Breakthrough

Breakthrough

The wrinkles on the First Elder's face unconsciously bunched together, but there was nothing he could do.

There was no helping it. The matter was bizarre, admittedly, but the facts were there. They could not simply throw cold water on it.

After all, if Xiao Yan beating someone up had been fake, could Jia Lie Ao falling flat on his face at Xiao Yan's hands have been an act too?

That old bastard Jia Lie Bi was probably so furious his mouth had twisted crooked by now.

At that thought, the three elders were no longer quite so confrontational toward Xiao Yan.

After all, Xiao Yan was still a member of the Xiao Family. This time, he had thoroughly slapped the Jia Lie Family's face. By both sentiment and reason, it was a great merit.

Besides, the Jia Lie Family certainly would not dare come demanding an explanation this time.

What a joke. A Dou Qi Level Eight fighter had been knocked flat in a single exchange by someone at Dou Qi Level Three. If the Jia Lie Family still had the nerve to come demanding answers, they would truly have no place left in Wutan City.

The elders and Xiao Zhan had summoned Xiao Yan because of this matter. Xiao Yan's words merely served as the final verdict on the incident.

Seeing that the elders and his father had nothing more to ask, Xiao Yan prepared to take his leave and hurry back to cultivate.

Xiao Zhan and the three elders were all stunned.

"...It is true."

"Miss Wan is Xiao Yan's friend. Father, Elders, come with me!"

Xiao Yan frowned and could not be bothered playing guessing games with the old man any longer.

Xiao Yan, who had already intended to leave, immediately frowned deeply.

At first, one or two plants squeezed out the weeds. Then even the bluestone bricks were forced apart by the vegetation beneath them, exposing rich soil and all sorts of wildly growing flowers and grass.

When had the breakthrough of a Dou Zhe, Dou Shi, or even a Da Dou Shi ever caused such a commotion?!

Xiao Zhan paused. At the First Elder's reminder, he recalled that more than half a year ago, Yan'er had mentioned this matter to him. At the time, he had merely given a casual acknowledgment and issued some instructions before ceasing to concern himself with it.

The First Elder's tone grew stern as well.

Xiao Zhan and the elders naturally did not dare delay for even a moment and immediately left the reception hall.

Drawn by the unusually dense life aura outside, Old Yao released his spiritual sense as well. Then, for the first time, Xiao Yan heard even his teacher's voice tremble with shock and awe.

The elders exchanged looks. They had never seen a Dou Qi tide of this intensity in their lives. Could it be—could someone in the Xiao Family be breaking through to Dou Ling?!

"Where is the one breaking through?!"

Feeling the intense, tide-like surging of Dou Qi, Xiao Yan froze briefly before instinctively thinking of that mysterious young girl.

As the strongest cultivator in the Xiao Family, a five-star Da Dou Shi, Xiao Zhan immediately treated the situation like a formidable enemy.

By the time Xiao Yan, Xiao Zhan, and the three elders finally reached the guest courtyard through the obstruction of the Dou Qi tide, the tide had already begun to weaken and was steadily contracting in a regular pattern.

Seeing Xiao Yan leave, Xiao Zhan and the three elders did not dare waste any more time and could only follow him as they raced away.

"It's Miss Wan! Miss Wan is breaking through!"

Then Xiao Yan noticed that the weeds originally growing in the corners of the guest courtyard were withering at a visible rate. Several strange and extraordinary flowers and plants then sprouted from beneath the heavy, smooth bluestone bricks.

"My friend came to stay temporarily in the Xiao Family. Must I report even that to the elders? First Elder, you are meddling a little too broadly."

The First Elder frowned tightly. If they were people harboring ill intent, would that not be a small breach causing a great collapse?

But before Xiao Yan could respond, a powerful wave of Dou Qi suddenly swept across the entire Xiao Family.

"This... this is...!"

The three elders spoke as they drove away the younger members who had been frightened senseless where they stood.

"It can't be wrong... It can't be wrong!"

"For the past half year, someone has occupied the guest courtyard in the southeast of the Xiao Family. The servants said Xiao Yan's friend had come to stay temporarily. Xiao Yan, is this true?"

"What are you all standing around for?! Hurry up and find somewhere to hide!"

The Dou Qi tide reverberating throughout the Xiao Family lasted neither particularly briefly nor particularly long.

Xiao Yan spoke in an even tone.

Xiao Zhan was the first to react, letting out a startled cry.

"What? Who is that?"

A vigorous life force, so dense that even Xiao Yan could feel it directly, spread outward from this courtyard.

"Hehe, I have no objection. But Xiao Yan, if your friend were staying here for a few days, that would be one thing. How could they have stayed for half a year?"

Just as Xiao Yan was about to be allowed to return to his cultivation, the First Elder suddenly remembered something.

"I never expected even such a miraculous thing to be in that girl's possession!"

"What friend stays for half a year?"

On the paths within the Xiao Family compound, many young boys and girls of the younger generation did not dare move beneath this powerful Dou Qi tide.

Xiao Yan was stunned. Even with his discerning eye, he could see the extraordinary nature of the flowers and plants that had just grown. They were all rare and miraculous medicinal herbs, and some were even kings among medicinal herbs that could scarcely be found after searching deep through countless mountains!

Given his experience, he simply could not imagine what exactly had happened, or what it all meant.

Though he could not be absolutely certain, if he had to find someone in a family whose highest cultivation was only Da Dou Shi who was far stronger than everyone else, Miss Wan was the only person Xiao Yan could think of.

"Who is breaking through in the Xiao Family?!"

For a time, the Xiao Family was thrown into utter chaos by the powerful Dou Qi tide.

"Someone is breaking through!"

"I wonder what opinion the First Elder has?"

Xiao Yan, meanwhile, forced his way through the invisible Dou Qi tide and ran toward the guest quarters.

But Old Yao's somewhat mystifying exclamations left Xiao Yan completely confused and unable to understand.

Only then did the three elders react. It did indeed seem that someone was breaking through, but the scale of the Dou Qi tide raised by it far exceeded their imagination.

Father and son exchanged a brief glance. Xiao Zhan was about to speak in defense of his son, but Xiao Yan's look made him hold back the words he was about to say.

"Teacher, what is wrong? Why have you suddenly become so excited?"

Over the past two years, he had fallen far too far behind. If he wanted to catch up to his peers again, he naturally needed to put in more and greater effort.

Though Xiao Yan was also astonished that all sorts of rare medicinal herbs had suddenly grown in Miss Wan's courtyard for some unknown reason, he was nowhere near as shaken as his teacher.

"You ignorant little fool... Do you remember the Heavenly Flames I told you about before?"

Old Yao said, "Your Miss Wan possesses the Living Flame, ranked fifth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking."