Unknowingly, five years had already passed in the blink of an eye.
During these five years, nothing particularly earth-shattering had happened—it had been a calm and ordinary stretch of time. The only thing worth mentioning was that Xiao Yan had been diligently cultivating throughout it all. Thanks to his persistence, he had reached the ninth stage of Dou Qi—just one step away from becoming a Dou Zhe.
If he had a Qi Gathering Powder on hand, he could break through immediately. However, Wutan City was a backwater corner of the Jia Ma Empire, and Qi Gathering Powder was rare and costly. Even if some existed, the price was far beyond what the current Xiao Family could afford. Naturally, it was impossible for one to fall into Xiao Yan's hands. So, he had no choice but to cultivate patiently and wait for the breakthrough to come on its own.
On a mountain behind the Xiao Family estate, a small figure sat cross-legged at the peak. Faint wisps of white energy flowed steadily into his body from the surrounding heavens and earth. Though the amount of energy exceeded what a Dou Qi practitioner should normally withstand, Xiao Yan managed to control it perfectly.
"Condense." As the amount of Dou Qi surpassed a safe threshold, Xiao Yan formed a hand seal. The gathered energy rapidly flowed toward his lower abdomen, where it compressed under his soul force into a white vortex of Dou Qi.
"I finally broke through to Dou Zhe…" Xiao Yan opened his eyes slowly, sensing the energy in his body—several times stronger than before.
In his past life, he had broken through to Dou Zhe at age eleven and was hailed as the greatest genius seen in the Jia Ma Empire in a hundred years. In this life, he had reached that level two years earlier—becoming a Dou Zhe at age nine. If word of this ever got out, jaws would drop across the continent.
But to Xiao Yan, this progress was nothing special. He set aside time to consolidate his foundation, knowing that Dou Qi cultivation was equivalent to laying the groundwork. The benefits might not be immediately apparent, but in the long run, a solid foundation would ease future cultivation considerably.
Not to mention, he had also been training his soul power. Although the effect of the incomplete soul chant he used was less than ideal, it still brought considerable improvement. According to his estimates, his current soul strength could rival that of a fourth-grade alchemist.
"Now that I've reached Dou Zhe, it's time to leave the Xiao Family." Xiao Yan stood up and gazed down at Wutan City with a calm expression.
He had already planned out his future and prepared thoroughly for it. His room was stocked with survival gear—everything he'd need once he set off.
Had he chosen to stay in Wutan City, basking in the fame and admiration that came with his talent, he could have lived comfortably. But that wasn't the life he wanted. His past had trained him to grow through hardship and battle. Though he hadn't fought in nine years, he remembered the feeling well.
Besides, there were many people in the Xiao Family that he found insufferable. On the surface, they seemed amiable, but deep down, they harbored the desire to stab him in the back. If not for the kindness shown to him by his father and older brothers, he would've already taken those hypocrites out. No way he'd waste time pretending to get along with them.
"Xiao Yan-gege!" Just as he was preparing to return, a petite figure darted up the mountain path. Xiao Yan sighed helplessly.
'If I had known, I wouldn't have played the good guy back then…'
The girl chasing after him was none other than Xun'er, who had come to the Xiao Family five years ago. Xiao Yan knew she wasn't ordinary, but he didn't want to get entangled with her either. Unfortunately, Xiao Zhan had asked him to take good care of this little sister, so he had reluctantly looked after her a few times.
However, the girl was frail. Once, during an outing, she got heatstroke. Xiao Yan happened to be there and had used his Dou Qi to warm and soothe her meridians. Who would've thought that from that day on, she'd cling to him like a shadow—and even started calling him "Xiao Yan-gege" instead of just "Xiao Yan."
That nickname brought back some unpleasant memories. If he remembered correctly, a certain terrible woman had once called him that too…
"Hm?" Xun'er blinked in surprise when she saw him. She sensed his energy and asked in mild amazement, "Xiao Yan-gege, did you break through to Dou Zhe?"
"Yeah." Xiao Yan nodded slightly. He had just broken through, so his aura hadn't yet fully retracted. It wasn't strange that she could sense his level.
"Since you've become a Dou Zhe, you should be able to start cultivating a Dou Technique now, right?" Xun'er smiled. "Xiao Yan-gege's attribute is fire, but if I remember correctly, the highest-grade fire attribute technique in the Xiao Family is only HighYellow-rank."
Xiao Yan raised a brow. In his past life, that sameYellow-rank technique had accompanied him during his Dou Zhe stage until he stumbled upon a Profound-rank technique after becoming a Da Dou Shi. That was one of the reasons he wanted to leave Wutan City—this place was too barren. Staying here would only slow down his progress.
"A HighYellow-rank technique might be decent for most Dou Zhes, but for someone as talented as Xiao Yan-gege, it's a bit… lacking." Xun'er twirled a ring on her finger, and with a flick, a red scroll appeared in her hand. "I have a High Profound-rank technique here. I think it should suit you quite well."
Xiao Yan glanced at the scroll but didn't refuse. He already had high-level techniques from his past life, but since someone was offering a gift, there was no reason to turn it down. If he really needed to, he could sell it later—such a scroll would fetch at least several hundred thousand gold coins. That kind of money could solve many of his upcoming travel expenses.
Seeing Xiao Yan accept the technique, a smile bloomed on Xun'er's delicate face. She knew Wutan City's environment was a shackle for Xiao Yan's growth. But with this scroll, he wouldn't need to worry about upgrading techniques until he reached the Dou Wang realm. And after that… she could find something even stronger for him.
If Xiao Yan knew what Xun'er was thinking, he'd probably be speechless.
'I'm the Wrathful Saint, damn it. I haven't fallen so far that I need to mooch off a little girl…'
Though, honestly, he wasn't entirely opposed to the idea.
(End of Chapter)
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