Canaan

Having successfully advanced to a Dou Practitioner, Xiao Yan felt his entire body relax. The worry over repeatedly failing to condense a qi vortex had lingered in his heart all this time, but now the outcome was finally settled!

Xiao Yan pushed open the window and let the noonday sunlight fill the room.

"I wonder where Big Brother and the others have gone by now."

Half a month had passed since that night. Although Xiao Ding and the others had spent two or three days preparing before leaving, they had not alerted anyone. Even Xiao Yan had not gone to see them off. It was an understanding shared by the three brothers: they would not mourn a parting, only look forward to their reunion.

"I've become a Dou Practitioner. Come to think of it, Xun Er seemed to say I should go find her once I succeeded."

Ordinarily, something like this should have been reported to the clan first. But Xiao Yan did not want to make Xun Er unhappy, so he simply headed straight out to find her.

Along the way, Xiao Yan encountered quite a few members of the Xiao Clan. They all offered him smiles that were either reserved or fawning. It was not the first time Xiao Yan had seen such attitudes, but before, they would have given him a sense of satisfaction. Since that night, though, he had suddenly found those gazes utterly dull.

When he arrived beneath Xun Er's little house and called up to her, Xun Er opened the window and poked her head out. The sight of her smiling face made Xiao Yan's heart pound fiercely again. He stood there dazed for a moment before entering at her invitation.

"What's wrong with me?"

Xiao Yan felt as if something about him was strange, though he could not say exactly what. As soon as he entered, he saw Xun Er coming down from the second floor.

"Brother Xiao Yan, you haven't come to play with Xun Er for such a long time. Don't you like being with Xun Er anymore?"

Beautiful and bright-eyed, Xun Er wore a light blue dress today. Without a single ornament, she seemed all the more elegant and pure, untouched by the mundane world. Yet her faintly reproachful tone left Xiao Yan rather confused. She had been all smiles when greeting him upstairs—how had her tone changed after merely coming downstairs?

"Don't be angry, Xun Er. I've been busy cultivating lately. Didn't I remember that you told me to come find you after becoming a Dou Practitioner? I rushed here the very moment I succeeded. Even my father doesn't know yet!"

"Brother Xiao Yan, you became a Dou Practitioner?"

Xun Er's tone immediately turned delighted, but then she wrinkled her cute little nose.

"Hmph, Brother Xiao Yan only came because I said there was a gift. Otherwise, who knows where you might have forgotten Xun Er."

Seeing Xiao Yan both anxious and awkward, Xun Er finally broke into a smile.

"Xun Er was only teasing Brother Xiao Yan. How could I truly be angry with you? Come with me."

Only then did Xiao Yan let out a long breath. Whenever others were around, Xun Er was noble and composed, every gesture displaying her excellent upbringing and refinement. Yet the moment she was alone with Xiao Yan, she became a mischievous little girl. Xiao Yan did not know whether he ought to feel fortunate or helpless.

The two entered the study, and Xun Er pulled out a scroll as red as fire from behind her and handed it to him.

"Brother Xiao Yan, this is Xun Er's gift for you. Congratulations on advancing to a Dou Practitioner!"

Xiao Yan accepted it with a smile. The scroll was likely some kind of cultivation method or combat technique. Such a thing should not have been in the hands of a clan member Xun Er's age. Xiao Yan knew that, yet he was not overly surprised. After all, he knew even better that Xun Er was different from ordinary people.

Xun Er had neither father nor mother. At first, Xiao Yan had thought they had died long ago. But later, he noticed that Xun Er was different from the other Xiao Clan children in every way. He had asked his father about it, but his father had only said that Xun Er was the descendant of an old friend, whose ancestors had rendered the Xiao Clan a great favor.

But Xiao Yan and Xun Er had spent a long time together, and Xun Er was almost completely unguarded around him, speaking freely. Xiao Yan had heard many things from her that even his own father should not have known. Though they had only been fragments, they were enough to make Xiao Yan understand that Xun Er was certainly not simply the "descendant of an old friend." Behind her stood a force far stronger than the Xiao Clan.

Seeing Xiao Yan accept her gift, Xun Er looked as happy as if she were the one receiving it.

"Hehe, this is the first time Brother Xiao Yan has accepted a gift from Xun Er! (∩_∩)"

Hearing that, Xiao Yan could not help laughing as he reached out and flicked Xun Er's nose.

"You silly girl. You're the one giving someone a gift, yet you're this happy. I'm afraid someday you'll be sold off and still help count the money for the person who sold you."

Xun Er tried to look angry, but her expression fell apart in an instant, and she smiled sweetly.

"How could that happen? Xun Er is only like this with Brother Xiao Yan. I'm not silly!"

After teasing each other for a while, Xiao Yan finally brought up another matter.

"Xun Er, actually, there's something else I came to talk to you about."

Hearing Xiao Yan say that, Xun Er sat up straighter as well.

"Brother Xiao Yan, if there's anything Xun Er can help with, just tell me."

"It's like this. Some time ago, my eldest brother and second brother..."

Xiao Yan roughly told Xun Er what had happened that day.

"...What the two of them did gave me some ideas. I don't want to become a Dou Practitioner and still muddle through my days in Wutan City. I want to see the Dou Qi Continent too!"

As he spoke, Xiao Yan weighed the scroll in his hand.

"Xun Er, I know you come from somewhere else, and what you've seen and heard is beyond anything the Xiao Clan can compare to. That's why I came to ask you specifically. Do you have any advice? Is there somewhere good for me to go?"

"This..."

Xun Er had not expected Xiao Yan to make such a request. Her brows furrowed for a moment before she rose to her feet.

"Brother Xiao Yan, please wait a moment. Let Xun Er think it over alone before giving you an answer, all right?"

Though Xiao Yan found it strange that she needed to think alone, he did not suspect anything. He let Xun Er return to her bedroom while he waited in the study.

About a quarter of an hour later, just as Xiao Yan was imagining some absurd scene where Xun Er made strange faces whenever she thought seriously and did not want him to see them, Xun Er pushed open the door and walked in.

"Sorry to keep Brother Xiao Yan waiting. After giving it some thought, Xun Er believes that what Brother Xiao Yan wants makes sense, and Cousin Xiao Ding was not wrong either. Most Dou Practitioners improve their cultivation only through struggle and battle; those who live in comfort rarely achieve much. Brother Xiao Yan is a natural powerhouse, so naturally you should walk the path of the strong."

"However, although Brother Xiao Yan has become a Dou Practitioner, you are still too young, and going out to gain experience would be far too dangerous. Yet staying confined in one place may waste your talent and youth. It would be best to join a force, but most forces come with too many restrictions... Still, there is one place that suits Brother Xiao Yan perfectly."

Xiao Yan's eyes immediately lit up. "What place?"

"Canaan Academy."

Xiao Yan considered the term Xun Er had mentioned and realized that he had heard of it before.

He only knew that it was a strange force—not a force of the Jia Ma Empire, yet one that could openly enter the Jia Ma Empire to recruit students. So he gestured for Xun Er to explain it.

"Canaan Academy is a rather famous cultivation academy on the Dou Qi Continent. They claim to teach without discrimination. So long as someone is admitted, they can receive an education there. Once their period of study is complete, the academy will not restrict their future either. Canaan Academy's purpose is to nurture more and stronger cultivators, preserving and creating more powerhouses and inheritances for the future of the Dou Qi Continent. They have no sectarian prejudices and seek no repayment. It is an ivory tower that countless young people across the continent wish to enter."

Xun Er smiled again as she spoke.

"Come to think of it, the clan will definitely send its younger members to cultivate at Canaan Academy in the future. In past years, the Xiao Clan's situation was unstable, so everyone had to take up duties and work within the clan, needlessly delaying many people's cultivation. Now that things are gradually freeing up, we can afford to let the younger generation devote time to growing stronger."

Only then did Xiao Yan nod.

"So that's how it is. Canaan Academy, huh? Since it's Xun Er's advice, it can't be wrong. I'll discuss it with my father later. Thank you, Xun Er."

Xun Er pouted slightly.

"Brother Xiao Yan is still being so formal with Xun Er, talking about thanks and all that. (￣ω￣)"

After laughing and joking for a while, Xiao Yan stood to take his leave. He still had to tell his father about becoming a Dou Practitioner. But just before he went out, he casually asked another question.

"By the way, what exactly is this thing you gave me, Xun Er? A cultivation method or a combat technique?"

"A High Mystic Tier fire-attributed cultivation method: the Flame Manipulation Formula!"

Xun Er's calm answer did nothing to settle Xiao Yan's turbulent thoughts. His hand nearly shook so badly that he threw the scroll away.

High Mystic Tier! It was actually High Mystic Tier?!

On the Dou Qi Continent, cultivation methods and combat techniques were broadly divided into four tiers: Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Yellow. The gap between different tiers was beyond measure. Each tier was further divided into low, middle, and high grades. The differences between those grades were somewhat smaller, but superiority and inferiority were still immediately apparent. High Mystic Tier might seem like merely a middle-ranking level, but reality was far from that simple.

For ordinary people, they would spend their entire lives struggling within the Yellow Tier. Mystic Tier items were things only forces with a certain degree of strength could produce. Take the Xiao Clan, for instance: they had only one wind-attributed Mid Mystic Tier cultivation method, and only the clan leader was qualified to cultivate it. As for someone as talented as Xiao Yan—what? Fire-attributed? Sorry, High Yellow Tier is the best we have. Take it or leave it!

Xiao Yan had only heard of Earth Tier items appearing at the Mittel Auction House in the imperial capital of the Jia Ma Empire. As for Heaven Tier? Xiao Yan was not even sure whether such things existed in the world, since he had never heard even the faintest rumor confirming that they were real.

One could well imagine just how astounding it was for Xun Er to casually produce a High Mystic Tier cultivation method!

"Xun Er, this... this is too... how about... I..."

Hearing Xiao Yan stammer as though he meant to refuse, Xun Er puffed up her cheeks in genuine displeasure.

"Brother Xiao Yan! How can a gift that has been given be returned? Besides, Brother Xiao Yan should know the clan's circumstances. The aid that a High Mystic Tier cultivation method offers to cultivation is worlds apart from that of a High Yellow Tier one. On the path of cultivation, one step behind means falling behind at every step. Brother Xiao Yan can't possibly fail to understand that."

How could Xiao Yan not understand what Xun Er meant? But if this cultivation method were thrown out into the open, who knew how many people would smash their heads bloody fighting over it? Xun Er had given it to him so lightly—how could Xiao Yan possibly accept it with peace of mind?

Seeing that Xiao Yan still intended to decline, Xun Er adopted a tearful expression. Paired with her delicate beauty, she looked even more pitiful and lovable.

"Brother Xiao Yan dislikes Xun Er so much that you would rather give up a bright future than accept Xun Er's kindness. This cultivation method can help Brother Xiao Yan's future. Xun Er only wants to be able to help you, so even if Brother Xiao Yan comes to dislike Xun Er because of this, Xun Er will have no regrets!"

Even though he knew Xun Er was putting on an act, Xiao Yan had no way to ignore that expression. He could only abandon the idea of returning it.

"All right, all right. You win, you silly girl. Consider it a huge favor that Brother Xiao Yan owes you."

Xun Er's expression changed faster than the turn of a page. The tears that had nearly spilled from her eyes vanished in an instant, and she smilingly pushed Xiao Yan out of the house.

"Who wants a favor from Brother Xiao Yan? Just cultivate properly. Xun Er only hopes that if there comes a day when I cannot control my own fate, Brother Xiao Yan won't forget Xun Er!"

After pushing Xiao Yan out, Xun Er hurriedly shut the door, giving him no further chance to refuse. But after hearing her final words, Xiao Yan stood outside the door and spoke solemnly through it in his still-youthful voice.

"Xun Er, don't worry. If there really comes a day when you cannot control your own fate, I'll cultivate until I become very, very strong. When that time comes, with me protecting you, no one will be able to force you to do anything!"

Only after hearing Xun Er softly answer, "Mm," from behind the door did Xiao Yan laugh and leave. Yet behind the door, unseen by him, the young girl leaned tightly against it. From her neck to her earlobes, she was flushed a tender pink more beautiful than the brilliant evening clouds.

Young boys and girls, childish and ignorant, could not know just what kind of promise they had made—a promise harder to fulfill than reaching the heavens.