When Ascending Moon Old Man heard Huang Xiaolong’s words, the old jumped up like a cat that had its tail stepped on, pointing a quivering finger at Huang Xiaolong and shrieking, “Brat, what did you say?! What ‘only peak late-Ninth Order God Realm’! Do you know how long you were in seclusion? A short forty some years, from early Ninth Order to peak late-Ninth Order! Yet you despise me for acting dramatic?!”

“During my time, have you any idea how much time I used in order to breakthrough from early Ninth Order to peak late-Ninth Order God Realm? Over two hundred years! Or are you trying to say that I and other masters have lived in vain?!”

The Ascending Moon Old Man’s voice grew louder as he fumed, the more he spoke the more sprightly he became.

Huang Xiaolong’s eardrums buzzed from the old man’s voice vibrating in his ears.

Watching the overexcited old man, Huang Xiaolong thought sullenly to himself that if there were any trees bearings fruits near them, the fruits would fall to the ground without having to pick them. All those fruits would fall to the ground from the old man’s vigorous jumps.

Only now did Huang Xiaolong realize that he had spent more than forty years in seclusion. It was also the first time he spent such a long time in seclusion since he was born in this world.

‘Forty plus years, not bad.’ Huang Xiaolong inwardly mused.

Tabulating the years, there were a bit over a hundred years left to the Highgod Advancement Tournament.

En, slightly over a hundred years was enough for him to breakthrough to the perfection stage Tenth Order God Realm, if not Highgod Realm. At worst, late-peak Tenth Order God Realm would not be an issue.

Huang Xiaolong had a feeling that he would be able to step into Tenth Order God Realm in ten years’ time. Even if he didn’t come across further fortuitous encounters, just absorbing the Black Tortoise star force was sufficient to aid his advancement.

Since Xiang Mingzhi wouldn’t have any bottlenecks due to his Azure Dragon Divine Fire, then Huang Xiaolong himself would also not be troubled by bottlenecks since he had the Black Tortoise Divine Fire.

This point was proven from all of his smooth breakthroughs ever since he had obtained it.

Thinking about the Highgod Advancement Tournament, Huang Xiaolong paid no further attention to what the Ascending Moon Old Man was fuming about.

Watching Huang Xiaolong’s nonchalant attitude poured fuel to the old man’s dissatisfaction, he was so angered that his sparse beard was about to grow in reverse.

At this time, Yang Yi who rushed over chided, “I say, old monster, Huang Xiaolong is your personal disciple, his strength improving is a good thing. Such a good thing, why are you jumping in anger ah?”

The Ascending Moon Old Man was stunned for a second, then his wrinkly face split into a grin, a little embarrassed, “No, not angry, I’m happy, thrilled, ecstatic! Right, right, right, I’m overjoyed beyond myself!”

Yang Yi rolled her eyes, piercing the old man’s heart with her words: “It looks like jealousy to me.”

The Ascending Moon Old Man did not retort this time, lamenting at himself whilst feeling comforted as he looked at Huang Xiaolong. He suddenly felt that his insistence to receive Huang Xiaolong as his personal disciple was a supremely wise decision.

Of course, if he said that he wasn’t jealous, it would be a big fat lie.

Then again, regardless who it was, after finding out that Huang Xiaolong had broken through from early Ninth Order God Realm to peak late-Ninth Order God Realm in a little over forty years, anyone would be jealous to death.

The Ascending Moon Old Man was picked by the previous Thousand Worlds Sect Chief before him, receiving him as a personal disciple and a successor to the Chief position, one could imagine how high The Ascending Moon Old Man’s talent was.

Yet, he used more than two hundred years to advance from an early Ninth Order to late-peak Ninth Order God Realm. Moreover, The Ascending Moon Old Man’s two hundred years were on the basis of him consuming the numerous sacred grade divine pellets of the Thousand Worlds Sect, otherwise, who knows how long it would have taken.

Compared to Huang Xiaolong, the old man truly felt that he had lived his life in vain. As for the other geniuses in the galaxy, their lives were no better than the tail end of a dog. The old man comforted himself, at least he was better than them.

Huang Xiaolong coming out from seclusion and his strength greatly improving was a joyful occasion for the Huang Clan Manor.

On the same day, a banquet was held in the Huang Clan Manor.

During the banquet, Huang Xiaolong asked about events that happened in Martial Spirit World when he was in seclusion.

Everyone fought over each other, filling Huang Xiaolong with news of the last forty years.

Only then did Huang Xiaolong know that, not long after he entered seclusion, the Jiang Family, Wang Family, Gudu Family, and many other super forces’ masters of the galaxy came to Martial Spirit World. Even those from the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, and Vermilion Bird Galaxies came over.

All of them shared the same target: the two-million-years-old Black Lotus.

The Ascending Moon Old Man subsequently opted for the ‘take no prisoners’ method, killing more than thirty of the Azure Dragon Institute, White Tiger Institute, and Vermilion Bird Institute’s Grand Elders, as well as gravely injuring the Azure Dragon Institute’s Vice-Principal Jia Xiangtian before all those masters were willing to retreat and leave Martial Spirit World.

If the Ascending Moon Old Man and Yang Yi weren’t here, one barely needed a moment to imagine the probable repercussions.

“Azure Dragon Institute! White Tiger Institute! Vermilion Bird Institute! Jiang, Wang, and Gudu Families!” Huang Xiaolong repeated these names, biting every syllable as a chilling killing intent flickered in his eyes.

As long as he broke through to Highgod Realm, the first one he wanted to annihilate was the Azure Dragon Institute!

Followed by the Jiang Family and that old witch Wang Na.

The banquet lasted for a long time before everyone dispersed.

Back in his own small courtyard, Huang Xiaolong made plans for his coming cultivation.

He obtained the Black Tortoise Divine Fire, and during the trip to the Heavenly Mountain he obtained the Etheric Physique. With all these taken into consideration, his main foe for the Highgod Advancement Tournament would be none other than Xiang Mingzhi.

However, Huang Xiaolong didn’t have a full grasp of snatching the first place in the Highgod Advancement Tournament.

From the time the Alchemist Grandmaster Competition ended, Xiang Mingzhi did not appear anymore, nor was there any news related to him. Huang Xiaolong guessed that Xiang Mingzhi must have entered the Azure Dragon Institute’s forbidden land, a place called Azure Dragon Hazardous-Land.

According to rumors, inside the Azure Dragon Hazardous-Land was the first Azure Dragon Institute Principal’s legacy, however, even after so many years, not a single one of the Azure Dragon Institute’s disciples was able to inherit it.

Worry and unease reared their ugly heads in Huang Xiaolong’s heart.

If that Xiang Mingzhi really obtained that first Azure Dragon Principal’s inheritance, no one could say for sure to what extent Xiang Mingzhi’s strength would grow by the time the Highgod Advancement Tournament began.

‘It seems like I must find either the White Tiger Divine Fire or the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire!’ Determination shone in his eyes.

If he could obtain either one, whether it was the White Tiger Divine Fire or the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire, and fully integrated with it, even if that Xiang Mingzhi really inherited the first Azure Dragon Institute Principal’s heritage, Huang Xiaolong had no qualms.

Integrating with two of the four divine fires was good enough for Huang Xiaolong to blaze through the four galaxies.

But the information he could read from the Black Warrior Institute’s library about the White Tiger Divine Fire and Vermilion Bird Fire was limited, not enough to piece out possible clues. To find some information about these two divine fires could, perhaps, only be done in their respective galaxies.

‘But...how should I enter the White Tiger Institute or the Vermilion Bird Institute?’ Trespassing or entering by force definitely wouldn’t work, not even a Highgod Realm master could enter and retreat safely.

A moment later, Huang Xiaolong’s eyes lit up, wasn’t Shi Xiaofei’s Master, Yang Yi, the Vermilion Bird Institute Principal’s Junior Sister? Perhaps he could ask for her help to enter the Vermilion Bird Institute.

“What? You want to enter Vermilion Bird Institute?” Yang Yi was surprised when she heard Huang Xiaolong wants to enter Vermilion Bird Institute.

“Brat, why do you want to enter the Vermilion Bird Institute?” The Ascending Moon Old Man was intrigued by Huang Xiaolong’s strange request.

“I want to enter the Vermilion Bird Institute to search for some information.” Huang Xiaolong answered, as for his plan to search for the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire, he did not say. Not that Huang Xiaolong didn’t believe Yang Yi or the Ascending Moon Old Man, but he felt that the fewer people who knew about this, the better.