A father-son talk, Xiao Yan's shock

"Old Zhou? What happened to him?!"

Xiao Yan's expression changed, and he hurriedly pressed for an answer.

He was not surprised that his father knew about Old Zhou.

After all, during the three years when his Dou Qi had been disappearing, he would occasionally visit Old Zhou's little courtyard to drink and shoot the breeze, easing the gloom weighing on his heart.

His father had always doted on him. Besides, with only three-stage Dou Qi, there was no way his father would feel comfortable letting him go out alone and mingle with outsiders.

So his father must have sent someone to follow and protect him in secret, investigating the people he met along the way.

Xiao Yan had spent more than half a year cultivating hard. Apart from one trip out to auction off Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid, he had barely paid attention to anything outside.

Now his father had come and brought up Old Zhou out of nowhere. How could he not be nervous? Old Zhou was his only close buddy now!

Seeing Xiao Yan's troubled expression, Xiao Zhan did not keep him in suspense. He shook his head and sighed. "Nothing happened to Young Friend Zhou. It's just that his name now rings loud throughout Wutan City. Calling him a household name would be no exaggeration."

Xiao Yan breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he was all right. If something really had happened, who would he drink and shoot the breeze with in the future?

Then, however, surprise crept over him. "Huh? Old Zhou made his debut?"

"His debut? What debut?"

His youngest son's words left Xiao Zhan rather bewildered.

The boy had loved using incomprehensible expressions since childhood. To think he was still doing it now.

"Ahem, nothing."

Xiao Yan coughed twice and skirted the subject before asking curiously, "Father, you said Old Zhou is famous now? What exactly happened?"

"To explain that, I have to mention the Iron-Cleaving Treasure Weapon. I believe you've heard something about it, Yan'er."

"I know about those. They're a kind of weapon that became very popular a while ago. They can even cut through a Dou Shi's Dou Qi Veil."

Xiao Yan nodded.

He had heard that name from his clansmen a few months ago, when he had still been at fifth stage Dou Qi.

Xiao Zhan stroked his beard and nodded before continuing, "A while ago, these Treasure Weapons began appearing frequently, which drew the clan's attention. After all, if such formidable weapons were deployed on a large scale, they would create a terrifying fighting force."

"So I sent people to investigate, and they discovered that these weapons originated with Young Friend Zhou."

"If we could discover that, the other factions in the city naturally could as well."

"Thus, quite a few factions began coveting what Young Friend Zhou possessed. But fearing that he might have powerful connections or an expert supporting him, the major factions held their positions and investigated him for an entire month."

"But this afternoon, someone finally lost patience and made a move to capture Young Friend Zhou..."

"What?! Who was it?!"

At this, Xiao Yan grew anxious. He immediately rose to his feet, his gaze sharp and murderous as he demanded an answer.

Although he was somewhat surprised that Old Zhou could produce weapons as formidable as the Iron-Cleaving Treasure Weapon, he cared far more about his friend's situation right now.

"Don't be anxious. Have you forgotten what I said earlier?"

Seeing his reaction, Xiao Zhan smiled and shook his head slightly. He raised a hand and beckoned, signaling for Xiao Yan to calm down, sit, and hear him out.

Xiao Yan came to his senses. His father had already said Old Zhou was fine, so the attempt to capture him had clearly failed. He sat down and continued listening.

"Although the person who tried to capture Young Friend Zhou was a Five-Star Dou Master, he failed. Instead, Young Friend Zhou, with the strength of a High-Rank Dou Zhe, decisively turned the tables and killed him right there in the street."

"That is why I said Young Friend Zhou's name now resounds throughout Wutan City."

At this point, even Xiao Zhan could not help sighing in admiration. "Yan'er, this friend of yours is truly extraordinary. At fifteen, he already has the skill to make formidable weapons like the Iron-Cleaving Treasure Weapon, and his cultivation has reached the level of a High-Rank Dou Zhe. Apart from you back then, I have never seen such a genius."

Indeed, a genius's friends were bound to be geniuses too. With Yan'er's former talent, how could the friends he made have been mediocre nobodies?

"Hiss..."

After hearing the news, Xiao Yan froze, then sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes filled with shock!

When he had first heard that the Treasure Weapons came from Old Zhou's hands, he had merely been surprised.

After all, compared with a profession as unpromising as blacksmithing, his own path as an Alchemist was naturally far more appealing. Why would he care about some Treasure Weapons?

But this was different. Hearing that Old Zhou was a High-Rank Dou Zhe, and that he had slain a Dou Shi with a Dou Zhe's cultivation, truly stunned Xiao Yan!

The reason went without saying.

Xiao Yan remembered that half a year ago, his friend had only begun converting his Dou Qi after receiving a cultivation method from him.

And now you're telling me that in half a year, Old Zhou advanced from a One-Star Dou Zhe to at least Seven-Star Dou Shi?

And his combat strength was so great that he could kill an enemy an entire major realm above him?

Are you kidding me?!

"Shit! That guy's talent is so monstrous, yet he's been hiding it from me all this time. Does he even consider me a friend?"

Once the shock passed and he accepted the truth, Xiao Yan gave a wry smile, a hint of bitterness tugging at the corners of his mouth.

His own talent was already outstanding, but never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that his good buddy—the one who laughed and joked with him every day, who had been stuck at the threshold of the Dou Zhe realm for lack of a cultivation method—could be such a freak!

Despite his confidence, Xiao Yan knew that even if he were a High-Rank Dou Zhe, he probably could not contend with a Dou Shi without his teacher's help.

His close buddy had accomplished something he himself could not. That dealt him quite a blow.

It felt as though he were still digging in the mud while his good buddy was already driving a Land Rover. It was hard to accept.

Xiao Yan's state of mind now perfectly matched that saying: you feared your buddy living in hardship, but you also feared him driving a Land Rover.

Old Zhou, you damn bastard! You actually went and made it big!

After taking that blow, Xiao Yan thought viciously to himself. Yet the corners of his mouth unconsciously lifted, and happiness shone in his eyes.

Seeing that Xiao Yan had not truly been discouraged, Xiao Zhan nodded in relief. Still, he stood and patted his son's shoulder, encouraging him. "Yan'er, don't lose heart. Though Young Friend Zhou is indeed astonishingly talented, you are no less capable."

"I believe that in the future, my Yan'er will be inferior to no one!"

"Don't worry, Father. I endured those three years. I won't be knocked down so easily. When the coming-of-age ceremony arrives, I'll give you a huge surprise."

"Good, good, good! That's my son! Then I'll be waiting for your surprise."

"It's getting late. Since we've finished talking, I'll head back and leave you to rest."

"Take care, Father. I'll see you out."

After seeing Xiao Zhan off.

Xiao Yan returned to his bedroom and sat on the bed, lost in thought.

Suddenly, Xiao Yan looked up and asked, "Teacher, that genius you mentioned earlier, the one whose talent far surpasses mine—could it be Old Zhou?"

"Heh heh heh, take a guess?"

"Damn it, you rotten old man!"

(End of chapter)