Four Months After Taking a Master, Xiao Yan Advanced to Dou Shi!

Early in the fourth month, on the mountain behind the clan grounds.

Xiao Yan sat cross-legged on a Stone Ledge. The grass around him stirred without wind as wisps of Heaven and Earth Qi gathered with his breathing and sank into his meridians.

The Dou Qi Vortex inside him was spinning at tremendous speed.

The Dou Qi that had filled it was gathering toward the center, compressing and condensing until, at a certain instant, it formed the first drop of purer liquid Dou Qi.

Hum!

Xiao Yan's body trembled slightly.

The power compressed in his Dantian seemed to have found an outlet at last. It surged through his meridians, and his muscles and bones loosened along with it.

He slowly opened his eyes and raised his palm.

Dou Qi emerged from his body, coating the back of his hand in a faint glow.

Dou Qi Gauze Robe!

Though he had only formed a rudimentary layer, it proved that he had truly crossed the threshold between Dou Zhe and Dou Shi.

Xiao Yan gazed at his palm, his smile gradually widening.

"One-Star Dou Shi!"

Back then, he had thought that as long as his Dou Qi was no longer drained away, he could retain his reputation as the Xiao Clan's genius. Who could have imagined that he would come this far in just a few months?

"Steady your aura, then try the sword."

Bodhi reminded him from beside the stone.

Xiao Yan regulated his breathing as instructed. Only after the surging within him settled did he grip the Taiji Liangyi Sword and slash forward.

A bright streak of sword energy swept across the clearing. On a boulder over ten feet away, a crack extended from top to bottom, only slowly stopping when it reached the base.

The sword energy was more solid than before, yet his sword hand did not tremble in the slightest.

Xiao Yan lowered his sword, his eyes shining brilliantly.

The stronger his cultivation became, the more freely he could wield this sword. Once he truly incorporated the heavenly dipper divine powers into it, even he dared not imagine what that slash would look like.

He sheathed the sword and turned toward the Patriarch.

"Master, the Origin Condensation Pill..."

Bodhi smiled.

"Have you memorized the formula?"

"I have!"

"Then go back and prepare the furnace."

The Origin Condensation Pill helped a Nine-Star Dou Zhe condense their Dou Qi and break through to the Dou Shi realm.

Its medicinal power was not particularly fierce, but it required the alchemist to combine the principal ingredients with great precision. Any error in the heat could upset the balance of its otherwise gentle medicinal power.

Xiao Yan did not fire up the furnace as soon as he received the ingredients.

First, he refined each of the new medicinal ingredients separately to familiarize himself with their changes. Then, following the Patriarch's guidance, he practiced dividing the flames and controlling the temperature inside the cauldron several times before beginning in earnest.

After advancing to Dou Shi, he had far more Dou Qi to sustain him.

These months of nurturing his body and spirit had also sharpened his perception. Tiny bits of residue mixed into a portion of medicinal liquid, or slight deviations in the flames, were all easier to detect than when he had first started learning.

Even so.

When it came time for Pill Condensation, he still held his mind taut.

The medicinal liquid slowly gathered inside the Cauldron, forming three rounded embryonic shapes. Xiao Yan maintained the flames with one hand and followed the prescribed gestures to draw the medicinal power together with the other, beads of sweat sliding down his cheeks from his temples.

Bodhi stood beside him. Only when one portion of medicinal liquid grew slightly restless did he offer a quiet reminder.

"The left side. Ease it a fraction."

Xiao Yan immediately complied.

That trace of agitation settled, and the three pills finally began taking shape.

Another incense stick's worth of time passed before a medicinal fragrance drifted out of the Cauldron.

He extinguished the flames and opened the Cauldron.

Three pale white pills fell onto the Jade Plate, each bearing a faint blue-green streak on its surface, round and perfectly intact.

Xiao Yan let out a long breath. Only then did his shoulders and back relax.

After inspecting them, the Patriarch pushed the Jade Plate back to him.

"You've succeeded."

Xiao Yan looked down at them again and again, unable to suppress his smile.

He had never imagined that he would be able to refine a Third-Rank Pill in just a few short months.

The greatest reason was that he had cultivated the Thirty-Six Heavenly Dipper Divine Powers and the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts, allowing him to handle many things on the Dou Qi Continent as effortlessly as plucking them into his hand.

A few days later, in a quiet courtyard of the Xiao Clan.

Xiao Hong, Xiao Shi, and Xiao Yue sat inside the room, with three small jade bottles before them. After hearing what the pills did, none of them reached out for a moment.

Xiao Shi swallowed, his voice a little strained.

"Third Young Master, these are Third-Rank Pills?"

"Yes."

Xiao Yan nodded, then glanced at his father.

Xiao Zhan knew better than anyone how the three men's cultivation had progressed over the years. After nearly a month of medicinal baths, their accumulated old injuries were gradually fading, and their Dou Qi was abundant. This was precisely the right time to give them another push forward.

Xiao Zhan pushed a small bottle toward each of them. "Take them. The Xiao Clan remembers everything you've done running about on its behalf over the years."

Xiao Hong lowered his head to look at the jade bottle, his thick fingers slowly tightening around it.

Dou Shi.

How many years had he yearned to take this step?

He had thought he would have to endure for a long time yet, but now someone had placed the opportunity right before him.

Xiao Yan explained the precautions they needed to take when consuming the pills, then left the room with his father. The three men each entered a quiet chamber for secluded cultivation, while other clan members stood guard outside the courtyard.

On the first night, Xiao Yue was the first to show a change. His previously stagnant aura suddenly surged, and the forceful wind rising inside his room made the paper windows shiver.

The clan members guarding outside sprang to their feet.

Dou Shi!

The following afternoon, a disturbance came from Xiao Shi's room as well.

By the morning of the third day, Xiao Hong pushed open his door and stood on the threshold, staring blankly at the Dou Qi Gauze Robe rising over his arm.

He raised his hand, then clenched his fist. Suddenly, he broke into a broad grin.

As he laughed, however, his eyes grew a little red.

"Third Young Master, Clan Leader..."

Xiao Zhan stepped forward and gave his shoulder a heavy pat.

"What matters is that you succeeded."

One batch of pills.

Three Dou Shi.

When the news reached the training grounds, no one believed it at first. Once they saw the three men activate their Dou Qi with their own eyes, cheers erupted along the edge of the grounds.

Almost every guard who had been resting stood up. What they saw was not merely three more experts in the Xiao Clan, but hope for themselves if they kept training.

At dinner, Xiao Yan helped himself to a few extra pieces of meat.

Refining pills and watching over the others these past few days had taken considerable mental effort. Now that everything was settled, his appetite had grown as well.

Xun'er sat beside him. Seeing how intently he ate, she said softly:

"Everyone at the training grounds was talking about you today."

Xiao Yan asked:

"What were they saying?"

Xun'er smiled.

"They said that from now on, no one is allowed to stop the Third Young Master when he goes to the dispensary."

Xiao Yan nearly laughed aloud. In the past, when he went to collect medicinal ingredients, he had to ask whether he had enough of his allotment left. Now even the guards were putting out the word for him.

Xiao Zhan laughed too when he heard this, then picked up the ladle and filled another bowl of soup for him.

After taking those Origin-Restoring Meridian-Nourishing Pills, his injuries had long since healed. His cultivation had met with no obstacles lately, and the foundation he had accumulated was gradually turning into genuine progress.

The clan had money, there were guards available to call upon, and even the burdens weighing on his shoulders had eased considerably.

Looking at his father's relaxed expression, Xiao Yan felt a satisfaction even more tangible than when he had made his own breakthrough.

Xun'er watched beside him without interrupting, merely nudging the last plate of food closer to him.

The Jia Lie Family.

A freshly delivered report lay on the desk.

After reading it, Jia Lie Bi rested his fingers on the paper for a moment, then looked up at the steward.

"Three?"

"Three indeed. During the Xiao Clan's guard rotation today, both guard captains displayed Dou Qi Gauze Robes, and the steward at the storehouse has advanced as well." The steward kept his voice very low.

"Their people have all been training diligently lately, and they've been much more generous with injury medicine and medicinal baths than before."

Jia Lie Bi did not speak immediately.

A few ordinary Dou Zhe advancing by one star would not amount to much.

But with three additional Dou Shi in succession, the Xiao Clan could rearrange the manpower in its Merchant Escort Team and among those guarding the Marketplace. Places that had once required Xiao Zhan's personal attention now had others capable of taking his place.

This was no longer something that could be explained away as good luck. The smile slowly faded from his face.

"Go find out."

"Just what benefits has the Xiao Clan gained recently?"

P.S. The comic will be updated alongside the novel every day, and the comic adaptations of all the earlier chapters are now up to date too. But please remember to finish reading the novel before reading the comic each day, or without the data, this book will stop updating.

The climax is almost here: wiping out the two great families and heading to the Misty Cloud Sect to break off the engagement!