Chapter 8: The Mysterious Old Man

　　Xiao Yan left the hall with an indifferent expression. He was a little absent-minded. As usual, he slowly climbed up the mountain behind his family. He sat on the cliff and calmly looked at the steep mountains shrouded in mist on the opposite side. There was the famous Monster Mountain Range of the Jia Ma Empire.

　　"Haha, strength… In this world, without strength, you are not even as good as a pile of dog shit. At least, no one dares to step on dog shit!" With his shoulders shrugged slightly, the young man's low self-deprecating voice, filled with grief and indignation, slowly lingered on the top of the mountain.

　　With his ten fingers inserted into his black hair, Xiao Yan bit his lips tightly with his teeth, letting the faint smell of blood spread at the corners of his mouth. Although he did not show any improper emotions in the hall, Nalan Yanran's words were like a knife cutting into his heart, causing Xiao Yan to tremble all over...

　　"I don't want to suffer the insult I suffered today again!" Xiao Yan spread out his left hand with a bloodstain, his voice hoarse but firm.

　　"Hey, little kid, it looks like you need help?"

　Just as Xiao Yan was making a vow in his heart, a strange old laugh suddenly reached his ears.

　　Xiao Yan's expression changed, and he turned around suddenly. He scanned behind him with his eagle-like sharp eyes, but he didn't find any figure...

　　"Hey, don't look for it, it's on your finger."

　　Just when Xiao Yan thought it was just an illusion, that strange laughter came out again without any end.

　　His pupils shrank, and Xiao Yan's gaze suddenly stopped on the ancient black ring on his right hand.

　　"Are you talking?" Xiao Yan suppressed the fear in his heart and tried to calm his voice.

　　"The little kid has good self-control. He didn't jump down after being scared." A teasing laugh came from the ring.

　　"Who are you? Why are you in my ring? What do you want?"

　　After a brief silence, Xiao Yan asked the key question clearly.

　　"Don't worry about who I am. I won't harm you anyway. Alas, after all these years, I finally met someone with a strong soul. I'm so lucky. But I still have to thank you for your three years of worship. Otherwise, I'm afraid I would have to continue sleeping."

　　"Offering?" He blinked doubtfully. After a moment, Xiao Yan's face suddenly darkened. He spoke coldly from between his teeth, "Is it you who caused the inexplicable disappearance of the fighting spirit in my body?"

　　"Hehe, I was also forced to do this, so don't blame me, little kid."

　　"Fuck you!"

　　Xiao Yan, who always prided himself on being calm and composed, suddenly jumped up like a madman, his face full of ferocity. He didn't care that this was a relic left by his mother, and without thinking, he immediately pulled off the ring on his finger, then threw it towards the steep cliff with all his strength...

　　As soon as the ring left his hand, Xiao Yan's mind suddenly cleared up. He reached out to grab it hastily, but the ring had already fallen off the cliff...

　　Xiao Yan stared blankly at the ring that disappeared in the mist. He was stunned for a long moment, then his face slowly calmed down. He slapped his forehead in annoyance and said, "Stupid, so reckless, so reckless!"

　　Xiao Yan had just found out that the culprit for the humiliation he had suffered for the past three years was actually the ring he had been wearing. It was no wonder that he lost control like this.

　　After sitting on the edge of the cliff for a long time, Xiao Yan shook his head helplessly, climbed up, turned around, his eyes widened, and pointed at the thing in front of him with a trembling finger...

　　In front of Xiao Yan, a dark and simple ring was floating. What shocked Xiao Yan the most was that a transparent old figure was floating in the air above the ring...

"Hehe, little kid, there's no need to be so angry. It's just that I absorbed three years of your fighting spirit." The transparent old man stared at the stunned Xiao Yan with a smile and said.

　　The corner of his mouth twitched, and Xiao Yan suppressed his anger in his voice: "Old man, since you are hiding in the ring, you should also know how much ridicule you have brought to me because of your absorption of my fighting spirit, right?"

　　"But during these three years of ridicule, you have grown up, right? Do you think that if it were three years ago, you would have the same endurance and wisdom as you do now?" The old man said calmly with a noncommittal smile.

　　With a frown on his face, Xiao Yan gradually calmed down. After his rage ended, he was filled with joy. Now that he knew the mystery of the disappearance of Dou Qi, his talent must have returned!

　　As soon as he thought about the chance to finally get rid of the title of waste, Xiao Yan's body felt comfortable as if he had been reborn. The hateful old man in front of him didn't seem so annoying anymore.

　　Some things are only known to be precious when they are lost! When they are lost and found again, people will cherish them even more!

　　Xiao Yan gently stretched his wrist, exhaled a long breath, looked up and said: "Although I don't know who you are, but I want to ask, do you still want to rely on the ring to absorb my fighting spirit in the future? If that's the case, I advise you to find another host, I can't afford to support you."

　　"Hehe, others don't have such a strong soul perception as yours." The old man stroked his beard and smiled: "Since I chose to show up, I will naturally not absorb your fighting spirit without your permission in the future."

　　Xiao Yan rolled his eyes, sneered and said nothing. He had made up his mind that no matter how the old man flattered him, he would not let him stay with him anymore.

　　"Little kid, do you want to become stronger? Do you want to be respected by others?" Although he had already designated the old man as someone he should not mess with, Xiao Yan's heart couldn't help but beat faster when he heard these words.

　　"Now I know the reason why the fighting spirit disappeared. With my talent, do I still need you to become stronger?" Taking a deep breath slowly, Xiao Yan said calmly. He knew in his heart that there is no free lunch in the world, and it was not a wise decision to accept the favor of a mysterious person for no reason.

　　"Little kid, your talent is great, but you have to know that you are already fifteen years old, and your fighting spirit is only at the third level. I seem to have heard that you will have your coming-of-age ceremony next year, right? Do you think you can soar to the seventh level of fighting spirit just by practicing diligently in just one year? Moreover, you made a three-year bet with that girl. The girl's talent is not much lower than yours. It's not easy for you to catch up with her and surpass her." The old man's wrinkled face was like a blooming chrysanthemum at this moment.

　　"If you hadn't absorbed my fighting spirit, would I have been humiliated by her like this? You old bastard!" Xiao Yan's face darkened again after being touched in the sore spot by the old man, and he cursed with gnashing teeth in anger.

　　After a long scolding, Xiao Yan became depressed again. At this point, scolding would not help. The foundation of Dou Qi cultivation was particularly important. When he was four years old, he practiced Qi for a full six years before he had the ninth level of Dou Qi. Even if his talent had been restored now, it was basically impossible for him to cultivate to the seventh level of Dou Qi in one year...

　Sighing in frustration, Xiao Yan glanced at the transparent old man who pretended to be mysterious, and an idea came to his mind. He pouted and said, "Do you have a solution?"

　　"Maybe." The old man said with a vague and strange smile.

　　"If you help me reach the seventh level of Dou Qi in one year, then the fact that you absorbed my Dou Qi for three years will be written off. How about that?" Xiao Yan asked tentatively.

　　"Hehe, little kid is so calculating."

　　"If you are of no help to me, then why should I keep a burden around? I think you should find another unlucky guy to help..." Xiao Yan sneered. After chatting for a while, he also realized that this transparent old man seemed unable to absorb other people's fighting spirit at will.

　　"You don't look like a fifteen-year-old boy at all. It seems that you have grown a lot in these three years. Can this be considered as my own fault?" Looking at the slippery Xiao Yan, the old man was stunned, and then shook his head with a helpless look.

　　Xiao Yan spread his hands and said calmly: "If you want me to continue to worship you, you have to show some sincerity, right?"

　　"What a sharp-tongued little kid. Fine, fine. I still have something to ask of you." Nodding helplessly, the old man descended to the ground and looked at Xiao Yan several times. A strange smile of success quickly appeared on his face, then disappeared. After hesitating for a while, he seemed to be extremely reluctant to speak: "Do you want to be an alchemist?"