Chapter 638: Settling Down to Practice

The three elders' eyes met briefly in mid-air upon hearing this, each of them flashing with surprise. They naturally understood what Xiao Ling meant, and also expressed his intention not to take the benefits of Ancient Dragon Island for nothing.

Relying on the innate treasure-hunting talent of the Taixu Ancient Dragon people, after countless years of accumulation, the treasures collected in the Ancient Dragon Island treasury have long been piled up like a mountain.

However, although many precious materials are valuable in themselves, the ancient dragon clan, relying on their strong physique, can indeed swallow them directly and convert the medicinal power to improve their cultivation.

However, this approach is often inefficient, and the deep-level benefits of many materials are difficult to fully realize.

What's more, refining elixirs itself is to skillfully combine different medicinal materials, purify and refine them, so as to achieve complementary advantages and offset disadvantages, thereby condensing high-quality elixirs that far exceed the effectiveness of single medicinal materials.

Now that we can reach a cooperative relationship with Xiao Ling, a highly skilled alchemist, and make full use of these resources, it will undoubtedly be a great boost to the strength of Ancient Dragon Island.

Moreover, if Xiao Ling's own conditions allow, he can refine some high-quality pills, which will be of great benefit to the three elders themselves.

Thinking of this, the elders felt more and more satisfied. They felt that Xiao Ling's proposal was both appropriate and really considered their own interests.

Seeing Xiao Ling so readily propose a solution that satisfies both sides, Great Elder Qingshan nodded with satisfaction and said:
"Since Young Master Xiao Ling has made such a thoughtful suggestion, then of course there is nothing wrong with it. Once you have finished and adjusted yourself, please come back to me as soon as possible and we will discuss this matter properly. Don't worry, we at Ancient Dragon Island are not stingy and will not let your efforts go in vain. I will definitely keep the reward in mind."

Xiao Ling felt relieved when he heard this. He just smiled and nodded slightly.

Feeling the still somewhat restless energy within him, he changed the subject and explained with a slightly tired tone:

"I fled from the Sky Demon Phoenix Clan and traveled all the way. Later, I arrived at Ancient Dragon Island. I also spent a lot of energy to help Zi Yan recover. Now it seems that I have wasted a lot of time, and I do feel a little tired."

He paused, turned to the Great Elder, and continued, "Please help arrange for someone to take me to find a place to stay on Ancient Dragon Island so I can settle down and adjust my condition."

When Elder Qingshan heard this, a hint of embarrassment suddenly appeared on his slightly aged face, and his hearty laughter was tinged with embarrassment:
"Look at my memory! I was so busy thinking about the elixir that I forgot about such an important matter as your resettlement. I'm really sorry!" He raised his hand and gently patted his forehead, his eyes full of apology.

Then, Elder Qingshan turned to look at Elder Zhuli beside him and said:
"Third Elder, you are in charge of all matters, big and small, such as manpower deployment and other matters on Ancient Dragon Island. You are also the most familiar with the conditions of each residence. Young friend Xiao Ling has traveled a long distance and urgently needs a peaceful place to rest and recuperate. I will leave this matter to you. Please choose a quiet and secluded place for him so that he can rest well."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Li immediately clasped his fists in response, his eyes revealing calmness and competence:
"Don't worry, Great Elder. Leave this matter to me! While Her Royal Highness the Princess is in seclusion, the two elders will be needed to oversee the overall situation. I will take care of these trivial matters properly, and everything on the island will run smoothly as usual."

Before he finished speaking, he turned to face Xiao Ling, raised his hand to make a gesture of invitation, and said with a smile:
"Little friend Xiao Ling, please follow me. There is a place called Luoxia Valley on the island. It has a beautiful environment and abundant energy. It is the best place for retreat and breathing exercises. I will arrange for someone to lead you there."

Before he finished speaking, Elder Zhuli's figure flashed and turned into a stream of light. He floated lightly and flew towards the other side of the Ancient Dragon Island.

Seeing this, Xiao Ling first nodded solemnly to the two elders Qingshan and Qingmu as a greeting, and then without saying anything more, he moved and followed closely behind, catching up with the figure of Elder Zhuli leaving.

Only after the two streams of light completely dissipated at the end of the void did Elder Qingshan and Elder Qingmu retract their gazes into the distance.

Several lights from outside the hall shone down, gilding the two people's frosty hair, but it couldn't hide the emotion surging in their eyes.

"As expected of someone favored by His Majesty the Dragon Emperor, his bearing is truly extraordinary. In the future, he will surely surpass the level of our current state." Elder Qingshan stroked his long beard, sighing with admiration.

Elder Qingmu also nodded slightly, with a gratified light in his eyes:

"That's right. Her Highness, after overcoming the tribulation, not only resolved the crisis of her bloodline, but also found such a reliable lover. Xiao Ling, with his profound knowledge and sincere regard for Her Highness Zi Yan, is truly a blessing for our Ancient Dragon Clan. When the princess emerges from seclusion, the revival of our clan will be just around the corner!"

As the words fell, the evening breeze swept by with the roars of dragons in the distance, startling the clouds in the sky, just like the waves in the hearts of the two people.

Before I could savor those sighs, the two of them disappeared into thin air like smoke, leaving no trace at all, as if they had never appeared.

……

Zhu Li led the way, Xiao Ling following closely behind. The two of them transformed into two streams of light, tearing through the sky. The sound of wind was like thunder in their ears, and in a blink of an eye, they had already swept across most of Ancient Dragon Island.

Along the way, many of the guards patrolling over Ancient Dragon Island noticed the sounds of Zhu Li and Xiao Ling speeding past.

However, when they saw that one of them was the elder in charge of Ancient Dragon Island who occasionally appeared, all the possible questions they might have asked disappeared without a trace.

Everyone saluted and greeted respectfully, then quietly returned to their respective posts to continue their patrol mission.

When the two landed on the misty mountaintop on the west side of Ancient Dragon Island, a tall figure was already standing with his hands behind his back. The mountain breeze lifted the man's purple-gold robe, but it could not conceal his burly figure.

Xiao Ling looked up and saw a familiar face that made him raise his eyebrows. Wasn't this the Venerable Hei Qing who had met him once in the space wormhole and who had escorted Zi Yan back to Ancient Dragon Island?

Realizing that two people had suddenly fallen beside him, Venerable Hei Qing turned around quickly, his eyes fixed precisely on where they appeared.

When he saw that the person coming was actually Elder Zhuli, Hei Qing's face showed a bit of surprise. He immediately clasped his fists and bowed, his voice calm and respectful: "Hei Qing greets Elder Zhuli."

After the ceremony, Hei Qing did not look away immediately, but seemed to be attracted by the figure beside Zhu Li. The corner of his eye involuntarily and extremely subtly swept towards Xiao Ling who was standing beside Elder Zhu Li.

Venerable Hei Qing's gaze lingered briefly on the young man next to Elder Zhu Li.

For some reason, this person's face made his heart move. He felt vaguely familiar, as if he had seen him in the corner of his memory at some inadvertent moment.

As soon as this thought came to his mind, memories came flooding back like a tide, and he remembered it!

This thin aura of the Xiao clan's bloodline was too unique. He had only seen it once in all his years in Zhongzhou, and there was no way he would mistake it.

At that time, he was ordered to go and pick up Princess Zi Yan and return to Ancient Dragon Island, and this Xiao Ling was one of the people around Her Royal Highness the Princess at that time.

Isn’t this the young man who had a brief encounter with me in the space wormhole?
However, because Xiao Ling still had a vast amount of energy within him that he had not fully refined, his aura was somewhat unstable. Even though he did not actively release his aura, Hei Qing still keenly sensed the powerful force within him, which was almost overflowing, causing him to feel a chill.

He vaguely remembered that when they first met in the space wormhole, this young man was only a high-level Dou Zong.

But now, the oppressive feeling brought to him by this breath actually made him feel a sense of extreme danger. What was going on?

Just as Hei Qing was secretly guessing and thinking, Elder Zhuli's words confirmed his thoughts.

Zhu Li first nodded slightly to Hei Qing, then pointed his finger in the direction of Xiao Ling and turned to Hei Qing and said:

"Hei Qing, this is Her Royal Highness the Princess's best friend, His Excellency Xiao Ling. For some reason, Xiao Ling needs to find a quiet place on the island to recuperate and recover."

Having said this, Zhu Li paused and added:
"I have some matters to attend to on the island, and I'm temporarily tied up. Sunset Cloud Valley is free right now, so you can take Xiao Ling there to settle down first. If Xiao Ling has any needs in the future, you must respond immediately and do your best to meet them."

As soon as Zhu Li gave the order, Hei Qing immediately bowed and responded with an extremely respectful attitude, "Yes, Third Elder. If Your Excellency Xiao Ling has any needs in the future, I will do my best to meet them.

"Yes, this is the attitude we need. Young friend Xiao Ling has done a great favor to our Ancient Dragon Island, and we must treat him with courtesy."

Seeing Hei Qing's statement, Zhu Li was obviously very satisfied and nodded with satisfaction.

He then turned to Xiao Ling and introduced him, "My dear Xiao Ling, this Venerable Hei Qing is my trusted confidant on Ancient Dragon Island. It seems you have met him before. If you encounter any trouble on the island in the future, or need any help, please feel free to ask him."

"Thank you very much for your thoughtful arrangements, Senior Zhuli. I will keep it in mind." Xiao Ling smiled at Zhuli, then turned his gaze to Hei Qing, also revealing a hint of a smile, and said loudly:
"Venerable Hei Qing, it has been a long time since we parted ways through the space wormhole. I apologize for bothering you this time, and I hope you will take good care of me."

Hei Qing also responded with a gentle smile:

"Of course not. You are a close friend of Her Royal Highness the Princess, and you have done a great favor to Ancient Dragon Island. You deserve the best hospitality. If you need anything on the island, please let me know. I will do whatever I can to see to it immediately. If there are any difficulties, I will report them to the elders immediately."

"Okay, stop being so polite. Young friend Xiao Ling does look a little tired, so you should take him there to rest." Seeing that the two seemed to get along well, Zhu Li stopped talking and turned directly to Hei Qing to urge him.

Hearing Zhu Li's urging, Hei Qing realized that he could not waste any more time, so he stopped chatting with Xiao Ling.

He nodded slightly towards Xiao Ling and said, "Sir Xiao Ling, please follow me. I will take you to Luoxia Valley. It's not far from here. I will lead the way and we will be there in just a few minutes."

As soon as he finished speaking, a blinding purple light burst out from Hei Qing's body, and his bones cracked like thunder.

In the blink of an eye, an ancient Taixu dragon that was a hundred feet long rose into the sky. Its scales glowed with a faint purple light, its whiskers hung down like steel whips, and its eyes were like two purple suns, gazing majestically at the surroundings.

"Sir Xiao Ling, please!" A deep dragon roar shook the air. Hei Qing leaned forward slightly, his dragon head lowered, signaling Xiao Ling to come forward.

Xiao Ling did not hesitate. The fighting spirit in his body surged, and his body turned into a stream of light, landing lightly on the broad dragon back of Hei Qing.

As soon as he sat firmly, Hei Qing let out an earth-shaking dragon roar, and swung his dragon tail violently, rushing towards Luoxia Valley like an arrow. Wherever he passed, the clouds surged and the space shook.

……

With the full efforts of Venerable Hei Qing, Xiao Ling felt that it was only a moment before he was away from the hustle and bustle of the western part of the island and arrived at the place called "Luoxia Valley".

The environment in the valley is excellent, so quiet and peaceful that you can almost hear the whispers of the wind blowing through the leaves.

The air is filled with the faint fragrance of flowers and plants, mixed with the salty and humid smell brought by the sea breeze, which is refreshing.

Looking up, the valley is not as empty as imagined, but is dotted with several courtyards in an orderly manner.

Walking along the winding path, several magnificent courtyards come into view.

The buildings are all built with black jade as the base and purple gold stone bricks as the beams. Lifelike ancient dragon totems are carved between the eaves and brackets, and luminous pearls are inlaid in the dragon scale patterns, emitting a warm glow in the twilight.

The courtyard is surrounded by a green bamboo forest. The breeze blows, the bamboo leaves rustle, and the sound of the spiritual spring coming from afar interweaves into a melody.

Seeing Xiao Ling looking around with admiration in his eyes, Hei Qing asked, "I wonder if Master Xiao Ling is satisfied with the environment of Luoxia Valley?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ling nodded in satisfaction, a gentle smile on his face. "Very good! The environment here is quiet and elegant, just what I like. Thank you for taking the trouble to arrange it."

He had never been demanding about the living environment, and this place was obviously a rare quiet and beautiful place on Gulong Island, which far exceeded his expectations, so he was naturally very satisfied.

"In that case, I will not bother you any more. If you have any needs, you can summon me at any time." After saying this, Hei Qing said no more, bowed to Xiao Ling, turned around and left.

After taking a general tour of the environment of "Luoxia Valley", Xiao Ling chose a pavilion and pushed the door open to enter.

He did not stop but walked straight to an independent training room inside.

Xiao Ling sat cross-legged in the center of the training room, then sank his mind into his body. He said to the spirit of the ancestral stone, "Yan, please pay attention to the movements outside. I will practice in seclusion first to completely refine this energy within me."

The spirit of the ancestral stone responded immediately, indicating that Xiao Ling should just concentrate on practicing.

After receiving a response, Xiao Ling said no more. He closed his eyes, activated the Heavenly Rank Burning Technique within his body, and instantly began to refine the vast and pure energy. (End of Chapter)