The Xiao Clan.
In a quiet courtyard.
Xiao Ze paced back and forth in his room, thinking about how to get through tomorrow's bloodline test.
Just then—
A line of text appeared before his eyes.
['Child of the Plane' Xiao Yan has begun to trust you. Current trust level: half a star]
[Trust Points +100,000]
"How much?"
"One hundred thousand Trust Points?"
Staring at the sudden surge in Trust Points, Xiao Ze was dumbfounded.
Was this the power of the protagonist?
Was this the power of the Child of the Plane?
Though Xiao Yan's trust in him was only at half a star,
he had still given him one hundred thousand Trust Points!
"I'm rich, I'm rich!"
Xiao Ze was so excited he could barely contain himself.
He hurriedly opened the system.
[Host: Xiao Ze]
[Age: 20]
[Cultivation: One-Star Dou Emperor]
[Dou Techniques: None]
[Weapons: None]
[Trust List: Xiao Zhan (one star), Great Elder (one star), Second Elder (one star)...]
[Current Trust Points: 135732]
"One hundred and thirty thousand Trust Points!"
"A full one hundred and thirty thousand!"
"What did it mean to get rich overnight?"
"This was what getting rich overnight looked like!"
"Heh heh heh—"
He let out a villainous laugh and opened the System Shop.
With one hundred and thirty thousand Trust Points in hand, the world was his oyster!
"Let's see if there's anything that can help me pass the bloodline test."
After searching for a while, he actually found something.
[Ordinary Xiao Clan Member Bloodline]: 1,000 Trust Points
[Elite Xiao Clan Member Bloodline]: 5,000 Trust Points
[Direct-Line Xiao Clan Member Bloodline]: 10,000 Trust Points
[Ordinary Xiao Clan Member Emperor Bloodline]: 100,000 Trust Points
[Elite Xiao Clan Member Emperor Bloodline]: 1,000,000 Trust Points
[Direct-Line Xiao Clan Member Emperor Bloodline]: 10,000,000 Trust Points
The difference between an ordinary bloodline and an Emperor Bloodline went without saying.
Xiao Ze gazed at [Xiao Clan Emperor Bloodline], practically drooling.
But there was nothing he could do.
Even the most ordinary [Xiao Clan Emperor Bloodline] cost one hundred thousand Trust Points.
He only had one hundred and thirty thousand Trust Points. Was it worth spending one hundred thousand to exchange for [Ordinary Xiao Clan Member Emperor Bloodline]?
After thinking it over, he ultimately gave up.
"An ordinary Xiao Clan Emperor Bloodline is probably no better than that of an ordinary member of the Ancient Eight Clans. It'll give me some boost in cultivation, but not much..."
"For me, it won't make much difference right now."
Having made up his mind,
Xiao Ze's gaze settled on the ordinary Xiao Clan bloodlines.
"If I can't afford the Emperor Bloodline, I'll have to settle for an ordinary one."
"Since I'm supposed to be a direct-line descendant of the original Imperial Capital Xiao Clan, I might as well do it properly and exchange for [Direct-Line Xiao Clan Member Bloodline]. That'll make absolutely sure I pass."
Although it would cost thirty thousand Trust Points, it was a worthwhile investment.
As long as he secured his position as the Xiao Clan's ancestor, he could earn a steady stream of Trust Points from the entire clan.
Compared to that, the choice was obvious.
"System, exchange for [Direct-Line Xiao Clan Ordinary Bloodline]!"
As soon as he finished speaking,
[Trust Points -10,000]
[Current Trust Points: 125732]
In its place, his bloodline was completely transformed into that of the Xiao Clan.
Although the Xiao Clan had once been one of the Ancient Eight Clans, its Emperor Bloodline had been completely depleted a thousand years ago. The bloodline of the Xiao Clan today was no different from an ordinary one.
So after Xiao Ze changed his bloodline, nothing happened.
"That's it?"
"Nothing's changed!"
Xiao Ze got used to the feeling in his body. When he found that nothing felt different from before, he gradually relaxed.
"From now on, I'm a genuine member of the Xiao Clan?"
He muttered to himself.
Then he turned his attention back to the System Shop.
"I've still got one hundred thousand Trust Points. Let's see what else I can exchange for."
Suddenly, he spotted something good.
[Dou Huang Upgrade Card]: 100,000 Trust Points
[Note: Using a Dou Huang Upgrade Card will directly increase your cultivation by one star!]
"Hm?"
"A Dou Huang Upgrade Card? They have those?"
"But what a shame. It costs one hundred thousand Trust Points."
"With my cultivation at One-Star Dou Emperor, I can already protect myself in the Jia Ma Empire. I don't need to raise my cultivation for now."
"Besides..."
"One hundred thousand Trust Points is way too expensive."
Xiao Ze clicked his tongue and looked away.
One hundred thousand Trust Points was his entire fortune.
Exchanging them for a [Dou Huang Upgrade Card] would be a poor bargain.
You had to spend your money where it mattered.
After thinking it over,
Xiao Ze decided his cultivation was already high enough.
Next, he should focus on improving his combat strength.
"My One-Star Dou Emperor cultivation is enough to protect me."
"By comparison, the lack of Dou Techniques and weapons is a fatal weakness for me right now."
"If I run into another Dou Emperor, I might not be able to beat them without Dou Techniques or weapons."
Having figured this out,
Xiao Ze began browsing the Dou Techniques and weapons in the shop.
[Heaven Tier High-Level Dou Technique: Meteor Emperor Fist]: 5,000,000 Trust Points
[Heaven Tier Mid-Level Dou Technique: Sky-Propping Finger]: 1,000,000 Trust Points
[Heaven Tier Low-Level Dou Technique: Wild Continent Extinction Slash]: 500,000 Trust Points.
Xiao Ze: ...
Damn, were Heaven Tier Dou Techniques really that expensive?
Even the cheapest Heaven Tier Low-Level Dou Technique cost five hundred thousand Trust Points?
What a rip-off! A downright shameless rip-off!
After a pained sigh, he finally looked away.
Fortunately, Earth Tier Dou Techniques weren't nearly as outrageous as Heaven Tier ones.
Even the highest, an Earth Tier High-Level Dou Technique, only cost one hundred thousand Trust Points.
After browsing for a while, he finally chose the following items.
An Earth Tier Mid-Level Dou Technique, [Holy Spirit Sword Technique], worth fifty thousand Trust Points.
Two Earth Tier Low-Level Dou Techniques, [Myriad Transformation Phantom] and [Heaven Burning Palm], worth twenty thousand Trust Points.
And a sixth-tier weapon, the [Taixiao Sword], worth fifty thousand Trust Points.
Twelve thousand Trust Points in total.
And with that, Xiao Ze had spent all his Trust Points.
In exchange, his strength had undergone a world-shaking transformation.
"Three Earth Tier cultivation methods and Dou Techniques, plus a sixth-tier weapon comparable to a Dou Emperor in strength."
"My combat strength should be top-tier even among Dou Emperors now, right?"
"At the very least, ordinary low- and mid-star Dou Emperors won't be a match for me."
Feeling his strength surge within him, Xiao Ze's confidence swelled.
With three Earth Tier Dou Techniques in hand, he had nothing to fear anywhere in the Jia Ma Empire.
After all, even the other Dou Emperor experts in the Jia Ma Empire might not have a single Earth Tier Dou Technique.
The most prominent example was Ice Emperor Hai Bodong.
Though he possessed the strength of a Five-Star Dou Emperor, he didn't have a single Earth Tier Dou Technique.
The few Dou Techniques he commonly used were almost all only Profound Tier.
This showed just how few Earth Tier Dou Techniques there were in the entire Jia Ma Empire.
With three Earth Tier Dou Techniques at his disposal, there was no question about his strength.
"I mustn't get complacent."
"Though three Earth Tier Dou Techniques and a sixth-tier weapon are enough to keep me safe in the Jia Ma Empire, this world is full of hidden dangers."
"With my current strength as a One-Star Dou Emperor, I still can't afford to get too reckless, or some old monster might set their sights on me."
"The story of the Dou Qi Continent has only just begun."
"And Xiao Yan's path to becoming the Flame Emperor has only just begun..."
"I still need to put caution first."
After taking several deep breaths to calm himself,
he sat cross-legged on the bed and silently practiced the three Dou Techniques he had just obtained.
[Holy Spirit Sword Technique][Myriad Transformation Phantom][Heaven Burning Palm]
All three were first-rate Dou Techniques.
They would greatly improve his strength, so he couldn't afford to slack off.
Before you continue