Using His Own Methods to Return the Favor!

Xiao Zhan's face was ashen. With a final flick of his sleeve, he led Xiao Yan and Xiao Ze away from the scene.

Before leaving, Xiao Ze cast a glance at the smug and triumphant Xiao Ning.

The First Elder, meanwhile, wore a beaming smile as he pulled Xiao Ning away.

Being able to get the better of Xiao Zhan in this matter truly brought him genuine joy.

Xiao Ning felt it even more so; the once high-and-mighty genius had been beaten down by his own fists, and the satisfaction in his heart was written all over his face.

What happened here spread throughout the entire Xiao Clan with incredible speed.

The reputation of the fallen genius was now firmly set in stone!

"Father, I'm fine. If it really comes to it, I'll just avoid them in the future."

Xiao Yan spoke to Xiao Zhan with a bitter smile, while Xiao Zhan's face was filled with worry.

"Yan'er, you've suffered! It is also this father's incompetence; so much time has passed, and I still haven't been able to uncover the reason for your Dou Qi regression."

Xiao Yan was stunned; he had never told Xiao Zhan that his Dou Qi was regressing.

Xiao Ze, who was supporting Xiao Yan, explained, "Father noticed it a long time ago. But since you didn't want to talk about it, he didn't ask, choosing instead to search for the cause in secret."

Xiao Ze thought to himself with a calm heart; honestly, Xiao Zhan was a good father who treated all his children equally.

In the original story, Xiao Zhan was able to make Xiao Yan willingly call him father, so naturally, he could do the same for Xiao Ze.

"Fourth Brother, you knew too?"

Xiao Yan suddenly felt as though his concealment over the past year had become a joke.

"Third Brother, we see each other often enough, and besides, we are brothers!"

"Although you've been busy with cultivation this past year, you've still met with me many times, and I was still able to see a few clues."

Xiao Yan nodded silently and said bitterly, "So, that means even Father has no way to solve my Dou Qi regression?"

Xiao Zhan sighed slowly. His third son could be said to be his greatest source of pride, but also his greatest source of worry.

Unlike the eldest and second sons who went out to venture early on, or the fourth son who was so unremarkable, the third son was the one who made him worry the most.

The room fell into silence.

Outside the room, Xiao Xun'er stood in the distance waiting. She spoke softly, "Elder Ling, can you see why his Dou Qi is regressing?"

"It seems to be absorbed by some unknown force. As soon as he cultivates and stores Dou Qi in his body, it gets drained away."

Ling Ying could not detect the presence of Yao Lao, but he could perceive the situation within Xiao Yan's body.

Xiao Xun'er nodded. She was only curious for a moment and had no intention of stepping in to help.

Of course, if Brother Xiao Ze asked her for help, it wouldn't be impossible.

However, Brother Xiao Ze probably still thought she was just an ordinary member of the Xiao Clan, right?

Thinking of Xiao Ze, a faint smile appeared on Xiao Xun'er's face.

Ling Ying, who was guarding in the shadows, felt a complex mix of emotions. Watching the relationship between the young mistress and that Xiao Clan boy, he felt quite troubled.

After all, he knew the young mistress's true identity; the gap between the two could definitely be described as the difference between clouds and mud.

The possibility of a successful outcome was extremely low. Even if the young mistress insisted, she would likely face opposition from those old fogies in the clan.

He wanted to persuade her to cut off this doomed affection in time, but he didn't know how to bring it up.

In the end, he could only silently guard by her side.

Not long after, the Xiao Clan Head, Xiao Zhan, walked out with a face full of sorrow.

Seeing Xiao Xun'er, Xiao Zhan paused. He certainly knew that Xiao Xun'er was very close to his fourth son.

However, he was in no mood to chat with her now, so he simply nodded as a greeting and hurried away.

A while later, Xiao Ze walked out, thoughtfully closing the door behind him.

Seeing Xiao Xun'er waiting for him, a faint smile appeared on Xiao Ze's face.

Xiao Xun'er took the initiative to walk up to him, leaning forward slightly, her bright and moving eyes examining Xiao Ze's expression.

"Brother Xiao Ze surely won't let this go, will you?"

"Of course! He is my Third Brother. Do they really think just anyone can beat him?"

Xiao Ze still wore a smile, but his eyes were cold.

"Since the First Elder said that it isn't appropriate for them to get involved in sparring between juniors, then we shall settle this matter through a spar between juniors!"

"Xun'er, let's go. Come with Brother Xiao Ze to stir up some trouble!"

Xiao Ze said with high spirits, and Xiao Xun'er nodded obediently, following behind him.

While waiting earlier, she had asked Ling Ying about Xiao Ze's current strength.

She received an answer that surprised her: Nine-Star Dou Practitioner!

With the strength of a Nine-Star Dou Practitioner, dealing with Xiao Ning would be, quite simply, an easy task.

To call this bullying the weak would be an understatement!

Dou Technique Pavilion.

This was the place where members of the Xiao Clan selected Dou Techniques and sparred with one another to hone their mastery.

At this moment, Xiao Ning was surrounded by a large crowd, his eyes filled with vanity.

"I only threw a single punch, and he was knocked straight to the ground. He still wanted to crawl back up and keep fighting me; I didn't even want to strike again, but he insisted on coming at me. Sigh~"

Xiao Ning spoke with smug satisfaction. The feeling of stepping on the reputation of a former genius after beating him into the dirt was truly wonderful!

"If it weren't for the crowd growing larger and the Clan Head even showing up, he might have crawled back up to fight me again. I really didn't want to fight anymore!"

Xiao Ning spoke with feigned benevolence. Listening to the exclamations of the onlookers, a smile hung on his face while his heart blossomed with joy.

"How can that be? Cousin Xiao Ning, you should keep fighting!"

The sudden voice caused the atmosphere in the arena to stagnate.

Everyone turned to look at the speaker, and upon seeing his face, the expressions in their eyes shifted slightly.

Xiao Ze said with a smile, "But this time, let someone else fight you. I'll do it!"

The crowd present remained silent, their gazes toward Xiao Ze filled with a mix of skepticism and uncertainty.

Xiao Ze exuded a powerful aura that made them afraid to act rashly.

Xiao Ning wore a faint smile as he walked up to Xiao Ze.

"Did you come here to avenge your fallen genius brother?"

Xiao Ze returned the smile, "That's right. What, are you too afraid to accept?"

"Oh ho, the brother comes after the older one is beaten. I'd like to see just how capable you are!"

The two walked onto the Martial Arts Arena, and the crowd gathered around, clearing a sufficiently large space for them.

Xiao Ning stood in the center, pretentiously gesturing for Xiao Ze to make the first move.

"Then I won't be polite!"

Xiao Ze's expression remained unchanged as his figure lunged forward with a rapid step.

A layer of pale blue Dou Qi shimmered upon his fist, and by the time Xiao Ning reacted, it was already too late!

A punch slammed violently into Xiao Ning's abdomen!

Xiao Ze knocked Xiao Ning straight to the ground and pressed his advantage, mounting him.

He pinned Xiao Ning's arms with his knees, preventing him from shielding his head.

At the same time, his fists rained down on Xiao Ning's head without pause, a layer of pale blue Dou Qi swirling around them.

The onlookers widened their eyes in shock.

It wasn't an illusion!

It was truly the radiance of elemental Dou Qi!

Only after becoming a Dou Practitioner, selecting a cultivation method that reflected one's affinity, and converting the milky-white attribute-less Dou Qi into elemental Dou Qi could such a phenomenon appear!

In other words, what they were witnessing right now was a genuine Dou Practitioner beating up a Dou Qi cultivator!

I ask all my dear readers to please click "follow." The current recommendation advancement depends entirely on follow counts. Please move your little hands and scroll to the very last page of the book. I thank you all on my knees!

(End of chapter)