You've Got Your Eye on a Magical Beast in the Mountains?

"It's nothing, just a small business matter. I was going to see whether the elders had time. If they do, I won't need to go."

Xiao Zhan said it casually, gathering up the stack of papers on the table.

He didn't plan to tell Xiao Yu about Green Mountain Town.

It wasn't that he meant to hide it. In his view, the trouble there involved several Dou Masters, while Xiao Yu was still only a Dou Zhe.

Even if Xiao Yu knew about it, he wouldn't be able to solve the problem.

When he heard it was a business matter, Xiao Yu sat down without asking any more questions.

Seeing the food on the table, Xiao Yu realized he was hungry after cultivating all night. He picked it up and stuffed it into his mouth.

Sitting beside him, Xiao Zhan poured him some water and said with a smile, "Slow down. No one's going to steal it from you."

He paused. "It feels like it's been a few months since you and I sat down to have breakfast together."

Xiao Yu nodded.

Ever since his third brother had returned to the academy, he had been in charge of the family's medicinal products.

Though Yao Lao had been reluctant to help, most of the work had fallen to Xiao Yu.

Fortunately, he had experience points, which let him directly increase his alchemy level. That was the only reason the supply of medicinal products hadn't been disrupted.

Back then, Xiao Yan had worried about what would happen to the family's medicinal business when he returned to the academy.

But after seeing Xiao Yu show off a little, he'd nearly been so crushed that his Dao heart shattered.

His younger brother, who spent all day lying beside him and listening in, was actually better at alchemy than he was after all that diligent study and practice. Where was the justice in that?

"You brat, is there something you want to tell me?" Xiao Zhan asked tentatively.

Xiao Yu nodded again. He swallowed the food in his mouth and said, "Father, I'm planning to go away for a while."

"Where to?" Xiao Zhan refilled the cup Xiao Yu had emptied.

Xiao Yu replied, "The Magical Beast Mountain Range?"

"Where?" Xiao Zhan's hand trembled as he held the teapot, spilling water onto the table.

He stared at Xiao Yu in disbelief, thinking he must have misheard.

What kind of place was the Magical Beast Mountain Range?

A paradise for magical beasts. It was full of them and extremely dangerous. Even experienced Dou Zhe didn't dare wander in carelessly.

And Xiao Yu had never even traveled far from home.

Xiao Yu calmly repeated himself.

Now Xiao Zhan knew he hadn't misheard. His expression darkened. "You're not going. The Magical Beast Mountain Range is too dangerous. What if something happens to you? How would I explain it to your wife and child?"

"Father, I have something very important to do." Xiao Yu wasn't surprised by Xiao Zhan's reaction.

Xiao Zhan regarded him suspiciously. "You've never even left Wutan City. What could possibly be worth risking your life in the Magical Beast Mountain Range?"

"To find a wife," Xiao Yu said with a perfectly serious expression.

Xiao Zhan spat out the water he'd just sipped.

Seeing his father's reaction, Xiao Yu felt helpless. He obviously couldn't tell him about the Beast Taming Experience Card.

If he did, Xiao Zhan would be even less likely to believe him.

Father, I'm going to the Magical Beast Mountain Range to catch a few Tier 6 Magical Beasts to guard the gate?

Xiao Yu thought his father might have him locked up as a madman.

What did a Tier 6 Magical Beast represent? It was equivalent to a human Dou Emperor!

The mere Xiao Clan of Wutan City was going to catch Dou Emperors to guard its gates?

"You're getting married again? How long have you been married to Ya Fei? She's still pregnant, and the child hasn't even been born yet! You're already looking for another wife?" Xiao Zhan's face turned dark, his expression utterly sour.

"I'm determined to help the Xiao Clan flourish and multiply. If I don't marry more wives, how else will the clan grow stronger?" Xiao Yu said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

I wasn't even this fickle when I was young. I was pretty devoted...

Xiao Zhan froze for a moment.

Then he slowly said, "There are plenty of women in Wutan City. Why not pick another one there?"

With the Xiao Clan's current standing, if Xiao Yu wanted to marry, all he'd need was a word. The girls coming to their door would probably wear the threshold down.

"I'm not interested in those crooked melons and cracked dates in Wutan City." Xiao Yu shook his head.

Xiao Zhan laughed in anger. "You're even more full of yourself than your brother. You don't like any of the women here, so you've got your eye on a magical beast in the mountains?"

???

Xiao Yu's head filled with question marks. His father's thinking was a little too far ahead of its time.

He hurried to explain, "Father, what kind of person do you take me for? How could I possibly take a magical beast as my wife?"

He paused, then added, "I'm planning to go to a place called Green Mountain Town in the Magical Beast Mountain Range."

Green Mountain Town?

Xiao Zhan was surprised that Xiao Yu had brought up that place. He asked, "What girl has such a strong charm that she can draw you all the way there from Wutan City?"

"Her name is Xiao Yi Xian. She's a physician," Xiao Yu blurted out.

His thoughtless reply caught Xiao Zhan off guard. It seemed his son wasn't joking after all—he'd actually looked into this.

He considered it for a moment. "All right. The Xiao Clan happens to have some trouble in Green Mountain Town to deal with. I'll go with you."

At first, Xiao Yu smiled when he heard Xiao Zhan agree. But the second part of his words made that smile freeze on his face.

His father was going too?

Then how was he supposed to enter the Magical Beast Mountain Range? Sneak in behind his father's back?

That definitely wouldn't work.

He hurried to say, "Father, the Xiao Clan still needs you here. Leave the medicine shop trouble to me. I can handle it."

"You?" Xiao Zhan looked him up and down, then shook his head. "You can't handle it. The Myriad Medicine Pavilion in town has joined forces with the Wolf Head Mercenary Group to stop people from doing business with our medicine shop.

"There are people at the Dou Master level behind both the mercenary group and the Myriad Medicine Pavilion. You're still a little short of their level."

"Dou Masters? Father, you really look down on your own son!" Xiao Yu protested.

He was a Two-Star Dou Master, and his physique had grown stronger right alongside his cultivation.

Even a Six- or Seven-Star Dou Master might not be able to take a single punch from him.

Xiao Zhan's expression turned stern. "Brat, if you're this arrogant and conceited, you're bound to suffer for it one day!"

He thought Xiao Yu had let success go to his head.

After all, it hadn't even been a year since the ceremony. Given Xiao Yu's cultivation speed, even with a teacher behind him, advancing one or two stars was the absolute most he could have managed.

He'd have to show his father some real proof. Otherwise, it looked like his father was determined to go with him!

Noticing Xiao Zhan's attitude, Xiao Yu pulled him toward the study.

"Yu'er, why did you bring me here?" Xiao Zhan asked, looking puzzled inside the study.

Xiao Yu didn't answer. He simply held out one hand as Dou Qi surged within him.

In the next instant, a thin layer of Dou Qi appeared across his palm.

Xiao Zhan, who had been watching his son closely, suddenly opened his eyes wide.

His mouth fell open, his face filled with disbelief.

The layer of Dou Qi on Xiao Yu's palm was as thin as a veil.

A Dou Qi veil!

That was the sign of having advanced to Dou Master!

At that moment, Xiao Zhan wondered if he was still dreaming.

Yu'er had advanced to Dou Master?

Th-this... How was that possible? How long had he even been cultivating?

At the ceremony, the test had still put him at Three-Star Dou Zhe.

Xiao Yu smiled. "Father, want to try?"

At that, Xiao Zhan immediately nodded. "All right. Hit me with a punch. Don't hold back—put everything into it. Don't worry about hurting me."

Xiao Yu nodded and stepped back with his right foot. Dou Qi swirled around his right fist.

"Watch out, Father!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Xiao Yu shot toward Xiao Zhan like an arrow loosed from its string.

He slammed his right fist down with all his strength.

Since whether he could go to the Magical Beast Mountain Range alone depended on this, Xiao Yu held nothing back.

Xiao Zhan, a Da Dou Shi, raised his hand to catch the punch.

The next instant, his expression changed drastically.

He'd assumed that since Yu'er had only just advanced to Dou Master, his punch wouldn't have much force behind it. Xiao Zhan hadn't bothered to defend himself seriously.

But the moment he met Xiao Yu's fist and felt the force behind it, his heart lurched.

Oh no!

Though Xiao Zhan hurriedly gathered his Dou Qi into an armor-like layer, he was still a little too late.

Watching the figure fly through the air, Xiao Yu froze on the spot.

Will Father be so humiliated that he changes his mind completely?