Gu Yuan's Visit

Hai Bodong shouted and slammed a hand on the table, using the force to vault over the counter in an instant.

At the same time, a surge of frost energy shot from his palm toward Xiao Jin.

Xiao Jin's expression did not change. With one hand, he gently pushed Xiao Yi Xian's shoulder, sending her out of the battle's range, while his other hand calmly met the attack.

His right palm, wrapped in Three Thousand Burning Flame, struck heavily against the frost energy. Under the terrifying heat of the Heavenly Flame, the fearsome Dou Qi that could freeze a person to the marrow instantly vanished into nothingness.

Caught off guard, Hai Bodong suffered a slight loss. His withered hands rapidly formed seals, and a transparent ice mirror half a meter wide and thirty centimeters thick appeared before him.

"Condensed Ice Mirror!"

A rebounding force traveled back through Xiao Jin's right palm. If it had been anyone else, they would likely have suffered for it.

But Xiao Jin remained unhurried. He merely increased the strength in his right hand as violent Dou Qi surged toward his palm.

"Heart Melting Palm!" The Mystery Rank High Level Dou Technique, which he had already cultivated to mastery, activated instantly. The already violent temperature of the Heavenly Flame rose several degrees higher.

White vapor billowed from the thick Condensed Ice Mirror. Under the searing heat of the Heavenly Flame, the massive ice mirror was melted away in the blink of an eye.

Hai Bodong stared at the scene before him in astonishment. This move alone was enough to shock him.

Ever since Xiao Jin's first effortless motion, his evaluation of the boy had continued to rise.

Even he could not wield a terrifyingly powerful Dou Technique with one hand while keeping the other as gentle as a feather.

To achieve that required absolute control over one's Dou Qi.

The following Heart Melting Palm made him feel the threat of death even more clearly.

In the Jia Ma Empire, Mystery Rank High Level Dou Techniques were hardly common goods.

Even the colossal Misty Cloud Sect, one of the Jia Ma Empire's greatest powers, possessed no Dou Technique stronger than Mystic Tier High-level.

Moreover, Hai Bodong knew perfectly well that even the Misty Cloud Sect could not possibly raise a genius capable of clashing head-on with a Dou Ling at the age of fifteen or sixteen.

Before the Condensed Ice Mirror completely disappeared, Hai Bodong abruptly retreated. Dozens of spiral ice spikes formed instantly and shot toward Xiao Jin's position like a torrential storm.

Xiao Jin neither dodged nor moved aside. With the powerful perception of his Emperor Realm Soul, he did not even bother looking at the ice spikes that were destined to miss him.

He only raised both hands against the ice spikes that might strike him.

With two fingers held together, he launched spiral fire cones one after another to meet the incredibly swift ice cones.

"Nine Suns Vein-Piercing Finger!"

Ice and fire, two completely opposite energies, collided, and the entire shop was instantly thrown into chaos.

Hai Bodong's pupils contracted again.

"Another Mystery Rank High Level Dou Technique? Just where did this kid come from? Why does he use Mystery Rank High Level Dou Techniques as if they were cabbages bought wholesale?"

A dark purple radiance rose before Xiao Yi Xian.

With her cultivation as a Three-Star Dou Ling, blocking the aftershocks of their battle was effortless.

Hai Bodong naturally noticed her actions as well, and his heart skipped another beat.

"Dou Qi Materialization? A Dou Ling?"

He was completely numb by now. This little girl looked about the same age as the boy, yet she was already a Dou Ling expert.

What the hell had he gotten himself involved with?

Before he could think further, Xiao Jin's next attack arrived right on schedule.

Within Xun'er's courtyard in the Xiao Clan.

Feeling the surging Dou Qi flowing through her body, Xun'er's face was filled with delight.

At her level as a Dou Shi, she had absorbed less than one-millionth of the medicinal power within the Ninth-Grade Golden Pill.

Even so, her cultivation had soared like a rocket, jumping directly to the level of a Seven-Star Dou Grandmaster.

Compared to half a month ago, she had advanced by nearly an entire major realm.

"I wonder if Brother Xiao Jin will be happy for me when he sees that I've broken through." A gentle smile hung on the girl's face. Just as she was about to call for a servant to prepare hot water for her bath, she noticed the letter Xiao Jin had left on the table.

After opening it, Xun'er quickly read through its contents and could not help pouting.

"Brother Xiao Jin is such a bad guy. He sneaked out without taking Xun'er with him!"

Though she was complaining, there was not the slightest trace of resentment in her heart.

Because she knew that Xiao Jin must have gone out to handle something important.

"Forget it. Since Brother Xiao Jin isn't here, I should keep cultivating." Xun'er lost all interest in bathing. Her cultivation had risen too quickly anyway, so she could use the time before Xiao Jin returned to stabilize her strength.

Just as she was about to enter a meditative state, the girl's sharp gaze suddenly turned toward the window.

She sensed a familiar aura.

After opening the door, she immediately saw a middle-aged man standing in the courtyard.

"Father?" Xun'er looked at the middle-aged man in the courtyard with some confusion, unable to understand why Gu Yuan had appeared at the Xiao Clan.

Other than bringing her to the Xiao Clan ten years ago, her father had never appeared in Wutan City during those ten years.

As one of the strongest people in the world, Gu Yuan attracted a great deal of attention. Every time he left the Ancient Realm, he would be closely watched by the other Ancient Emperor Clans.

Xun'er feared that her father's appearance here would bring catastrophic disaster upon the Xiao Clan.

Gu Yuan turned around, his eyes full of affection as he looked at Xun'er.

"Worthy of being my, Gu Yuan's, daughter. At only fourteen, you are already a Seven-Star Dou Grandmaster. Once Xun'er completes her bloodline awakening, you will surely break through to Dou Zun immediately."

Gu Yuan had originally thought that his sudden appearance would definitely give his daughter a pleasant surprise.

Together with his wholehearted praise, his little darling should have thrown herself into his arms and acted spoiled, shouldn't she?

Who would have thought that not only did Xun'er fail to show any delight, she instead asked warily, "Father, have you come to take me back to the Ancient Clan?"

Gu Yuan's heart clenched. He had already realized what a foolish thing he had done.

When he sent his daughter to the Xiao Clan all those years ago, he had intended for her to find traces of the Tou She Ancient God Jade there.

Who would have thought that not only had the Tou She Ancient God Jade not been found, but he was about to lose his precious daughter as well?

He hesitated before saying, "Xun'er, Xiao Jin is only an adopted son of the Xiao Clan. He is not a member of the Xiao Tribe from back then."

"So what? Brother Xiao Jin is the most outstanding. Even without relying on the Dou Emperor Bloodline, he can forge a path through his own strength that no one before him has ever walked!"

"But Xun'er..."

"Father, have you ever seen a fifteen-year-old Dou Wang, even among the Ancient Emperor Clans?"

The Dou Emperor Bloodline was indeed powerful, but more than ten thousand years had passed since the last Dou Emperor had appeared. The bloodlines of the Ancient Emperor Clans had now declined to varying degrees.

The original work had once stated that the closer one's bloodline was to a Dou Emperor, the greater the benefits obtained. After so much time had passed, the Ancient Emperor Clans could still gain benefits from the Dou Emperor Bloodline, but compared to ten thousand years ago, the difference was like heaven and earth.

The Xiao Clan's bloodline had completely withered away, causing it to fall out of the ranks of the Ancient Emperor Clans. Among the current Seven Ancient Emperor Clans, the Ling Clan's bloodline had likewise begun to wither.

Even clans like the Ancient Clan, whose bloodline had not yet withered, could gain only very limited benefits from the Dou Emperor Bloodline before completing their bloodline awakening.

Therefore, even Gu Yuan had never seen a fifteen-year-old Dou Wang expert.

The geniuses of his Ancient Clan truly paled greatly in comparison to Xiao Jin.

Seeing her father's expression, Xun'er said earnestly, "Back then, an ancestor of my Ancient Clan created ten thousand years of glory for our clan through his own strength. I believe Brother Xiao Jin can do the same, relying on his own abilities to establish another Emperor Clan!"