Fifteen, Teaching Plan

Guessing that Xun'er had returned to the Xiao Household, Xiao Dongchen lost interest as well. As he wandered around, he happened to discover that stall from Battle Through the Heavens.

In the corner of the stall, a black, rust-covered iron sheet caught his eye.

"Hey, how much would everything on your stall cost altogether? I'll take it all!"

With a flick of his sleeve, Xiao Dongchen took out a Black Gold Card and held it between two fingers, looking refined and noble.

"Young Master, are you serious? Young Master?"

The mercenary immediately got to his feet, his face full of delighted disbelief.

"Mm."

Xiao Dongchen nodded impatiently.

"Hehe, Young Master, you're really generous!"

"To be honest, the most valuable things on my stall are these two magic crystals. Everything else combined is only worth a few hundred gold coins."

"How about this? Give me fifteen hundred gold coins, and all of it is yours. What do you think?"

The man bent at the waist and smiled ingratiatingly, his eyes and brows brimming with respect.

After traveling far and wide for years, he could tell from the young man's bearing alone that he was definitely someone important!

More importantly, that Nine-Pattern Black Gold Card required at least the strength of a Dou Wang or the backing of a high-ranking faction to obtain on the Dou Qi Continent. Taking it out was a symbol of status and standing.

"Fine!"

After swiping the card without hesitation, Xiao Dongchen stored the items in his Storage Ring and turned to leave...

After leaving the marketplace, he retraced his steps and soon returned to the household. Familiar with the way, he headed straight for Xiao Yan's residence.

"Little Yan, you home? Your brother came to see you."

He knocked on the door, wearing a mysterious smile.

As for why he was younger than Xiao Yan yet could make him call him brother without condition, it was mainly because of an old bet.

Back then, Xiao Yan had been full of youthful spirit and extremely annoyed by this young master who had suddenly moved in. So, on a dark and windy night, he came to provoke him. Xiao Dongchen did not indulge him and simply declared, "Whoever is stronger is the big brother," before casually beating him so badly that he lost all sense of direction.

After that, this "big brother's" cultivation soared all the way up, and then he became invincible!

What else could Xiao Yan say? He could only submit wholeheartedly!

Creak—

The door opened, and Xiao Yan came out looking utterly fired up. The first thing he said was, "Hello, Brother Chen!"

What?

Was this kid sick or something?

What was with that fanatical feeling?

"What's wrong with you today? Something's seriously off!"

Xiao Dongchen frowned, certain there was something strange going on.

"Brother Chen, I'm truly so grateful to you. After hearing Teacher's words, I feel like I've found the direction of my life. I feel terrifyingly strong now!"

"Three years from now, what Nalan Yanran? What Dou Wang? Neither of them would be enough for one hand!"

Intense confidence burst from Xiao Yan's dark eyes. He was high-spirited and proud.

"Uh, you brat..."

Hearing that, Xiao Dongchen was instantly speechless. No wonder this guy had not gone out even after the sun was high in the sky. So Yao Lao had been dragging him through lessons all morning!

To uphold the great profession of being a master, Yao Chen would definitely boast as extravagantly as possible. After all, he knew how terrifying Xiao Dongchen's background was, and Xiao Yan was his "good brother." Wouldn't he have to put on airs?

Could anyone imagine it?

An old Pill Refiner at the peak of Dou Zun, wildly bragging in front of a genius who had just entered the Dou Zhe realm—his brainwashing ability was definitely more terrifying than any pyramid scheme!

In short, Xiao Yan had probably gone mad. Even if he were told to fight Yun Shan now, he would probably charge in with his fists raised!

"Calm down. Calm down first!"

Smack!

Xiao Dongchen walked up and slapped him hard across the face, then followed it with a sweeping kick, casually tossing over a black iron sheet.

That slap instantly cleared Xiao Yan's eyes considerably. One hand covered his slightly reddened cheek while the other caught the iron sheet, his small face filled with huge question marks.

"Brother Chen, why did you hit me?"

Xiao Dongchen could not help smiling at the sight. Then he curled his lips and said leisurely, "I don't care what Old Chen told you. In any case, you're still far from good enough! So don't aim too high. Keep your feet on the ground. I'll help you too."

As soon as he said that, Xiao Yan, who had only been somewhat clear-headed, woke up completely. That was right—he was only a Dou Zhe now, yet he had been fantasizing about walking through the void and instantly defeating Dou Zongs with one hand. Wasn't that just bragging?

That was close. Teacher had painted the future far too grandly, and he had nearly become so full of himself that he could not see the sky.

"Mm, I'll stay true to my heart. Thank you for your guidance, Brother Chen."

Xiao Yan clasped his fists, his face full of gratitude.

"You're teachable, Xiao Yan. Take a look at what's in your hand."

Xiao Dongchen nodded and casually pointed at it.

"Kid, an Xuan Rank Dou Technique. Looks like Young Master Chen picked up some nice trash for you."

Yao Lao chuckled. His voice came from the Storage Ring, sounding dismissive.

"Uh?"

Xiao Yan froze at those words, then stared in astonishment. What did he mean by trash? The highest-ranked Dou Technique in the Xiao Household was only Xuan Rank, wasn't it...

He inspected it from top to bottom, touching and tapping it. His brows furrowed, but he found nothing special apart from that faint fluctuation...

"Attraction Palm, low Xuan Rank. Once mastered, it can pull in a thousand-pound stone. If you bully the weak, you can even raise your hand and draw blood. Not very practical. Just a useless trick."

Before Xiao Yan could react, Yao Lao curled his lips and gave his assessment.

Hearing that, Xiao Dongchen's mouth twitched. Why did that description sound so much like the Star-Sucking Technique? It was simply absurd.

Chuckling, Xiao Yan tucked the black iron sheet into his clothes. He was brimming with excitement. "Teacher, no matter what, this is my first Dou Technique. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. It's still much better than those Huang Rank Dou Techniques in the household, isn't it?"

"Look at you, acting like that without any shame."

Yao Lao's words carried helplessness along with a trace of gratification. Even after his grand teaching, Xiao Yan could still distinguish right from wrong. He truly had the bearing of an expert!

"Old Chen, what teaching plan do you have for Xiao Yan?"

After giving a light cough, Xiao Dongchen stared at the Storage Ring and asked in an even tone.

"Young... Young Master Chen, this is what I had in mind. At the Dou Zhe stage, I plan to use Spirit Tempering Pills as the main support and Spirit-Nourishing Pills as a supplement to raise his cultivation as quickly as possible. At the same time, I'll teach him how to refine Medicinal Liquid, practice Dou Techniques, and so on."

Facing Xiao Dongchen, Yao Lao instinctively became respectful. His words no longer carried the same frivolity and instead became much more solemn.

"The idea isn't bad. So here's the question: where's the money?"

Xiao Dongchen waved a hand, a smile tugging at his lips as he tossed the question to the still-dazed youth. "Xiao Yan, do you have money?"

"Uh, yes!"

After answering instinctively, Xiao Yan's face immediately turned bitter. Then he asked weakly, "May I ask if a few thousand gold coins would be enough?"

"Pfft!"

At those words, Yao Lao was the first to burst out laughing. He transmitted his voice directly into Xiao Yan's mind. "Hahaha, you want to do Pill Refining with a few thousand gold coins? Kid, you're truly something else!"

"I was planning to have you eat pills like candy, but with that kind of money, do you think it'll work?"

The voice in his mind made Xiao Yan's scalp tingle. His expression became even uglier. Only after a long while did he raise his head and look pleadingly at Xiao Dongchen.

"Sigh, I treat you like a brother, but you want to scam me out of money. Aren't you ashamed?!"

Xiao Dongchen completely ignored that look. His attitude clearly said, find someone else if you want to; he was not going to be the sucker.

"Uh, Brother Chen, I only wanted to borrow some..."

"Bah! Borrowing money is just scamming your friends out of their money, isn't it?"

"Don't give me that nonsense. Pills are so valuable. If I lend you the money, what are you going to use to pay me back?"

Before Xiao Yan could finish, Xiao Dongchen raised a hand to interrupt him, looking as though he would disown him if he said another word.

"Then... if I don't have money, what am I supposed to do?"

Xiao Yan was dumbfounded. He could only sigh as worry filled his face.

"If you don't have money, go earn it. What's the big deal?"

Xiao Dongchen curled his lips, unconcerned.

"Make money? Brother Chen, do you have a way?"

The moment he heard that money could be made, Xiao Yan immediately perked up. He leaned in, ready to listen attentively.

"I naturally have my own brilliant plan..."

Xiao Dongchen kept him in suspense and smiled mysteriously, looking completely confident.

Wasn't it just money?

He just had to earn it!