Hearing this, the Second and Third Elders and Xiao Zhan all looked at the Grand Elder.
Their eyes seemed to say: Are you serious? From no Dou Qi to eight Duan in three months? Are you kidding us?
The Grand Elder felt uncomfortable.
Though he didn't want to believe it, on the way back, he confirmed that Xiao Jian had indeed defeated two ninth Duan opponents alone.
Though he had first strike advantage, it was still a real one-on-two victory.
"Alright, if you say eight Duan, then eight Duan it is."
Xiao Jian sighed in resignation.
Previously, the Grand Elder thought Xiao Jian was perfect except he couldn't cultivate.
Now he found him so infuriating...whatever he says, it's final.
"Three months, eight Duan? Grand Elder, that seems impossible."
Even Xiao Zhan, the father, found it absurd.
"Yes, Grand Elder. Even if Xiao Jian had been practicing since childhood, eight Duan Dou Qi in three months is remarkable. Maybe the Testing Stone glitched?"
The Third Elder spoke hesitantly.
"You mean the Testing Stone is flawless every year, but just for Xiao Jian it breaks?"
The Grand Elder looked at the Third Elder as if he were an idiot.
The Third Elder blushed and fell silent.
By comparison, the possibility of Xiao Jian reaching eight Duan in three months seemed higher.
"Father, Elders, don't worry. The coming-of-age ceremony is next year.
The Testing Stone will reveal my true strength. For now, it's enough to know my talent is excellent."
Xiao Jian smiled, smoothing things over. His cultivation method was special.....fast progress was normal.....but he couldn't reveal everything yet.
"Good. Yuan'er, you've always been measured. Whatever you need, tell the family. Maybe the Xiao family can even train a Dou Huang in the future!"
Xiao Zhan nodded warmly to Xiao Jian.
Xiao Jian smiled.
Dou Huang? Probably more than that.
After resolving the issues in the marketplace, it was no surprise that the mid-level market under Xiao Jian's management passed evaluation and was promoted to a high-level market.
This earned Xiao Jian, as the market master, a reward of five thousand gold coins.
He kept only a thousand for himself, letting Xiao Tong and Payne split the remaining four thousand.
With his growing wealth, four thousand coins wasn't trivial.
But using money to solidify the loyalty of his subordinates was a small price to pay.
The Gallee family, regarding Huang Jing's death, showed no reaction at all.
Gallee had obtained the Wind Sweep Technique and was diligently practicing it, so such a minor matter didn't concern them...they had bigger plans.
Similarly, the Oba family expressed no opinion.
After all, a foolish herbal merchant brought this upon himself. Who would bother intervening?
Jacks, however, spent a week crafting a beautifully designed Dark Iron Spear according to Xiao Jian's specifications.
Of course, Jacks was only at Dou Shi level, so the weapon's ceiling wasn't very high.
At most, it could reach Dou Ling grade, which might make it less useful later.
But for the short term, it was more than sufficient.
Xiao Jian still wanted to pay Jacks for the materials.
However, Jacks refused, insisting on giving his service freely. Xiao Jian could only accept the free hand this time.
After that, nothing major happened in Utan City that required Xiao Jian's attention.
For the next six months, he barely left the Xiao family estate.
His days were filled with eating, drinking, and training, absorbing the medicinal energy from herbs to accelerate his cultivation, all aimed at filling his Five Qi Palaces as quickly as possible.
Upon reaching eight Duan, he even prematurely used the Qi Gathering technique to accelerate further.
Over half a year, Xiao Jian's nearly extravagant method of training brought him from five Duan to the peak of nine Duan.
Today was the day he would ascend to Dou Zhe.
After adjusting his state, Xiao Jian flipped his hand and retrieved two first-grade Wood Attribute Magic Cores and a five-hundred-year-old Greenwood Vine from his spiritual ring.
Ascending to Dou Zhe required strengthening the liver's Greenwood Qi Palace, pushing it beyond its capacity, while simultaneously forcing the other four organs to exceed their limits as well.
Fortunately, with Yafei's assistance, gathering the necessary materials had been effortless.
Holding the herbs and cores in his hands, Xiao Jian formed a peculiar hand seal and began the breakthrough.
Under the guidance of the hand seal and a specialized practice path, vast amounts of Wood Attribute energy entered his body through his breathing, reinforcing the liver's Qi Palace as primary, and the other four as secondary.
The green Wood energy was gentle and pure. Its vibrant growth aura surged through Xiao Jian, bringing an unprecedented sense of comfort.
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