Back Mountain Pool

Back Mountain Pool

On a small hill at the back mountain, Xiao Yan lay bored on the grass with one leg crossed over the other, basking in the sun.

This was his secret base. He often came here alone to cultivate or relax, and if he was lucky, he could sometimes catch the girls of the clan bathing.

Suddenly, Xiao Yan glanced to the side and noticed a figure in the distance heading toward the Back Mountain Pool.

He stood up and took a closer look. "Isn't that Xiao Ning's sister, Xiao Yu? She's even carrying a towel. Is she going to bathe?"

Xiao Yan perked up. It looked like Xiao Yu really was going to take a bath. He had never liked her brother, so today he would see what his sister looked like. It seemed he had come to the right place.

He got up, bent low, and quietly crept toward the pool. Spotting a large boulder ahead that could conceal him, he rolled behind it and exposed only one eye, staring fixedly at Xiao Yu in the pool.

Not far away, Xiao Ling had also arrived. He spread out his Soul Perception and quickly grasped the current situation.

"Looks like the original Xiao Yan spying on Xiao Yu happened today." Xiao Ling stroked his chin and looked in Xiao Yu's direction.

By the pool, Xiao Yu was about to undo her clothes, apparently intending to enter the water and bathe.

Behind the boulder in the distance, Xiao Yan swallowed unconsciously at the sight. He stared straight at Xiao Yu, looking utterly unwilling to shift his gaze.

Seeing this, how could Xiao Ling continue standing by? I, Xiao, am an upright gentleman. I absolutely cannot allow something like this to happen before my eyes.

With a flick of his finger, a ball of blazing red Dou Qi shot toward Xiao Yan's kidney. Although he had only just become a Dou Zhe, Xiao Ling's outstanding Soul Perception made controlling Dou Qi feel effortless. The Dou Qi tore through the air and struck Xiao Yan directly in the kidney.

Xiao Yan had been staring intently at Xiao Yu, so how could he have paid attention to anything else? He only heard a "whoosh," and then a scorching sensation suddenly flared in his kidney, followed by sharp pain. He clutched his lower back with both hands and cried out.

"Ah! It hurts so much!"

Xiao Yu had just undone one button when she heard a disturbance behind her. She hurriedly stopped what she was doing and turned around in panic, only to see half of Xiao Yan's head sticking out from behind a boulder as he grimaced in pain.

Seeing this, how could Xiao Yu not understand what was going on? Her face flushed red with rage. She rushed toward Xiao Yan in a few quick strides and slapped him hard across the face.

"You little pervert! At such a young age, instead of learning properly, you've learned to sneak around and steal! Now you've even learned to spy on people bathing!"

Still not satisfied, Xiao Yu delivered two more heavy punches, one to each of Xiao Yan's kidneys. The pain made Xiao Yan clutch each side with one hand as he fled down the mountain in panic.

Watching from his hiding spot in the distance, Xiao Ling swallowed. "A woman is really ruthless when she loses her temper. I must never provoke a hot-tempered woman in the future."

Shaking his head and no longer dwelling on it, Xiao Ling saw that both of them had left the back mountain. He circulated his Dou Qi and rushed toward his own courtyard.

"Xiao Yu, I'll definitely trample you beneath my feet! And Xiao Ning too—just you wait!"

Back in his courtyard, Xiao Yan sat on his bed with a dark expression, wrapping bandages around himself. He set a few goals for himself, then began his cultivation for the day.

He would definitely not tell his clan leader father about this. If Xiao Zhan learned that his son had intended to spy on Xiao Yu bathing, then for the First Elder's sake, he would surely teach him a harsh lesson. He could only cultivate in silence and take revenge after becoming stronger.

Although cultivation was a dull and tedious matter, Xiao Yan had gradually adapted after being transported to the Dou Qi Continent for so long.

"I'm about to break through!"

Feeling the somewhat surging Dou Qi within his body, excitement appeared on Xiao Yan's face. He focused his mind, preparing to push through in one go and break into the Sixth Stage of Dou Qi.

A week passed in the blink of an eye.

Xiao Ling, who had been cultivating in his room, formed the hand seal to end his cultivation and stood up. Feeling the Dou Qi within his body, he shook his head and sighed. "This Low-grade Yellow Tier cultivation method is really terrible. The Dou Qi cultivates slowly, and its quality is poor too. I need to use Beast Flame to raise the cultivation method's grade a little. If I still can't reach the Black Tier, I'll have to ask Xun Er for help. She's my future wife anyway; there's no shame in living off my future wife. I've learned Suction Palm too. As expected of a Black Tier Dou Technique—it's really useful." Clearing his mind, he walked out of his room and rushed toward the Mittel Auction House.

As he neared the auction house, he put on a black robe and gloves as usual.

When he entered the main hall, the same cool sensation washed over him. He looked around but saw no familiar faces.

Xiao Ling found a maid and took out the token Gu Ni had given him last time. "I'm looking for Master Gu Ni of your auction house. Please lead the way."

The maid accepted the token and examined it, then gave him a professional smile and gestured with her hand. "Sir, please wait in the VIP lounge first. I will fetch Master Gu Ni immediately."

The two arrived at a lounge. The maid brewed him a cup of tea and left. Xiao Ling sat down and took a sip, feeling even his Dou Qi become slightly more active. "As expected of the Mittel Auction House. They really are rich. Even the tea they serve guests can slightly increase cultivation efficiency."

After a while, Gu Ni entered. Seeing that it was the black-robed man from last time, a faint smile appeared on his face as well.

"Sir, I have prepared the Beast Flames you requested. They are the Earth Flame Fire from a Fourth Stage Earth Rock Turtle, the Peach Blossom Fire from a Fourth Stage Kui Mu Beast, and the Azure Water Flame from a Fourth Stage Nether Sea Flood Dragon Beast. The first two cost one hundred thousand Gold Coins each, while the last costs two hundred thousand Gold Coins. The Jia Ma Empire Royal Family's guardian beast is a Sixth Rank Nether Sea Flood Dragon Beast." Gu Ni waved his hand, and three porcelain bottles appeared on the table, each containing a Beast Flame.

Xiao Ling lightly activated Suction Palm, and the three porcelain bottles flew before him. With a sweep of his sleeve, he stored them one by one in his belt, leaving Gu Ni stunned.

Secretly delighted that this really was an excellent technique for showing off, he smiled and said, "I trust the Mite'er Family's reputation. If there are any dealings in the future, I'll come to you again."

With that, he turned and left the lounge, walked out of the Mittel Auction House, and headed toward the Xiao Family.

Upon returning to his room, he eagerly took out the three porcelain bottles and examined the three Beast Flames.

The Earth Flame Fire was yellowish in color, a flame carrying the heavy, solid nature of the earth attribute.

The Peach Blossom Fire was faintly pink, giving off a light fragrance that made it feel approachable.

The Azure Water Flame was deep blue. It contained the most energy and was the highest-quality flame among the three.

Xiao Ling cleared his mind and adjusted his breathing, preparing to begin absorbing the Beast Flames.