"Go on, then. If you still can't see where things stand, go and try it yourself."
Outside the Mountain Ghost Pavilion.
Xiao Tian Shan sighed, then went to prepare gifts.
Meanwhile, Xiao Tian Yun left the Mountain Ghost Pavilion and headed straight for the residence of Xiao Wu he had mentioned-the True Martial Academy.
As a Dou Sheng, he could harness spatial power to travel. About ten minutes later, Xiao Tian Yun finally reached the entrance to the True Martial Academy.
"Greetings, Elder Tian Elder Yun."
As soon as he arrived, a clansman guarding the True Martial Academy hurried over and bowed.
"No need for formalities. Is Brother Wu here?" Xiao Tian Yun nodded and asked casually.
"Well..."
Hearing Xiao Tian Yun ask about Branch Head Xiao Wu, the man was visibly troubled. Just moments earlier, the branch head had personally ordered him to bar anyone from Xiao Tian Shan's branch from entering.
"What, you don't even know whether he's here?" Xiao Tian Yun grew irritated. Either he was here or he wasn't. What was all this hemming and hawing?
"Please forgive me, Elder Tian Elder Yun. The branch head has gone out."
The man did not want to offend Xiao Tian Yun either. He was an elder of the clan, after all, and a powerless nobody like him could not afford to offend him.
"Hmm? He's not here?"
Xiao Tian Yun was immediately displeased. He looked at the man again and saw his eyes darting evasively. With a cold snort, he abruptly unleashed his soul power.
His senses revealed that Xiao Wu was inside the True Martial Academy.
"Hmph, Brother Wu is right inside. Why did you say he wasn't here? I'm going to see him." Xiao Tian Yun snorted, deciding he could not be bothered to argue with the man.
"Wait, Elder Tian Elder Yun."
Seeing that he was about to enter, the man immediately stepped into his path and bowed respectfully. "Elder Tian Elder Yun, please don't make things difficult for this lowly servant."
From the looks of it, this man intended to stop him?
Xiao Tian Yun's expression turned ugly. Pointing at the man, he demanded in a low voice, "Why did you lie to me? Brother Wu is clearly inside!"
As soon as he spoke, cold sweat beaded on the man's forehead. If Xiao Tian Yun really slapped him to death, he would have nowhere to seek justice.
Just then, a voice drifted out from the True Martial Academy. "Let Tian Yun in!"
"This way, Elder Tian Elder Yun!"
With the branch head's permission, the man breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly stepped aside to let Xiao Tian Yun enter.
"Hmph. I'll settle accounts with you later."
Xiao Tian Yun snorted again, then strode quickly into the True Martial Academy.
A short while later, inside the True Martial Academy.
A middle-aged man sat drinking tea at a stone table, looking utterly at ease!
He was the master of the True Martial Academy, Xiao Wu, a peak seven-star Dou Saint expert who currently ranked among the top ten in the entire Xiao Clan.
Apart from Clan Leader Xiao Xuan and certain experts of the older generation, he could essentially be considered the strongest branch head among the clan's six branches.
"Brother Wu!"
"Tian Yun, you're here. Come and sit. Try this tea I just acquired." Xiao Wu smiled faintly, as though he had forgotten that he was the one who had ordered the guard to stop Xiao Tian Yun.
Seeing his warm welcome, Xiao Tian Yun plopped down on a stone stool, then said cautiously, "Brother Wu, that guard at your entrance is getting bolder by the day. He actually dared to stop me from coming in to see you!"
"Oh? Did that really happen? Once you've left, I'll punish him personally to vent your anger. How outrageous." Xiao Wu's expression darkened as he poured the tea.
"Forget it. It's nothing serious. Brother Wu, you know why I've come, don't you?" Xiao Tian Yun waved a hand, indicating that the guard at the entrance was no great matter, then asked in a low voice.
"Is it about your dispute with Uncle Chun at the Treasure Pavilion today?" Xiao Wu nodded and asked casually.
"Exactly. It was supposed to be a simple spar, but I never expected Xiao Tian Ce to send a puppet over and injure both me and my brother.
Brother Wu, I can't swallow this humiliation, so I've come to ask you to help teach Xiao Tian Ce a lesson. Make him understand that, among the so-called Three Talents of the Xiao Clan, aside from the clan leader, he's already a relic of the past.
As long as you agree to act, Brother Wu, I'll send over that Bodhi Pill you had your eye on." Xiao Tian Yun bowed respectfully, pleading for Xiao Wu's help.
Hearing this, Xiao Wu smiled faintly, then shook his head. "You should understand that the clan forbids battles between experts above five-star Dou Sheng. Besides, whatever else he may be, Tian Ce is the head of one of the six branches. If the clan leader found out, I'd have a bitter fruit to swallow."
"Brother Wu, what if I add a scroll containing a high-grade Earth-tier Dou Technique?" Thinking his offer was insufficient, Xiao Tian Yun gritted his teeth and raised it.
Seeing that he still did not understand, Xiao Wu no longer wanted to speak in riddles. He explained in a low voice, "It seems you really don't understand anything, Tian Yun. He's Xiao Tian Ce, a genius whose talent rivals our clan leader's. Even while he was unconscious, the other branches didn't dare go too far.
Now that he's awake, it means that, given enough time, he will undoubtedly grow into a supreme expert on par with the clan leader.
Though you and I are on good terms, I cannot possibly make an enemy of someone like Tian Ce for your sake. Do you understand?"
"I don't understand. He's only an early five-star Dou Sheng. With your strength as a peak seven-star Dou Saint, Brother Wu, are you saying you can't defeat him?" Xiao Tian Yun seethed inwardly. Why had both his brother and Brother Wu refused to help him regain face?
He's merely an early five-star Dou Sheng. So what if we beat him up?
Seeing that he remained stubbornly blind to reason, Xiao Wu felt a headache coming on. He explained again, "Tian Yun, I'll tell you the truth. If you insist on making trouble for Tian Ce, I'm afraid nothing but endless failure awaits you.
Perhaps you don't understand why Tian Ce became one of the Three Talents of the Xiao Clan back then, but there's one thing you must know: Hun Tiandi ambushed Tian Ce a hundred years ago."
"So what?" Xiao Tian Yun tilted his head, unable to understand what connection there could possibly be.
"Heh. What if I told you that Hun Tiandi once suffered a setback at Tian Ce's hands?" Xiao Wu smiled faintly as a scene flashed through his mind.
"How is that possible? Although Hun Tiandi isn't as strong as the clan leader, he's still an expert capable of exchanging blows with him. Now he's a supreme expert, a Peak Nine-Star Dou Saint. How could he have suffered a setback at Xiao Tian Ce's hands?" Xiao Tian Yun's eyes widened. He simply could not believe it was true.
Across from him, Xiao Wu seemed to have expected his disbelief. He smiled and explained, "It really happened. Hun Tiandi did suffer a setback at Tian Ce's hands.
It was about a hundred and twenty years ago. Tian Ce had only just advanced to Three-Star Dou Sheng, while Hun Tiandi and our clan leader were already at the peak of Six-Star Dou Sheng.
It happened during the Eight Clans' grand tournament. At the final trial, Hun Tiandi sent experts from his clan and persuaded two experts from the Lei Clan and the Yan Clan to hold our clan leader back together, while he went to claim the final victory.
But at that very moment, Tian Ce joined forces with Second Brother Xiao Chen, and together they stepped forward to halt Hun Tiandi's advance."
"Second Brother Xiao Chen must have done the heavy lifting. What does that prove?" Xiao Tian Yun interrupted as soon as he heard this.
"Heh. That's why I say you don't understand. What makes Tian Ce terrifying isn't just that he's the wisest person in the clan. It's also that the combat power he can unleash was enough to rival Hun Tiandi back then.
If that weren't the case, why would he have held so firmly to his place among the Three Talents of the Xiao Clan when plenty of clansmen had higher cultivation than him?
On the Dou Qi Continent, the strong have always reigned supreme. Otherwise, why do you think Hun Tiandi needed to ambush Tian Ce despite having a cultivation level so much higher than his?"
This makes up for yesterday's chapter. Please support me.
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