Dou Zhe? I Already Am One

Chapter 24: Dou Zhe? I Already Am One

After Xiao Yan's words broke the silence, the quiet hall finally returned to normal, though everyone's gaze toward Xiao Yan now carried a different meaning.

"Ahahaha, drink, drink!"

Seeing the silent atmosphere broken, Xiao Zhan exchanged glances with several elders, each seeing the concern in the others' eyes.

Fortunately, they were all old foxes. They quickly chose to temporarily cover up the impact of the matter.

Even so, they remained somewhat distracted as they drank.

The family behind Xun'er was far beyond what the Xiao Family could afford to offend. Even if Xiao Yan possessed such heaven-defying talent, those people might not necessarily think highly of him.

Xiao Yan, who stood at the center of this storm, remained calm. He did not dwell on it too much, instead gently comforting the frightened little girl.

No matter how mature Xun'er might be, she was still only a twelve-year-old girl. Saying such things to her at this age really could easily frighten her.

"Xiao Yan."

Seated below Xun'er were none other than the siblings Xiao Yu and Xiao Ning, followed by Xiao Mei and a group of children with fairly good talent.

At that moment, Xiao Ning watched as Xiao Yan carefully comforted Xun'er, whose face was flushed red, and felt as though his heart were being torn apart.

Yet he helplessly realized that aside from feeling miserable, there was nothing else he could do.

"Put away that unrealistic notion of yours."

Just as Xiao Ning's face darkened, Xiao Yu's voice quietly reached him from beside him.

"Sis!"

Xiao Ning could not help but freeze slightly. When he looked up, he saw Xiao Yu's somewhat indifferent eyes.

"Even without Xiao Yan, do you think you would be worthy of Xun'er? If you cut off that unrealistic thought now, you can still minimize your losses in time."

Xiao Yu spoke softly, doing her best to avoid Xiao Yan and Xun'er beside them. Yet her beautiful eyes looked at her younger brother with a hint of pity.

Meeting someone too dazzling in one's youth truly was not a good thing.

"I..."

Xiao Ning opened his mouth, but found that his sister was indeed speaking the truth.

Even without Xiao Yan, could he really, a toad, eat swan meat?

The same thoughts were playing out in the hearts of every young man present. By the time the banquet was nearing its end, Xiao Ning, numbing himself with drinks, seemed to grow somewhat unwilling to accept it.

He glanced at Xiao Yan and Xun'er, who had already returned to normal, and his youthful immaturity made him want to vent the gloom in his heart.

Thus, Xiao Ning looked at the composed Xiao Yu beside him, raised his voice slightly, and said with feigned calm, "Sis, when do you plan to break through to Dou Zhe?"

Hearing this, everyone in the hall paused slightly and exchanged glances. Many gazes soon turned toward Xiao Yu.

After all, Xiao Yu was only sixteen or seventeen this year. If she could break through to Dou Zhe at such an age, her talent would definitely rank among the best in all of Wu Tan City.

Even Xiao Ding and Xiao Li had become Dou Zhe at around that age back then, hadn't they?

However, Xiao Ning regretted saying it almost immediately. He clearly sensed several adults looking in his direction with rather knowing expressions, making him feel as though they had seen right through him.

What made him feel both embarrassed and angry was that Xiao Yan was looking at him with the same expression. That look clearly showed that Xiao Yan did not regard him as an opponent on the same level at all, but merely as an immature and ignorant child.

What made him feel worst of all was that Xun'er's gaze seemed somewhat similar to Xiao Yan's!

Xiao Yu frowned slightly. She had not wanted to say much, since breaking through from Dou Qi to Dou Zhe carried risks. If one failed, they would fall back to Dou Qi level 8, and that would be utterly humiliating.

But when she saw Xiao Yan looking at her with a smile, a desire to compete suddenly rose in Xiao Yu's heart. She looked at Xiao Yan and smiled provocatively. "If I'm lucky, I should be able to break through next month."

As soon as she finished speaking, quite a few people in the hall cast approving looks her way.

Although Xiao Ning's earlier behavior had seemed rather showy, if Xiao Yu could break through to Dou Zhe at this age, she would become an important force for the family in the future.

"Hahaha, Third Elder, you are truly blessed. Both your granddaughter and grandson have excellent talent. They will both become pillars of our Xiao Family in the future."

As if sensing the strange atmosphere in the hall, Xiao Zhan pondered for a moment before laughing.

"Not at all, not at all."

"These two little ones are far inferior to the three boys in the Clan Leader's family."

Third Elder smiled modestly, though there was still a trace of delight in his eyes.

Xiao Yu and Xiao Ning's talent was undoubtedly far inferior to Xiao Yan and Xun'er's. But if they were willing to work hard, they still had a slight chance of catching up to Xiao Ding and Xiao Li.

At the very least, ranking among the top ten of the younger generation would not be a problem.

Amid the teasing of several Xiao Family higher-ups, the somewhat awkward atmosphere finally eased a little. Yet at that moment, Xiao Ning, who had fallen silent, finally looked unwillingly at Xiao Yan, whose hand was nearly resting on Xun'er's shoulder.

"Cousin Xiao Yan, I wonder how long it will take you to break through to Dou Zhe?"

As soon as he spoke, the hall, which had just regained some liveliness, fell silent once more. This time, everyone turned to look at Xiao Yan.

"Yeah, what level has that bastard cultivated to?"

"Look at that smug face of his!"

Many of the young men were displeased with Xiao Yan at that moment, grumbling sourly in their hearts.

Even Xiao Yu beside them stared at Xiao Yan with blazing eyes.

She also very much wanted to know how far Xiao Yan had progressed after these six months. In her heart, she had always wanted to become a Dou Zhe one step ahead of him.

Seeing the hall fall silent again, Xiao Zhan finally frowned in displeasure. Third Elder beside him felt his heart jolt slightly, but then Xiao Li suddenly spoke.

"Xiao Ning, we haven't seen each other for many years. When you have time, Big Brother will take you out to train your body."

Hearing Xiao Li's words, Xiao Ning's expression changed drastically. Even Xiao Yu revealed a trace of fear.

Xiao Li's fierce reputation was not limited to outside the family. Within the Xiao Family, he was just as fearsome. Among the younger generation, aside from Xun'er and Xiao Yan, nearly everyone had been beaten by him.

He was a ruthless tyrant through and through, daring to hit anyone. If he had the cultivation of a Da Dou Shi now, he would probably even dare to discipline the elders.

"Brother Li, I was just curious. I really didn't mean anything by it."

The instant Xiao Ning met Xiao Li's gaze, he felt as if he had been targeted by a wild wolf. His entire body turned cold.

Just as he was about to speak again, Xiao Yan's voice finally rang out.

"Second Brother, stop scaring Xiao Ning. He's still just a child."

As he spoke, Xiao Yan quietly picked up a teacup. A pale red current of air suddenly curled around his palm, and the faint heat was noticeable even to Xiao Yu some distance away.

A moment later, the tea had begun to boil.

"Break through to Dou Zhe? I already am one..."

As soon as he spoke, the already quiet hall fell into complete, utter silence.