Blurting It Out

"It's fine, don't panic yet. Let's go to the Miter Auction House and find Master Guni. Have him take a look at Yan'er." The Great Elder pondered for a moment before speaking with forced composure.

"Yes, yes! Master Guni is a Second Grade Alchemist. He'll definitely be able to see what's wrong!" Xiao Zhan seemed to have grasped a lifeline, hope once again shining in his eyes.

"Ahem, forget about a Second Grade one. Teacher said that Sixth Grade Alchemist, Pill King Gu He, is nothing but trash."

()

Σ(っ°Д°;)っ

╭(°A°`)╮

ДO

"...Yan'er, what did you just say?" Xiao Zhan wondered whether the shock he had suffered in such a short time had given him auditory hallucinations.

"I said, forget about a Second Grade one. Teacher said that Sixth Grade Alchemist, Pill King Gu He, is nothing but trash."

Xiao Yan repeated himself unhurriedly, then continued speaking while the four of them were still stunned:

"Teacher is an Alchemist from the Central Continent. He never told me his grade or cultivation level, only that someone like Pill King Gu He wasn't even worthy of being his medicine boy."

"I'm currently cultivating a Secret Technique that only Alchemists can cultivate. My cultivation will keep declining, but my Soul Perception Power will grow stronger."

"Teacher said he came to search for Heavenly Flames. He thought my talent was decent, so he accepted me as his disciple and had me cultivate this Secret Technique first, strengthening my Soul Perception Power to lay the foundation for becoming an Alchemist in the future."

"Once I become an Alchemist, cultivation won't be a problem at all. I'll just refine a few more Pills and eat them."

Xiao Yan spouted nonsense so convincingly that his father and the Three Great Elders were left completely dumbfounded.

"...I see. Yan'er, go back and rest. If you need anything, just tell us."

Only after a long while did Xiao Zhan finally snap out of it.

Xiao Yan nodded. Regardless of what the four of them thought, he turned and left.

"...What do you think? How credible are Yan'er's words?"

"He's always cultivated quietly and never read any books. He shouldn't have had any opportunity to learn about things like the Central Continent or Heavenly Flames."

"Yan'er's body is perfectly fine. His physique is still healthy; only his Dou Qi has disappeared. It doesn't look like cultivation deviation."

"Then it could only have been some important figure from the Central Continent who told him, right?"

"But strengthening Soul Perception Power..."

"It's perfectly normal for an important figure to possess Secret Techniques. Pill King Gu He is a Sixth Grade Alchemist. If that person looks down on Gu He, he must be at least a Seventh Grade Alchemist, right?"

"A Seventh Grade Alchemist..."

"Our Xiao Family is going to prosper!"

Now that he knew why his Dou Qi had vanished, and knew that his talent had not been crippled, why should he endure three years of scornful looks?

He only needed to make up a plausible excuse to fool the elders. They would not have to worry, he would not have to suffer, and the family could save some resources as well.

Xiao Yan let out a long breath. In the original story, the protagonist had been "forced" to show off and slap faces all the way through, always facing enemies whose cultivation was just a little higher than his.

Even at the ending, he had only possessed the strength of a Seven Star Dou Sheng, yet forcibly endured the Dou Emperor Inheritance that only a Nine-star Dou Sheng could accept.

His body had been blown apart by the immense energy an unknown number of times before reassembling itself.

Just thinking about that kind of experience felt inhuman.

After Xiao Yan learned that he had taken the original protagonist's place, he made up his mind to use his identity to obtain as many resources as possible during the early stages. No more constantly defeating the strong while weak—he would fight a few easy battles and call it a day.

As for Gu Xun'er, Xiao Yan was merely acquainted with her now—when he was four, he ultimately had not been able to make up his mind to shamelessly sneak into her room and nourish her Meridians.

Without that relationship, which was absurd in every possible sense, Xiao Yan and Gu Xun'er naturally were not particularly close. At most, they nodded, smiled, and exchanged greetings whenever they met.

In the original story, Queen Medusa had taken the Green Lotus Core Flame more than half a year before Xiao Yan.

Not long afterward, Gu He discovered a bloodstained scale belonging to Queen Medusa.

If he wanted to get ahead of them and seize the Green Lotus Core Flame in advance, Xiao Yan could only continue cultivating diligently.

"I still need to train harder! If I arrive too early, I'll have to fight a Dou Ling-level Two-headed Fire Spirit Snake. If I arrive too late, I'll have to fight a whole group of Dou Emperors and Dou Wangs."

Three years later.

"Dou Qi, Fourth Stage!"

A voice devoid of any emotion entered the ears of everyone present.

Two years ago, Xiao Yan had broken through to the Seventh Stage Dou Qi. The clan members discussed it endlessly, but the Patriarch and Elders said nothing, and Xiao Yan's treatment did not change. The precious Medicinal Herbs used to strengthen his physique never stopped coming, so the clan members could only suppress their doubts.

One year ago, Xiao Yan had broken through to the Fifth Stage Dou Qi. The clan members had already begun mocking him, convinced that something was wrong with his body and that he was merely relying on his Patriarch father to seize other clan members' cultivation resources.

Today, after breaking through to the Fourth Stage Dou Qi, even Xiao Zhan, his own father, began to harbor doubts.

Xiao Yan was already thirteen. If he continued cultivating this Secret Technique, could he break through to Dou Zhe before coming of age?

If private tests had not shown that Xiao Yan's soul was no weaker than a Da Dou Shi's, Xiao Zhan would have lost confidence long ago.

"Yan'er, how much longer do you need to cultivate this Secret Technique...? I'm not questioning you. It's just that your Coming of Age Ceremony is only two years away. If you don't have Sixth Stage Dou Qi by then..."

After the test, Xiao Zhan ultimately could not suppress the doubts in his heart and went to find Xiao Yan.

"It should be soon. This year, my Dou Qi only dropped by one stage. Next year, it should begin increasing normally again."

"Next year..."

Xiao Zhan frowned and performed his usual examination of Xiao Yan's body. He found that Xiao Yan's physique had already surpassed that of most Dou Zhes, while his Soul Power had faintly surpassed his own. Only the Dou Qi within Xiao Yan's body remained thin.

After leaving behind the Medicinal Herbs Xiao Yan would need to train his body this month, Xiao Zhan departed with a heavy heart.

After Xiao Zhan left, Xiao Yan also grew somewhat anxious. By all rights, Old Yao should have appeared after three years. Yet a month ago, Xiao Yan discovered that his Dou Qi would no longer vanish, allowing him to break through from the peak of Third Stage Dou Qi to the Fourth Stage.

But where was Old Yao? Could it be that if Nalan Yanran did not come, Old Yao would not emerge either?

"At worst, I'll go to the Alchemist Guild and casually find an Alchemist to take as my master. With my talent, as long as I can kick open the door to Alchemy, teaching myself in the future will be enough to bring the Xiao Family soaring."

Xiao Yan gritted his teeth, picked out a portion of medicinal powder, mixed it with water, drank it, and continued with that day's training.

When Xiao Yan finished cultivating and opened his eyes, he suddenly discovered an aged... ghostly figure before him.

"...Σ(っ°Д°;)っ"

"...(⊙o⊙)"

After staring at each other for two seconds, Xiao Yan suddenly asked, "Are you the 'artifact spirit' of this ring?"

After saying that, Xiao Yan pulled out the ancient ring hanging on his chest and gave it a shake before the Old Man, who was in the form of a soul.