Partiality

"Xiao Li, Dou Qi... Ninth Stage!"

The tester beside him did not have much of the astonishment he ought to have shown. His expression only grew more regretful, and his gaze flicked subtly toward a corner below the stage.

Reaching the Ninth Stage at this age meant becoming a Da Dou Shi was practically guaranteed. If he had enough resources to support him, breaking into the Dou Ling realm was not impossible either.

If this had been any other clan, the whole place should have been shaken with shock by now. But the entire Martial Training Field was indeed silent, with only a few barely audible exchanges occasionally arising.

Everyone's gazes drifted, openly or otherwise, toward the corner.

The true protagonist of the field was over there.

"Thanks." Xiao Li cupped his fist, turned, and leaped down from the platform.

Standing on the high platform, nothing in the field could escape his eyes. To say he felt nothing inside was naturally impossible. What young man did not hope to become the one person all eyes were on?

But...

"Xiao Yan Zi! Why are you standing so far away? Don't want to see your Second Brother?" Xiao Li hooked an arm hard around Xiao Yan's neck. "You little brat. I didn't think all my limelight would be stolen by you!"

"I just got here late... I couldn't exactly force my way inside, could I? That'd be so rude~"

Xiao Yan struggled lightly, his face full of innocence. "You complain I'm not standing up front, and you complain I'm stealing your limelight. Why don't you just take my life while you're at it?"

"Still talking back, huh? Hm?"

"Hey, okay, okay—no backtalk. I won't, all right? Everything you say goes."

In the pavilion beside the field, several of the Xiao Clan's upper echelon were watching the Coming of Age Ceremony.

"Sigh~ What a pity for that boy Xiao Li." The Second Elder stroked his beard and sighed without stopping.

Xiao Li's personality was quite to his liking. If there had been a chance, he really would have been willing to give him a hand.

"Ninth Stage, and from the looks of it, he didn't just break through either."

The First Elder saw things a little more carefully. "At most three years, and he'll be able to condense his vortex and advance to Dou Zhe. With this talent, even in the Xiao Clan of the past, he would have ranked among the best."

The Third Elder echoed him at the sound. "Yes... what a pity."

What geniuses feared most was comparison. No matter how strong or invincible someone was, before a chosen prodigy who stood a step above, they were no different from ordinary men.

The three elders' meaning was very clear.

Xiao Li, they had given up on him outright. He did not even have the chance to take part in the competition. As early as a year ago, the entire Xiao Clan had already made its internal decision.

"Steward, I'm here to collect my salary." Xiao Yan placed the small booklet on the tabletop and pushed it over. "Settle last month's too."

"...Third Young Master!"

The Steward, who had been resting on a recliner, sprang up abruptly, knocked his head, and began checking the accounts. "Income six hundred eighty, expenses four hundred thirty-three... balance two hundred forty-seven. Third Young Master, you were quite frugal this month?"

"Ahem, I was indeed a little indulgent before." Xiao Yan's eyes wandered.

"Haha... All right, please count it."

The Steward counted out the Gold Coins, piled them on the table, and pushed them over. Seeing Xiao Yan put them away, he stamped a "settled" character on the booklet.

"Then this month is still six hundred eighty~" After settling last month's account, the Steward picked up his brush again.

"No, it's eight hundred ten."

Xiao Yan spoke up, cutting off his movement.

"Ah?" The Steward froze for a moment. After a while, he suddenly understood what he meant. "Third Young Master... you broke through the Sixth Stage?!"

"Mm."

"This, this, this—" For a time, the Steward was tongue-tied and did not know what to say. "Young Master, please wait a moment."

"All right."

Before Xiao Yan could even utter a sound, the Steward shot out of the Salary Room like an arrow loosed from the string, moving so fast his feet almost did not touch the ground the whole way.

"Master, elders! Something terrible—pah! Something wonderful has happened!!"

"Looks like it was still a bit early." Xiao Yan felt a slight headache coming on.

If he had known it would cause such a huge commotion, he would have dragged it out for a few more months before applying to collect it.

"You said you've already broken through the Sixth Stage?"

The three old men circled around Xiao Yan nonstop, as if they were studying some rare treasure.

"That's right."

"You two move aside. I'll test him!"

The First Elder's grin nearly stretched to his ears. He reached out and swept the two men beside him away, then slapped his own belly. "Come! Third Young Master, punch here. Let this old man test its quality!"

"Eldest Brother! You haven't been feeling well these past few days. Let me do it in your place..."

"Right, right, let me, Third Elder, test him!"

"All of you get out of this old man's way!"

For a time, the scene was utter chaos.

Xiao Zhan, who sat in the seat of honor, was not especially cheerful. He merely wore a smile frozen on his face as he pondered something, the emotions in his eyes complicated.

"Father, what's wrong?"

"Oh? Ah, it's nothing... Your father is very happy! With you, the Xiao Clan's future is bright." Xiao Zhan patted him on the shoulder.

Today's display had completely kicked Xiao Li out of consideration, and as his father, he naturally did not feel good about it.

They were both his own flesh and blood.

From now on, all of the Xiao Clan's resources would be used by Xiao Yan first, which was no different from breaking the futures of others to support him alone.

And Xiao Zhan had to carry that favoritism through to the end, completely giving up on his second son.

"Xiao Li's talent could have achieved far more, but the Xiao Clan as it is now no longer has the soil for him to grow..." Xiao Zhan, sunk in his memories, sighed without end.

The elders listened with differing emotions.

The Second Elder could not help glancing at the First Elder, sighing inwardly again and again.

In terms of talent, the First Elder had undoubtedly ranked first among them.

When he was young, he had been competitive and determined to be number one, but because his Dou Qi was unsteady, he had been stuck before the gate of becoming a Dou Zhe for a long time.

If that Qi Gathering Powder had not fallen into Xiao Lin's hands back then... everything would have been different.

The atmosphere in the pavilion began to turn subtle.

"This old man will take his leave first." The First Elder rose, and the other two also took the opportunity to withdraw.

"Take care, First Elder."

At this moment, Xiao Zhan was clutching something in his hand, rubbing it over and over, struggle and pain visible to the naked eye.

The Qi Gathering Powder Gu Yuan had given him.

Originally, he had still thought to leave it for Xun Er, so that the Xiao Clan would get less involved in those troublesome matters.

But reality was always the mountain pressing down on ideals.

With the Xiao Clan's circumstances, how could they allow him to display any chivalrous heroism? Forget Qi Gathering Powder; even a few portions of wondrous healing medicine had to be accepted with a smiling face and poured into the market district.

"A single leap to Dou Zhe."

Xiao Zhan only felt that the bottle was unbearably rough against his hand.

If he gave it to Xiao Li to take right now, another genius would be born in the Xiao Clan. By allocating funds to exchange for some resources, Xiao Li could...

"Whew—"

He took a deep breath, wanting to suppress the chaotic emotions inside him.

But his mind still churned without end.

The entire Xiao Clan was going to support Xiao Yan, and as a father, even in his dreams he wanted to make up for it somewhat. This Qi Gathering Powder was his chance.

Both children could amount to something...

"..."

Give it to Xiao Yan.

Xiao Zhan put the Qi Gathering Powder away and sat in his seat without saying a word, without moving at all, like a statue.

Favoritism truly could only be carried through to the end.

No matter what he thought, this world was one where the strong grew ever stronger, and resources only showed greater value in the hands of geniuses...

Xiao Li, who was laughing and messing around with Xiao Yan, seemed to sense something and raised his head to look at the pavilion. Two gazes carrying different emotions met across the distance.

"Father!"

Xiao Li mouthed the word and waved toward him.

His face was full of flamboyant unruliness.

Xiao Zhan only felt that the brilliant sunlight was a little dazzling.

The original work's purchasing power for Gold Coins is actually pretty abstract.

On one hand, it says a few dozen Gold Coins are enough for commoners to eat for a year, while on the other, it says two or three Gold Coins aren't much money.

Taking everything together, I used a 10:1 purchasing power ratio, and also assumed that food prices on Dou Qi Continent are relatively low, while medical fees and cultivation expenses take up a high proportion.

That basically makes it possible to square things.