Xiao Yu

"Who are you calling small? What part of me is small?" Xiao Yu instantly bristled like an angry Little Kitten. She pounced onto Xiao Se's back and clawed wildly at him.

Feeling the softness against his back and the faint fragrance emanating from the girl, Xiao Se blushed and sighed. "You really aren't small."

"You..." Hearing the implication in Xiao Se's words, Xiao Yu felt both delighted and embarrassed. An enticing blush instantly spread across her pretty face.

Xiao Se was quite clever. Before the awkward atmosphere could develop, he changed the subject. "Xiao Yu, did you come to see me for something?"

"What? Can't I come see you if there's nothing wrong?" Xiao Yu let go of Xiao Se and snapped at him.

"Of course you can. You're welcome anytime," Xiao Se said with a smile.

Come to think of it, the way the two had met was rather ridiculous.

When Xiao Se had first returned to the Xiao Clan, Xiao Yu's grandfather—the Xiao Clan's Great Elder—had introduced them in hopes of drawing him in.

Who would have thought Xiao Yu would resist so fiercely? She had mistakenly thought her grandfather intended to arrange a childhood betrothal for them. With her fiery temperament, Xiao Yu naturally refused a hundred times over, making a huge fuss.

Xiao Se was happy to have some peace and went about his own business, never once taking the initiative to seek her out.

Until one day, when Xiao Se went to the Xiao Family Back Mountain to find a place to cultivate, he ran into Xiao Yu as she was about to undress and bathe in a hot spring. Familiar with the original story, he naturally knew Xiao Yan would come to peep on her.

Not wanting Xiao Yan to get off so easily, Xiao Se stepped out just as Xiao Yu was about to remove her outer robe. He told her that Xiao Yan would be coming to cultivate later, and that she could go ahead and bathe if she was not afraid of being watched.

Then he turned and left.

Xiao Se had no idea what exactly had happened that day, but ever since then, Xiao Yu's attitude toward him had undergone a complete reversal.

There was even a faint hint of something ambiguous between them.

Xiao Yu walked over to Xiao Se's bed and lay down without the slightest reservation. "Hey, Little Pervert, I'm going to take Canaan Academy's entrance examination tomorrow."

Xiao Se paused slightly. It seems Xiao Yu joined Canaan Academy around this time in the original story. Then he smiled. "Then congratulations. Canaan Academy is a renowned institution on the Dou Qi Continent."

"Will you come with me?" Xiao Yu sat up, looked at Xiao Se, and asked in a pleading tone.

"Big sister, Canaan Academy's minimum registration requirement is the 8th Stage Dou Qi. I'm only at the 5th Stage Dou Qi. They'd probably throw me out before I even registered." Xiao Se shrugged.

"You..." Xiao Yu's ample chest trembled with anger. "Stop pretending. I know you've hidden your strength. Your cultivation is at least at the Ninth Stage Dou Qi."

Xiao Se narrowed his eyes. "How do you know?"

Xiao Yu was immediately frightened by his gaze and stumbled over her words. "Whenever you cultivated, I followed from far away and watched... I don't know why you're hiding your strength, but don't worry. I haven't told anyone."

Letting out a heavy breath, Xiao Se said quietly, "Xiao Yu, if you still consider me your friend, I hope you'll help me keep this secret. I'll go to Canaan Academy someday, but not now."

"I understand." Xiao Yu lowered her head, unable to hide her disappointment. Just friends?

Seeing how dejected Xiao Yu looked, Xiao Se added, "I'll see you off on the day you leave..."

"Mm." Xiao Yu nodded slightly, a smile appearing on her lips. Perhaps to distract herself, her beautiful eyes inadvertently glanced at Xiao Se's half-open wardrobe. "Are you looking for something? Why is it such a mess here?"

Xiao Se nodded and brushed it off. "I found a way to increase my cultivation speed and wanted to find a scroll to record it on."

"Will this work? I happen to have an unused scroll." Xiao Yu took a black scroll from her Ring and waved it lightly with her delicate hand.

Xiao Se's eyes lit up. Taking the scroll from Xiao Yu, he stood on tiptoe and could not resist kissing her forehead before pulling her into an embrace. "Xiao Yu, thank you..."

"You little..." Xiao Yu stopped halfway through, ultimately swallowing the words "pervert." She quietly enjoyed Xiao Se's embrace.

Near dusk, Xiao Se returned to the Stone Chamber in the cave once more.

Looking at the black scroll spread across the stone platform, a faint wicked smile appeared on Xiao Se's lips. The inside of the scroll was covered with images of naked young men and women performing all sorts of strange positions...

There was everything from Old Man Pushing Cart, sitting lotus, Lu Zhishen Uprooting the Weeping Willow, and more.

Xiao Se rubbed his chin and nodded in satisfaction. "Such a precious secret manual should be enough to trade for a decent cultivation technique, right?"

With that thought, Xiao Se rolled up the scroll.

"System, help me exchange it," Xiao Se called out in his mind.

Ding. Congratulations, Host. You have exchanged for an unnamed cultivation technique from Xiao Yan's Ring.

Hearing the words "unnamed cultivation technique," Xiao Se's eyes lit up. "An unnamed cultivation technique... Could it be the Burning Art?"

He hurriedly opened the black scroll. After giving it a quick look, Xiao Se sucked in a sharp breath. This black scroll was none other than the Burning Art Yao Lao had given Xiao Yan in the original story.

The corner of Xiao Se's mouth curled into a strange arc as he clicked his tongue inwardly. I wonder what expression Xiao Yan will have when he sees his cultivation technique turn into an Erotic Picture. Does this count as stealing Xiao Yan's opportunity?

But Xiao Se quickly cast that thought aside. Even if the cultivation technique scroll was gone, Yao Chen surely remembered something this important perfectly well.

Forcibly suppressing his impatience to study the Burning Art, Xiao Se put it away.

Now that he had the cultivation technique and the Qi Gathering Powder, he could finally break through to become a Dou Zhe without worry.

Having made up his mind, Xiao Se took out the Qi Gathering Powder from his robes, but did not consume it immediately.

Taking a deep breath, he sat cross-legged and began adjusting his physical condition.

The Qi Gathering Powder had not come easily. If he failed, he would not only waste a dose of Qi Gathering Powder, but his cultivation would also fall from the Ninth Stage Dou Qi to the 8th Stage.

If his cultivation dropped because he was too impatient for quick results, he would not be able to forgive himself. He had no choice but to be cautious.

An hour later, Xiao Se finally adjusted his condition to its peak.

"Next, it's time to take the Qi Gathering Powder and prepare to break through to Dou Zhe." Xiao Se smiled and took out the Qi Gathering Powder from his Storage Belt.

PS: Please vote with your free recommendation tickets for the new book.

Let me explain the update situation. The editor discussed it with me and suggested that I sign the contract next month instead, because if I have a contracted but unfinished book, the old book will not qualify for full attendance benefits.

Therefore, this book will be signed on July 1, 2021. Those who have invested, please do not worry about the contract.

There are saved chapters, so do not worry about it being dropped. This book was not written on a whim; I had already planned it out.