join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr
Xiao Zhan explained the situation to Xiao Ding, Xiao Yu, and the others, and after they had also integrated a King-level Worm of Spirit, he had them leave the temple.
Xiao Qing flew over, licking a lollipop, and wiped the snot from her lips with the back of her hand, saying with an expectant look:
"Brother Xiao Ding, Sister Xiao Yu, you just planted the worms, right? Do you want me to be your sparring partner?"
"Are you here to earn contribution points again?" Xiao Yu looked at her with amusement.
"Mhm, the Elders don't allow children to go out, so we can only do simple tasks within the clan, so I have to actively find new channels..." Xiao Qing's small face was full of seriousness.
"But there are no tasks for being your sparring partner in the clan's task hall, so you'll have to pay out of pocket... It's not much, just two points per person. Once you're familiar with your current strength, you'll quickly earn it back by going out on missions."
"What do you need contribution points for?" Xiao Mei bent slightly, looking down at Xiao Qing.
The latter replied: "To exchange for little worms, they're very pretty."
Saying that, she took out a small crystal bottle, and inside the bottle lay two translucent worms with twelve rings and starlight-like colors.
Xiao Mei recognized it at a glance; this was the Worm of Spirit she had just integrated, but its aura was much weaker.
One of them was already lifeless, and the other was listless and limp, looking like it could die at any moment.
Xiao Qing shook the bottle, and seeing the worms inside motionless, her small face fell, and she pouted, saying: "It died again."
She reached her hand into the bottle and took out the Worm of Spirit that still had a breath, and starlight flowed in her hand. This Worm of Spirit then turned into stardust and merged into her right hand. Xiao Qing's aura slightly increased.
"Look, worms can be raised, or they can be fed to the little worms planted in your body to increase your cultivation... A lowest-grade worm like this only costs one contribution point, oh."
Xiao Ning and Xiao Mei's eyes lit up, both eager to see what kind of tasks were available in the clan.
Xiao Yu sighed: "Doesn't that mean the cultivation speed of clan members will become very fast from now on? Even children can easily grow up?"
Xiao Qing responded: "Mhm, everyone in the clan now has a fifth-tier Worm of Spirit, but this is a one-time benefit, and there won't be any more in the future..."
Xiao Ning and Xiao Mei saw a shortcut, Xiao Li saw power, Xiao Yu saw prosperity, and Xiao Ding saw a hidden danger.
Such an increase in strength was always due to the growth of the Worms of Spirit within the body, not the Xiao Family members themselves; once the Worms of Spirit were lost, they would revert to their original state.
Although everyone knew this, the power gained in this way was simply too easy, many times easier than normal cultivation, which only showed subtle progress after long-term persistence.
He greatly doubted how many people in the clan would still be willing to meditate and circulate their cultivation techniques after possessing Worms of Spirit.
No wonder father wanted to make a certain degree of separation between Brother San and the family, no wonder he told us to hide the matter of the Worm of Spirit from Brother San... Xiao Ding mused to himself.
Xiao Yu agreed to Xiao Qing's terms, using the temporarily owed two contribution points to exchange for Xiao Qing's sharing of her insights on Dou Qi Wings and for being a sparring partner to familiarize herself with her power.
Xiao Ning and Xiao Mei also agreed; two contribution points didn't seem like much.
Having completed another transaction, Xiao Qing's eyes curved into a smile; she was the one with the most contribution points among her group of little friends!
... ...
Xiao Zhan realized that his understanding of the Soul Clan, this great enemy, was extremely limited; all relevant information had been relayed to him by the Old Ancestor.
He said to Amon: "As the Clan Leader of the Xiao Family, I need to understand the Soul Clan more deeply; otherwise, how can I lead the Xiao Clan in fighting against them? Do you have a way for me to get in touch with some people from the Soul Clan?"
Amon, whose eyes were as clear as a baby's, said gently: "You can try to connect with the spirit of your doppelganger in the Xiao Family, Xiao Zhan Amon; he is still alive and is currently in the Soul Clan."
Xiao Zhan found the mark of Xiao Zhan Amon in his soul and connected with it.
He gained the senses of "Xiao Zhan" who was in the distant Soul Realm, and upon opening his eyes, he saw a young man with black hair, brown eyes, a face so handsome it was almost demonic, and a peculiar pattern between his brows, walking towards him with his arms wide open.
"Father..."
Xiao Zhan was stunned, a bewildered expression on his face, what's going on? I didn't connect to the wrong Amon... When did I get such a grown-up son?
Hun Zhang looked at the hint of bewilderment in Xiao Zhan's eyes, showing a look of interest, then immediately reined in the smile on his face a bit, and said with a sad and deep tone:
"Father, it's me, your adopted son whom you just recognized not long ago, don't you recognize me?"
Xiao Zhan seemed to understand something, but not completely.
If he didn't connect to the spirit of this body, it would be taken over by the doppelganger that inherited a trace of Amon's main body's consciousness... So this Amon doppelganger, while imprisoned by the Soul Clan, recognized a Soul Clan adopted son using his identity?
What kind of operation is this?
Shouldn't "I" be a captive? What are you Soul Clan doing? Or, is this an inside agent that the Old Ancestor developed in the Soul Clan?
He calmed down after a brainstorm, his face expressionless, and mentally contacted Amon: "Do you know what happened before?"
Amon's emotionless voice sounded: "Unclear, I cannot grasp the dynamics of every doppelganger. At most, I can grasp the general direction; the specific details are too vast, and I cannot process such a huge amount of information."
This statement was half-true, half-false. Under normal circumstances, he indeed did not know the specific details of the avatar's experiences, but if a spiritual connection was made, he could retrieve the memory of the connected doppelganger.
He just didn't want to appear so omniscient in front of Xiao Zhan; an Omniscient existence, even if an ally, was still something to be wary of.
Unable to get more information from Amon, Xiao Zhan could only bite the bullet and face Hun Zhang.
Hun Zhang did not pursue Xiao Zhan's abnormality; instead, when he was at a loss, he proactively smoothed things over:
"It seems you haven't rested well, Father. It's true, no one can eat and sleep well in an enemy force. It's already very difficult for you, Father, to be so calm and composed."
Xiao Zhan nodded in agreement, muttering. All he could do now was listen and observe more, speak and act less, and try not to reveal any flaws.
Hun Zhang suddenly pulled Hun Xiao, who was behind him and looked unwilling, over and said: "Father, look, this is my sister... If you think it's acceptable, then this marriage is settled."
Hun Xiao's eyes widened, and she turned her head blankly to look at her brother: "What?"
Xiao Zhan: "?"
Hun Zhang explained to Hun Xiao: "Before, I discussed a marriage for you, which was for you to marry Father's third son, Xiao Yan..."
Xiao Zhan was utterly bewildered, with many words he didn't know how to begin to say.
After the matter with Nalan Yanran, he had adopted a very cautious attitude towards engagements, but now, how could there suddenly be another engagement? Xiao Yan would probably be furious when he found out...
He began to ponder the Soul Clan's intentions in doing this. He didn't know what "Xiao Zhan" had done, thinking that both this adopted son and Xiao Yan's new engagement were intentionally arranged by the Soul Clan.
Why would the Soul Clan make such arrangements? What is their objective? Is there something about me and Xiao Yan that they covet?
The tuoshe ancient emperor jade! Xiao Zhan immediately thought of this.
From the Soul Clan's perspective, the Xiao Clan has been annihilated, with only me, Xiao Yan, and a few others remaining, but they haven't obtained the tuoshe ancient emperor jade, so they haven't taken further drastic measures, fearing the complete loss of clues to the ancient jade.
Are they planning to use a gentle strategy to make me reveal the whereabouts of the ancient jade?
Perhaps they also value Xiao Yan's talent and want to absorb him into the Soul Clan?
They might have also promised many favorable conditions; to reassure me, the person marrying Xiao Yan should also not have too low of a status...
Xiao Zhan decided to probe the status of Hun Zhang and Hun Xiao within the Soul Clan. If they had a certain status, it would indicate that his guess was very likely correct.
So, he slowly began: "Although my Xiao Clan has declined, he is still the Young Clan Leader, and the person he marries should also be a good match."
Hun Zhang smiled and said: "Right, since recognizing you as my adopted father, I haven't introduced myself yet. Rest assured, my sister is absolutely worthy of Brother Yan.
"Within my Soul Clan, the Clan Leader stands at the apex, below whom are the Four Demon Saints, the Three Sword Saints, Hun Xuzi, and some other Elders.
"And I, Hun Zhang, am the youngest Elder of the Soul Clan, the head of the Soul Clan's Three Sword Saints! Three days from now is the day of my duel with Hun Jing, one of the Four Demon Saints. I will defeat him and claim the title of the Soul Clan's second strongest!"
Hun Zhang concealed the existence of the Void Swallowing Flame and the four living dead Elders. However, strictly speaking, the Void Swallowing Flame is not a member of the Soul Clan, and the four living dead Elders do not become active until a critical moment...
The Four Demon Saints are of similar strength, with no specific ranking. If he can defeat one of the Four Demon Saints, then he would indeed be worthy of the title of the Soul Clan's second strongest!
Xiao Zhan's heart skipped a beat, the Soul Clan's second strongest? Although he isn't yet, judging from titles like "Three Sword Saints" and "Four Demon Saints," these are all Dou Saint-level powerhouses!
In the intelligence Wu Meng gave him, the Soul Clan Leader, Soul Emperor, and the Gu Clan Leader, Gu Yuan, were both the top powerhouses of the current era, at the late stage of Nine-Star Dou Saint.
This person named Hun Zhang, who looks very young, since he has the confidence to contend for the title of the Soul Clan's second strongest, then even among Dou Shengs, he is probably an extremely powerful existence.
He felt a bit absurd in his heart, the Soul Clan is spending such a huge sum to win over me and Xiao Yan? Even bringing out the sister of such a figure as a bargaining chip?
Xiao Zhan became even more certain of his guess; a single tuoshe ancient emperor jade is not worth them doing this, after all, the Xiao Clan only has one-eighth of it, and the others need to be gathered for it to be useful...
They must have seen my son Xiao Yan's potential to become a Dou Emperor!
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr