Old Man, Times Have Changed

Xiao Zhan excitedly took the infant from his son's hands, his mouth curling into an irrepressible smile as he gazed at the face no larger than his palm.

Even in this world of Dou Qi, parents could never escape the desire for their children to settle down, start a family, and live a happy, fulfilling life.

They all hoped to see their house filled with children and grandchildren.

Yet, his eldest and second sons were restless by nature; once they gained a bit of strength, they left the Xiao Clan to wander the world, rarely returning even once throughout the year.

This left Xiao Zhan with no opportunity to even urge them toward marriage.

Though his third and fourth sons remained by his side, they were ultimately too young for him to bring up the subject.

Even for his fourth son, Xiao Yu, the marriage was something he had proposed himself.

Xiao Yu's wife was named Li Qian.

She was originally the daughter of a minor family in Wutan City, the Li Clan. Because they had offended the Jia Lie Clan, Li Qian's father sought the protection of a larger clan, hoping to marry his eighteen-year-old daughter off to either the Aoba Clan or the Xiao Clan.

However, the Dou Qi Continent valued strength above all else, and marriage was no exception.

Aside from taking concubines, who wouldn't want to marry a wife of equal status to benefit their own clan?

Xiao Zhan had been reluctant at the time and intended to send them away, but Xiao Yu suddenly spoke up, saying he wanted to marry her.

Hearing his fifteen-year-old son express a desire to take a wife, Xiao Zhan had been completely stunned.

Xiao Yu's reasoning was also quite formidable; he claimed that since he lacked talent in cultivation, he might as well marry and have children to carry on the family line.

As for the task of strengthening the clan, he would leave that to his three older brothers.

It was precisely because of this incident that, from then on, Xiao Yu became a subject of gossip for many in the Xiao Clan and even throughout Wutan City.

As the person involved, Xiao Yu did not care.

He knew very well that at the age of fifteen, he certainly couldn't take a wife through normal channels—at least not until he came of age.

If he just found any woman, but her appearance, talent, and other comprehensive conditions didn't meet the score of eight, she wouldn't satisfy the system's requirements.

Thus, once a woman who met the criteria appeared, Xiao Yu acted decisively.

Everything afterward was simple.

Although Li Qian's father knew Xiao Yu was a notorious waste in Wutan City, Xiao Yu's status could not be ignored.

He did not refuse.

Xiao Zhan doted on his youngest son, and seeing Xiao Yu's firm attitude, he had no choice but to agree.

In any case, the Xiao Clan and the Jia Lie Clan had long been at odds; protecting a Li Clan and earning the hatred of the Jia Lie Clan was no big deal.

With the child born safely, Xiao Zhan waved his hand, calling for servants to arrange a banquet to celebrate properly that evening.

As a man who stood alongside Jia Lie Bi and Aoba Pa, Xiao Zhan was overjoyed today—not only because he had a grandson, but because he had become a grandfather before the other two.

Sometimes, men simply developed inexplicable desires to compete.

Xiao Yu only made an appearance at the banquet before hurrying back to the backyard to look after his wife and child.

Inside the room.

After Xiao Yu's careful feeding, some color had returned to Li Qian's face as she slept soundly on the bed with the child.

After sitting nearby for a while, Xiao Yu quietly left the room, gently pulled the door shut, and walked to the pavilion in the courtyard to sit down.

For the first child born, what kind of special reward will the system give? Xiao Yu was filled with anticipation.

At this moment, a voice suddenly echoed in the depths of his mind: "Kid, you're about to be a father, the pressure must be immense, right? If you have no strength, can you protect your wife and child?"

Hearing this, Xiao Yu sighed, tapped his fingertips against the stone table, and said, "Listen, old man, stop trying to swindle me. I really don't want to take you as a master."

"Why? Back in my day, I roamed the continent, and who didn't address me as Venerable Yao? Geniuses from countless clans, imperial families, and sects fought to become my disciples." Yao Chen's speech was rapid, his tone tinged with a hint of grievance.

What is this? Is it beneath you to take me, Yao Chen, as your master?

Yao Chen could not fathom why this little brat was so impervious to reason.

Over the past year, he had spoken with Xiao Yu more than once, promising everything from cultivation methods and Dou Techniques to medicinal pills and treasures.

Yet, Xiao Yu simply had no interest!

Xiao Yu replied bluntly, "Old man, cultivating with you is so tiring. I don't like it."

"You! Do you have any idea what nonsense you're spouting! Throughout history, which powerhouse didn't grow through tempering? You should be happy to have a master like me, yet you don't even want to cultivate? What? Are you saying you can become strong just by laughing and playing around every day?" Yao Chen said indignantly.

Xiao Yu replied as if it were a matter of course, "Old man, times have changed."

"You bastard, you brat, if you have the guts, let me out! I'll show you whether times have changed or not! Let me out! You little brat!" Yao Chen fumed in exasperation.

Xiao Yu remained silent.

He had originally asked Xun Er for a small object capable of sealing soul energy; it wasn't a precious treasure, but it was perfect for keeping Yao Chen contained.

After a year of living together, he had fully grasped Yao Chen's habits.

Usually, as long as he provoked him into a rage and then ignored him, Yao Chen would shut up after a bout of cursing.

As it turned out, after a while, Yao Chen indeed stopped speaking.

Back then, after binding with the system, Xiao Yu decisively abandoned the path to becoming an Emperor like the Third Brother.

Who would want to be whipped every day, crawl through the Magical Beast Mountain Range, or even swallow Heavenly Flames!

That was far too dangerous!

One careless mistake, and he could lose his life.

In contrast, the system's path was excellent: marry a wife and have children! By spending his days being intimate with his wife, his strength would naturally increase. The more wives he married and the more children he had, the faster his strength would grow.

As a transmigrator from a new era, Xiao Yu prided himself on never choosing a path of self-torture.

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

[Congratulations, you have gained an heir!]

[Reward: One year of cultivation! Distributed, please retrieve it from the inventory.]

[Congratulations, you have obtained a cultivation technique from the random rewards! Distributed, please retrieve it from the inventory.]

A year ago, Xiao Yu married Li Qian and received a one-year cultivation reward, raising his strength from the third stage of Dou Disciple to the eighth stage.

Afterward, he practiced in a "laid-back" manner, taking another year to reach the ninth stage of Dou Disciple.

"Retrieve cultivation reward."

Xiao Yu chanted silently.

The next second, his clothes billowed, and a surge of power swirled around him.

Dust rose from the ground, and the area centered on him became spotless.

Before long, Xiao Yu exhaled, a smile appearing on his face. "That's a three-star Dou Practitioner! Awesome! Truly awesome!"

Clenching his fists and feeling the abundant power within his body, Xiao Yu's lips curled upward.

Before long, he would undergo the coming-of-age ceremony, and by then, he could marry wives openly and honestly!

Marry wives and have children! Strive to become stronger!

A flash of determination crossed Xiao Yu's eyes, but he soon frowned in thought: "Now that I have the strength, I need to find an opportunity to build my reputation."

Bearing the title of "trash," not every woman would be willing to marry him.

Even if Xiao Yu was very handsome, it was useless; the system hadn't granted him any charm buffs, so women wouldn't turn into wild beasts just by looking at him.

Thus, the importance of strength became apparent.

Otherwise, Xiao Yu wouldn't be able to marry women who met the system's criteria, and marrying too many ordinary women would only hollow out his body.

Over this past year, Xiao Yu hadn't been idle; at the very least, he had observed Wutan City.

Currently, there were only two or three women who met the criteria, one of whom was Ya Fei from the Mittal Auction House.

"You enchantress! Just wait, I will have you assist my cultivation!" A flicker of heat flashed in Xiao Yu's eyes.

That woman was truly beautiful, especially that graceful figure of hers.

He composed his emotions, withdrew his attention, and looked at the special reward.

Then, Xiao Yu froze.

Name of the technique--

Supreme Art!