A Seventeen-Year-Old Dou Wang

"Exactly! The Xiao Clan must have obtained some incredible treasure!"

"That's why they're so arrogant, and why they were in such a hurry to recall all their clansmen!"

"Damn it, why did we only think of this now?"

Jia Lie Bi and Oba Pa were filled with regret.

Why had they only thought of this now?

If it really was a treasure, half a month had already passed. Did that treasure still exist?

"Brother Jia Lie, I think... we still have a chance!"

After frowning in thought for a moment, Oba Pa suddenly stood up, his eyes burning.

"Oh? What do you mean, Brother Oba?" Jia Lie Bi looked puzzled.

"I believe whatever the Xiao Clan obtained is definitely not something that can be swallowed or refined."

"Most likely, it's something that aids cultivation!"

"That's the most likely possibility."

"That's why they shut their doors, refused visitors, and recalled their clansmen who were away."

"They must be trying to seize every moment to use the treasure to improve the strength of their entire clan!"

"That treasure can drain all the surrounding Dou Qi, and then the Xiao Clan uses it to improve their cultivation."

"That must be it!"

"Brother Jia Lie, if we let the Xiao Clan grow stronger, I'm afraid our two families will have no foothold left in Wutan City!"

"And... if we can seize this treasure and share it between our families, our strength will surely soar in a short time!"

Oba Pa spoke excitedly.

Listening to Oba Pa's analysis, Jia Lie Bi also began to grow excited.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if they obtained such a treasure?

"But..."

"The treasure fell into the Xiao Clan's hands, and half a month has passed. Their overall strength has probably improved considerably. I'm afraid seizing it won't be easy," Jia Lie Bi said with a frown.

"What's there to fear? It's only been half a month. How much stronger could their Xiao Clan have become?"

"With our two families joining forces, are we supposed to fear a single Xiao Clan?"

"You're right. Gather our men. We'll strike fast and finish this quickly. Delay only breeds complications!"

"Good!"

"Ancestor!"

"I... I've advanced to Dou Zhe!"

Xiao Yan could barely conceal the joy on his face.

Letting out a soft breath, he closed his eyes slightly, gradually sinking his awareness into his body.

Internal vision was an auxiliary skill that could only be mastered upon reaching the Dou Zhe level.

The stronger a person was, the more thoroughly they could examine the state of their body.

His awareness sank to his lower abdomen, where a palm-sized, milky-white vortex was slowly revolving.

A layer of milky-white energy mist resembling a nebula enveloped the vortex.

Gazing at this tiny vortex, Xiao Yan nodded in satisfaction.

Controlling the vortex with his awareness, he willed it slightly, and a wisp of milky-white Dou Qi swiftly separated from it before surging toward wherever his awareness directed.

He kept controlling the vortex's intake and release. Only after growing increasingly proficient did Xiao Yan finally stop his playful actions in satisfaction, slowly withdrawing his awareness from his body.

Seeing Xiao Yan open his eyes, Xiao Chen nodded. "Mm, your luck was pretty good. You successfully condensed a vortex on your first try."

"This... this is simply unbelievable!" Yao Lao floated out of the ring, his face filled with shock.

For the past half month, Xiao Yan had stayed by Xiao Chen's side to cultivate.

Xiao Chen provided the resources, and Xiao Yan only needed to keep cultivating.

There was no shortage of pills or spirit liquids.

Moreover, even Yao Lao had never heard of the pills Xiao Chen provided. All he knew was that these pills were even gentler than his Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid, offering countless benefits without a single drawback even to those at the Dou Qi stage.

Xiao Yan had originally thought that reaching fifth stage Dou Qi in half a month would already be an extremely fast pace.

Yet he had never expected to break straight through to Dou Zhe in one fell swoop!

From three-stage Dou Qi to Dou Zhe in half a month-that was a speed he would not even have dared imagine.

To Xiao Yan, this half month had been like a dream, and the sweetest dream he had ever had at that.

Xiao Chen understood perfectly well when he saw how excited Xiao Yan was.

After all, in the original story, Xiao Yan had taken longer to break through to Dou Zhe and had still been extremely excited.

Xiao Chen still remembered that passage.

"Lying in the cold cave, Xiao Yan sensed the abundant energy within his body, absent for four years, and a faint smile rose at the corners of his mouth. A moment later, that smile gradually widened, finally turning into a chuckle, a laugh, and wild laughter..."

When something lost was regained, losing one's composure was only natural.

"Xiao Yan, your aptitude actually isn't that poor."

"It's just that the Xiao Clan currently lacks deep reserves, and the Jia Ma Empire lies in a remote, impoverished region of the northwest. That's why your cultivation speed has been affected."

"Otherwise, your current cultivation level would far exceed your imagination."

"Do you think those powerful youths truly rely on talent alone?"

"Besides their own talent, they also have to rely on their families' accumulated reserves!"

"Let me tell you, the cultivation resources they possess far exceed what ordinary people can imagine."

"If the Xiao Clan were still the Xiao Clan of a thousand years ago, you would be a Dou Wang at the very least by seventeen!"

"This world is vast. The Jia Ma Empire is merely a speck of land, not worth mentioning at all."

"So you need to go out and see it."

Xiao Chen spoke with a faint smile.

Although he had always lived in seclusion with Su Qingxue, he often sneaked out to have fun.

He did know a few true favorites of heaven.

"Ancestor... do you mean there really are people who can reach the Dou Wang level at seventeen?"

Xiao Yan looked shocked.

This was something he could not imagine at all.

A seventeen-year-old Dou Wang-wasn't that cultivation speed far too fast?

"That's why you need to go out, have a look around, and broaden your horizons."

"Don't be a frog at the bottom of a well."

Go out and see the world?

At these words, something stirred in Xiao Yan's heart.

Didn't Ancestor say he would take me out to search for the world's Heavenly Flames?

Just thinking about it is exciting!

While the two were talking, Xiao Zhan arrived at the courtyard where Xiao Chen lived.

Xiao Zhan first glanced at Xiao Yan, his eyes brimming with pride.

His son's strength had advanced by leaps and bounds while cultivating under the ancestor. His future prospects were limitless!

"Greetings, Ancestor!"

"Ancestor, our Xiao Clan's informants near the Jia Lie Family and the Ao Ba Family have brought word. The two families seem to have joined forces and are making a move."

"I suspect they're coming for our Xiao Clan."

Xiao Zhan spoke with a frown.

The Jia Lie Family and the Ao Ba Family?

Xiao Chen glanced at Xiao Zhan.

Weren't they just two small families?

Why did Xiao Zhan look so nervous?

"Let them come."

"With the Xiao Clan's current strength, they won't gain anything from it."

After a pause, Xiao Chen asked, "How far has everyone's strength improved over this half month?"

"To answer you, Ancestor."

"Our Xiao Clan's strength has improved considerably over this half month, all thanks to the resources you brought back, Ancestor."

"I've now advanced to Nine-Star Great Dou Master, and all three elders have reached six-star Great Dou Shi."

"Xiao Ding and Xiao Li have already advanced to nine-star Dou Shi, and they're not far from breaking through to Da Dou Shi."

"The other clansmen have also improved by three to four stars."

Xiao Zhan was inwardly thrilled. The ancestor had returned only half a month ago, yet the Xiao Clan had already shed its old skin and been reborn!

"Then think about the Jia Lie Family and the Ao Ba Family. How strong are they?"

"They..."

Xiao Chen's words left Xiao Zhan stunned.

That's right. With the Xiao Clan's current strength, why should we worry about what the Jia Lie Family and the Ao Ba Family were doing?