Powerful Soul

Powerful Soul

Looking at the information on the stone tablet, the middle-aged tester beside it, whose face had been indifferent, also showed a rare hint of a smile. He spoke to the maiden with a slightly respectful tone, "Miss Xun'er, I believe it won't be long before you reach Dou Shi."

"Thank you." The maiden nodded slightly. Her calm little face did not show any joy because of his praise. She quietly turned around and, amid countless ashamed yet fervent gazes from the young men, slowly made her way to the genius youth at the very back of the crowd.

The maiden stopped and bent slightly toward Xiao Yan, tilting her head a little, her brows and eyes curving as she smiled. "Xiao Yan Gege."

On her beautiful pretty face appeared an elegant smile that made the surrounding girls envy her.

"Xun'er, you almost surpassed me again."

Looking at the bright pearl before him, who had already grown into the most dazzling jewel in the clan, no matter how Xiao Yan's strength had grown over the past few years or how mature his temperament had become, this maiden who had grown up with him was still the softest weakness in his heart.

Although Xiao Yan usually liked to joke around, show off his strength, and enjoy wave after wave of screams and the worship of little fangirls like Xiao Mei.

But his feelings for Xun'er had never changed.

"Those who achieve first come first. Looks like I'll have to call you Senior Sister Xun'er from now on."

"Xiao Yan Gege, you're teasing Xun'er again." Xiao Xun'er's little cheeks puffed up slightly. Her slightly childish voice, however, warmed the heart.

Xiao Mei watched the two of them flirt and smiled self-mockingly, saying in low spirits, "I'll never be able to compare with her. No matter how hard I work, I can't surpass her."

The goddess had feelings, but King Xiang dreamed not; the fallen flower had intent, but the flowing water was heartless.

"Young Clan Leader and Miss Xun'er really are a match made in heaven."

"Exactly. They were childhood sweethearts to begin with, and both their strength and talent are so powerful."

"Why does everyone like Young Clan Leader? Leave some for us too."

Amid the jealous howls behind them, Xiao Yan and Xun'er walked shoulder to shoulder out of the square. Waiting in line for the results was only an excuse; waiting for the beauty was the real purpose.

Along the way, Xun'er was amused by Xiao Yan's little jokes until her smile bloomed like a flower. Only in front of Xun'er did Xiao Yan seem like a fifteen-year-old boy, carefree and humorous.

On the high platform, the clan elders and the current clan leader, Xiao Zhan, all stared at the two of them.

The Great Elder stroked his beard, finding them more pleasing the longer he looked, and said, "I think that boy Xiao Yan and Xun'er are quite well matched."

The Second Elder also slowly nodded and said, "If the two of them can become husband and wife, given time, our Xiao Clan will absolutely become the greatest family in Wutan City."

The Third Elder also nodded in comfort.

Only Xiao Zhan, the clan leader of the family and Xiao Yan's father, wore a worried expression as he said anxiously, "Xun'er is not a member of our Xiao Clan, after all. I'm afraid such a matter won't be easy to decide."

Only Xiao Zhan knew that although he had met Xun'er's father only once, that single meeting had made him understand that the man's strength was definitely above his own, and perhaps far, far beyond it. If things turned unpleasant, the entire Xiao Clan could face a calamity of annihilation.

The moon was like a silver plate, and stars filled the sky.

At the top of a cliff, Xiao Yan stood bare-chested, practicing Dou Techniques against a rock again and again. Fist after fist, kick after kick, he bombarded the hard stone, not stopping until his Dou Qi was exhausted. His strength had not come from nowhere. Apart from training, he also understood the importance of Dou Techniques.

Having only strength but no technique was nothing more than being a brute.

"Before I knew it, it's already almost been fifteen years." Xiao Yan let out a breath, raised his head to look at the bright moon, and muttered softly to himself.

In his previous life, Xiao Yan had only been an extremely ordinary member of the mediocre masses. Money, beauty—such things had been two parallel lines to him, never intersecting. So after arriving on this Dou Qi Continent, Xiao Yan had learned from bitter experience and had always trained desperately.

Moreover, because of the experiences of two lives, his soul was actually much stronger than that of ordinary people. This was also one of the important reasons Xiao Yan's training yielded twice the result with half the effort.

On the Dou Qi Continent, the soul was innate. Perhaps it could grow slightly stronger with age, but there had never been any cultivation method that could specifically train the soul.

Xiao Yan had grown older under the title of genius, but he had always disciplined himself strictly and did not dare slack off in the slightest. After all, that girl Xun'er was not a transmigrator, yet her training speed had kept up all along.

This made Xiao Yan feel a great deal of pressure. He naturally also understood the principle of being a frog at the bottom of a well.

Not to mention that Wutan City was merely a small border city of the Jia Ma Empire; in the Royal Capital of the Jia Ma Empire, there were even more powerful existences.

Xiao Yan's eyes suddenly flickered. He abruptly turned his head, and after seeing the figure behind him, immediately relaxed his guard. He smiled warmly toward the dark forest and said, "Father, you're here?"

Xiao Yan's soul perception was far sharper than that of even a high-level Dou Shi or even a Da Dou Shi. Xiao Zhan had not even approached yet, but he had already sensed a slight movement in the forest.

In the forest, after a moment of silence, Xiao Zhan's helpless voice rang out. "Yan'er, you... you really don't know how to cherish your own body. You train until late at night every day, then get up early in the morning to train and raise your cultivation level. Do you really think you're made of iron?"

The branches swayed, and a middle-aged man leapt out. Though his mouth was scolding him, the gratified smile at the corners of his lips could not be hidden at all. Looking at his son standing under the moonlight, the more he looked, the more satisfied he became.

In training, what was most feared was giving up halfway, arrogance, and complacency. Seeing that his son had not become smug because of the aura of genius and still persisted in training every day, as an old father, he was naturally happy.

The middle-aged man wore luxurious gray robes. His stride carried no small amount of dignity, and the pair of thick brows on his face added a few hints of boldness. He was the current clan leader of the Xiao Family, as well as Xiao Yan's father, Five Star Da Dou Shi, Xiao Zhan!

"Father, aren't you still awake too?"

Looking at the middle-aged man, Xiao Yan's mature inner self instantly disappeared, and the smile on his face deepened. Although he had memories of his previous life, ever since he was born, this father before him had doted on him in every possible way. Such actions made Xiao Yan willing to call him Father.

"You're already fifteen now, aren't you? In another year, you'll be able to hold your coming-of-age ceremony. When that time comes, you'll be the true Young Clan Leader."

Although Xiao Yan was now called Young Clan Leader by the clansmen, and it could already be considered settled, the formal announcement still had to wait until Xiao Yan's coming-of-age ceremony.

"That's not really a big deal, is it? Anyway, everyone already calls me that now."

"That's different. If you become Young Clan Leader, then you'll be able to learn even stronger Mystic Rank Dou Techniques. The highest Dou Techniques in our family are Mystic Rank. Yan'er, if you want to become stronger, stronger Dou Techniques and cultivation methods are indispensable. Training in a more powerful cultivation method earlier will benefit you more."

Xiao Yan only smiled and did not say anything. He touched the ring on his right hand. In truth, he did not lack powerful Dou Techniques or cultivation methods.

"All right, stop smiling. I came to urge you to hurry back and rest. An honored guest will arrive tomorrow."

"Hehe, I'll train a little longer."

"You little brat, hurry back to your room and sleep."

Early the next morning, Xiao Yan simply moved his body around in his room. From outside came an aged voice. "Third Young Master, the Clan Leader asks you to go to the hall!"

Third Young Master—Xiao Yan ranked third in the family. Above him were two older brothers, but they had long since gone out to gain experience and only occasionally returned home at the end of the year. Overall, his two older brothers treated Xiao Yan, their younger brother, very well.

"Got it." Xiao Yan casually answered. After changing into a set of clothes, he walked out of the room and smiled at an elder in green robes outside. "Let's go, Steward Mo."

Xiao Yan felt a wave of doubt in his heart. Just what kind of honored guest had made his father so solemn?