A Peaceful Life

Inside the Dou Qi Pavilion, soft light radiated from fire pearls embedded in the surrounding walls, illuminating the somewhat dim interior.

Upon entering the pavilion, several spacious passageways came into view. At the entrance to each passageway were large words representing the various attributes.

After a while, Xiao Chen and Xiao Xun'er arrived at a room representing the fire attribute.

The room was not particularly spacious. At its center stood a stone platform, upon which rested a red scroll. Xiao Chen immediately stepped forward, picked up the red scroll, and examined it.

"High Yellow-Rank Cultivation Method: Burning Flame Skill!"

"High Yellow-Rank Dou Technique: Crushing Stone Fist!"

"Mid Yellow-Rank Dou Technique: Rending Claw Strike!"

Over the next half hour, Xiao Chen and Xiao Xun'er visited several more rooms in the Dou Qi Pavilion, but the cultivation methods and Dou Techniques Xiao Chen saw were mostly below the Xuan Rank.

In the end, Xiao Chen casually selected a high Yellow-Rank cultivation method and headed out of the Dou Qi Pavilion.

Beside the entrance to the Dou Qi Pavilion, more than a dozen cold-faced guards stood firmly blocking the doorway. At a corner of the entrance, an expressionless old man sat upright in a chair, holding a brush and a thick ledger.

At that moment, quite a few clan members stood in line before the old man. Every one of them took out the Dou Qi cultivation methods they had found and could only leave with them after the old man had registered them.

Xiao Chen was also waiting in this line. After the time it took an incense stick to burn, it was finally his turn. Xiao Chen walked up to the old man, took out the high Yellow-Rank cultivation method scroll from his robes, and handed it over.

After registering the cultivation method, the old man returned it to Xiao Chen and reminded him aloud:

"Cultivation methods may not be taken out of the family. Violators will face severe punishment! Return the cultivation method after one year! It must not be damaged."

Xiao Chen nodded to show that he understood. He then walked out of the Dou Qi Pavilion and waited outside for Xiao Xun'er to finish registering hers. He did not wait long before Xiao Xun'er emerged from the pavilion.

"By my reckoning, Jia Nan Academy's recruitment date should be coming up soon."

After parting with Xiao Xun'er, Xiao Chen returned to his room, lay down on the soft bed, and muttered to himself.

When Xiao Chen saw Xiao Yu return, he knew that Jia Nan Academy's recruitment for the year should be approaching.

Jia Nan Academy was a Dou Qi academy renowned throughout the Dou Qi Continent. Its strength far exceeded what ordinary people could imagine. It was said that to become an instructor at Jia Nan Academy, one needed at least the strength of a Da Dou Shi. In terms of foundation and overall power, even the Misty Cloud Sect was likely several notches inferior.

On the Dou Qi Continent, academies were somewhat different from sects. Joining a sect meant being subject to certain restrictions, and one's future actions would represent the sect behind them. Academies were different; after graduation, one would no longer have any compulsory ties to the academy.

Jia Nan Academy's admission requirement was this: one had to reach Eight-Segment Dou Qi before turning eighteen to qualify for enrollment.

Eight-Segment Dou Qi was merely the minimum requirement.

Xiao Chen had long since met that requirement, but he was not truly going to Jia Nan Academy to become a model student.

Jia Nan Academy was a treasure trove, because it possessed the Fallen Heart Flame, ranked fourteenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking.

And there were two Fallen Heart Flames.

Most importantly, deep beneath Jia Nan Academy lay Tou She Ancient God's Ancient Emperor Cave Abode.

Within the Ancient Emperor Cave Abode was one and a half portions of Origin Emperor Qi!

However, opening the Ancient Emperor Cave Abode required eight pieces of the Tou She Ancient God Jade, and the Xiao Family possessed one piece of Tou She Ancient God Jade.

Before Jia Nan Academy's recruitment date arrived, Xiao Chen's life returned to tranquility.

Cultivating Dou Qi, soul power, physical strength, and alchemy.

These were all things Xiao Chen had to do every day. Beyond that, he also set aside plenty of free time each day to accompany Xun'er, visit Ya Fei at the Mittel Auction House, guide Meng Er's cultivation, spar with Xian Er, and so on.

Xiao Chen's life was fulfilling and carefree.

As time passed, the relationship between Xiao Chen and Xun'er advanced another step, and they became even more intimate.

At the same time, the Giant Elephant Micro-Particles within Xiao Chen's body continued awakening with the passage of time, and his physical body steadily grew stronger.

His Dou Qi and soul power cultivation, however, progressed rather ordinarily, because the Ancestral Dragon and Phoenix Essence Blood he had absorbed before had basically all been used on strengthening his body.

After all, the body was the foundation of everything.

As for soul power, due to having lived two lives, Xiao Chen's soul power was naturally somewhat stronger than that of ordinary people, though only somewhat.

After all, Xiao Chen had merely been an ordinary person in his previous life.

"A Saint Grade Heavenly Supreme physical body."

A gleam flashed through Xiao Chen's dark eyes. He lightly clenched his fist and murmured.

Xiao Chen estimated that as long as he cultivated the Divine Elephant Suppressing Prison Strength to mastery, then after entering the Great Thousand World in the future, his physical strength would be enough to rival that of a Saint Grade Heavenly Supreme.

Saint Grade Heavenly Supremes were peak-level existences even in the Great Thousand World.

Xiao Chen's primary focus now was his physical body, while Dou Qi and soul power were secondary.

Moreover, after entering the Great Thousand World, there would be a process in which Dou Qi transformed into spiritual energy, so Xiao Chen was not in a hurry to improve his Dou Qi cultivation.

Even at its peak, Dou Qi cultivation could only reach the Dou Di realm. The physical body was different; it could be cultivated to the level of a Saint Grade Heavenly Supreme, or even beyond.

After all, none of the cultivation methods Xiao Chen practiced belonged to this world, so even he did not know what level his true combat strength had reached.

Although Xiao Chen's apparent cultivation was Three-Star Dou Zhe, that was merely his outward cultivation.

More importantly, Xiao Chen had also mastered the power of time and Space Power. If he could not win, could he not just run away?

With Space Power under his command, Xiao Chen's escape speed was beyond question. However, using Space Power consumed an enormous amount of Dou Qi. The power of time was even more terrifying—after Xiao Chen used it, the Dou Qi in his body would be almost completely drained.

Still, as his cultivation improved, the consumption naturally would not remain so terrifying.

One day, in Xiao Xun'er's courtyard, Xiao Chen and Xiao Xun'er were chatting when Xiao Xun'er suddenly furrowed her brows slightly and said:

"Recently, the Gale Family somehow hired a First-Rank Alchemist. Their Market now has an additional healing medicine called 'Spring Return Powder.'"

"This healing medicine is cheap and easy to produce in large quantities, making it extremely popular among the mercenaries around Wutan City. Because of Spring Return Powder, the foot traffic at all of the Xiao Family's Markets has dropped by nearly half. With fewer customers, the merchants in those Markets have directly moved to the Gale Family's Markets, causing the Xiao Family considerable losses."

Hearing this, a faint curve appeared at the corner of Xiao Chen's handsome face. It seemed the Gale Family was preparing to make a move against the Xiao Family.

However, Xiao Chen did not find it strange, because the Dou Qi Continent had always been a world where the strong devoured the weak.