Just in Time

Xiao Family, Dou Technique Hall

The Dou Technique Hall was divided into eastern and western sections. The east stored the family's Dou Techniques, while the west contained a fairly sizable Training Ground.

This arrangement was quite sensible and interesting. After immersing oneself in the study of Dou Techniques, going to the adjacent Training Ground to spar and train with others could often spark unusual inspiration, thereby speeding up one's progress in mastering Dou Techniques.

Thus, the quiet eastern side of the Dou Technique Hall stood in sharp contrast to the noisy western side.

"Yellow-tier low-grade, Stone Shattering Palm; Yellow-tier low-grade, Stone Piercing Strike; Yellow-tier low-grade, Stone Breaking Hammer." Standing beside the bookshelf, Xiao Yan stuffed the scrolls before him into the sack in his hands. Smacking his lips, he felt rather puzzled.

"This is Evil Sect. Are these Yellow-tier low-grade Dou Techniques at war with rocks or something?"

It was not just these few scrolls. Xiao Yan gave the shelf a rough glance and found that all the Dou Techniques on it followed the naming pattern of "X Stone X." For a moment, he was nearly unable to recognize the character for "stone" anymore.

"Forget it. They're just here to make up the numbers, so why think about it?" Xiao Yan gave a dry laugh, but his hands did not stop as he stuffed the bundled Dou Techniques from the shelf into his sack.

It was not that he was particularly greedy. Few people ever looked at Yellow-tier low-grade Dou Techniques, and quite a bit of dust had even gathered on them. Since they were sitting idle anyway, he might as well take them all back and keep them.

Earlier, Xiao Yan had been so engrossed in the joy brought by improving his cultivation that he had completely neglected his training in Dou Techniques.

After all, compared to spending time practicing Dou Techniques, raising his cultivation was much more obvious and immediately visible.

Because of this, even though he had fairly decent combat experience among his peers, his actual sparring ability was utterly dreadful. He could not even withstand a single move from Old Man Yao when the latter suppressed his strength to the same level.

After witnessing the importance of Dou Techniques, Xiao Yan resolved to take their training seriously. So, during a break from his earlier cultivation, he had asked Hun Ruoruo whether she possessed any Dou Techniques he could practice.

In Xiao Yan's view, with Hun Ruoruo's collection, getting a Dou Technique for him to practice should have been effortless.

Yet there happened to be none.

The lowest-grade Dou Techniques Hun Ruoruo possessed began at the Xuan-tier, and Xuan-tier Dou Techniques required at least high-level Dou Qi strength to activate and display their proper power.

With only the thin Dou Qi he currently possessed, which had barely touched the bottleneck of the Fifth Stage, he clearly could not bring out any substantial effect from such a Dou Technique. Its killing power would probably not even match those "X Stone X" techniques.

Helplessly, he could only think of another idea.

After leisurely stuffing the Dou Techniques into the sack, Xiao Yan brushed off the dust he had accidentally gotten on his clothes.

The youth slung the sack over his shoulder, then slowly headed toward the entrance of the Dou Technique Hall.

To borrow Dou Techniques from the hall for practice, one had to register at the entrance. On the way there, he would happen to pass the western Dou Technique Training Ground.

"There's plenty of time. I'll rest for a while first."

After hesitating for a moment, Xiao Yan found a secluded corner and idly swept his gaze over the people training in the field.

Most of the people in the Training Ground gathered in groups of two or three. Their strengths were usually not too far apart, so their sparring matches went back and forth, looking especially fierce.

Xiao Yan was not particularly interested in the fights between the young men and women on the field. Still, cultivation required a balance between tension and relaxation. Taking some time now and then to unwind his taut nerves was not necessarily a bad thing.

After an unknown amount of time had passed, the youth seemed to sense that more and more eyes in the field were turning in his direction.

"Hm?" Xiao Yan, who had been lost in a blank state of mind, frowned slightly in confusion.

He did not particularly enjoy being the focus of everyone's attention now.

No, it seemed that the people on the field were looking more toward the area behind him.

Xiao Yan turned around. Above and behind him stood a beautiful young girl in a Purple Dress, staring at him without blinking. Two adorable dimples appeared on her lovely yet youthful cheeks.

He could not help but stare. "Xun'er?"

"Brother Xiao Yan, long time no see." Seeing that he had come back to his senses, Xun'er pursed her lips and laughed softly.

"You girl, when did you get here?"

"Xun'er doesn't remember either. Around noon, perhaps."

"Noon?" Xiao Yan glanced at the sun, half-obscured by the eaves and already halfway down the sky. He then teased, "Time really passed without me noticing. Girl, you watched me for so long. Don't tell me you got lost in watching me?"

"Brother Xiao Yan never shows himself these days. Xun'er finally managed to catch you once, so she can't let you run away."

Since they had parted at the Back Mountain, this was their first meeting. Xiao Yan had been cultivating so tirelessly that an entire month had passed.

Xiao Yan said guiltily, "Wasn't I preparing for the family's Coming-of-Age Ceremony? If I can't break through to the Seventh stage of Dou Qi, I'll be assigned to the family businesses to work as someone's assistant."

"The Seventh stage of Dou Qi is no difficulty at all for Brother Xiao Yan. In merely one month, the Dou Qi in Brother Xiao Yan's body seems about to reach the Fifth Stage, doesn't it?" Xun'er's gaze was gentle, but there was a faint hint of danger in her expression.

"Brother Xiao Yan has improved so quickly. Could it be... related to that woman from the Back Mountain?"

This girl actually still remembered what happened at the Back Mountain!

Xiao Yan's expression stiffened, and he became thoroughly uneasy. When Xiao Yan and Hun Ruoruo had made their agreement at the Back Mountain, she had used some unknown method that left him tainted with a woman's fragrance he could not dispel no matter what he did. Before Xun'er, he had been utterly unable to clear his name.

So much time had passed that Xiao Yan had nearly forgotten about it. Yet Xun'er had brought it up again now, and for a moment, he had no idea how to explain it to her.

After all, the reason he could grow stronger now truly was inseparable from the "that woman" Xun'er spoke of.

Seeing Xiao Yan's troubled expression, Xun'er said with great dissatisfaction, "Brother Xiao Yan, though Xun'er doesn't know who that person is, having you choose these Yellow-tier low-grade Dou Techniques is far too shabby. Dou Techniques play an incomparably crucial role in battle. Yellow-tier low-grade techniques are likely not even chosen by those in the clan with somewhat poorer talent."

"This..."

At that moment, he felt that he had grievances he could not voice. After all, he could not tell Xun'er that choosing these low-grade Dou Techniques had absolutely nothing to do with "that woman," and that he was preparing to use them to play miserable and swindle Dou Techniques from some stingy old man, could he?

Never mind whether Xun'er would be confused—the old man in the ring would not be so easy to fool after hearing that.

Just as he racked his brains to organize his words, he suddenly spotted a handsome young man with a gloomy expression walking toward them in the distance.

Xiao Yan felt as though he had been granted a reprieve. He had never found that person's appearance so friendly.

"Um." He leaned close to Xun'er and whispered, "Girl, didn't you doubt my combat ability? Watch carefully in a moment."

"Huh? Brother Xiao Yan, Xun'er didn't—"

Xiao Yan suddenly stood up. Without caring how bewildered Xun'er beside him looked, he walked straight toward the steps and happened to run directly into the displeased young man.

Seeing this, the youth put away his earlier gloomy expression and revealed a warm smile. "Yo, Cousin Xiao Yan, are you leaving? Looks like your cousin came at a bad time."

"No, no, Cousin Xiao Ning." Xiao Yan wore an equally broad smile. Paired with his somewhat youthful face, it looked indescribably strange.

"You came at just the right time."