Xun'er's Arrival

"Grandpa, what distinguished guest?"

"I want to go take a look too!"

Xiao Ce feigned curiosity.

Xiao Hai glanced at him. He had originally wanted to refuse, but then he remembered that his grandson had spent the past two years buried in cultivation and rarely showed interest in anything today. So he nodded. "Grandpa can agree, but you have to stay behind me later. No running around, and no talking nonsense!"

"Do you understand?"

Xiao Ce nodded obediently. "Don't worry, Grandpa. I understand."

Xiao Hai smiled in satisfaction.

His grandson had always been sensible. Talented yet never spoiled, he had always been a source of comfort.

The Guest Reception Hall was located in the central area of the Xiao Clan residence. It was one of the clan's most solemn and dignified places.

Following behind Xiao Hai, Xiao Ce spotted two rows of guards standing before the Guest Reception Hall from afar, all of them elite members of the Xiao Clan.

At that moment, Xiao Zhan, the clan head, had personally come outside to greet a middle-aged man with an imposing, mountain-like bearing.

A little girl stood beside the middle-aged man. She looked only three or four years old, dressed in a light green skirt. Her small face was delicate and adorable, still carrying a hint of baby fat.

There was no need to say who this adorable little girl was. She was the young Gu Xun'er.

And the extraordinary middle-aged man beside Gu Xun'er was Gu Yuan, the Gu Clan's patriarch and a peak nine-star Dousheng.

A character who had stirred up considerable controversy in the original work.

Gu Yuan was conversing with Xiao Zhan, but he seemed to notice Xiao Ce's gaze and casually swept his eyes in Xiao Ce's direction.

That seemingly casual glance made Xiao Ce's entire body tremble, as though all his secrets had been seen through by Gu Yuan.

However, Xiao Ce knew this was merely an illusion caused by the enormous gap in their strength.

At most, Gu Yuan could only see a few superficial things.

Such as his realm and soul power.

And just as Xiao Ce had thought.

Gu Yuan withdrew his gaze after only one look, yet a trace of barely perceptible surprise flashed through his eyes.

"That child..."

With his eyesight, he could naturally tell at a glance that Xiao Ce was at the third stage of Dou Qi.

Such cultivation talent naturally could not catch Gu Yuan's eye. Within the Gu Clan, there were countless people more talented than Xiao Ce.

What truly surprised him was the soul power contained within Xiao Ce's body.

Such soul strength was absolutely not something a child should possess.

That did make Gu Yuan somewhat interested.

Earlier, he had also sensed an extraordinary amount of soul power within Xiao Yan, the Xiao Clan's third young master. Though it was slightly weaker than the child before him, it still far exceeded what someone his age should possess.

He had not expected the Xiao Clan, reduced to such a state, to produce two children with powerful soul strength at once.

Gu Yuan pondered slightly inwardly, but his expression remained unchanged.

Naturally, he would not take such a minor incident to heart.

Given his status and strength, he had seen far too many so-called geniuses who had flashed brilliantly only to fade away.

Although Xiao Yan and Xiao Ce possessed soul power far beyond ordinary people, their cultivation talent was not exceptional. Furthermore, they were in the resource-poor Northwest Continent. Their futures would likely end at Dou Zong or Douzun.

After Gu Yuan withdrew his gaze, Xiao Ce inexplicably let out a breath of relief. He muttered inwardly, That old bastard has such terrifying pressure!

At that moment, Xiao Hai spoke. "Ce'er, just watch from outside. Don't make any noise."

Xiao Ce nodded.

The Guest Reception Hall was where the Xiao Clan received honored guests. Given his age and status, he was not qualified to enter.

After Gu Yuan, Xiao Zhan, and the others entered the Guest Reception Hall, Xiao Ce had nothing to do, so he leaned against a pillar in the corridor and pondered how to raise Gu Xun'er's favorability.

In truth, the ready-made answer was right in front of him.

He could simply imitate Xiao Yan from the original work and sneak into Gu Xun'er's room in the middle of the night to "nourish her meridians."

But Xiao Ce simply could not get past that mental hurdle.

He could play the long game because he knew that once Gu Xun'er grew up, she would not only be a stunning beauty but also possess the Gu Clan's God-Grade Bloodline, a top-tier rich girl.

But asking a soul that had lived through two lives to grope a three- or four-year-old girl was far too low and far too perverted.

That brought up the Flame Emperor, Xiao Yan.

In the original work, this guy had indeed been loyal and willing to go through fire and water for his brothers.

But honestly, he had plenty of dirty history.

Especially before he went through three years of brutal setbacks. His personality was not necessarily terrible, but it had nothing whatsoever to do with being gentle, kind, respectful, frugal, or yielding.

Not to mention that he had sneaked into Gu Xun'er's room at night and peeped at Xiao Yu bathing.

To put it bluntly, at this stage, he was completely full of himself!

He had displayed exceptional cultivation talent from a young age, and he was the clan head's son. He had been praised too highly ever since childhood, to the point that he had lost himself in others' flattery.

"Xiao Ce?"

Just as Xiao Ce was deep in thought, a somewhat surprised voice rang out from afar.

The voice pulled Xiao Ce back to his senses, and he turned his head to look.

Several figures were approaching together.

The one who had called out to Xiao Ce was the boy in black standing among them.

The boy had an arrogant expression. Though he was not tall, walking among the group gave him the air of a leading big brother.

Speak of the devil—this boy in black was Xiao Yan.

"Cousin Xiao Yan, it's you all!"

Xiao Ce came back to himself and smiled as he greeted them.

The people before him were Xiao Yan, Xiao Li, Xiao Yu, and Xiao Ning.

Xiao Li was the oldest among them, around eleven or twelve years old, while Xiao Yan was naturally the youngest.

Xiao Yan looked at Xiao Ce, his tone carrying a hint of swagger. "Xiao Ce, why did you suddenly have the leisure to come outside today? If you don't cultivate diligently, I'm afraid I'll surpass you soon."

After saying that, Xiao Yan's body trembled slightly, and an invisible aura surged from within him.

Third stage of Dou Qi!

"Xiao Ce, what do you think?" Xiao Yan smiled with competitive pride. "Oh, right, you probably don't know this, but in half a year at most, I'll break through to the fourth stage of Dou Qi."

Beside him, Xiao Ning looked full of envy as he flattered him. "Cousin Xiao Yan truly deserves to be called the Xiao Clan's number one genius."

Hearing the words "Xiao Clan's number one genius," Xiao Yan looked thoroughly pleased with himself, lifting his chin high. Clearly, Xiao Ning's flattery delighted him.

He pointed one hand at the sky, his tone lofty. "What does being the Xiao Clan's number one genius amount to? My goal is not only to become the Jia Ma Empire's number one genius, but also to become our Xiao Clan's first Dou Emperor!"

"Xiao Yanzi, now that's ambition!" Xiao Li grinned.

Xiao Yu also revealed an envious expression.

Although her talent was considered outstanding within the Xiao Clan, she was nearly eight years old and had only just reached the third stage of Dou Qi.

Forget compared to Xiao Yan—even compared to Xiao Ce, she was far behind.

Watching this scene, especially Xiao Yan's competitive, eager-to-win manner, Xiao Ce suddenly felt the urge to laugh.

Xiao Yan truly seemed to have turned himself into a triumphant five-year-old child.

For a moment, Xiao Ce did not know whether to say Xiao Yan was acting very convincingly or that he did not seem to be acting at all.