Ninth Stage Dou Disciple!

(The early stages might be a bit boring, since the focus is on development. Xiao Yan would probably appear around the middle. As for this book, the male lead wanted to take it easy, only to discover that he couldn't.

As for sucking up to Xiao Yan? The male lead was already surnamed Xiao, and they were related within five degrees of kinship. Once Xiao Yan became a Dou God, he would become a Dou Sheng on the spot. Why struggle at all? Time to lie flat!

Eh? That seemed to correspond to something. Still, he wouldn't truly lie flat. The male lead had his own opportunities, and Xiao Yan wouldn't surpass him in cultivation. The only possible exception would be when Xiao Yan became a Dou God, but the male lead would catch up soon enough.

Anyway, read if you like. If not, you can leave right here.)

Dou Qi Continent, Northwest Continent,

Jia Ma Empire, Imperial Capital, Xiao Clan

[Dou Qi, Ninth Stage]

Five large words gleamed brightly upon an ancient Magic Stone Tablet.

"Xiao Li, Ninth Stage Dou Disciple! Grade: High!"

Beside the Magic Stone Tablet, a Middle-aged Man stared at the information on the tablet and announced it in an excited tone.

The moment the Middle-aged Man finished speaking, the Xiao Clan Disciples in the square erupted into commotion.

"God, am I seeing this right? Young Master Li is too outrageous! Am I dreaming?"

"You're not dreaming! It's real. Young Master Li truly is a genius. He's only nine years old, yet he's already at the Ninth Stage Dou Disciple! I'm sixteen and only at the Seventh Stage Dou Disciple. I can't compare to Young Master Li at all."

"Yeah, comparing people really is infuriating. Young Master Li's talent is truly astounding—a genuine genius. Luckily, Young Master Li belongs to our Xiao Clan. With him here, why would we need to worry about the Xiao Clan's rise?"

"Hehe, I like hearing that. Not only do I like it, the Elders and Patriarch like it too. With Eldest Young Master Xiao Lin setting such a shining example before him, who would have thought Young Master Li would surpass even Eldest Young Master Xiao Lin?

In the future, our Xiao Clan might produce two Dou Wangs, perhaps even two Dou Emperors. Becoming the number one clan in the Jia Ma Empire is just around the corner!"

"Exactly, exactly!"

At that moment, a nine-year-old boy standing before the Magic Stone Tablet looked at the words upon it with a smile. It would have been a lie to say he was not pleased with himself.

The boy was named Xiao Li. He was a direct descendant of the main branch of the Imperial Capital Xiao Clan, as well as the current pride of the Xiao Clan.

It's been nine years. I started cultivating Qi at four, and now, at nine, I've reached the Ninth Stage Dou Disciple. That's not bad, right? I haven't disgraced transmigrators, have I?

That was right. Xiao Li was a Transmigrator who had arrived in this Dou Qi Continent by accident.

On the Dou Qi Continent, this was a world that belonged to Dou Qi. There was no flashy, dazzling magic here—only Dou Qi, developed to its very peak!

In the Xiao Clan square stood a row of chairs, occupied by the Patriarch and Elders of the Xiao Clan.

"Patriarch, Li'er's talent is truly astounding. With him here, why should we fear that our Xiao Clan won't rise? Ahahaha."

An old man with white Beard and Hair spoke to the old man seated in the seat of honor.

"Hehe, my grandson is exceptionally gifted. The Xiao Clan has successors at last. This old man can finally face the ancestors of the Xiao Clan without shame."

The old man looked aged yet exceptionally kind. His eyes were deep, and his Beard and Hair were completely white. He wore a two-foot-long Beautiful Beard, giving him the air of an immortal sage.

The old man was Xiao Ting, the current Patriarch of the Xiao Clan and its stabilizing pillar. One of the Jia Ma Empire's Top Ten Experts, he was a Seven-Star Dou Wang! He was also Xiao Li's Grandfather.

The current Xiao Clan might differ somewhat from the Xiao Clan everyone remembered.

The Xiao Clan was one of the Four Great Clans of the Jia Ma Empire's Imperial Capital. The clan possessed one Dou Wang, several Dou Lings, and countless Da Dou Shis.

Great Elder said, "Patriarch, shouldn't we prepare a Gathering Qi Powder for Li'er? At Li'er's current pace, he will be able to condense a Qi Cyclone and become a Dou Zhe in less than a year.

A ten-year-old Dou Zhe? I have no words left. I don't even know how to describe it. In any case, we must use our best resources to nurture him."

Second Elder said, "That's right. Why not send Li'er to cultivate at the Misty Cloud Sect? There, Li'er might receive even better training."

Third Elder said, "Would that work? It isn't that I look down on the Misty Cloud Sect, but doesn't it mainly cultivate Wind Attribute Dou Qi and swordsmanship? That doesn't suit Li'er's Fire Attribute Dou Qi."

Xiao Ting coughed. "Ahem, there is no need to rush this matter. Li'er is only nine years old. Let us first focus on helping him break through to Dou Zhe. We can discuss the rest slowly afterward.

Prepare some gifts. Tomorrow, I will visit the Alchemist Guild and ask President Wang to refine a Gathering Qi Powder."

"Alright."

Xiao Clan Back Mountain,

A youth had a washbasin-sized stone pressed against his back as he used its weight to perform push-ups.

"Sixty-two, sixty-three, sixty-four..."

"Little Brother! I knew you'd be here. Not bad, sneaking off to cultivate again. If the little fellows in the clan found out, they would definitely start complaining again!"

A youth who looked around twenty-seven or twenty-eight slowly approached. He was quite tall, with a resolute face, thick eyebrows, and a white sleeveless shirt.

"Eldest Brother's here. Just say what you need to say. Sixty-five." Xiao Li glanced over and saw that his Eldest Brother had arrived. This was the Xiao Clan's other outstanding talent, Xiao Lin!

The two brothers were quite far apart in age. After all, having children late in life was perfectly normal in this world.

Xiao Lin was twenty-three years older than Xiao Li, yet they truly belonged to the same generation. Xiao Lin was the eldest of that generation, while Xiao Li was the youngest.

It was rather amusing when one thought about it. Xiao Lin's son—Xiao Li's Great Nephew, Xiao Zhan—was the future Yan Emperor's father, yet he was only two years younger than Xiao Li.

About seven years ago, the brothers' father had died in battle after being schemed against by Poison Masters while resisting the Chu Yun Empire at the border.

Upon hearing the news, Patriarch Xiao Ting had rushed to the border and forcefully slain one Dou Wang Poison Master and more than a dozen Chu Yun Poison Masters, but even that could not change the fact that his son was gone.

The brothers' mother had also died of grief after her Husband's death, leaving behind the still-young Xiao Li.

As the elder brother, Xiao Lin could not possibly watch his Little Brother go uncared for. Thus, he personally raised Xiao Li. One could say that Xiao Li had been raised by Xiao Lin; in that moment, the saying that an elder brother was like a father became reality.

Xiao Li deeply respected this Eldest Brother of his.

Xiao Lin looked at his cultivation-crazed Little Brother and smiled. "If you keep training like this, I'm afraid even the Jia Ma Empire's Top Ten Experts won't be able to beat you in the future."

"What is the Jia Ma Empire? My future stage won't be this tiny Jia Ma Empire. A place without even a Dou Zong—what is there to speak of? Sixty-six, sixty-seven."

Xiao Li snorted. It was no wonder he spoke that way. After all, Xiao Li had an extremely deep understanding of the Dou Qi Continent. The Jia Ma Empire was merely a backward country in the Northwest Continent.

Excluding the God Clans, the true experts of the Dou Qi Continent were all in Central Continent. Central Continent was a place where hidden dragons and crouching tigers abounded; Dou Zuns roamed everywhere, and Dou Zongs were as common as dogs.

Xiao Lin chuckled. "Hehe, you've got ambition, kid. Keep it up. Your Eldest Brother believes in you. Oh, and I came to tell you that I'm preparing to head to the Magical Beast Mountain Range to train for a few years."

Xiao Li stopped moving. "The Magical Beast Mountain Range? What are you going there for? Forget it, Eldest Brother has his own plans. Just be careful, Eldest Brother. Watch out for those poisonous Magical Beasts. Don't get caught off guard."

Xiao Lin said, "Hey, kid, you dare lecture your Eldest Brother now? Come on, let your Eldest Brother increase the intensity for you!"

Xiao Lin planted himself atop the stone on Xiao Li's back, pressing him down until Xiao Li's face reddened. Of course, horseplay was horseplay; Xiao Lin could not possibly put all his weight on Xiao Li.

After fooling around for a while, the two brothers rose to their feet.

Xiao Li dusted himself off. "Eldest Brother, spar with me. Let me try out the Battle Skill I just learned."

Xiao Lin said, "Oh? You learned that move?"

Xiao Li assumed a fighting stance. "Eldest Brother, you'll find out if you try it. Fiery Cloud Palm!"

Mysterious Rank Low-Level Dou Technique, Fiery Cloud Palm.

Xiao Li gathered Dou Qi into his Right Palm, transforming it into blazing flames. He then used his palm as a weapon and attacked Xiao Lin. The force of his palm carried scorching flames and possessed considerable destructive power.

Boom—

A formidable burst of flame shot toward Xiao Lin.

"Whoa! You actually learned it. You mastered a Mysterious Rank Battle Skill while still at the Dou Disciple stage, you brat."

Xiao Lin was quite surprised. He then clenched his right hand into a fist and dispersed the flames with a single punch.

Although Xiao Li had unleashed a Mysterious Rank Low-Level Dou Technique, making it far from ordinary, Xiao Lin was a Dou Ling expert. The gap between their strengths was simply too great; there was no comparison at all.

Xiao Lin smiled. "Little Brother, help me look after Zhan'er. You've been sensible since childhood, so I'm at ease. Zhan'er is still too mischievous, though. Remember to urge him to cultivate."

Xiao Li nodded. "Got it, Eldest Brother."

In the distance, beneath a tree, Xiao Ting watched his two grandsons. Stroking his long beard, he smiled. "The younger generation is truly formidable. How wonderful."

As for this book's protagonist, Xiao Li, he had initially cultivated with the goal of lying flat. He was Xiao Yan's Second Grandfather, after all, so no matter how one looked at it, he held every advantage. He only needed to protect the Xiao Clan.

When faced with Hun Tiandi's grand scheme decades later, only Xiao Yan could resolve it. Xiao Li might as well make Xiao Yan's path a little smoother.

The idea was good, but reality was cruel. Reality often refused to follow one's wishes. Xiao Li's desire to lie flat would gradually change, and he would grow from a peripheral figure into a chess player, while Xiao Yan would become Xiao Li's Chess Piece.

Of course, this Chess Piece had no special meaning. There was no intention of killing Xiao Yan. In any case, Xiao Li would simply make Xiao Yan stronger—so long as he did not kill him, he would train him to death.

Regarding the female leads: Yun Yun was the first female lead, and Zi Yan was the second.

As for Xiao Yan, it was the usual two: Xun'er and Medusa. However, this author was a huge fan of Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian. It would be against all reason for those two not to end up together. Of course, we'll see later.