Xiao Ze looked at the system panel.
It displayed an unfinished task.
That was, to reveal the strength of a one-star Dou Wang before his father, Xiao Zhan.
Then the task could be completed.
Xiao Ze smiled faintly. Such a trivial task posed no difficulty at all.
By evening, Xiao Ze had specifically called his father, Xiao Zhan, over.
They went to a quiet place, where there were only the father and son, Xiao Ze and Xiao Zhan.
Xiao Zhan said excitedly,
"Son, I never expected you to return at last after going out to gain experience."
"You have no idea that during this time, because of you—"
"our Xiao Family has received so much attention from every force and family in the empire."
"If it had been in the past, it would have been something your father would never have dared to dream of!"
As Xiao Zhan spoke, it was not hard to tell
that he was truly thrilled and excited.
After all, his third son, Xiao Yan, had been publicly rejected in marriage.
For years, Xiao Yan's strength at the third stage of Dou Qi had often earned him ridicule as worthless.
As his father, Xiao Zhan naturally had no pride to show for it, and he had felt deeply stifled as well.
But now, his youngest son, Xiao Ze, had received so much attention and importance.
And at such a young age, barely in his teens, he was already a young Dou Ling powerhouse.
As his father, Xiao Zhan naturally felt immensely proud. He was incredibly excited.
Xiao Zhan looked at him and said,
"Ze'er, where did you go while you were out gaining experience during this time?"
"The Magic Beast Mountain Range has a sixth-tier magic beast, the Amethyst Winged Lion King."
"You didn't run into it, did you? That beast is a Dou Emperor-level powerhouse."
"Even Yun Yun, the sect leader of the Misty Cloud Sect, has the strength of a three-star Dou Emperor."
"She is still no match for that beast at all."
"Your father was very worried while you were out gaining experience."
"I was afraid you would encounter a magic beast of that level while training in the Magic Beast Mountain Range."
"I was truly worried. Not just me—your brother Xiao Yan and Xun'er were worried too."
"All of us felt the same way."
"And during this time, Princess Yao Yue came looking for you again and again."
"She wanted to compete with you in alchemy. It was obvious that Princess Yao Yue was still—"
"somewhat bothered by losing to you last time."
When Xiao Zhan said this, Xiao Ze gave a soft laugh.
He could tell that Yao Yue had indeed worked very hard lately.
Otherwise, she would not have advanced so quickly from a Tier 3 Alchemist.
Reaching the Tier 4 realm meant she did have some talent and ability.
Xiao Ze remained quite indifferent about it.
He did not say anything further. Instead, he looked calmly at Xiao Zhan.
Then he said,
"Father, let's not talk about others first. Has your strength improved at all during this time?"
Xiao Zhan sighed, then said
that both his talent and strength were quite limited.
If not for Xiao Ze's help last time, he would never have broken through the bottleneck of a Five-Star Grand Dou Shi.
He was still very far from the Dou Ling realm.
But as things stood, he was already satisfied.
Xiao Ze smiled faintly, then nodded and said,
"It doesn't matter, Father. It is only the strength of a Dou Ling."
"I'll stay with the Xiao Family for a few days. I will definitely help you reach the Dou Ling realm as soon as possible."
"As for me, my current strength, after all, before I left the Xiao Family last time—"
"did indeed improve quite a bit."
"Could he have reached the strength of a nine-star Dou Ling?"
Xiao Zhan's first reaction was shock.
So he muttered to himself in his heart.
But he did not dare be certain, nor did he dare think too much about it.
Even if Xiao Ze had reached the strength of a nine-star Dou Ling,
breaking through to Dou Wang and gaining the ability of Douqi Wing Manifestation
would still be extremely difficult. Thus, Xiao Zhan did not connect it to that possibility at all.
Before Xiao Zhan could continue thinking,
two figures appeared not far away.
They were Yao Yue and Yao Ye, the two princesses of the imperial family.
The sisters had just been taking a walk nearby.
Since they would be staying temporarily with the Xiao Family for the next few days,
it was already late, and neither sister could sleep, so they had come out for a stroll.
Yao Ye spoke first, saying,
"Yue'er, why do you insist on competing with Xiao Ze in alchemy?"
"I've never seen you take something this seriously before."
"Is it because Xiao Ze's rank as an Alchemist is higher than yours?"
"Because he can refine Rejuvenation Pills of a higher tier than you can?"
"Sis, I'm the most talented and youngest Tier 3 Alchemist in our Jia Ma Empire."
"Besides, I'm a princess. Within the Jia Ma Empire—"
"I won't allow anyone to surpass me. This Xiao Ze has been valued so highly by Great-Grandfather."
"I thought he was merely all talk, and that at most his teacher was formidable."
"That didn't mean he himself was particularly strong. But after I lost to him last time—"
"I truly feel unbalanced. No matter what, I must surpass him!"
Yao Yue said earnestly.
Though she was young, her competitive spirit was still very strong.
Besides, she believed that she was now a Tier 4 Alchemist.
If she competed with Xiao Ze again, even if she was still inferior to him,
she would be much stronger than last time.
Just as the two sisters were discussing Xiao Ze,
they suddenly saw Xiao Zhan and Xiao Ze, father and son, not far away.
They seemed to be talking about something.
Yao Ye immediately reminded her,
"Yue'er, let's go somewhere else."
"Xiao Ze has just returned from gaining experience, so Clan Leader Xiao Zhan naturally has plenty to say to him."
"We shouldn't eavesdrop on a conversation between father and son."
"Let's go somewhere else. No matter what, we are guests of the Xiao Family this time."
"We shouldn't be so discourteous, even if we are princesses of the empire."
"We must not lose our bearing."
Yao Yue shook her head, but said with certainty
that there was nothing wrong with listening to what the father and son were talking about.
She continued listening, wanting to know what Xiao Zhan and Xiao Ze were discussing.
She never expected that the very next second,
a scene that shocked both Yao Yue and Yao Ye would occur.
Xiao Zhan spoke then, looking at Xiao Ze as he said,
"Ze'er, now that you mention it, your father really is a little curious."
"You've been out gaining experience for some time. Just how much has your strength improved?"
"My son's cultivation talent is so astonishing, and you've gone out to gain experience this time as well."
"Your improvement must have been considerable, right?"
"Come on, show your father the results of your efforts during this time."
"Let me see properly just how much progress you've made."
Xiao Ze nodded and immediately said, "All right."
Then he stepped away and revealed a bit of his strength.
The Dou Qi energy within his body swiftly began to circulate.
Then they saw him manifest Douqi wings and fly into the sky.
This was an ability possessed only by Dou Wang powerhouses: Douqi Wing Manifestation!
Thus, at the instant he revealed his Dou Wang strength,
besides receiving the system's task reward,
Yao Ye and Princess Yao Yue, who were watching nearby,
were also utterly stunned, their faces filled with shock!
Before you continue