"Nalan Yanran!"
Xiao Yan watched his father's retreating figure, a playful smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
Recalling the original story, Xiao Yan had only truly embarked on a path to defy the heavens and rise to greatness after Nalan Yanran came to break off their engagement and declared the "Three-Year Agreement."
It could be said—
Nalan Yanran's broken engagement had been a major turning point in the original Xiao Yan's life.
Without that humiliation, there would have been no Flame Emperor, whose name later shook the continent.
But now—
[Ding—]
The system notification suddenly rang in his mind.
[Detected Destined Protagonist Xiao Yan. Tomorrow, Nalan Yanran will stir his "Destiny Struggle Heart," further strengthening his destiny!] [New task triggered—"Destiny Agreement"!] [Task success reward: special "Seven-Colored Supreme Entry"—"Clan Fortune Embodiment." From this point onward, your cultivation will equal the combined cultivation of all your clan members!] [Task failure: no penalty!] [Please do your utmost to stop the Destined Protagonist from strengthening his destiny, Lord Hun Tiandi. With this entry, Lord Hun Tiandi will surely restore the Hun Clan to its former glory!] [Heh heh heh...]
Xiao Yan froze for a moment.
Oh?
The system had issued another new task?
But on second thought, it made sense.
In the original story, it was indeed Nalan Yanran's broken engagement that further stirred Xiao Yan's determination to work hard and led him to make the Three-Year Agreement, setting him on the path to defy fate and change his destiny.
This was undeniably one of the most crucial plotlines in Xiao Yan's life.
Then—
When Xiao Yan's attention landed on the task reward, his breath suddenly caught.
"Clan Fortune Embodiment?"
"My cultivation will equal the combined cultivation of all my clan members?"
Xiao Yan's eyes widened as he stared at those words, his heart churning like a storm-tossed sea.
Good heavens!
What kind of outrageous entry was this?!
The combined cultivation of the entire clan!
What did that mean?
It meant that every time the Xiao Family gained a clan member, his cultivation would increase by that much!
It meant that every time a Xiao Family member broke through, his cultivation would rise right along with them!
Even if not everyone could become a Dou Emperor, what if the Xiao Family had tens of thousands of members... reaching Dou Wang, or even Dou Huang and Dou Zong and above...?
Just how terrifying would his combined cultivation become?!
"What the hell..."
"No wonder it's a Seven-Colored Supreme Entry!"
Xiao Yan couldn't help swallowing.
The effects of this entry were simply heaven-defying!
Although the Xiao Family only had a few hundred people now, and even its strongest member was merely a Da Dou Shi, many a little made a mickle.
What's more—
The Xiao Family wasn't an ordinary clan!
Its members carried Dou Di Bloodline within them!
The Tou She Ancient God Jade was in his hands. As long as he managed the family well, the Xiao Family would surely regain its former glory!
When that day came...
Xiao Yan's eyes burned with excitement, and his breathing grew rapid.
"This task is great!"
"I have to do it!"
He clenched his fist, determination flashing in his eyes.
Nalan Yanran, you've come at just the right time!
I was just wondering how to milk the system!
Xiao Yan's lips curled into an eager smile.
He could hardly wait to see Nalan Yanran make her entrance tomorrow.
But—
After taking a deep breath, Xiao Yan put the thought aside.
He tucked the Tou She Ancient God Jade safely against his chest, then sat cross-legged on the bed.
"I should consolidate my cultivation first."
Xiao Yan closed his eyes and silently circulated the Flame Mantra.
Within him, the vast Dou Qi of a three-star Dou Huang surged like a great river, coursing back and forth through his meridians.
And in his dantian—
A resplendent red Fire Lotus floated quietly, its twelve overlapping petals radiating a searing, eerie crimson glow.
It was the Red Lotus Karma Fire.
At a thought from Xiao Yan, a strand of crimson flame welled through his meridians and flickered slowly across his skin.
The flame shifted between the shape of a lotus and a wisp of fire, intertwining with his Dou Qi as he continuously tempered and fused them.
The temperature in the room suddenly rose.
However—
With the power of the Ten Thousand Soul Banner shrouding it, every trace of energy was sealed tightly inside the room, not leaking out in the slightest.
Within the Myriad Dao Soul-Nurturing Jade—
Medicine Elder quietly released a wisp of his soul to sense Xiao Yan's condition.
Seeing the strands of crimson flame dancing over Xiao Yan's skin, he couldn't help marveling to himself:
"This boy... truly has a monstrously gifted talent."
"A fifteen-year-old Dou Huang. I doubt many would believe it if they heard."
He had lived for most of his life and seen countless prodigies and geniuses, yet he had never encountered anyone so outrageous.
Without a cultivation technique, he had broken through to Dou Wang.
After refining a Heavenly Flame, he had risen straight to Dou Huang.
If those old fellows who had bitterly cultivated for decades to reach Dou Huang found out, they'd be spitting blood from sheer fury.
"But—"
A complex look flashed through Medicine Elder's eyes.
"The stronger this boy becomes, the greater my hope of taking revenge."
He sighed softly, withdrew his soul, and continued cultivating within the Spirit Nourishing Jade.
This Myriad Dao Soul-Nurturing Jade truly was a treasure. In such a short time, his soul had already grown considerably more solid.
Meanwhile—
In a shadowy corner of the Xiao Family compound—
A dark figure quietly appeared.
It was Ling Ying.
He stood in the darkness, gazing toward Xiao Yan's room with his brows tightly furrowed.
When Xiao Zhan had come out of Xiao Yan's room just now, that expression...
Ling Ying had seen it all clearly.
Xiao Zhan's face had glowed, a smile had played at the corners of his mouth, and he'd walked with a light step, even humming a little tune.
He had clearly been in a wonderful mood.
"Xiao Zhan is so happy..."
Ling Ying murmured to himself.
"Nothing like his usual worried, gloomy self."
In the past, Xiao Zhan had been troubled day after day by Xiao Yan's declining cultivation, gloomy and dispirited.
But today—
"Could Xiao Yan really have become a Dou Wang?"
A look of doubt flashed through Ling Ying's eyes.
Although his young lady had already told him about it, he had always harbored a trace of skepticism.
After all, it was simply too outrageous!
A fifteen-year-old Dou Wang would be a rare sight even across the entire continent!
How could that boy Xiao Yan possibly be one?
Driven by curiosity, Ling Ying decided to investigate for himself.
He drew a deep breath and quietly released a wisp of soul power toward Xiao Yan's room.
However—
The instant his soul power touched the area around Xiao Yan's room—
Buzz!
A strange and powerful force suddenly appeared!
It was formless and intangible, yet undeniably real, like an invisible net that wrapped the entire room tightly.
The wisp of soul power Ling Ying had sent out—
The moment it touched that force—
Was swallowed up completely!
Not even a trace remained!
"What?!"
Ling Ying's pupils contracted sharply, and his expression changed.
That strange power had left even him, a Dou Huang expert, shaken!
"This..."
Ling Ying instinctively took half a step back, his eyes filled with shock.
The wisp of soul power he had released might have been weak, but it was still the soul power of a Dou Huang expert!
Ordinary defensive measures could never have swallowed it so easily!
What's more—
That force felt strange and powerful, as if... as if it were far beyond the level this realm should possess!
Before you continue