Sub-Flame

Gu Xun'er only realized now that the person she liked was not someone she liked because he was handsome, nor because he was powerful.

The reason she liked him was because he had barged into her world.

He was the one who had helped her when she was heartbroken over leaving the Gu Clan and her father, and when the Heavenly Flames erupted and left her in unbearable pain.

Yet she also understood that she had no face left to confront the current Xiao Fan. Just as Zi Yan had said, "Gu Xun'er, you really are pathetic..."

Ling Ying rarely saw his young mistress this emotionally agitated. As her personal guard, he had been terribly negligent.

But there was nothing he could say. He could only silently watch his young mistress slump to the ground.

Unlike the grief-stricken Gu Xun'er, Xiao Fan was in high spirits when he returned to his residence. With a flicker in his palm, a golden flame appeared. It was exceedingly tiny, only about the size of a thumb joint.

Yet Xiao Fan was still deeply satisfied. Feeling the incomparably scorching heat in his palm, he said, "This is a Sub-Flame born from a Sub-Flame of the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame. Though it is currently not even comparable to an ordinary beast flame, given enough time, it will surely develop into a Sub-Flame comparable to a Heavenly Flame."

Perhaps even Xiao Fan had not expected that the Spirit Devouring Art could actually devour flames and condense new Sub-Flames.

"I only barely broke through to the Eighth Duan of Dou Qi?"

Xiao Fan sensed the Dou Qi vortex within his body in confusion. But although he was only at the Eighth Duan of Dou Qi, he could tell that compared to his previous life, his Dou Qi vortex had expanded at least tenfold, nearly filling his entire dantian.

"I still need to pick up the pace. I am not strong enough yet. Breaking through to become a Dou Emperor—no, reaching somewhere even higher than a Dou Emperor—is where I belong. Only then can I protect those I have wronged!"

Xiao Fan clenched his fists and looked in Gu Xun'er's direction, his expression unreadable.

"Gu Xun'er, you really need to let the Heavenly Flames erupt a few more times..."

In the early morning, brilliant sunlight shone through the window into the room. A new day, a new life, had begun again.

Even with a Perfected Mortal Realm soul, Xiao Fan at the Dou Qi stage still needed sleep to replenish his spiritual power. The burden of the previous day had simply been too great.

"Phew, that felt good~" Xiao Fan stretched lazily.

Without his obsession with Gu Xun'er, Xiao Fan felt that he had slept exceptionally well...

The moment he stepped outside, Xiao Fan ran into a little brat even shorter than himself.

"Xiao Fan! Fight me in a duel!"

The similarly young fellow before him waved his arms and glared at Xiao Fan furiously. Xiao Fan was initially puzzled, but then his powerful soul detected a figure behind him.

After thinking for a moment, he finally recalled the little brat's name. "Xiao Ning?"

"That's right, I'm Xiao Ning! I'm going to avenge my sister!" Xiao Ning showed no fear of Xiao Fan. Like a newborn calf unafraid of a tiger, he assumed a stance riddled with openings.

Xiao Fan gave him a plain and unadorned hand chop. "Secret Art! True Ordinary Hand Chop!"

"Aooow!!!"

Xiao Ning immediately sprawled on the ground and wailed. Within seconds, tears the size of beans streamed down his face. He lay there clutching his injured head, glaring at Xiao Fan with resentment.

In his eyes, Xiao Fan had practically teleported to his side. Then everything went black, and he collapsed to the ground.

No one could understand just how much psychological damage that enormous black shadow flashing across his face had caused him.

"Xiao Fan!"

Seeing her little brother get hit, Xiao Yu immediately rushed out and shielded Xiao Ning with her body, checking his injuries.

Xiao Fan had not actually hit him hard. It was just enough to leave him dazed without hurting his brain. It would only ache for a few days. As for tattling, he could do as he pleased. Xiao Fan trusted that the Great Elder would give Xiao Ning another loving lesson.

Still, this counted as correcting Xiao Ning's personality. Otherwise, according to Xiao Fan's memories, Xiao Ning would be beaten half to death by Xiao Yan in the future because of his arrogance.

"Xiao Fan! If you don't give me an explanation, then I'll... I'll..."

The words reached her lips, but she suddenly did not know what to say. She had realized that the person she relied on would not help her, and she had not even seen how that hand chop had landed.

At this moment, she did not even know how to make a threat.

Seeing Xiao Yu stammer for so long without saying a word, Xiao Fan did not indulge her and habitually did what he always did...

"Aooow!!!"

"Xiao Fan, I'll fight you to the death!"

Xiao Yu had never expected Xiao Fan to give her a hand chop as well. It did not hurt, but it was humiliating!

Xiao Fan froze too. It was not that he had wanted to hit this hot-tempered Xiao Yu, but her stammering appearance had made it impossible for him to resist.

After all, that purple-haired Little Dragon Maiden looked exactly like this whenever she made a mistake. Unless he gave her a harsh lesson, she would never admit her wrongdoing.

"Ahem, Sister Xiao Yu, would you believe me if I said it was an accident?"

Xiao Yu somehow produced a longsword, rose to her feet, and lunged at Xiao Fan. Xiao Fan turned and ran.

"Sister Xiao Yu, believe it or not, I really didn't do it on purpose! I'll compensate you!"

In a flash, Xiao Fan disappeared from Xiao Yu and Xiao Ning's sight.

After chasing him for a while, Xiao Yu panted and shouted, "Xiao Fan, just you wait until I catch you!!!"

After leaving the Xiao Family gates, Xiao Fan finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew, I can't go back to my residence today. Perfect. I'll use the gold coins the Great Elder gave me to buy some medicinal ingredients."

The moment he stepped out, he spotted a figure sneakily hiding from him. Xiao Fan could not help calling out, "Hey, Xiao Yan, do you think I won't recognize you just because you're hiding?"

Having been exposed, Xiao Yan could only turn around sheepishly, his eyes shifting as he replied, "Ahem, Brother Fan, I..."

"Enough, enough. I won't tell anyone about your little matter."

"Really, Brother Fan!"

"So it really was you."

Xiao Yan inwardly cried out in alarm. He had been tricked by Xiao Fan.

"Ahem, Brother Fan, would you believe me if I said I had my reasons?"

Xiao Fan rolled his eyes at Xiao Yan. "Give me a break. You were lusting after a pretty face, so you lusted after a pretty face. What reasons could you possibly have?"

Xiao Yan scratched his head awkwardly. Having been so bluntly exposed by Xiao Fan, he did not intend to explain himself.

"But, Xiao Yan~"

Xiao Yan's heart tightened as he inwardly cursed his bad luck.

Xiao Fan rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, the meaning obvious.

With no other choice, Xiao Yan took a pouch from his robes. Judging by its weight, it was quite full.

After weighing it in his hand, Xiao Fan nodded. "Mm, there must be at least several hundred gold coins here. Not bad, not bad. Don't worry, Xiao Yan. Big Brother will keep this secret for you. I guarantee no third person will ever find out."

At that moment, Xiao Yan felt as though he had jumped out of one pit only to fall into another, with countless more pits waiting for him ahead.

Having gotten a windfall, Xiao Fan did not think much of it and immediately headed for the Xiao Clan Market. If he went too late, others might snatch up all the bargains. With his powerful soul perception, bargain hunting was something he excelled at.