He Shouldn't Be Able to Hit Anyone in This State, Right?

Of course he could!

He could do it very well, in fact!

Xiao Yu thought to himself, but kept his expression unchanged. "Why don't we let an alchemist take a look and find out?"

"Where? Where?" Hearing this, Xiao Yan glanced around.

Xiao Yu ran a hand over his neck and said slowly, "Big brother, brace yourself."

As he spoke, he opened a narrow gap in the object he had gotten from Xun'er.

The next second,

a gust of wind swept past, and Xiao Yan felt a chill.

He looked around again but still didn't see anyone. Just as he was about to ask a question, he saw his younger brother point upward.

Xiao Yan looked up.

He froze on the spot!

His expression stiffened!

A ghost?

A somewhat transparent figure was floating above them.

From its blurry outline, he could just make out a human shape.

Gradually, the figure grew clearer, taking the form of an old man.

"Big brother, his name is Yao Lao. He's been hiding in the ring Mother left behind all this time. He was the one who drained my Dou Qi and made it disappear," Xiao Yu explained.

Hearing this, Xiao Yan's expression immediately returned to normal, then turned furious. He pointed at the figure and scolded, "You old bastard! You're already so old, so how can you still do something so inhuman?! Do you have any idea how much damage you've done to my little brother's young heart?!"

Back then, if Xiao Yu's Dou Qi hadn't inexplicably vanished,

Xiao Yan believed that with his younger brother's cultivation speed, even if he was a little slower than Xiao Yan, he could still have gotten into Jia Nan Academy.

He wouldn't have become a good-for-nothing, mocked by everyone in Wutan City and discussed as a laughingstock for years.

Putting himself in his younger brother's shoes, Xiao Yan couldn't imagine whether he would have been able to endure something like that!

After all, although he looked like a youth, he was actually an adult of several decades.

But his younger brother was truly just a boy. For all these years, Xiao Yu had seemed calm and unconcerned on the surface, but who knew what was going on inside?

That was why, when Xiao Yan learned that the old man was the culprit, his anger burst out all at once.

"Big brother, I haven't finished speaking..." Xiao Yu pressed a hand to his forehead.

Hearing this, Xiao Yan turned to him. "Xiao Yu, go on."

"Big brother, this is Yao Lao. He has another title... Venerable Yao!" Xiao Yu's voice was somewhat heavy.

"Ve... Venerable?!"

Xiao Yan was stunned. Was this a powerhouse above the Dou Zong level?

Even Jia Nan Academy didn't have many powerhouses like him!

"Gulp..." Xiao Yan's Adam's apple bobbed. He let out an awkward laugh. "Little brother, he shouldn't be able to hit anyone in this state, right?"

Thinking about how he'd just insulted a Venerable, Xiao Yan felt a chill run down his back.

I think I was a little too loud just now...

Before Xiao Yu could say anything, Yao Lao answered Xiao Yan with action.

A whip condensed from Dou Qi lashed Xiao Yan again and again, beating him until he rolled all over the ground and begged for mercy.

I'll beat you to death! I'll beat you to death! Yao Chen thought as he whipped him.

Xiao Yu was the one who had locked him up, but Yao Chen didn't dare offend him. What if he locked him away again?

So he wanted to vent the anger he'd been forced to swallow over the past year.

What to do?

Oh... here was someone who looked a lot like Xiao Yu!

Good!

You'll do!

Yao Lao's face twisted into a sickly smile as the knot of resentment in his heart finally loosened.

"Enough!"

At last, Xiao Yu spoke up.

He knew the old man wouldn't go too far. Teaching his big brother a lesson would also keep him from getting too carried away.

Over the past two years, Third Brother had indeed gotten a little cocky on account of his talent.

The farce finally came to an end.

The two men and one soul sat down on the mountaintop.

After examining Xiao Yan, Yao Lao found that there was a trace of Wood Attribute Dou Qi within his Fire Attribute Dou Qi, and that his soul power was strong enough. He had the potential to become an alchemist.

However, Yao Lao didn't readily agree to take him as a disciple.

He wanted something in return, too!

So Yao Lao and Xiao Yan began negotiating.

Xiao Yan's attitude was simple: he was willing to become Yao Lao's disciple, but he absolutely wouldn't cultivate that so-called cultivation technique that could evolve but was actually Yellow Tier Low Grade.

He was about to break through to Dou Master. Xiao Yan refused to cripple his cultivation and start over just for the sake of an evolution technique that might never amount to anything.

Xiao Yu hadn't expected his third brother to refuse to cultivate the Flame Mantra.

But after thinking it over, he found it understandable.

Why had Xiao Yan cultivated the Flame Mantra in the first place?

Because of the Three-Year Agreement with Nalan Yanran, he needed to become stronger. And because of his special feelings for Xun'er, he wanted to grow strong enough to earn her family's approval!

Now, neither of those things had happened.

"Old man, don't force it if he won't do it. Don't you just want help refining a body? I'll help you with that later. Just focus on teaching my big brother alchemy," Xiao Yu said, stepping forward to offer a fair solution.

Yao Lao shot him a glance. "Brat, I don't believe a single word you say."

"No room for negotiation?" Xiao Yu rubbed his fingers over the object in his palm.

In the end, Yao Lao was the first to back down. He chose to compromise.

There was no other choice.

At the moment, he was a fish on the chopping block. Refusing would mean getting locked up by Xiao Yu again.

If he'd still been asleep, Yao Chen could have accepted that.

But now that he was awake, he couldn't bear to be stuck in the sealed space inside the ring.

Under Xiao Yu's mix of threats and enticements, Xiao Yan went through a simple apprenticeship ceremony. Yao Chen had no choice but to take out an Earth Tier Low Grade Fire Attribute Dou Qi cultivation technique and give it to Xiao Yan.

It was supposedly a gift for his new disciple, but in reality, it was the condition Xiao Yu had negotiated the day before.

In name, Yao Lao was also Xiao Yu's master.

In the days that followed, the two brothers stayed on the mountain.

With Yao Chen's guidance, Xiao Yan didn't take long to switch cultivation techniques and master the new one completely.

After that, Xiao Yan followed Yao Chen in learning alchemy.

During this time, Xiao Yu listened from the side without paying much attention, but to his surprise, he still unlocked the alchemist profession.

Host: Xiao Yu

Age: 16

Strength: Three-Star Dou Zhe

Profession: Dou Zhe

Secondary Profession: Alchemist lv1 (10/1000)

Available Experience: 1450

If Xiao Yu wanted to, the experience points he'd gained from Li Qian during this time would be enough to help him quickly get started and become a Second-Rank Alchemist.

However, Xiao Yu wasn't willing to.

While Xiao Yan studied diligently, preparations for the Xiao Clan's new market were nearing completion.

Meanwhile,

at the Jia Lie Family,

the clan leader, Jia Lie Bi, and the clan elders stood respectfully at the entrance.

A short while later, a young man in white walked in. He was rather handsome, but his sunken eyes and dark circles, along with the lecherous glint that flashed across his face when he glanced at the Jia Lie Family's maids, spoiled his good looks.

"Welcome, Master Liu." Jia Lie Bi clasped his hands, his expression respectful.

Liu Xi gave a faint nod.

His arrogant manner made the elder behind Jia Lie Bi, Jia Lie Nu, somewhat furious.

He was just a mere First-Rank Alchemist. How dare he act so high and mighty!

Jia Lie Bi wasn't surprised in the slightest. His expression remained unchanged as he said, "Master Liu, all the medicinal ingredients are ready. We've been waiting for you."

"I know what you and my master agreed on, but have you prepared what I want?" Liu Xi asked, the corner of his mouth curling into a lewd smile.

Jia Lie Bi nodded and said softly, "You'll see when you get to your room."

Liu Xi's expression eased slightly.

Just then, Jia Lie Bi stepped closer and lowered his voice. "If we manage to suppress the Xiao Family Market, Master Liu, I'll send you two more beautiful women from the Snake-Person Tribe."

Hearing this, Liu Xi's spirits lifted. He couldn't help licking his lips, and his attitude immediately grew warmer. "Clan Leader Jia Lie, where are the medicinal ingredients? I want to start refining pills right away!"

"Master Liu, this way!" Jia Lie Bi laughed and gestured for him to follow.