World Line Convergence

World Line Convergence

In the end, Xiao Yan still became a cripple.

At least, that was how many of the clansmen saw it, and rumors outside never stopped either.

The genius who had once easily cultivated to the eighth stage of Dou Qi had withered halfway through. The Dou Qi inside his body had not only sunk so low it was difficult to detect, it was also utterly still, like stagnant water.

Aside from his astonishingly strong body, there was nothing special about him anymore.

Mm...

Perhaps there was also that strange Black Ruler that could suppress Dou Qi?

Thick and heavy, one swing of it could send even a Dou Zhe flying.

But what meaning did that have...

If he could not become a Dou Zhe, could not become a Dou Master, then what use was greater strength?

"Third Young Master is here... quick, quick, put it away."

The distinctive Black Ruler appeared in their field of vision, and the guys gathered around the table hurriedly put something away.

"What are you doing?"

Xiao Yan frowned.

It was not that he liked asking questions. It was just that these fellows were being far too deliberate in trying to hide it.

"Ah... this~ It's nothing? Haha..." The young man who seemed to be their leader scratched his head, putting on a simple, honest look. "Just, we were just playing... just playing..."

Isn't that just making it more obvious! Xiao Yan frowned, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. "Xiao Mei? You tell me. What is it that you're trying so hard to hide from me?"

"Huh? Brother Xiao Yan..."

With a whoosh, the crowd opened up a path, leaving Xiao Mei, who had been trying to hide at the back, exposed in the middle. "This is a bit hard to explain..."

Xiao Mei looked rather troubled and unwillingly took out a token. "Cousin Xiao Ning broke through again... We booked a meal and were thinking of celebrating."

"Um... Brother Xiao Yan, if you're free, you can come join—ugh!"

Someone beside her silently jabbed her. Realizing she had misspoken, Xiao Mei immediately shut her mouth and stood straight as if awaiting judgment.

"Oh? Then that's a good thing!"

Instead of taking offense, Xiao Yan laughed. "Why are all of you being so serious? Hiding it from me and not letting me know!"

As he spoke, he pulled over a chair, took two steps, and sat down. "Sit, all of you. Sit down and tell me where you're eating and when. I'll go show my support too."

Seeing Xiao Yan keep pressing his hands down, the people around him could only sit down one after another.

"Third Young Master..."

Someone struggled inwardly for a while, but still chose to speak. "Do you really not feel upset?"

"Why would I feel upset?"

Xiao Yan replied indifferently, "Isn't it a good thing for the clan to have a few more geniuses? I'm not living up to expectations, so someone has to do it in my place, right? The Xiao Clan is exactly at the time when it needs pillars to hold it up. If you have the heart, then train more. Just consider it cultivating on my behalf."

"This..."

Everyone looked at one another, at a loss for words for the moment.

"You all heard that, right!" Xiao Yu twisted someone's ear. "What are you thinking about all day, brat? Doesn't it make you look petty?"

"Hiss... ow, ow! I know I was wrong... hey, ow..."

Xiao Ning's entire body twisted along with his ear, and he tried hard to stand on tiptoe, but he did not dare raise his voice, afraid the people outside would hear.

"Sister, my dear sister... be gentle!"

"Hmph!"

Xiao Yu let go, then jabbed a finger against his head. "What Xiao Yan said isn't wrong. The Xiao Clan is exactly at the time when it needs pillars to hold it up. Now you'd better pull yourself together and cultivate properly! When Canaan recruits students next time, you'd better perform well."

After what happened to Xiao Yan, the whole of Wutan City was watching the Xiao Clan make a fool of itself.

—There was no one to carry on.

The eldest young master had been delayed in his childhood, fallen behind in cultivation, and had even run off to become a mercenary.

Although the second young master had decent talent, he had gone off fooling around with Eldest Brother.

And now the third had ended up like this...

If just Wutan City was already laughing this hard, who knew how the Imperial Capital would view the Xiao Clan, this cracked old gong.

"How could it be that easy..."

Xiao Ning clutched his ear and cried foul. "If training like my life depended on it worked, I'd have become a Dou Zhe long ago."

Although Xiao Yu had gone to Canaan these past few years, he had not slacked off in the slightest. He had been completely raised as a good seedling, with the clan leader and elders all putting their hearts and strength into him.

On top of that, after Xiao Yan voluntarily withdrew, the resources left empty had basically all been poured onto Xiao Ning. Everything he enjoyed now could be said to be the limit of what the Xiao Clan could give.

But his foundation simply could not support more than this.

Every time he thought of Xiao Yan, he could not help sighing over how wonderful it would be if half of that talent had been given to him.

"You reap what you sow! Dou Qi comes from grinding away at it. What, you think there's some shortcut?" Xiao Yu only felt her fists itching; the more she looked at Xiao Ning's head, the more it resembled a nail.

"There really is a shortcut..."

Xiao Ning ducked his head and muttered.

"Huh?"

Xiao Yu looked at him as if he were an idiot.

Dou Qi could not be forced like pulling up seedlings to help them grow. That was practically common knowledge. These days, if someone said you could use medicine or something, they would be laughed at for a year.

"Actually, this was only kept from you..." Xiao Ning glanced sideways at his own sister. "After all this time, who knew which side your heart was on?"

"What did you say?!"

The hammer that had been brewing for ages still came crashing down on the nail.

Though Xiao Yu was somewhat shocked and found it hard to believe, she was even more furious. "It was just a matter of going to school. How did I become an outsider to the Xiao Clan? When are you going to expel me from the clan registry too?"

"Hey, hey! The higher-ups were the ones who discussed it. What's the use in hitting me?"

Xiao Ning held his head, but did not dare scurry away like a rat. He peeked out from between his arms. "Think of it in a better light. The fact that I can tell you means everyone still trusts you, right..."

"So there was a loyalty test hidden in this too, huh!"

"..." Xiao Ning did not dare reply for a moment.

Could you not be so good at catching the main point? If they really spelled it out, no one would look good, right? After venting enough, Xiao Yu finally calmed down and began to think. "What you said is true? The Xiao Clan really has something like that now?"

"Could I lie to you about this?"

Xiao Ning covered his face, took out a small bottle, shook some into his hand, and rubbed it over the place where he had been hit. "I heard everyone say the clan head found an alchemist to help, and our resources suddenly became abundant. Not only are there a lot more goods in the marketplace, but the clan also hands out good things every so often."

"Here, this little bottle is the healing medicine they distributed. It works well, uses very little, and is easy to carry."

"An alchemist... Let me see!"

Xiao Yu pondered for a moment, then snatched the bottle over and examined it.

His hand trembled. Like a mouse seeing a cat, Xiao Ning did not dare utter even half a word of complaint. If she snatched it, then she snatched it... She had snatched plenty from him since they were little anyway.

"This medicine liquid's quality isn't low!"

Xiao Yu's eyes were full of surprise.

Since she was at Jia Nan Academy, it naturally was not something this small place could compare to. She had seen no small number of medicinal pills.

But this was still her first time seeing First Grade Medicine Liquid of this quality.

"It feels almost comparable to the second-grade stuff the academy issues."

"Jia Nan even issues second-grade medicine?" Xiao Ning caught the key point. "That's pretty rich... Sis, didn't you ever think of sending some home?"

"That's something only teachers can receive. What are you thinking!" Xiao Yu snapped back irritably.

Mm, considering there may be people who haven't read the original work—do they really exist?—the related plotlines about Ya Fei and the Auction House that were skipped over directly can be found in the original work. It's basically that sort of thing; there isn't much new to play with. The main reason for skipping them is that those plotlines have already been written to death. All kinds of fanfics write them, and I really couldn't bring myself to write five or six chapters of exactly the same plot progression.

But you can freely fill in the blanks yourselves on that front.()