Breaking Through to Dou Ling

Originally, a middle-aged man was responsible for the auction today, but when it came time for Ye Xiu's medicinal pills to go on stage, Ya Fei went up herself.

The moment that woman stood on the stage, before she even opened her mouth, the eyes of the mercenaries and wealthy merchants below were already glued to her.

"The next item up for auction is a Tier 3 Marrow Cleansing Pill." Ya Fei held the jade box, her voice soft and sweet. "The effect of this pill is to cleanse the meridians and marrow, improving one's aptitude. For those below the level of Da Dou Shi, it can increase cultivation speed by fifty percent."

The crowd below erupted instantly.

Tier 3 medicinal pills were something one rarely saw even a few times a year in a place like Wutan City.

"The starting price is thirty thousand, with each increment no less than five thousand."

"Thirty-five thousand!"

"Forty thousand!"

"Forty-five thousand!"

In the end, the six Marrow Cleansing Pills were sold, with the most expensive one going for eighty thousand and the cheapest for fifty-five thousand.

The ten portions of Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid were also snapped up instantly, with even the cheapest portion bidding up to ten thousand.

On stage, Ya Fei smiled toward Ye Xiu's direction, her eyes shimmering with charm.

Ye Xiu ignored her, turned around, and left.

Returning to the courtyard, Ye Xiu locked the door and began to cultivate.

He had already touched the threshold of Dou Ling previously, needing only one final push. Now that he had money in hand, Ye Xiu first went to buy some medicinal herbs, refined a few batches of pills to assist his cultivation, and then sat cross-legged in the backyard to begin breaking through.

One day.

Two days.

Three days.

By the evening of the fourth day, Ye Xiu felt the Dou Qi in his Dantian begin to fluctuate.

The Dou Crystal in Ye Xiu's Dantian gradually began to resemble a sea urchin.

An aura more than twice as strong as before exploded from Ye Xiu's body.

One-star Dou Ling!

Breakthrough!

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

"I didn't expect to break through to Dou Ling so quickly. It seems my own cultivation talent is quite extraordinary."

Ye Xiu stood up and stretched, his entire body popping and cracking.

"Not bad."

He looked up at the sky; it was already beginning to dawn.

This past week, Wutan City had not been idle.

The news that the Jialie Clan had been almost completely wiped out had long since spread throughout the city. At first, everyone guessed who had done it, but later, rumors spread from somewhere that the Jialie Clan had offended a passing expert and had been destroyed with a casual wave of their hand.

The Xiao Clan moved the fastest.

The very next day, Xiao Zhan took his men and occupied the various markets belonging to the Jialie Clan. He claimed it was "managing them on behalf of others" until that expert returned to deal with them. But anyone with a discerning eye knew that "managing on behalf of others" was just a cover for annexation.

The Xiao Clan also announced to the public that the Jialie Clan had offended someone they shouldn't have, and the Xiao Clan was merely helping to clean up the mess; anyone with an objection could go talk to that expert.

However, they didn't reveal who that expert was, only that they were still in Wutan City.

The Aoba Clan had originally wanted a piece of the pie and sent a few people to probe for information, but as soon as they heard the Xiao Clan's statement, they backed off.

Are you kidding? Could the Aoba Clan afford to offend a ruthless person who could wipe out the upper echelons of the Jialie Clan overnight?

Thus, throughout the week, the Xiao Clan smoothly took over all the Jialie Clan's markets in the East and North cities. The South City side remained untouched for the time being because it was close to the Aoba Clan, but that was only a matter of time.

However, Ye Xiu truly had no interest in these matters.

He had told Xiao Zhan that day that he didn't care for the Jialie Clan's assets 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 on a rattan chair in the courtyard, soaking up the sun.

He was exhausted from a week of cultivation and didn't want to do anything today; he just wanted to lie down.

Then, the door knocked.

Ye Xiu swept his soul power across the area and saw Xiao Yan standing outside the door, drenched in sweat.

"Come in."

Xiao Yan pushed the door open and entered, forgetting even to offer a greeting, and rushed to Ye Xiu's side in a few steps: "Senior, something has happened!"

Ye Xiu didn't move: "Speak."

"Liu Xi's master is here!" Xiao Yan panted. "That man is named Xuan Hao; he is a Dou Ling and also a Tier 3 Alchemist! He arrived in Wutan City this morning and went straight to the Xiao Clan!"

Ye Xiu raised an eyebrow upon hearing this: "Continue."

Xiao Yan continued, "He heard that the Xiao Clan has connections with you, so he demanded we hand you over. My father said he didn't know where you were, so that man laid down a threat: if he doesn't see you, he'll level the Xiao Clan!"

Ye Xiu sat up and looked at him.

Xiao Yan's expression was incredibly grim: "Senior, I didn't come here to send you to your death! My father told me to tell you that if you aren't confident, you should hide for a while and leave Wutan City. We'll try to stall for time here at the Xiao Clan, and if it comes to it..."

He gritted his teeth: "We'll just fight him to the death."

Ye Xiu looked at him and couldn't help but smile.

With Yao Lao around, ten Xuan Hao wouldn't be enough to deal with him.

Not to mention Xiao Xun'er; her personal bodyguard, Ling Ying, was at the Dou Huang level.

"Your father sent you?"

Xiao Yan nodded.

"What were your father's exact words?"

Xiao Yan was stunned for a moment, then thought about it: "My father said to tell you that Xuan Hao has arrived and that you should make your own decision."

Ye Xiu stood up.

"Let's go."

Xiao Yan was taken aback: "Go where?"

"To the Xiao Clan." Ye Xiu walked toward the exit, "Someone has specifically asked to see me; it would be rude not to show up."

Xiao Yan grew anxious: "Senior! That man is a Dou Ling! You..."

Ye Xiu glanced back at him.

With just that one look, Xiao Yan's words stuck in his throat, unable to come out.

Ye Xiu didn't speak, but released a sliver of his aura.

Just a tiny sliver.

Xiao Yan felt as if he had been plunged into boiling water; he was surrounded by scorching waves of heat, and even breathing became a struggle. The Dou Qi within his body turned chaotic, completely refusing to obey him.

Then, that aura was retracted.

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

He looked at Ye Xiu, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets: "Sen... Senior, you've broken through..."

Ye Xiu ignored him and stepped outside.

"He's just a Dou Ling, it's not like I can't beat him."

Xiao Yan stood frozen in place, unable to recover for a long time.

By the time he reacted and chased after him, Ye Xiu was already a long way off.

Xiao Yan gritted his teeth and hurried to catch up.

At the same time, in the Xiao Clan's assembly hall.

Xiao Zhan sat in the main seat, his face ashen. The three elders sat on either side, their brows tightly furrowed.

A man stood in the center of the hall.

He was about sixty years old, dressed in a grey Alchemist robe with three silver ripples embroidered on the cuffs. A third-grade Alchemist.

Xuan Hao.

Behind him stood two other men, both dressed in black, exuding a scent of blood. Bodyguards.

"Clan Leader Xiao." Xuan Hao spoke slowly, his voice low but grating to the ear, "My good-for-nothing disciple died in your Wutan City. As his master, I really must come and see what happened."

Xiao Zhan said in a deep voice, "Master Xuan Hao, I am also very sorry about what happened to Liu Xi. But this matter has nothing to do with the Xiao Clan; the person who did it is someone else."

"I know." Xuan Hao smiled, "The person who did it is a nine-star Da Dou Shi."

He paused, then continued: "I've had people look into it. Clan Leader Xiao, you say you don't know where he is, but I find that hard to believe."

Xiao Zhan's face darkened: "Master Xuan Hao, what do you mean by that?"

"Nothing in particular." Xuan Hao picked up his teacup and blew the foam away, "I just wanted to let Clan Leader Xiao know that no matter how useless my disciple was, he was still my man. Whoever killed him must pay with their life. If the Xiao Clan protects the murderer, then you are making an enemy of me."