Broke Through to Dou Ling

The auctioneer that day was supposed to be a middle-aged man, but when it was time to present Ye Xiu's pills, Ya Fei went up herself.

The woman stood onstage, and before she even spoke, the mercenaries and wealthy merchants below were already staring at her.

"Next up for auction is a third-grade Marrow Cleansing Pill." Ya Fei held up a jade box, her voice soft and gentle. "This pill can cleanse the meridians and marrow and improve one's aptitude. For anyone below the rank of Da Dou Shi, it can increase their cultivation speed by fifty percent."

The crowd erupted at once.

Third-grade pills were a rare sight in a place like Wutan City. They might appear only a few times a year.

"The bidding starts at thirty thousand. Each bid must be at least five thousand higher."

"Thirty-five thousand!"

"Forty thousand!"

"Forty-five thousand!"

In the end, all six Marrow Cleansing Pills sold. The most expensive went for eighty thousand, while even the cheapest fetched fifty-five thousand.

The ten portions of Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid were snapped up just as quickly. The cheapest one sold for ten thousand.

Ya Fei smiled in Ye Xiu's direction from the stage, her eyes sparkling.

Ye Xiu paid her no mind and turned to leave.

Back at the courtyard, Ye Xiu shut the door and began cultivating.

He had already reached the threshold of Dou Ling; he was only one step away. Now that he had money, Ye Xiu bought some medicinal ingredients, refined several batches of pills to aid his cultivation, then sat cross-legged in the backyard and began trying to break through.

One day.

Two days.

Three days.

On the evening of the fourth day, Ye Xiu felt the Dou Qi in his dantian begin to stir.

The Dou Crystal in Ye Xiu's dantian gradually began to look like a sea urchin.

An aura more than twice as powerful as before burst from Ye Xiu.

One-Star Dou Ling!

Breakthrough!

Ye Xiu opened his eyes and let out a long breath of stale air.

"I didn't expect to break through to Dou Ling so quickly. Looks like my natural cultivation talent really is exceptional."

Ye Xiu stood up and stretched. His whole body crackled.

"Not bad."

He looked up at the sky. Dawn was already breaking.

Wutan City had been busy this past week, too.

Word that the Jialie Clan had been nearly wiped out had spread throughout the city. At first, people had wondered who was responsible. Later, a rumor surfaced from somewhere that the Jialie Clan had offended a powerful passerby, who had casually wiped them out.

The Xiao Clan had been the quickest to act.

The very next day, Xiao Zhan had led his people to seize the Jialie Clan's markets. They claimed they were "managing them on the clan's behalf" until the powerful figure returned to decide what to do with them. But anyone with eyes knew that "managing them on the clan's behalf" really meant annexing them.

The Xiao Clan also announced publicly that the Jialie Clan had offended someone they shouldn't have, and that the Xiao Clan was merely cleaning up the mess. Anyone with a problem could go take it up with that powerful figure.

They didn't say who that powerful figure was, only that he was still in Wutan City.

The Ao Ba Family had wanted a share, too, and sent a few people to test the waters. But when they heard what the Xiao Clan had said, they backed down.

As if! Could the Ao Ba Family afford to offend someone ruthless enough to wipe out the Jialie Clan's leadership overnight?

So over the course of the week, the Xiao Clan smoothly took over all the Jialie Clan's markets in the east and north of the city. They left the southern markets alone for now, since they were close to the Ao Ba Family, but that was only a matter of time.

Ye Xiu really had no interest in any of it.

He had told Xiao Zhan that day that he didn't care for the Jialie Clan's possessions, and they could divide them however they liked. After all, he wouldn't be staying in Wutan City for long.

On the afternoon of the seventh day, Ye Xiu was lying in a wicker chair in the courtyard, basking in the sun.

Cultivating all week had worn him out. Today, he didn't want to do a thing. He just wanted to lie there.

Then came a knock at the door.

Ye Xiu swept his soul power over the area and sensed Xiao Yan outside, drenched in sweat.

"Come in."

Xiao Yan pushed open the door, forgetting even to offer a greeting as he hurried over to Ye Xiu. "Senior, something's happened!"

Ye Xiu didn't move. "Go on."

"Liu Xi's master is here!" Xiao Yan panted. "His name is Xuan Hao. He's a Dou Ling and a third-grade Alchemist! He arrived in Wutan City this morning and went straight to the Xiao Clan!"

Ye Xiu raised an eyebrow. "Go on."

Xiao Yan continued, "He heard the Xiao Clan had dealings with you and demanded that we hand you over. My father said he didn't know where you were, so the man threatened to flatten the Xiao Clan if he couldn't see you!"

Ye Xiu sat up and looked at him.

Xiao Yan's expression was grim. "Senior, I didn't come here to send you to your death! My father told me to say that if you weren't confident, you should lie low and leave Wutan City. We'll find a way to handle things here at the Xiao Clan. At worst..."

He gritted his teeth. "At worst, we fight him."

Ye Xiu looked at him and couldn't help laughing.

With Yao Lao around, ten Xuan Haos wouldn't be enough to cause trouble.

And then there was Xiao Xun'er. Her personal guard, Ling Ying, was a Dou Emperor.

"Did your father send you?"

Xiao Yan nodded.

"What exactly did your father say?"

Xiao Yan paused, then thought it over. "My father said to tell you that Xuan Hao had arrived and to let you decide what to do."

Ye Xiu stood up.

"Let's go."

Xiao Yan froze. "Where?"

"The Xiao Clan." Ye Xiu headed for the door. "Someone specifically asked to see me. If I don't go, wouldn't that be rude?"

Xiao Yan panicked. "Senior! That man's a Dou Ling! You..."

Ye Xiu glanced back at him.

The look stopped Xiao Yan's words in his throat.

Ye Xiu said nothing. He let out a trace of his aura.

Just a trace.

Xiao Yan felt as if someone had shoved him into boiling water. Waves of scorching heat surrounded him, and even breathing was difficult. The Dou Qi in his body churned into chaos, completely beyond his control.

Then the aura withdrew.

Xiao Yan gasped for breath, his back already soaked with sweat.

He stared at Ye Xiu, eyes nearly popping out of his head. "S-Senior, you broke through..."

Ye Xiu ignored him and strode toward the door.

"He's only a Dou Ling. It's not like I can't beat him."

Xiao Yan stood rooted to the spot, unable to recover for a long while.

By the time he came to his senses and chased after him, Ye Xiu had already gone far ahead.

Xiao Yan gritted his teeth and ran after him.

Meanwhile, in the Xiao Clan's meeting hall.

Xiao Zhan sat in the seat of honor, his face ashen. The three elders sat on either side, each with a deep furrow in his brow.

A man stood in the middle of the hall.

He was in his sixties, dressed in a gray Alchemist's robe with three silver waves embroidered on the cuffs. A third-grade Alchemist.

Xuan Hao.

Two men stood behind him, both dressed in black and both giving off a bloody aura. They were his guards.

"Clan Chief Xiao." Xuan Hao spoke unhurriedly. His voice wasn't loud, but there was something unpleasant about it. "My good-for-nothing disciple died in your Wutan City. As his master, I had to come see what happened."

Xiao Zhan replied in a low voice, "Master Xuan Hao, I regret what happened to Liu Xi as well. But this has nothing to do with the Xiao Clan. Someone else was responsible."

"I know." Xuan Hao smiled. "The one who did it was a Nine-Star Great Dou Master."

He paused, then continued, "I've had people make inquiries. Clan Chief Xiao, you say you don't know where he is, but I find that hard to believe."

Xiao Zhan's expression darkened. "Master Xuan Hao, what are you implying?"

"Nothing in particular." Xuan Hao picked up his teacup and blew away the foam. "I only wanted to tell Clan Chief Xiao that, however useless my disciple was, he was still one of my people. Whoever killed him will pay with their life. If the Xiao Clan shelters the killer, then it's making an enemy of me."