Breaking Off the Engagement

"Alchemy truly is a wonderful thing~"

After breaking through to Dou Zhe, Xiao Yan immediately began refining Jade Skin Pills and Blood Vitalizing Powder for internal family use, strengthening the Xiao Family's foundation. At the same time, he refined Pills that restored Dou Qi, healed injuries, neutralized poison, and enhanced combat strength for the family to sell.

As for the Foundation Building Spirit Liquid, there was currently a complete lack of Pills in the Jia Ma Empire that could be used by those at the Dou Qi level. If such a Pill appeared in batches, the Xiao Family would immediately find itself in the eye of the storm and be torn to pieces by the great families drawn by the scent.

Even a marriage alliance with Nalan Yanran would not be reliable. The Xiao Family did not have a single Dou Ling. If they truly allied themselves with the Nalan Family through marriage, they would only be swallowed whole.

As for Jade Skin Pills and Blood Vitalizing Powder, there was no issue. They were merely Pills that improved physical constitution, and such Pills could be found everywhere—as long as no one discovered that they were part of a complete set capable of affecting even Dou Huang and Dou Zong, they would not attract powerful experts seeking to seize them.

At this time, because the Xiao Family was purchasing large quantities of Medicinal Herbs and selling Pills, the Jia Lie Family, the Ao Ba Family, and the Miter Auction House had all begun to suspect that the Xiao Family possessed an Alchemist.

The Ao Ba Family happily latched onto this powerful backer, while the Miter Auction House decided to strengthen its cooperation with the Xiao Family. The Jia Lie Family, meanwhile, remained unwilling to give up and wanted to find an Alchemist to stand against the Xiao Family on equal footing.

However, Xiao Zhan and the Three Great Elders blocked all of them outside the family, refusing to let them distract Xiao Yan.

In the blink of an eye, a month passed, and it was time for the family assessment again. Xiao Zhan specifically sought out Xiao Yan.

"Yan'er, if you find it troublesome, then you do not need to take the test! Just tell me directly whatever you want. You do not need to worry about resource allocation or anything like that."

"Ah... then I won't take it. Once we dominate Wutan City, it'll be about time for me to go out and gain experience."

"Mm... if you have the time, interact with others more. For example, that Xiao Xun Er. Every young man in the family has more or less some thoughts about her, but you? You avoid her every day."

"If you did not avoid those male clansmen as well, and if you had not refused the maids I arranged for you, I would be worried whether I'd ever get to hold a grandson!"

Xiao Yan remained expressionless. Old Yao's laughter in his mind had not stopped for even a moment. Xiao Yan wanted to get angry, but this was his biological father, so it was rather inconvenient to lose his temper.

"I'm not interested in them."

"Ah... that makes sense. But your fiancée, Nalan Yanran, is also a genius in her own right. She broke through to Dou Zhe at such a young age and has even become the disciple of the Misty Cloud Sect's Sect Master. Her future is limitless."

Xiao Yan rolled his eyes. "So you know I already have an engagement?"

"Hehe, it's enough that you understand. Alright, I won't disturb your cultivation anymore." Xiao Zhan left Xiao Yan's room with an embarrassed grin.

After watching him leave, Xiao Yan asked in his heart, "Teacher, it seems my father is trying to match me with Xiao Xun Er?"

"Mm. That little girl's background is beyond anything you could imagine."

"How many Dou Emperors does she have?"

Old Yao was so choked by Xiao Yan's words that he could not speak. After a long silence, he continued, "You really dare to say that? Dou Emperors have vanished from the entire Dou Qi Continent for tens of thousands of years!"

"Then once I become a Dou Emperor in the future, won't my Xiao Family be the greatest force?"

"...You should first decide what Cultivation Method you actually want to cultivate! Will you cultivate the Flame Mantra, which can evolve without limit and surpass Heavenly Grade Cultivation Methods, or an ordinary Earth Grade Cultivation Method?"

"Teacher, I actually have a question."

"What?"

"Why can't I cultivate an Earth Grade Cultivation Method until I reach a relatively high level, then switch to the Flame Mantra and devour Heavenly Flames to evolve it? Does cultivating another method mean I can't cultivate the Flame Mantra?" Xiao Yan truly could not remember, which was why he had hesitated for a month.

"That's right. The Flame Mantra is extremely exclusive. If you want to cultivate it, you either start from scratch or cripple your cultivation and begin again."

Old Yao's tone was rather weathered, clearly recalling the past. "When I obtained the Flame Mantra back then, my cultivation was already very high. I could never make up my mind to disperse my cultivation and start over. Besides... I wasn't certain whether the Flame Mantra could truly evolve without limit, so I never cultivated it."

Xiao Yan heard the hesitation in Old Yao's voice and cut him off directly. "Oh, then I'll cultivate the Flame Mantra."

"...You've made up your mind?"

"I'll first ask my father to buy a few Beast Flames for me to try. If the Flame Mantra can truly evolve by devouring Heavenly Flames, Beast Flames should not be completely useless either."

"If it doesn't work, then I'll switch methods afterward. At most, I'll lose a year of hard cultivation. I'm still young enough to afford the attempt."

Old Yao did not continue the conversation, merely transmitting the information about the Flame Mantra into Xiao Yan's mind.

Xiao Yan shrugged. After spending a month cultivating without any method, he began cultivating the Yellow Grade Low-Tier Cultivation Method, Flame Mantra, and immediately felt his cultivation speed increase by less than half a percent—roughly three percent.

"I need to devour a few clumps of Beast Flame and evolve it quickly, or this is just too pathetic."

Xiao Yan sighed and instructed a maid to tell Xiao Zhan that he needed Beast Flames.

Several days later, the family assessment ended, and Nalan Yanran arrived as scheduled. Xiao Zhan did not care about the matter of breaking off the engagement, merely unable to stop himself from sneering at how blind the Nalan Family had been.

As for the Qi Gathering Powder Nalan Yanran had brought, Xiao Zhan and the Three Great Elders unanimously declared: the Xiao Family had no need for it. Take it back wherever it came from, and do not leave it here to offend their eyes.

Although Ge Ye, who had accompanied Nalan Yanran, was completely baffled, he knew full well that he could not defeat Xiao Zhan. He could only leave with Nalan Yanran in slight embarrassment.

A few more days passed before Xiao Zhan came to find Xiao Yan, looking somewhat haggard.

"Yan'er, Wutan City is too small. Even the Miter Auction House can barely obtain Beast Flames, but they told me they are easier to find at the Alchemist Guild in large cities."

Xiao Zhan's face was full of self-reproach. He had never expected that after his son broke through to Dou Zhe, the Xiao Family would begin struggling to support him. As his father, this made him deeply upset.

"Teacher happened to tell me to go to the Alchemist Guild and pass the Second Grade Alchemist examination. In that case, I'll set out."

"Alas..." Xiao Zhan opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end said nothing. He merely sighed helplessly.

"When you're traveling outside, bring more money with you!"

It was not actually that much. Given the Xiao Family's circumstances, even after gritting their teeth, they could only gather one million Gold Coins for Xiao Yan to take with him.

One million Gold Coins could not really buy much. For example, the Eight Extremes Collapse Xiao Yan was currently cultivating would rival an Earth Tier Dou Technique when mastered, and could easily fetch several million at an auction house.

In truth, items of slightly higher value were usually traded through barter, such as Pills, Cultivation Methods, Dou Techniques, Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, and the like.

Even if they could not exchange them for what they wanted, people would rather keep them as family heirlooms than sell them for Gold Coins.

However, aside from Gold Coins, the Xiao Family had nothing worth offering. Even the Cultivation Methods Xiao Zhan and the Three Great Elders were currently cultivating had been mooched by Xiao Yan from Old Yao. The fact that the Xiao Family could grit its teeth and produce one million Gold Coins had already exceeded Xiao Yan's expectations.