Old Man, Times Have Changed

Xiao Zhan excitedly took the baby from his son and held him in his arms. Looking at the little face, which wasn't even as big as his palm, he couldn't stop grinning.

Even in another world, parents couldn't escape the hope that their children would marry, establish themselves, and live happily.

They also hoped to be surrounded by grandchildren.

Unfortunately, his eldest and second sons were flighty. Once they'd gained a little strength, they left the Xiao Clan to venture out into the world, and didn't even come home once a year.

That left Xiao Zhan with no chance to urge them to marry, even if he wanted to.

His third and fourth sons were still by his side, but they were too young for him to bring it up.

Even Xiao Yu, his fourth son, had been the one to propose marriage himself.

Xiao Yu's wife was named Li Qian.

She had originally been the daughter of the Li Clan, a minor family in Wutan City. After offending the Jia Lie Clan, Li Qian's father wanted to find a clan that could shelter them, so he planned to arrange a marriage between his eighteen-year-old daughter and either the Aoba Clan or the Xiao Clan.

However, strength ruled the Dou Qi Continent, and marriage was no exception.

Apart from taking concubines, who wouldn't want to marry someone of equal standing? A suitable match could benefit the family, too.

At the time, Xiao Zhan hadn't been very willing. He'd meant to send the man away, but Xiao Yu suddenly said he wanted to marry her.

Back then, when he heard that his fifteen-year-old son actually wanted to take a wife,

Xiao Zhan was dumbfounded.

Xiao Yu's reasoning was compelling, too. Since he had no talent for cultivation, he might as well marry and have children, helping the clan branch out.

As for making the clan stronger, he'd leave that to his three older brothers.

It was precisely because of this incident that Xiao Yu became the subject of gossip over tea, not just in the Xiao Clan but throughout Wutan City.

As the person at the center of it all, Xiao Yu didn't care.

He knew full well that at fifteen, there was no way he could take a wife through normal channels. He'd have to wait until he came of age, at the very least.

If he simply found some woman, but her looks, talent, and other qualities didn't add up to at least eight points, she wouldn't meet the system's requirements.

So, when a woman who met the requirements appeared, Xiao Yu acted without hesitation.

After that, everything was simple.

Though Li Qian's father knew Xiao Yu was a famous good-for-nothing in Wutan City, he couldn't ignore Xiao Yu's status.

He didn't refuse.

Xiao Zhan doted on his youngest son, too. Seeing how determined Xiao Yu was, he could only agree.

The Xiao Clan had always been at odds with the Jia Lie Clan, anyway. There was no harm in sheltering the Li Clan and earning the Jia Lie Clan's resentment.

With the baby safely born, Xiao Zhan waved his hand and told the servants to prepare a banquet for the evening.

As someone on equal footing with Jia Lie Bi and Aoba Pa, Xiao Zhan was in high spirits today. Not only had he gained a grandson, he'd become a grandfather before the other two.

Sometimes, men developed inexplicable urges to compete.

Xiao Yu only made a brief appearance at the banquet before hurrying back to the rear courtyard to look after his wife and child.

Inside the room,

after Xiao Yu carefully fed her, some color had returned to Li Qian's face. She lay in bed with the baby and fell into a deep sleep.

Xiao Yu sat beside them for a while, then quietly left the room and gently closed the door behind him. He went to sit in the pavilion in the courtyard.

What special reward would the system give him for having his first child...? Xiao Yu was full of anticipation.

Just then, a voice suddenly sounded in his mind. "Kid, you're going to be a father now. The pressure must be enormous, right? Without strength, can you protect your wife and child?"

Hearing this,

Xiao Yu sighed and tapped his fingers on the stone table. "Old man, stop trying to fool me. I really don't want to take you as my master."

"Why not? Back in my day, I roamed the continent. Who didn't call me Venerable Yao? The geniuses of countless clans, Imperial Families, and sects fought for the chance to become my disciples." Yao Chen spoke rapidly, his tone carrying a trace of grievance.

What was this? Was becoming his, Yao Chen's, disciple so humiliating?

Yao Chen couldn't understand why this little brat was so stubborn.

Over the past year, he'd spoken with Xiao Yu more than once. He'd promised him all kinds of things, whether cultivation methods, Dou Techniques, pills, or treasures.

Yet Xiao Yu had no interest in any of it!

Xiao Yu replied bluntly, "Old man, cultivating with you sounds exhausting. I don't like it."

"You! Do you even know what you're saying? From ancient times to the present, what powerhouse hasn't grown through hardship? You should be happy to have a master like me, and yet you don't even want to cultivate? What, do you think you can get stronger by laughing and joking every day?" Yao Chen snapped angrily.

Xiao Yu replied as if it were only natural, "Old man, times have changed."

"Bastard! You little brat, if you've got the guts, let this old man out! I'll show you whether times have changed! Let me out! You little punk!" Yao Chen shouted in a fury.

Xiao Yu remained silent.

Back then, he'd asked Xun'er for a small object that could restrain soul power. It wasn't particularly precious, but it was just right for keeping Yao Chen locked up.

After a year together, he'd already figured out Yao Chen's habits.

Usually, all he had to do was provoke him until he lost his temper, then ignore him. After cursing and grumbling for a while, Yao Chen would shut up.

And sure enough, after a while, Yao Chen stopped talking.

After binding himself to the system, Xiao Yu had decisively abandoned the path to becoming an Emperor that his third brother had taken.

Who in their right mind would want to get whipped every day, venture into the Magical Beast Mountain Range, or even swallow a Heavenly Flame?

That was far too dangerous!

One wrong move, and he could lose his life.

By contrast, the system's path was perfect: marry and have children! Spend every day being lovey-dovey with his wife, and his strength would naturally improve. The more wives he married and the more children he had, the faster he would grow stronger.

As a transmigrator of the new era, Xiao Yu was certain he wouldn't choose a path that meant taking a beating.

With a thought, a virtual panel visible only to him appeared before his eyes.

[Congratulations, you have gained a child!]

[Reward: One year of cultivation! Distributed. Please retrieve it from your inventory.]

[Congratulations, you have obtained a cultivation method from a random reward! Distributed. Please retrieve it from your inventory.]

A year ago, after marrying Li Qian, Xiao Yu had received a year's worth of cultivation as a reward. His strength had risen from the Third Stage of Dou Qi to the Eighth Stage of Dou Qi.

After that, he'd taken a laid-back approach to cultivation, and over the course of a year, he'd reached the Ninth Stage of Dou Power.

"Claim cultivation reward."

Xiao Yu murmured the words in his mind.

The next moment, his clothes billowed as power swirled around him.

Dust rose from the ground, but the area around him became spotless.

Before long, Xiao Yu breathed out and smiled. "I'm a Three-Star Dou Zhe now. Incredible! Just incredible!"

He clenched his fist and felt the abundant power within him. The corners of his mouth lifted.

Before long, he'd come of age. Then he'd be able to marry openly and properly!

Marry, have children, and work hard to grow stronger!

A determined look flashed through Xiao Yu's eyes. Then he frowned and mused, "I'm strong now. I need to find a chance to make a name for myself."

With the reputation of a good-for-nothing, not just any woman would be willing to marry him.

Even if Xiao Yu was handsome, it wouldn't help. The system hadn't given him any charisma points, so women wouldn't turn into wild beasts when they saw him.

That was when the importance of strength became clear.

Otherwise, Xiao Yu wouldn't be able to marry women who met the system's requirements. Marrying a bunch of ordinary women would only wear him out.

Xiao Yu hadn't spent the past year doing nothing. At the very least, he'd kept an eye on Wutan City.

At present, only two or three women met the requirements. One of them was Ya Fei from the Mittal Auction House.

Enchantress! Just you wait. I'll have you help me cultivate! A fiery look flashed through Xiao Yu's eyes.

This woman was truly beautiful, especially her alluring figure.

He composed himself, drew his attention back, and looked at the special reward.

Then Xiao Yu froze.

The cultivation method's name—

Supreme Art!