Plan Accomplished! Crisis Descends Upon Xiao Family Market

"My body carries your bloodline." Meeting Hun Tiandi's gaze, Hun Cang wore a sincere expression. "I can accept being mediocre, but only if I've tried and worked hard. Otherwise, I won't accept it... Father!"

"You've got quite the ambition." A faint curve touched Hun Tiandi's cold lips as he spoke to Nihility Devouring Flame beside him.

Nihility Devouring Flame nodded slightly and smiled as well. "As expected of your seed."

The scene fell somewhat silent. Everyone watched Hun Tiandi, curious to see how he would handle this.

After thinking for a moment, Hun Tiandi said, "Take him along."

"Yes." Nihility Devouring Flame agreed and beckoned Hun Cang over.

Then, beneath countless gazes, Hun Cang stood beside Hun Yu and the others, allowing the black mist to swallow him.

Hun Tiandi and Nihility Devouring Flame vanished along with them.

"Hun Cang has some nerve, actually daring to make demands of the Clan Chief!"

"As far as I know, the weakest people to enter the trial in previous years were all Dou Zongs. Hun Cang is only a One-Star Dou Emperor. He'll most likely die in there."

"If he dies, he'll only have himself to blame."

Within the crowd, some stared jealously at where Hun Cang had been standing, their words dripping with sour envy.

Unfortunately, they lacked the courage to step forward themselves.

They could only talk behind his back after Hun Cang had left.

One year later.

Soul Clan Testing Square was packed with people.

At its very center, black mist suddenly emerged, churning and expanding as though something was about to come out from within.

"They're back."

"Hun Cang actually held on and didn't die!"

"..."

Hun Cang's mother was among the crowd, her face looking somewhat haggard.

For the past year, she had constantly worried about her son's safety, praying day and night. Seeing Hun Cang return now, she finally felt relieved.

"Hun Cang, after an entire year, you're only a Five-Star Dou Emperor. What trash." Hun Li's mocking gaze swept over him as he chuckled.

Hun Ya took over, shaking his head. "You must have too much free time to bother talking to trash."

Before long, Hun Tiandi appeared. His gaze swept across the crowd before settling on Hun Cang.

"You actually survived. Not bad. But with progress like yours, you should just calmly accept reality." Hun Tiandi waved a hand indifferently.

"Father." Hun Cang raised his head, a smile appearing on his stern face. "There is a reason my cultivation progressed slowly."

"Oh?" Curiosity appeared on Hun Tiandi's face.

That area was the Soul Clan's core territory, specifically used to rapidly raise the strength of the younger generation. Even the flow of time within differed from the outside world.

Under such conditions, only advancing four stars during the Dou Emperor stage meant he simply did not deserve to be nurtured.

With a wave of Hun Cang's hand, a Cauldron appeared before him.

If Yao Chen had been here, he would have recognized it as the treasure Hun Cang had robbed from him!

When Hun Cang raised his hand and opened it, a rich medicinal fragrance instantly drifted out. The sky immediately filled with gathering winds and clouds, flashing lightning and rolling thunder.

"A pill has drawn a lightning tribulation... Its grade is quite high." Nihility Devouring Flame appeared beside Hun Tiandi and murmured in shock.

The next second, a pill flew out of the Cauldron. As though it possessed intelligence, it attempted to flee.

Hun Tiandi's eyes flashed, and the surrounding space was instantly sealed. In the blink of an eye, the pill arrived before him.

"A Grade 7 Pill, flawless in quality. Truly impressive." Nihility Devouring Flame's alchemical attainments were not low. With a brief glance, he saw that the pill was extraordinary.

Seeing Hun Tiandi look over, Nihility Devouring Flame nodded. "That's right. The medicinal ingredients for this pill were obtained from inside."

Those words were equivalent to telling Hun Tiandi that Hun Cang had not prepared this pill beforehand, but had refined it within that area.

"How did you do it?" Hun Tiandi asked in a deep voice.

Hun Cang answered, "I previously encountered a mysterious cave dwelling in the outside world, where I obtained an alchemist's inheritance. I used the pills within to break through my own limitations. I have now absorbed more than half of that inheritance and can refine Grade 7 Pills."

Not yet twenty years old, yet already a Seventh-grade Alchemist?

Hun Yu, Hun Ya, Hun Li, and the others standing nearby all cast astonished looks at Hun Cang.

A Five-Star Dou Emperor might not amount to much, but a Seventh-grade Alchemist was an entirely different matter!

Especially since Hun Cang was still so young...

Thinking of how he had mocked Hun Cang just moments ago, Hun Li could not help feeling somewhat embarrassed.

Hun Tiandi took a light breath, a flicker of delight appearing in his eyes. "I never expected you to have such an opportunity. Not bad, not bad."

At this point, he no longer mentioned what he had said earlier about making Hun Cang leave.

After a simple inspection, he assigned these people their next major task.

Hun Cang listened quietly, his eyes bright.

Just as he had guessed, they were to head to the various Soul Halls, take over the relevant affairs, gather information on the Tou She Ancient God Jade, and so on.

Once Hun Tiandi had finished speaking, Hun Cang took the initiative to request jurisdiction over the Jia Ma Empire region.

Hun Tiandi did not give it much thought and agreed directly.

After the crowd dispersed, Hun Cang saw his mother, and the two headed home together.

Along the way, he constantly felt gazes sweeping over him from all around, accompanied by clearly audible words of praise.

The corners of Hun Cang's lips lifted slightly, but he paid them no heed.

After returning home and spending a brief time with his mother, he proposed leaving the Soul Realm.

This time, both of his objectives in returning had been accomplished. There was no reason for him to remain any longer.

Hun Cang's mother understood her son's lofty ambitions and did not try to stop him again.

Jia Ma Empire, Wutan City.

Xiao Family.

On the Back Mountain, Xiao Yan lay in the grass, looking quite content, a faint smile on his lips.

Half a month ago, the Xiao Family's annual test had been held once more.

With a result of the eighth stage of Dou Power, Xiao Yan had successfully drawn gasps from the entire audience. Countless looks of disbelief and incredulity swept over him, leaving him deeply satisfied.

A few years ago, he had been the target of such gazes.

Now that he felt them again, their sweetness was still something to savor.

"Reaching the eighth stage of Dou Power in one year—what's there to be happy about?" A rather mood-killing voice sounded beside him. Xiao Yan opened his eyes and saw Yao Chen staring at him with a face full of disdain.

Xiao Yan raised his middle finger and said nothing.

Yao Chen raised a hand as if to hit him, but Xiao Yan stopped him. "Old man, keep your word. You said you'd give me three days of rest, so don't go back on it!"

"Hmph, I'm keeping track of it all. We'll settle everything together in three days." Yao Chen lowered his hand.

Xiao Yan continued smiling, unconcerned. Just as he was about to speak, Yao Chen suddenly vanished.

Someone was coming... He immediately understood. Rising to his feet, he saw his father's figure approaching from afar.

When father and son met, Xiao Zhan immediately began praising him. Seeing his son's strength improve and shake off the label of trash, how could he not be happy?

The two chatted for a while before the conversation turned to Hun Cang.

A year had passed since Hun Cang left.

If Yao Chen were not still here, Xiao Yan would have suspected that it had all been a dream.

"Father, what do you need Big Brother for?" Xiao Yan asked, somewhat puzzled.

Xiao Zhan sighed and said resentfully, "That old bastard Jia Liebi found an alchemist from who knows where. With the medicines he refined, he's stolen all the business from our Xiao Family Market."

"And?" Xiao Yan pressed.

Xiao Zhan smiled bitterly. "Your big brother is a Dou Emperor. He should know quite a few people. I was thinking of asking him whether he could find us an alchemist. Otherwise, if this continues, the Xiao Family Market will collapse sooner or later."