Clan Competition

Morning sunlight streamed through the window into the Bamboo House.

"Mmm~~~"

With a soft groan, Xun'er slowly opened her eyes on the bed as memories of yesterday gradually returned.

"This is... my home? Did I come back?" Looking at everything familiar before her, Xun'er murmured.

Just as she tried to sit up, a wave of pain shot through her shoulder.

Her lips trembled violently. Gritting her teeth, she sucked in a sharp breath, but as the cold air entered her body, an even fiercer pain struck. Under that intense agony, Xun'er felt as if her body no longer belonged to her.

Just as Xun'er was about to pass out from the pain, the Dou Qi within her body began to flow slowly, surging toward every part of her body. As her cultivation technique operated on its own, the Dou Qi in her body became exceptionally lively.

Once the Dou Qi had completely passed through Xun'er's acupoints and meridians, her previously stagnant cultivation slowly began to rise as well.

Not noticing the change in the number of Dou Qi Stars near the Qi vortex within her body, Xun'er was now completely immersed in this sudden comfort.

Seeing this, Yun Xi slowly appeared from within her body. His spiritual power swept over Xun'er as he watched the changes taking place inside her.

"Phew~~ That feels so good~~~~"

The pain from earlier had completely vanished. Feeling the slightly cool Dou Qi flow through her meridians and spread across her body, Xun'er let out a long breath.

"Take a look at your strength."

The sudden voice made her freeze on the spot. She turned her head and saw Yun Xi sitting by the round table nearby, only then relaxing.

"What was that? You suddenly spoke and scared me!" Xun'er said, pretending to be angry.

The hand holding Yun Xi's teacup stiffened. Turning his head to look at the seemingly upset Xun'er by the bed, he felt rather helpless.

"You little girl, you're already a Three Star Dou Zhe. Haven't you noticed?"

At those words, Xun'er's eyes lit up. She hurriedly examined the changes in her body, probing along her meridians. When she saw the three slowly revolving Dou Qi Stars beside her Qi vortex, she said joyfully, "I really am a Three Star Dou Zhe! Yun Xi, how did you do it?"

"I didn't do anything. This is the result of your own cultivation." Seeing Xun'er's happy expression, Yun Xi's mood inexplicably improved as well.

"Come on, I'll take you somewhere." Before Xun'er could react, Yun Xi grabbed her little hand. The space beneath their feet rippled slightly, and the two vanished from where they stood.

Looking at the familiar surroundings before her, Xun'er's little face fell slightly. "Here again? Isn't this where I cultivated yesterday? Why did you bring me here?"

With a casual wave of his hand, the clone appeared once more.

Yun Xi explained, "This is the sixth clone, with the strength of a Six Star Dou Zhe. You cultivated especially hard yesterday, so today I'll let you see what your cultivation yesterday meant."

As soon as he finished speaking, the clone threw a punch. Xun'er instinctively formed a seal with one hand, gathering energy in her palm as she once again collided with the oncoming fist.

Bang!

A dull sound rang out, and the clone before her had already dispersed. Seeing that a single palm strike of hers possessed such power, Xun'er was startled as well.

"Your Dou Technique has now reached minor mastery. Among those of the same level, you should have no rivals left." Looking at the delighted Xun'er, Yun Xi revealed a gratified smile and offered her a little praise.

In truth, Yun Xi had expected Xun'er to defeat the fourth clone at most with the Dou Technique she had just learned. Yet he had not expected this girl to possess such firm determination that she had stubbornly defeated the sixth clone. Clearly, such perseverance had far exceeded Yun Xi's expectations.

"By the way, Xun'er, I heard you say last time that the Clan Competition is about to begin. What's that about? Tell me." Yun Xi was rather curious.

"The Clan Competition is held once a year. Its purpose is to let the younger members of the clan spar and cultivate together." Having just recovered from her joy, Xun'er seriously explained in response to Yun Xi's question.

Hearing that, Yun Xi frowned slightly. So this is the Clan Competition? Just a few juniors sparring with one another? Then that's not very interesting.

Xun'er glanced at Yun Xi's faintly furrowed brow and immediately guessed what he was thinking.

"The Clan Competition is merely a sparring event among the younger members of our Gu Clan. Once you rank among the top twenty in the clan, you can participate in the Great Clan Competition and spar with elite disciples from the other Six Great Clans. If you become the overall champion, you'll receive unprecedented rewards. And the Great Clan Competition may very well be held on another continent. That's what I heard from Father, though I'm not too sure myself. In any case, it's not as boring as you imagine," Xun'er continued explaining.

Another continent?

A trace of excitement appeared on Yun Xi's face. He had been staying in the Gu Clan all this time, and even a place as beautiful as a heavenly paradise could grow tiresome after a while.

If cultivation took place on another continent, could he return to his own continent? Even if it was not the continent he came from, if he mastered a way to travel between continents, then once he had a physical body, wouldn't he be able to return to his own world whenever he wanted?

Thinking of this, Yun Xi's mood became even more cheerful, and the excitement on his face lingered for a long while.

Watching Yun Xi, who seemed to be foolishly grinning, Xun'er asked in confusion, "Yun Xi? What's wrong with you?"

"Ahem, it's nothing. The immersion was too strong. I've already gone back."

"Hm? What did you say?" Xun'er asked again.

"Oh, n-no, nothing. About that Clan Competition... Hmm, I've thought about it. With your strength, getting into the top five shouldn't be a problem. So work hard and let me... ah, no, become strong soon!" Yun Xi was so excited that he was speaking without thinking.

The Clan Competition was a contest established by the current Seven Great Clans, intended to select and cultivate the most outstanding members of the younger generation so they could become the backbone of their clans.

At those words, the faint joy on Xun'er's face turned somewhat despondent.

Yun Xi noticed the shift in Xun'er's mood and asked softly, "What's wrong, Xun'er? Why do you suddenly look so worried? Did I say something wrong?"

Yun Xi was rather confused too. She had clearly been fine just moments ago, yet she suddenly seemed like a different person. If he had not been inside her body, Yun Xi might have thought there was another soul within her.

Xun'er hurriedly explained, "No, no, that's not it. It's just... um... the Clan Competition is about to begin, and the people participating this time are all extremely strong. You've met some of them too: Gu Qingyang, Gu Yao, and Gu Hua and Gu Xing, whom you haven't met yet. They're all far stronger than me, and the cultivation techniques and Dou Techniques they practice are no worse than mine. I'm just worried... I'm afraid I'll embarrass Father..."

Xun'er said a great deal, but Yun Xi understood. Simply put, she felt that she was not strong enough and feared bringing shame to Gu Yuan.

Hearing this, Yun Xi comforted her, "It's fine. They're all much older than you. If you were their age, you'd definitely be much stronger than them."

"Don't worry, I'm here. Won't taking first place be as easy as bringing it home?"

"But... aren't you still afraid of Father..." Xun'er murmured softly.

The corners of Yun Xi's mouth twitched. Blushing, he said, "That's not true. I'm only worried that I might bring disaster upon you..."

"Hmph, what a clumsy excuse..." Xun'er said disdainfully.