Xiao Clan's Twin Stars! The Queen Beholds the Lotus Flame

"Yes, Uncle. I was lucky enough to break through a few days ago."

Xiao Ting happened to be standing before the black stone stele. He raised a hand and punched it, precisely controlling his Dou Qi infusion with his soul power.

[Dou Zhe: One Star]

The several-zhang-tall black stone stele flashed with light once more, its golden characters dancing like dragons and phoenixes before forming four words.

"Good, good!" Xiao Zhan was overjoyed.

One was a One-Star Dou Zhe not yet fifteen years old.

The other had become a Dou Zhe at eleven, only to be a good-for-nothing for three years. Now that his talent had returned, it surpassed even his former self, and he had risen five stages of Dou Qi in a single year.

With Xiao Ting and Xiao Yan in the Xiao Clan, what was there to fear for its future rise!?

"Hiss!"

What Xiao Zhan could think of, the higher-ups of every faction from Wutan City could naturally think of as well.

As long as either Xiao Ting or Xiao Yan rose to prominence, the Xiao Clan would be able to return to its status from ten years ago, perhaps even become stronger.

It seems we must find more opportunities to build ties with the Xiao Clan, everyone secretly thought.

Adding flowers to brocade could never compare to offering charcoal in the snow. If they made an effort to befriend the Xiao Clan now, once it rose again, they too would benefit from its success.

As for the little face the Xiao Clan had lost because of Xiao Yu, it was no longer worth mentioning after Xiao Ting displayed his talent and cultivation.

"Xiao Yu, step down." Second Elder rebuked her, forcibly suppressing his dissatisfaction.

Xiao Yu clenched her fists tightly, her face full of defiance.

But when she recalled Xiao Ting's words, she realized she was not only disgracing her family, but Jia Nan Academy as well. She chose to convince herself.

"Xiao Yan, just you wait." After leaving behind that threat, Xiao Yu walked over to Xiao Ning, helped her younger brother up, and left.

"Tch, completely unreasonable." Xiao Yan muttered under his breath.

Xiao Ting turned to look at him, amusement in his eyes.

Though he said nothing, that look spoke louder than a thousand words.

Xiao Yan instinctively rubbed his nose. "That crazy woman is the one who nitpicks over everything. Tell me, why doesn't she nitpick with you?"

The corner of Xiao Ting's mouth twitched as he said, "Cousin, I promised Xun'er I'd make her ten dishes. I'm leaving first."

"Ten dishes?" Xiao Yan's eyes lit up, and he laughed. "You broke through to Dou Zhe, and I have eight stages of Dou Qi. We should celebrate. How about I pay, and you make a few more dishes?"

At those words, Xiao Ting's expression became strange. "Cousin, you still haven't repaid the money you borrowed from me."

"Don't mention that. It's meaningless." Xiao Yan laughed heartily to hide his embarrassment.

"Then was being the third wheel you mentioned last time meaningful?" Xiao Ting asked seriously.

"Forget it, forget it. You and Xun'er go enjoy your little world. I'll celebrate with your uncle." Xiao Yan waved him off in disdain.

This brat and Xun'er were simply a match made in heaven. Sometimes, just a few casual words from them could irritate him to death.

"I'm out of here." Xiao Ting turned and left in a carefree manner, not forgetting to make a gesture at Xun'er.

The hearts of the surrounding young men and women shattered at once.

"Brother Xiao Ting seems to have changed a little." Xun'er smiled, though she felt somewhat puzzled.

Ever since Xiao Yan had become a good-for-nothing, Xiao Ting had worried about his future alongside Uncle Xiao Zhan, eldest brother Xiao Ding, and second brother Xiao Li. The smile on his face had gradually diminished, and he had seemed burdened by pressure.

But now, Xiao Ting gave her a relaxed feeling, as though he had cast off his shackles.

"Either way, it's a good thing." Xun'er did not dwell on it and left with a smile.

She was going to prepare a gift to congratulate Xiao Ting on breaking through to Dou Zhe.

Brother Xiao Ting cultivated both fire and lightning attributes. Should she give him a low-grade Earth-tier cultivation method, or a high-grade Earth-tier one?

He would not be able to use a Heaven-tier method, and it would probably scare him too.

Meanwhile, Xiao Ting headed straight back to the secret chamber in his private courtyard.

After closing the chamber door, he sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, sank his consciousness into his mind, and visualized the Great Dao Notes.

In the next instant, he felt himself arrive in a strange world, where he saw a boundless expanse of clouds.

"This is... Plane Origin, Origin Emperor Qi!?" Xiao Ting's heart began pounding wildly.

The Dou Qi Continent had entered the era of declining Dharma. It was an aged continent.

At its peak tens of thousands of years ago, many Dou Di had emerged on the Dou Qi Continent, each leaving behind their own clans.

Even a thousand years ago, the Eight Ancient Clans still existed. Today, the Gu Clan and Hun Clan stood out among them, yet according to Old Dragon Emperor Zhu Kun, they were merely minor Di Clans he had never even heard of. That alone spoke volumes.

The core reason the Dou Qi Continent had declined was that its Origin Emperor Qi had been exhausted. The energy of heaven and earth had become thin and impure, so even the occasional peerless genius who reached the peak of Nine-Star Dou Sheng could not break through.

And now, he, Xiao Ting, possessed the key to reaching Dou Di. All he had to do was raise his cultivation to the peak of Dou Sheng.

"I need to find a way to get the Tou She Ancient God Jade." Xiao Ting's thoughts raced.

Everyone knew that the Hun Clan had spent more than a thousand years laying plans to seize the Emperor Grade Embryonic Pill within Tou She Ancient God's Cave Mansion.

To open Tou She Ancient God's Cave Mansion, however, they needed to gather all eight pieces of the Tou She Ancient God Jade and fuse them into a key once more.

In other words, as long as even one piece of the Tou She Ancient God Jade was missing, the Hun Clan would be unable to open Tou She Ancient God's Cave Mansion.

At that point, he, Xiao Ting, would be the only one on the Dou Qi Continent able to step into the Dou Di realm.

Setting that thought aside, Xiao Ting began studying the Great Dao Notes.

After carefully reading the instructions, Xiao Ting's expression turned strange. "Isn't this just asking me to keep a diary?"

But upon closer thought, that was not quite right. Diaries mostly recorded one's own experiences, observations, and thoughts.

These Great Dao Notes seemed more focused on having him record the things he observed.

This was not a diary. It was an observer's field journal.

"As long as it is true, I can write it like a diary, or I can act like a court historian and record only the major events that happen around me."

"My transmigration was most likely caused by this thing."

"A World Observer? Interesting."

As his realm and strength increased, the world he could see would grow broader, and what he recorded would become more fascinating as well.

"Still, I can't record things carelessly."

"It definitely has to be closely related to this plane."

"Otherwise, why would the plane and the Great Thousand World bestow blessings upon me?"

With that thought, Xiao Ting knew what he should write in these Notes.

If nothing unexpected happened, his cousin Xiao Yan was the Child of Luck of this plane, perhaps even of the Great Thousand World.

Recording the world from multiple perspectives around the Child of Luck could not go wrong.

"Then I'll begin recording from today."

Xiao Ting closed his eyes in meditation, used his soul power as a pen, and began writing in the Great Dao Notes.

At the same time, in the Tagor Desert region of the Eastern Province of the Jia Ma Empire.

Beneath the eastern desert region of Shimo City, within a Magma World several thousand meters underground.

A veiled, graceful figure continued descending until she finally entered an area filled with azure light.

Within the boundless Magma World grew an azure lotus with eight petals. It seemed like a flawless piece of naturally formed green jade, crystal-clear and incomparably beautiful.

"Green Lotus Core Flame. My senses were right after all."

A radiant smile bloomed on the delicate face beneath the figure's veil.

Just as she intended to move closer for a better look, her pupils suddenly contracted.

Before the Earth Core Flame, the void rippled, and an ancient book that seemed to have come from time immemorial suddenly appeared.

Only several large words were written on its cover.

[Xiao Ting's Great Dao Notes (Queen Medusa's Observation Copy)]