Advancement, Seven-Stage Dou Qi

Gu Yuan immediately sensed Xiao Fan's presence as well. When he turned around and saw that it was a child, he was slightly surprised.

Such a small child possesses such powerful Soul Force? Gu Yuan was puzzled. If he had not sensed the compatibility of the other's soul, he might have suspected that this child had been possessed by someone else.

Following her father's gaze, Gu Xun'er turned around and saw Xiao Fan as well. Her previously distracted eyes trembled, her lips clenched tightly, and her hands curled into fists...

Xiao Fan paid no attention to Gu Xun'er's strange reaction. He was currently watching Gu Yuan with some concern, afraid that the man might discover his secret. Yet upon seeing Gu Yuan's kindly smile, Xiao Fan finally let out a breath of relief.

The Great Elder's weathered face instantly broke into a smile when he saw him. "Fan'er, why have you come over?"

Xiao Fan no longer looked at Gu Yuan and Gu Xun'er. He cupped his hands toward the Great Elder and said, "Great Elder, I came to ask for some cultivation resources."

Without beating around the bush, Xiao Fan directly stated his purpose. The Great Elder was somewhat surprised and asked curiously, "What stage of Dou Qi are you at now?"

The stages of Dou Qi were not obvious. Without testing equipment, it was difficult to tell directly.

Xiao Fan replied, "Reporting to Elder, I have already reached the fourth stage."

Several elders and Xiao Zhan were all greatly shocked. The Great Elder even grabbed Xiao Fan's hand and said emotionally, "Good, good, good! Fan'er, you truly have not disappointed us."

Gu Yuan was also looking at Xiao Fan. Though he was somewhat surprised, he did not think too much of it. He had seen far too many geniuses. Even among his own generation, there had been plenty stronger than him, but in the end, he alone had reached the finish line.

The Great Elder apologized to the other elders and Gu Yuan, then hurriedly pulled Xiao Fan out of the Xiao Family's main hall. After walking for quite some time, they arrived at a separate courtyard, the Great Elder's residence.

Before the Great Elder could speak, however, a clear and ethereal voice rang out. "Grandpa!"

The newcomer was the Great Elder's granddaughter, Xiao Yu. Though she was still young, her slender, long legs already could not conceal the makings of a beauty.

Yet Xiao Fan no longer had much impression of Xiao Yu. She seemed to be a student of Jia Nan Academy? But at this age, she probably had not gone to Jia Nan Academy yet.

"Hello, Sister Xiao Yu."

"Hm?" Xiao Yu was visibly stunned. "Hey, Xiao Fan, when did you become so polite?"

"..." Xiao Fan could not remember what his personality had been like as a child, so he could only smile awkwardly.

The Great Elder happily watched Xiao Yu and Xiao Fan, harboring a small thought of his own. Xiao Fan's talent is not low. If he could end up with Xiao Yu... ahem.

At that moment, Xiao Yu was tugging on the Great Elder's long, grizzled beard, causing him immense pain.

"Hey, old man, when can I go to Jia Nan Academy?" Xiao Yu saw her grandfather spacing out and felt extremely dissatisfied.

"Hiss..." The Great Elder first pushed Xiao Yu away before saying, "To enter Jia Nan Academy, you need at least the Eighth Duan of Dou Qi. You're only at the third stage, not even as high as Xiao Fan, and you still want to enter Jia Nan Academy?"

"What!"

Xiao Yu suddenly cried out, staring at Xiao Fan in disbelief. Her gaze seemed to say, He has higher Dou Qi than me?

"Yu'er, you should restrain that temper of yours. You're always so hotheaded..."

"Who's hotheaded?" Xiao Yu's attention was instantly diverted by the Great Elder, and she loudly retorted.

"Hmph, I'm going to cultivate right now!" Xiao Yu glanced at Xiao Fan before striding away.

Watching Xiao Yu, Xiao Fan could not help wanting to laugh. It was not because he was interested in her, but because she reminded him of a certain petite, overbearing, unreasonable purple-haired Little Dragon Maiden.

The difference was that when the purple-haired Little Dragon Maiden hit someone, she hit to kill.

"Fan'er, your Sister Xiao Yu is merely a little hot-tempered. She's actually a good person." The Great Elder tried to salvage Xiao Yu's image in Xiao Fan's eyes.

"Yes, Great Elder. Sister Xiao Yu treats me very well."

His vague memories gradually became clear. Xiao Fan recalled that he seemed to have provoked this older sister once and had been chased and beaten by her, though he had forgotten the exact reason. Yet when Jia Nan Academy later recruited students, Xiao Yu had still put aside their past grievances and helped him enter Jia Nan Academy through the back door. She had even taken great care of him at Jia Nan Academy for a time.

Seeing Xiao Fan speak this way, the Great Elder found him even more pleasing to the eye. What did it matter if he was not a member of the Xiao Family? If he eventually got together with Xiao Yu, would he not become a member of the Xiao Family anyway?

He then removed an exquisitely crafted ring from his hand and handed it to Xiao Fan.

Xiao Fan was startled. Although he knew that the Great Elder treated him unusually well, he had not expected the man to value him so highly. He could not help but blurt out, "A Storage Ring!"

"Oh? Fan'er knows quite a lot. That's right, this is a Storage Ring. It has followed this old man for more than several decades. Though its space is not large, only a dozen or so cubic meters, it can still hold most items."

The Great Elder looked at Xiao Fan with a cheerful smile. Xiao Fan was truly flattered. Though the space was not large, it was still not something the current Xiao Family could casually give away. In a small place like Wutan City, the number of people who possessed Storage Rings could be counted on one's fingers.

Of course, Xiao Fan also understood what accepting this ring meant, but he would not refuse it. The Storage Ring would be of great help to him.

Taking the ring, Xiao Fan briefly inspected the items inside. "Medicinal herbs, Magic Cores, gold coins..."

Logically speaking, one should not use external aids to advance during the Dou Qi stage, but using medicinal baths to strengthen the body was still very common.

There were no Dou Techniques or cultivation methods, but that made sense. Xiao Fan was only at the Dou Qi stage now; how could he cultivate cultivation methods or Dou Techniques? Besides, he did not need cultivation methods or Dou Techniques.

"Thank you, Great Elder!" Xiao Fan's thanks this time were especially heartfelt.

"Fan'er, you must cultivate diligently. Your future achievements will certainly not be low. The Xiao Family will have to rely on you in the future."

Xiao Fan nodded, though he likely would not meddle much in the Xiao Family's affairs anymore. Still, he could save the Great Elder's faction if necessary.

Thinking about how Xiao Yan had always caused a heap of trouble in his previous life, only for Xiao Fan to clean up after him, and then disappeared for long periods afterward, Xiao Fan did not know what to say.

After returning to his remote little courtyard, Xiao Fan took out the Magic Cores from the Storage Ring. Though their ranks were not high, merely first- and second-rank Magic Cores, they were enough for his current cultivation.

In his previous life, he had taken many detours in his rush to break through to Dou Zhe because no one had guided him. He had even been so eager for quick success that he left lasting damage to his body. But now, with an ample supply of energy and experience in breaking through, he could start from a much higher point.

Sitting cross-legged, he formed seals with his hands and placed the Magic Cores around him. In an instant, the Magic Cores began to tremble continuously. Invisible threads of energy slowly gathered before endlessly flowing into Xiao Fan's brow...

The energy within Magic Cores was extremely Berserk. If one's will was not firm enough and one forcibly absorbed the energy contained within a Magic Core, one would only explode and die. That was why Alchemists were needed to refine Magic Cores.

But Xiao Fan was not afraid. Soul Force at the Mortal Realm Grand Perfection was not something mere first- and second-rank Magic Cores could shake.

With a muffled boom, all the Magic Cores turned to dust. Their energy transformed entirely into Dou Qi within Xiao Fan's body, and Xiao Fan successfully broke through to Seven-Stage Dou Qi in one go, reaching the advanced Dou Qi stage.