Nourishing Meridians

Nourishing Meridians

When Xiao Ling reached Xiao Xun'er's door, he gently pushed it open and entered. Seeing that no one had noticed him, he quietly approached the bed. By the moonlight, he saw Xiao Xun'er's adorable face. Compared to her rosy complexion that morning, however, she looked somewhat pale now. Her brows were tightly furrowed, as though she were enduring some kind of torment.

Xiao Ling more or less guessed the reason. The Golden Emperor Blazing Heaven Flame had been directly sealed inside a young child's body, and she was likely still unable to adapt to it. The Ancient Clan had not had time to examine her before bringing her straight to the Xiao Family, so it was indeed quite taxing on her. Once she grew up and her body fully developed, this condition would ease somewhat.

Slowly approaching the bedside, Xiao Ling saw fine beads of sweat on Xiao Xun'er's forehead. Without time to think of anything else, he placed his hand on her wrist and began Nourishing Meridians for her.

He injected a thread of Dou Qi and felt streams of warmth within his body flow through his fingers into Xiao Xun'er's body. Xiao Xun'er, whose body had initially been somewhat tense, gradually relaxed, and her furrowed brows eased.

He examined Xiao Xun'er's current condition. Her breathing was steady, and she looked like a sleeping beauty. Though her pretty face was still slightly childish, the outline of a great beauty could already be seen.

Several minutes later, Xiao Ling's face had turned pale, and he was drenched in sweat. The Dou Qi in his body had grown so thin that it was practically imperceptible. First Stage of Dou Qi still isn't enough. It was used up in no time. After withdrawing his hand from Xiao Xun'er's wrist, he wiped the sweat from his brow and let out a breath. Seeing that Xiao Xun'er was already fast asleep, he rose and left. He quietly opened and closed the door, then used a Sparrow Hawk Turn to vault out of the courtyard and dashed back to his little wooden hut.

What Xiao Ling did not know was that the moment he stepped out of the room, Xiao Xun'er opened her eyes. She stared in the direction he had left, a complicated expression flashing through her eyes.

Inside the little wooden hut, Xiao Ling lay on his bed, still shaken.

When he had left Xun'er's room, he had felt a gaze fixed on him the entire time, startling him into a cold sweat. Xiao Ling had been born with exceptionally powerful Soul Power, making him extremely sensitive to being watched.

"Could Ling Ying have returned to the courtyard, or had he never left at all?"

"After all, Xiao Xun'er's safety should be more important than the Tou She Ancient God Jade fragment. He might have been staying by Xiao Xun'er's side all along."

Xiao Ling stroked his chin as he pondered.

"But today went fairly smoothly. I hope everything can be completed without a hitch tomorrow."

"Ah, I really can't make sense of it."

Feeling exhaustion wash over him, Xiao Ling stopped thinking about it. He closed his eyes and drifted into sleep.

The next morning, after getting up, Xiao Ling tidied his room for a while, washed his face, then opened the door and headed out to breakfast.

On his way to the dining hall, he noticed someone staring at him from behind. When he turned around, he found Xiao Xun'er watching him with a complicated look in her eyes. Feeling somewhat uneasy, Xiao Ling immediately ran into the dining hall.

After breakfast, Xiao Ling left the dining hall and headed back toward his little wooden hut, intending to begin another day of cultivation.

Returning to the hut, he sat on the bed, formed the cultivation hand seals, and began meditating to cultivate Dou Qi.

Night fell beneath a sky of bright moon and sparse stars.

After the bustle of the day, the Xiao Family also sank into silence.

Within the Xiao Family compound, a pitch-black figure nimbly darted through the grounds. In moments, it had arrived outside Xiao Yan's courtyard. Xiao Ling looked into the room and saw that Xiao Yan was already asleep in bed.

Xiao Ling let out a breath. "Looks like after what happened yesterday, Xiao Yan has given up on the idea of experimenting with Dou Qi." He turned and left, rushing toward Xiao Xun'er's courtyard.

The first time was unfamiliar, but the second came easily. This time, Xiao Ling reached Xun'er's room without difficulty.

After confirming that Xiao Xun'er was sound asleep, he entered, drew upon the Dou Qi within his body, and began Nourishing Meridians for her.

Once the Dou Qi in his body had been exhausted, Xiao Ling turned and left. Returning to his wooden hut, he collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep.

Time flew by like a white colt glimpsed through a crack, and before he knew it, four years had passed in cultivation.

In a courtyard at the rear of the Xiao Family estate, Xiao Ling formed the hand seals to end his cultivation and awakened from meditation. He let out a long breath, then called up the system panel with a thought.

"System, open my personal panel."

"Ding. Host personal panel automatically opening."

Host: Xiao Ling

Gender: Male

Cultivation: Ninth Stage of Dou Qi

Age: 8

Cultivation Method: None

Dou Techniques: Rending Claw Strike (Yellow Grade Mid-Level), Mountain Splitting Palm (Yellow Grade Mid-Level), Stone Crushing Palm (Yellow Grade Mid-Level)

Items: Twenty-Four Bridges Moonlight Night, Qi Gathering Powder

Draws Remaining: 8

Rising from the cultivation cushion, Xiao Ling dusted himself off, pushed open the door, and walked into the small courtyard. He sat down in the pavilion to rest, recalling the events of the past four years.

Since he had never intended to hide his cultivation talent, Xiao Ling had gone onstage for the annual Dou Qi tests every year after he began cultivating.

He still remembered the scene when the younger generation of the family was tested when he was five. On the Test Magic Stone Tablet, the other children of the family were all at the First Stage of Dou Qi, while some had not even cultivated any Dou Qi. Even Xiao Yan, then the Xiao Family's number one genius, was only at the Second Stage of Dou Qi. Yet when it was Xiao Ling's turn to approach the stone tablet, his result was directly revealed as the Third Stage of Dou Qi. Xiao Yan, who had just stepped down from the stage, froze on the spot, while even the middle-aged elder overseeing the test was too shocked to speak.

At first, they thought the Test Magic Stone Tablet was broken. But after testing him three times in a row and getting the same result—the Third Stage of Dou Qi—they confirmed that the Test Magic Stone Tablet was functioning normally.

The surrounding children of the family were all left doubting their lives, their jaws dropping to the floor. The family elders collectively sucked in a breath of cold air and exclaimed, "This child is terrifying beyond belief."

Xiao Ling had secretly felt rather pleased as well, and he could understand their shock. A five-year-old at the Third Stage of Dou Qi was unheard of even in the Jia Ma Empire, let alone tiny Wutan City. At this cultivation speed, he would definitely become a Dou Zhe before turning ten. Just imagine it—a Dou Zhe not even ten years old. His future achievements would surely be limitless, and the family might rise again.

Xiao Yan had only just secured his position as the Xiao Family's number one genius, yet he was replaced after just one year. Xiao Ling received more and more attention within the family, and his treatment steadily improved. Even his living arrangements changed from a little wooden hut to an independent courtyard, with two maidservants assigned to attend to his daily needs.

After Xiao Ling's extraordinary talent earned the family's recognition, the benefits were obvious, and more people began flattering him. Yet Xiao Ling did not become arrogant, overbearing, or self-important because of it. He treated others kindly and often guided peers who came to seek his advice. While such talent could be considered formidable in tiny Wutan City, before the Ancient Races, special physiques, and Divine Bloodlines, it was practically nothing. At best, it could barely compare to the geniuses of the Central Plains, and even within the Jia Ma Empire, there were several people more talented than him.

Because Xiao Ling had taken the position of the family's number one genius from him, and because Xiao Xun'er and Xiao Ling had grown increasingly close, Xiao Yan was deeply unwilling to accept it. He often came to challenge Xiao Ling. Though he lost nearly every time they fought, Xiao Yan instead vented his anger during sparring matches with other members of the younger generation, especially Xiao Ning, who was frequently beaten up. Xiao Yan's temperament also became increasingly domineering. However, because of his extraordinary talent, Xiao Ling would not take the initiative to challenge him. Moreover, Xiao Yan had the Clan Leader as his father, so no one dared criticize him to his face.

Xiao Ling saw all of this clearly. All he could say was that the mockery Xiao Yan faced during his later low point had been inevitable. If Xiao Yan had not been so high-profile, perhaps the people in the family would not have thought only of ridiculing him. More of them might have felt sorry for him instead.