Dou Qi Third Stage? Nothing but a disguise

After Xiao Hu left, even the air in the room seemed to settle. Xiao Yan leaned against the headboard, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the coarse bedding while his mind raced.

His emperor realm soul worked like the most precise instrument, repeatedly analyzing the two auras he had just sensed. Nalan Yanran's aura was crisp and clear, tinged with youthful arrogance. Her strength as a peak Dou Zhe was outstanding in Wutan City, but to a Nine-Star Dou Sheng like him, she was no different from an infant. The one who truly caught his attention was the Misty Cloud Sect Steward.

Using Dou Shi cultivation as a cover, but his actual strength is at least that of a Da Dou Shi. There's even a tracking mark hidden in his soul... The Misty Cloud Sect certainly "cares" about this "former genius, now a worthless cripple." Xiao Yan sneered inwardly, his fingertips stirring slightly.

The instant that thought crossed his mind, the vast Dou Qi forcibly suppressed within him nearly broke free of its restraints. Just that tiny trace of leaked energy made the medicine jars stacked in the corner tremble, shaking dried medicinal residue loose from their rims.

Xiao Yan's gaze sharpened. He immediately focused and held his breath, locking that power back inside his dantian.

[Warning! Abnormal Dou Qi fluctuations detected, exceeding the upper limit of the current combat realm. Host must immediately suppress them, or this will be classified as a minor violation.]

The unquestionable authority in the system's warning made Xiao Yan inwardly marvel. Its monitoring was far stricter than he had anticipated. Apparently, "concealment" meant far more than simply suppressing his aura. From the inside out, every movement had to fit the role of someone at the "Dou Qi Third Stage."

He began recalling the original owner's condition.

For three years, the Dou Qi inside the original owner had worked only intermittently, circulating with extreme sluggishness. Every cultivation session had been like rowing against the current; the slightest carelessness could disrupt his energy and injure him. That weakness was not merely a matter of cultivation, but of the mind as well—the relentless mockery and oppression had left his bearing tinged with despondency and sensitivity that never quite faded.

"If I'm going to disguise myself, I have to do it thoroughly."

Xiao Yan took a deep breath and began circulating his Dou Qi the way the original owner had. He deliberately slowed its flow, creating slight obstructions in his meridians and even making the energy briefly "jam" at several critical points.

A familiar, faint sting spread through his meridians, identical to the sensation of cultivation in the original owner's memories.

As expected, reining power in tests one's foundations more than unleashing it does, Xiao Yan thought. At his Nine-Star Dou Sheng realm, doing this was hardly difficult. The challenge was maintaining it at every moment, without the slightest lapse.

He tried getting out of bed and walking around.

Years of irregular Dou Qi had left the original owner's body far from robust, his steps somewhat unsteady. Xiao Yan deliberately lightened his footsteps and let his body sway slightly, looking as though a gust of wind could topple him. He walked over to the bronze mirror in the middle of the room and studied his reflection.

The fifteen-year-old boy was rather thin, his face pale from prolonged exposure to medicinal fumes. Only his eyes, beneath slightly disheveled black hair, occasionally flashed with a sharpness beyond his years. But now, Xiao Yan had completely concealed that edge, leaving only the dullness and stubbornness befitting a "worthless cripple."

"This face is almost exactly as I remember it." Xiao Yan tugged at the corners of his mouth in the mirror, producing an expression both bitter and unwilling to yield. It was precisely the look the original owner most often wore when facing his clansmen's mockery.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door, much steadier than Xiao Hu's had been.

"Xiao Yan, Father's here to see you." A gentle voice rang out. It belonged to Xiao Ding, Xiao Zhan's eldest son and Xiao Yan's older brother.

Xiao Yan swiftly adjusted his expression and turned toward the door.

The door opened, and a tall, broad-shouldered middle-aged man with resolute features walked in. It was Xiao Zhan, the current patriarch of the Xiao Clan. His brocade robe had faded slightly from washing, and a few silver strands streaked his temples. Fatigue clung unmistakably to his brow, yet his eyes were full of concern as he looked at Xiao Yan.

"Yan'er, how are you feeling?" Xiao Zhan strode up to him and reached out to feel his forehead, then hesitated, afraid of touching his injuries. His hand paused in midair before resting gently on Xiao Yan's shoulder. "Did your energy go awry again during cultivation yesterday? How many times have I told you not to rush for results? Your health comes first."

Feeling the warmth of the hand on his shoulder, Xiao Yan was stirred.

In the original owner's memories, Xiao Zhan had always held out hope for this son. He had never mocked him like the others, and even when Xiao Yan's cultivation regressed most severely, he had never stopped seeking doctors and medicine for him. That fatherly love was one of the few lights in the original owner's bleak memories.

"Father, I'm fine." Xiao Yan imitated the original owner's tone, his voice still somewhat weak. "I just... can't accept it."

Xiao Zhan sighed, a flicker of anguish crossing his eyes. "I know how much you're suffering. But Yan'er, remember this: you are my son, Xiao Zhan's son, and a member of the Xiao Clan. Whatever your cultivation, your father believes in you." He paused, his tone growing heavier. "Later... the Nalan Family will be coming. You..."

"I know why they're coming." Xiao Yan interrupted him, lowering his eyes. His long lashes cast shadows beneath them. "To break off the engagement, right? I know what to do."

His voice was quiet, but carried a deliberately displayed anger suppressed to its very limit.

Xiao Zhan looked at his son's taut profile and opened his mouth, but ultimately only patted his shoulder. "Good lad. You have the backbone of a son of the Xiao Clan. Remember, whatever happens, your father is here."

After giving Xiao Ding a few instructions to take good care of Xiao Yan, he turned and left. His back was slightly stooped, as though bearing a thousand-pound burden—the clan's honor on one side, his son's dignity on the other. However this broken engagement was handled, it would be a humiliation for the Xiao Clan.

Xiao Ding watched their father's retreating figure, then looked at Xiao Yan and could not help saying, "Second Brother, if Nalan Yanran goes too far later, I'll stand up for you! At worst, we'll fight. Our Xiao Clan may not be what it once was, but we're not here for anyone to trample!"

Xiao Ding had already reached the Dou Shi realm, making him one of the standouts among the younger generation, and he was fiercely protective of his own.

Xiao Yan raised his head and gave him a strained smile. "Thank you, Big Brother. But this is my business. I can handle it myself."

He understood and appreciated Xiao Ding's goodwill. But with Xiao Ding's strength, he stood no chance before that Misty Cloud Sect Steward who concealed his true cultivation. If a conflict really broke out, it would only deepen the Xiao Clan's humiliation.

Xiao Ding was about to say more when a sudden commotion erupted outside the courtyard, mingled with a clansman's announcement: "The honored guests from the Misty Cloud Sect have arrived!"

They're here.

Xiao Yan and Xiao Ding exchanged a glance, each seeing gravity in the other's eyes.

Xiao Ding took a deep breath. "Second Brother, I'll go out with you."

Xiao Yan shook his head. "No need, Big Brother. I'll go alone."

Facing them alone was exactly what he wanted. Only then could he portray that "humiliation" and "resentment" to their fullest.

Xiao Ding hesitated, then finally nodded. "All right. I'll wait right outside. Call me whenever you need me."

Xiao Yan straightened his slightly wrinkled clothes, took a deep breath, and stepped out of the room.

Quite a few Xiao Clan Members had already gathered in the courtyard, standing in small groups with varied expressions. Some were sympathetic, some curious, but most wore the indifference of spectators watching a spectacle. As Xiao Yan emerged, every gaze fixed on him, pricking his body like needles.

Had it been the original owner, he would probably have gone rigid by now, wishing he could crawl into a crack in the ground.

But Xiao Yan merely straightened his back and walked through the crowd without looking aside, heading toward the Front Courtyard. His pace was slow, and his deliberate imitation of the original owner's unsteadiness even made him stagger slightly. Yet every step was firm, as though he were gathering something within himself.

[System notification: Target individuals Nalan Yanran and the Misty Cloud Sect Steward have entered the main hall of the Front Courtyard. Host must maintain the current state and complete phase one of the temporary mission.]

[More than fifteen Xiao Clan Members detected nearby, all within observation range. Host's current Dou Qi fluctuations meet the Dou Qi Third Stage standard. Disguise rating: 90%.]

Xiao Yan understood. The system was apparently monitoring his condition in real time.

He reached the entrance to the main hall and stopped.

Nalan Yanran's cool voice came from within, carrying a lofty indifference. "Patriarch Xiao, I won't waste words. My engagement to Xiao Yan was merely a childhood jest. Now that I am an Inner Sect Disciple of the Misty Cloud Sect, he and I no longer belong to the same world. This engagement must be dissolved today."

"Miss Nalan, this engagement was arranged by the elders of our two families. How can you dissolve it simply because you say so?" Xiao Zhan's voice held restrained anger.

"Arranged by our elders? So what?" Nalan Yanran's voice grew colder. "Am I, a disciple of the Misty Cloud Sect, supposed to marry a worthless cripple at the Dou Qi Third Stage? That would insult not only me, but the Misty Cloud Sect as well!"

The words "worthless cripple" struck every Xiao Clan member like a resounding slap, and reached Xiao Yan's ears clearly outside the hall.

The hall instantly fell deathly silent.

Xiao Yan slowly pushed open the hall doors.

Every gaze snapped toward him.

A young girl in a pale purple dress stood in the center of the main hall, her skin fairer than snow and her features as lovely as a painting. It was Nalan Yanran. With her chin slightly raised, she watched Xiao Yan enter, her eyes filled with undisguised contempt and arrogance.

Behind her stood a middle-aged man in gray robes. His face was ordinary, but his gaze was sharp as a hawk's. He was the Misty Cloud Sect Steward. His eyes swept over Xiao Yan with scrutiny and a trace of barely perceptible disdain, as though examining a worthless object.

Xiao Yan met Nalan Yanran's gaze. He deliberately let his pupils contract slightly, pressed his lips together, and clenched his fists inside his sleeves until his knuckles paled.

"Nalan Yanran." His voice was slightly hoarse with "anger." "Who are you calling a worthless cripple?"

Seeing him like this, Nalan Yanran curled her lips in mockery. "Don't you know perfectly well who I mean? Xiao Yan, show some sense and dissolve the engagement yourself. That way, everyone can save face. Otherwise, if this really comes to blows and you get hurt, disgracing the Xiao Clan, that wouldn't be pleasant."

As she spoke, the Dou Qi fluctuations of a peak Dou Zhe faintly emanated from her, carrying a mild pressure.

For the original owner at the Dou Qi Third Stage, those fluctuations would indeed have been enough to make breathing difficult.

Xiao Yan obligingly retreated half a step, his face turning even paler, as though cowed by her aura. But his eyes grew sharper, like a wolf cub driven into a corner.

"We can dissolve the engagement." He stared fixedly at Nalan Yanran, speaking each word distinctly. "But not simply because you say so."

Nalan Yanran frowned. "What do you mean?"

Xiao Yan took a deep breath and approached the table in the hall where the Marriage Contract Document lay. He picked up the writing brush and dipped it in ink. His hand trembled slightly with "agitation," and ink dripped onto the paper, spreading into a small blot.

Everyone watched him, unsure what he intended to do.

Xiao Yan looked at no one. With his head lowered, he carefully wrote three characters beneath the Marriage Contract Document.

Then he hurled the brush onto the table, turned to face Nalan Yanran, and tore the document in half. He threw one half to the floor and gripped the other tightly in his hand.

"Nalan Yanran." He raised his head, flames seeming to burn in his eyes. His voice was not loud, but rang clearly throughout the main hall. "I, Xiao Yan, will remember today's humiliation! **Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west—never scorn a youth for being poor!**"

With that, he spared Nalan Yanran not another glance, turning and rushing out of the hall as though he could no longer bear its humiliation.

Throughout the entire exchange, his Dou Qi fluctuations had remained at the Dou Qi Third Stage. His anger, resentment, and final resounding declaration all perfectly matched what one would expect of a "worthless cripple driven into a corner."

[System notification: Phase one of the temporary mission completed. Emotional display matched the assigned role. True strength was not exposed. Disguise rating: 100%.]

Nalan Yanran watched Xiao Yan stagger away, then glanced at the half-document on the floor, disdain crossing her face. "Empty posturing."

The Misty Cloud Sect Steward, however, narrowed his eyes slightly. His gaze lingered in the direction Xiao Yan had left, as though pondering something. Soon, though, he withdrew his gaze and cupped his hands toward Xiao Zhan. "Patriarch Xiao, since the engagement has been dissolved, we shall take our leave."

Xiao Zhan stared at the document on the floor, his face livid, without saying a word.

Nalan Yanran snorted coldly, then turned and followed the steward out of the Xiao Clan estate.

Only after their figures had completely vanished from sight did the Xiao Clan Members erupt into a hubbub.

"That Xiao Yan does have some backbone."

"What good is backbone? He's still at the Dou Qi Third Stage, isn't he?"

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west? I doubt he'll ever turn his fortunes around..."

The various remarks reached Xiao Yan's ears, but he acted as though he had heard nothing. He returned to his room and shut the door behind him.

Inside, the anger and resentment on his face instantly faded, replaced by utter calm.

He walked to the window and looked in the direction Nalan Yanran and the steward had left, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"Never scorn a youth for being poor? Heh."

He chuckled softly, his fingertips stirring.

His emperor-realm soul swept across dozens of yards like an invisible blade, precisely locking onto the tracking mark the Misty Cloud Sect Steward had secretly planted on Nalan Yanran. The mark was extremely well concealed, attached to a corner of her soul. Without a careful examination, it would have been impossible to detect.

Perhaps the Misty Cloud Sect Steward had planted this mark merely to monitor Xiao Yan's movements and prevent future retaliation. After all, the fall from "genius to worthless cripple" could easily breed bitter hatred.

But in Xiao Yan's eyes, this mark was a provocation.

He did not erase it outright. That would have been too easy for the other man to notice.

With a light tap of his fingertip, an almost imperceptible strand of soul power silently coiled around the mark like the finest thread. This strand was exceptionally weak, even less conspicuous than a Dou Zhe's soul fluctuations. Yet the emperor realm laws it contained were enough to alter the mark's nature.

He merely tampered with it slightly, shrinking its "detection range" to a radius of ten yards and making its connection to Nalan Yanran's soul so fragile that the slightest external interference would cause it to collapse on its own.

Having finished, he withdrew his soul power as though nothing had happened.

The Misty Cloud Sect Steward noticed nothing and continued leading Nalan Yanran toward the city gates at an unhurried pace.

Xiao Yan gazed out the window, a meaningful smile curving his lips.

"Dou Qi Third Stage?"

"Nothing but a disguise."

"The game on this Dou Qi Continent has only just begun."

[System notification: Phase two of the temporary mission completed. Intervention successfully concealed and undetected by the targets. Disguise rating maintained at 100%.]

[Remaining requirement for mission completion: Wait for the worldline to progress naturally (the broken engagement incident must conclude).] ```

He walked over to the bed and sat down, beginning to take stock of his current "assets." Aside from this body and his peak strength, he had almost nothing. The original owner's memories contained only some basic Dou Techniques and common knowledge of alchemy. Most of his understanding of advanced cultivation methods and heavenly flames came from memories of his previous life.

"Looks like I need to find a way to get some resources," Xiao Yan murmured.

Whether for cultivation—to maintain his disguise—or pill refinement, he needed resources. Clearly, the Xiao Clan could offer little help.

His gaze fell on the medicine jars on the table, which held the dregs left from the medicines the original owner had taken over the years. The medicinal potency within them was extremely faint, but under the analysis of his emperor realm soul, he could clearly distinguish their ingredients.

"These herbs may be ordinary, but combined properly, they could still produce some basic pills."

A thought flashed through Xiao Yan's mind.

Perhaps alchemy would be a good way to earn his first pot of gold.

After all, with his emperor realm soul power and understanding of alchemy—even if only theoretical—refining a few low-tier pills should be as easy as turning over his hand.

Of course, he first needed to find a suitable "cover" so he would not expose his true alchemical skill.

He rubbed his chin and began to ponder.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in the Misty Cloud Sect, an old man in white robes slowly opened his eyes atop a mist-shrouded peak. The Water Mirror before him reflected the scene of the broken engagement at the Xiao Clan.

"Heh, the Dou Qi Third Stage? A pity about his former talent." The old man chuckled and waved a hand, causing the image in the Water Mirror to vanish without a trace. "Still, he's merely a worthless cripple. Nothing to worry about."

He had no idea that the "worthless cripple" in his eyes was sitting in a humble room at that very moment, plotting how to stir the winds and clouds from the shadows of the Dou Qi Continent.