Chapter 14

Clap, clap, clap —

First, there was a crisp clap, followed by a series of rapid claps.

Xiao Yan was taken aback, lifting his head to look at the high platform, his eyes filled with excitement. Without a word, he immediately knelt down and said, "Young Xiao Yan pays respects to the ancestor!" At the sound of the claps, Xiao Yan clearly felt the tremor in his bloodline. This feeling was unmistakable, absolutely unmistakable!

Just as Xiao Yan's knees touched the ground, he was lifted by a strong and powerful hand. An elder instantly appeared before Xiao Yan: "Well, I didn't expect the Xiao family to produce another Dou Di. Good, and he's the only one in a thousand years. No need for formalities, ha ha, come, let's return to the Xiao Clan." As he spoke, the elder excitedly grabbed Xiao Yan, ready to leave.

"Hey, old man Xiao, he was brought back by me. Although he is your Xiao family descendant, I plan to take him as a disciple of my valley. I've decided on him! You can't take him away!"

Ming Di instantly appeared behind Xiao Yan and the elder, speaking calmly but with a hint of dissatisfaction. Ever since Ming Di brought Xiao Yan back after being ambushed by the Yimo Sect, he learned that Xiao Yan possessed Heavenly Fire and saw the Heavenly Fire Ancient Ruler Xiao Yan had. He sensed a mysterious aura from Xiao Yan, guessing that this young man was not ordinary. Yesterday, he received news that Xiao Yan could fight Wu Yong on equal terms. Therefore, he specially arranged for Mu Feng to test Xiao Yan early in the morning. When he saw Xiao Yan and Mu Feng end in a draw, his liking for Xiao Yan grew immensely. If Xiao Yan could become a disciple of his Tianming Valley, it would undoubtedly increase the valley's strength. So, he decided to keep Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan's ancestor turned his head and said, "You old coot, he is a member of the Xiao family, and I entrusted you to bring him back. Xiao Yan, let's go!"

The one pulling Xiao Yan was the 25th-generation ancestor of the Xiao family, a senior-level ancestor named Xiao Long. He held a high position in the Xiao Clan, being one of the three elders and a three-star Dou Di, just like Ming Di. He was also a top-tier Dou Di among the many Dou Dis in the Imperial State, and he had a good relationship with Ming Di. The arrival of Xiao Yan had already been sensed by the clan. To ensure Xiao Yan's safety, the clan specially arranged for the powerful Xiao Long to go and meet him. On the way to Tianming Valley, he coincidentally met Ming Di. Unexpectedly, he encountered a few elders of Tianming Valley gambling. Xiao Long, who had a strong gambling habit, immediately joined in and couldn't stop. He then entrusted Ming Di to help bring Xiao Yan back. Now, hearing Ming Di say he wanted to take Xiao Yan as a disciple of Tianming Valley, how could he agree?

Ming Di quickly stepped forward, placing his hand on Xiao Long's shoulder and said with a smile, "Old friend, look at our relationship. I should thank you for letting me bring this young man back, right? My valley is in dire need of someone like Xiao Yan. How about making him a nominal disciple first? If Xiao Yan is willing to become a formal disciple in the future, what do you think, old man Xiao?" His words subtly reminded Xiao Long that it was Xiao Long's gambling that delayed the meeting with Xiao Yan.

Xiao Long snorted, muttering, "Who wants your lousy valley!" His words were not very loud, but he continued, "However... for the sake of our old friendship, I'll give you some face, but it's up to Xiao Yan to decide."

Xiao Long and Ming Di both looked at Xiao Yan.

Seeing Ming Di and Xiao Long, and noticing that Xiao Long was not strongly opposing, Xiao Yan smiled and said to Ming Di, "Senior, what are you talking about? Xiao Yan is grateful." Xiao Yan was a person who remembered kindness. When he first arrived, if not for Ming Di, he might still be wandering around. Being a nominal disciple was not a bad deal, so he readily agreed.

"Good! Xiao Yan will now be a nominal disciple of Tianming Valley." Ming Di felt a slight relief. Now that Xiao Yan was a disciple of Tianming Valley and a member of the Xiao family, Tianming Valley would benefit greatly in various aspects. Ming Di smiled and nodded, and Xiao Long did not say anything.

After saying this, Ming Di took out a deep blue stone from his body and handed it to Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan looked at it with confusion, not seeing anything special about the stone, but Xiao Long shouted, "Hey, Old Ming, looks like you're quite generous, even giving out the 'Earth Compass'!"

Ming Di, hearing this, immediately shouted back at Xiao Long, "Hey, what are you implying, old man Xiao? Are you belittling me? I've always been generous to you. Didn't I give you the compass too?"

Xiao Long pouted, "Look, mine doesn't seem as good as this one, hehe, you old coot are a bit biased, aren't you?"

Ming Di stomped his foot, "You... humph, if you don't like it, give it back to me."

Xiao Long took a step back, "Once it's in my hands, it's mine. Why should I give it back to you?"

"You... sigh, I won't argue with you. Come, Xiao Yan, let me explain how to use this compass." Ming Di, speechless at Xiao Long's words, directly turned to Xiao Yan, who was still examining the stone.

Ming Di took the stone from Xiao Yan's hand and said, "This stone is very precious, and ordinary Tianming Valley disciples don't have it. It's called the 'Earth Compass,' and it's only made by our Tianming Valley in the entire Dou Di continent. Making it is very complicated, but using it is very simple. It's actually a small wormhole, but it's not just a wormhole. When you send your Dou Qi into the compass, a light ball will appear, marking your current location. As long as you're not in a special place, you can instantly teleport back."

"Wow, what a great thing!" Xiao Yan was also surprised, not expecting there to be so many amazing things on the Dou Di continent. Following Ming Di's instructions, Xiao Yan carefully sent his Dou Qi into the compass, and a blue light ball was released. The light ball recorded the location and then flew back into the compass.

Hey! It's really amazing. This thing is indeed practical. With this, I can return to wherever I want in an instant. Not only will it save flying time, but it will also greatly improve efficiency. It's also great for hunting and escaping. "Ha ha, thank you, Grandmaster!" Xiao Yan said happily.

Ming Di smiled and waved his hand, indicating it was nothing. Xiao Yan quickly put the stone into his ring. At this moment, Xiao Long had already torn open a spatial rift and shouted to Xiao Yan, "Let's go, we have many things to do!"