What Decent Person Makes It on Their Own?

"Brother Xiao Yan!"

The girl stood on tiptoe, raised her hand and waved, looking cheerful and full of youthful energy, which made Xiao Yan feel happy. He felt that worldly desires had returned.

"Xun'er..."

A gentle smile appeared on Xiao Yan's face. Although he was under a lot of pressure, he always felt particularly relaxed when he was with Xun'er.

Xiao Xun Er took a step forward, moving like a nimble butterfly to Xiao Yan's side, a hint of surprise appearing on her pretty face:

"Brother Xiao Yan broke through to Dou Zhe without saying a word? Was the cultivation technique he switched to the Yellow Tier Advanced Cultivation Method, Refining Fire Burn, provided by Uncle Xiao Zhan through connections?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan immediately looked around to make sure no one was nearby before lowering his voice and whispering in Xun'er's ear, "Let's find a secluded place and I'll tell you..."

Xiao Xun Er trembled suddenly, shrank her head, and a blush spread across her fair face, as alluring as a blooming peach blossom.

But no one could appreciate this scene. Xiao Xun Er lowered her gaze, her head drooping as well, hiding her flushed face, and silently let him pull her to the back mountain.

Xiao Family Back Mountain, many towering trees grow wildly. These trees were already there when the Xiao Family moved to Wutan City, and they are even older than the Xiao Family Mansion.

Every summer or late autumn, many trees bear fruit, some green and some bright red. In the past, Xiao Yan often picked fruit for Xun'er to eat.

That's why Xiao Xun Er can now skillfully tell whether Xiao Yan is jealous or not.

After dragging Xun'er to the back mountain without stopping, Xiao Yan reluctantly offered Xun'er's little hand.

Xiao Yan gently pressed his chest, feeling as if his heart was rebelling, pounding incessantly and making his brain feel dizzy.

At such a short distance, one would normally be able to remain calm and composed, but with a thousand thoughts swirling in his mind—worrying about whether he had been too forward, yet also overjoyed that Xun'er hadn't refused— Xiao Yan almost collapsed on the spot under the immense pressure.

Xun'er was also a little out of breath at this moment, her slightly developing chest heaving, and a blush had spread from her cheeks to her earlobes, making her look like a ripe apple.

"Xun'er, your physique is too weak. You get so tired from such a short distance. This won't do. It seems I'll have to put in more effort and make sure you run every day to get some exercise!"

Upon hearing the first half of the sentence, Xiao Xun Er immediately put her hands on her hips, but before she could utter a rebuttal, she was completely shut down by the second half. Her chest, which had just been puffed out, slumped down again, leaving only a soft "hmm" as her response.

Xiao Yan held his head high with a hint of pride, but not too much. After a while, once most of the crimson glow had dissipated, he said mysteriously:

"I met a Mysterious Teacher who solved my talent problem, took me as his apprentice, and taught me an Earth Grade Cultivation Method, saying that I had the talent to Alchemist."

"I was able to break through to the Dou Zhe level so quickly thanks to my teacher who made me a Qi Gathering Powder. It seems that the Miter Auction House discovered something about the Medicinal Herbs and wants to win me over."

Xiao Yan's words revealed a lot of information, but Xiao Xun Er listened to every word without missing a single one. She even nodded in sudden realization, saying as if talking to herself, "No wonder Brother Xiao Yan smelled of a woman today..."

Before Xiao Yan could explain, Xun'er abruptly changed the subject, taking a step forward and staring intently at Xiao Yan with her large, watery eyes:

"However, did Brother Xiao Yan really cultivate Earth Grade Cultivation Method? As far as I know, there isn't an Earth Grade Cultivation Method in the entire Jia Ma Empire..."

"Ah? Well..." Xiao Yan's lips twitched. He subconsciously wanted to ask Xun'er why she knew so much about the Jia Ma Empire, but he thought that this way of questioning each other was too hurtful, so he could only swallow the question that was on the tip of his tongue.

Moreover, and most importantly, Xiao Yan could sense that Xun'er's strength was clearly higher than his own, and she could probably see through his mottled Dou Qi cultivated from a Yellow Grade Low-Tier Cultivation Method at a glance. She just didn't expose him directly out of trust.

Various thoughts raced through Xiao Yan's mind, and for the first time, he found bluffing to be so troublesome.

He used to be able to come up with all sorts of things to fool his father without hesitation, but now he doesn't know how to start a conversation with a young girl.

Xiao Xun Er remained calm and composed, gazing quietly at Xiao Yan, waiting for a satisfactory answer.

Xiao Yan sighed heavily, and finally decided to confess to Xun'er: "Actually, that's the Emperor's Emperor, not the 'Earth' in 'Earth'— Emperor Tier Cultivation Method, the Flame Mantra!"

"..."

The two stared at each other for a long time, but in the end, Xiao Xun Er was the first to give in. She frowned slightly, looking a bit of a headache, and said, "Brother Xiao Yan, does Xun'er look silly?"

"Ahem, Xun'er, this Flame Mantra was discovered in the Dou Di Relic, causing countless Dou Zun expert to fight for it like their lives depend on it. It can Exotic Flame Fusion on the Dou Qi Continent... Well, that's what my teacher told me anyway."

As Xiao Yan spoke, he realized he was about to run out of things to say.

The Flame Mantra was indeed discovered in the Dou Di Relic. Old Yao knew that Dou Zun was still dead, so it's true that the Flame Mantra caused countless Dou Zun expert to fight for it like their lives depended on it. However, Old Yao was not sure whether it could Fusion Heavenly Flame.

But Xiao Xun Er looked thoughtful.

The Dou Di Relic and the Fusion Heavenly Flame are two fantastical concepts that ordinary people would never believe, but Xiao Xun Er happens to know about the Dou Di Relic.

Back then, an extremely incomplete Dou Di Relic was opened, and the Ancient Eight Clans found three pieces of Emperor Jade within it. Later, during the struggle, it split into eight pieces, with each clan holding one piece.

The Xiao Family was originally the Xiao Clan, one of the Ancient Eight Clans, and also possessed an Emperor Jade, but now they have fallen into obscurity.

Xiao Xun Er's purpose in coming to the Xiao Family was precisely for that piece of Emperor Jade belonging to the Xiao Family!

In the Dou Di Relic, the forces at the Dou Sheng level were basically all vying for the Emperor Jade, which was directly related to the Dou Emperor Inheritance. It is not incomprehensible that they would overlook a cultivation technique.

After thinking it through, Xiao Xun Er couldn't help but show a solemn expression. "Brother Xiao Yan, please don't tell any third person about these things!"

A question mark gradually floated into Xiao Yan's mind.

"Dou Emperor has not appeared for tens of thousands of years. If a cultivation technique related to Dou Emperor were to appear in the world, even Dou Sheng Expert would go crazy for it and would be unable to resist fighting for it," Xiao Xun Er solemnly warned.

Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow, smiled without saying a word, and looked at Xun'er, saying, "My Xun'er seems to know quite a few secrets?"

Xiao Xun Er paused abruptly, then put her hands behind her back, tilted her head, smiled, and pretended to be stupid, all in one smooth motion.

"Don't worry, Xun'er, I wouldn't tell such a secret to just anyone—it's just that you're a special case." Xiao Yan pinched Xun'er's cheek without any politeness.

"Brother Xiao Yan, have you already guessed something?" Xiao Xun Er's voice was very soft and her tone was weak.

"Yes! Based on my deduction, to actually live off Xun'er, one would probably need to reach the Dou Sheng realm," Xiao Yan sighed.

Xiao Xun Er blushed, but she was also very happy to let Xiao Yan live off her, and whispered, "I believe that Brother Xiao Yan will definitely be able to break through to the Dou Sheng."

An ambiguous atmosphere arose again as the young boy and girl spent time together in the deserted back mountain, their hearts seemingly intertwined.

That night.

Xiao Xun Er tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep no matter what.

During the day, Xiao Xun'er's mind was filled with Xiao Yan, so she didn't feel anything. But when she calmed down at night, Xiao Xun Er suddenly realized what was going on.

The existence of Old Yao was not a big secret—after Xiao Yan suddenly started cultivating all day, Xiao Xun Er sensed something was wrong. Under Ling Ying's investigation, they discovered that there was a Residual Soul of a powerful figure beside Xiao Yan.

However, Xiao Xun Er did not investigate the identity of that powerful person at the time.

Today, Xiao Yan revealed the truth, Xiao Xun Er quickly found out that the powerful figure was the Venerable Yao from back then.

Logically speaking, an Eighth Grade Alchemist at the Dou Zun level is nothing special, but since the Venerable Yao happens to know some things about the Ancient Eight Clans, Xiao Xun Er's identity can no longer be hidden.

In other words, Xiao Yan knew Xun'er's identity a long time ago, but pretended to know nothing about it, and even actively cooperated with Xun'er in her act...

After realizing what had happened, Xiao Xun Er was so embarrassed that she wanted to disappear.

"That wretched Brother Xiao Yan..."

The girl flailed and tossed about on the bed, as if Xiao Yan was the one teasing her.

After rolling around for a while, Xiao Xun Er finally calmed down a bit and began to think about the "Emperor-level technique" that could Fusion Heavenly Flame.

In Xiao Xun Er's perception, the Dou Qi in Xiao Yan's body was indeed mottled and weak, far inferior to the Xuan Tier, let alone surpassing the Heavenly Tier and becoming known as the "Emperor Tier".

"Could it be that the Flame Mantra requires Heavenly Flames to reveal its extraordinary properties?"

"But the top-ranked Heavenly Flames are either impossible to subdue, or they are already in the hands of powerful forces or old monsters..."

"Even if Brother Xiao Yan can break through to the Dou Sheng, he probably won't be able to gather many Heavenly Flames!"

Xiao Xun Er counted in her mind, and the best, uncontrolled Heavenly Flames was already ranked fourteenth.

Of course, it's also possible that the fourteenth-ranked Fallen Heart Flame was controlled by a Dou Zun or lower-level expert and went unnoticed.

"Should we tell Father...?"

Xiao Xun Er looked conflicted.

As a peak Dou Sheng, Gu Yuan could form an extremely terrifying flame even if he simply rubbed a spark out of his hand. Even if the quality of its origin was not as good as the naturally born and nurtured Heavenly Flames, it would definitely reach the level of Dou Sheng in terms of energy.

Moreover, the Gu Clan are the most powerful forces on the Dou Qi Continent. It is unlikely that they can get their hands on the Heavenly Flames of other forces, but purchasing a wisp of Origin Fire Seed is not a problem.

Those top-ranked Heavenly Flames, even a wisp of their Origin Fire Seed, can benefit Dou Zong and even Dou Zun, not to mention Dou Zhe.

The only question is whether Gu Yuan will help or break Xiao Yan's leg after learning about the situation; that remains to be seen.

"Hmm... let's prepare some Beast Flame for Brother Xiao Yan first! We can also investigate the news about Heavenly Flames around the Jia Ma Empire. Once Brother Xiao Yan starts to show his talent, Father... should acknowledge him."

Xiao Xun Er patted her still burning cheeks, summoned Ling Ying and her subordinates, and issued a series of orders.

At this moment, Xiao Yan was refining medicine.

Compared to continuous arduous training, exhausting one's Dou Qi before engaging in cultivation will yield slightly better results.

Xiao Yan naturally chose to exhaust his Dou Qi by refining medicine before entering a state of cultivation, thus achieving both medicine refining and cultivation simultaneously.

The medicine cauldron was purchased by Xiao Yan from the Miter Auction House by Xiao Zhan, who was in a mad state. The Medicinal Herbs were also purchased by Xiao Yan from the Miter Auction House by Xiao Zhan, who was in a mad state.

Together, the two cost over 600,000 Gold Coins.

Six hundred thousand Gold Coins disappeared from the Xiao Family's accounts out of thin air. The Three Great Elders almost thought that Xiao Zhan had gone mad and started fighting with Xiao Zhan.

However, after learning that Xiao Yan had Yao Tian and had broken through to the Dou Zhe without saying a word, the Three Great Elders gasped and stopped objecting.

Thus, Xiao Yan received a medicine cauldron and one hundred doses of the Medicinal Herbs for the Blood Coagulating Powder.

The Miter Auction House also emphasized that if Xiao Yan was willing to join them, all of these would be provided for free, but both Xiao Yan and Xiao Zhan were too proud to accept this offer.

The Blood Coagulating Powder is a Pill Recipe newly created by the Old Yao. Under perfect conditions, one portion of the Medicinal Herbs can be refined into a full cauldron of medicinal liquid, which can be used for a seriously injured person to take Medicinal Bath. It can also be divided into one hundred portions for sale.

The cost of one Medicinal Herbs is about two hundred Gold Coins. One hundred servings of the liquid medicine are sold at ten Gold Coins each, which can generate one thousand Gold Coins, resulting in a net profit margin of four hundred percent.

Of course, this is an ideal situation and is far from the reality.

For example, Xiao Yan has already ruined five portions of Medicinal Herbs, and still hasn't produced a single finished product, so a thousand Gold Coins have gone down the drain.

But Xiao Yan was not discouraged. Even a true First Grade Alchemist only has a success rate of 30% to 40%. It is normal for a beginner not to be able to succeed.

Furthermore, even if successful, the finished product is rarely sufficient; it is rare to find enough to divide into seventy or eighty portions of liquid.

The only downside is that the Flame Mantra is currently too weak.

Yellow Tier Low cultivation techniques have very little Dou Qi stored in their Dou Qi Vortex. It's used up quickly and is extremely difficult to replenish. The speed at which they absorb and refine the World Energy is like that of a tortoise.

It's truly a case of refining medicine as easily as a mountain collapsing, but recovering vital energy as slowly as drawing silk

After a busy night, Xiao Yan used 21 portions of Medicinal Herbs to refine 64 portions of medicinal liquid—he succeeded twice in total.

I lost more than three thousand.

However, everything is difficult at the beginning, but at least the future is promising.

Just as Xiao Yan was refining medicine and cultivating day and night, undercurrents began to surge in Wutan City.

After Xiao Yan successfully refined the Pills, Xiao Zhan wanted to write a letter to contact Nalan Jie, but Xiao Yan refused, so Xiao Zhan could only listen to his son's advice.

Although the idea of sending Xiao Yan to the Imperial Capital failed, Xiao Zhan still wanted to give Xiao Yan the best.

As Xiao Yan's success rate in alchemy continued to increase, Pills called "Blood Coagulating Powder" began to appear in Xiao Family Market. This was only a first-grade Pills, which had a miraculous effect on healing external injuries and was priced quite low, at only ten Gold Coins per bottle. This made it a favorite among many mercenaries who needed to venture deep into the Beast Mountain Range and risk their lives.

In order to buy the Blood Coagulating Powder, mercenaries flocked to the Xiao Family Market, and while they were at it, they also bought some other things. They then sold the proceeds from the Beast Mountain Range in the Xiao Family Market, causing the business of the Jia Lie Family Marketplace to plummet.

The Xiao Family continued to squeeze the living space of the Jia Lie Family, and the Miter Auction House also went along with it. The Ao Ba Family silently accepted the tonic refined by Xiao Yan, just watching and doing nothing. It was only a matter of time before Wutan City was about to be unified by the Xiao Family.

Besides the minor skirmishes in Wutan City, a powerful expert at the Peak Dou Emperor led a team of numerous Dou Ling who concealed themselves and traveled around, collecting Beast Flame while also gathering information about the Heavenly Flames...