The Xiao Clan's Situation

Only Xiao Yan and Xiao Xun'er remained on the cliff.

Xiao Xun'er tilted her head as she looked at Xiao Yan and said with a gentle smile, "It seems Brother Xiao Yan doesn't need Xun'er to comfort him?"

"People have to grow after taking a blow, don't they? Besides, there are still so many people who care about me. There's Mas... Brother Xiao Fan, you, and Father!" As he spoke, Xiao Yan reached out and pinched the girl's soft cheek.

Feeling an intimacy Xiao Yan had not shown her in a long time, Xiao Xun'er murmured, "Nalan Yanran, I don't know whether I should thank you or hate you..."

"Xun'er... do you... have any money?"

As Xiao Fan headed down the mountain, he paid no more attention to the couple on the cliff. It was time for them to shower everyone with their lovey-dovey affection. Why should he stick around?

After some thought, Xiao Fan decided to find a secluded spot and use his Dou Technique Experience Card first, to see how well it worked.

Finding a secluded spot behind the mountain, Xiao Fan brought up his system panel.

[Strongest Supporting Character System] (Pidan)

Host: Xiao Fan

Level: 2 (51200)

Strength: Dou Qi, seventh stage

Cultivation method: Radiant Sun Art

Dou Technique: yellow tier low grade Fire Cloud Palm (not yet initiated)

Items: low-grade Storage Ring, Dou Technique Experience Card (increases Dou Technique proficiency upon use, allowing rapid mastery of a Dou Technique.)

Main quest: none

"Pidan, select the Dou Technique Experience Card and use it."

"Dou Technique Experience Card successfully used. Fire Cloud Palm proficiency-initiated!"

Xiao Fan closed his eyes and reflected on the technique. Suddenly, he felt as though he had practiced Fire Cloud Palm for a long time and had already mastered its basic execution.

"Fire Cloud Palm!"

With a low shout, Xiao Fan struck at a tree as thick as a person in front of him.

Boom!

The thunderous sound echoed through the forest. Xiao Fan examined the deep palm print in the tree ahead, then felt the slight numbness in his right hand. "Looks like practicing Dou Techniques also requires a solid physical foundation. Otherwise, you injure yourself before you can hurt anyone else!"

"A yellow tier low grade Dou Technique really does have limited power, but it's also the most suitable for me right now. If it were a mystic tier or even an earth tier Dou Technique, never mind whether I could unleash it-even if I did, I'd probably injure myself."

Xiao Fan sat where he was, steadied his breathing, and began considering his future path.

After all, Xiao Yan's cheat was Venerable Yao inside his ring. If Xiao Fan stayed with him all the time, not only would they compete for opportunities, but Xiao Fan also had only ten years. If he failed to complete the mission before time ran out, it seemed the system really would erase him. He could not follow the original plot; he had to begin laying his plans before Xiao Yan did.

A possibility occurred to Xiao Fan, stirring his heart. He smiled. "If I joined that faction, wouldn't that mean..."

With a plan in mind, Xiao Fan rose and headed down the mountain. With Xiao Xun'er around, he did not need to worry about the materials at all.

He decided to browse the marketplace at the foot of the mountain. After all, since coming to this world, he had not yet had a proper look around.

Walking through the marketplace, Xiao Fan got to see many things unique to this world.

Cats with two heads, snakes that could mimic human speech, all manner of pill-refining ingredients, and the so-called magic cores-only then did Xiao Fan truly feel the wonders of a cultivation world.

While he was looking around curiously, he happened to run into Xiao Zhan.

Seeing Xiao Fan looking like an inquisitive child, Xiao Zhan said, "Xiao Fan, come with me!"

Following behind Xiao Zhan, Xiao Fan was wondering where he would take him when Xiao Zhan suddenly asked, "Why did you speak up for Xiao Yan today?"

Xiao Fan paused briefly at the question, then smiled. "I wasn't speaking up for Xiao Yan. I was simply following my heart."

"Earlier, you said there shouldn't be internal strife within a clan, and that it was fine for our own people to bully one another, but not when outsiders were present. Why?" Xiao Zhan asked curiously.

"The most important things in a clan are unity and a sense of honor. If we can bully our own family in front of outsiders, where would that sense of honor come from? Where would our unity come from?" Xiao Fan said earnestly.

A spark of excitement flashed in Xiao Zhan's eyes at his words. "Xiao Fan, I underestimated you. I never expected you to have such insight."

"What do you think of our Xiao Clan as it is now?"

Xiao Fan paused at Xiao Zhan's question. After a moment of thought, he said, "Content with the status quo, without any vitality."

"Then how do you think we can change that atmosphere?" As he asked this question, Xiao Zhan finally turned to face Xiao Fan with a more serious air.

Hearing Xiao Zhan's words, Xiao Fan finally understood why he was asking. It seemed the Xiao Clan Elders' response when the Misty Cloud Sect came to break off the engagement had made him feel that the clan now cared only about profit. As clan leader, he wanted to change things but could not harden his heart enough. Having happened to meet Xiao Fan, he had simply asked in passing.

Xiao Fan thought for a moment. "There are only two ways for the Xiao Clan to change its current situation."

"First, it could experience a major catastrophe, making the clan's younger members realize that, in the face of true disaster, only their own family can be trusted. Only then would the clan unite and break free of its current obsession with profit."

"The other way is to rely on someone with great strength or prestige to forcibly change the clan's situation, issue new clan rules, and give the younger members opportunities to temper themselves. By gradually replacing the rotten thinking of the older generation, the clan can maintain its vitality and achieve a rebirth."

Just like the Xiao Clan in the original story, it had only begun to change after the Misty Cloud Sect's campaign to wipe it out. The three elders had also reflected on their mistakes. That was when the Xiao Clan's unity had been at its strongest.

But that was impossible for the current Xiao Clan. Not only had the elders divided Xiao Zhan's decision-making authority among themselves, but the Xiao Clan was also a dominant power in Wutan City, leaving it no opportunity for such a transformation.

Only if an expert of Dou Wang rank or higher appeared in the Xiao Clan and changed its unhealthy atmosphere would it be possible to remedy its failings within three years. Otherwise, they would still have to wait until Xiao Yan provoked the Misty Cloud Sect or rose to prominence again.

Xiao Zhan nodded at Xiao Fan's answer. How could he not know these things himself? He told Xiao Fan to head back first.

On one hand, he had wanted to assess this young man who had counseled his son several times. On the other, he had simply felt frustrated and wanted someone to chat with. He had never expected Xiao Fan to have such a clear understanding of the Xiao Clan's situation.

Yet the current Xiao Clan not only had all sorts of internal problems, but also faced outside factions eyeing it like tigers stalking their prey. Even if he had a way to bring about change in the clan, those factions would never let him succeed.

As Xiao Fan walked back to his room, his conversation with Xiao Zhan also began to clarify his own thoughts.

The Xiao Clan had once been one of the ancient overlords. No matter what, it should never have fallen so low. Moreover, as its clan leader, Xiao Zhan clearly knew of the Xiao Clan's former glory. How could someone like him manage the clan so carelessly? It seemed the Dou Qi Continent was not entirely as simple as the original story portrayed it. From now on, Xiao Fan could only use the novel as a reference and would have to proceed with caution.