First Meeting with a Rich Girl

There had to be something wrong with that "genius" of the Xiao Clan!

There was never any shortage of clever people in this world, especially among the Xiao Clan's rivals. As the saying went, the people who understood you best were actually your enemies.

They were the first to know whenever the Xiao Clan made a move.

When the Xiao Clan's genius suddenly fell silent, they had initially spared no expense in hiring Alchemists, even inviting a third-tier Alchemist to come personally.

The Xiao Clan's movements had become increasingly frequent lately. Perhaps they could no longer hire Alchemists, since they had actually started hiring physicians...

Yet none of the Xiao Clan's important figures seemed to have any problems, and those old fellows were all still quite hale and hearty.

Other than... that Xiao Clan "genius" who had suddenly gone quiet.

The abnormal silence of that genius, combined with the Xiao Clan's increasingly frequent activity of late, led to a fairly obvious conclusion:

Something had happened to the Xiao Clan's genius.

Still, although some observant people had already guessed part of the truth, there were less than six months until the year-end assessment for Wutan City's major factions, so they were in no hurry.

In a setting like that, with so many people watching, nothing could be kept hidden if something happened.

Countless people in Wutan City were watching coldly, awaiting that Xiao Clan genius's performance at this year's year-end assessment to see whether it would confirm their suspicions.

However, no one in Wutan City knew that at this very moment, a concealed perception swept across the entirety of Wutan City in an instant. Nothing within the whole city remained a secret.

"Miss!"

A girl of around ten was reading beneath a tree when two figures, one green and one black, appeared at her side simultaneously.

When she looked up, the girl was startled to discover that a calm-looking young man had appeared in her courtyard at some unknown time.

His emotionless eyes seemed to be assessing her.

The two Dou Emperor guards beside her seemed not to be in his eyes at all.

"Don't be afraid. I mean no harm. You are Miss Gu Xun'er, correct? I am Wu Yan."

Gu Xun'er shifted her gaze slightly. After receiving an affirming look from the black-robed elder, she smiled faintly and nodded.

"Xun'er greets Mr. Yan. I'm sorry to trouble you this time."

"You are too polite, Miss Xun'er. It was our agreement to begin with."

Wu Yan did not look down on Gu Xun'er because of her young age. Instead, he showed her sufficient respect.

A rich girl—an extremely young little rich girl, at that!

What a pity he had not been born into the Xiao Clan. Otherwise, even if it killed him, he would have clung to this rich girl's little feet.

Young as Gu Xun'er was, she naturally sensed Wu Yan's respect, and she found it quite pleasing. Her brows curved slightly, though it was not very obvious.

"Mr. Yan, let us sit and talk."

"Alright."

Wu Yan nodded and sat facing this eleven-year-old girl.

Gu Xun'er had not yet developed, but her little face was already very pretty.

The two Dou Emperor experts stood by waiting on them. Whenever their gazes met, each saw the shock in the other's eyes.

Gu Xun'er carefully considered her words and explained the matter as concisely as possible.

"Mr. Yan, this is what happened. A friend of mine broke through to the Dou Zhe realm, but instead of progressing, his cultivation began to regress. It did not stop even after he fell below the Dou Zhe realm, and he is now left with only four stages of Dou Qi."

"The Xiao Clan has hired Alchemists to examine him, but none have found any clue."

"Xun'er thought that perhaps you might have a solution, sir. I apologize for troubling you so presumptuously, and hope you will forgive me."

Wu Yan nodded slightly. The question on this test was just as he had expected.

"Since Miss Xun'er has invited me, I will naturally do my utmost to try. However, does Miss Xun'er wish to conceal this matter?"

Gu Xun'er thought for a moment, then shook her head. "There is no need to conceal it, but I do not want everyone in the Xiao Clan to know either."

"Very well. Then I will act after nightfall."

It was somewhat of a waste of time, but it was the rich girl's request after all.

"By the way, Miss Xun'er, would it be convenient to tell me who this friend of yours is?"

"The youngest son of the Xiao Clan head, Xiao Yan. Later, I can point him out to you, Mr. Yan."

"That will do."

Wu Yan forced a smile onto his face, then changed the subject and looked toward the two Dou Emperors.

"You two need not be so tense. Relax a little. If I wanted to do something, your strength would not be enough to stop me."

"Mr. Yan is right. Aunt Mu, Elder Ling, you do not need to be so nervous."

The next moment, Gu Xun'er finally asked the question she had wanted to ask all along.

"Would it be convenient for Mr. Yan to tell Xun'er what realm you are currently at?"

For him to enter the courtyard without her two Dou Emperor experts noticing until he appeared, was he truly a Dou Emperor expert?

"Dou Zong, two stars."

As soon as those words fell, gasps rang out one after another within the small pavilion.

This was a Dou Zong expert!

Even within the Gu Clan, a Dou Zong expert was no insignificant figure.

Battle Saints were the foundation of the Gu Clan and devoted themselves wholeheartedly to secluded cultivation.

Most of the time, many matters were handled by an elder at the Half-Saint realm and elders at the Dou Zun realm.

A Dou Zong expert was already a genuine member of the upper-middle ranks.

More importantly, there was the age at which Wu Yan had broken through to the Dou Zong realm.

"Mr. Yan, if Xun'er remembers correctly, you are only twenty-two this year, aren't you?"

After recovering from her shock, Gu Xun'er's little face still retained traces of astonishment.

A twenty-two-year-old Dou Zong expert was exceedingly rare even in the Gu Clan, let alone here on the barren Northwestern Continent.

Moreover, given the Mittel Clan's scale, it was basically incapable of providing Wu Yan with much help in his cultivation.

That meant Wu Yan, a twenty-two-year-old Dou Zong, had reached this point purely through his own talent!

With that thought, Gu Xun'er suddenly wanted to write a letter home and have her clan increase its investment.

She suddenly wanted to see just how far Wu Yan could go if his cultivation resources were fully supplied.

"It is only the Dou Zong realm. With Miss Xun'er's talent, I believe you will reach it before long. You might even get there faster than I did."

Wu Yan did not care about such empty fame, just as he had never believed that being a twelve-year-old Dou Zhe would make Dou Wang experts take him seriously.

There were many geniuses, but very few geniuses truly became experts.

Teacher Black Earth had a good saying: life was like an airplane. What mattered was not how high or far it flew, but whether it landed safely.

What was the use of cultivating quickly if one did not understand humility and caution?

If one day you got too carried away and offended an expert, they could slap you to death. Then you would only be a dead genius.

Of course, Gu Xun'er was an exception. The old father standing behind her was the strongest person in the world. She could show off however she pleased.

Still, this little girl Gu Xun'er did not seem to be the sort who liked drawing attention to herself.