Xiao Yan's "Return" of Talent

The destruction of the Jia Lie Clan and Ao Ba Clan was like removing the giant stone that had weighed over the Xiao Family for years.

At an astonishing pace, the Xiao Family annexed their businesses and became Wutan City's undisputed overlord in one stroke.

The clan's previously gloomy atmosphere was swept away, replaced by an exhilarated sense of triumph.

Amid all this commotion, Xiao Yan's name returned to the center of everyone's attention in an unexpected way.

He no longer hid gloomily in a corner as before, but began appearing frequently at the clan training grounds and among the younger generation.

Even more surprisingly, his cultivation, which had continuously declined before finally stabilizing at Seven-Section Dou Qi, had actually begun to "recover"!

In just a few months, he advanced from Seven-Section Dou Qi all the way to One-Star Dou Practitioner!

Though a One-Star Dou Practitioner was not considered outstanding among the Xiao Family's younger generation, considering his former reputation as "trash" and the years his cultivation had stagnated, this miraculous "return" was enough to cause a sensation.

"Have you heard? Cousin Xiao Yan has regained his cultivation talent!"

"Really? Wasn't he...?"

"Absolutely true! I saw him at the training grounds yesterday. His aura was solid—he really is a One-Star Dou Practitioner!"

"Could it be because the clan crisis has been resolved, and he has finally gotten over his emotional knot?"

All kinds of discussions echoed throughout the Xiao Family, with surprise and doubt passed from person to person.

When Xiao Zhan learned of this news, he was overjoyed. The brows he had kept furrowed for years relaxed considerably, and his gaze toward Xiao Yan was filled with long-lost gratification.

Xiao Yan sensed the change in the looks around him and listened to those half-sincere compliments. The frustration he had accumulated for years eased somewhat.

He straightened his back, maintaining a deliberately indifferent expression, as though all this had naturally been his due.

Only he knew that his One-Star Dou Practitioner cultivation was merely an illusion created by using a special concealment method Han Feng had taught him to disguise his true Two-Star Dou Shi cultivation.

This was Han Feng's demand, ostensibly called "hiding one's abilities" to prevent him from becoming a target too early.

Though Xiao Yan felt somewhat stifled, he still obeyed out of reverence and dependence on his "teacher."

Of course, merely having his cultivation "return" was not enough.

Xiao Yan began displaying another one of his "talents"—alchemy.

Using the knowledge Han Feng had imparted and the results of his own secret practice, he refined a batch of passable First-grade Pills, mainly basic Blood Coagulating Powder, Qi Replenishing Pills, and the like.

He did not publicize it. Instead, through several discreet channels, he sold these pills in batches to mercenaries and independent cultivators in the city.

In a place like Wutan City, First-grade Pills were always hard currency.

Although Xiao Yan's pills could not compare to the work of veteran First-grade Alchemists, their relatively low prices gave them a market quickly.

A steady stream of Gold Coins began flowing into his pockets, greatly easing his shortage of cultivation resources.

With resources, Xiao Yan's cultivation became even more "smooth."

Under Han Feng's "guidance," he focused on cultivating two Dou Techniques.

The first was the Black-tier Low-grade Dou Technique—Suction Palm.

Once cultivated to mastery, this palm technique could generate considerable suction force, forcibly pulling distant objects toward the user and disrupting an opponent's movements.

Xiao Yan trained day and night until thick calluses formed on his palms. At last, he barely managed to get started and could pull a stone from several meters away.

The second was a ruler-based Dou Technique that even Xiao Yan found alarming—Flame Splitting Wave Ruler!

According to Han Feng, this was an Earth-tier Low-grade Dou Technique of tremendous power. Once mastered, a single swing of the ruler could split flames and cleave waves!

However, this Dou Technique consumed an enormous amount of Dou Qi, and its cultivation method was exceedingly overbearing. It required continuously washing specific meridians with Dou Qi, a process of unbearable pain.

For the sake of power, Xiao Yan gritted his teeth and persevered.

He found a secluded spot in the back mountain, gripped a heavy black iron ruler, and swung it again and again.

He mobilized the somewhat unstable Dou Qi within him, already weakened from supporting Han Feng, and forced it through the meridians required by the ruler technique.

Every swing brought a faint swelling pain in his meridians and consumed a great deal of Dou Qi, yet his eyes gleamed with ruthless determination.

As long as I master Flame Splitting Wave Ruler, my combat power will definitely soar! In three years, I will make Nalan Yanran and the Misty Cloud Sect pay!

This was the faith that sustained him.

With vast resources and this nearly self-destructive training, his true cultivation finally broke through with great difficulty to Three-Star Dou Shi.

However, anyone with keen senses who examined him carefully would discover that the foundation of his Three-Star Dou Shi cultivation was far more unstable than that of others at the same level.

When his Dou Qi circulated, it lacked natural fluidity and carried more sluggishness and strain.

In the Xiao Family's small courtyard, Gu Long stood with his hands behind his back, listening to Ling Ying's routine report.

Xiao Yan's apparent cultivation is One-Star Dou Practitioner. He is suspected of cultivating some form of concealment method.

His true cultivation is approximately Three-Star Dou Shi, but his aura is unstable and his foundation weak. He has recently been frequently selling First-grade Pills, which he should have refined himself.

He is cultivating the Black-tier Low-grade Dou Technique Suction Palm, as well as a Mystic-tier High-grade ruler-based Dou Technique. His Dou Qi has a Yin-fire attribute, and his cultivation method is rather overbearing. It may have caused hidden damage to his meridians.

Ling Ying's voice was devoid of emotion as he merely stated the facts.

With his Peak Dou Emperor strength, Xiao Yan's little disguise and the cultivation flaws Han Feng had deliberately guided him into were plain for him to see.

Gu Long nodded, with no surprise on his face.

Everything was within his expectations. Indeed, he had indirectly brought it all about.

Han Feng's existence was like a malignant tumor, constantly siphoning away Xiao Yan's potential and leading him onto a path that appeared to be a shortcut but was actually a dead end that severed his future.

Suction Palm and Flame Splitting Wave Ruler were merely bait, drawing Xiao Yan ever deeper into pain and the false increase in power.

"No need to concern yourself with a jumping clown," Gu Long ordered calmly. "Has there been any new information from Dragon Domain?"

"Strategist Zhou Yu has sent word that Dragon Domain is developing steadily, and its intelligence network has preliminarily infiltrated the fringes of Central Continent.

"He has successfully devoured the Sea Heart Flame. Flame Mantra has evolved to Earth-tier Low-grade, and his cultivation has stabilized at Six-Star Dou Ancestor," Ling Ying replied.

"Mm." A trace of satisfaction flashed through Gu Long's eyes.

Zhou Yu's growth rate was even faster than he had expected.

With Zhou Yu and Zhao Yun stationed in Dragon Domain, he could peacefully accumulate strength here in Wutan City and wait for the right moment.

He turned and looked toward Xun Er, who was practicing a set of gentle palm techniques in the courtyard.

Three years had stripped much of the girl's childishness away. Her figure was graceful, her temperament ethereal, and her cultivation had reached Nine Star Dou Grandmaster, only one step away from Dou Ling.

"Brother Gu Long, do you think I'm performing this Spirit Water Palm correctly?" Xun Er withdrew her stance and looked over with a radiant smile.

Gu Long stepped forward and carefully pointed out several subtle techniques for exerting force. Xun Er listened attentively, nodding from time to time.

Sunlight filled the small courtyard, peaceful and warm.

It formed a sharp contrast with Xiao Yan's side, where he struggled to survive amid hatred and distortion.

Xiao Yan's "return of talent" and alchemy ability caused no small stir in Wutan City.

However, only a very few people knew that beneath this seemingly bright path, traps and cracks had long been everywhere.

The teacher he relied upon was a traitorous disciple with sinister intentions; the Cultivation Method he practiced was an incomplete dead end; the revenge he sought might ultimately only drag him into even deeper darkness.

The return of his talent was, in the end, merely a bubble that could be burst with a single poke.

When that bubble shattered, how would this former "genius" face himself?

And Gu Long, the mastermind behind it all, merely watched quietly, like a patient hunter waiting for his prey to travel farther and farther down the road of self-destruction.