Leaving the Clan

Time flew like an arrow, years passed like a shuttle. Time always slipped away unnoticed, and in the blink of an eye, seven years had rushed by.

In the desolate night, the boundless sky was strewn with stars that flickered between dimness and brightness. Huo Xuan lounged in the courtyard, peacefully enjoying this brief moment of tranquility and ease.

Huo Xuan was now fifteen years old. Over the past six or seven years, he had received the Yan Clan's full support and cultivation. He had already reached the Five Star Dou Wang level, becoming the center of attention within the Yan Clan. The clan's young people now all looked up to Huo Xuan.

A deep voice sounded behind Huo Xuan. "Xuan Er, you're not cultivating? That's quite unusual for you today."

"Father, why are you here?"

Huo Zhen did not answer Huo Xuan's question. He merely tossed a scroll in his hand to Huo Xuan. "This is a cultivation method for Soul Power. For an alchemist, Soul Power is of utmost importance."

"Xuan Er, you skipped your alchemy lessons with the elders again today. Did you run off to the Martial Arts Arena to spar with someone?" Huo Zhen reprimanded him.

"Father, don't be angry yet. I was wrong. I promise I won't do this again!" Faced with Huo Zhen's rebuke, Huo Xuan could only lower his head and admit his mistake.

Huo Xuan had spent the past seven years cultivating Dou Qi and studying alchemy with the elders.

Speaking of alchemy, one had to mention alchemists! Alchemists could refine all sorts of miraculous medicinal pills, and their status on the Dou Qi Continent was exceptionally prestigious. High-level alchemists possessed immense influence, because everyone hoped that an alchemist would owe them a favor.

The requirements for becoming an alchemist were extremely harsh. Ordinary people possessed only one attribute, while alchemists needed two. First, their own attribute had to be fire. Then, their fire-based body had to contain a trace of wood-attributed Dou Qi to serve as a catalyst. At the same time, they also needed exceptional soul perception.

Although the Yan Clan could not compare to an alchemy clan like the Medicine Clan, it still had quite a few high-level Alchemy Grandmasters.

Having lived two lives, Huo Xuan's soul was far stronger than that of an ordinary person. Huo Xuan had always been cultivating in the past, so he naturally had no chance to meet those elders. During his Bloodline Test, the elders discovered that among all peers they had ever seen, Huo Xuan possessed the strongest soul perception and cultivation talent! Furthermore, his attributes met the standards for an alchemist. Thus, they took Huo Xuan as their disciple and claimed that under their guidance, they would certainly make him a Ninth Grade Alchemist.

Learning alchemy was far too dull and tedious. Compared to studying alchemy, Huo Xuan still preferred cultivating Dou Qi. Between becoming an expert and becoming a high-level alchemist, Huo Xuan chose the former. Only by becoming an expert could he better protect the Yan Clan.

Thus, despite studying alchemy with the elders for many years, Huo Xuan's alchemy had only reached Fourth Grade. With Huo Xuan's talent, if he spent less time cultivating and devoted it to learning alchemy, his alchemy would likely have reached Sixth Grade. But Huo Xuan simply refused to do so, so every time the elders saw him, they looked as though they hated iron for failing to become steel.

"Sigh! Let's not talk about that. Xuan Er, I have one piece of good news and one piece of bad news. Which would you like to hear first?"

"The good news." Normally, in this sort of situation, the bad news was always more serious, so hearing the good news first would at least make him happy for a while.

"The good news is that Huo Zhi's Father has agreed to marry Huo Zhi to you."

"Really?" Huo Xuan immediately became excited upon hearing this.

"Of course it's true. The wedding date will be set for the day you become a Dou Sheng. Whenever you cultivate to the Dou Sheng level, that is when you will marry."

"A Dou Sheng is nothing. I'll reach it within twenty years." Huo Xuan spoke to Huo Zhen with confidence.

"The bad news is that the clan leader and elders have once again rejected your request to leave the clan." Huo Zhen's words were like a basin of cold water poured over Huo Xuan.

"Rejected again?"

Why "again"? It turned out that ever since Huo Xuan was eight years old, he had requested to leave the clan to train. However, the clan elders had rejected his request on the grounds that he was too young. Later, after several years of cultivation, Huo Xuan's Ninth Grade Bloodline advanced to the God Grade. At that point, every elder wished they could keep him trapped in the Yan World forever and forbid him from going outside, lest Huo Xuan encounter some mishap.

The reason Huo Xuan dared claim that he could break through to Dou Sheng within twenty years was because he wanted to rely on the Flame Mantra. By devouring a Strange Fire, he could rise several levels in succession. Since he knew the plot well, finding Strange Fires would undoubtedly be much faster for him. But the prerequisite was that Huo Xuan had to first obtain the Flame Mantra.

Huo Xuan looked at Huo Zhen for a long while before speaking. "Father, I must leave the clan. Please help me apply again."

"Xuan Er, you've wanted to leave the clan for seven years. What exactly is it for?"

"Father, I must leave the clan! I have a reason that I must do this!"

"What reason?" Huo Zhen pressed. For the past seven years, Huo Xuan had always wanted to leave the clan, but Huo Zhen had never seen him like this.

"After I awakened my God Grade Bloodline, I had a terrifying dream. In the dream, the Yan Clan suffered an enormous calamity. The entire Yan World was slaughtered clean. The corpses of Yan Clan members and its descendants lay everywhere, and the blood of millions of descendants dyed the entire Yan World red. The dream was incredibly real, as though I had been standing there watching it all happen. But faced with my slaughtered clansmen, I... I could do nothing." Huo Xuan spoke with great seriousness, as though it had truly happened.

In life, everything depended on acting. The facts proved that Huo Xuan was quite good at it. As expected, Huo Zhen was shaken by his words.

Seeing this, Huo Xuan continued, "Later, a voice appeared in the dream. The owner of that voice called himself the Yan Clan Forefather. He said that the Yan Clan would inevitably face a great calamity in the future, and he told me to leave the Yan Clan. Only then could I save the Yan Clan."

"The Forefather? A great calamity? Xuan Er, is what you said true? Why didn't you mention it before?"

"I had this dream once back then, but I didn't take it seriously. Yet recently, I've been having the same dream frequently. In the dream, I also sensed a summons. That is why I want to leave the clan."

"Xuan Er, this matter is of great importance. I'll go discuss it with the clan leader and elders now. Go back and rest first."

It sounded absurd, but since it concerned the safety of the entire Yan Clan, it was better to believe it existed than to believe it did not.

The next morning.

Inside the Yan Clan Council Hall.

Clan Leader Yan Jin and the elders wore grave expressions as they questioned Huo Xuan as though he were a criminal. Most of the elders, including the clan leader, had firmly opposed Huo Xuan's request to leave the clan. However, after hearing about Huo Xuan's strange dream, they decided after intense discussion to let him explain the matter clearly.

Huo Xuan's talent and bloodline were the finest the Yan Clan had seen in centuries. Perhaps Huo Xuan had truly received a warning from the Yan Clan Forefather and sensed what would happen to the Yan Clan in the future.

The Great Elder was the first to ask, "Huo Xuan, is what you said true?"

"At first, I didn't believe it either, but now I have no choice but to believe it. Recently, I've been having the same dream continuously. In the dream, I sensed a summons calling me to the Northwest Continent, so I want to make a trip there."

"Mm... very well, I agree to this." After a moment of silence, Yan Jin, seated at the head of the hall, said, "However, the outside world is exceedingly dangerous. I hope you will have capable guards. I will send Yan Yang and Yan Ya to protect you. Both of them are Dou Zuns, so I will feel more at ease with them there."

Two Dou Zuns to protect me. That's far more generous than Gu Yuan. Huo Xuan thought to himself.

Yan Jin then took out a jade pendant and handed it to Huo Xuan. "Take this as well. If you encounter any grave danger, crush this jade pendant, and I will immediately come to save you."

"Thank you, Clan Leader." Huo Xuan put away the jade pendant and respectfully bowed to Yan Jin.

The next day, outside the Yan World, Huo Zhi spoke in a slightly sorrowful voice. "Brother Huo Xuan, are you leaving already?"

Huo Xuan nodded. "Don't worry. Brother Huo Xuan will return within five years."

"Five years?" After hearing Huo Xuan's words, Huo Zhi's face suddenly became somewhat dejected.

Seeing this, Huo Xuan quickly changed his tune. "It doesn't necessarily have to be five years. If all goes well, I'll be back within two or three years."

"Alright, I'm leaving." Under Huo Zhi's reluctant gaze, Huo Xuan and his group departed from Yan World.

Watching Huo Xuan's receding figure, a tiny, crystal-clear tear hanging at the corner of Huo Zhi's eye slid down her cheek.

"Young Clan Leader, where are we going first?" During a lull, Yan Ya was the first to strike up a conversation. It was already set in stone that Huo Xuan would inherit the position of clan leader, so building a good relationship with this future clan leader in advance would surely benefit him greatly in the future.

"The Northwest Continent—a small country called the Jia Ma Empire."

"Ah! There?" Yan Yang asked in confusion. "That's the most remote place on the continent. Young Clan Leader, what are we going there for?"

"Of course, to visit that fallen Xiao Clan. The Xiao Clan is currently in the Jia Ma Empire."

"The Jia Ma Empire?" Yan Yang revealed a mocking smile. "Back then, I only heard that the Xiao Clan had left the Central Plains. I never knew they had moved to such a place. The Xiao Clan has truly declined to this extent."

"Now that we have nothing to do, tell me everything you know about the Xiao Clan."

Huo Xuan's words seemed to stir up the two men's memories. After recalling for a moment, Yan Yang said, "This subordinate heard that back then, the Xiao Clan was the strongest among the Eight Clans. Their clan leader, Xiao Xuan, was known as the number one person beneath the Dou Emperor. Later, the Xiao Clan's bloodline ran dry. In order to maintain the Ancient Race's status, the Xiao Clan had no choice but to exhaust the bloodline power of the entire clan to help Xiao Xuan break through to the Dou Emperor realm. But the Dou Emperor was, after all, a legendary realm—how could it be so easily attained? In the end, Xiao Xuan still failed to break through. After failing to become a Dou Emperor, Xiao Xuan was besieged by the Hun Clan and unfortunately perished. After Xiao Xuan's death, the Xiao Clan lost its final support and could only leave the Central Plains."

When Huo Xuan had read the novel in his previous life, he had quite liked Xiao Xuan as a character. If he had been a member of the Xiao Clan, he would definitely have fulfilled Xiao Xuan's unfinished wish: becoming a Dou Emperor and restoring the Xiao Clan's former glory. Unfortunately, he was a member of the Flame Clan. With him around in this life, the Xiao Clan would absolutely not rise again as it had in the original story.