Secret Meeting

"Third Elder, you're in charge of the clan's Marketplace business. Do you know what happened in the Marketplace today?" Xiao Zhan asked, frowning as he leaned back in his chair with his fingers interlaced.

"Clan Leader, I've already sent people to deal with those who caused trouble at our Xiao Clan pharmacy today. The Jialie Clan and Aoba Clan have become increasingly outrageous lately. It's time we took action." Third Elder gave a cold smile.

"Hmph, I think they're tired of living. I've wanted to wipe them out for a long time. What do the two elders think?" Xiao Zhan sat up, raised his brows, and looked toward the Great Elder and Second Elder, who were sitting quietly nearby.

"The Jialie and Aoba Clans only have five Da Dou Shi between them. Such strength is nothing to fear. Clan Leader, please give the order!" The Great Elder bowed to Xiao Zhan.

"Good. I have decided that in three days, we will gather the clan's strength and launch a surprise attack on the Jialie and Aoba Clans, defeating them in one battle. Elders, make sure to summon all the forces of our Xiao Tribe back to the clan within three days." Xiao Zhan looked at the three elders, his eyes filled with killing intent.

"Yes, Clan Leader!" The elders clasped their fists and answered in low voices.

"Yan, what surprise are you planning to give your father?" Xiao Zhan stood with his hands behind his back, staring absently out the window.

Night.

"Teacher, Father plans to make a move against the Jialie and Aoba Clans soon. Before we left today, you told me to tell Father that we'd give him a surprise. What exactly is this surprise?" Xiao Yan asked Yao Lao in confusion.

"Hehe, Yan, look what this is." As he spoke, Yao Lao took a pristine jade bottle from his Storage Ring and tossed it to Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan caught the jade bottle and casually opened it. In an instant, medicinal fragrance filled the air. Inside lay five dark-colored pills, their surfaces faintly rippling with weak energy.

"Teacher, are these fifth-grade pills?" Xiao Yan asked in delight.

"That's right. These are fifth-grade Nirvana Pills. They can help a peak Dou Ling break through to Dou Wang. I personally refined them. To gather the herbs needed for these Nirvana Pills, the Xiao Clan really had to bleed this time." Yao Lao grinned mischievously.

"These Nirvana Pills are just enough to help that old man hiding in the Dou Qi Pavilion break through to Dou Wang. He's languished at the peak Dou Ling realm for so long that it's time he advanced. It will make a fine surprise for your father and the others."

"Then can Father use one too?" Xiao Yan immediately thought of something and looked at Yao Lao.

"Xiao Zhan is still a little short of the mark." Yao Lao did not know whether to laugh or cry.

"Come on, let's go to the Dou Qi Pavilion." Yao Lao immediately slipped into Xiao Yan's body and stealthily headed for the Dou Qi Pavilion.

"This is the place." A thin figure stopped beneath a four-story tower.

"I'll leave the rest to you, Yan."

"All right, Teacher." Xiao Yan tightened his grip on the jade bottle and pushed open the doors to the Dou Qi Pavilion.

"Lord Shan." Xiao Yan straightened his collar and bowed toward the darkness in the distance.

"Eh, so it's you, little one. Why have you come here so late at night? Did Xiao Zhan send you? I already know about the Jialie and Aoba Clans." An elderly man with gray-white hair stepped out of the darkness, smiling as he looked at Xiao Yan.

"Lord Shan, this is a Nirvana Pill my teacher specially refined for you. With it, you will certainly be able to break through to Dou Wang in one go." Xiao Yan held out the jade bottle to the old man with both hands.

"Oh, this is a Nirvana Pill? One that can help me break through to Dou Wang?" The old man took the bottle, opened it, and looked at the smooth dark pill inside. Breathing in the pill fragrance from the bottle, he looked at Xiao Yan in surprise.

"You are thoughtful, child. Thank your teacher for me. The Xiao Clan has owed much to your teacher these past three years." The old man put away the jade bottle and spoke.

"Lord Shan, time waits for no one. You've lingered in the Dou Ling realm long enough." Xiao Yan eagerly awaited the appearance of the Xiao Clan's first Dou Wang.

"Good, good. Tonight, I will attempt a breakthrough into the Dou Wang realm." The old man gripped the jade bottle tightly and disappeared into the darkness.

Seeing this, Xiao Yan smiled freely and left the Dou Qi Pavilion. Back in his room, Xiao Yan opened the window and gazed toward the northeast, where the Xiao Clan's Dou Qi Pavilion stood.

"Teacher, will Lord Shan successfully break through tonight?" After watching for a long while, Xiao Yan asked Yao Lao with growing impatience.

"Hehe, what are you so anxious about? Just wait patiently. I can already sense that his realm has loosened, and his aura is trembling." Yao Lao was clearly confident.

Xiao Yan curled his lips, but in the end, said nothing.

"It's happening," Yao Lao said in a low voice.

Xiao Yan immediately focused his attention and looked over.

In the middle of the night, the energy above the Dou Qi Pavilion suddenly began to stir. An immense aura burst from the tower, while the surrounding energy continuously rushed into the room, gradually forming an inverted funnel. In the silent Xiao Clan grounds, such a disturbance was as conspicuous as a firefly in the dark.

"Teacher, please conceal this disturbance. For now, no one else can know of Lord Shan's sudden breakthrough," Xiao Yan said urgently at the sight.

"Understood." Laughing inwardly, Yao Lao waved his hand, and a secret yet vast ripple instantly enveloped the Dou Qi Pavilion.

In the courtyard to the right of Xiao Yan's room, where Xiao Xun'er lived, the fleeting aura still caught the attention of the expert hidden within.

"Miss, someone is making a breakthrough, in the direction of the Dou Qi Pavilion," Elder Ling's voice came from the darkness.

"Forget it, Elder Ling. There's no need to interfere." Xiao Xun'er looked beyond the courtyard. A mysterious golden flame flashed through her eyes, which seemed to see through all barriers and witness everything happening in the Dou Qi Pavilion.

"Xiao Yan, is it you? Or that mysterious teacher of yours?" Xiao Xun'er murmured inwardly.

"Yes, Miss." The voice in the darkness gradually faded away.

Bang! A figure flew out from the distant tower. A pair of cyan light wings floated behind him, and a powerful aura spread throughout the entire area.

"Hahaha, I broke through! I finally broke through! Dou Wang! A Dou Wang has finally appeared in the Xiao Clan again!"

The old man was so excited that his words became incoherent, but he eventually noticed the aura sealing off the tower. As if he had sensed something, he gratefully nodded toward Xiao Yan's courtyard, then withdrew the Dou Qi wings behind him and descended back into the tower.

"Haha, it worked. My Nirvana Pill wasn't refined for nothing." Yao Lao laughed as he looked at the old man radiating a powerful aura in the distance.

"So this is a Dou Wang?" Xiao Yan murmured longingly.

"Hehe, work hard, Yan! You're still far from it." Yao Lao looked at Xiao Yan with an ambiguous smile.

The next day, Xiao Zhan and the elders, who had been summoned to the Dou Qi Pavilion by Lord Shan, were clearly in high spirits.

"Yan, the surprise you gave your father was truly enormous. This time, I will give the Jialie and Aoba Clans an even bigger surprise." Xiao Zhan patted Xiao Yan's shoulder excitedly.

"Father, go easy. I'm only three years old." Xiao Yan rubbed his shoulder, which had been patted red, and spoke pitifully.

"Haha, my mistake. Father wasn't paying attention, wasn't paying attention." Xiao Zhan was in such a good mood that he clearly did not think much of it.

"Xun'er, let's go." Xiao Yan took Xiao Xun'er's hand and left the Xiao Family Main Residence.

"Xiao Yan, was that you last night?" After sweetly calling him "Xiao Yan," Xiao Xun'er began teasing him.

"Haha, of course it was me. Who else could be that amazing?" Unaware that Xun'er already knew the truth, Xiao Yan began boasting.