Chapter 432: Xuan Kongzi Reappears

When Cao Ying heard Xiao Ling's words, her beautiful eyes instantly shone brightly, with a hint of cunning in them. She pursed her red lips, raised her head slightly, and opened her red lips slightly, tentatively saying,

"You have repeatedly given me such precious things, and never asked me to use them for revenge. A few years ago, last time in Danta, and now in Shengdan City, it was the same. Xiao Ling, could it be that you have fallen in love with me?"

Cao Ying paused for a moment, her eyes rolled around, and she said, "Haha~, if you really want to pursue me, then I can give it some thought. Maybe you have a good chance."

Previously, Cao Ying had guessed that Xiao Ling had a crush on her, but after a few years, she was sure that it was just a misjudgment. However, now that they met again, through observing Xiao Ling, Cao Ying still felt that Xiao Ling should have a certain affection for her.

In her opinion, Xiao Ling did have feelings for her, but they had not yet reached a deeper level, which was why he acted so calmly.

Xiao Ling glanced at Cao Ying sideways, and in his heart he really wanted to complain, "You overthink it." The words almost jumped out of his mouth, but he finally held them back. He just chuckled twice and said no more.

Xiao Liao didn't pay much attention to this, but Zi Yan beside him couldn't accept it. She flashed like an arrow and came to Xiao Ling and Cao Ying in an instant. She stared at Cao Ying with wide eyes and said loudly,
"Humph, you ugly woman, you are too narcissistic! Xiao Ling will not like someone like you. Xiao Ling will only like someone like me."

As she spoke, Zi Yan raised her chin proudly and stared at Cao Ying with a provocative look.

Zi Yan remembered clearly how Xiao Ling looked at her when she turned into an adult. She was sure that Xiao Ling must be fond of her in this state. And this woman named Cao Ying was so different from herself that how could Xiao Ling possibly like her?

Before Zi Yan had the chance to show off, Xiao Ling quickly reached out and pulled her back to his side.

Xiao Ling shook his head helplessly, stretched out his hand and gently rubbed Zi Yan's hair unhappily, and said: "Don't talk nonsense, it's easy to cause misunderstandings if you talk nonsense like this."

"Hehe!" Zi Yan pouted and snorted twice in dissatisfaction, "Isn't that so? Xiao Ling, you obviously like me like this." She stared at Xiao Ling with her big round eyes, her eyes full of stubbornness.

Zi Yan muttered, while gently kicking the pebbles under her feet, "Obviously..."

However, having said that, Zi Yan knew that she couldn't continue to pester him, so she pouted and said nothing, but her angry look was still very cute.

Cao Ying, who was standing by, witnessed the intimate interaction between Xiao Ling and Zi Yan, and her gaze towards Xiao Ling suddenly became extremely strange, with a hint of disbelief in her eyes.

Thinking of Zi Yan's previous words and looking at her petite appearance, Cao Ying's mind suddenly became overwhelmed with thoughts.

She never expected that Xiao Ling actually liked such a little loli and he could even lay his hands on a little girl who looked only fourteen or fifteen years old.

Thinking back to how kindly Xiao Ling treated Dan Chen during the assessment of the five major families, Cao Ying became more and more certain of her guess.

Isn't Dan Chen just a 17-year-old girl? Xiao Ling really likes this.

She was very angry, clenched her teeth tightly, and her face was full of indignation. She muttered to herself in her heart: "I didn't expect that I would lose on this point. Humph, it's really unacceptable. It seems that I have to dress more pure in the future..."

Xiao Ling naturally noticed the strange look from Cao Ying, but he didn't take it seriously. This woman had complicated thoughts, and if he tried to explain, it would only make things worse. It would be better to just keep silent and let her figure it out...

After this farce, the atmosphere between the three of them seemed a little strange for a while. Only Xiao Ling chatted with Zi Yan from time to time, while Cao Ying watched from the side. There was an indescribable atmosphere in the air.

After sending Zi Yan back to Xiao Ling and his friends' temporary residence in Shengdan City, Xiao Ling said hello to Qing Lin and Medusa. Afterwards, without further delay, he headed towards Xuan Kongzi's location under the leadership of Cao Ying.

Not much time passed before, under the leadership of Cao Ying, Xiao Ling and the others arrived at the upper floors of Danta and stood in front of a majestic hall.

At this point, Cao Ying's casual expression gradually disappeared, replaced by a serious look.

After all, she knew in her heart that what was to be discussed next was an extremely important matter, so she naturally couldn't be too casual.

"You have been here before, right? My master is here right now. He was very sorry that you rejected the invitation of President Xuan Yi and failed to join Danta. He often talked about it."

Cao Ying said softly, while paying attention to Xiao Ling's expression. Seeing that Xiao Ling just nodded slightly with no reaction on his face, she lost interest in continuing to speak in the afternoon.

Then, Cao Ying raised her foot and stepped forward gracefully, stretched out her hand and took the initiative to push open the heavy palace door. Then, she turned around and gently waved to Xiao Ling, signaling him to come in.

Seeing this, Xiao Ling immediately walked straight into the hall.

Then, he looked around and found that the environment was almost the same as the last time he came. There were still the slightly messy, fully stacked bookshelves, and the various colored beast fires that filled the hall.

Seeing Xiao Ling and Cao Ying step into the hall, the three people who had been waiting in the hall for a long time turned sideways at the same time and looked at them.

Xiao Ling also turned his gaze in the direction of the three people. With a quick glance, he quickly figured out the identities of the three people. It was not difficult to tell that these three people were people he knew.

In front of the bookshelf, the slightly old figure with white hair was naturally Xuan Kongzi, one of the three giants of Danta.

The graceful girl standing next to him was Dan Chen from the Dan family, who had had some contact with Xiao Ling during the assessment of the five major families not long ago.

Seeing Xiao Ling's gaze, Dan Chen's fair face instantly blushed with shyness. She looked at Xiao Ling shyly, then lowered her head slightly, and nodded up and down gently, looking like a shy flower, and her slightly lowered hands seemed to tremble slightly inadvertently, showing the shyness of a little girl.

Seeing Dan Chen so weak and tender, Xiao Ling found this girl more interesting. However, he did not stare at her too much and quickly shifted his gaze.

As for the man on the other side, Xiao Ling also thought for a while before he remembered the man's identity.

When Xiao Ling first came to Danta, he met this man once.

If Xiao Ling remembered correctly, this guy was Cao Ying's "suck-up". Xiao Ling almost forgot his name. It seemed to be Song Qing...

When Song Qing saw Xiao Ling looking at him, he smiled faintly and pretended to be very easy-going. However, Xiao Ling could easily detect the deep jealousy and disgust hidden in his eyes.

Xiao Ling didn't care about such a look. Since this person was hostile to him, even if he couldn't threaten him, he still felt uncomfortable. Xiao Ling didn't mind making this person disappear from this world.

Xiao Ling is not a good person. The state of mind that is clear is what he pursues. In Xiao Ling's heart, this person has already decided on the way to death.

"Haha, Ying'er, Xiao Ling, you are here." When Xiao Ling and Cao Ying got closer, Xuan Kongzi put down the book he was reading and took the initiative to greet the two of them.

"Teacher." Cao Ying called softly, clasping her fists slightly with an elegant posture.

Xiao Ling also clasped his fists and saluted, "Meetings, President Xuankong."

"Haha, Ying'er and Xiao Ling, please get up quickly. I have been waiting for you here for a while..." Xuan Kongzi looked at Xiao Ling and Cao Ying with his deep eyes. A faint smile slowly appeared on his face, and then he nodded with satisfaction, which also contained deep admiration.

His apprentice Cao Ying, at a young age, was already a genuine eighth-grade alchemist, even better than himself at the same age.

Xiao Ling's talent was truly unique in his life. Xiao Ling rose from the humble Northwest Continent, exploring all the way on his own, and unexpectedly became an eighth-grade alchemist. This kind of talent was second to none in the entire Douqi Continent.

Moreover, Xiao Ling's talent in alchemy is excellent, and his talent in fighting spirit cultivation is not weak either. At such a young age, he is already a genuine Dou Zun-level expert.

What shocked Xuan Kongzi even more was that the last time he met Xiao Ling, he could still roughly distinguish Xiao Ling's cultivation and soul realm.

But now, when he tried to check Xiao Ling's condition, he was shocked to find that Xiao Ling's body was like a mysterious fog. No matter how hard he tried, he could not see through it.

Therefore, the reason why Xuan Kongzi called Xiao Ling "little friend" was because he felt that Xiao Ling would be able to approach, or even reach, his level in the near future. Because of this, he did not simply regard Xiao Ling as a junior.

Xiao Ling also looked up at Xuan Kongzi. The last time they met, he was not good enough to find out anything. But now he is completely different. With just a little bit of sensing, he can sense the vast sea of ​​fighting spirit in Xuan Kongzi's body. It is really powerful.

However, Xiao Ling had seen genuine Dou Sheng masters like Yao Chen, and had had close exchanges with Dou Sheng masters like Chu Wanqing. As a result, a figure like Xuan Kongzi, who was only at the peak of Dou Zun, would naturally not cause Xiao Ling to have too much emotional fluctuations.

"Haha, President Xuankongzi, you are too polite. After all, I am the junior, so you should just call me by my real name, Xiao Ling." Xiao Ling said with a slight smile.

If this Xuan Kongzi is really on the same level as himself, then wouldn't Yao Chen be a generation ahead of Xuan Kongzi? This is not in line with the rules.

Hearing this, Xuan Kongzi smiled slightly, his eyes shone with brilliant light, and he said with great certainty and determination,
"No, you are qualified. At your age, you have already reached such a high level of spiritual realm. Even I and my old friend Yao Chen could not reach that level when we were your age. I even see some of that guy's elegance in you."

"Back then, Yao Chen won the Alchemy Contest with his extraordinary performance and became famous throughout the Douqi Continent. Now, in my opinion, with your outstanding talent and strength, you are very likely to become the champion of this Alchemy Contest."

Xuan Kongzi's words echoed in the hall. Cao Ying, Dan Chen and Song Qing had different expressions, but they could not hide their shock. They had never thought that Xuan Kongzi would have such a high evaluation of Xiao Ling. This was not only a recognition of Xiao Ling's strength, but also an affirmation of his potential.

There was a hint of complexity in Cao Ying's eyes. She knew that there was a big gap between herself and Xiao Ling, but a strong fighting spirit of not giving up surged in her heart.

She bit her lip and made up her mind to prove herself at the alchemy meeting...

Dan Chen's cheeks blushed slightly. She had always had a good impression of Xiao Ling, but Xuan Kongzi's words and their previous fights made her realize that Xiao Ling's strength was far beyond her imagination.

She clenched her hands, feeling a little bit of anticipation and nervousness. However, she was unusually persistent in refining pills, so she would naturally go all out...

Song Qing's face twitched unconsciously. He had always regarded Cao Ying as his forbidden lover, but now Xiao Ling's appearance, coupled with Xuan Kongzi's words, undoubtedly greatly increased Xiao Ling's importance.

"Isn't it just an eighth-grade alchemist? What's there to be proud of? With my talent, I can reach that level sooner or later. By then, it's hard to say who will be the real genius..."

But even though he knew all this in his heart, he couldn't say anything with his ability. He could only grit his teeth and roar in anger and helplessness in his heart.

After hearing what Xuan Kongzi said, Xiao Ling raised his eyebrows slightly and felt a little surprised.

As for what Xuan Kongzi said about himself having some of Yao Chen's style, Xiao Ling felt that this was reasonable. After all, he had studied with Yao Chen for many years, and in many aspects such as medicine refining techniques, he inevitably picked up some of Yao Chen's habits.

Xuan Kongzi and Yao Chen were close friends in the past, so it was not surprising that he could see some familiar shadows in Yao Chen.

"Haha, thank you very much for your kind words, President Xuankong. I will try my best to win the first place in the alchemy conference." Xiao Ling smiled slightly. Although he did not give a precise answer, he also expressed his attitude.

In Xiao Ling's opinion, the championship position of this Alchemy Conference seemed to be within reach and within easy reach.

What Xiao Ling had in mind was by no means as simple as just winning the championship at the alchemy conference. He also wanted to take this opportunity to make a name for himself.

Xuan Kongzi saw Xiao Ling's confident look and nodded slightly, but did not continue to discuss this topic in depth. Then, he changed the subject and said,

"Xiao Ling, I called you here this time because I have some news to tell you. As far as I know, since you came to Zhongzhou, the relationship between you and the Soul Palace has become increasingly worse."

When Xuan Kongzi said this, the three people around him all cast strange looks at Xiao Ling. The commotion caused by Xiao Ling and the Soul Palace was known to everyone in Zhongzhou.

The power of the Soul Palace is not inferior to that of Danta, and even slightly stronger. Even Danta does not dare to provoke the Soul Palace too much.

However, Xiao Ling was different. In the past, he killed two Soul Palace elders in one fell swoop. This kind of feat had not happened in Zhongzhou for many years.

"President Xuankong, from what you said, could it be that this alchemy meeting has something to do with the Soul Palace?" Xiao Ling raised his eyebrows and asked Xuankongzi. Although he said this, Xiao Ling already had some guesses in his mind.

"You are right. According to the information collected by our Dan Tower, the Soul Palace has ill intentions towards this Dan Conference and intends to use this Dan Conference to seize the Three Thousand Flames that our Dan Tower has sealed."

Xuan Kongzi nodded solemnly, and then spoke in a serious tone.

Hearing this, Cao Ying, Dan Chen and Song Qing all frowned slightly, with a hint of surprise in their hearts.

On the other hand, although there was a slight gleam in Xiao Ling's eyes, his expression was not too turbulent, because he had expected this.

At this time, Cao Ying frowned and asked curiously, "Teacher, if you are so worried about the Soul Palace, why don't you just ban them from participating?"

"First, we cannot be sure which of the alchemists participating in the alchemy conference are from the Soul Palace. Second, even if we know, we cannot prohibit them from participating for any reason. This is the rule of Danta for generations. As long as they are alchemists and have the qualifications to participate, they cannot be disqualified even if they are really hostile forces of Danta..."

"Although these rules are quite troublesome, it is precisely because of Danta's tolerance that Danta has gradually developed to its current scale. Therefore, there are some rules that must not be violated..." Xuan Kongzi explained helplessly.

Hearing this, everyone nodded slowly. Just as Xuan Kongzi said, although the rules of Danta may bring some troubles at times, it is precisely because of the tolerance reflected in these rules that Danta can continue to grow and develop.

However, when facing the threat from the Soul Palace, these rules did restrict Danta's actions to a certain extent, and he had to find other ways to deal with the Soul Palace's plans.

"Because it has sealed the Three Thousand Flames for a long time, it has deep resentment towards the Dan Tower. If it is released, it will definitely launch a retaliatory attack on the Dan Domain, and the losses will be extremely heavy..." Xuan Kongzi sighed and continued,

(End of this chapter)