229 Chapter 229: Yao Lao Appears

After Xiao Yan and Yao Lao finished their conversation, Fa Ma stood up.

"Today's exchange was truly fruitful. It seems that I have made some progress towards the sixth tier. Thank you, Master Xiao Ming."

"You and I only shared some insights as equals. There is no need to thank me, Chairman Fa Ma," replied Xiao Ming.

He understood that the reason why Fa Ma was able to make some progress towards the sixth tier was because of his own deep accumulation of knowledge. Without that accumulation, the exchange would not have had much effect on him. As such, he did not see himself as having done Fa Ma a great favor, nor was he the type to become conceited.

"Regardless, you have helped me a lot, Master Xiao Ming. Well, it's time for me to go. I won't trouble you any further and there's no need to see me out. Until next time."

"Take care, Chairman Fa Ma."

Fa Ma slowly made his way out of the room, leaving Xiao Yan still sitting in his seat, and Xiao Yan also had no intention of getting up.

Xiao Ming only gave him a brief glance before returning to his seat and taking a sip of tea.

"Should I call you Yan Xiao or Xiao Yan?" asked Xiao Ming.

Xiao Yan was taken aback by his question before he smiled bitterly, "I guess I can't hide it from you."

He then dipped his finger in some tea and softly ran it over his neck, revealing a different face as he peeled off the skin. The previously ordinary face had been replaced with a more handsome one.

Compared to the Xiao Yan from a few years ago, his skin was now much darker, and his face had more of life's vicissitudes.

One could tell that he had experienced a lot in the past few years.

Watching as Xiao Yan took off the human skin mask, Xiao Ming nodded slightly before asking, "When did you arrive in the Imperial Capital?"

"Not too long ago," answered Xiao Yan.

"You came here for the three-year agreement?"

"Mm." Hearing Xiao Ming mentions the three-year agreement, Xiao Yan's face sank slightly before he nodded his head.

"It's been a few years since I last saw you. Your strength has advanced rapidly. However, you are only a seven-star Dou Master now and Nalan Yanran's cultivation is superior to yours," Xiao Ming revealed a little information to Xiao Yan.

Nalan Yanran had just arrived at his mansion today, and even though she was carrying a treasure that could block others from probing her, Xiao Ming could still sense that her strength was not weaker than that of a Dou Grandmaster.

It could be said that the Misty Cloud Sect had spared no resources in cultivating their Little Sect Leader over the years, and the fact that Nalan Yanran's aura did not seem unstable indicated that she was not someone who was cultivated by pills to raise her strength quickly.

With Xiao Yan's current strength, it would be difficult for him to defeat Nalan Yanran without relying on Yao Lao and the Heavenly Flame.

Upon hearing Xiao Ming mention Nalan Yanran, Xiao Yan's hand tightened unconsciously.

However, he said, "Thank you for the information, but I believe I can increase my strength a little more this month." Yao Lao had already informed him that he would refine a Three Lines Green Spirit Pill for him.

As long as he took that, he would be able to break through to Dou Grandmaster in one go, except right now he was still gathering the ingredients.

Xiao Ming also guessed that Yao Lao was the one who would refine the pills for Xiao Yan, so he asked, "Is your trust in that soul body in your ring?"

"You won't tell him to come out?"

"This..." Xiao Yan stood up in alarm upon hearing his words.

"Don't be so surprised, Yan-Zi, didn't I tell you before that this cousin of yours had discovered me a long time ago?" At this moment, a faint light flickered on Xiao Yan's ring and an old man with an illusory figure and white hair floated out, revealing a faint astonishment in his gaze as he watched Xiao Ming.

Xiao Ming's soul power was at the perfection of the Mortal Realm, and if he hadn't been stuck in the barrier of the Spirit Realm, he should have already broken through a long time ago.

If Yao Lao wanted to remain undetected by him, he could only honestly hide in his Bone Flame Ring.

However, just now, Yao Lao still had the courage to start a sound transmission with Xiao Yan unscrupulously in front of him.

Although this was purely because Xiao Ming had already discovered him a long time ago. And since Xiao Ming and Xiao Yan were from the same clan, Yao Lao didn't have to worry about being exposed or anything like that.

After all, from Yao Lao's point of view, Xiao Ming and Xiao Yan did not seem to have any conflict.

Seeing this scene, Xiao Yi Xian felt some curiosity.

Venerable Tian Huo was also a soul body, so she wondered if the person in front of them was stronger than him.

"Then is it true that Xiao Ming knew about you a long time ago, Master?" Seeing that Xiao Ming did not deny it, Xiao Yan was finally at a loss for words. He had always considered Yao Lao's existence as his second-biggest secret.

As for his first biggest secret, that was the fact that he was a reincarnator.

Although he had forgotten about this fact a long time ago, it still remained his biggest secret.

However, he was unaware that this secret was also known to Xiao Ming.

"Stop complaining for now," Yao Lao replied to Xiao Yan in a casual tone. Then, his sharp gaze shifted towards Xiao Ming.

"You had been ignoring my presence before, and since you suddenly called me today, it's because you need something, right?" Yao Lao's mind was sharp and he knew that Xiao Ming would not call him for no reason, which was just what he wanted, after all, he also wanted something from Xiao Ming.

To be precise, he wanted something from the woman in white who was sitting next to Xiao Ming.

Xiao Ming chuckled lightly upon hearing Yao Lao's question, but he didn't answer directly. Instead, he started with another topic. "Senior, you must be an Alchemist, right? I wonder what your name is."

Yao Lao thought for a moment before answering proudly, "This old man is called Yao Chen. Have you heard of my name?"

"So you are Venerable Yao Chen, with the title of the continent's number one alchemist... I apologize for my disrespectful behavior," Xiao Ming said as he bowed, but there was not much surprise on his face.

Xiao Yan was once again surprised. Yao Lao had not revealed all the details to him, and although he knew his master was powerful, he did not expect him to be so renowned. So he quickly exclaimed, "Master, I didn't expect you to be so powerful!"

"I didn't expect that you were able to recognize my name even after this old man has been dead for so long, and even my old background was revealed by you."

"That title of the continent's number one alchemist cannot be taken seriously. It's just a meaningless phrase that everyone says," Yao Lao continued. Despite his words, there was still a look of complacency on his face. Of course, in terms of strength, he couldn't be the number one alchemist. There were still a few elders who were more powerful than him. However, when it came to alchemy, he was deserving of that title.

"Since you know who I am, surely you also know that I possess the best alchemy heritage in the entire continent."

"If you promise me one thing, this old man can teach you the true techniques of high-level alchemy."

"You've figured it out too, haven't you? Without an inheritance from a high-level alchemist, even the most talented individual would struggle to make progress in the path of alchemy."

Xiao Ming furrowed his brows as he didn't anticipate Yao Lao's request before he even got a chance to make his own proposal.

However, what Yao Lao said was accurate. Without an inheritance from a high-level Alchemist, it was indeed difficult to advance further in the path of alchemy.

Hadn't he been struggling in the simulations to break through to the Spirit Realm?