timing for coming out of seclusion is perfect."

"An honored guest has arrived. Your teacher was just receiving him, and this honored guest specifically asked to meet you by name."

"An honored guest?" Xiao Qing said with some confusion.

Who could it be that would make his teacher, Yao Chen, personally receive them, and specifically ask to see him?

"It is that Old Ancestor from Burning Flame Valley,"

Venerable Feng lowered his voice, his tone carrying a hint of solemnity.

'I did not expect Ancestor Huo Yun to come in person.'

Xiao Qing understood in his heart.

It seemed that after Tang Zhen returned, he had indeed reported the situation, and Burning Flame Valley's reaction was even faster and more direct than he had anticipated.

A Dou Sheng personally visiting; this carried significant weight.

Starfall Pavilion, Main Hall.

When Xiao Qing stepped into the magnificent hall, he immediately felt two powerful gazes land upon him.

On the main seat, Yao Chen was sitting opposite an old man dressed in simple hemp clothing, chatting and laughing.

The old man in hemp clothing had a withered face and a thin, small frame; at first glance, he looked like an old farmer from the countryside.

But Xiao Qing's Spirit Realm Great Perfection soul Power could clearly perceive it.

Beneath this seemingly ordinary body lay a terrifying amount of energy, like an active volcano that had been dormant for ten thousand years.

Although his aura seemed somewhat stagnant and unsmooth, clearly indicating that old injuries had not yet healed, the essence belonging to the Dou Sheng level was undeniable.

This person was none other than the pillar of Burning Flame Valley, Ancestor Huo Yun.

In the lower seat, Tang Zhen of Burning Flame Valley sat upright with a serious expression.

Seeing Xiao Qing enter, he immediately cast a complex gaze his way.

That gaze contained curiosity, inquiry, and even a hint of indescribable anticipation and faint excitement.

"Disciple, you have arrived."

Yao Chen saw Xiao Qing and waved with a smile.

"Come quickly and greet Senior Fire Cloud from Burning Flame Valley."

Xiao Qing walked forward steadily to the center of the hall, bowed neither humbly nor arrogantly to Ancestor Huo Yun, and said:

"Junior Xiao Qing greets Senior Fire Cloud."

Ancestor Huo Yun's eyes, which looked cloudy but seemed to have magma flowing in their depths, instantly locked onto Xiao Qing.

His gaze was like a physical substance, carefully scrutinizing Xiao Qing from head to toe, as if he wanted to see through every inch of his body and every part of his soul.

After a while, a smile appeared on his face that seemed kind but carried deep meaning: "Hmm, no need for formalities. Truly, heroes come from the youth; you are a man of remarkable talent."

"Yao Chen, you old fellow, your luck is truly enviable to have taken on such a good disciple."

He shifted the topic seemingly casually, his gaze still lingering on Xiao Qing's face, his tone carrying a hint of inquiry:

"Young friend Xiao Qing, you are young, yet not only has your cultivation progressed rapidly,"

"What is even rarer is that your control over the Dao of flame has reached the Realm of Perfection state, and you were even able to subdue the Eight Desolations Destruction Flame."

"I wonder, besides Yao Chen's teaching, does young friend have any other masters, or..."

"Encountered any special opportunities?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the hall stagnated for a moment.

Yao Chen's eyes flickered; he picked up his teacup and took a gentle sip without speaking immediately.

Venerable Feng also restrained the smile on his face, his gaze moving between Ancestor Huo Yun and Xiao Qing.

Xiao Qing was crystal clear in his heart; he knew the real meat of the matter had arrived.

His expression was calm and waveless. Meeting Ancestor Huo Yun's gaze, he frankly said: "Senior, you flatter me."

"Junior was just lucky. I accidentally obtained some insights left behind by predecessors and explored cultivation on my own. I only have a superficial understanding of flames and truly do not deserve such praise from Senior."

"Hehe, young friend is too modest." Ancestor Huo Yun smiled.

He no longer beat around the bush. He leaned forward slightly, his cloudy eyes becoming incredibly profound.

Ancestor Huo Yun stared intently at Xiao Qing's eyes, as if wanting to look straight into the depths of his soul.

Immediately after, he spoke, each word distinct. His voice was not loud, but it struck everyone's heart like a heavy hammer:

"I have cultivated for many years and am particularly sensitive to the aura of flames."

"On your person, young friend, I seem to have sensed a trace of..."

"A very ancient aura that I find exceptionally familiar."

He paused, his tone deepening, and clearly spat out that sentence: "That aura, if I have not sensed it incorrectly, should originate from an ancient clan that has long been buried in the long river of history, one that once shook the continent... the Xiao Clan!"

"I wonder, young friend, what connection you have with that Xiao Clan from a thousand years ago?"

"The Xiao Clan?!"

These two words were like a thunderclap, exploding in the hall.

A look of astonishment instantly appeared on Venerable Feng's face. Although he knew Xiao Qing came from the Xiao Family.

He had only thought it was a coincidence of names and had never dared to think of the legendary Xiao Clan, one of the Ancient Eight Clans.

Tang Zhen subconsciously held his breath, his hands gripping the armrests of his chair involuntarily, nervously waiting for Xiao Qing's answer.

As for Yao Chen, no look of surprise appeared in his eyes at all.

From the first time he appeared in the Xiao Family and met Xiao Qing, he had sensed the Dou Di bloodline that only belonged to the Ancient Emperor Clan on Xiao Qing.

At this moment, inside the hall, everyone's gaze was firmly focused on Xiao Qing, waiting for his answer.

Xiao Qing was silent for a moment.

His mind raced as he quickly weighed the pros and cons.

Judging from the attitudes of Yao Chen and Venerable Feng, as well as Tang Zhen's previous performance, the relationship between Starfall Pavilion and Burning Flame Valley was indeed good, and both had a common stance of opposing the Soul Hall.

Now that Ancestor Huo Yun, a Dou Sheng, had come in person and raised this question straightforwardly.

Clearly, he was not here to cause trouble; it was more of a confirmation and a paving of the way for a subsequent alliance.

He slowly raised his head, his gaze clear and steady, meeting Ancestor Huo Yun's gaze that seemed able to see through everything, and replied in a steady voice: "I dare not hide anything from Senior."

"Junior Xiao Qing, I indeed come from the Northwest Continent, a small place called Wutan City in the Jia Ma Empire. My Clan is the Wutan City Xiao Family."

He paused and continued:

"According to the scattered records in our Xiao Family genealogy, our Clan ancestors did indeed migrate from the Central Plains."

"But it has been a long time, and the heritage has been cut off many times; there are no clear records in the Clan regarding the specific origins of our ancestors."

"As for the ancient Xiao Clan that Senior mentioned..."

"Before this, I had only seen a few words in some extremely ancient texts and did not dare to confirm what connection it had with my Xiao Family."

He did not directly admit that he carried the Xiao Clan bloodline, but he did not completely deny it either.

He provided key information such as "Wutan City Xiao Family" and "ancestors originated from the Central Plains."

This answer, for Ancestor Huo Yun and Tang Zhen, who had already sensed something through secret techniques and knew the inside story, was equivalent to a confirmation!

Wutan City Xiao Family!

Named Xiao!

Ancestors from the Central Plains!

Plus that trace of unique aura belonging to the Xiao Clan's Dou Di bloodline, which could only be faintly resonated with by Burning Flame Valley's core Inheritance, the Heavenly Flame Three Mysterious Transformations!

An uncontrollable look of excitement instantly burst forth in Ancestor Huo Yun's eyes.

He stood up abruptly from his seat. Because his emotions were too agitated, the dormant flame aura around his body fluctuated slightly, causing the temperature in the hall to rise suddenly by a few degrees.

He looked up and laughed loudly. The laughter was resonant, filled with gratification and a sense of relief as if he had laid down a heavy burden:

"Good! Good! A good Wutan City Xiao Family!"

"Hahaha! Heaven has not cut off the Xiao Clan!"

"I did not expect that the Xiao Clan bloodline would actually tenaciously continue in such a remote place as the Northwest Continent!"

"If Senior Xiao Xuan knew of this in the afterlife, he would be gratified!"

His gaze toward Xiao Qing was filled with indescribable excitement and affection.

That look was as if he were looking at the descendant of an old friend who had been lost for a thousand years and finally found.

"Young friend, you perhaps do not know yet!"

Ancestor Huo Yun's tone carried reminiscence and extreme solemnity.

"The founder of my Burning Flame Valley, the Nine-Star Dou Saint Fire Yao Old Ancestor, and your Xiao Clan's Clan Head from back then, the Peak Nine-Star Dou Saint, Senior Xiao Xuan."

"They were close friends who shared life and death! The two once fought side by side and were like brothers!"

He pointed at Xiao Qing, then pointed at himself and Tang Zhen:

"The secret technique that once shook the continent, the Heavenly Flame Three Mysterious Transformations, was personally gifted to my Burning Flame Valley by Senior Xiao Xuan!"

"This cultivation technique has always been the treasure of our valley, passed down from generation to generation in Burning Flame Valley!"

"Speaking of which, the connection between our two clans is higher than the mountains and deeper than the sea!"

Xiao Qing's face appropriately showed just the right amount of "surprise" and "realization":

"Is that really the case?"

"This... Junior truly did not know."

"Absolutely true!" Ancestor Huo Yun said decisively. He walked up to Xiao Qing and patted his shoulder firmly.

Although Xiao Qing's physical body strength had already reached the Half-Saint level, he could still feel the terrifying power contained in that palm.

He said with a sincere tone: "Young friend Xiao Qing, you carry the Xiao Clan bloodline, so you are the most honored guest and the firmest ally of my Burning Flame Valley!"

"From this day forward, Burning Flame Valley will be the backing for you and the Starfall Pavilion behind you!"

"If you encounter any difficulties in the future, whether it is the Pill Tower or those petty people from the Soul Hall, just speak up!"

"My Burning Flame Valley will have absolutely no objections!"

Tang Zhen also immediately stood up, walked to Xiao Qing, and bowed deeply to him, his attitude more respectful and sincere than any time before:

"Grandmaster Xiao! If Tang had any neglect or impropriety before, I apologize to you here!"

"From now on, the entire Burning Flame Valley will advance and retreat with you and the Starfall Pavilion to fight against strong enemies together!"

After speaking, Tang Zhen solemnly took out an ancient scroll that was dark red in color and seemed to be condensed from flames from his Storage Ring, holding it with both hands and handing it to Xiao Qing.

On the surface of the scroll, five ancient characters seemed to be burning!

"Heavenly Flame Three Mysterious Transformations"!