Subordinate Binding!

"Xun'er, sorry, we've widened the gap again."

Xiao Ze teased, earning a pretty eye roll from Xiao Xun'er, who gave a soft humph.

"I don't care, Brother Xiao Ze. During this time, you have to help me cultivate!"

"Huh? I'm only at the Dou Master realm myself. How am I supposed to guide someone at the Dou Zhe realm in cultivation?"

Xiao Ze said, somewhat dumbfounded.

"Hehe~ Then tell me, Brother Xiao Ze, how did you create such a massive phenomenon the moment you broke through to the Dou Master realm?"

Xiao Xun'er leaned closer curiously, her eyes blinking as she stared intently at Xiao Ze's face as though she could find flowers growing on it.

"I really don't know how to teach that! I just broke through naturally?"

"Hehe, enough joking around. Brother Xiao Ze, how do you feel after breaking through to the Dou Master realm this time?"

Xiao Xun'er chuckled, then grew curious about Xiao Ze's current combat strength.

After all, what kind of strength could that earlier phenomenon possibly create?

The thought made her unbearably eager to find out.

"I feel better than ever before. My body and even my soul have both improved! With my physical strength alone, I could beat ten of my former selves!"

Xiao Ze sensed himself for a moment before speaking seriously.

His strength had improved immensely, and combined with all sorts of Dou Techniques—

At the lower ranks of the Dou Master realm, he should be invincible.

"If I encountered the Great Elder again now, perhaps I wouldn't need to use Swallow Return Strike to deflect all his force like before. I could fight him head-on."

Xiao Xun'er's eyes widened in shock.

Xiao Ze had only just advanced to the Dou Master realm. He might not even have stabilized his One Star rank yet.

Yet the Great Elder was a Da Dou Shi!

Although the Great Elder had exhausted his potential and his vitality had declined—

He was still a veteran Da Dou Shi, and his strength was absolutely beyond that of ordinary Da Dou Shi.

Yet Xiao Ze had only just advanced and could already contend with him.

It was easy to imagine just how tremendous Xiao Ze's increase in strength had been.

"Alright, you've also just broken through to the One Star Dou Practitioner realm. Go back and stabilize your cultivation first."

Xiao Ze rubbed Xiao Xun'er's head, telling her to return and consolidate her realm.

"Mhm, Brother Xiao Ze too."

The two walked down the mountain together and waved goodbye at the crossroads.

Xiao Ze stood at the intersection and watched Xiao Xun'er leave before turning toward the shadows beside him.

His enhanced Soul Perception allowed Xiao Ze to easily detect a figure hiding there.

"Father, stop hiding. Is there something you need?"

"Ahaha, Ze'er, I saw you chatting with Xun'er, so it wouldn't have been appropriate for me to show myself!"

Xiao Zhan emerged from the shadows, scratched his head, and laughed heartily.

"Well..."

Xiao Zhan looked at Xiao Ze nervously. Unfortunately, Xiao Ze had completely restrained his aura, leaving no trace of a breakthrough visible.

"Father, just say what you want to say."

"I heard from Xun'er that you were breaking through to the Dou Master realm earlier?"

Xiao Zhan hurriedly asked. He needed to confirm this himself.

"That's right. I just broke through."

As Xiao Ze spoke, he released a wisp of his aura.

Xiao Zhan's eyes instantly widened. Feeling the true intensity of that Dou Master Dou Qi, he could not help swallowing.

"Good, good, good! Ze'er, your talent may be unparalleled in the Xiao Family for hundreds of years!"

"The Xiao Family may truly rise again in your hands!"

Xiao Ze smiled and nodded. After chatting with Xiao Zhan for a while, he returned to his residence.

He knew what the Xiao Family would face in the future. Forget revival and prosperity—

It would already be fortunate if the Xiao Family could barely survive.

After all, it was the Soul Hall!

However, the Soul Hall would not act for several more years, leaving Xiao Ze enough time to develop.

At worst, he could strike first, kill Protector Wu, and cut off the Soul Hall's spies in the Jia Ma Empire.

Still, silently killing a Dou Zong expert was somewhat difficult for Xiao Ze.

It was not that Xiao Ze could not grow to the Dou Zong realm, but that there was not enough time. He had not been given enough time to develop!

Judging from the timeline, two years from now, Xiao Yan would face Nalan Yanran's annulment of their engagement.

That would be followed by the Three-Year Agreement of "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river; never mock a young man's poverty."

Some time after the Three-Year Agreement, the Soul Hall and the Misty Cloud Sect would join forces to wipe out the Xiao Family.

Somehow, during this time, the Soul Hall would determine that the Xiao Family of Wu Tan City was the Xiao Clan of old!

During the destruction of the Xiao Family, the Soul Hall would secretly act and capture the Xiao Family Patriarch for the Tou She Ancient God Jade!

If he could cut off their channels for gathering information ahead of time—

Perhaps Xiao Ze could gain even more time to develop.

Of course, if that truly did not work, he could move the entire Xiao Family away. He could even split them up and temporarily disband the Xiao Family.

But those were matters for the future. For now, he needed to seize every moment to improve his strength.

The key to whether Xiao Ze could accelerate his growth further lay in the two notifications given by the system.

Xiao Ze looked at the System Panel.

Congratulations to Xiao Xun'er for increasing her strength and reaching the One Star Dou Practitioner realm. She has advanced by one major realm. Congratulations to the host for receiving a special reward!

In addition to Xiao Xun'er, the primary bound individual, one Subordinate Binding has been added!

Xiao Ze studied the two notifications.

He more or less figured out the conditions for obtaining and requirements for a Subordinate Binding.

Every time Xiao Xun'er advanced by one major realm, he could receive a special reward!

Most likely, it would be what was called a Subordinate Binding.

A Subordinate Binding differed from a primary binding.

First, a Subordinate Binding did not bind an entire person, but rather a specific aspect!

It could be a bloodline, an ability, or a physique!

Only when that particular bound aspect improved could Xiao Ze receive feedback.

At first glance, it seemed far inferior to the all-encompassing nature of a primary binding.

However, Subordinate Bindings had one advantage.

That was that the feedback multiplier was no longer fixed at tenfold.

A Subordinate Binding specialized in one aspect. The feedback multiplier could merely match the original amount.

Or, if he got incredibly lucky, it could provide ten-thousandfold feedback!

That held enormous appeal for Xiao Ze.

Although he had never been confident in gambling on luck, one always had to have aspirations.

What if he truly received ten-thousandfold feedback just once? He would truly soar to the heavens in a single step.

Xiao Ze hurriedly decided to test the Subordinate Binding in practice.

The prerequisite for binding was having had some contact. Even just seeing someone once counted.

"Of course I'll take a look at my third brother, Xiao Yan. After all, he was once an option that made me hesitate!"

After looking, Xiao Ze fell silent. Xiao Yan in his current state... could be said to be completely blank. The only thing worth mentioning was his soul strength.

In the future, he could bind Flame Mantra or alchemy.

Xiao Yan's current situation could only be described as having a promising future.

Xiao Ze suddenly noticed that the options given by the system did not include cultivation!

"Looks like Subordinate Bindings are only meant to expand my abilities, talents, and physiques?"

"Or perhaps the system simply won't let me exploit a loophole? Makes sense... Otherwise, every Subordinate Binding I gained would be used to bind cultivation."

"If one of them truly triggered ten-thousandfold feedback, I'd become a Dou Emperor or even a Dou Zong in one step!"

Xiao Ze secretly found it regrettable, but he soon remembered that the diverse talents and abilities of the Dou Qi Continent were already enough for him to grow stronger.

Even alchemy alone, if it granted ten-thousandfold feedback, would be enough to send him soaring to the heavens in a single step!

There were also the Seven-Colored Sky-Devouring Python bloodline, the Calamity Poison Body, the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils from the original work... any one of them, with a high-multiplier feedback, could benefit Xiao Ze endlessly!

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