A day passed quickly. Aside from sparring and shopping with Xiao Xun'er, Xiao Ni spent the rest of his time familiarizing himself with combat techniques and cultivation methods, soaking his body in Foundation Elixir.
By now, the water in the wooden tub had completely returned to its clear white color. In just two days, Xiao Ni had absorbed all of its medicinal effects, greatly exceeding his expectations.
"Why does this Foundation Elixir run out so quickly? Shouldn't one bottle last for several months? Forget it. As long as I reached Seven-Star Dou Practitioner, that's enough." Xiao Ni murmured softly before finally revealing a satisfied smile.
He finally understood why the Foundation Elixir rewarded by the system could only be absorbed for two hours each day. Its medicinal effects were absorbed far too quickly. One bottle of Foundation Elixir only lasted four hours. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? Xun'er and Xiao Yan had probably used up a bottle as well, right?
"I'm already a Seven-Star Dou Practitioner. Even another bottle of Foundation Elixir might not help me break through to eight stars. Once the Second Elder sends over the bottle of Foundation Elixir I put up for auction tomorrow, I'll give it to Xun'er." Having made his decision, Xiao Ni drifted happily off to sleep.
Xiao Ning was practically his god of wealth. Not only had he easily earned 280,000 Gold Coins from him, but he could also reclaim his own Foundation Elixir and give it to Xun'er. It was truly the best of both worlds.
Early to bed and early to rise was not Xiao Ni's usual principle, but he would keep doing it until the twenty-one-day mission was complete. He absolutely could not let Xiao Xun'er get up before him. Otherwise, if the timing was off, it would be difficult for him to say, "Morning, Xun'er." Perhaps this counted as a kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
At dawn, Xiao Ni opened his bleary eyes and rose even earlier than he had yesterday. The Misty Cloud Sect would come to annul the engagement today, and Xiao Xun'er would probably be up early as well, so he had to race against time.
"She's already up." When he arrived at Xiao Xun'er's place, he found her standing outside her room waiting for him. Xiao Ni paused slightly, then walked over with a smile. "Morning, Xun'er. It's wonderful to see you."
"Do you say that every morning, Xiao Ni?" Xiao Xun'er teasingly looked him over, then casually tossed him a pouch of Gold Coins.
She felt that giving Xiao Ni cards every day was too boring, so she had switched to a money pouch today. Yet Xiao Ni stubbornly stuck to the same routine, greeting her with the exact same words for three straight days without any flexibility. It left her feeling slightly disgruntled.
"This sentence expresses how much I want to see you all the time. What's wrong with that?" Xiao Ni caught the money pouch and teased Xiao Xun'er in return. Only after seeing her little face flush slightly did he change the subject. "Uncle Xiao told me yesterday that honored guests would arrive today. Let's go wait in the Council Hall."
"Mm, that's why I got up so early too." Xiao Xun'er narrowed her eyes slightly, a captivating smile on her face.
"Xun'er, you're so well-informed. Don't tell me you already know who today's honored guests are?" Xiao Ni wore a gossipy expression, as though he knew nothing at all.
He knew this girl was somewhat unhappy because his morning greetings never changed, so he wanted to give Xiao Xun'er a chance to feel proud. That should improve her mood quite a bit.
Girls either needed to be coaxed directly, or their little bit of vanity had to be satisfied.
"Hehe, do you want to know, Xiao Ni?" Rather than immediately answering his question, Xiao Xun'er asked one of her own.
"Of course I do. I barely slept last night because of this. If you know, Xun'er, tell me quietly." Xiao Ni looked full of anticipation as he grabbed Xiao Xun'er's little hand.
"Today's honored guests are from the Misty Cloud Sect. If I'm not mistaken, Xiao Yan's fiancée, Nalan Yanran, should be coming along as well." Xiao Xun'er leaned close to Xiao Ni's ear and quietly revealed the inside information. Only then did she realize that she and Xiao Ni seemed a little too intimate, and hurriedly pulled her hand back.
"Nalan Yanran? Are they here to discuss the wedding date?" Xiao Ni continued pretending to be ignorant.
"Nalan Yanran is Yun Yun's most favored disciple. I heard she's been spoiled and arrogant since childhood. I feel that there's a greater chance she came to the Xiao Household to annul the engagement." Xiao Xun'er kept her voice low, but this time, her red lips remained a fist's distance away from Xiao Ni.
"If they're here to annul it, then let's wait and see them get slapped in the face." Xiao Ni said solemnly.
If he had not come to this world, Xiao Zhan and Xiao Yan might have suffered a great humiliation. But now that he was here and had grown stronger, he would definitely help this father and son vent their anger today.
"Xiao Ni, you sound so indignant that anyone who didn't know better would think you were Nalan Yanran's fiancé." Having had some of her vanity satisfied by Xiao Ni, Xiao Xun'er immediately began teasing him again.
"If I had that kind of luck, I'd definitely go to the Misty Cloud Sect myself and say in front of everyone, 'Nalan Yanran, your talent is too poor. You're not worthy of me. Our engagement ends here.'" Xiao Ni held his head high and puffed out his chest, looking like an unrivaled figure above the world.
When Xiao Xun'er heard the first half of Xiao Ni's words, her little face instantly turned cold. But upon hearing the second half, she immediately revealed a pure and adorable smile. "Does Xiao Ni really think even the Misty Cloud Sect leader's most favored disciple isn't worthy of you?"
"Of course." Xiao Ni answered without hesitation.
"Then what kind of woman does Xiao Ni think would be worthy of you?" Xiao Xun'er continued asking.
"Someone like you, naturally." Xiao Ni lightly pinched Xiao Xun'er's cheek, and she immediately turned around with a flushed face.
She was not embarrassed because Xiao Ni had pinched her cheek, but because his words made her feel shy. She had never expected herself to hold such an important place in Xiao Ni's heart.
"Let's go, girl. Let's meet the honored guests from the Misty Cloud Sect." Seeing Xiao Xun'er's bashful appearance and knowing his goal had been achieved, Xiao Ni immediately turned his head and spoke to her.
"Mm." Xiao Xun'er revealed a smile like a green lotus just beginning to bloom. Though she had calmed down on the surface, her heart still fluttered slightly from Xiao Ni's words.
Before long, the two arrived at the Council Hall and found Xiao Zhan, the First Elder, and the Third Elder already seated. They smiled and offered a greeting. Then Xiao Ni moved over a chair and placed it to his right.
"What is Xiao Ni doing?" Xiao Xun'er, seated to Xiao Ni's left, asked in surprise.
"I'm afraid there won't be enough seats later, so I'm saving one for Xiao Yan first." Xiao Ni leaned a little closer to Xiao Xun'er and explained in a low voice.
"Xiao Ni is so thoughtful. Given the three elders' attitude toward Xiao Yan, they really might not leave him a seat." Xiao Xun'er nodded seriously and gave Xiao Ni a thumbs-up.
"It's about time. First Elder, come with me to welcome the honored guests." Xiao Zhan glanced at the sky outside before turning to the First Elder.
"Yes." The First Elder nodded slightly and followed Xiao Zhan out of the Council Hall. Both men wore expressions of anticipation and nervousness.
They were honored guests from the Misty Cloud Sect. It was impossible not to be nervous. What kind of place was the Misty Cloud Sect? It was one of the Jia Ma Empire's top powers. Only the Jia Ma Empire's imperial family could contend with it.
A quarter of an hour later, some of the most talented young and middle-aged members of the Xiao Household gradually arrived at the Council Hall, leaving only two seats vacant.
A few people had originally wanted to sit to Xiao Ni's right, but Xiao Ni refused each of them with a smile. That seat was reserved for Xiao Yan, and no one could take it. As for whether there would be enough seats for Nalan Yanran and the others, that had nothing to do with him.
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