It Wasn't Entirely Out of the Question

"Mmph." Xiao Jiande's eyes went perfectly round. Before he could say anything, Xiao Yan swept a whipping kick at him.

Crack. With the unmistakable sound of breaking bones, Xiao Jiande's scream rang across half the sky, and he actually passed out.

"Since you like using your status and background to trample people, you ought to be prepared to get trampled yourself." Xiao Yan sneered.

In his previous life, he had been little better off than these Dou Wangs born among the descendant populace. With no backing and no one to guide him, he had clawed and stumbled his way forward, only achieving a little success in his career at thirty.

Yet even then, when he encountered privileged wastrels like Xiao Jiande, he could only swallow his anger. Sometimes, a single word from the powerful backers behind them could turn his years of effort into smoke.

Fortunately, the family Xiao Yan had been born into this time possessed a downright terrifying background. So when he encountered someone like Xiao Jiande again, he would naturally plant a couple of hard stomps on the man's face without hesitation.

"Take your useless young master home. Tell him that if he wants revenge, I, Xiao Yan, will be waiting anytime. We'll see whether he has the guts!"

With a flick of Xiao Yan's right hand, Xiao Jiande flew like a dead dog into the arms of the group of Dou Emperors.

A full-fledged Dou Huang expert had actually fainted from the pain of having his legs broken. That alone showed how feeble his willpower was.

The Dou Emperors exchanged glances, then hurriedly flew away carrying Xiao Jiande.

They had heard Xiao Yan's declaration, "My grandfather is a Dou Sheng," loud and clear.

A clash between young people with such formidable backgrounds was not something they dared interfere in. At their level, they only dared bully Dou Wangs born among the descendant populace.

If their opponent had so much as a Dou Zong blood relative, they would not dare lay a hand on him.

"Little Yanzi, nicely done."

Once Xiao Jiande's group had left, Xiao Yu flew over in satisfaction and patted Xiao Yan's shoulder.

"Well, my cousin Yu is just so charming. As her younger cousin, of course I have to help swat away the flies." Xiao Yan waved a hand, then smiled and nodded at Xiao Niu, Xiao Ma, and their companion behind Xiao Yan.

The three gave a couple of awkward chuckles, somewhat overwhelmed by the attention, but dared not say much.

This boy, roughly ten years younger than them, had stood at a height they could only look up to from the moment he was born.

"You're getting smoother with your words, brat." Xiao Yu giggled, then suddenly pressed her scarlet lips to Xiao Yan's cheek.

"Consider that your reward for getting me out of trouble."

"Holy shit, you wicked woman! I'm telling you, I'm grown up now. Stop getting handsy with me!"

Having reached an age when his desires stood cocked and ready, Xiao Yan silently repeated German orthopedics three times to suppress the amorous stirrings in his heart.

After seeing Xiao Niu, Xiao Ma, and their companion off, the two cousins flew toward home.

The surging air swept Xiao Yan's hair up. Looking down now, he saw the boundless expanse of the Xiao Realm.

Below lay flat, fertile plains, with domesticated magical beasts occasionally running through the pastures, while lush green medicinal fields gave off the fragrance of herbs.

There were also peaks towering into the clouds, where some Dou Zun expert might be cultivating in seclusion. In the rivers, lakes, and seas, magical beasts resembling flood dragons and true dragons occasionally flickered into view.

In the sky, some people flew with their Dou Qi Wings spread like Xiao Yan, while others soared on domesticated flying magical beasts.

Still other experts strode through the air, crossing vast distances with each flicker of their figures.

With a fresh, vigorous Dou Di bloodline and a new Dou Di expert supporting them, the Xiao Clan produced talented experts in an almost endless stream. This also made competition within the clan exceptionally fierce.

Among the Ancient Seven Clans, Dou Wangs and Dou Emperors were not top-level forces, but they still fell short of those above while surpassing those below.

But in the Xiao Clan, saying that Dou Wangs were as plentiful as dogs and Dou Emperors walked everywhere was no joke. As for anyone who failed to become a Dou Wang before forty, they were not qualified to enter the clan roster.

They shared a single designation: "descendant populace."

Among the Ancient Seven Clans, the descendant populace held very low status. They might never have a chance to leave the Xiao Realm in their entire lives.

But such things were far removed from Xiao Yan. In this timeline, he had never experienced the sort of opening a protagonist ought to have.

In this timeline, there was no black ring, nor an old man absorbing his Dou Qi.

Of course, if anyone dared absorb his Dou Qi in an environment like the Xiao Clan, even a Dou Sheng's remnant soul would be dragged out and refined.

In this timeline, he had not been born into a declining branch family. He had no father crippled in a duel, nor a genius rival from the main clan whom he had sworn to defeat since childhood.

Because he was that clan genius.

"Hopefully, somewhere in a corner of the Dou Qi Continent, there won't be some kid called Hun Yan popping up in a little town called Bird Tan City or Chicken Tan City!"

Xiao Yan smiled and shook his head, then flew to the square with Xiao Yu.

"Look, Brother Yan's back!" A group of youths watched the two people descending from the sky.

"It's Sister Xiao Yu! Sister Xiao Yu's back too!" Delight spread across their faces.

"Little Yanzi, I was just about to go looking for you, and here you are." A hearty voice rang out.

The speaker was a tall young man dressed in silver-gray robes. His features carried a sharp edge, and thin arcs of electricity flickered through his hair.

He was none other than Xiao Yan's second brother, the five-star Dou Zong, Xiao Li!

The moment Xiao Li spoke, the youths around him were already looking at him with a trace of fear.

Besides being a squad captain in the Xiao Clan's law enforcement team, Xiao Li was also the instructor responsible for teaching Dou Techniques and cultivation methods to Xiao Lin's branch.

The younger members of Xiao Lin's branch had received plenty of beatings from Xiao Li, so they were all rather afraid of him.

"Second Brother!"

Xiao Yan's eyes lit up at the sight of Xiao Li.

"Brother Li." Xiao Yu also greeted him with a smile. Xiao Li was only five or six years older than her, so he had never disciplined her when she was little. Naturally, she was not particularly afraid of him.

"Brother Yan, shouldn't we organize something tonight?"

Seeing that everyone was present, Xiao Ning took the opportunity to suggest, "Look, our year of hard cultivation has finally yielded some results, and my sister and Instructor Li are both here. Shouldn't we throw a pa... party?"

"Not bad. You've got a point." Xiao Yan gave Xiao Ning an approving look. After all these years of his tutelage, Xiao Ning understood him better and better, showing the faint promise of becoming his number-one lackey.

"Hehe." A smug smile appeared on Xiao Ning's face.

"My little brother's practically been sweet-talked lame by Xiao Yan." Watching silently from the side, Xiao Yu rubbed her forehead helplessly.

"Since Second Brother happens to be here today, I've got just the plan." Xiao Yan beckoned, and everyone gathered around.

"We'll..."

"What? No! My grandfather put a lot of hard work into raising those Heavenly Dragon Fish." A moment later, Xiao Yu was the first to reject the suggestion.

"Eating Heavenly Dragon Fish helps nourish your complexion and preserve your beauty. Besides, don't you want to try fish grilled by me?" Xiao Yan coaxed her patiently.

"Nourish my complexion and preserve my beauty..." Xiao Yu hesitated.

"And apparently, their magic cores can be used to refine the fourth-tier Jade Beauty Pill."

"I think my grandfather raises all those fish without eating them or putting them to use. Leaving them there is a waste of resources anyway. Catching a reasonable number isn't entirely out of the question," Xiao Yu amended.

The youths discussed their plan, never noticing the slight ripple in the space nearby.