Gift Giving

Xiao Yan ignored her furious attitude. Instead, he turned, bent his knee before Xiao Zhan, and knelt, then heavily kowtowed.

Xiao Zhan looked at Xiao Yan kneeling before him and laughed speechlessly. "None of my, Xiao Zhan's, sons are useless! All the gossip and slander in the future will naturally be crushed beneath the reality you create!"

"Father, three years. Three years from now, Yan'er will ascend the Misty Cloud Sect and wash away today's humiliation for you and the Xiao Family!" Xiao Yan's eyes reddened as he heavily kowtowed once more, then rose to his feet and headed straight out of the hall.

As he passed Nalan Yanran, Xiao Yan paused and said coldly, "Three years from now, I will come for you!"

Nalan Yanran opened her mouth. Fury burned in her heart, mixed with a trace of confusion, yet in the end, she could not force out a single word.

"Elder Ge Ye, if there is nothing else, please leave!" Seeing the youth depart, Xiao Zhan's expression returned to indifference as he issued an order to leave.

"Uncle Xiao, today's matter truly was Yan Ran's fault, and I apologize to you here. However, I will not change my stance. Three years from now, we shall see who is right!" Nalan Yanran gave a salute, turned, and left.

Ge Ye and the two disciples carrying the chests prepared to follow her.

"Take the Qi Gathering Powder back as well." With a sweep of Xiao Zhan's sleeve, the jade box Ge Ye had placed on the table earlier was blown away.

Ge Ye caught it in one hand, sighed helplessly, and left the Xiao Family's hall with the disciples.

Xiao Zhan turned his gaze toward the White Robe woman still seated there. His expression softened somewhat as he clasped his hands and said, "Lady An Lan, are you remaining here because you have some other important matter?"

Although the woman before him had arrived with Ge Ye, she had helped Xiao Yan out of an awkward situation earlier, so she was likely supportive of Xiao Yan in her stance. Moreover, she possessed the strength of a Da Dou Shi at such a young age, so Xiao Zhan naturally treated her with courtesy.

An Lan shook her head and said blandly, "Nothing. I simply did not want to leave with those people from the Misty Cloud Sect. They are far too overbearing in their conduct, and I do not get along with them."

Xiao Zhan nodded and revealed a faint smile. He had seen An Lan help Xiao Yan out earlier with perfect clarity and had immediately recognized her as a woman with a sense of justice. Coupled with such cultivation at her age, she would surely become a pillar of the empire in the future.

I must build a good relationship with her!

Xiao Zhan silently made up his mind.

After this farce ended, everyone left their seats and dispersed. Only Xiao Zhan, several elders, and An Lan, who remained seated and watched the others prepare to tear into each other, were left in the hall.

"Xiao Zhan! As clan leader, how could you so casually allow a junior to make such a scene?" Third Elder shouted sternly.

Xiao Zhan's face, which had only just relaxed, darkened again. He turned toward Third Elder as the aura of a Da Dou Shi radiated from his body and pressed down upon him.

"You are only this furious because you did not obtain the Qi Gathering Powder, aren't you?" Xiao Zhan said coldly.

"You!" Third Elder wanted to explode, but Xiao Zhan's aura suppressed him, leaving him afraid to act. He was only at the peak of Dou Shi, while Xiao Zhan was a Five-star Great Dou Master. What could he possibly fight with?

"You still intend to attack a fellow clansman?" At that moment, Second Elder stepped in to stop him. The aura of a Three-star Great Dou Shi also erupted, joining with Third Elder and faintly overpowering Xiao Zhan once more.

Faced with this tense standoff, An Lan sighed softly. She took three small Jade Bottles from her Storage Ring and tossed one of them to Third Elder.

Third Elder caught it and looked at An Lan in confusion. "Lady, this is...?"

"See for yourself." An Lan did not say anything more to him.

Third Elder removed the stopper, and an unusual medicinal fragrance immediately drifted through the air. He sniffed it, and his eyes instantly turned fervent.

"A Fourth-grade Pill—Core Condensing Pill!" Third Elder cried out in delight.

"What?!" Everyone in the hall was stunned.

For a Dou Shi to break through to Da Dou Shi, there was an extremely difficult process—Dou Qi solidification. This meant compressing the liquid Qi gathered in the dantian until it finally condensed into a core. During this process, one needed to absorb a massive amount of Heaven and Earth Energy. Without a high-level cultivation technique or the aid of some rare treasure, the chances of breaking through were very slim.

However, the Core Condensing Pill allowed a Dou Shi to directly form a Dou Qi crystal within the dantian during the breakthrough to Da Dou Shi. It was equivalent to bypassing the most difficult barrier, greatly increasing the chance of a breakthrough. Though both were Fourth-grade Pills, the Qi Gathering Powder was far inferior in value.

"Two Core Condensing Pills should be enough to shut your mouth, right?" An Lan chuckled mockingly.

Third Elder froze for a moment, then immediately realized just how terrifying the background of this woman named An Lan was. A Three-star Great Dou Shi who handed out Fourth-grade Pills so casually—she was truly terrifying.

"Fine! Fine! This old man thanks Lady An Lan!" Third Elder hurriedly bent at the waist in thanks, lowering his posture and losing all of his earlier arrogance. He had been stuck at the peak of Dou Shi for over ten years and had attempted to break through to Da Dou Shi countless times. He had long since lost hope, yet now fortune had fallen from the heavens.

Xiao Zhan frowned. Setting aside the fact that he had never met this White Robe woman named An Lan before, it was highly suspicious for her to give such a lavish gift for no reason. Furthermore, he had never been on good terms with Second Elder and Third Elder. If this was all real and Third Elder broke through to Da Dou Shi, it would create great trouble for his future management of the Xiao Family. Yan'er's situation would also worsen.

Seeing Xiao Zhan's worried expression, An Lan reassured him, "Clan Leader Xiao, rest assured. There is a reason I am supporting the Xiao Family. Does Clan Leader Xiao still remember the Ancient Clan?"

Xiao Zhan stared at An Lan in disbelief and asked incredulously, "Could it be that you are from there as well?"

An Lan nodded and handed the other two bottles in her hand to Xiao Zhan.

"Inside are two Golden Crystal Pills and one Breakthrough Pill. One can allow Clan Leader Xiao to raise his strength by two to three stars in succession, while the other can triple your chance of success when you break through to Dou Ling in the future. Please keep them safe. These are rewards arranged by the clan leader to thank the Xiao Family for taking care of Miss over the past few years."

Xiao Zhan accepted the pills, and most of the doubts in his heart vanished. When the Ancient Clan had sent someone over years ago, only he and the three elders had known about it. Since An Lan understood these matters, she was most likely someone from the Ancient Clan.

Xiao Zhan lowered his voice and asked, "Has Lady An Lan come this time because the Ancient Clan has some arrangement?"

"No. I came only to check on Miss's situation and deliver these gifts of thanks to you." An Lan shook her head and continued, "Having met her just now, I can see that Miss is doing well, so I am relieved. It is also time for me to return to the clan and report."

"That is good. Xiao Zhan thanks Lady An Lan." Xiao Zhan clasped his hands in gratitude.

With An Lan's lavish gifts to the Xiao Family, the Xiao Family's strength would surely rise greatly, giving them far more room to survive in Wu Tan City.

"I should be leaving as well. Farewell." An Lan gave a salute, then turned and walked out of the hall.

"Lady An Lan, we will see you off." Second Elder and Third Elder eagerly followed after her.

"There is no need!" An Lan stepped outside and stopped.

The next moment, silver energy wings spread open behind her. She transformed into a streak of light and shot into the clouds.

Second Elder and Third Elder stood dumbfounded, terror filling their hearts.

Dou Qi wings were the symbol of strong individuals at the Dou Wang realm and above. They had almost offended her just now...

Night, outside Wu Tan City

The White Figure slowly descended onto an empty clearing in the outskirts. She gently removed her hood, revealing soft, light-pink hair.

A white pill appeared in her palm, and the woman swallowed it.

A faint white glow spread across her body, and her figure slowly began to change, transforming from a mature woman in her twenties into a Young Girl of fifteen or sixteen.

"Problem solved. Perfect!" The Young Girl snapped her fingers, delighted.

That was right. An Lan was Liuli, one of her alter egos!

After getting up this morning, she had racked her brains for over ten minutes before finally coming up with a good plan: first infiltrate Nalan Yanran's group, then head to the Xiao Family.

Thus, she had been following the Misty Cloud Sect's party since early morning. When they were still twelve or thirteen li from Wutan City, along a mountain road, she found an opportunity. Liuli first stirred up a small nearby Magical Beast pack and guided it to charge at the group. Then, when their defensive formation was nearly unable to hold on and they were preparing to fight desperately, she pretended to be passing by and fought alongside them. After earning their goodwill, she took the opportunity to join their group, which was how she witnessed the farce just now.

Afterward, she used the identity of an envoy from the Ancient Clan as a pretext to deliver the items and strengthen the Xiao Family. Not long after the Three Year Agreement, the Xiao Family would face a crisis. With this increase in strength, Liuli hoped to provide them some help. Of course, she did not dare give them too much. Otherwise, if the Xiao Family's strength surged and they became the sole overlord of Wutan City, one of Xiao Yan's periods of training would be lost. Before that crisis occurred, she could not interfere too much in Xiao Yan's life. Otherwise, where would Xiao Yan's hatred come from? Where would his motivation come from? To prevent the plot from deviating too drastically, this was all she could do.

After silently apologizing to Xiao Yan a few times, Liuli adjusted her mindset. Now, she needed to start preparing for her own plans over these next three years—for example, going to Jia Nan Academy; for example, breaking through to Dou Zong!