Sparring

Early that morning, Xiao Yun came to the small pavilion in his front courtyard and sat down, thinking, System, today's reward has refreshed, right?

Xiao Zhan had arranged Xiao Yun's residence overnight. It was the place where Xiao Yun now lived: a spacious little courtyard with two rooms and a kitchen.

[Host, it has refreshed. Would you like to claim it now?]

"Claim it."

[Today's reward has refreshed. Congratulations, Host, you have obtained a low-tier Xuan-class Dou Technique: Water-Absorbing Palm.]

[The Dou Technique has been placed in the storage space. Host may inspect it at will.]

Hearing the system's words, Xiao Yun sighed inwardly. The rewards had indeed gotten worse.

Although the system provided one daily reward that Xiao Yun could claim as long as he remained alive, the rewards were tied to the ambient energy of heaven and earth. The poorer the surrounding energy was, the worse the rewards became; conversely, the better the energy, the better the rewards.

Eight years ago, Xiao Yun had left the Xiao Clan because the rewards he could obtain there had become less and less helpful to him. In order to gain better rewards to help himself break through, he had no choice but to travel abroad.

"Brother Xiao Yun." Just as Xiao Yun was feeling melancholy over the decline in the system's rewards, the sweet voice of a four-year-old girl rang out.

Xiao Yun looked toward the source of the voice and smiled. "The little sleepyhead is up."

Of the two rooms in the small courtyard, one belonged to Xiao Yun, while the other belonged to Gu Xun'er.

When Xiao Zhan had arranged the rooms the previous night, he had initially assigned Gu Xun'er a room of her own. Among the younger generation of the Xiao Clan, that was already the best treatment possible.

But Gu Xun'er refused. No matter what, she insisted on living with Xiao Yun, so in the end, Xiao Zhan arranged for them to stay in this small courtyard with two rooms.

As a result, Gu Xun'er's room and Xiao Yun's room were separated by only a single wall.

"Hmph, Xun'er isn't lazy." The moment Gu Xun'er heard Xiao Yun call her a little sleepyhead, she became unhappy.

Seeing the adorable little girl's brows furrow tightly, Xiao Yun burst into laughter.

He walked over, picked Gu Xun'er up, and smiled. "All right, all right. Xun'er isn't lazy."

Only then did a smile appear on Gu Xun'er's face. Seeing this, Xiao Yun carried her outside and said as they walked, "Come on, Xun'er. I'll show you around the Xiao Clan."

Carrying Gu Xun'er in his arms, Xiao Yun wandered around the Xiao Clan. The two of them looked like a pair of siblings.

Though Xiao Yun was twenty, he looked several years younger. With his handsome appearance, he alone was enough to draw the attention of the girls around him.

Now, with an adorable four-year-old girl added to the mix, this pair that looked like siblings stirred up quite a bit of discussion as they walked through the Xiao Clan.

Ignoring the chatter around him, Xiao Yun walked through the Xiao Clan for two reasons. First, he wanted to look around and familiarize himself with the place, since he would be living here from now on. Second, he was looking for someone: Xiao Yan.

Yesterday, Xiao Zhan had asked Xiao Yun to train Xiao Yan a little, and Xiao Yun had accepted the job.

According to Xiao Zhan, Xiao Yan possessed the greatest talent among the younger generation of the clan. He had begun cultivating at the age of four and had already reached the third stage of Dou Qi Force at five. He was a true genius.

But geniuses usually shared a common flaw: arrogance and complacency. Xiao Yan was no exception. Amid the praise surrounding him, he had even begun to develop increasingly lofty opinions of himself.

Xiao Zhan had also taught Xiao Yan that there were always greater people beyond others and greater heavens beyond the sky, but Xiao Yan paid little heed to his words. No, it would be more accurate to say that Xiao Yan paid little heed to him as a person. Xiao Zhan could vaguely sense that Xiao Yan seemed to harbor considerable dissatisfaction toward him, his father.

After realizing that Xiao Yan would not listen to him as a father, Xiao Zhan wanted Xiao Yun to help him think of a solution.

Otherwise, with Xiao Yan's current mindset, he might grow into someone with an excessive sense of self-importance, incapable of seeing himself clearly.

When Xiao Yun reached the Xiao Clan's training ground, he spotted Xiao Yan. At the moment, Xiao Yan was surrounded by a group of little brats, holding a large stone over his head.

"Young Master Xiao Yan is amazing!"

"Even someone at the fourth stage of Dou Qi Force would find it hard to lift that stone, right?"

"Young Master Xiao Yan is a genius. How could ordinary people compare to him?"

The endless praise from those around him, along with the reputation of being a much-admired genius, pleased Xiao Yan greatly.

"Little Yan, having fun?" Xiao Yun's voice suddenly rang out.

The little brats surrounding Xiao Yan all turned to look at Xiao Yun.

This was Xiao Yun's first appearance today, and none of the younger members of the Xiao Clan knew him. For a moment, no one knew who he was.

Xiao Yan reluctantly stepped out of the crowd. He glanced at Gu Xun'er in Xiao Yun's arms, then called out, "Uncle Xiao Yun."

This uncle who had suddenly appeared made Xiao Yan uncomfortable all over. Right now, he did not want to see Xiao Yun at all.

Xiao Yun merely smiled faintly. "Little Yan, are you having a competition?"

"Yes."

Those two simple words, along with the discomfort written all over Xiao Yan's face, made his reluctance obvious. If Xiao Yun had not been his uncle, Xiao Yan probably could not even be bothered to answer.

Xiao Yun set Gu Xun'er down and said in a familiar tone, "Perfect. Then why don't you compete with your little sister Xun'er?"

Xiao Yun looked at Gu Xun'er and smiled. "Xun'er, do you want to spar with your brother Xiao Yan? If you win, you'll get some Pill Candy."

Pill Candy was a sweet little snack Xiao Yun had invented. After Gu Xun'er ate one yesterday, she fell in love with it.

Gu Xun'er, who had initially shown little interest, instantly perked up upon hearing Xiao Yun's words. "I do."

Xiao Yan looked at Gu Xun'er. Her adorable appearance gave him quite a favorable impression of her, but sparring with such a little girl made him somewhat reluctant to strike.

Seeing Xiao Yan hesitate, Xiao Yun continued to provoke him. "Little Yan, don't tell me you're scared?"

"Your little sister Xun'er is a year younger than you, and her cultivation talent is excellent too. If you're scared, then forget it."

Xiao Yun's words immediately made Xiao Yan unhappy. He had not wanted to fight Gu Xun'er because he thought she could not beat him and feared hurting her. But after Xiao Yun provoked him, who cared whether she got hurt or not? They would fight first and talk later.

"Who said I'm scared? Let's do it." After saying that, Xiao Yan walked to an open area.

Seeing this, Xiao Yun chuckled inwardly. He had deliberately provoked Xiao Yan because he wanted Xiao Yan to have a match with Gu Xun'er.

To blunt a genius's sharp edge, one naturally needed another genius.

Xiao Yun was practically a monstrous genius himself, but having him personally spar with Xiao Yan would be inappropriate. That definitely would not do.

Gu Xun'er had already reached the ninth stage of Dou Qi Force, and she was the right age as well. She was perfect for the job.

"Go on, Xun'er. Just spar with your brother Xiao Yan. Don't hurt him." Xiao Yun smiled as he stroked Gu Xun'er's little head with his right hand.

Hearing Xiao Yun's words from not far away, Xiao Yan raised his chin disdainfully. Me, hurt by a little girl? How could that be possible?

Xiao Yan still had no idea what he was about to face. Looking at Gu Xun'er as she approached, he smiled and said, "Sister Xun'er, I'll go easy on you later. I'll try not to hurt you."