Family Grand Competition

Xu Haoyu's consciousness had been burned into a hazy state. It felt as though his mind had turned to mush, leaving him incapable of thought.

This was not necessarily a bad thing, but rather his body's self-protective mechanism. Under the tempering of the medicinal power, his body was growing stronger and stronger, yet his consciousness felt as if it were submerged in lava. His brain had blurred his awareness because it did not want his mind to truly be burned apart.

He did not know how much time had passed. Xu Haoyu only felt as though he were on a tiny boat, drifting with the current, not knowing who he was, where he was going, or what he was supposed to do.

"Whew..."

Awakening from his slumber, Xu Haoyu felt utterly refreshed. His body was warm inside and out, and inexhaustible strength surged forth from within him.

He opened his eyes and sprang to his feet. After moving his body a little, he was immediately stunned.

He discovered that one arm alone now possessed a hundred thousand jin of strength. If he used all his strength, he likely had several hundred thousand jin of force. With Dou Qi reinforcing him, he would even dare to engage a magical beast in hand-to-hand combat.

Moreover, his skin, fat, muscles, Internal Organs, bones... even the tiniest cells contained fiery energy and yang energy. It was enough to keep sinister cold from invading his body in frigid conditions, while allowing him to feel as though he were soaking in a hot spring even in extreme heat.

However, his Dou Qi had not improved at all. He was still a four-star Da Dou Shi, the realm he had reached through half a year of cultivation after breaking through to the Da Dou Shi realm.

Although the Pure Yang Pill Xu Haoyu had consumed did not possess the ability to break down and rebuild like the Yin Yang Mysterious Dragon Pill Xiao Yan had taken in the original plot, the benefits it brought him were still delightfully surprising.

Just then, the snickering of the two old men, Xu Tianlong and Li Fufeng, brought Xu Haoyu back to his senses. Feeling a chill over his body, he looked down.

Hiss!

His clothes and pants were all gone...

Xu Haoyu's youthful face flushed red. He hurriedly turned sideways, retrieved a new set of clothes and pants from his still-undamaged Storage Ring, and frantically dressed himself before finally standing straight again.

A mischievous smile appeared at the corner of Xu Tianlong's mouth. His gaze swept over Xu Haoyu as he teased meaningfully, "My good grandson has grown up too!"

Li Fufeng stroked his beard and laughed as well. "This supremely firm and pure-yang Pure Yang Pill can indeed promote physical growth and development to a certain extent!"

Faced with these two shameless old men, Xu Haoyu had no way to deal with them. He could only pretend that nothing had happened and say, "Grandfather, Teacher, the Pure Yang Pill's medicinal effects are remarkable. I can feel that both my strength and physical toughness have fully reached a level comparable to that of a magical beast."

Speaking of serious matters, Li Fufeng said somewhat proudly, "Of course. This Pure Yang Pill is my proud creation. It renders one immune to all poisons, drives away all evil, grants immense strength, and strengthens the physique. As you continue cultivating in the future, its advantages will only become more and more apparent."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Fufeng suddenly took out a pile of scrolls from his Storage Ring. He stuffed them all into Xu Haoyu's arms and said solemnly, "Little Haoyu, this alchemy process has given me tremendous insight. I wish to enter seclusion for a time to consolidate my gains. These scrolls all contain Fourth-Rank Pill Recipes."

"You have also become a Fourth-Rank Alchemist, so you naturally qualify to study them. While I am in seclusion, explore them on your own. Once you become an experienced Fourth-Rank Alchemist and successfully master several Fourth-Rank Pill Recipes, I will teach you more advanced alchemy techniques."

This pile of Fourth-Rank Pill Recipes was an enormous fortune. Their true value was by no means inferior to Mystic Rank cultivation methods or Dou Techniques.

To write a single pill recipe scroll, an alchemist of at least the fourth rank had to expend immense mental effort and energy, using their soul perception to inscribe it.

After putting away the scrolls, Xu Haoyu bowed to express his gratitude. "Thank you, Teacher!"

Li Fufeng nodded with a smile, then said to Xu Tianlong, "Grand Elder, lift the barrier. I will be leaving first."

Xu Tianlong waved his large hand, and invisible ripples spread outward. The surroundings seemed to shatter like a sheet of glass, completely opening the distorted space. He smiled and said, "Brother Fufeng, then I wish you an early success in proficiently refining Seventh-Rank Pills."

Upon hearing this, Li Fufeng clasped his hands in a spirited salute. A pair of purple-black Dou Qi wings then emerged from his back, carrying him into the sky in an instant before he vanished from sight.

At the same spot!

Xu Tianlong grabbed Xu Haoyu by the shoulder and leaped into the air. On their way back to the family, he said with a smile, "Good grandson, your growth has far exceeded my expectations. In this Family Grand Competition, even without taking the Pure Yang Pill, you would have had the strength to win the championship. Now that you've taken it, I don't believe anyone can defeat you. It seems the secret to merging the Heaven Splitting Divine Palm will soon be passed on to you."

"However, my only concern now is that you are learning too many things, too broadly. Will that affect your normal cultivation?"

As Xu Tianlong carried him along, Xu Haoyu wore a confident smile. He was like a dormant volcano now. Once he erupted, even he did not know just how powerful he would be.

After hearing Xu Tianlong's concern, Xu Haoyu pondered briefly and came up with a solution. "Grandfather, the Guiyi True Art I cultivate has merged seven Mid-Level Mysterious Rank Cultivation Methods and has already become an Earth Rank Low Level cultivation method. If I want to improve my cultivation efficiency, I might as well raise the rank of my cultivation method. It seems I should find an opportunity to learn several more cultivation methods and make the fullest use of my physique's advantages."

Xu Tianlong said excitedly, "That's right, Haoyu. You possess a special physique and can cultivate methods of more attributes, using them to accelerate your cultivation. I will keep an eye out for them for you."

Before long, grandfather and grandson returned to the family. After resting for a night, the next day arrived.

Xu Tianlong brought Xu Haoyu to the Martial Arts Arena and found the family's instructor, Xu Shigao.

Due to his familiarity with the younger generation of the family, Xu Shigao was responsible for compiling the list of participants for this year's Family Grand Competition.

Xu Tianlong quickly explained the matter and registered Xu Haoyu to participate in this year's Family Grand Competition as well.

Because of this, Xu Shigao sucked in a cold breath. The Family Grand Competition only restricted participants to those under twenty years old, but there truly was no rule barring an eleven-year-old boy from joining.

After all, even within a force like the Xu Family, an eleven- or twelve-year-old would at most have only just advanced to the Dou Zhe realm.

But Xu Haoyu's talent and aptitude were simply terrifying. At only eleven years old, he had already advanced to the Da Dou Shi realm.

A competition that should have belonged to the youth division now had a boy entering it—and one who even had a chance of winning the youth division championship. Just thinking about it was astonishing.

With utmost solemnity, Xu Shigao completed Xu Haoyu's registration. Imagining this year's Family Grand Competition, he guessed that it would be an unforgettable one.

The recent plot has not been written well. I failed to create the feeling I wanted, so I won't make up original plotlines anymore. After resolving the family's affairs, I will move on to the main storyline of searching for Heavenly Flames.