Practicing Battle Techniques

Xiao Yan left Xun'er's courtyard. He had originally planned to visit Xiao Zhan, but learned at the entrance that the clan leader was still in a meeting. After thinking for a moment, he headed in another direction.

Before long, a building came into Xiao Yan's view. It occupied far more land than the clan's ordinary structures, and three flamboyant characters were written above its entrance: Battle Technique Hall.

Like cultivation methods, battle techniques were divided into four tiers and twelve grades. The difference was that battle techniques existed purely for combat. The higher-tier battle techniques a person possessed, the greater power they could naturally unleash, and the more likely they were to prevail in battle.

This was where the Xiao Clan stored its battle techniques. The building had been constructed on such a grand scale mainly because it contained several training grounds. Xiao Yan knew that even if all the techniques stored inside were Yellow Tier, there were only a few dozen manuals at most.

Xiao Yan stepped inside. There were only two or three figures in the vast Battle Technique Hall, too far away for him to recognize. Still, he had expected this, so he simply headed toward the shelves of battle technique manuals.

Few juniors Xiao Yan's age came here. Even when they occasionally visited once or twice, it was merely to satisfy their curiosity and have some fun.

Practicing battle techniques was too early for those below the third stage of Dou Qi. Most people only began training in battle techniques after reaching the fifth stage of Dou Qi, using them as a diversion and supplement to cultivation.

Others did not practice battle techniques because their strength was insufficient. Xiao Yan, however, had no obstacles or bottlenecks in cultivating Dou Qi at all. Before he had even thought to consider battle techniques, he had already become a Dou Practitioner. Truly, comparisons were enough to make anyone furious.

Xiao Yan was leaning against a shelf, flipping through manuals and selecting suitable battle techniques when he suddenly heard chattering voices not far behind him. Turning around, he found that the few people who had been there earlier had gathered around him. Only then did Xiao Yan see clearly that they were all clan sisters several years older than him.

Seeing that Xiao Yan had noticed them, they stopped whispering among themselves. One of them opened her mouth and asked:

"Are you... the Young Master?"

Their ages differed, and they normally had little contact, so it was understandable that they did not know one another well. But since they had asked him directly, Xiao Yan could hardly act aloof. He followed clan etiquette and greeted them.

"Yes. Greetings, three sisters."

Who would have thought that this would be like stirring up a hornet's nest? Two of them immediately cast aside what little reserve they had and pounced on him.

"Wow, so cute!"

"The Young Master is so handsome! I only ever saw him from afar before, but today I finally caught a live one..."

"Hey, where's that pretty little girl who's always with you...?"

Listening to their chaotic chatter while they rubbed his head and pinched his cheeks, Xiao Yan felt utterly miserable. Over the past few years, he had always gone about in groups, with Xun'er and Xiao Mei constantly by his side. When had he ever encountered something like this?

Just as Xiao Yan was preparing to struggle free, fortunately, the last girl stepped forward and pulled the two away.

"You two, let go already! Can't you see the Young Master looks unwilling?"

Having finally escaped the two girls' "ravaging," Xiao Yan let out a breath of relief. He took the chance to look at the woman scolding them and realized that he seemed to know her.

"Cousin Xiao Yu, thank you for earlier."

After the two scolded girls left with playful grins, Xiao Yan finally had the chance to thank the remaining one.

Xiao Yu was the elder sister of Xiao Ning, who often followed Xiao Yan around. They had met a few times before, so at least she was not a stranger.

"Why are you being so polite, Cousin Xiao Yan? You have the strength of nine stages of Dou Qi. If you had really struggled, how could those two have held you down? Don't tell me you're blaming your sister for ruining your fun?"

Xiao Yu answered teasingly, immediately leaving the thin-skinned Xiao Yan tongue-tied. Xiao Yu secretly laughed to herself. Though he was powerful, he was still just a child.

"I won't tease you anymore. Cousin Xiao Yan, did you come here to practice battle techniques?"

At the mention of serious business, Xiao Yan quickly calmed down.

"That's right. I don't come here often, though, and all these choices have made my head spin. Could Cousin Xiao Yu recommend a few for me?"

"Is that so? Let me see. The ones our clan uses most often... this one... and this..."

Afterward, Xiao Yan followed Xiao Yu's advice and consulted the clan deacon in charge of battle techniques. Once he was done, he visited Xiao Zhan's residence. Upon learning that Xiao Yan had successfully become a Dou Practitioner, Xiao Zhan was naturally overjoyed. After encouraging him at length, he secretly slipped something to Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan also brought up Canaan Academy at the appropriate moment. Aside from some disappointment and relief, Xiao Zhan agreed far more quickly than Xiao Yan had expected.

Xun'er really was right. Sending clan members to Canaan Academy had long been on the agenda. I just never expected that Cousin Xiao Yu was originally supposed to be the first one to go, but now it's become me.

Thinking about Xiao Zhan's instructions as he entered his room, Xiao Yan tossed the bag of items he carried onto the bed. The sight of him running around the clan with a whole bag of things earlier must have been rather comical.

"Forget it. Since I already know that Canaan Academy's recruitment is two months away, let me sort out my cultivation plan."

Xiao Yan took out his "spoils" from today's outing one by one.

The first was the Flame Manipulation Formula Xun'er had given him. Xiao Yan was certain that, excluding Xun'er herself, this was absolutely the most valuable treasure in the Xiao Clan. Yet now it was in his own hands. Even looking at it again, it still felt somewhat unreal.

"The first thing I need to do next is practice the Flame Manipulation Formula!"

After becoming a Dou Practitioner, the difference from the Dou Qi stage was that one could cultivate methods. Even the lowest-grade Low Yellow Tier cultivation method allowed one to cultivate far faster than relying solely on the body's instinctive absorption during the Dou Qi stage.

That was why advancing a single stage of Dou Qi took more than a year, yet after becoming a Dou Practitioner, gaining several stars in a year was considered ordinary.

Not to mention that Xiao Yan possessed a High Mystic Tier cultivation method. Once he successfully cultivated it, who knew how fast his cultivation speed would become?

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Xiao Yan took out two battle technique manuals.

Low Yellow Tier: Stone Shattering Palm

High Yellow Tier: Iron Mountain Fist

Under the deacon's guidance, Xiao Yan had practiced them a little. The man kept praising Xiao Yan's unprecedented talent, saying that the Young Master's aptitude for battle techniques was no weaker than his aptitude for cultivating Dou Qi. Xiao Yan naturally knew there was no lack of flattery in those words, so he did not take them seriously and merely treated them as amusing to hear.

Next, he opened the cloth bag Xiao Zhan had given him. The first thing he felt inside was a scroll.

High Yellow Tier cultivation method: Flame-Refining Inferno

Seeing it, Xiao Yan could not decide whether to laugh or cry. According to clan rules, cultivation methods could only be obtained after the coming-of-age ceremony, when one entered the Dou Qi Pavilion and claimed them through one's own strength.

He had used a back door to obtain the clan's highest-tier fire-element cultivation method, yet it happened to be the most useless thing for him.

Xiao Yan shook his head and continued searching. He pulled out another scroll.

High Yellow Tier battle technique: Flame-Splitting Palm!

"What is this?" Xiao Yan hurriedly opened it and discovered that it was a battle technique restricted to fire-attributed Dou Qi. Yellow Tier battle techniques were generally universal, while a technique requiring a specific type of Dou Qi could bring out the inherent properties of that Dou Qi, making it more powerful.

Flame-Splitting Palm could be considered a rare masterpiece among High Yellow Tier battle techniques. The clan would never bestow it casually. One could imagine how much pressure Xiao Zhan had borne to obtain this battle technique for Xiao Yan.

"Father, don't worry. Your son will never let you down!"

Xiao Yan silently encouraged himself and swore that he would cultivate diligently. Immediately afterward, he found something else in the cloth bag. It was neither a scroll nor a book. When he pulled it out, he found that it was a small token.

Young Clan Leader's Token

It was actually the Xiao Clan's Young Clan Leader's Token!

Ever since Xiao Yan had displayed his talent, he had gradually come to be called the Young Master within the clan. It indicated both that he was the clan leader's youngest son and that the clansmen believed he would become the next clan leader. The latter meaning was even more prominent, since Xiao Ding and Xiao Li had never been called the First Young Master or Second Young Master.

Xiao Yan stared blankly at the token, lost in thought. He knew that according to clan rules, one could only take up clan duties after the coming-of-age ceremony and only then qualify to become the young clan leader. But he knew Xiao Zhan even better. Since Xiao Zhan had handed him the Young Clan Leader's Token, it meant the matter had certainly been approved at a clan assembly; it simply could not be made public because of the clan rules.

It was not as though Xiao Yan had never considered becoming the young clan leader, or even the clan leader. When he played pretend as a child, he had often played the role of clan leader.

But when this token, which could be said to have no practical use, was placed in his hands, Xiao Yan felt an inexplicable pressure. Gently stroking the small token, he suddenly felt that his most precious possession might not be the cultivation method he had held just moments ago.

Lying on his bed, Xiao Yan watched the moonlight outside his window gradually become tinged with sunlight. He spent the first sleepless night of his new life.