[Ding! Congratulations, you have obtained the cultivation method—Primordial Creation Art]
He had just picked up the Mystic Flame Art Xun'er had given him when the system's notification rang out in his mind at just the right moment.
He lowered his head to look at the Earth Tier Cultivation Method in his hand, then raised his eyes to Xun'er, his expression a little strange.
"Xiao Yuan, what's wrong? Don't you like Xun'er's gift?"
Xun'er asked with some concern.
Especially since she hadn't heard Xiao Yuan's inner thoughts, she felt a little uneasy.
"No, I like it very much."
Xiao Yuan immediately and carefully put the scroll into his Storage Ring.
Dislike it?
Of course not.
In the original story, Xun'er had given Xiao Yan only a High Xuan Tier method, while the one she gave him was Earth Tier. The difference in value was obvious.
He just hadn't expected the Dog System to give him a cultivation method at this very moment, too—and judging by the name alone, it sounded incredibly powerful!
Xiao Yuan no longer knew what expression to make.
Was this the Dog System's competitive streak?
As it happened, Xiao Yan, who had just come out of the herb shop nearby, saw the whole scene.
"Heh heh, what's the matter, little brat? Jealous?"
Xiao Yan stopped in his tracks, while the two people in the distance chatted intimately.
An elderly voice rang out in Xiao Yan's ear at just the right moment.
But the laughter sounded a little too cheeky, earning the old man a scolding from Xiao Yan for being shameless at his age.
"Heh heh, but you don't need to be jealous, little brat. Once your cultivation improves, you'll naturally meet a suitable partner."
"Like those two?"
Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow, his voice carrying a hint of teasing and amusement.
"Them? They aren't suited for each other."
Yao Chen's voice held a trace of emotion and a sigh.
At those words, Xiao Yan grew a little uneasy.
"Why?"
"Heh heh, little brat, are you getting worked up? I may not know what your relationship is with those two youngsters, but don't get ahead of yourself. Just listen while I explain."
If Yao Chen had climbed out of the ring right then, he probably would have stroked his beard and smacked a block of wood for dramatic effect.
"Let's start with that young man. He reached the Da Dou Shi realm without even relying on a cultivation method. Talent like that would be considered monstrous even in the Central Plains... Wait—"
As he observed Xiao Yuan, even Yao Chen, the continent's foremost alchemist, couldn't help marveling at his monstrous talent.
It was unprecedented.
But halfway through his observation, he couldn't help letting out a surprised sound.
"What's wrong, old man?"
"What old man? Call me Master!"
Yao Chen first scolded Xiao Yan, then continued in a leisurely tone:
"That little fellow isn't simple. There's still a faint trace of Heavenly Flame on him. Judging by the abundant life force emanating from it, it should be Life Spirit Flame, fifth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. Tsk, tsk. If it weren't for me, you probably wouldn't have noticed it at all..."
"Heavenly Flame? Life Spirit Flame? What's that?"
"Heh heh, a Heavenly Flame is... Little brat, do you remember what I told you yesterday about a cultivation method that could evolve?"
"You mean that method needs something called a Heavenly Flame?"
"Your head's not entirely empty, I'll give you that."
Yao Chen nodded approvingly. "That method can evolve only by devouring Heavenly Flames... For your friend to possess one at such a young age, his family must have quite a background."
Yao Chen's tone brimmed with envy.
Back when he obtained Bone Spirit Cold Flame, he'd nearly lost half his life, and had almost been left behind on the God-Fallen Ice Plains.
Even his teacher, Han Shanshan, had gone missing at the time, never to be heard from again.
Xiao Yan, however, said weakly:
"Old man... You said my cousin Xiao Yuan's family had quite a background? But he's a member of the Xiao Clan. His parents died when he was young, and my father adopted him as his foster son. He doesn't have any support from some other family like you said..."
"Hmm?"
Yao Chen's brow furrowed, then slowly relaxed.
"In that case, your friend must have had an opportunity of his own. But that only makes it harder for him to be with the young lady at his side."
Yao Chen sounded a little gleeful, but more than that, he sounded grave.
Xiao Yan couldn't help asking curiously:
"Why? Cousin Xun'er's talent doesn't seem as good as cousin Xiao Yuan's..."
"Brat, don't ask. Knowing too much won't do you any good. I can only tell you that the family behind that young lady named Xun'er is terrifying. They aren't people you can afford to provoke."
After all, what good was being able to fight when you made your way through the world?
What mattered more was your background and birth.
Especially for those great clans. Even a pig could be raised into something impressive if enough resources were invested in it.
They had seen countless monstrous geniuses of every kind, and in the end, without exception, all had vanished into the river of time.
Only their clans remained, standing proudly through the ages.
But Xiao Yan didn't understand what Yao Chen meant. He just thought the old man was brushing him off.
So he pursed his lips in dissatisfaction.
Seeing this, Yao Chen could only shake his head and laugh.
But when he observed Xiao Yuan again, Yao Chen couldn't help feeling another pang of regret.
For such a genius to be confined to a place like Wutan City was a real waste.
After thinking for a moment, he said:
"By the way, little brat, from what I can tell, you haven't started cultivating a method yet, have you?"
"Yep. Those old geezers in the clan refuse to bend the rules. They insist we wait until the coming-of-age ceremony before we can be assigned a cultivation method."
At the mention of this, Xiao Yan grew furious.
Forget Xiao Yuan—even when he himself had reached the Dou Zhe realm, he hadn't been allowed into the Dou Qi Pavilion to choose a method, despite being the clan leader's son.
That was because the cultivation methods were managed by two other highly respected elders in the clan.
Those two didn't have to give the clan leader or the three elders the slightest face.
What a bunch of stubborn old fools!
"Heh heh, that's your clan's foolishness. If you miss the best time to nurture someone, even the finest talent will fade into the crowd... But since you've become my disciple, I'll give your friend an opportunity as well. When you get back, little fellow, take a cultivation method to your friend on my behalf."
"A cultivation method? What tier?"
"A low Earth Tier fire-attributed cultivation method. Since your friend has already devoured a Heavenly Flame, it should suit him well."
"Okay."
Xiao Yan agreed without a second thought, which made Yao Chen curious.
"Little brat, aren't you curious why I'm doing this? Aren't you jealous?"
At those words,
Xiao Yan shook his head decisively. "I'm not curious, and I'm not jealous."
This time, it was Yao Chen's turn to ask why.
But Xiao Yan only smiled and replied:
"Old man, you don't understand. In the whole Xiao Clan, apart from my father, the only person who treats me well is this younger clan brother my father adopted. During the three years when I was down, he comforted me. Even when I dragged him into trouble, he never said a harsh word to me. Instead, he came running over first to explain himself."
Not to mention, when Xiao Yan had borrowed money that day, Xiao Yuan had handed him three thousand gold coins without a second thought.
He knew very well that it must have been all the money Xiao Yuan had. The compensation paid after Xiao Yuan's parents died had amounted to no more than that.
With a brother like this, how could Xiao Yan feel jealous?
So what if Xiao Yuan was given an Earth Tier cultivation method!
"Besides, old man, didn't you promise to let me cultivate that method that can evolve?"
With that, Xiao Yan added one last remark, waved to the two people in the distance, and headed over to them.
Hearing those final words, Yao Chen laughed and scolded him as a brat, then sank back into a deep sleep in the Storage Ring.