Untying the Knot in His Heart

That night, Xiao Yan returned to his own room with a grave, dejected expression, growing increasingly anxious.

Where exactly had things gone wrong?

Not only had I failed to break through to Dou Zhe, I had somehow reached the absurd tenth stage of Dou Qi instead.

There had never been such a case in the thousands of years of the Dou Qi Continent's history.

This shouldn't be called the butterfly effect anymore. It should be called the Kunpeng effect.

How could a butterfly's wings bring about a change like this?

Xiao Yan scratched his head in frustration and sat cross-legged on his bed.

He studied the problem for ages, but without the ability to look inward, he could not examine every detail of his body.

Still, after several tests, he gained a rough understanding of his physical condition.

Although he had not broken through to Dou Zhe, his physical strength had genuinely risen by a considerable margin.

Compared to the more violent, more offensive Dou Qi of a Dou Zhe, the Dou Qi of the preliminary stages mainly nourished the muscles and bones and strengthened the body.

That was precisely why the preliminary Dou Qi stages were the foundation-building phase for every cultivator.

Thus, although Xiao Yan had failed to compress his Dou Qi into a Qi Spiral, he had gained a different opportunity.

The instant he reached the tenth stage of Dou Qi, its energy had fed back into his body, benefiting him even more than it would an ordinary Dou Zhe.

In simple terms, a Dou Zhe's Dou Qi served more as a tool or weapon.

The Dou Qi of the preliminary stages, meanwhile, strengthened the person wielding those tools and weapons.

While Xiao Yan's thoughts wandered, the door suddenly creaked, and a little head peeked quietly into the room. A clear, sweet voice called out:

"Brother Xiao Yan."

Naturally, Xiao Yan noticed his visitor at once.

Although he was troubled, he immediately concealed it and put on a faint smile.

"Oh, it's Xun'er. What brings you to Brother Xiao Yan's room so late instead of going to bed?"

"Do you want Brother Xiao Yan to tell you another story?"

As he spoke, Xiao Yan looked toward the little figure peeking through the doorway.

His visitor was none other than Xiao Xun'er, one of the heroines of Battle Through the Heavens!

Ever since transmigrating into this world, Xiao Yan had considered Xiao Xun'er extremely important.

And she was not the only one. Xiao Yi Xian, Queen Medusa, and Zi Yan were just as important to him.

These girls either had powerful backgrounds, immense potential, or both.

It was fair to say that the original Xiao Yan could never have become a Dou Di without their help.

That was why Xiao Yan had deliberately tried to build a good relationship with Xiao Xun'er from the beginning.

He could have followed the original Xiao Yan's example, sneaking into the little girl's room at midnight to "nourish her meridians" and picking up a wife for nothing.

In the end, however, Xiao Yan had not done that.

He simply could not help it. Faced with a four-year-old girl, even one cute enough to rival the heavens, he could not entertain the slightest thought of that sort.

Still, while helping little Xun'er become familiar with the Xiao Clan, he found opportunities to nourish her meridians openly.

Though this did not leave as deep an impression on Xiao Xun'er as it had in the original story, at least it eased his conscience considerably.

He suddenly felt much purer at heart!

In the days that followed, Xiao Yan treated Xiao Xun'er like his own little sister.

Of course, his motives had certainly been more self-serving at first.

But what could a four-year-old girl like Xiao Xun'er understand?

All she knew was that Brother Xiao Yan treated her well.

Gradually, Xiao Xun'er became a little shadow trailing behind Xiao Yan.

And faced with such an adorable, clingy little girl, Xiao Yan came to like her from the bottom of his heart.

Xiao Xun'er entered the room, her delicate, baby-plump face filled with hurt.

"Brother Xiao Yan, don't you like Xun'er anymore? You've been spending so much less time playing with me lately."

Xiao Yan paused at her words, then could not help chuckling.

Recently, he had spent more time cultivating to prepare for his breakthrough to Dou Zhe, leaving him little time to keep Xun'er company.

He had never expected the girl to mistake that for him no longer liking her.

Children really do think like that!

Looking at Xiao Xun'er's aggrieved little face, Xiao Yan smiled fondly. "It's Brother Xiao Yan's fault. How about this? Tell me how you want me to make it up to you, little Xun'er. Whatever you say."

At his words, Xiao Xun'er's hurt expression instantly made a complete turnaround.

"Really? Then I want Brother Xiao Yan to keep telling me the story of White Snake.

"And... I also want Brother Xiao Yan to take me to the Back Mountain to fly kites tomorrow."

Xiao Xun'er looked at Xiao Yan with anticipation.

Seeing her expression, Xiao Yan's smile grew even more affectionate.

"Okay. Whatever Xun'er wants!"

"That's wonderful! I knew Brother Xiao Yan treated me the best."

Xiao Xun'er cheered, her little face brimming with contentment.

At the sight, much of Xiao Yan's frustration over failing to reach Dou Zhe melted away.

When the cart reaches the mountain, there will surely be a road!

So what if I haven't broken through to Dou Zhe?

If I can't do it once, I'll try twice. If twice isn't enough, I'll try three times!

With the knot in his heart untied, Xiao Yan's slightly forced smile became much brighter.

He looked at Xiao Xun'er and grinned.

"If you want Brother Xiao Yan to tell you a story, why are you standing so far away?"

"Come here. I'll make an exception today. You can listen for as long as you like, until you get sleepy."

Xiao Xun'er's eyes immediately lit up and curved into crescents. Forgetting all decorum, she bounded to Xiao Yan's side like a happy little deer, her face full of anticipation.

She was so happy not only because she could hear Brother Xiao Yan's stories again, but also because his smile was as warm as sunshine.

It made her feel as though she had returned to the year she was four, when she first arrived at the Xiao Clan, a place utterly unfamiliar to her.

Brother Xiao Yan had taken thoughtful care of her, played with her, told her stories, and even used his Dou Qi to nourish her meridians in his endearingly clueless way.

But Brother Xiao Yan had no idea that her frail condition was connected to the divine flame passed down through her clan, the golden emperor burning heaven flame.

His tiny amount of preliminary Dou Qi could not help at all.

Still, she liked that adorably clueless side of Brother Xiao Yan best!

A sweet smile appeared on Xiao Xun'er's little face as she sat beside Xiao Yan.

One year later!

The Xiao Clan's Back Mountain!

Xiao Yan sat cross-legged atop a huge boulder, the Dou Qi inside him responding to his will as it surged through his meridians.

"Break through!"

Suddenly, Xiao Yan roared, an incomparably sharp gleam bursting from his eyes.

The aura around him swelled at a visibly rapid pace.

Boom!

The next instant, a low, muffled sound came from within his body. He felt as though he were basking in warm sunlight, comfortable from head to toe.

Twelfth-stage Dou Qi!

In just one year, Xiao Yan had still failed to reach Dou Zhe, but he had advanced another two stages in Dou Qi.

"Still no good?"

Xiao Yan muttered to himself. As time passed, he had accepted the fact that he could not break through to Dou Zhe, yet he continued trying.

Getting him to resign himself to fate was impossible!

Besides, his strength had not suffered because of his failure to reach Dou Zhe.

Compared to a two-star Dou Zhe, he fell short only in the power of his Dou Techniques. His raw physique, strength, and speed were no weaker at all.

"Forget it. When the cart reaches the mountain, there will surely be a road."

Undiscouraged, Xiao Yan closed his eyes and resumed meditating.

Just then, an aged voice suddenly sounded beside his ear.

"Little fellow, if you keep cultivating like this, you won't become a true powerhouse even after another hundred years."

Startled by the voice suddenly ringing in his ear, Xiao Yan snapped his eyes open.

Yet he quickly calmed down, though inwardly he was astonished.

So Yao Lao had already awakened at this point?

In the original story, Yao Lao's soul had remained dormant until he absorbed Xiao Yan's Dou Qi for three years.

But thinking about it carefully, this actually made more sense.

Given Yao Lao's level, if his soul truly had been dormant, even draining every last bit of Xiao Yan's Dou Qi would probably have accomplished nothing.

Now it seemed that Yao Lao's three years of absorbing Xiao Yan's Dou Qi in the original story had merely been a test.

After all, once bitten by a snake, one would fear a well rope for ten years.

Who could know whether Xiao Yan would become the next Han Feng?