The Story Begins (Two Chapters—Four Thousand Words)

Outside the window, moonlight flowed like water.

The Xiao Clan had sunk into silence. Only the footsteps of patrolling guards occasionally drifted from the alleyways before gradually fading away.

Distinguished guests would arrive tomorrow, and the entire Xiao Clan was preparing for the meeting.

Early the next morning.

Upon the bed, the young man sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, his hands forming an unusual seal before him. His thumbs and middle fingers were clasped together while his remaining fingers spread open, like a lotus beginning to bloom.

His chest rose and fell faintly. With each long, steady breath, the rhythm of his breathing perfectly matched the movement of his hand seal, forming an endless closed cycle.

With every breath, faint red currents slipped in through his nose and mouth, coursing through his meridians and throughout his body, nourishing his bones and tempering his flesh—like spring rain moistening all things, silent and unceasing.

"This feels pretty good."

Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes. A golden-red gleam flashed through the depths of his pupils as he sensed the Dou Qi within him becoming considerably more robust, a smile rising to his lips.

After a night of deep cultivation, his strength had advanced another step. Though he was still some distance from becoming a Five-Star Dou Practitioner, the feeling of growing stronger every day reassured him.

He flipped out of bed and stretched his limbs, his bones letting out several crisp crackles.

After washing up, he changed into a brand-new robe before the bronze mirror—black as its base, trimmed with golden patterns, with a dark-red flame embroidered near the hem. It made his already handsome features seem even sharper.

The youth in the mirror stood tall and straight. The gloomy air between his brows had vanished, replaced by an indescribable sharpness.

"Young Master Three, the clan leader asks that you go to the main hall."

An aged voice came from outside the door, respectful and gentle.

"Oh." Xiao Yan answered casually and pushed the door open.

An elderly man in a blue robe stood outside. He was past sixty, with white hair and beard, and wrinkles covering his face like the rings of an ancient tree.

He had served as the Xiao Clan's steward for decades. His surname was Mo, and everyone in the Xiao Clan addressed him as Mo Steward.

Mo Steward had watched Xiao Yan grow up, from his first stumbling steps to his first words, from the first time he gathered Dou Qi to becoming a Dou Practitioner at the age of nine. This old steward had never missed a single milestone of his growth.

Yet at this moment, Mo Steward froze as he looked at the youth before him.

The young man before him was still the Xiao Yan he knew, yet he also seemed like an entirely different person.

His brows and eyes were the same, and so were his features, but the aura emanating from his very bones was completely different.

Confident, flamboyant, and razor-sharp.

Like a peerless sword that had been sealed away for years, suddenly drawn from its sheath. Wherever its blade-light reached, all things paled.

He stood there, doing and saying nothing, yet the aura of someone who wished to contend with the heavens made even Mo Steward, an old man who had seen countless storms, pause in astonishment.

"Young Master Three, you..." Mo Steward finally found his voice, a faint tremble in his tone that even he had not noticed.

"Let's go, Mo Steward." Xiao Yan smiled faintly. The smile was as gentle as ever, but beneath that gentleness lay something unmistakably unquestionable.

Mo Steward said no more, but a trace of anticipation arose in his heart.

Young Master Xiao Yan was so different today. Could it be because... his talent had returned?

He did not dare jump to conclusions, but that expectation had already taken root in his heart like a seed.

Following Mo Steward through the rear courtyard, they passed along a long corridor and through several moon gates before finally stopping outside a solemn reception hall.

Mo Steward respectfully knocked. Only after hearing a voice inside say, "Come in," did he gently push open the door and step aside to let Xiao Yan enter.

The hall was spacious enough to accommodate dozens without feeling crowded.

Sunlight slanted in through the carved lattice windows, scattering patches of fragmented light across the floor.

A faint scent of sandalwood lingered in the air, the trace left by incense burned over many years.

There were quite a few people in the hall, and every seat was occupied.

At the highest seats sat four people.

At the center was Xiao Zhan, dressed in gray, imposing and solemn as he conversed with the guests.

Beside him sat three elderly men with indifferent expressions. All wore brocade robes, their gazes steady and profound, carrying a hint of scrutiny whenever they occasionally swept their eyes over those in the hall.

The Xiao Clan's three elders.

By seniority, they were Xiao Zhan's uncles; by authority, the three of them together could veto the clan leader's decisions.

Their status within the Xiao Clan was immensely important.

Below and to the left of the four sat several influential and powerful elders of the clan, mostly brothers of Xiao Zhan's generation, each with an extraordinary bearing.

Beside them sat several outstanding members of the younger generation. Xiao Ning and Xiao Mei were among them.

Xiao Ning sat upright with his chin slightly raised, arrogance in his eyes. Xiao Mei sat quietly beside him, occasionally glancing toward the entrance as though waiting for someone.

On the other side sat three unfamiliar people.

They must have been the "distinguished guests" Xiao Zhan had mentioned last night.

Xiao Yan's eyes discreetly swept over the three of them.

The oldest wore a moon-white robe of exceptional quality, with a faint sheen flowing across it. It was clearly no ordinary garment.

The old man wore a broad smile and looked full of vigor. His narrow eyes occasionally flashed with a sharp glint, like a hawk secretly observing its prey.

Xiao Yan's gaze lowered slightly to the old man's chest—there, a silver crescent moon was embroidered, surrounded by seven glittering golden stars.

"It's them, all right." Xiao Yan remained calm on the surface, but he had already confirmed the visitors' identities.

Of course. The Misty Cloud Sect, one of the Jia Ma Empire's greatest powers.

The visitors' identities were obvious—the elders of the Misty Cloud Sect had come to the Xiao Clan on behalf of the sect, for that engagement.

And from the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the hall, he became the center of attention.

The three strangers did not know Xiao Yan. Their eyes merely swept over him before withdrawing.

But the Xiao Clan members present were different—they knew this youth far too well.

The Xiao Clan's Third Young Master, who had become a Dou Practitioner at nine, fallen into the depths at eleven, and remained taciturn for three years, was now walking into the hall at an unhurried pace. Every step carried an air they had never seen from him before.

Confident, flamboyant, and razor-sharp.

Like a golden dragon trapped for years finally breaking free of its shackles, claws tearing through the clouds as it soared toward the nine heavens.

That aura of contending with the heavens left everyone present stunned.

One had to know that even when Xiao Yan had broken through to become a One-Star Dou Fighter at the age of nine, his temperament had been extremely reserved.

Though his talent had been outstanding then, he never put on the airs of a genius. He treated everyone with warmth and courtesy, always wearing a smile, without the slightest arrogance of youthful success.

Such humility was certainly good, but it ultimately lacked the edge and pride a young man ought to possess.

Yet the sharpness radiating from Xiao Yan now seemed as though it could tear the air apart.

"Hmph, putting on an act." Xiao Ning sat nearby, displeasure flashing across his face.

Especially when he saw the fleeting sparkle in Xiao Xun'er's eyes, jealousy nearly made him grind his teeth to dust.

A person with Three-Level Dou Zhi Qi still thought he was that genius who became a Dou Practitioner at nine?

Xiao Ning snorted coldly in his heart, his eyes fixed darkly upon Xiao Yan.

Xiao Xun'er sat in the corner, her beautiful eyes resting on Xiao Yan as ripples of brilliance stirred within them.

She had lived in the Xiao Clan for eleven years, yet she had never seen Xiao Yan like this.

When Xiao Yan became a Dou Practitioner at the age of nine, she had privately asked Ling Ying, "How is Brother Xiao Yan's talent?"

Ling Ying's answer remained etched in her memory: "His talent is rare even in Wutan City and the Jia Ma Empire, but he lacks one thing—presence.

Geniuses all possess their own pride, their own sharpness and confidence.

But that child does not. He has always been too plain and unassuming. He lacks the necessary temperament and cannot become a true powerhouse."

Eleven years had passed. She had thought Ling Ying's prediction would continue to hold true.

But today, she saw a different Brother Xiao Yan.

"Brother Xiao Yan really has changed so much," Xiao Xun'er softly said in her heart.

This was how he should have been.

His gaze moved away from the old man and settled upon the young man and woman seated nearby.

The two also wore moon-white robes, with golden stars embroidered on their chests. They were clearly disciples of the Misty Cloud Sect.

The young man appeared to be around twenty. He had sword-like brows, bright eyes, handsome features, and a tall, slender frame. Simply sitting there, he possessed a natural charm that drew attention.

Five golden stars were embroidered on his chest—a Five-Star Dou Practitioner.

Reaching such a realm at around twenty truly showed considerable talent. In Wutan City, he would already be considered exceptional.

This young man's charm clearly had not gone to waste.

Some of the Xiao Clan's younger girls had already begun to blush secretly, their eyes drifting toward him from time to time before hurriedly looking away.

Even Xiao Mei, seated nearby, showed a faint glimmer in her beautiful eyes whenever she glanced in his direction, as if appraising a treasure that stirred her heart.

Yet the young man seemed completely indifferent to all those covert looks of admiration.

At present, all of his attention was focused on the beautiful girl beside him. His gaze was gentle and intent, and he occasionally leaned closer to whisper something. The girl would merely tilt her head slightly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Xiao Yan followed the young man's gaze.

The girl was about his age, around fourteen or fifteen, and was actually even more beautiful than Xiao Mei.

Her features were exquisite as a painting, her brows like distant ink-washed mountains, her lips like crimson-tinted cherry blossoms. Her black hair cascaded over her shoulders like a waterfall, setting off skin whiter than snow.

A pair of green jade earrings hung from her delicate earlobes. They gave off a crisp jade chime as they swayed, adding a touch of nobility to her graceful beauty.

Within this clan, in terms of appearance, perhaps only Xiao Xun'er, who resembled a blue lotus, could stand beside her.

Three golden stars were embroidered on the girl's chest.

A Three-Star Dou Practitioner.

A fifteen-year-old Three-Star Dou Practitioner.

Xiao Yan's gaze lingered on the girl for less than a second before naturally shifting away, settling elsewhere in the hall as though he were examining its layout and furnishings.

His expression was as calm as still water. He neither lost his composure at the girl's beauty nor deliberately avoided looking at her. It was simply the most natural sort of casualness.

That casualness instead left the girl slightly surprised.

She was certainly not the kind of girl who believed the entire world should revolve around her, but she had always possessed ample confidence in her looks and bearing.

Ever since childhood, wherever she went, the eyes of boys her age would inevitably fall upon her. Some were bold, some shy, some fervent, some restrained.

But not one had been like the youth before her—looking once and then looking away, as though she were merely an ordinary passerby not worth a second glance.

Nothing more.

The girl said nothing. She merely gave Xiao Yan one more look before withdrawing her gaze.

Xiao Yan stepped forward into the center of the hall and bowed respectfully to Xiao Zhan and the three elders seated above. His posture was impeccable. "Father, three elders."

"Hehe, Yan'er, you're here."

Xiao Zhan stopped chatting with the guests and looked at Xiao Yan, briefly stunned. As his father, he naturally saw the difference in Xiao Yan, but he quickly suppressed his surprise, nodded at him, and waved. "Go on, take a seat."

Xiao Yan smiled and nodded, straightening up.

He acted as though he had not seen the looks the three elders shot at him—looks filled with impatience and faint disdain, as though they were looking at someone who should not have appeared on such an occasion.

No rush.

Once this matter was over, he would settle accounts with them one by one.

Xiao Yan's expression did not change as he swept his eyes around the hall.

The spacious hall was filled with people, every chair occupied. There was not a single empty seat. Like someone forgotten by the occasion, he stood in the center of the hall with nowhere to sit.

A faint, imperceptible smile flashed through the three elders' eyes.

They had done it on purpose. This good-for-nothing had already wasted the clan's resources for three years. With distinguished guests present today, he should not have appeared in such a setting in the first place.

Since Xiao Zhan insisted on bringing him here, they would make him stand to one side and let everyone see what had become of the Xiao Clan's "genius."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Some lowered their heads, some looked away, and some pretended not to notice anything.

No one spoke.

Just as that brief silence was about to stretch into lingering awkwardness, a clear voice rang out from the corner of the hall.

"Brother Xiao Yan, sit here."

Xiao Xun'er rose to her feet and pointed to the seat beside her. A smile bloomed across her little face, as clean as the sky after rain, without the slightest impurity.

The three elders were slightly stunned. Their gazes shifted toward the quiet girl in the corner, their lips moving, yet not one of them dared say another word.

Xiao Xun'er.

She had been in the Xiao Clan for nearly eleven years. Her origins, her background—these were matters the three elders understood better than anyone.

Within this clan, they could put on the airs of elders before anyone, but toward this girl, they had never dared show the slightest negligence.

Xiao Yan looked toward Xiao Xun'er, and a smile also appeared on his face. It held gratitude, warmth, and a tacit understanding only the two of them could comprehend.

He gently nodded, crossed the hall beneath the varied gazes of the crowd, and calmly sat in the seat beside Xiao Xun'er.

Closer now.

The faint fragrance unique to Xiao Xun'er drifted into his nose, like plum blossoms in early spring—clear and cool, yet not overpowering.

Once seated, Xiao Yan turned his gaze back toward the guests in the center of the hall. His expression was composed, as though he had taken the most honored seat in the entire hall.

The three elders' expressions darkened somewhat, but in the end, they did not act.