Mighty Heavenly Dragon

"Clang."

Qingtian flicked a red bamboo stalk with his finger. A crisp ring echoed out, and the surrounding air rippled, condensing into a mysterious force that shot straight ahead of Xiao Ni and the others.

The void before them rippled in circles, and a rotating crimson vortex gate appeared more than ten meters ahead.

"Black Jade Pavilion is really packed with traps and barriers." Xiao Ni clicked his tongue. He felt that once the Xiao Household and the Chek Lineage cooperated, these things might prove useful.

"Xun'er, are you all right? Did the Heaven-Soaring Dragon Python hurt you just now?" Chek Jing's eyes were full of concern. Though she was walking, her attention remained fixed on Xiao Xun'er beside her.

By the time she had come out, the Heaven-Soaring Dragon Python had already begun transforming, so she had no idea what had happened. She had clearly heard its roar. There was no way Xun'er could have emerged unscathed.

Even if Xiao Ni possessed the Heavenly Extreme Avatar Pill, which she had never even heard of, the Heaven-Soaring Dragon Python was too proud and suspicious to trust him so easily. How had Xiao Ni managed to retreat unscathed?

"Don't worry. I used Mighty Heavenly Dragon to suppress Qingtian just now. Xun'er wasn't harmed in the slightest." Before Xiao Xun'er could answer, Xiao Ni pulled her to his right side and spoke with a smile.

Why did this Chek Jing keep staring at Xun'er? Could she have some strange fetish?

"So that move of yours is called Mighty Heavenly Dragon, Big Brother. It sounds incredibly imposing. If our strengths were close, that move would definitely turn me into dust in an instant." As Qingtian led the way, the admiration in his eyes grew even stronger.

"Uh..."

Xiao Ni shook his head speechlessly, then took Xiao Xun'er's hand and stepped into the crimson vortex gate.

He had just made up a name. Why did Qingtian actually believe it? How could there possibly be a combat skill with a name like that on the Battle Qi Continent?

What he had actually used was the Eight Desolations Dragon-Subduing Finger the system had just rewarded him with. Because he was too weak, he could only condense a tiny phantom of a golden dragon for now. Only after reaching the Dou Emperor level would he be able to fully unleash the Eight Desolations Dragon-Subduing Finger's true power.

As for the other combat skill, the Myriad Paths Return-to-Void Palm, it was even more terrifying. He would need to become a Dou Zong powerhouse before he could fully unleash its power. It was terrifying beyond measure.

That was not to say that the Myriad Paths Return-to-Void Palm was stronger than the Eight Desolations Dragon-Subduing Finger. Rather, the former's consumption of battle qi was extremely frightening. If one had not reached the Dou Zong level, their battle qi might already be exhausted just as the combat skill began to exert its force.

Of course, that was only because his battle qi was far more abundant than other people's. If it were anyone else, they would likely need to be at least a three-star Battle Venerable to barely use the Myriad Paths Return-to-Void Palm.

"Since Xun'er is fine, I'll head back and continue reading." Watching the three of them leave, Chek Jing did not follow them inside.

Although she wanted to look at Xiao Xun'er a little longer, Xiao Ni kept ruining the mood. Besides, like the Heaven-Soaring Dragon Python, she preferred peace and quiet, so she would not go bother her grandfather.

As for Mighty Heavenly Dragon, she felt that Xiao Ni had merely been brushing her off. He had probably just blurted out that name, and only a fool like the Heaven-Soaring Dragon Python would believe him.

"There are finally more people around." Xiao Ni's gaze swept about continuously. He discovered that quite a few people were setting up stalls where they now stood. Looking around, it resembled a small marketplace.

Most of them sold jewelry, ornaments, calligraphy, paintings, ink, and similar goods. A smaller portion sold low-grade herbs and pills. Only a very few sold Monster Cores, combat skills, cultivation methods, and the like, though those were all quite low-grade as well.

These stall owners were generally around forty years old, and there were very few women among them. Still, they knew how to do business. When Xiao Ni, Xiao Xun'er, and Qingtian arrived, they all warmly greeted them, hoping Xiao Ni and the others would come inspect their wares.

In response to their enthusiasm, Xiao Ni merely smiled politely and did not approach any stall. He had come to find Chekenao today, not to waste time looking at these low-grade goods.

As for Xiao Xun'er, she kept her eyes ahead, maintaining an indifferent expression and elegant stride. She had accompanied Xiao Ni to meet someone. Other than Xiao Ni's safety and mood, nothing else concerned her.

"So noisy! Shut up, all of you!" Qingtian finally could not endure it any longer. After his furious roar, the place instantly fell silent. Whether stall owners or customers, all were startled by Qingtian's imposing presence.

Of course, that silence lasted less than half a breath before the noisy atmosphere returned. Qingtian was thoroughly annoyed by their behavior. Just as he was about to cover his ears, Xiao Ni spoke.

"Are these all members of the Chek Lineage?" Xiao Ni turned his gaze toward Qingtian and asked.

Since the Xiao Household was going to form an alliance with the Chek Lineage, he naturally needed a rough understanding of the Chek Lineage's current strength. Although the Chek Lineage had no problem standing against the two major families in Wutan City, the Xiao Household would not be facing merely two insignificant families in the future.

"Yes." Qingtian nodded rather perfunctorily.

It was not that he did not want to answer Big Brother's question seriously. He simply could not stand this noisy environment anymore.

"What level are they generally at?" Xiao Ni continued asking.

"Most are between One-Star Dou Practitioners and Six-Star Dou Practitioners. The rest are still at the Dou Qi stage."

"Not a single Dou Master?" Xiao Ni frowned. The Chek Lineage's current strength seemed much weaker than he had imagined.

"The Chek Lineage's Dou Masters are only responsible for patrols. They don't manage stalls or sell goods." Qingtian was practically on the verge of tears.

Big Brother, why did you have so many questions?

"Then how many Dou Masters and Da Dou Shi does the Chek Lineage currently have?" Xiao Ni seemed to have a whole book of questions in his mind. He felt there was much he wanted to ask Qingtian.

"Thirteen Dou Masters and five Da Dou Shi." The more Qingtian spoke, the more miserable he became. This place was simply too noisy.

"What about Dou Lings? Aside from Elder Chekenao, how many Dou Lings are there?"

"Big Brother, spare me! If there's anything you want to know, just ask that old man Chekenao directly later!" With that, Qingtian immediately covered his ears.

Seeing Qingtian's mournful expression, Xiao Ni shook his head with a laugh. It seemed this fellow truly loved quiet. Fine, he would be considerate and let the kid have some peace for a while.

"Xun'er, is there anything you want? I can buy it for you when we head back." Xiao Ni looked at Xiao Xun'er with a smile.

"Hmm... not for now." Xiao Xun'er thought for a moment, then shook her head.

She was happy that Xiao Ni had such consideration for her, but there really was nothing here that she wanted. There was no need for Xiao Ni to waste money, especially since the four thousand Gold Coins on him had been loaned by her.

"Big Brother, old man Chekenao is on the second floor of the restaurant ahead." Qingtian said this while covering his ears.

At that moment, a small two-story restaurant ahead of them was open for business. There were not many customers, but its decorations and furnishings were elegant. Faintly, Xiao Ni and the others could smell the fragrance of wine and meat.

"There's even a restaurant inside Black Jade Pavilion? Interesting." Xiao Ni smiled faintly. After exchanging a look with Xiao Xun'er, he quickly walked into the restaurant.