Time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, another month had passed.
Ever since the Xiao Clan wiped out the Jalie Clan, its reputation in Wutan City had soared. A month later, the Xiao Clan had become the foremost clan in the city.
Though its reputation had risen, the Xiao Clan continued to keep a low profile.
Most of the Xiao Clan members went about their work in an orderly fashion. They hadn't grown lax just because their clan had become the foremost family in Wutan City.
After a month of hard work, the Xiao Clan had finally managed to take over the Jalie Clan's inheritance. As one of the three great clans in Wutan City, the Jalie Clan had possessed an extremely rich legacy, enough to make others green with envy.
Fortunately, they all behaved themselves. None dared to pull any tricks in front of Xiao Ze, the Xiao Clan's ancestor.
And it was precisely because no one stood in their way that the Xiao Clan had managed to take over the Jalie Clan's inheritance so smoothly.
But taking possession of it was one thing. It would still take a long time to absorb such a vast legacy.
That covered the expansion of the Xiao Clan's external influence.
Next, let's talk about the changes within the clan.
With the wealth of resources they had obtained from the Jalie Clan, the Xiao Clan members' strength began to skyrocket.
Many members who had been held back by a lack of resources finally broke through their bottlenecks. In just one month, the Xiao Clan gained more than ten Dou Zhe and five Dou Shi!
Even the Second Elder, who had been stuck at nine-star Dou Shi, successfully broke through to Da Dou Shi, becoming the Xiao Clan's third powerhouse at the Da Dou Shi level!
For a time, the entire Xiao Tribe erupted in jubilant cheers.
Many Xiao Clan members were filled with hope for the clan's future.
Oh, right. There was one more thing worth mentioning.
Half a month ago, on the very day Xiao Ze's one-month deadline expired, the Misty Cloud Sect sent over twenty Qi Gathering Pills, along with a Fifth-grade Pill called the Burst Qi Pill.
There was no need to say much about the Qi Gathering Pills.
The Burst Qi Pill was a medicine that could greatly enhance a cultivator's Dou Qi and combat strength for a short time.
This Burst Qi Pill could let a Da Dou Shi cultivator display the strength of a Dou Ling. Of course, it also came with severe side effects. An ordinary Da Dou Shi who took it would suffer ruptured meridians and have their cultivation utterly destroyed.
It was a trump card to be used only as a last resort.
Thus, as soon as the Xiao Clan received the pill, they locked it away in the clan treasury.
At this stage, the Burst Qi Pill wasn't much help to the Xiao Clan.
But the Qi Gathering Pills were another matter.
A single Qi Gathering Pill could nurture a young Dou Zhe. Twenty pills meant they could nurture twenty young Dou Zhe!
So the moment the Xiao Clan received the pills, Xiao Zhan announced that they would only be given to members of the younger generation who were under twenty and had reached the Ninth Stage Dou Qi.
Anyone who failed to meet either the age or cultivation requirement would receive none.
The restriction caused some unrest within the clan, but the elders soon quelled the discontent.
After all, Xiao Zhan had made a good point: "The clan's future belongs to the younger generation. If you're old, then act your age. Don't keep trying to snatch resources from the youngsters!"
And so, the minor disturbance faded away without a trace.
With the help of the Qi Gathering Pills, some of the Xiao Clan's younger members successfully advanced to Dou Zhe and began to stand out. Under Xiao Zhan's leadership, the entire clan continued to progress steadily.
The Xiao Clan's inner grounds.
Xiao Ze's residence.
"Have you mastered the cultivation technique I gave you a few days ago?"
"If there's anything you don't understand, speak up now. Your ancestor is in a good mood today and can explain a thing or two."
Looking at the young men and women before him, Xiao Ze spoke in an even tone.
These youngsters had all been sent by Xiao Zhan to attend to him. Every one of them was a familiar face.
Xiao Mei, Xiao Ning, Xiao Yan...
They were all prominent direct-line members of the Xiao Clan.
After Xiao Zhan had sent them over, Xiao Ze hadn't paid them much attention. He had simply tossed them a low-level Xuan Tier Dou Technique he'd exchanged through the system and left them to practice on their own.
He'd forgotten what the technique was called. It was only a low-level Xuan Tier Dou Technique, after all. As far as he was concerned, a technique had to be at least High Xuan Tier to be worth a cursory look.
He was in a good mood today, and on a whim, he'd decided to give the clan's juniors some pointers.
Hearing that their honored ancestor would personally guide their cultivation, the young men and women were thrilled. They hurriedly shared the problems they'd encountered while practicing over the past few days.
"Ancestor, lately I often feel a distending pain in my meridians when I practice. I don't know what's causing it..."
"Ancestor, I often feel that I can't bring out the full power of the Xiao Clan Dou Technique, Stele-Splitting Palm. I beg you to guide me..."
"Ancestor, the cultivation technique you bestowed on me a few days ago is too profound. I'm still confused about some parts..."
"Honored ancestor..."
Xiao Ze patiently explained each of the problems they raised.
In the end,
they left feeling satisfied.
Watching them go, Xiao Ze sighed with emotion.
"Compared to the original story, all of their cultivation has improved considerably!"
With the Jalie Clan's vast resources behind them, the Xiao Clan's younger generation had grown much stronger.
Take Xiao Yan, for example. In the original story, it had taken him a year to advance from Three-Stage Dou Qi to Seven-Stage Dou Qi. Now, he'd reached Six-Stage Dou Qi in only a month and a half.
The speed was jaw-dropping.
At this rate, he would reach the Ninth Stage Dou Qi in at most half a year, then return to the Dou Zhe level with the help of a Qi Gathering Pill.
Xiao Yan wasn't the only one whose cultivation speed had improved.
In the original story, Xiao Mei had only managed to advance by one stage in a year. Now, she'd advanced by one stage in just a month and a half, no slower than him.
Xiao Ning, the third most talented young man after Xiao Yan and Xiao Yu (Xiao Xun'er didn't count), had now reached Eight-Stage Dou Qi.
He was one of the best among the Xiao Clan's younger generation. At most, he'd reach Dou Zhe within a year.
Besides them, many other Xiao Clan members were making progress as well.
The entire Xiao Clan was flourishing.
"Half a year..." Xiao Ze murmured. "Xiao Yan won't break through to Dou Zhe for another half a year?"
It was easy to imagine that Xiao Yan wouldn't leave Wutan City before reaching Dou Zhe.
And since the Xiao Clan had swallowed up the Jalie Clan, it would also need quite some time to absorb its legacy.
So what lay ahead for Xiao Ze was a peaceful stretch lasting half a year.
"Xiao Yan needs half a year to reach Dou Zhe. The Xiao Clan will be calm during that time, and perhaps I should use it to improve my own combat experience."
Ever since arriving in this world, he hadn't fought a single battle, so he had very little confidence in his combat experience.
While the Xiao Clan was at peace, he had to improve his practical combat skills.
Otherwise, if he ran into a cultivator of the same level, they might see through him and realize he was nothing but a silver spear with a wax tip... That would be awkward.
As he spoke, his gaze turned toward the distant Magical Beast Mountain Range.
If he remembered correctly, a sixth-tier monster there was comparable to a Dou Huang expert. Perhaps it would make the perfect opponent for his first real fight.
Deep in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, the Amethyst Winged Lion King was sleeping when it suddenly felt its chrysanthemum tighten.
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