Seven-Stage Dou Qi Advancement

Seeing Xiao Ze walk into the hall, several elders of the clan spoke up one after another, pointing at the newly arrived Xiao Ze as they addressed Xiao Zhan.

"Xiao Zhan, since Xiao Ze is here, you might as well ask him yourself."

"Does someone with such abysmal cultivation talent still have the face to keep asking the family to provide for him?"

"If you truly care about your son as a father, I suggest you let him go look after the family's marketplace instead."

"As for the path of cultivation, I advise you to give it up; your son simply isn't cut out for it."

"If he continues to cultivate, he is not only wasting his own youth but also the resources of our Xiao Family."

"Just think about it: how many cultivation resources has the family given your two sons, Xiao Ze and Xiao Yan, over these past three years? You've seen the results yourself."

"It is a complete waste. If those resources were given to other clansmen, we might have been able to cultivate two promising young men."

"But no matter how good the resources are, giving them to those two is ultimately just a waste."

The elders spoke with utter disdain.

Xiao Zhan's expression stiffened, and he immediately retorted with an angry shout, sparking a fierce argument with them.

He was a father who fiercely protected his cubs; even if his sons lacked talent on the path of cultivation, he was unwilling to simply give up on them.

On the Douqi Continent, without strength, how would they survive in the future once they no longer had his protection?

Therefore, he absolutely could not accept this.

Even if it meant stepping down as Clan Head, he could not allow his two sons to achieve nothing on the path of cultivation.

He believed that his two sons would never let him down.

It was merely a matter of time; they were just slightly slower in their cultivation than others.

"Father." Xiao Ze greeted Xiao Zhan as he entered the hall.

"Ze'er, you're here." Xiao Zhan said, gesturing for Xiao Ze to sit. The elders of the clan then turned their attention to him and spoke.

"Xiao Ze, another test of your strength was just conducted at the family's Testing Plaza. Does this mean you are still at the first stage of Dou Qi?"

"Since that is the case, the elders have no choice but to speak plainly."

"Over these many years, you have wasted countless resources. It is time to put a stop to it," the Great Elder said first.

Judging by their tone, they intended to cut off his access to the family's cultivation resources?

Xiao Ze remained unfazed. He had now bound himself to Xiao Xuan's panel, and his cultivation speed and talent had increased by an unknown number of times.

He was not at all worried about the family withholding their resources.

As for Xiao Yan, according to the plot, the Medicine Elder would awaken when Nalan Yanran came to break off the engagement.

"Wait a moment."

Xiao Zhan, unwilling to give up, said, "Could there be something wrong with the family's Test Magic Stele, which is why Ze'er's Dou Qi is only at the first stage?"

"I don't believe it. My son has cultivated for so many years; I refuse to believe he is still only at the first stage of Dou Qi."

The elders sneered and replied, "Xiao Zhan, you really are stubborn."

"Fine. We won't rely on the Test Magic Stele. Come, Xiao Ze, release your Dou Qi."

"With our strength, and your own level as a Grand Dou Shi, Xiao Zhan, it shouldn't be hard to see what level Xiao Ze is at, right?"

"If the power Xiao Ze releases is still only at the first stage of Dou Qi, then you will have nothing left to say, will you?"

Although Xiao Zhan agreed, he remained nervous, for he knew one thing clearly.

If the power Xiao Ze released was truly only at the first stage of Dou Qi, it meant that from this point on, not a single shred of the family's resources would be allocated to Xiao Ze for cultivation.

Xiao Ze released his Dou Qi, and Xiao Zhan's expression froze in astonishment.

The strength he had just sensed was actually the fifth stage of Dou Qi?

What was going on? Wasn't his son, Xiao Ze, only at the first stage of Dou Qi?

How could he have improved so much in such a short time? What on earth had happened? Xiao Zhan wondered, shocked and muttering to himself.

The expressions of the elders also froze, as if they thought they had seen wrong.

"What? It's actually the fifth stage of Dou Qi? This..."

They had intended to use this opportunity to cut off all of Xiao Ze's resources and, in the process, suppress Xiao Zhan as the Clan Head.

Not only had they failed to achieve their goal, but they were also shocked to discover that Xiao Ze was actually at the fifth stage of Dou Qi.

The hall was filled with their astonishment.

However, Xiao Ze paid no mind to their shocked expressions and reactions.

Instead, he focused on the system panel.

The text displayed on it read:

[Current Task: Cultivate for twenty minutes.]
[Reward: Seventh stage of Dou Qi.]

[Accept the mission?]

He did not hesitate, immediately choosing to accept the mission that had just been released on the System Panel.

He only needed to cultivate for twenty minutes to advance his strength directly from the fifth stage of Dou Qi to the seventh stage.

Even Xiao Yan in his prime, bolstered by his protagonist halo, could never have achieved such a feat.

Yet he could do it with ease and make it a reality.

Was this the true value of the Xiao Family ancestor, Xiao Xuan?

Xiao Ze accepted the system's mission, and half an hour later, he left the main hall and headed straight back to his room.

Upon returning to his room, Xiao Ze immediately sat cross-legged and began to meditate.

Twenty minutes passed in the blink of an eye.

After twenty minutes, he slowly opened his eyes.

He could feel that the Dou Qi within his body had surged significantly once more; his strength had now reached the seventh stage.

Xiao Ze smiled with satisfaction.

In only half an hour of cultivation, he had jumped directly from the first stage to the seventh.

The value of the Xiao Family ancestor was truly well-deserved.

Just as Xiao Ze stepped off his bed and prepared to head out, he heard a young girl's soft voice at the door.

The person was Xiao Xun'er, or more accurately, Gu Xun'er.

Xiao Xun'er had come to Xiao Ze's door and said, "Brother Xiao Ze, are you locking yourself in your room because the results of your strength test earlier today were not ideal?"

"Brother Xiao Ze, you once told Xun'er that only those who can let go of what they hold can truly be at ease."

Having transmigrated to the Douqi Continent for so many years, Xiao Ze had long since beaten Xiao Yan to the punch in nourishing Xiao Xun'er's meridians and bones.

Naturally, the current Xiao Xun'er had no connection to Xiao Yan.

Instead, her concern for him far exceeded the boundaries of a cousin within the clan.

As Xiao Ze pulled the door open, he saw the young girl in green robes standing before him.