Three Years

The matter of the Tou She Ancient God Jade was like a seed buried deep in Xiao Qian's heart, carefully hidden away.

He knew that with his current strength, he was nowhere near qualified to involve himself in it. That was a contest between powerful figures and ancient clans.

After that, he and Xiao Xun'er seemed to return to their former peaceful routine of cultivation and growth.

Yet both understood that beneath their seemingly tranquil relationship, the faint crack between them was like an invisible abyss. Neither knew whether time's deft hands would slowly mend it into something stronger over the long river of years, or whether one day...

It would surge like a raging tide and tear them apart completely.

But at least throughout those three years, they cherished every moment together as though it were the world's most precious treasure.

"Xiao Yan, Dou Qi, third stage!"

"Xiao Qian, Dou Qi, th-thirty-sixth stage!"

One year later, at the Family Testing Grounds, a wave of murmurs swept through the crowd as the results were announced.

Xiao Yan remained at the third stage of Dou Qi. The voices that had once surrounded him, praising his genius, had long since vanished.

The former genius had now been reduced to a mediocrity in everyone's eyes. Their former adulation had burst like bubbles, replaced by mockery that rained down on him. No one believed the excuse that a genius's path was full of unexpected turns anymore.

"You don't have to stand up for me anymore."

On the Xiao Clan's Back Mountain, Xiao Yan stood quietly at the cliff's edge, gazing into the distance. His desolate silhouette seemed to bear endless loneliness.

Dressed in fitted black clothes, Xiao Qian stood quietly beside him, his tone seemingly casual. "It's fine. All I did today was beat those gossipmongers until their faces swelled up. They won't die."

"I said, don't! Stand! Up for me!" Like a wounded beast, Xiao Yan clenched his fists and let out a series of low, furious growls. "I don't need pity! I don't need your protection! And I certainly don't need your charity!"

Xiao Qian frowned and turned to look at the anger and stubbornness on his face. His lips moved, but in the end, he chose silence.

"It's been a year. A whole year! Every day, I've worked myself to death, cultivating harder and harder, but my Dou Qi just keeps draining away. I... I'll never get back to where I was..."

Xiao Yan's voice was filled with despair. "I'll be nothing but trash for the rest of my life!"

His eyes were empty and helpless. "From now on, leave me alone! Your concern only makes me feel worse!"

He roared into the valley, "Aaaaaah-!"

His defiant howl echoed through the valley, only to seem swallowed by endless darkness, without the slightest answer.

Xiao Qian silently watched the boy's dejected figure for a while, then slowly turned and walked away, step by step.

Xiao Yan looked back at Xiao Qian's receding figure, breathing heavily. The bitterness in his eyes was as thick as ink that would not dissolve.

"I don't deserve to be your brother... I don't deserve it... I don't deserve it..."

His voice trembled in the wind, filled with self-loathing.

Two years later.

"Xiao Yan, third stage of Dou Qi. Low grade."

"Xiao Qian, Dou Qi, forty-fifth stage!"

Three years later.

"Xiao Yan, third stage of Dou Qi. Low grade."

"Xiao Qian... Huh? Didn't he come?"

It was still the same familiar square, but there were far more young faces around it than before.

Ten years had hurried past, and the children of the clan had gradually grown up.

In another year or two, they would enter the clan's various businesses as fresh blood, contributing their strength to its prosperity.

After their coming-of-age ceremony, the most outstanding among them would shine even more brightly, becoming the pillars of the Xiao Clan's future. Its future Xiao Clan Chief and elders might well emerge from their ranks.

Yet none of this had anything to do with Xiao Yan. He seemed an outsider at this grand feast of the clan.

For Xiao Yan, the annual clan test was like a cruel gathering devoted to mocking him. But after three years, he seemed to have grown accustomed to those cold looks and jeers.

Through those three years of tempering, his desire to grow stronger had not been worn away by setbacks. Instead, baptized in pain, it had grown tougher, like steel tempered in a blazing fire.

"Why didn't Xiao Qian come for the test? It's a clan rule."

"Who knows what that freak is thinking? Maybe he thinks he'll reach the eighty-first stage of Dou Qi next year, so he couldn't be bothered to take this test?"

"That guy isn't planning to reach the hundred-thousandth stage of Dou Qi, is he? If he did, could he blow a Dou Emperor apart with one punch?"

Xiao Yan silently turned and left, shutting out the jumble of chatter. His eyes held only resolve for the future and defiance toward his predicament.

"Xiao Xun'er, Ninth Stage of Dou Qi. High grade."

At that announcement, Xiao Yan's retreating figure paused briefly. Then he quickened his steps and left.

Everyone's gaze was drawn to the girl on the platform, watching her in awe.

At fourteen, Xiao Xun'er was like a flower bud poised to bloom. Even through the slightest opening, the peerless beauty within poured out like a tide, engulfing everyone around her.

Three years had made her presence quieter and more reserved. Apart from Xiao Qian, no one could sense the flames of emotion, hot as molten lava, hidden beneath the tranquil lake of her heart.

That was a sight belonging to him alone, an unspoken secret between them.

Leaving those admiring gazes behind, Xiao Xun'er walked briskly down from the platform and headed straight for the Small Courtyard.

"Click, click, click..."

As soon as she entered the Small Courtyard, several strange noises reached her ears. Her gaze shifted, and she headed toward Xiao Qian's room.

At the door, she knocked softly. Only after hearing Xiao Qian's permission did she slowly push it open and enter.

Inside, the boy wore loose white clothes, his forehead covered in sweat as he concentrated on tinkering with something.

Before him stood a snow-white humanoid figure. As he manipulated it, its arms moved very stiffly.

Xiao Xun'er was long accustomed to the sight. She walked softly to Xiao Qian's side, took out a handkerchief, and gently wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Xiao Yan is still at the third stage of Dou Qi," she said quietly.

Xiao Qian nodded slightly. "Mm."

"What about you? What stage are you at now?" Curiosity sparkled in her eyes.

Without stopping his work, Xiao Qian answered casually, "Seventy-second."

Xiao Xun'er's mouth fell open in surprise, her expression holding both shock and a hint of helplessness. "You're really getting stranger and stranger."

"That's nothing." Xiao Qian folded his arms across his chest, gazing fervently at the puppet before him. "Once I finish building this puppet's body, it'll be able to bear the full power of my magic core. Then... heh heh."

"Have you made any progress?"

Xiao Xun'er knew that over the past three years, Xiao Qian had spent very little time cultivating. Most of his energy had gone into researching this puppet.

"Before, we tried replacing the body with metal, hoping to achieve the strength needed to bear the magic core. But metal is too rigid, and the continent's existing smelting capabilities are really limited..."

Xiao Qian shook his head helplessly and continued, "The Dou Qi Continent has its own system that it excels at. I've decided to use that after all, but only the skeletal portion, constructing the puppet's body with the hardness of bone. It'll take longer, but there are established techniques I can draw on."

"At the end of the day, the Spirit-Devouring Puppet Refining Method is just a technique. I don't need to follow it to the letter. As long as I understand its principles, I can tailor the most suitable puppet body for my magic core!"

The boy's expression was focused and fervent. He gazed at that snow-white skeleton like someone deeply in love gazing at his sweetheart.

Xiao Xun'er secretly gave an adorable little roll of her eyes, inwardly chiding him. This clueless wretch has no sense of romance!

"But its movements still look awfully stiff," the girl said, unable to resist throwing cold water on his enthusiasm.

The smile on Xiao Qian's face stiffened. Then he hurried to defend himself. "It's only half-finished. You have to trust me-my approach is right. I just haven't found a suitable material to replace the meridians yet, so I need to keep experimenting! That's all!"

"What materials do you need? I'll help you find them," Xiao Xun'er said without hesitation.

Warmth stirred in Xiao Qian's heart, but he still shook his head. "I don't know either. Besides, its body still isn't strong enough. We can keep strengthening it when we hunt magical beasts in the future. We can take our time looking for materials."

"If you find the right materials, how much strength could you wield through it?" Xiao Xun'er asked.

Xiao Qian rose and put the puppet into his Storage Ring, chuckling. "Dou Zong, at the very least."

"That's amazing!" Xiao Xun'er's eyes shone like twinkling stars. Suddenly, as though remembering something, she asked, "Why did you make it a cloak?"

Xiao Qian spread his hands. "Because I'm no good at sculpting faces."

Xiao Xun'er's eyes instantly lit up. Like a child who had just received candy, she raised her little hand high. "I can do it!"

"It's not that simple. You have to adjust it bit by bit, and it consumes a tremendous amount of soul power and Dou Qi. Besides, it's just a puppet. Who cares what it looks like? Why waste the time?"

Xiao Qian was a thoroughgoing pragmatist and could not understand the girl's enthusiasm at all.

"Give it to me, give it to me, come on!"

The girl clasped his hand in both of hers, swinging it back and forth pleadingly. This sudden display of adorable coaxing left Xiao Qian's brain frozen for a moment.

"All right, all right, all right."

In the end, Xiao Qian failed to withstand that sweet assault. Ever since Xiao Xun'er had grown older, she had always been gentle and composed, rarely showing such an endearing side. He simply could not refuse her.