Battle Through the Heavens: I Can Solidify All Talents

The old man exuded authority without anger. Though advanced in years, he remained powerfully built and upright, like an aged yet still mighty lion.

He was the Lionheart Marshal of the Jia Ma Empire, Nalan Jie!

He was also an old friend of Xiao Lin, the former patriarch of the Xiao Family.

Though Nalan Jie's face was thin and gaunt, his eyes gleamed sharply, free of any cloudiness, revealing both the keenness of a Dou Wang expert and the shrewdness of a family head!

"Nephew Xiao Zhan, ever since your father passed away, it has truly been a long time since you and I last met!"

Nalan Jie's voice was deep and resonant, without the weakness one would expect from an elderly man.

At the mention of Xiao Lin, a trace of complexity flashed through his cloudy eyes.

"Yes, it has been a long time, Uncle Nalan..."

Xiao Qing: Old Man, You're Courting Death!

A trace of reminiscence surfaced in Xiao Zhan's eyes as he recalled the days when his father, Xiao Lin, was still alive.

Back then, the Xiao Family had been one of the powerful noble families in the Imperial Capital. After all, the family had possessed a Dou Wang expert like Xiao Lin.

How could it compare to now, when they had fallen to this tiny Wutan City!

"I never expected you, brat, to quietly reach the Dou Ling realm. Not bad, Nephew Xiao Zhan!"

In an instant, the complexity in Nalan Jie's expression changed. Looking at Xiao Zhan, he spoke with an inexplicable undertone.

"Haha, just luck!"

Xiao Zhan laughed heartily without revealing even the slightest bit of information.

Seeing that he could not probe anything out of Xiao Zhan, Nalan Jie gave up.

His expression turned serious as he got straight to the point. "No more nonsense. I came here under orders to investigate the Dou Wang expert rumored to have destroyed the Jialie Family!"

It had been less than three days since the Jialie Family was destroyed.

The powerful nobles in the distant Imperial Capital had already received word that a Dou Wang-level expert had appeared in tiny Wutan City!

And that expert had wiped out a small family!

The reigning emperor was also somewhat wary of this unfamiliar Dou Wang expert, who might have come from the Xiao Family.

Thus, he arranged for Nalan Jie, head of the Nalan Family and the empire's Lionheart Marshal, who had once been close to the Xiao Family, to investigate the matter.

"Uncle Nalan, that senior is unwilling to show himself. I rarely get the chance to meet him either."

Xiao Zhan spoke with a troubled expression.

"Xiao Zhan, are you joking with me?"

Nalan Jie narrowed his eyes. A faint aura spread from his body as he spoke calmly.

"No matter what happens today, I must meet this unfamiliar Dou Wang! Committing such violence—where does he place the empire's laws?"

He was merely a Dou Wang. Wasn't Nalan Jie one as well?

He was even an Eight-Star Dou Wang!

Having slain enemies on the border battlefield for decades, Nalan Jie had never feared anyone beneath the Dou Emperor realm!

I am an imperial marshal who traveled thousands of miles to come here. He is merely a Dou Wang—how dare he treat me this way?

Nalan Jie thought resentfully.

"Nephew Xiao Zhan, are you truly unwilling to tell me the origins of that unfamiliar Dou Wang?"

Nalan Jie's patience was clearly wearing thin.

Seeing Nalan Jie act so forcefully, with such an aggressive manner—

Xiao Zhan's heart sank, but he could only force an awkward smile. "Uncle Nalan..."

"Uncle."

At that moment, Xiao Qing entered from outside the Council Hall and greeted Xiao Zhan.

That's the young man from before...

Nalan Jie stared at Xiao Qing as he entered, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Qing'er, why are you here?"

When Xiao Zhan saw that the newcomer was Xiao Qing, the weight hanging over his heart because of Nalan Jie instantly lifted.

At that moment, Nalan Jie's expression eased as he directly asked, "Nephew Xiao Zhan, who is this?"

"Uncle Nalan, this is Xiao Qing, the son of my wife's older sister!"

Xiao Qing's arrival seemed to give Xiao Zhan confidence, and even his voice became firmer.

"Oh?"

Nalan Jie narrowed his eyes, his expression changing as he questioned:

"Nephew Xiao Zhan, is this the junior you taught? Does he not know that elders are discussing matters here? How dare he barge in like this?"

Nalan Jie seized the opportunity and fired off three questions in a row.

Clearly, he wanted to use this matter to pressure Xiao Zhan into revealing information about the unfamiliar Dou Wang.

At the same time, he was testing whether Xiao Qing was truly as extraordinary as he suspected.

"So what?"

Xiao Qing faced Nalan Jie with a calm expression, entirely unafraid of the pressure from this mere Dou Wang.

He was only a Dou Wang. Xiao Qing had killed more than a few Tier 6 Magical Beasts comparable to human Dou Emperors!

Moreover, Xiao Qing had been observing in secret from beginning to end. A person like Nalan Jie could not be given a pleasant face. Only by being even more forceful than him could Xiao Qing make him restrain himself.

"Brat, do you know who I am?"

Hearing Xiao Qing's disrespectful words, Nalan Jie was so enraged that he laughed. The aura of a Dou Wang burst from his body and pressed down on Xiao Qing.

Yet in Xiao Qing's eyes, Nalan Jie's pressure was as weak and powerless as a child's. His heart remained completely unmoved.

"Old man, weren't you looking for me?"

Xiao Qing smiled faintly.

"What?!"

Nalan Jie was greatly shocked upon hearing that.

This brat before him was that unfamiliar Dou Wang?

Impossible!

Nalan Jie did not quite believe it. He immediately attacked to test Xiao Qing, intending to teach him a lesson for behaving so rudely before a true expert.

Nalan Jie suddenly struck. His Dou Qi condensed into a massive hand over three meters wide that reached directly for Xiao Qing.

Seeing that Nalan Jie had utterly cast aside his dignity and actually attacked him, a "junior," with his Dou Wang cultivation, Xiao Qing no longer indulged him.

Facing the giant Dou Qi hand, Xiao Qing swung out his palm. A palm imprint condensed from Dou Qi appeared, instantly annihilating Nalan Jie's giant hand and sending him flying out of the Council Hall with a single slap.

While flying through the air, Nalan Jie violently spat out a mouthful of blood before crashing heavily to the ground.

When the servants and subordinates outside the Council Hall saw their family head being sent flying out in such a miserable state, they immediately rushed forward to help Nalan Jie up.

"What happened to the Marshal?!"

"Family Head, are you all right?!"

After being helped up, Nalan Jie's face was filled with shock. He could not believe any of this was real.

An Eight-Star Dou Wang like him had been sent flying by a single slap from a junior?

What shocked him even more was that Xiao Qing was actually a Dou Wang!

No! A Dou Emperor!

And a powerful one among Dou Emperors!

Otherwise, it would have been impossible for one palm strike to nearly kill him.

Xiao Qing had held back with that strike. He had not intended to kill Nalan Jie, merely inflicting some superficial injuries and leaving him bedridden at home for a few days, all for Xiao Zhan's sake.

One had to know that Xiao Qing, a Five-Star Dou Wang, possessed a physical body at the terrifying level of a Tier 6 Magical Beast.

His combat strength was comparable to that of a Dou Zong expert. He could slap Nalan Jie to death at any moment.

"You wanted to see me. Now you have..."

Xiao Qing walked outside the Council Hall and coldly watched the scene. Ignoring Nalan Jie's horrified gaze, he said:

"Then get lost!"

"Go... cough..." Nalan Jie muttered unclearly before spitting out another mouthful of blood.

Upon hearing this, the servants immediately helped him into the carriage and swiftly left the place, returning to the Imperial Capital.

Xiao Zhan sat in his seat in the Council Hall, dumbfounded. The scene just now had truly shocked him.

What had he just seen?

Nalan Jie, the empire's Lionheart Marshal and an Eight-Star Dou Wang, had actually been slapped away by Xiao Qing and instantly lost all ability to fight!

Xiao Zhan had never imagined Xiao Qing's strength would be so terrifying. He probably possessed the combat strength of a Dou Emperor already, didn't he?

At that moment, Xiao Qing walked in and said to Xiao Zhan, "When dealing with people like this, you have to be more forceful than them and stronger than them!"

Xiao Zhan smiled bitterly and nodded, though turbulent waves churned in his heart.

The strength of this nephew of his probably far exceeded his imagination.

"Ah..."

Thinking of how domineering Nalan Jie had been just now, Xiao Zhan could only sigh helplessly.

So be it...

After today's events, the Xiao Family would likely truly part ways with the Nalan Family.

But Xiao Zhan did not regret it. With an expert like Xiao Qing standing guard over them, the Xiao Family's future would surely become even more glorious.

And all of this was only the beginning...

Xiao Zhan recalled the miserable figure of Nalan Jie leaving outside the Council Hall, his heart filled with complicated emotions.

This elder, who had once been friends with his father Xiao Lin, had left today in such an undignified manner. Xiao Zhan could not help but lament the unpredictability of life.

"Qing'er, with your actions today, I fear you have completely torn all ties with the Nalan Family."

Xiao Zhan looked at Xiao Qing with a complicated gaze, his tone carrying several traces of worry.

"Nalan Jie is, after all, the empire's marshal. He holds considerable influence in both the military and the royal family."

Xiao Qing remained calm as he walked to the window and looked into the distance. "Uncle, there is no need to worry. In this world, strength is what truly matters."

"If the Nalan Family knows what is good for them, this matter will end here. If they do not..."

He did not finish his sentence, but the chill in his words made even Xiao Zhan shudder.

Only at this moment did Xiao Zhan truly realize that the twelve-year-old nephew before him had grown into a decisive and ruthless expert.

"Besides..." Xiao Qing turned around, a gentle smile returning to his face.

"I will be leaving Wutan City soon. Before I leave, I must clear away some obstacles for the family."

"You're leaving?" Xiao Zhan was stunned, then quickly understood.

"That's right. With your current strength, Wutan City truly is too small."

Xiao Qing nodded.

Old Yao was still asleep, and Xiao Qing needed to search for heavenly treasures capable of nourishing the soul.

Besides, it was time for him to see a broader world.

As he spoke, he took out a jade bottle and handed it to Xiao Zhan. "There are three fourth-grade pills inside, Barrier-Breaking Pills. They can help Dou Ling experts break through bottlenecks."

"Uncle, you may keep them for yourself or reward them to elders who contribute to the family in the future."

Xiao Zhan accepted the jade bottle, his hands trembling slightly.

Fourth-grade pills!