Xiao Yan Falls for a Trap

While the Xiao Ding and Xiao Li brothers were suffering endless "torment" in Rock Desert City, their little brother Xiao Yan, far away in Wutan City, was not doing much better. In fact, he had it even worse than his two brothers.

After the day of the broken engagement, who in the Xiao Family—or even all of Wutan City—did not know that Xiao Yan had an incredibly domineering and powerful uncle? Not only was he a Dou King, but also a mysterious high-tier alchemist.

That status directly gave Xiao Yan an enormous shield. His standing in the Xiao Family shot upward like a rocket, already surpassing even his father, Xiao Zhan.

In many clans, the family head or clan leader did not hold the highest status. They were usually sidelined, or the old clan leader still controlled the clan's real power.

But the Xiao Family was different now. It was practically a crown prince ruling in the sovereign's stead. Xiao Yan's status stood above everyone else's, and a single word from him could decide the Xiao Family's major affairs.

On the second day after the broken engagement, Xiao Yan, having received Medicine Elder's guidance, was worrying over how to gather enough money to buy medicinal ingredients when the Xiao Family's Second Elder—the very Second Elder whom Yang Chen had sent flying with a wave of his sleeve—personally delivered a gold card to him.

He did not say how many gold coins it contained. He only said that if Xiao Yan needed anything, he could ask the family, and the family would spare no effort to help him. The kindness and gentleness displayed by the Xiao Family's Second Elder felt utterly unfamiliar to Xiao Yan. After all, he was far more accustomed to the Second Elder's arrogant demeanor.

With money in his pocket, Xiao Yan lavishly bought back a huge pile of medicinal ingredients and had Medicine Elder refine them into various pills for cultivation.

But however delightful it had been to buy the ingredients, cultivation was just as agonizing once it began.

"Hiss! Ah! Teacher, go easier on me!"

Xiao Yan grimaced in pain. Between his tortured expression and his miserable howls, anyone unaware of the situation would have thought he was being abused.

In truth, Medicine Elder was merely floating nearby with a cheerful smile, making no move at all. Xiao Yan, meanwhile, was enveloped by a not particularly large formation. At that moment, streams of orange-red flames rose within it, continuously scorching him.

Yet even as the flames swallowed him, Xiao Yan's body bore no burns. That was thanks to the glossy ointment coating his skin, which kept the flames' high temperatures from injuring his flesh.

But it was also this ointment that allowed the flames within the formation to continuously seep through the apertures of his body and into Xiao Yan, tempering his internal organs and every inch of his flesh and blood.

Of course, the ointment had one tiny side effect: it slightly amplified the pain of being burned. The agony of raging flames consuming one's body was enough to drive a person mad. On his first day of cultivation, Xiao Yan had passed out directly from the pain.

"Kid, stop howling. There's still one incense stick's worth of time left, then we'll be done for today."

Hearing Medicine Elder's laughter, Xiao Yan's lips twitched involuntarily. Whether the pain of the flames was simply too unbearable or he was feeling somewhat intimidated, he asked rather sheepishly, "Teacher, can I rest for a day today? I only broke through to the fourth stage of Dou Qi yesterday. Shouldn't I consolidate my cultivation first?"

Medicine Elder merely looked at Xiao Yan with a smile. Under Xiao Yan's delighted gaze, he gently nodded, then began counting things off with a chuckle.

"Of course. At worst, three years from now, you'll lose the match to Nalan Yanran. Then your uncle will forcefully pressure the Yunlan Sect to keep Nalan Yanran from breaking off the engagement, all to preserve your dignity."

"Actually, it's no big deal. He's your own uncle, after all. He'll definitely be willing to do that. It's just that, behind his back, countless people may mock him for bullying the young with his strength, acting overbearing, and going too far. Oh, right. He might also become outright enemies with that Yunlan Sect..."

Before Medicine Elder could finish listing everything, Xiao Yan's expression had already turned grim. Gritting his teeth, he said in a low voice, "Teacher, stop."

When his uncle had arranged the three-year agreement for him, Xiao Yan had been too shocked to react. But now, how could he still fail to understand his uncle's painstaking intentions?

Yes, his uncle could help him preserve the engagement. His uncle could even force Nalan Yanran to marry him; at worst, they could be made to marry by force that very night.

But what would the outcome be? He would be cursed for the rest of his life as a spineless coward, someone who could only throw his weight around by relying on his uncle's power.

That three-year agreement was entirely his uncle enduring accusations of "using power to oppress others" and "bullying the young" to forcefully win him a chance to prove himself—to prove that Xiao Yan was not trash, to prove that those three years had merely been a low point in his life.

How could a golden-scaled fish remain trapped in a pond? Once it encountered wind and clouds, it would transform into a dragon!

He, Xiao Yan, was that golden-scaled fish in the pond. Those three years had merely been his time of lying low, his period of accumulation before transforming into a dragon. He, Xiao Yan of the Xiao Family, was not trash!

When the time came, whether the engagement continued or not, he would be able to preserve his reputation.

So no matter what, he absolutely could not let his uncle down!

"Kid, don't lose heart. Look, it's only been a few days, yet you've already broken through to the fourth stage of Dou Qi. Before long, you'll advance to become a Dou Practitioner. By then, you'll be completely transformed!"

Medicine Elder could not help but sigh inwardly. That fellow truly was formidable; he had even calculated every aspect of Xiao Yan's mindset. At the same time, Medicine Elder had to admit that the man was truly ruthless. He even dared use such inhuman torment on his own nephew.

But after enduring this kind of torment, Xiao Yan would undoubtedly build an incomparably solid foundation. When the time came, he truly would be completely transformed.

"Teacher, is that cultivation art of yours really so powerful? Don't let it turn out that I suffered all this pain only for you to toss me some random technique to fool me."

Unable to bear the pain, Xiao Yan could only forcefully distract himself by speaking with Medicine Elder, hoping to lessen the agony somewhat.

Although Xiao Yan greatly resisted this kind of cultivation, he knew perfectly well how much he had changed during this period. If he truly continued cultivating like this until he became a Dou Practitioner, he would indeed be completely transformed.

"What do you know, brat? Back then, I risked my life to sneakily obtain that cultivation art through some means while several Dou Saints were fighting fiercely. This is a cultivation art beyond the Heaven tier! Don't be ungrateful!"

Although Medicine Elder had not cultivated the Fire God Art, also known as the Flame God Art, he had studied it for several days. Its intricacy had completely surpassed his understanding.

Once cultivated to great mastery, it would allow one to command all the flames under heaven. That was no exaggeration.