Admiration from the Enemy

Liu Yuntian's Dou Qi retracted, strands of purple light converging into his body. After a long moment, he slowly opened his eyes.

He stood up, raised his hands to rotate them, then patted his own body.

His excitement was written all over his face as he rushed to Li Xingluo and bowed deeply.

Liu Yuntian's reaction left Yan Yun completely stunned; what on earth had just happened?

"Elder Liu, what are you doing?" Li Xingluo quickly reached out to help the bowing Liu Yuntian up.

Liu Yuntian was overjoyed, clenching his fist tightly as a massive wave of energy rippled throughout the room.

"I haven't improved my cultivation in three years, yet I never expected to break through to an eight-star Dou King today. This is all thanks to your medicinal pill."

Yan Yun subconsciously lost his footing, his heels feeling weak and his head spinning as he stumbled backward. Fortunately, Yan Gui was quick-witted enough to catch him, preventing further embarrassment.

Having coveted the position of Second Elder for years while Liu Yuntian's cultivation remained stagnant, Yan Yun now saw his fantasies shattered.

He muttered to himself: How is this possible? This is impossible. Where could there be such a young fifth-grade Alchemist?

Yan Yun pushed Yan Gui aside, ignoring his grandson's disheveled state, and marched toward Li Xingluo with fury.

"Elder Yan, what are you trying to do?"

Liu Yuntian's Dou Qi surged throughout his body, releasing a powerful energy to block Yan Yun's advance.

Yan Yun was brought to a dead halt by Liu Yuntian's aura, not daring to take another step, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Xiao Yi Xian had already been dissatisfied with Yan Yun for targeting Li Xingluo and causing him injury.

She pointed at Yan Yun aggressively and said, "Now that Xingluo has proven himself, what? You still refuse to acknowledge it?"

"I..." Yan Yun was momentarily speechless, his heart filled with displeasure.

"Third Elder, shouldn't you apologize to Xingluo?"

"Why should he? My grandfather is the Third Elder of the Aus Auction House, and a Dou King at that. Why would he need to apologize to him?" Yan Gui scrambled up and marched toward Li Xingluo, fuming.

Liu Yuntian glared coldly at Yan Gui, who instantly lost his previous bravado and hid behind Yan Yun.

Liu Yuntian kept his cold gaze on Yan Yun; he had already pieced together the truth of last night while Li Xingluo was refining the pill.

Yan Gui had added fuel to the fire, twisting the truth by claiming Li Xingluo had snatched a treasure he had his eye on and exaggerating the item's value, all to manipulate Yan Yun, who was already looking for a way to suppress Liu Yuntian.

Upon learning that the person Liu Yuntian valued had committed such an act, Yan Yun had been overjoyed, thinking he could use this leverage to humiliate Liu Yuntian.

He never imagined the reality was otherwise; Yan Yun had been thoroughly sabotaged by his own grandson.

Yan Yun turned back, his eyes flashing with a fierce glare that made Yan Gui lower his head, not daring to meet his gaze.

Yan Yun actually did as Liu Yuntian demanded and walked toward Li Xingluo. Fearing that Yan Yun was still going to cause trouble, Xiao Yi Xian stepped in front of Li Xingluo, her gaze sharp.

"Young friend, don't misunderstand. Elder Liu is right; one should apologize for doing wrong. This old man sincerely apologizes to you here."

With that, Yan Yun bowed to Li Xingluo. Though not as sincere as Liu Yuntian, his attitude was passable.

Yan Yun's actions shocked everyone present. The arrogant Yan Yun was actually apologizing to a junior? Yan Gui was dumbfounded by his grandfather's behavior; was this even the grandfather he knew?

"Grandfather..." Yan Gui called out involuntarily.

Yan Yun ignored him, standing up with a face full of smiles.

"Young friend Xingluo, it is all my fault for being unobservant and blaming you wrongly." Yan Yun then turned around, his face filled with rage, and barked, "Gui'er, why haven't you come over to apologize to young friend Xingluo yet?"

Yan Gui subconsciously pointed at himself. If he had thought Yan Yun was acting strange before, he now suspected his grandfather had been replaced by an impostor.

Yan Yun glared at him fiercely, as if to say he would break his legs if he didn't move.

Reluctantly, Yan Gui shuffled his feet, moved to Yan Yun's side, and at his grandfather's signal, finally lowered his head.

"I'm sorry, I was wrong!"

Yan Yun resumed his smiling face, his mood shifting faster than turning a page.

"Young friend Xingluo, you see, Gui'er has realized his mistake. Rest assured, I will strictly discipline him in the future; such a thing will never happen again."

Yan Yun seemed to be afraid of something, and seeing no response from Li Xingluo, he even offered a guarantee.

This display left Liu Yuntian and his grandson stunned, and Li Xingluo was equally surprised.

Li Xingluo gently patted Xiao Yi Xian's arm, nodding to let her know not to worry.

Xiao Yi Xian stepped back to his side, though she held no fondness for the grandfather and grandson.

"Fair enough!"

"Elder Yan, you injured a distinguished guest of the Aus Auction House. Have you thought about how to compensate him?"

Liu Yuntian was quite adept at handling social matters, and Li Xingluo felt a flicker of gratitude toward him for saying this.

Yan Yun looked slightly awkward and bared his teeth, though in his heart, he was already cursing Liu Yuntian as an old bastard.

"No need to trouble Elder Liu." Yan Yun turned back, maintaining his smile, and took a gold card from his storage ring to hand to Li Xingluo.

"This card contains my savings from these years. If it pleases you, please accept it as an apology for my offense last night."

Li Xingluo took the gold card directly and said, "Thanks," which caught Yan Yun off guard.

He had expected Li Xingluo to decline out of politeness, but he never imagined that he would actually...

After a few more pleasantries, Yan Yun took Yan Gui and departed.

Watching the backs of the grandfather and grandson, Elder Liu stepped forward and said meaningfully, "Young friend, you must be on your guard against that old fellow. I have a nagging feeling that this is not the sort of thing he would normally do."

Beside him, Liu Li naturally chimed in, "Grandfather is right, Brother Li, you really ought to be careful."

Li Xingluo was naturally grateful for the well-intentioned warning from Liu Yuntian and his grandson, assuring them that he was not so easily deceived.

Seeing that the hour was growing late, Liu Yuntian felt satisfied after delivering his sentiments and led Liu Li away.

Xiao Yi Xian also understood what these old fellows were implying, and a sense of unease welled up in her heart.

"Xingluo, surely Yan Yun wouldn't..."

"Rest assured. When soldiers come, block them; when water comes, earth covers it. Yan Yun's desires are nothing more than that. When the time comes, heh heh heh..." Li Xingluo revealed a devious smile.

Seeing that Li Xingluo had his own plans, Xiao Yi Xian said no more.

Back in his room, Li Xingluo felt the Dou Qi within his body expanding rapidly, showing faint signs of a breakthrough.

Li Xingluo closed his eyes tightly, sat cross-legged, adjusted his breathing, and entered a state of self-forgetfulness. The surrounding air seemed to solidify, with only the Dou Qi inside him surging unceasingly.

Beads of sweat seeped from his forehead, and his body trembled slightly, as if struggling against an invisible force.

His complexion gradually turned pale, yet his gaze grew increasingly resolute.

Suddenly, he let out a loud shout, and his entire body's Dou Qi erupted like a volcano, forming a powerful shockwave that rippled outward. His body emitted a dazzling light, and his aura climbed steadily.

In that instant, he successfully broke through the bottleneck of a Dou Grandmaster and entered an entirely new realm.

Li Xingluo felt a strength he had never experienced before coursing through his body, as if the entire world were within his grasp.

He slowly suppressed the roiling Dou Qi and regulated his breathing; everything gradually returned to calm, and his pale complexion slowly regained its flush.

A smile tugged at the corner of Li Xingluo's mouth. It seemed he had Yan Yun to thank after all; last night's battle had stimulated his potential, allowing him to break through to the Dou Grandmaster realm so quickly.