Chapter 168: Dragon Gate

“Don’t call me Master anymore,” Xiao Xie waved his hand, feeling awkward at being addressed so by so many people. “I plan to establish a new power in the Black Corner Region. All the forces under your command will be merged into it. From now on, just call me Sect Leader.”

“Sect Leader, may I ask what the full name of our sect will be?” Fan Lao asked respectfully, voicing the question on everyone’s mind.

Clad in a white cloak, Xiao Xie lifted his head at a forty-five-degree angle, gazing up at the sky. Sunlight spilled over him, dyeing his figure with a faint golden hue. Under this radiance, Xiao Xie declared forcefully, “Dragon Gate!”

“From now on, the Blood Sect shall be a branch of the Dragon Gate. Fan Lao greets the Sect Leader!” As soon as Xiao Xie’s words fell, Fan Lao hurriedly pledged his loyalty.

“We pay our respects to the Sect Leader!” The others immediately echoed, their voices filled with deference. A few among them cursed Fan Lao in their hearts for once again seizing the opportunity ahead of everyone else, leaving the rest with no chance at all.

They eyed the Bone Pearl in Fan Lao’s possession with jealousy. Unconsciously, any resentment they held toward Xiao Xie faded away. Instead, each person began to think of ways to please Xiao Xie in hopes of earning a reward.

“Alright, you may all return for now. From this day forward, you are members of my Dragon Gate.” Xiao Xie nodded, waving them off.

“Yes, we take our leave!” Fan Lao and the others replied respectfully, then unfurled their wings of battle energy and took to the sky.

“The Sect Leader is rather young; he probably has an interest in beauties. When he visits my place, I’ll have a few beautiful disciples serve him well. If he’s pleased, perhaps he’ll reward me with a Bone Pearl too!” Tian Ji thought to himself.

Tian Ji, the leader of the Sky Wolf Sect, matched the Blood Sect in strength, his own power reaching the level of a three-star Dou Huang. Seeing Fan Lao receive the Bone Pearl from Xiao Xie, he was nearly green with envy. A Dou Zong-level Skeleton Knight—there were only a handful of Dou Zong powerhouses in the Black Corner Region, likely no more than five. Even counting the ones hidden in the shadows, there couldn’t be more than ten.

Many others harbored similar thoughts, pondering ways to curry favor with Xiao Xie. Of course, not all planned to offer beauties—some thought to present him with rare and curious treasures, hoping to win his favor.

Meanwhile, within the Inner Academy, many students gazed at Xiao Xie, resplendent and godlike in the sky, and quietly resolved to join Dragon Gate after graduation. With someone as powerful and full of potential as Xiao Xie at the helm, Dragon Gate was destined to become a formidable force.

After Fan Lao and his group departed, Xiao Xie exchanged a few words with Su Qian and the others, then left with Little Doctor Fairy and Qinglin. Having finally obtained the Fallen Heart Flame, Xiao Xie could hardly contain his excitement. Upon reaching his quarters, he informed Little Doctor Fairy and the rest before retreating to his room to begin seclusion. Once inside, he focused his mind and entered the Worship Space.

With a wave of his hand, Xiao Xie summoned the Invisible Fire Python. Information about the Fallen Heart Flame surfaced in his mind: Ranked fourteenth, it is born from the heart, tempering energy and refining bone.

In the world of alchemy, the Fallen Heart Flame had earned itself a most attention-grabbing nickname: The Cultivation Cheat!

Once refined successfully, this flame would endlessly generate Heart Fire within the body. This Heart Fire would, without any conscious effort, ceaselessly temper the Dou Qi within day and night, every hour and every moment, as if the body remained in a constant state of cultivation. In fact, the effect surpassed ordinary training. This method of cultivation naturally far exceeded the norm—hence, being called a cheat was not unwarranted.

From a certain perspective, if an alchemist had a choice between the Fallen Heart Flame and a flame ranked between tenth and fifth, most would choose the former. The allure of a flame that continuously, tirelessly tempers one’s Dou Qi is simply irresistible.

The Inner Academy had sealed the Fallen Heart Flame, using the leaked Heart Fire to create the Sky Burning Training Tower—a building famed as a cultivation accelerator, fostering countless young powerhouses. If someone could monopolize it, imagine how rapidly they would progress!

Suppressing his excitement, Xiao Xie controlled the Invisible Fire Python and began to use the Flame Mantra to devour the flame. With the help of the Kaleidoscope Sharingan, the python cooperated fully, making this process even smoother than devouring the Green Lotus Core Flame.

The immense energy contained within the Fallen Heart Flame was being refined bit by bit. Xiao Xie’s body was repeatedly torn apart and repaired during the process.

Amidst this painful yet ecstatic sensation, time flowed by. When Xiao Xie finally opened his eyes, his cultivation had risen from a four-star Dou Huang to eight-star Dou Huang.

“Not bad. This feeling of gaining strength at every moment is truly intoxicating.” Xiao Xie, sensing the automatic tempering of his Dou Qi by the Fallen Heart Flame within, could not help but marvel. The supportive power of this flame was even more valuable than its offensive might.

Next, Xiao Xie took out three treasure chests. These had belonged to the Golden Elder, Silver Elder, and Han Feng. He opened the Golden and Silver Elders’ chests first; each contained a single item—one was a jade tablet, the other a transparent crystal ball.

Xiao Xie picked up the jade tablet and examined it. The inscription read: Inheritance Jade Tablet.

“This must have been something the Golden and Silver Elders acquired by chance—either they didn’t have time to use it or didn’t know how,” Xiao Xie murmured to himself.

With that, he pressed the tablet to his brow and infused it with his soul power. Instantly, a stream of information poured into his mind.

After receiving the knowledge, Xiao Xie’s expression turned wry. The technique recorded in the tablet was a high-level Heaven-rank Dou Technique, but it was, to say the least, peculiar. Its name: The Artful Disrobing Hand!

This technique was created in ancient times by a man named Ni Dasheng, known to the world as the Dandy Sage. Although only a Dou Saint, he was a man of legend—married to seven wives, three of whom were Dou Emperors and four Dou Saints.

Thus, though merely a Dou Saint himself, even Dou Emperors rarely dared provoke him. His seven wives were fiercely protective, each with impressive backgrounds. In fact, one of the top ten sects, Heavenly Palace, was once attacked by his wives because their young lord tried to steal clothes intended for Ni Dasheng’s chief wife. The seven stormed Heavenly Palace together, crippled the young lord, and the sect master was forced to apologize personally.

Each of the Dandy Sage’s seven wives was a favored daughter of the seven great sects, all among the top ten beauties of the era. To win the hearts of all seven—when each had countless suitors—remained an unsolved mystery.

Back then, you might not know the sect masters of the ten great sects, but you would certainly know the Dandy Sage. His seven wives ranked among the ten most beautiful women; the remaining three were already married, to his great regret. He once sighed, “Not being able to marry all ten beauties is my life’s greatest regret!”

This remark made him the public enemy of all men. Seven out of the top ten beauties, and he still complained! More than twenty Dou Emperors, all suitors of his wives, were eager to teach him a lesson, but none succeeded.

As for the Artful Disrobing Hand, it was a Dou Technique of his own invention—highly effective against armored opponents. But, truthfully, its original purpose was to tease his wives: to instantly remove their undergarments without undressing their outer clothes.