"No problem, little brother Xiao Chen. The Mittal Auction House has everything on your list. Just wait here a moment while your big sister goes to fetch it for you!"
Ya Fei glanced over the list. After confirming that the Mittal Auction House had all the items Xiao Chen needed in stock, she became even more certain that there was an alchemist behind him.
Before long, Ya Fei handed Xiao Chen the ingredients he needed. Having gotten what he came for, Xiao Chen wasted no time and hurried back to the Xiao Family.
Once back in his room, Xiao Chen locked the door and began refining the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid. With the system's reward, failure was out of the question. After just three hours, he had refined a full twelve bottles. The main reason he couldn't continue was that he had used up too much of the Dou Power inside him.
He stashed the extra Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid in the cabinet beneath his bed, filled a bucket with clean water, and began testing the liquid's effects.
"Hiss! This stuff is incredible! No wonder Xiao Yan managed to become a Dou Zhe again within half a year. The name Venerable Yao is truly well deserved!"
Feeling the Dou Qi within him rapidly grow stronger, Xiao Chen couldn't help exclaiming. Before trying it himself, he hadn't thought much of it. But now that he had experienced it, he realized this stuff was downright unfair.
He'd originally thought the Flame Mantra was the true key to Xiao Yan's rise. Now, it seemed Yao Chen was the real cheat code.
Half an hour later, the water in the wooden tub had turned clear again, which meant the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid had completely lost its effects.
"Whew! That felt great!"
Xiao Chen leaped out of the tub and let out a long breath. He felt refreshed from head to toe. This round of cultivation had increased the Dou Qi inside him by more than twofold.
At this rate, he'd break through to the Sixth Stage of Dou Qi in less than half a month. As for forming a Dou Qi vortex and entering the Dou Zhe realm, that would probably take half a year.
After making a rough estimate, Xiao Chen reached a conclusion: his talent really was inferior to Xiao Yan's.
After all, in the same six months, Xiao Yan had advanced from the Third Stage of Dou Qi to Dou Zhe, while he could only advance from the Fifth Stage of Dou Qi to Dou Zhe. There was still a gap between them.
Xiao Chen didn't think there was anything wrong with that. Xiao Yan had suffered more than he had, for one thing. Besides, Xiao Yan was the child of destiny, cherished by the very heavens of the Dou Qi Continent.
Calling Xiao Yan the child of destiny wasn't an exaggeration at all. Anyone else who tried to walk the same path would probably have met an untimely end long ago. And they'd still be dreaming of ascending to the Great Thousand World and establishing the Endless Fire Territory?
Don't just laugh at your big brother Yan. Try surviving the Soul Hall's pursuit first!
"Knock! Knock! Knock!"
The dull rapping on the door interrupted Xiao Chen's wandering thoughts. He came to his senses, hurriedly got dressed, and then opened the door.
"Hm? Xun'er? You... want to invite me to watch the sunset with you?"
Seeing Gu Xun'er outside—oh, right, she'd already changed her name to Xiao Xun'er—Xiao Chen was about to ask what was going on. But when he spotted the sun setting in the distance, he immediately understood.
The little girl had probably come over hoping Xiao Chen would watch the sunset with her. And just as he'd guessed, Xiao Xun'er made no attempt to hide it. "Mm! Xun'er waited for a long time today, but Xiao Chen-gege never came, so I came to look for you!"
"Sorry! I was cultivating just now. Sorry for keeping you waiting, Xun'er!"
Xiao Chen reached out and patted Xun'er's head, then took her hand and headed toward the back mountain.
At his words, Xun'er pressed her lips together, seeming a little nervous. She asked cautiously, "Did Xun'er interrupt your cultivation, Xiao Chen-gege?"
"No, you came at just the right time. I'd just finished cultivating and was about to go find you!"
That was a lie. Cultivating had felt so good today that Xiao Chen had completely forgotten he was supposed to take Xiao Xun'er to watch the sunset. Besides, who in their right mind watched the sunset every day?
After hearing Xiao Chen's explanation, Xun'er finally relaxed, a smile blooming on her face once more.
But as soon as the two of them left Xiao Chen's courtyard, someone blocked their way. Xiao Chen knew the person all too well: it was Xiao Ning, who'd glared at him in the main hall earlier.
"Xiao Ning, why are you blocking our way?"
Before he knew what was going on, Xiao Chen didn't want to pick a fight with Xiao Ning. So he decided to ask first. If it was all just a misunderstanding, it'd be pretty embarrassing.
But things weren't going the way Xiao Chen had imagined. Xiao Ning was here to pick a fight. "Xiao Chen, I want to fight you!"
"Not interested. I'm taking Xun'er to watch the sunset. If you want a fight, go find Xiao Yan!"
Xiao Chen casually pushed Xiao Ning aside and continued toward the back mountain with Xun'er's hand in his. But Xiao Ning stubbornly blocked them again, sneering with contempt. "Xiao Chen, are you scared? If you are, then stay away from Miss Xun'er!"
"A coward like you could never protect Miss Xun'er!"
After saying that, Xiao Ning deliberately glanced at Xiao Xun'er, clearly hoping to get her attention.
But Xiao Xun'er didn't even look at him. She tugged lightly at Xiao Chen's sleeve and muttered under her breath, "Xiao Chen-gege, is that guy a little slow?"
"Pfft! You're right, there's definitely something wrong with his head. But how did you figure that out, Xun'er?"
Xiao Chen couldn't stop himself from laughing. He hadn't expected the little girl to have such a silver tongue. She really knew how to say the sweetest things.
Xun'er pursed her lips and looked at Xiao Ning as if he were an idiot. "This is the Xiao Family, you know. Do you think I could run into any danger here?"
Xun'er's words made Xiao Ning's face flush red. He wanted to open his mouth and explain, but couldn't figure out how to defend himself. All he could do was glare fiercely at Xiao Chen. "Xiao Chen, if you've got what it takes, fight me! Do you dare or not?"
"Oh, I get it. You're jealous of me, aren't you? Jealous that I get to spend time with Xun'er, right?"
Xiao Chen had no intention of playing along with this little game to get a girl's attention. He exposed Xiao Ning's thoughts without mercy.
With his little scheme laid bare, Xiao Ning started stammering. He fumbled for words for a long time but couldn't put together a complete sentence.
Seeing him like this, Xiao Chen let go of Xun'er's hand and walked over to pat him on the shoulder. Lowering his voice, he whispered into Xiao Ning's ear, "No matter how jealous you get, it won't help. For one thing, you're no match for me. And even if you did somehow beat me, Xun'er would only feel sorry for me. As for you, she'd probably hold a grudge against you for quite a while!"
Those words landed in Xiao Ning's ears like a heavy hammer, making his head ring.
After crushing his rival, Xiao Chen paid no mind to Xiao Ning, who stood there stunned. He took Xun'er's hand again, passed Xiao Ning, and headed toward the back mountain.
A full quarter of an hour passed before Xiao Ning came to his senses. He stared blankly at the two figures that had disappeared, his eyes filled with resentment.
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