The Third Young Master of the Xiao Clan

"Xiao Xun'er, ninth stage Dou Qi."

"Next."

"Xiao Yan, Dou Qi, eighth... eighth stage?!"

Staring at the remaining words on the stone tablet that Xiao Yan had shattered with a single slap, Xiao Feng, the middle-aged man presiding over the ceremony, widened his eyes.

"This tablet may not be anything precious, but for anyone below the Dou Shi realm, shattering it is practically impossible!"

"How is this possible? He was clearly at the third stage of Dou Qi just a few days ago. How did he become eighth stage Dou Qi in the blink of an eye?!"

The crowd below erupted into wave after wave of shocked murmurs.

"I told you Brother Yan had been putting on an act, but none of you believed me. What kind of genius who had fallen into uselessness could stay as calm as he did? No matter how deep his schemes were, he couldn't have acted like that."

After fiercely glaring at the lackeys gossiping about Xiao Yan nearby, Xiao Ning flashed Xiao Yan, who was strolling leisurely off the platform, a grin like an overexcited husky before scampering over.

"Brother Yan, after acting for three years, you finally stopped?!"

After raising a hand and restoring the magical stone tablet used to test Dou Qi with Divine Machinecraft, Xiao Yan rolled his eyes at Xiao Ning.

"What act? I wasn't acting. My physical condition just recovered."

Xiao Yan felt rather helpless when it came to Xiao Ning.

They had grown up together and often fought and played as children. Their relationship had worsened a little during their rebellious teenage years, but after Xiao Yan beat him up a few times, they became inseparable brothers.

He just did not know whether Xiao Ning had been led astray by bad company, but his personality had become rather like that of a husky...

"Hmph, you weren't acting? In the first few days after your Dou Qi disappeared, I got beaten up every time I went to see you, and you're telling me you weren't acting?" Xiao Ning's eyes widened. Regardless of the occasion, his voice unconsciously rose.

The moment those words came out, the crowd fell silent for an instant before exploding like a boiling pot.

"No wonder, no wonder..." ×N

Two dark lines immediately appeared on Xiao Yan's forehead.

Xiao Yan remembered what Xiao Ning was talking about as well. Back then, the First Elder had probably told him about Xiao Yan's vanished Dou Qi.

Then he had apparently said something along the lines of, "The young lord is frail, so you must strive harder," and even gave Xiao Ning some treasured medicinal pills.

Yet Xiao Ning had not even waited until the next day. That very night, he brought the pills to Xiao Yan, wanting to help him recover.

Xiao Yan also remembered the time Xiao Ning mentioned, when he had pinned him down and beaten him. He had just returned from the world of The Outcast then...

He did not want Xiao Ning's pills, but Xiao Ning insisted on giving them to him and even tried to fight him over it. Coincidentally, before Xiao Ning arrived, Xiao Yan had refined several Qi-devouring sacs capable of storing Dou Qi, and he had also strengthened his body with a special application of Divine Machinecraft that Ma Xianhong had developed with him...

In any case, after that, Xiao Ning seemed never to have believed that Xiao Yan's Dou Qi had truly vanished.

Or rather, within the clan, aside from the foolish and the malicious, no one truly believed that Xiao Yan had lost all his Dou Qi and become crippled.

Xiao Yan cared even less about those people.

"Brother Yan, the three-year deadline has arrived. Are you finally going to rise back to the top?" Xiao Ning asked excitedly, sounding quite childish.

Just as Xiao Yan was thinking that it was no shame for a young man to be childish and was about to join him, the corner of his eye caught sight of a graceful figure walking toward them. He immediately gave a light cough.

"Brother Xiao Yan, has your body finally recovered?"

Xiao Xun'er approached elegantly and gave Xiao Ning a slight nod. Then her gaze settled firmly on Xiao Yan.

"Ahem, Xun'er, I've recovered."

Although he felt that Xiao Xun'er's gaze was somewhat strange, Xiao Yan still put on a serious face. He shot a fierce glare at Xiao Ning, who was waggling his eyebrows at them, then grabbed Xiao Xun'er and headed outside.

"Brother Xiao Yan truly did not waste these past three years."

After leaving the square, Xiao Xun'er stroked her jade-like arm with her delicate hand, savoring the force Xiao Yan had inadvertently used earlier. Her slender brows rose slightly.

A physique far beyond that of an ordinary Dou Zhe...

"Heh, in such a huge clan, apart from those fools or scoundrels, only Sister Xun'er knew that something had truly gone wrong with my body."

Xiao Yan raised his brows as well, lazily leaning against a tree with a teasing look in his eyes.

This girl most likely had some sort of fortuitous encounter too, or perhaps an inheritance?

Having lived in this world for fifteen years, Xiao Yan had wanted to complain more than once. The entire world felt like an old webnovel, filled with tropes that had become stale long ago.

Jumping off a cliff brought fortuitous encounters, rings contained old masters, and when he and Yao Chen made up all sorts of secret arts supposedly acquired by chance, people believed them without the slightest suspicion. That alone showed such things were actually common on the Dou Qi Continent.

Perhaps this mysterious girl was the inheritor of some ancient clan or ancient sect.

"Hehe, of course I believe what Brother Xiao Yan says. After all, back then..." Xiao Xun'er stopped halfway through, smiling as she stared at Xiao Yan without saying another word.

Xiao Yan's face immediately darkened.

He really was not into little girls. He liked mature women!

Back then, he had simply acted on impulse. During the day, he heard Xiao Xun'er say she was feeling unwell, and that night he thought of using Dou Qi to give her a massage or something...

Forget it. The more he explained, the worse it sounded...

Even if he was not into little girls, he should still make something that would keep him from fearing electricity first...

"Speaking of which, I've been rather tired lately from trying to catch up to Brother Xiao Yan's former pace. When will Brother Xiao Yan come give me another massage?"

Admiring Xiao Yan's embarrassed expression, a mischievous glint flashed through Xiao Xun'er's eyes. She gently pressed her entire body against him, her breath fragrant as orchids as it tickled his ear.

"Uh..." Feeling that soft warmth wrapped around his arm, Xiao Yan paused slightly. His powerful soul force clearly sensed the indescribable looks of the spectators in the distance, and his body could not help stiffening a little.

"Pfft."

Seeing Xiao Yan's ears turn red in embarrassment, Xiao Xun'er instantly lost her composure, and a radiant smile bloomed across her exquisite face.

"I'll be waiting for Brother Xiao Yan anytime."

As she spoke, her slender jade fingers brushed across Xiao Yan's chest. Xiao Xun'er then drifted away lightly, turning her head slightly before leaving.

"Oh, right. Brother Xiao Yan, I heard this morning that there seems to be an honored guest arriving from the imperial capital tomorrow."

After leaving those words behind, Xiao Xun'er's figure disappeared beyond the courtyard.

Xiao Yan adjusted his clothes slightly and bent at the waist, ignoring Yao Chen's snickering in his mind. When the old man only laughed harder, Xiao Yan flew into embarrassed rage and tapped his storage ring with his index finger, sealing it with black sealing-script patterns.

"What are you looking at?!" Xiao Yan turned and fiercely glared at the spectating Xiao Ning. Just as he was about to leave, a thought struck him, and a smile appeared on his face.

The honored guest could wait. For now, he needed to vent some... pfft, he needed to shoulder his responsibility as the young clan leader and properly spur on the clan's younger generation.

The moment they saw that smile, the clan members who were fairly familiar with him immediately felt a sense of impending doom. They tried to run on the spot, but before they could take two steps, Xiao Yan flicked his hand, and flying ropes curled around them and dragged them back.

"Come on, come on, don't leave. Today, the Third Young Master of the Xiao Clan has officially returned. This is the perfect chance to remind you all."

"Damn it! Brother Yan, don't!" ×N

Crash, bang, clatter.

"Ohohohohoho—" ×N

(Thanks to Teacher Tom for the passionate voice acting.)