On the mountaintop behind the clan, on the stone platform, Xiao Ze's breakthrough came as naturally as water flowing into a channel.
He gulped down a vast amount of heaven and earth energy. The mixed, unrefined Dou Qi coursed through his meridians and surged all at once into his lower abdomen.
Once this unrefined Dou Qi mixed with his own refined Dou Qi, it would contaminate it.
And a massive influx of Dou Qi carried great risks. In severe cases, it could even damage his Dou Qi Vortex and knock him back down from the Dou Zhe realm.
But faced with this mixed Dou Qi, the Dou Qi Vortex inside Xiao Ze swallowed it all without a care.
The pale-blue Dou Qi Vortex spun at high speed, like a whirlpool, unleashing an astonishing force of attraction.
Every trace of Dou Qi that entered the vortex, whether refined or mixed, was compressed without distinction.
It cast off impurities and condensed the essence.
With each rotation, it expelled a little more impurity, which then escaped through the pores across his body and with his breath.
After the frenzied devouring continued for a while, the Dou Qi within the vortex had become pure to the utmost, as though it had reached a critical point.
Drip!
A drop of liquid Dou Qi slowly emerged, then finally fell into the vortex. Unlike the pale-blue Dou Qi, this liquid was a much deeper shade.
With the appearance of the first drop, more liquid Dou Qi formed in quick succession, gathering inside the vortex like a light rain.
Once the liquid Dou Qi had accumulated to a certain amount, it began to circulate on its own throughout Xiao Ze's body.
It nourished his blood, meridians, and bones.
His physical strength soared at an incredible pace. It was as if his entire being had been elevated, a feeling of ease flowing through him from head to toe.
Xiao Ze even felt that his soul had been nourished as well, growing a little stronger.
What's more, Xiao Ze keenly sensed that the liquid Dou Qi had a somewhat different texture.
Though it was clearly liquid, it felt almost like a solid—dense and incredibly heavy!
As time passed, Xiao Ze felt the light rain inside his Dou Qi Vortex gradually taper off.
The pale-blue vortex continued spinning rapidly, conveying a sense of dissatisfaction, as if it still wanted more.
Still not satisfied?
Xiao Ze wondered to himself.
After sensing that his meridians had grown much stronger, Xiao Ze stopped suppressing his Dou Qi Vortex.
An even more terrifying force of attraction erupted from it. Heaven and earth energy gathered around his body, forming a massive whirlpool.
Vast amounts of heaven and earth energy poured into him through every pore it could find.
Unhurried, Xiao Ze used his breath as the foundation, organizing and gathering the energy that entered his body before channeling it into his Dou Qi Vortex.
The rain inside the vortex, which had been dwindling, gradually grew heavier again.
Xiao Xun'er watched the whirlpool of heaven and earth energy surrounding Xiao Ze, her eyes full of wonder.
A shadow slowly appeared beside her, concealed in the darkness. It was impossible to make out its true form, as though it were no more than an illusion.
"Miss, Young Master Xiao Ze's talent is probably rare even among the Ancient Clan. He's only breaking through to the Dou Master realm, yet the commotion is already so immense. I've never seen anything like it."
Ling Ying spoke, his gaze filled with astonishment.
As a high-level Dou Emperor, he had seen all sorts of grand spectacles—but this one was entirely new to him!
"Mm. Brother Xiao Ze's talent and brilliance really are without equal. Perhaps he'll become a Dou Venerate one day, and might even glimpse the path to becoming a Dou Sheng!"
Xiao Xun'er gazed at Xiao Ze in the center of the whirlpool, her eyes full of anticipation.
Hearing Xiao Xun'er praise Xiao Ze so highly, Ling Ying was astonished too.
A Dou Venerate was already an existence far beyond the reach of ordinary people on the Dou Qi Continent.
As for a Dou Sheng, that was a terrifying being capable of carving out a small world in the Endless Void!
But this time, Ling Ying didn't remain silent as before. Instead, he nodded in agreement.
Perhaps Young Master Xiao Ze really could overcome every obstacle and constraint, then marry the Ancient Clan's cherished jewel as a Dou Venerate—or even a Dou Sheng.
As the two fell silent, only the howling wind echoed in their ears. Xiao Xun'er suddenly looked toward the foot of the mountain.
"Looks like the commotion from Brother Xiao Ze's breakthrough has drawn the attention of the Xiao Clan. I'll go down and explain."
Xiao Xun'er was a little worried. She turned to Ling Ying and said,
"Elder Ling, sorry to trouble you with keeping an eye on Brother Xiao Ze, in case anything goes wrong during his breakthrough."
"This old man understands, Miss!"
Ling Ying nodded, then vanished into the darkness once more to keep watch over Xiao Ze's progress.
Xiao Xun'er headed down to the foot of the mountain, where she happened to run into Xiao Zhan, who had come to investigate.
"Xun'er, you're here? Could that be Ze'er up there?"
Seeing Xiao Xun'er, Xiao Zhan immediately thought of Xiao Ze.
Though Xiao Ze was very low-key, Xiao Zhan still kept tabs on him as his father.
Xiao Xun'er was almost always wherever Xiao Ze was. The two were practically inseparable, which was why Xiao Zhan asked.
"Yes, Uncle Xiao Zhan. Brother Xiao Ze is at a crucial point in his breakthrough, so please don't disturb him, in case something goes wrong."
Xiao Zhan froze.
A breakthrough?
Wasn't Ze'er a Nine-Star Dou Zhe?
Then Xiao Zhan realized what was happening and asked, struggling to get the words out,
"Is he breaking through to Dou Master?"
"Mm." Xiao Xun'er smiled and nodded.
Xiao Zhan sucked in a sharp breath. If the breakthrough succeeded, it would mean an eleven-year-old Dou Master!
"Hahaha! Good, good, good! The Xiao Clan's revival is truly within reach!"
After his initial shock, Xiao Zhan finally burst into a hearty laugh.
He kept repeating "good" again and again, still murmuring, "The revival of the clan is within reach! It's within reach!"
"Good, good, good! Breaking through to Dou Master is a crucial moment. We can't let anyone disturb him. I'll send back the other clan members who were planning to investigate!"
Xiao Zhan acted swiftly. "Xun'er, please keep an eye on Ze'er for me. If anything goes wrong, please let me know."
"Of course, Uncle Xiao Zhan!"
Xiao Xun'er smiled and replied warmly.
He was Brother Xiao Ze's father. Someday, she might have to change how she addressed him.
After Xiao Xun'er agreed, Xiao Zhan hurried back.
He went to the main path leading to the mountain and stopped the other clan members who wanted to come and investigate.
Even after Xiao Zhan had sent the clan members back one by one, he could still see the strange phenomenon atop the mountain from where he stood.
"To create such a spectacle just by breaking through to Dou Master... Ze'er truly is a heaven-gifted talent!"
Xiao Zhan was already imagining Xiao Ze surpassing him in a few years and leading the Xiao Clan toward an even more glorious future.
He patted his chest in relief and thought to himself, Before Ze'er has grown strong, I must protect him well!
The surging energy of heaven and earth gradually settled, and Xiao Ze slowly opened his eyes.
He sensed that the pale-blue Dou Qi Vortex inside him had shrunk by half, while a pool of liquid Dou Qi with a texture almost like solid matter had formed within it.
A wave of satisfaction washed over Xiao Ze.
Looking at the other two notifications from the system, Xiao Ze decided he would study them once he had some free time.
They had appeared after Xiao Xun'er broke through to One-Star Dou Zhe.
For now, he should go share the good news with Xun'er.
Before you continue